Night was as dark as ink. Most of the city’s residents had retired for the evening. A carriage rumbled along stone-paved streets.

The coachman drove while Zhao Song closely followed the carriage, with twelve Shenwu Army personal guards in front and behind.

When they’d just left the Meng residence, the military officers were making noise, and Zhao Song couldn’t hear any sounds from inside the carriage. Now that this stretch of road was quiet, intermittent retching sounds came from within. Zhao Song wanted to go inside to attend to his master, but the young master refused.

At tonight’s banquet, the young master had hardly eaten anything—he just kept drinking. Over five jars of strong liquor could kill a person from the sheer volume alone. Being able to vomit it out was a good thing.

The general’s mansion lay just ahead.

The carriage stopped. Zhao Song dismounted and lifted the carriage curtain. A strong smell of alcohol hit him in the face. Under the dim lamplight, the young master wore only white undergarments, leaning against one corner of the carriage with eyes closed—whether resting or asleep was unclear.

Zhao Song immediately removed his outer robe, climbed into the carriage, draped the robe over the young master, and then moved to help him.

Lu Zhuo could sense Zhao Song’s movements but felt dizzy and weak.

As Zhao Song helped him down from the carriage, cold wind hit his face, and Lu Zhuo became slightly more alert. He whispered instructions to Zhao Song: “Don’t inform the princess yet. Have A’Gui clean me up first. Only let the princess see me after I’m properly tidied…”

His voice grew fainter until Zhao Song had to guess the last few words.

This iron-hearted man’s eyes reddened at seeing the young master’s humility before the princess. In other households, wives cared for husbands, but the young master feared the princess might dislike and despise his dirty, disheveled state. Even while losing consciousness, he still gave such instructions.

Telling the steward not to inform the rear quarters yet, Zhao Song helped the young master to the front quarters’ bedroom. A’Gui would attend to him bedside while Zhao Song stood guard outside.

Though he’d forbidden the steward from reporting, Wei Rao had kept a little maid watching the front quarters. Hearing Lu Zhuo had returned, Wei Rao threw on a cloak and headed to the front quarters.

“Please wait, Princess. The young master passed out from drinking too much. A’Gui is currently attending to him,” Zhao Song blocked the doorway, head lowered.

Wei Rao frowned: “I’ll go in to check on him.”

Zhao Song looked at the princess’s gorgeous dress and said, “This was the young master’s specific instruction before losing consciousness. He doesn’t want the princess to see him in such a filthy state. Please understand, Princess.”

Wei Rao found this amusing: “I’ve seen him half-dead before. What’s a little vomited alcohol?”

With that, Wei Rao walked straight inside.

Zhao Song dared not touch the princess’s precious body. Even if the princess bumped into him herself, he wouldn’t dare resist. He quickly lowered his outstretched arm.

Wei Rao entered.

Bitao followed her mistress. As she passed Zhao Song, he couldn’t help stealing a glance at her, earning a disdainful glare from Bitao.

Zhao Song’s heart immediately began racing.

In the inner room, A’Gui hadn’t yet managed to remove the young master’s undergarments when the young master felt nauseous again. A’Gui quickly supported him with one hand while holding a spare copper basin with the other. When Wei Rao and her maid entered, A’Gui had just laid him back down.

“Princess,” A’Gui promptly moved the copper basin away.

Wei Rao looked toward the heated bed. Having just finished retching, Lu Zhuo’s face was completely flushed, and his forehead was beaded with sweat.

“Go fetch sobering tea,” Wei Rao instructed Bitao. She walked to the bedside and used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Lu Zhuo’s face.

A’Gui frowned deeply: “Princess, with the master this drunk, I fear he won’t be able to drink tea even if we bring it.”

Wei Rao said, “Even if he can’t drink it, he must. Otherwise, he’ll feel worse. I’ll watch over things here. You go to the kitchen and see if there’s any leftover porridge. Have them make it thin and bring it over.”

A’Gui obeyed and left.

Wei Rao removed her shoes and knelt beside Lu Zhuo, gently patting his face with her hand.

After several pats, Lu Zhuo finally opened his eyes a crack.

Wei Rao smiled and said gently, “Can you sit up? We’ll sleep after you’ve sobered up a bit.”

Lu Zhuo saw a beautiful, gentle face that looked very much like Wei Rao’s, but how could Wei Rao show such an expression? Before they truly became husband and wife, Wei Rao had despised him, either mocking him or speaking coldly to him. After they truly became husband and wife, Wei Rao would smile at him, scold him playfully, speak calmly with him, and show her charming beauty at night, but she had never shown him such tenderness. She often sweetly orders him to fetch water and attend to her, though.

“Who are you?” Lu Zhuo’s drunken phoenix eyes showed a trace of wariness and resistance.

