Lu Zhuo was weak all over.

He seemed to have had a long dream where everything was pitch black. His consciousness was like stagnant water—sometimes he could hear sounds but couldn’t distinguish their meaning, and soon everything would return to deathly silence.

Now, opening his eyes and seeing the first ray of light, Lu Zhuo suddenly remembered who he was, remembered being wounded on the battlefield, and remembered returning home.

But this wasn’t his bed. His bed wouldn’t have such brilliant red colors.

Lu Zhuo wanted to turn over, but his body no longer belonged to him. Never mind turning over—he couldn’t even make a sound.

Behind him came regular, long breathing, indicating there was someone else on this bed besides him.

Lu Zhuo looked again at the red wedding quilt before him.

When he returned to the capital, there were only half a month until the wedding. Could it be that he had remained unconscious and the wedding proceeded as scheduled?

This was the only explanation Lu Zhuo could think of.

Though his body was weak, his mind became increasingly clear.

That meant the person behind him was his newly wed wife, Miss Xie the Sixth, whose given name was Hualou.

Lu Zhuo felt ashamed—she had entered the family under such circumstances. How wronged she must feel.

Though nearly numb with weakness, he needed to use the privy. After calming himself for a moment, Lu Zhuo tried to move his fingers. This tiny movement was extremely difficult for him. His right index finger could finally move, tapping against the soft bedding but making no sound.

Lu Zhuo’s gaze turned toward the bed board inside.

His finger was relatively close to the bed board.

In the silent night, Wei Rao was suddenly awakened by regular tapping sounds—very light knocking sounds coming from behind her, as if someone were gently tapping the bed.

Bold as Wei Rao was, all her body hair stood on end. Fortunately, the room was bright enough, and various festive red colors diluted that eerie chill.

Wei Rao remained still for the moment. Soon, besides the tapping sounds, she also distinguished a hoarse voice, like someone breathing with their mouth open.

This sound was even more terrifying.

Wei Rao suddenly jumped out of bed. The instant her feet touched the ground, Wei Rao turned around in a defensive posture, only to find nothing unclean on the bed except Lu Zhuo lying with his back to her.

Her heart pounded violently, her breathing as rapid as after finishing a horse race.

Lu Zhuo couldn’t see, but he could hear—he could hear her fear. Lu Zhuo even thought she might run away or scream, but the footsteps stopped.

Was she observing him?

Lu Zhuo continued tapping three more times.

Wei Rao finally noticed the hand half-exposed outside the quilt. What kind of hand was it? Five long, pale fingers that had become like chicken claws, soaked too long in water due to extreme emaciation.

“Young Master, are you awake?” Wei Rao slowly approached the bed, leaning down to look at his face. She saw the man indeed had his eyes open. Those long black lashes might be the only thing about Lu Zhuo that hadn’t changed. Even his hair, after over ten days of unconsciousness, had become like withered grass without luster.

Lu Zhuo couldn’t see her face and could only hear her voice, which seemed somewhat familiar. But young ladies’ voices were generally sweet and soft like this.

Just as Lu Zhuo was waiting for her to turn him around, she ran off, joyfully shouting, “Young Master is awake!”

Lu Zhuo frowned deeply but could only endure bitterly.

Nanny Miao was the first to rush in. After personally confirming Young Master was awake, the first thing she thought of was sending people to inform Duke Ying, Old Madam, and the various branches of the Lu family. The second was sending for the imperial physician staying in the guest courtyard.

Wei Rao arranged for young maids to handle all this. Nanny Miao’s eyes contained tears. After the excitement, she remembered the most important matter. While sobbing with joy, she slowly adjusted Lu Zhuo to lie on his side facing outward: “Young Master has finally awakened! You’ve been unconscious for eleven days. Don’t worry, Young Master—the imperial physician will be here shortly!”

Lu Zhuo didn’t look at the woman standing behind Nanny Miao but stared at Nanny Miao, moving his lips.

Seeing this, Nanny Miao leaned her head close.

Lu Zhuo said, “A’Gui”—the servant who attended to his daily needs.

Nanny Miao understood and said lovingly, “Does Young Master need to relieve himself? Your back injury is severe—you can’t move now. I’ll go get something…”

“A’Gui.” Lu Zhuo’s gaze suddenly became sharp, his voice slightly louder than before.

Nanny Miao’s old face reddened with embarrassment. Her fault—Young Master was such a noble person. When unconscious, he didn’t know, but now that he was awake, how could he let an old woman like her attend to him?

