With Wei Rao pregnant, Lu Zhuo was overjoyed, but as the commanding general of the frontier and a newly appointed official, he couldn’t possibly stay by Wei Rao’s side every day. So he agreed with Wei Rao that he would normally live in the military camp, but would return on his monthly rest days.

Wei Rao thought this arrangement was quite good. Lu Zhuo had his responsibilities, and if anything went wrong at the frontier, the entire Lu family would be implicated, which would leave her restless. Besides, with the child in her belly, even if Lu Zhuo stayed by her side constantly, he wouldn’t be able to help much. It was better for him to fulfill his duties as commanding general.

While Lu Zhuo was busy with military affairs, Wei Rao wasn’t idle either.

She was someone who couldn’t sit still. Not to mention that her belly hadn’t grown large yet – even when it did, having Wei Rao sit idly in the inner residence every day would be unbearable for her.

Knowing she had recently become obsessed with military strategy, Lu Zhuo organized a set of military texts for her. Wei Rao would study them on her own, and when Lu Zhuo returned, he would explain anything she didn’t understand.

But just reading books seemed to be missing something. If Wei Rao wanted to learn military leadership, she needed to have actual troops under her command.

Whether civil or military officials, there was no precedent in this dynasty for granting official positions to women, and Wei Rao didn’t want to break this precedent. Fortunately, she was a Princess, and according to regulations, a Princess’s mansion could maintain five hundred household troops.

Once the idea of training troops took hold, Wei Rao felt as if a fire had been lit in her heart. Taking advantage of Lu Zhuo’s absence, Wei Rao carefully considered and made various plans.

The thirtieth day of the month was a rest day, so on the evening of the twenty-ninth, Lu Zhuo rode swiftly back from Suzhou camp.

He didn’t return empty-handed. On the road, he encountered a mulberry grove where the mulberries were ripe, with purple-red berries hanging in clusters from the trees. Lu Zhuo reined in his horse and stopped. The mulberry farmer’s wife, seeing him, eagerly ran over to ask if the official wanted to eat mulberries. Lu Zhuo bought two catties from her, specifically instructing the woman to pick the large fruits.

Mulberries were delicate fruits that would break with the slightest touch. Despite Lu Zhuo’s careful protection during the journey home, many fruits still broke, staining his robes with red and purple juice.

Naturally, Lu Zhuo wouldn’t appear before Wei Rao in such a disheveled state. He had A’Gui pick out the intact mulberries while he quickly took a bucket bath.

When Lu Zhuo emerged, Wei Rao was already seated in the hall with a plate of freshly washed mulberries in front of her. She held a bamboo skewer, leisurely eating the skewers. She had slight morning sickness and currently enjoyed eating these kinds of sweet and sour things.

Seeing Lu Zhuo, Wei Rao smiled and waved the bamboo skewer with a mulberry on it: “Bought from the market?”

Lu Zhuo nodded, walking over while asking, “How do they taste?”

The fruit was delicious, but the person became mischievous. Wei Rao glanced at A’Gui outside the door and teased Lu Zhuo: “How is it that I heard from A’Gui that the Young Master brought back two catties of fruit, but more than half were crushed?”

If they had been bought from a city market, there wouldn’t have been so much damage from the journey.

Upon hearing this, A’Gui ran away as if his feet were greased.

Lu Zhuo said helplessly, “On the way back, I passed a mulberry grove and bought them there. I thought freshly picked ones would be better, but didn’t expect the horse’s galloping to damage so many. If you like eating them, I’ll have Zhao Song drive a cart there tomorrow to buy more.”

Wei Rao smiled, “No need for such trouble. The markets have everything – if I want to eat something, I can just have someone go buy it.”

Though she said this, thinking of Lu Zhuo carrying two catties of mulberries all that way for her still made Wei Rao’s heart sweet.

She skewered a mulberry and, lifting her loose sleeve with one hand, offered the plump fruit to Lu Zhuo.

No matter how tempting the fruit, it couldn’t compare to her enchanting eyes.

After tasting the mulberry, Lu Zhuo took Wei Rao’s hand and entered the inner chamber. After ten days apart, Lu Zhuo held Wei Rao on his lap in the chair, and they embraced and kissed by the half-closed window. Both their mouths carried the sweet and sour taste left by the fruit, coming together and parting, chasing each other, until finally their breathing became ragged, yet they had to restrain themselves.

Looking at Wei Rao with her flushed face and seductive eyes, Lu Zhuo finally understood what torment meant.