Wei Rao laughed. Was he so drunk that he didn’t even recognize her?

“I’m your wife,” Wei Rao held his hand and coaxed gently.

Lu Zhuo weakly tried to shake off her hand. Impossible. Wei Rao could never be this tender and considerate.

Bitao entered with sobering tea. Wei Rao still couldn’t coax Lu Zhuo to cooperate and sit up. Since gentle persuasion wasn’t working, Wei Rao decided to be firm. She and Bitao together helped Lu Zhuo sit up against the wall at the head of the bed. Bitao held Lu Zhuo’s shoulders while Wei Rao used one hand to grip his chin and the other to pour tea into his mouth.

At first, Lu Zhuo struggled and refused to cooperate, but as the sobering tea went down his throat and diluted the remaining strong alcohol in his stomach, Lu Zhuo felt more comfortable and stopped resisting.

He would drink a little, then vomit a little, but at least what came up was just alcoholic liquid. Poor Bitao couldn’t dodge fast enough and got half her clothes soaked.

Bitao found humor even in this misery: “No matter how drunk the young master gets, he knows not to offend the princess. Look—he vomited everything toward me and didn’t get any on you at all.”

Wei Rao smiled as she looked at Lu Zhuo.

Lu Zhuo had regained about thirty percent of his awareness by now and no longer doubted she was fake. But finding himself so disheveled before her again, and being teased by the mistress-servant pair, Lu Zhuo simply lowered his eyelashes and continued pretending to be drunk.

After emptying his stomach and relieving himself twice, Wei Rao sent Bitao back to the rear quarters to change clothes, then dismissed A’Gui as well so she could personally wipe down Lu Zhuo.

The room had underfloor heating, and Lu Zhuo was feverish from drinking, so he felt no cold even with all his clothes removed.

“How much did you drink to get this drunk?” Wei Rao asked while wiping him down.

Lu Zhuo looked at her rare gentle appearance, his voice hoarse: “I lost count.”

Wei Rao snorted: “I don’t understand you men. If you don’t accept someone’s authority, just have a martial contest at the training ground. Why must you compete by drinking? Does whoever holds their liquor best get to be the commanding general?”

Lu Zhuo smiled bitterly.

He also didn’t understand why men liked drinking contests. Not just military officers—whether noble sons or common laborers, when impulse struck, they all liked setting up drinking matches. Whoever could drink until the end while remaining upright won prestige and earned respect. Lu Zhuo didn’t enjoy drinking, and his tolerance was only slightly better than average. He’d endured until the banquet’s end through sheer willpower.

Drunk as he was, when Wei Rao wiped around his waist and abdomen, Lu Zhuo still reacted.

Wei Rao glared at him. He didn’t even have the strength to sit up by himself, yet he was still thinking about such improper things?

Lu Zhuo looked up at the ceiling. His face had been flushed from drinking all along, so no other emotions showed.

After finishing the cleaning, Wei Rao helped him into fresh undergarments and tucked him under the covers.

A’Gui came in to remove the copper basin. Wei Rao opened the window to clear the stale air from the room. After Lu Zhuo drank a bowl of thin porridge, Wei Rao also rested on this side.

Lu Zhuo lacked energy. He held her briefly, then quickly fell asleep.

Wei Rao remained quite alert.

She rarely saw Lu Zhuo in such a disheveled state. That Vice General Meng must have led the local military officers in toasting him countless times. Recalling Lu Zhuo’s miserable retching, Wei Rao felt uncomfortable. Husband and wife were one body—Vice General Meng creating obstacles for Lu Zhuo meant creating obstacles for her. Moreover, yesterday, Vice General Meng had wanted to present Lu Zhuo with a Persian beauty.

Lost in various thoughts, Wei Rao didn’t know when she fell asleep.

The next day before dawn, A’Gui had Bitao come inside to urge them—the young master needed to go to the military camp this morning and couldn’t be delayed.

When Bitao called, both Lu Zhuo and Wei Rao woke simultaneously. Wei Rao was fine, but Lu Zhuo suffered from splitting headaches from his hangover. His flushed face from the night before had turned completely pale, and even his lips lacked color.

“I forbid you from drinking contests in the future. When others try to force alcohol on you, just say I won’t allow you to drink.” Wei Rao brought over tea, handing it to Lu Zhuo while making this demand.

Lu Zhuo first drank tea to moisten his throat, then said: “If I did that, I’d avoid the alcohol but gain a reputation for being henpecked.”

Wei Rao replied: “You married a princess specially enfeoffed by His Majesty, not some ordinary young lady. So what if you fear me? Besides, considering the things we’ve done in the capital, outsiders probably already spread rumors that you’re henpecked.”

