After her body fully recovered, Wei Rao began a life of both raising her daughter and training troops.

During her pregnancy, the five hundred household soldiers originally recruited had eaten well and dressed well. Under the leadership of the Zhao Song and Zhao Bai brothers, they trained very diligently. Those who had previously been tall but thin due to poverty became tall and robust, while a few wealthy young men who had grown slightly plump lost their excess flesh and developed firm muscle.

The Shenwu Army was most famous for its cavalry. Wei Rao only had five hundred household soldiers – even if they truly had the opportunity to go to battle, five hundred infantry wouldn’t be able to play much of a role. But if she could train them into a five-hundred-man cavalry unit, they could serve both as reinforcements and as vanguards charging into enemy lines.

After discussing with Lu Zhuo, Wei Rao purchased a batch of warhorses from the Wuda merchants and personally began training these five hundred household soldiers with the assistance of the Zhao brothers.

Initially, these five hundred household soldiers were only amazed by the Princess’s beauty, thinking more about how they might enter the Shenwu Army through the Princess and His Lordship’s connections in the future. However, when they saw Wei Rao on horseback, witnessed her nimbly jumping obstacles while riding, and watched her defeat the Zhao Song and Zhao Bai brothers with her spear, the five hundred household soldiers immediately changed their attitude and became wholeheartedly convinced by Wei Rao.

Women might be easily underestimated, but once they demonstrated admirable abilities – whether in commerce, literature, or martial arts – once the ability was there, admiration and respect would naturally follow.

Lu Zhuo excelled at spear techniques, but Wei Rao didn’t want to steal the Lu family’s spear methods. She tried adapting the first move of her sword technique, “Fleeting Light and Passing Shadow,” into a spear move. After perfecting the adaptation, she demonstrated it for Lu Zhuo. Her spear technique combined offense and defense, earning Lu Zhuo’s strong approval. He helped her make slight adjustments, and Wei Rao began teaching the five hundred household soldiers spear techniques.

Whether buying horses or equipping long spears, everything was very expensive. Fortunately, Wei Rao had substantial family wealth – the annual income from the Guangxing Tower in the capital alone was completely sufficient for training these five hundred household soldiers.

Training troops was training troops, but Wei Rao didn’t neglect her daughter. She basically went out every morning and returned home for the midday meal, then spent the entire afternoon accompanying A’Bao, watching the little one gradually progress from a lazy baby who only knew how to eat, drink, and sleep to slowly learning to roll over, learning to sit, and learning to crawl. By the time they celebrated her first birthday the following first month, A’Bao could already walk, and very steadily at that.

“Mama!”

Early one morning, when Wei Rao and Lu Zhuo hadn’t yet gotten up and were still being affectionate, A’Bao’s sweet and crisp voice suddenly came from outside the window.

Without Wei Rao needing to urge him, Lu Zhuo immediately sat up and quickly dressed.

Wei Rao smiled as she watched his retreating figure. This improper lordship – except for being roguish with her, he had to appear proper in front of their daughter.

Wei Rao wasn’t in a hurry to get up. She slightly adjusted her loose undergarments and continued lying in bed.

Lu Zhuo, having put on his outer robe, immediately went to open the door to the inner room.

A’Bao had already grown somewhat impatient waiting and was being coaxed by Bitao and Liu Ya. Seeing her father emerge, A’Bao immediately stretched out her little arms and ran over shakily. Lu Zhuo quickly took two steps, bent down, and scooped his daughter into his arms.

Safe in her father’s embrace, A’Bao continued looking toward the inner room, anxious to see her mother.

Lu Zhuo carried his daughter inside.

He placed his daughter on the bed, and A’Bao immediately wanted to burrow into her mother’s covers. Nearly one year old, A’Bao looked extremely similar to Wei Rao, but whether due to her young age or because her temperament truly followed Lu Zhuo’s, A’Bao had a kind of noble elegance in her features – approachable from afar but not to be bullied, unlike Wei Rao, who had carried a hint of allure in her eyes from childhood.

“Did you call for daddy?” Wei Rao pulled her daughter into her arms and kissed the little one’s chubby cheek.

A’Bao glanced at her father sitting on the bedside and turned to burrow into Wei Rao’s embrace.

Lu Zhuo looked helpless.

He only returned home once every ten days, and when busy, it might be even longer. The father and daughter spent too little time together, causing his daughter to always be unwilling to call him daddy. She had learned to say “mama” when she was ten months old, but stubbornly refused to call him daddy. However, the baby seemed to understand that daddy was the person closest to her besides mama – whenever Wei Rao scolded her, their daughter would still run to daddy for help.

Lu Zhuo reached out and gently touched A’Bao’s little head.

Wei Rao said to her daughter, “Tomorrow is A’Bao’s first birthday. Today, Mama needs to prepare wonderful things for your zhuazhou ceremony – all kinds of fun things. If A’Bao calls daddy, daddy will also give you a gift.”

