In mid-June, Wei Rao received Emperor Yuanjia’s reply, allowing her to maintain five hundred household troops.

When Lu Zhuo returned for his rest day, Wei Rao was beside herself with joy as she showed him the memorial bearing the imperial seal.

With things having come to this point, Lu Zhuo could only fully support his wife.

Lu Zhuo suggested that Wei Rao post notices through the government offices to attract young men who wanted to serve as household troops in the Princess’s mansion. Wei Rao had seen how he recruited soldiers for the Shenwu Army – military training was important, but the quality of recruits was equally crucial. Therefore, Wei Rao arranged for the Zhao Song and Zhao Bai brothers to recruit soldiers in the villages and towns around Ganzhou, following the Shenwu Army’s recruitment standards: select the best six hundred, then, after a month of training, eliminate one hundred to keep five hundred.

Lu Zhuo smiled, “Does the Princess also want to train a Shenwu Army?”

Wei Rao said, “I have to try. I don’t know how long this interest will last. If they prove capable, when I no longer want to maintain troops, I can arrange for them to join the Shenwu Army so their skills won’t be wasted.”

Lu Zhuo looked at her with surprise.

He knew how proud Wei Rao was. Since she said this in front of him, she must truly want to train a small unit comparable to the Shenwu Army.

Wei Rao told Lu Zhuo to return to the military camp while she discussed the specific recruitment plans with Zhao Song and Zhao Bai, including military pay, regulations, and such.

Once everything was decided, Zhao Song and Zhao Bai set off to recruit soldiers.

“Summer here in Ganzhou isn’t hot, but the sunlight is too intense. The Young Master has gotten much more tanned,” Bitao said as if talking to herself, carrying water in from outside on the day the Zhao brothers departed.

Liu Ya laughed at her from the side: “Are you worried about the Young Master getting tanned, or are you worried about Zhao Song and the others being in the sun?”

Bitao’s face immediately turned red.

Wei Rao had long noticed something between Bitao and Zhao Song. Seeing Bitao’s shy demeanor, Wei Rao joined in teasing: “Before they departed, I promised them that if they could recruit good soldiers, I would reward them upon their return. Zhao Bai just smiled, but Zhao Song seemed to want to ask me for a different kind of reward. Unfortunately, I can’t guess what of mine he’s taken a fancy to.”

Liu Ya glanced at Bitao: “It’s peach season now. Maybe Guard Zhao wants to ask the Princess to reward him with a peach…”

“Stop your chatter!” Bitao couldn’t bear to listen anymore and lunged at Liu Ya.

Liu Ya quickly ran to a distance to avoid their playful tussle from bumping into the Princess.

Wei Rao watched them play together. Indeed, Bitao was plump and well-proportioned, and with her blushing face, she did look like a tender, juicy peach.

In early July, before the Zhao brothers had returned, the two nannies selected by Duchess Ying for Wei Rao finally arrived by carriage. Both nannies were trusted servants of Duke Ying’s mansion – one surnamed Sun, skilled at serving pregnant women, and one surnamed Ma, skilled at caring for newborns. This Nanny Ma had previously been caring for Fourth Madam’s seventh young master, specially sent by Fourth Madam out of concern for Wei Rao’s first pregnancy.

Wei Rao was grateful and quickly wrote two reply letters to the capital.

Once Nanny Sun and Nanny Ma arrived, they naturally accompanied Wei Rao during the day.

Wei Rao adapted well, listening to Nanny Sun tell amusing stories from serving other families, and hearing Nanny Ma share interesting tales about caring for babies. All of this was relevant to her situation, so Wei Rao listened with great interest. However, Lu Zhuo suffered – previously, without senior nannies in the house, he could stay with Wei Rao in the inner chamber during the day without worrying about gossip. Now with two elderly nannies present, Lu Zhuo had to restrain himself considerably.

On this day, the two stayed in the study under the pretense of discussing military texts, and Lu Zhuo kissed her passionately.

He only came home once every ten days, so naturally, he treasured his brief time with Wei Rao.

“Hypocrite,” Wei Rao pulled her light garment up and panted lightly as she scolded him.

Lu Zhuo looked at her liquid eyes and increasingly enchanting face, only wishing the child could be born tonight.

Wei Rao pinched his chin, examining his left cheek, then his right, comparing them to his neck inside his collar. He had gotten darker than when they were in the capital.

“After staying two more summers, will you become like Deputy General Meng?” Wei Rao asked with a smile.

Lu Zhuo pressed his forehead against hers: “If I became like that, would you still like me?”

Wei Rao tried to imagine it, but couldn’t. Even though she had seen Lu Zhuo half-dead and unsightly, she had completely forgotten that now, only remembering when he looked good – his heroic bearing at the dragon boat races, his graceful elegance riding through the streets, and his calm composure overlooking the battlefield.

“I won’t tell you,” Wei Rao quickly pecked his lips and laughingly escaped from his embrace.

Lu Zhuo reached out, but thinking that pulling her back would only torment himself, he lowered his hand.

By mid-July, Zhao Song and Zhao Bai returned with six hundred recruits, organized in units of one hundred, standing neatly outside the general’s mansion.

Wei Rao didn’t bring her maids, appearing before these six hundred men with only Zhao Song and Zhao Bai flanking her as guards.

She wore women’s clothing with beautiful features that amazed even the noble young masters of the capital, let alone these recruits selected from villages and towns who had barely seen a few pretty local girls.