Lu Zhuo paused slightly. These words seemed to make some sense.

“You’re not afraid of them anyway, so why suffer needlessly just to avoid disappointing yourself?” Wei Rao snatched away the teacup and poured himself another bowl.

Lu Zhuo smiled: “Alright, I’ll listen to you completely.”

He was still young with an excellent constitution. After one breakfast, Lu Zhuo had recovered seventy to eighty percent of his impressive bearing. In his commanding general’s silver armor, he cut a dashing figure.

He went to the military camp, taking Zhao Song and leaving Zhao Bai behind.

Wei Rao called Zhao Bai over and had him go outside to investigate Vice General Meng’s household situation.

Vice General Meng was a prominent figure in Ganzhou City. With deliberate inquiry, there were no secrets.

When Lu Zhuo returned that evening, Wei Rao told him, “Tomorrow evening we’ll host a banquet at our house. Invite Vice General Meng over.”

Lu Zhuo asked curiously: “You want to meet him?”

Wei Rao smiled without answering.

But Lu Zhuo could tell—Wei Rao probably wanted to return the courtesy and teach Vice General Meng a lesson.

Lu Zhuo reminded Wei Rao, “Vice General Meng has merit in defending Ganzhou. If you’re angry, a small punishment will suffice. Don’t make too big a scene.”

Wei Rao understood. She still grasped such propriety.

Seeing her smug expression, Lu Zhuo’s heart stirred. He grasped her hand and asked: “Because he forced me to drink, you’re going to punish him?”

Wei Rao slapped away his hand and snorted: “You flatter yourself. He offered you a beauty right in front of me, clearly not taking me seriously.”

Lu Zhuo smiled, even more curious about how Wei Rao would “return the favor.”

The next evening, Meng Kuo came to the general’s mansion as agreed.

Wei Rao didn’t appear. She only had the kitchen prepare a table of fine food and wine, and arranged for Persian dancers to perform. Having just killed a local Deputy General to establish authority, Meng Kuo respected Lu Zhuo enough. The host and the guest enjoyed themselves at the banquet. As for those gracefully dancing Persian beauties, neither man paid them much attention—they became pure decoration.

After finishing the banquet, as Meng Kuo walked out somewhat drunkenly, a maid happened to run toward them and collided squarely with him.

“How can you be so careless? Go receive your punishment,” Lu Zhuo scolded.

The little maid tremblingly took her leave.

Meng Kuo said magnanimously: “Small matter, small matter. General needn’t mind.”

When Meng Kuo returned home, his wife Wei Shi considerately helped him undress. But as soon as she approached Meng Kuo, Wei Shi sniffed and scrutinized her husband: “Why do you smell of cosmetics and perfume?”

Meng Kuo sniffed himself. There did seem to be a fragrance. After thinking back, he understood: “Oh, I bumped into a little maid at the general’s mansion. It’s probably powder from her.”

Wei Shi didn’t believe him and relentlessly interrogated Meng Kuo. Having done nothing wrong, Meng Kuo was righteously indignant. Wei Shi knew him somewhat and let him off.

Unexpectedly, after sleeping through the night, the next morning, the general’s mansion sent over a beautiful, alluring Persian woman, saying that last night, Vice General Meng had gotten drunk at the general’s mansion and chosen a beauty to serve him. Due to Vice General Meng’s excessive vigor, the Persian beauty felt unwell and couldn’t get out of bed, so she had continued resting at the general’s mansion for the night and was only being sent over today.

Wei Shi’s face darkened like water. She stared at the Persian beauty kneeling before her: “The vice general favored you?”

The Persian beauty had been coached by the general’s mansion. She shyly nodded with a red face, then pulled down her collar to reveal several suggestive red marks on her shoulder.

Connecting this to the cosmetic fragrance she’d smelled on Meng Kuo last night, Wei Shi’s blood rushed to her head. She immediately ordered maids to pack her belongings and stormed off to her natal family in fury. By the time Meng Kuo received news and rushed home, his beloved wife Wei Shi had long vanished.

“You shameless wretch, who told you to speak nonsense?” Meng Kuo grabbed the Persian beauty by the collar, his face black as thunderclouds as he questioned her, having already cursed Lu Zhuo thousands of times in his heart.

The Persian beauty trembled fearfully and stammered: “General, please calm your anger. It was, it was the princess. The princess arranged this. The princess said she heard the general likes Persian beauties, so she told this slave to serve the general well.”

Meng Kuo started, recalling the day he’d welcomed Lu Zhuo into the city, recalling the princess he’d never taken seriously. Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter.

The servants looked at each other in bewilderment.

After laughing three or four times, Meng Kuo cursed explosively, ordered someone to bring the Persian beauty, and rode off to pursue Wei Shi.