The boundaries between the inner and outer courtyards of Xing Palace were clearly defined. For the next half month, Lu Zhuo never saw Wei Rao again.

He hadn’t even seen Emperor Yuanjia’s face.

However, while no one paid attention to him and he could only lead a team of guards patrolling Xing Palace, a major event occurred within the palace.

Consort Li was promoted to Noble Consort, with the title Shu.

Shu means virtue and goodness. When used for women, it praises their beauty and benevolence.

Why did Emperor Yuanjia consider Consort Li virtuous and benevolent?

First, Consort Li was exceptionally beautiful and greatly pleased the Emperor’s heart. Second, Consort Li bore the Fourth Prince, contributing to the imperial lineage. Third, Consort Li was filial to the Empress Dowager. When the Empress Dowager’s health declined, Consort Li willingly moved to Xing Palace with the Fourth Prince to pray for the Empress Dowager’s recovery, and after the Empress Dowager’s death, she voluntarily requested to remain at Xing Palace to chant sutras for the departed Empress Dowager. Fourth, the Fourth Prince was exceptionally intelligent and well-mannered, demonstrating Consort Li’s excellent child-rearing skills.

Therefore, Emperor Yuanjia wanted to elevate Consort Li to Noble Consort Shu.

In the ministers’ view, Emperor Yuanjia was talking nonsense. Of these four reasons, except for Consort Li’s beauty and giving birth to the Fourth Prince being facts, how was her coming to Xing Palace out of filial piety to the Empress Dowager? She was disliked by the Empress Dowager and found ways to be sent here. As for whether the Fourth Prince was truly intelligent, he was only five years old. Only Emperor Yuanjia had spent close time with him – how could the ministers know if the Fourth Prince’s intelligence was real or feigned?

Emperor Yuanjia simply wanted to elevate Consort Li to Noble Consort.

The ministers felt that since Consort Li had borne the Fourth Prince, promoting her to Consort was acceptable, but Noble Consort? Wasn’t the Emperor’s favor excessive?

Some wanted to object, but what reason could they use?

Blame Xiao Zhou Shi for not remaining a widow for her deceased husband?

However, to encourage the people to multiply and provide the court with continuous military strength, the court encouraged widows to remarry. Of course, a woman remaining a widow to honor her deceased husband and serve his family was also considered virtuous. In other words, if a woman chose to remain a widow, she would be praised, but if she remarried, it wasn’t wrong either.

Carefully considering it, Xiao Zhou Shi had truly never committed any errors.

To say where Xiao Zhou Shi was better than Consort De, Consort Xian, and Consort Hui – it was indeed her reason for moving to Xing Palace, which was truly for the Empress Dowager’s health. When Emperor Yuanjia initially arranged for Xiao Zhou Shi to move to Xing Palace, the official reason was indeed to chant sutras and pray for the Empress Dowager, including Xiao Zhou Shi continuing to live at Xing Palace for more than a year after the Empress Dowager’s death…

Only now did everyone realize that Emperor Yuanjia truly treasured Xiao Zhou Shi deeply. Five years ago, Emperor Yuanjia had already begun paving the way for today’s elevation of Xiao Zhou Shi to Noble Consort!

Stubbornly oppose? Back then, the Empress Dowager so disliked Shou’an Jun and Xiao Zhou Shi, yet didn’t Emperor Yuanjia still bring Xiao Zhou Shi into the harem? Emperor Yuanjia dared to offend even the Empress Dowager – which minister would dare dismantle the path he had laid for five years? What would Emperor Yuanjia do to them?

Emperor Yuanjia was no newly ascended emperor; he had been on the throne for over twenty years. The ministers looked at each other, and truly, no one strongly opposed. Those lukewarm memorials suggesting that the Noble Consort was too high a rank and a regular Consort would suffice were lightly suppressed by Emperor Yuanjia.

Therefore, there was no longer Consort Li in the palace, only Noble Consort Shu.

After Noble Consort Shu’s elevation, she immediately enjoyed exclusive favor at Xing Palace. Whenever the Emperor finished handling state affairs and toured Xing Palace, he took Noble Consort Shu everywhere.

This evening at dusk, Qi Zhongkai, who had finished his shift, came to find Lu Zhuo for drinks.

After more than half a month of rest, Lu Zhuo’s knee had long healed, his sun-reddened face had returned to its jade-like complexion, and his lips were no longer dry. In short, he remained devastatingly handsome, enough to make women infatuated and men jealous.

Qi Zhongkai, however, was quite gleeful, pouring wine for Lu Zhuo while saying: “Today the Emperor and Noble Consort went horse racing. On the way back, I followed behind them. Guess what I heard?”

Lu Zhuo drank wine expressionlessly.

Qi Zhongkai knew that keeping him in suspense was useless, so he snorted and grinned: “Noble Consort wants to select a good husband for the Princess. The Emperor suggested having the young talents who accompanied them compete in two events – the scholarly ones would attend a literary banquet to compose poetry and paint, while the martial ones would go hunting in the hunting grounds. They would let the Noble Consort and the Princess observe together, and whoever caught their eye, the Emperor would arrange the marriage. Of course, officially it’s just the Emperor wanting to see the young men’s performance, and Consort Xian, Consort Hui, and others would also be present.”