“Good, good, good—this old servant will call A’Gui right away.” Nanny Miao hurried off, temporarily forgetting there was still someone beside her.

Once Nanny Miao left, Lu Zhuo’s view was unobstructed. Another figure in a red dress came into his field of vision. Lu Zhuo slowly looked up to see a beauty with black hair cascading like a waterfall. Her beautiful face bore no trace of cosmetics—slate eyebrows, phoenix eyes, lustrous white skin, and cherry-sweet lips.

She was also looking at him, seeming somewhat nervous.

Lu Zhuo didn’t recognize Wei Rao.

He had only seen Wei Rao three times—twice she was in men’s clothing, and at the palace banquet, though in women’s clothing, she had deliberately painted herself to look gentle and obedient.

A woman’s hairstyle comprised half her appearance. Changes in hairstyle could create different degrees of beauty or plainness. Once hair was let down, it was even harder for unfamiliar people to recognize someone. Moreover, Lu Zhuo had just awakened from a serious illness. Moreover, he had already concluded the woman beside him was his fiancée Xie Hualou.

Unable to speak, Lu Zhuo struggled to nod at his new bride by the bedside.

Wei Rao suspected Lu Zhuo hadn’t recognized her.

Just as she was about to explain the marriage for good luck, Liu Ya hurried in, urgently telling Wei Rao, “Miss, A’Gui is here. You should quickly tidy up.”

Everyone had been in chaos just now. Now that A’Gui had come, Duke Ying and others who lived far away would also swarm over. It wouldn’t be good if Miss behaved improperly.

Hearing this, Wei Rao immediately withdrew to the west side room. Liu Ya had Bitao keep watch here while she gathered combing supplies to serve their mistress.

When Wei Rao was changing clothes in the west room, she heard wailing from the east room—that must be Lu Zhuo’s servant A’Gui.

Wei Rao looked at Liu Ya before her. If something happened to her, Liu Ya would cry even harder, wouldn’t she?

Half a quarter-hour later, Wei Rao emerged from the west room. She had changed into everyday clothes and arranged her hair in a simple, proper style. At such a moment, an elaborate dress wasn’t appropriate.

After A’Gui finished serving Young Master, Nanny Miao sent him away. After all, this was the bridal chamber—A’Gui had no reason to linger.

Wei Rao hadn’t yet gone to see Lu Zhuo when Duke Ying and others came rushing over. Wei Rao hurried to receive them again.

No one paid attention to her. From Duke Ying and his wife to Lu Zhuo’s youngest cousin, Lu Che, every Lu family member’s heart held only Lu Zhuo. They all wanted to see their awakened loved one with their own eyes as quickly as possible.

Wei Rao understood, so she silently walked to the back, leaving the bedside positions to the Lu family members and an imperial physician who had been staying at the Lu mansion.

Everyone let the imperial physician examine Lu Zhuo first.

There wasn’t much to examine. Lu Zhuo simply had injuries across his back, had lost vitality, and had fallen unconscious. Because of unconsciousness, Lu Zhuo couldn’t eat and could only survive on medicinal broths. This condition recovered more slowly, and the wounds deteriorated increasingly with delay. Now that Lu Zhuo was awake, the imperial physician could only continue observing. As long as Lu Zhuo didn’t fall unconscious again and cooperated with diet and medicine, the wounds would slowly heal, and his depleted vitality could gradually be restored.

“I’ll first prescribe medicinal cuisine. Young Master hasn’t eaten for too long—from now on, he should eat small, frequent meals, building up little by little.”

After reassuring the Lu family, the imperial physician took his leave.

Lu Zhuo managed to drink a little water but remained in a state of silently staring with open eyes, unable to speak. His gaze swept over each family member by the bed—everyone had grown thin, everyone had red-rimmed eyes or tears, including the most dignified and stern grandfather Duke Ying, whose eyes were also red.

Lu Zhuo smiled, silently telling his family he was awake and fine.

His mother, He Weiyu, was happiest and cried hardest.

Duchess Ying surveyed the area and spotted Wei Rao beside a screen. The new bride was quiet, neither claiming credit nor feeling wronged. When their eyes met, she even smiled at her.

Duchess Ying had also passed the initial wild joy. Remembering this was the young couple’s bridal chamber, she immediately arranged for her husband and the sons, daughters-in-law, grandsons, and granddaughters of the other three branches to return to sleep first. Whatever they had to say could wait until tomorrow.

Finally, only Duchess Ying and He Weiyu remained by the bed—mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, one sitting beside Lu Zhuo’s bed, the other standing and wiping tears.