All six hundred recruits stared wide-eyed at Wei Rao, as if looking away for even a moment would mean never seeing her again.

Wei Rao smiled and declared loudly to these recruits: “I am Princess Xiaoren. You are all household troops I have recruited. Following me, I can ensure you eat well and dress warmly, take you to the capital to see the world, and potentially send you to battlefields to achieve merit and success. But the prerequisite for all this is that you’re willing to be this Princess’s household troops, willing to obey a woman’s commands, that you’re not afraid of training hardships, and willing to follow the military regulations I’ve established. Now, I ask you one last time – do you truly want to be this Princess’s household troops?”

The six hundred recruits looked at each other and declared in unison: “Yes! We are willing to serve at the Princess’s command!”

When Zhao Song and Zhao Bai went recruiting, they had made everything clear – serving as the Princess’s household troops meant potentially joining the Shenwu Army and fighting on battlefields. So those who just wanted to idle away in the Princess’s mansion, cowards, or those unwilling to obey the Princess’s commands shouldn’t even apply.

Since the conditions of service had been explained clearly, and these six hundred men had traveled far from home to stand before the Princess, who would change their minds now? They were more afraid the Princess might find them lacking and eliminate them.

These six hundred men averaged around twenty years old, including sixteen or seventeen-year-old youths and twenty-three or twenty-four-year-old men. Some came from poor families wearing patched cloth garments, while others wore fine silk. Some were illiterate, while others had studied and were skilled in arithmetic.

Wei Rao had already rented a place suitable for six hundred recruits to practice martial arts. Over the next month, these six hundred would undergo recruit selection under the Zhao brothers’ leadership. After a month, the hundred with the worst overall performance would be eliminated, keeping only five hundred.

Besides elimination for poor performance, Wei Rao also established reward systems. From recruit selection through monthly competitions, the top three among the five hundred would receive double military pay.

Zhao Song barely rested at the general’s mansion before immediately taking the men to the training ground.

Bitao felt disappointed and lost.

Wei Rao was also curious when Zhao Song would approach her to speak.

When Lu Zhuo’s return day arrived, Wei Rao instructed the kitchen in advance to prepare a table of good dishes. The large-pot meals in the military camp were merely filling for someone of Lu Zhuo’s noble background, with little flavor to speak of.

Unexpectedly, Lu Zhuo hadn’t returned yet when Zhao Song came back, waiting in the front courtyard, talking with A’Gui.

At dusk, as soon as Lu Zhuo returned to the mansion, Zhao Song intercepted him, kneeling before him to say he wanted to marry Bitao.

Lu Zhuo said, “Bitao belongs to the Princess. Go ask the Princess directly.”

Zhao Song would certainly petition the Princess, but since the Young Master was his lord, he needed his master’s consent first.

Lu Zhuo went to bathe and change clothes. When Wei Rao came to the front courtyard looking for him, Zhao Song knelt again upon seeing her.

Wei Rao smiled, “I understand your intentions. Let me ask Bitao first, then I’ll give you an answer.”

Zhao Song retreated with a red face.

“Zhao Song probably took a fancy to Bitao during our journey to Jin City,” Wei Rao speculated while talking with Lu Zhuo in the inner chamber.

Lu Zhuo was tying his sash. Hearing this, he looked over meaningfully: “He became enlightened earlier than I did.”

Wei Rao snorted: “Early or late enlightenment doesn’t matter. What’s important is that Zhao Song is more likable than you and knows how to be considerate.”

Lu Zhuo didn’t understand: “How has he been considerate?”

Bitao and Liu Ya were like sisters, sharing many little secrets. So during their playful banter, Wei Rao had overheard some things. During their journey to Jin City, when Bitao sat in the cart carrying luggage boxes, exposed to wind and sun, Zhao Song found a straw hat to “lend” to Bitao. When sharing food, Zhao Song also gave his portion to Bitao.

These weren’t major things, but this was a consideration.

Lu Zhuo had certainly been considerate to Wei Rao, too, but he disdained comparing himself to a subordinate in this regard.

That night, when Wei Rao was thirsty, she didn’t want to move and pushed Lu Zhuo, asking him to get water.

Lu Zhuo smiled and got up, poured a bowl of warm water, brought it over, and supported her to sit up with one hand while bringing it to her lips with the other.

In the dim lamplight, she looked sleepily at the bowl’s position, then closed her long lashes and parted her lips to drink.

Lu Zhuo suddenly moved the bowl away.

Wei Rao drank air, frowning in confusion as she looked up.

Lu Zhuo smiled: “Is your husband considerate enough toward the Princess?”

Wei Rao: …

Just as she was about to complain about his nighttime teasing, Lu Zhuo gently brought the water to block her mouth.

After Wei Rao finally managed to drink some water, he pressed her down for another long kiss. Each time this man returned, his favorite dish was her.

The shorter the separation, the more lingering their reunion. The next day, when Lu Zhuo went to the study to read, Wei Rao finally had a chance to talk with Bitao.

When marriage to Zhao Song was mentioned, Bitao bashfully buried her head, twisting her handkerchief in her hands, but answered very readily: “I’ll marry him.”

She had long liked Zhao Song. When the Princess and Young Master divorced, she had even secretly cried because she thought she’d never see Zhao Song again. Later, when the Princess remarried the Young Master and they became a true couple, occasionally hearing sounds of the Princess and Young Master’s affection made Bitao’s heart itch, fantasizing about someday nestling in Zhao Song’s embrace.

Now, she had finally waited for this moment!