“When it was possible before, you were never this well-behaved,” Lu Zhuo said, caressing her face.

Wei Rao smiled and retorted, “When it was possible before, you were never this gentle either.”

Lu Zhuo couldn’t argue with her. He rested his chin on top of her head, silently calming himself.

Wei Rao played with the jade pendant at his waist, tugging and pulling at it, then suddenly said, “A Princess’s mansion can maintain five hundred household troops. I want to recruit soldiers.”

Lu Zhuo’s expression changed slightly as he looked down at her.

Wei Rao leaned against his arm and explained her plan. Only five hundred household troops – she could afford to support them. Right now, she was interested in leading troops, so she would train them. If someday she lost interest, she would either disband the five hundred troops and let them return home, or, based on their aspirations, introduce them to the military camp.

Wei Rao didn’t know how long her interest would last, but at least now, she was eager to try.

Lu Zhuo looked at her still-flat abdomen: “Even if you recruit people, with your pregnancy, how will you train them?”

Wei Rao said, “You’ve left both Zhao Song and Zhao Bai with me, and I see they’re quite idle. Perfect for having them help me train recruits. Once the new soldiers have built their basic skills, I’ll have given birth too, and then I can take them to the forest for training.”

Lu Zhuo remained silent. Five hundred household troops might seem like few, but managing them wouldn’t be as simple as Wei Rao thought.

Seeing him like this, Wei Rao became discouraged: “You’re out there as a great general with plenty to keep you busy. I came all this way to Ganzhou with you – am I supposed to just sit bored in the inner residence waiting for you to return? If it’s truly so dull, why didn’t I just stay in the capital, where at least I could frequently visit my mother and maternal grandmother?”

Lu Zhuo’s heart stirred as he looked at her and asked, “So you were willing to come to Ganzhou only because you thought it would be more interesting than the capital?”

That had indeed been Wei Rao’s initial thought, but she wouldn’t be foolish enough to say so.

She glared at Lu Zhuo: “Interest is only part of it. The key is who I’m coming with. If you were still as detestable as before, I wouldn’t have come.”

Past events were ammunition Wei Rao had in her hands courtesy of Lu Zhuo himself. Whenever Wei Rao brought up old matters, Lu Zhuo immediately felt guilty.

Wei Rao leaned back into his embrace and held his hand: “The household troops are mine. Whether they’re trained well or poorly is my business. If my five hundred troops prove capable, it shows you’re a good military strategy teacher. If they prove incapable, I’ll disband them myself and never mention training troops again. How about that?”

Lu Zhuo sighed, “I’m just afraid you’ll exhaust yourself and disturb the pregnancy.”

Wei Rao smiled, “With Zhao Song and Zhao Bai, what could exhaust me? Besides, this is our child – I’ll take good care of it.”

Lu Zhuo thought for a moment and said, “Princes and marquises all have the right to maintain household troops, just with different numbers. However, before recruiting soldiers, you need to submit a memorial to report to the Emperor. Your status as Princess is special, so you should first write a memorial requesting the Emperor’s permission. If the Emperor agrees, then it won’t be too late to recruit.”

Wei Rao: “Mm, I’ll write a memorial first, and also write letters to Mother, Old Madam, and Maternal Grandmother to share the good news.”

Lu Zhuo watched her excitement and thought that since they would be living at the frontier for three years, it would be good to find her something to do.

When someone is excited, before dinner, Wei Rao had already finished writing the memorial. She wasn’t a court official and didn’t know how to speak in grandiose terms. In the memorial, Wei Rao first praised Lu Zhuo and Deputy General Meng, saying that watching the military exercises had stirred her emotions and inspired her desire to emulate them. She humbly requested the Emperor’s permission to try, promising to strictly discipline the household troops and ensure they wouldn’t disturb the people or cause trouble.

She wrote a draft and had Lu Zhuo review it to see if there were any improprieties.

Lu Zhuo thought it was fine. Emperor Yuanjia had always been very indulgent toward Wei Rao.

Next came the family letters.

Wei Rao’s letters to her mother, Xiao Zhou Shi, and maternal grandmother were simple – reporting safety, discussing Ganzhou’s local customs, and finally sharing the pregnancy news. For the letters to Duchess Ying and He Shi, Wei Rao dictated while Lu Zhuo wrote, adding lavish praise for Lu Zhuo beyond what she told her maternal family.

How could Lu Zhuo write such self-praise? When Grandmother and Mother opened the letters, they would surely recognize his handwriting. What if they mistook it for his boasting?