A’Bao looked at Daddy but still didn’t call out.

Wei Rao was completely at her wits’ end.

Lu Zhuo smiled and said, “Not wavering in the face of temptation shows that A’Bao has a firm character.”

Wei Rao was amazed by his doting father’s heart: “Fine, keep praising her. You figure out how to coax her to call you – I’m not managing this anymore.”

Lu Zhuo wasn’t anxious. This time, he would wait until after the Lantern Festival before returning to the military camp. With such a long time, he would be able to get his daughter close to him.

After the meal, Lu Zhuo took A’Bao out to play while Wei Rao was responsible for preparing the items needed for tomorrow’s zhuazhou ceremony.

Bitao and Liu Ya helped her organize the trunks. Bitao suddenly pulled out a red gold jade walnut and excitedly asked Wei Rao, “Princess, this is an imperial gift. Should we place it on the zhuazhou platform tomorrow?”

Wei Rao asked in surprise, “How did this get brought along too?”

Bitao said, “Princess, have you forgotten? When we were packing, I asked for your instructions!” Imperial gifts – while officials might have many opportunities to receive imperial rewards, boudoir ladies might not have such a fortune in their entire lives. When the Princess attended the Dragon Boat Festival banquet in the palace that year and was rewarded with such a fine item by Emperor Yuanjia, of course, it should be kept close at all times. Imperial gifts could ward off petty people!

Wei Rao truly didn’t remember, but walnuts symbolized harmony and longevity, so they could indeed be placed on the zhuazhou platform.

Master and servants worked together to gather a full twenty-four auspicious objects for the zhuazhou ceremony, placing them all in a separate box to be taken out and arranged tomorrow.

Lu Zhuo accompanied his daughter for half the day, and during the midday rest, he remembered the auspicious objects and wanted to see them.

Wei Rao had Liu Ya bring over the box.

Lu Zhuo opened the box and examined each item. He discovered a round brocade box inside and took it out as well. Opening the lid, inside was a very familiar-looking golden walnut.

Memory suddenly returned to the Dragon Boat Festival palace race six years ago. The Shenwu Army he led had won the championship, and Emperor Yuanjia, the Empress Dowager, and other nobles had all placed bets. The stakes from the nobles who lost had to be given to the winning team. Among those stakes were Wei Rao’s two portions of cherry cake and Emperor Yuanjia’s golden walnut.

The cherry cake had been distributed to reward the participating Shenwu Army soldiers, but Lu Zhuo had kept the golden walnut.

At that time, Qi Zhongkai had envied him for receiving an imperial gift. Lu Zhuo knew this walnut was one of a pair and jokingly told Qi Zhongkai he could ask the Emperor for the other one. Qi Zhongkai, speaking without restraint, said he didn’t want to form a pair with him – if he were going to ask, it should be his then-fiancée, Miss Xie Liu, who asked.

“Where did this walnut come from?” Lu Zhuo looked toward Wei Rao.

Wei Rao then told him about how the Empress Dowager and Empress had joined forces to use Miss Xie Liu to mock her inability to marry. Thinking that this matter was also related to Lu Zhuo, Wei Rao lightly glared at him: “The Emperor took pity on me and deliberately dropped this golden walnut so it rolled to my feet, naturally bestowing it upon me.”

Lu Zhuo only felt wronged – how could he have known that the Empress Dowager would use his marriage engagement to attack Wei Rao?

However, thinking of Wei Rao’s situation in her youth, Lu Zhuo’s heart also filled with pity.

He held the golden walnut and sat beside her, asking, “As far as I know, the Emperor has two such golden walnuts in total. Do you know where the other one is?”

How could Wei Rao know?

Lu Zhuo smiled bitterly. When he had received Emperor Yuanjia’s stake that year, Wei Rao had been sitting right beside him. That she could completely forget about such paired objects proved that Wei Rao had no thoughts about him whatsoever at that time. Even though they had each received a golden walnut, her heart felt not the slightest ripple.

“That one is with me – the Emperor rewarded it to me as a stake,” Lu Zhuo looked at her and said.

Wei Rao was astonished, then remembered that there had indeed been such a thing.

“So our marriage fate was determined long ago.” Lu Zhuo pressed the golden walnut into her hand and grasped her hand. “Hundred-year walnut, hundred years of harmony. Raorao and I were destined to be husband and wife.”

Wei Rao listened to his low voice and felt the texture of the golden walnut, also feeling that there must be a predestined fate in the mysterious workings of heaven.

She had despised him, hated him, yet still fell in love with him.

Mine is in the capital. When we return at year’s end, we’ll keep these two together.”

Lu Zhuo pulled her into his embrace and said gently.

Wei Rao smiled and nodded.

She and he formed a pair – naturally, the walnuts should also form a pair.