Lu Zhuo gripped his wine bowl tightly. She really was going to select a husband, picking from both literary and martial talents?

Qi Zhongkai naturally wouldn’t deceive him. In early June, Emperor Yuanjia held a literary banquet at Changchun Garden, selecting over twenty unmarried young men from noble families and young civil officials to attend. At the banquet, Emperor Yuanjia set a topic, commanding these scholars to paint and compose poetry using the garden scenery as their theme.

Lu Zhuo wasn’t invited, but heard that three young men had excellent paintings and poems, all receiving rewards from the Noble Consort.

A few days later, Emperor Yuanjia issued an edict that hunting would be held at the hunting grounds on June 15th. This hunt aimed to test the horsemanship and archery skills of the accompanying young military officials. Unmarried sons of noble families could also participate, and if they performed well enough, they might receive official positions.

Lu Zhuo was both a noble family’s son and a young military official, but he wasn’t specifically named by Emperor Yuanjia as a military official, nor did he meet the criteria for noble family sons who could register themselves. The Noble Consort had intentionally excluded him from the candidate list when selecting a husband, giving Lu Zhuo no chance to perform before the Noble Consort and the Princess.

Unable to participate in the hunt, Lu Zhuo was instead assigned by Emperor Yuanjia to be responsible for everyone’s safety in the hunting grounds. If anyone encountered a wild beast attack and called for help, Lu Zhuo would lead men to provide a timely rescue.

In the blink of an eye, it was June 15th.

Before dawn, Lu Zhuo had already led three teams of Shenwu Army elite soldiers into the hunting grounds.

The hunting grounds were divided into outer and inner areas. The outer area had no fierce beasts, only small animals like rabbits and pheasants with mild temperaments, used for imperial ladies and invited madams and young ladies to practice. The inner area was the formal hunting ground, where men hunted bears, wolves, wild boars, foxes, and other wild beasts, though most were also raised by palace servants and far less fierce than truly wild forest beasts.

After positioning each elite soldier in their designated area, Lu Zhuo mounted his horse and looked toward the area outside the hunting grounds.

The sunlight filtering through the tree canopy gradually became dazzling, and finally, the sound of hoofbeats and voices came from outside: Emperor Yuanjia and the others had arrived.

Wei Rao would also participate today, and even Xiao Zhou Shi had changed into hunting attire.

The hunt began. Young military officials and noble family sons eager to perform before the Emperor charged first into the inner hunting grounds. After the dust kicked up by the hooves settled, Emperor Yuanjia and Xiao Zhou Shi rode side by side, leading the eager ladies into the outer grounds.

Since Emperor Yuanjia wanted to accompany Xiao Zhou Shi in hunting, Wei Rao naturally didn’t want to follow the pair. She called Lu Changning and several other young ladies to change direction.

The hunting grounds covered tens of thousands of acres, with grasslands, lakes, and forests scattered throughout. Even the outer grounds were vast enough.

Wei Rao’s group consisted of over ten young ladies, but Wei Rao was only closest to Lu Changning. The other young ladies’ horsemanship only ensured they could ride at a slow pace; they couldn’t gallop freely like Wei Rao and Lu Changning, let alone hunt while riding. They seemed uninterested as well, only wanting to find a scenic spot to look at flowers and water.

“This slow pace is boring. Princess, do you dare race me?” Lu Changning moved close to Wei Rao, pointing to a solitary white poplar growing on a distant hillside.

Wei Rao had long wanted to ride at full speed and readily agreed.

Under the surprised or envious gazes of the other young ladies, Wei Rao and Lu Changning galloped toward the hillside.

Wei Rao’s white horse and Lu Changning’s black horse were equally fine steeds. Wei Rao’s horsemanship was slightly better, so she reached the hillside before Lu Changning.

However, Lu Changning quickly caught up.

This hillside offered an excellent view. Beyond a stretch of forest, one could see a lake in the distance with what appeared to be several wild ducks swimming on the surface.

“I want to go over there. Hunting a wild duck would be nice too.” After resting briefly, Lu Changning pointed toward the lake. “It’s a pity we can’t go to the inner grounds. I heard there are deer there, and I wanted to hunt one.”

Wei Rao felt the same regret, but since the inner grounds were full of men today, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her and Lu Changning to go there knowing this situation.

“Let’s hunt wild ducks then. I’ll be responsible for driving the ducks to the shore, and you can hunt them.” Wei Rao arranged the strategy.

Lu Changning exclaimed excitedly: “Good!”

The two women rode toward the lake again.

Though it looked close, it was actually quite far. Just the forest between the hillside and the lake stretched for more than a li, though fortunately the trees were widely spaced, making it convenient for horses.

As they rode, Lu Changning suddenly stopped.

Wei Rao puzzledly reined in her horse and turned back.

Lu Changning looked at her with shame and unease: “Princess, Big Brother wants to see you. He asked me to lead you here.”

Wei Rao’s expression changed slightly.