Duchess Ying remembered the fourth condition Old Madam Wei had mentioned. For caution’s sake, she asked Wei Rao to first help He Weiyu to the side room to wash her face.

Wei Rao considerately helped He Weiyu away, with Nanny Miao, Bitao, and Liu Ya following.

Only then did Duchess Ying lower her head, touching her grandson’s heartbreakingly thin face: “Shoucheng, you were unconscious for eight consecutive days without waking. The imperial physicians were helpless. Grandmother truly had no choice, so I thought to discuss with the Xie family about advancing the wedding date by a few days so Sixth Miss could marry over and bring you good luck.”

Lu Zhuo nodded—he had guessed this.

But Duchess Ying’s face showed a trace of faint mockery: “However, fate played tricks. Grandmother liked Sixth Miss and thought you two were a heaven-made pair. Unexpectedly, while you urgently awaited a new wife to bring good luck, Old Grand Tutor Xie also completed his lifespan, passing away the night before we wanted to discuss the marriage for good luck.”

Lu Zhuo looked at his grandmother in shock. Since Old Grand Tutor Xie had died, how could the marriage for good luck continue? Did he owe his wife so much?

Duchess Ying grasped her grandson’s bony hand and continued: “The Xie family said Old Grand Tutor had loved Sixth Miss most during his lifetime. With Old Grand Tutor gone, if Sixth Miss married during mourning, that would be unfilial. This was proper, so Grandmother respected their wishes and voluntarily broke off the engagement. We broke the engagement in the morning, and that afternoon, your grandfather and I went to Earl Cheng’an’s mansion to propose to Fourth Miss Wei Rao. Why Raorao? Because Grandmother couldn’t bear to wrong you—Raorao is more beautiful than Miss Xie the Sixth, and her character…”

While watching her grandson, Duchess Ying praised Wei Rao. Besides the reasons she had chosen Wei Rao, she specifically mentioned Wei Rao’s kindness and righteousness, namely Wei Rao’s first two conditions for agreeing to marry. If the good luck ceremony failed, she wanted no betrothal gifts and was willing to remain a widow for Lu Zhuo for five years.

Duchess Ying said this not because she was happy her family had taken advantage of Wei Rao, but to let Lu Zhuo know what a good girl Wei Rao was, reminding her grandson not to dislike Wei Rao because of outside gossip, and truly refuse to be husband and wife with Wei Rao.

Lu Zhuo listened expressionlessly.

His body was weak, but his mind was very clear.

Wei Rao’s mother, Consort Li, and Wei Rao’s father, Second Master Wei, had once been deeply in love, but after Second Master Wei died, Consort Li only remained widowed for three years. He and Wei Rao had no feelings—only some friction. Would Wei Rao, such a wild and untamed woman, voluntarily bring him good luck out of sympathy or gratitude for his frontier service?

Lu Zhuo didn’t believe it.

This marriage for good luck would benefit Wei Rao.

First, those two conditions could improve Wei Rao’s reputation. Otherwise, whether Wei Rao happily married over or refused Grandmother’s proposal, both would make her reputation even worse. Of course, this was trouble that their proposal had brought Wei Rao. Wei Rao, finding ways to reduce Earl Cheng’an’s mansion’s losses, was human nature—Lu Zhuo wouldn’t criticize Wei Rao for this.

What he cared about was Wei Rao’s initiative in proposing five years of widowhood.

To gain a good reputation, three years of widowhood would suffice. Why did Wei Rao demand five years?

The kitchen sent over medicinal cuisine—a shallow bowl’s worth.

Duchess Ying personally fed Lu Zhuo. While he drank, Wei Rao and He Weiyu returned.

He Weiyu watched her son drink the medicine intently. After saying some happy words, she remembered Wei Rao and, pulling Wei Rao’s hand, said to Lu Zhuo: “Shoucheng, you could wake up entirely thanks to Raorao bringing you good luck. You must properly thank Raorao in the future.”

Lu Zhuo looked at Wei Rao.

In front of two elders, Wei Rao said humbly: “Young Master has heaven’s protection for good people—he would have awakened anyway. It has nothing to do with me.”

Duchess Ying and He Weiyu simultaneously refuted her, both attributing the credit to Wei Rao.

Wei Rao could only lower her head shyly.

Seeing this, Lu Zhuo only wanted to sneer.

Marriage for good luck to save someone—he had never believed such absurd claims and never would.

He could wake up because his life wasn’t meant to end, having nothing to do with Wei Rao or any girl willing to bring him good luck.

Author’s Note: Young Master Lu may be a dog, but we should still praise his scientific mindset~