Wei Rao laughed at him: “What are you being modest about? Won’t Grandmother and Mother know this is my letter? You’re only writing for me because you’re afraid I’ll tire myself during pregnancy. This behavior is like adding fragrance to red sleeves – when Grandmother and Mother see our good relationship, they’ll only be happy. Otherwise, with us so far away, they’d have endless worries.”

Lu Zhuo was slightly stunned, then smiled. He said no more and wrote exactly what Wei Rao dictated.

When it came to pleasing elders, he was far inferior to Wei Rao.

Afterward, Lu Zhuo also wrote a family letter to his grandfather, Duke Ying.

The next day, a courier took these letters and galloped toward the capital.

At Duke Ying’s mansion.

He Shi sat beside Duchess Ying, reading the letter, smiling from the moment she opened it. She smiled when Lu Zhuo established his authority, smiled when her son defeated Deputy General Meng, and when her daughter-in-law was pregnant, He Shi smiled so widely she couldn’t close her mouth. Finally, when her son reminded her to take care of her health, even though these words might have come from her daughter-in-law, seeing them written in her son’s hand still brought tears to He Shi’s eyes.

When her son was training at the frontier as a youth, he would write home every year, but each letter was just a thin sheet of paper with the same few phrases about not worrying. How could that satisfy He Shi’s longing heart?

Duchess Ying also finished reading the letter and smiled at He Shi: “With Raorao there, even Shoucheng has become much livelier.”

She knew she hadn’t misjudged – Wei Rao and her eldest grandson were perfectly suited.

He Shi wiped her eyes and said urgently, “Mother, Raorao is pregnant, but she only has two inexperienced maids by her side. Why don’t we select two reliable nannies to send over to care for her?”

Duchess Ying nodded: “You’re thinking thoroughly. Let’s do that – I’ll arrange it immediately.”

At the estate.

Shou’an Jun read her granddaughter’s letter with great joy. However, she guessed that Duke Ying’s mansion would send nannies to serve her, so she wouldn’t worry about anything. Her youngest granddaughter, Huizhu, had married her ideal husband, so she needed to hurry and find a good son-in-law for her eldest granddaughter, Huizhen, lest the young woman continue her anxious thoughts and self-pity.

In the palace.

Emperor Yuanjia took Wei Rao’s memorial to find Xiao Zhou Shi.

Xiao Zhou Shi had just finished reading her daughter’s letter. Thinking that her daughter was about to become a mother herself, Xiao Zhou Shi felt both happy and guilty, guilty that she had spent too little time with her daughter.

Her eyes were red. Emperor Yuanjia thought the letter contained something troubling and picked it up to read, only to discover it was good news.

Raorao is pregnant. Why are you crying?” Emperor Yuanjia asked in confusion.

Xiao Zhou Shi glared at him without answering. These mother-daughter matters wouldn’t be understood even if explained to a man.

Emperor Yuanjia vaguely guessed the reason, coughed, and frowned: “Since Raorao is pregnant, why is she still thinking about maintaining household troops? I originally wanted to approve her request, but I’m afraid her playful nature will exhaust her body.”

Xiao Zhou Shi exclaimed in surprise: “Maintaining household troops?”

Emperor Yuanjia smiled and handed her the memorial.

Xiao Zhou Shi snatched it and read it carefully from beginning to end, stunned when she finished.

Emperor Yuanjia laughed: “I’ve long said that Raorao has a chivalrous heart. If she were a man, she might not be inferior to Shoucheng.”

Xiao Zhou Shi said self-deprecatingly: “Only you would praise her like this. If word gets out, who knows how others will gossip.”

Emperor Yuanjia pondered: “Then should I reject her memorial?”

Xiao Zhou Shi immediately glared at him: “The frontier is harsh, and she’s finally found something to amuse herself with. Why would Your Majesty want to spoil her interest? You willingly granted Raorao the title of Princess, and five hundred household troops is the regulation you set. Raorao is acting according to regulations – where is she wrong?”

Emperor Yuanjia felt his head aching and explained: “Weren’t you afraid Raorao would be criticized for maintaining household troops?”

Xiao Zhou Shi snorted: “As long as Raorao is happy, what do others’ opinions matter to her?”

Emperor Yuanjia understood: “Then I’ll approve it?”

Xiao Zhou Shi’s eyes sparkled as she tossed the memorial back to him: “This is Raorao’s memorial to Your Majesty. Whether to approve it or not is your decision – I won’t interfere.”

Emperor Yuanjia burst into laughter and pulled her into his embrace.