Lu Changning lowered her head: “I… I both want you to forgive Big Brother and continue being my sister-in-law, but I’m also afraid you don’t want to, afraid you’ll be angry with me… Sigh, I don’t know what to say anymore. If the Princess doesn’t want to see Big Brother, you should go back early. Big Brother should be waiting on the other side of the forest.”

Wei Rao wasn’t unwilling to see Lu Zhuo, but what did it mean for him to suddenly appear and involve Lu Changning?

“I don’t blame you, but please tell the Young Master not to do such improper things again.” Wei Rao said with complex emotions.

Lu Changning felt so guilty she was about to cry.

Wei Rao turned her horse around and rode back the way they came.

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly came from behind. Lu Changning saw a flash of crimson robes and urgently warned Wei Rao: “Princess, I think that’s my Big Brother!”

Wei Rao rode forward without looking back.

Her heart was beating fast. She wanted to see him but was afraid to see him. If she saw him, she didn’t know what to say. If she didn’t see him, would he be discouraged by her mother’s false moves, thinking she really wanted to select someone else as her husband?

She and Lu Zhuo had been together for so long, mostly just quarreling and being angry. Even after Lu Zhuo sincerely tried to win her back and she had forgiven her anger, Wei Rao certainly couldn’t claim to have deep feelings for him. She definitely liked him a little – after all, he was the Lu gentleman from Duke Ying Mansion that all unmarried young ladies in the capital admired. He had such a face, his martial skills were truly impressive, and his family was so wonderful…

If he continued to persist, Wei Rao was willing to marry, willing to try again.

Strangely, when she was unwilling, Wei Rao was only angry, only too lazy to pay attention to him, not afraid of Lu Zhuo at all. Now that Lu Zhuo was chasing after her, Wei Rao became flustered instead.

Wei Rao’s white horse usually ran on flat ground. In the mountain forest where it needed to turn and weave, its speed slowed considerably. Before she could see the edge of the forest, the hoofbeats behind her had already closed in.

Wei Rao didn’t even know if that was really Lu Zhuo, but she didn’t dare look back.

The trees ahead were denser. When Wei Rao spurred her horse to change direction, a black steed and the figure in crimson official robes on its back burst into her peripheral vision.

Wei Rao’s face flushed red with urgency as she continued galloping forward. Just as the grassland outside came into view, a large hand suddenly appeared around her waist, lifting her from the saddle with irresistible force. Wei Rao’s hands still gripped the reins, and the snow-white steed reared up on its hind legs with a neigh. The reins finally slipped from her hands as she fell into the man’s broad embrace.

Wei Rao instinctively grabbed his robes, looked up angrily, and saw Lu Zhuo’s stern face.

He only glanced at her once before urging Fei Mo deeper into the forest, his thin lips pressed tightly together.

“What is the Young Master doing?” Wei Rao struggled, his arm holding her too tightly, making her uncomfortable.

Lu Zhuo didn’t know what he was doing either.

He wanted to marry her and had done so much, yet still couldn’t fathom her thoughts.

Because of this, he hadn’t slept peacefully since arriving at Xing Palace. He couldn’t see her, but he could see those accompanying noble family sons – some gentle as jade, some heroic and spirited, some robust and imposing, some shrewd and reserved. Any one of them, if brought out, would capture many young ladies’ hearts.

What kind of man did Wei Rao like?

Lu Zhuo didn’t know.

Before her, Lu Zhuo no longer had any confidence. If she would love his background and appearance at all, she wouldn’t have resolutely sought divorce.

Lu Zhuo wanted to ask her to get a clear answer. Whether she would marry or not, at least give him an answer. If she truly didn’t want to, even if Lu Zhuo never married, he couldn’t force her to do anything.

He had never been a gentleman. When it didn’t concern him, he could be proper everywhere, but when it truly involved his own major affairs, Lu Zhuo took advantage of his cousin. He had promised to wait for her on the other side of the forest, but fearing she would detect his scheme and retreat halfway, Lu Zhuo chased after her and finally captured her in his arms.

“Let me go. What would it mean if someone saw us?”

He didn’t speak, maintaining a cold expression. Wei Rao suddenly felt fire rise in her heart, using both hands to pry away the hand around her waist.

“Except for me and Changning, there’s no one else in this area.” Seeing her considerable strength, Lu Zhuo slowed down and lowered his head to explain.

His arm was like forged iron, hard and immovable. Unable to push him away, Wei Rao angrily looked up at him and demanded: “So what if there’s no one else? What right do you have to treat me this way? Aren’t you the one who values propriety most? You…”

Lu Zhuo could hear her voice but couldn’t make out what she was saying. His eyes only saw her fierce expression, only her delicate face flushed from riding, only those full, beautiful lips.

Then Lu Zhuo heard her mention propriety.

What did propriety matter? How little propriety had he abandoned for her sake?

The arm around her waist tightened further. As she gasped in shock, Lu Zhuo cupped the back of her head and pressed down.

Wei Rao trembled all over.

But Lu Zhuo closed his eyes, taking advantage of her stunned state to plunder deeply, wishing he could merge her into his chest.