Lu Zhuo had practiced martial arts since childhood, his physical constitution far stronger than other peers his age. Previously, his unconscious state had caused his wounds to heal slowly and worsened his condition. Now that he had returned from death’s door, following the imperial physician’s prescriptions daily to heal and recuperate, with good food and drink plus his family’s devoted care, after just three days of recovery, Lu Zhuo could get out of bed and move around.

By the fifth day after their wedding—the eighteenth of the twelfth month, which was Lu Zhuo and Xie Hualou’s originally scheduled wedding date—Lu Zhuo had recovered his freedom of movement. The wound on his back had already scabbed over, and unless he deliberately reopened it, there should be no major problems.

With Young Master Lu no longer in mortal danger, the imperial physician who had been stationed at Duke Ying Mansion could finally return to the palace to report.

After seeing off the imperial physician, Duchess Ying smiled at Lu Zhuo and Wei Rao: “Shoucheng has recovered well. Tomorrow morning, the mansion will formally hold the tea ceremony for you both, and the day after, Shoucheng will accompany Raorao on her return visit home.”

The wedding celebration had made the marriage ceremony somewhat hasty. Now that her eldest grandson was well, proper ceremonies had to be completed—they couldn’t wrong the bride.

Lu Zhuo glanced at Wei Rao and smiled: “As it should be.”

Wei Rao stood compliantly beside him, the picture of a young wife who listened to everything her husband said.

After Duchess Ying left, Lu Zhuo looked at Wei Rao with gentle eyes: “I’ll read for a while. Please rest first, my lady. Tonight I’ll dine in the back courtyard.”

Wei Rao shyly lowered her gaze, nodded, and withdrew with Bitao.

Lu Zhuo watched their master-servant figures disappear down the corridor, then headed to the study.

A’Gui followed beside him, kindly reminding: “Master, the wound on your back hasn’t completely healed yet. Perhaps you should continue resting in the front courtyard for a few more nights?”

A’Gui understood clearly that though the Young Master spoke euphemistically about dining with the young mistress in the back courtyard, he meant staying overnight there. But the imperial physician had specifically instructed that before the New Year, the Young Master had better not rush into consummating the marriage with the young mistress.

Lu Zhuo turned around and gave him a cool glance.

He was usually gentle with people, so this coldness was enough to show his displeasure.

A’Gui sheepishly lowered his head, but despite his worry, he completely understood the Young Master. With the young mistress’s beauty, which man could resist?

The second courtyard of Song Yue Hall was named Elegant Wind Residence.

Just returning to Elegant Wind Residence, still in the corridor, Bitao couldn’t help asking Wei Rao in a low voice: “Miss, what does the Young Master mean? Does he want to consummate the marriage with you?”

Wei Rao hadn’t hidden the matter of the fake marriage from the four dowry maids she brought, because they were all personal attendants. Whether Lu Zhuo slept in her room or not simply couldn’t be concealed.

“No, tidy up the west room. In the future, when the Young Master comes, he’ll stay in the west room.” Wei Rao understood Lu Zhuo’s meaning. He was going to keep his promise—once he recovered his mobility, he would begin cooperating with her performance. Newlywed couples should naturally live together.

Bitao understood, then felt a bit disappointed.

When she first saw the Young Master, he was near death with a face that could frighten people. But as the Young Master gradually recovered, though his features remained gaunt, he had regained his jade-like complexion. With improved color, his immortal-like appearance emerged, and because of his extreme haggardness, he inspired pity for having suffered such calamity.

Bitao and Liu Ya had privately whispered that, considering the Young Master’s various excellent qualities, if he would treat their miss well, it wouldn’t be a bad marriage.

However, if the Young Master truly only wanted to sleep in the west room and didn’t want to consummate the marriage with Miss, it meant he completely looked down on her. Such a Young Master, no matter how handsome or noble, they as maids wouldn’t like him either.

Bitao and Liu Ya together tidied the west room, making the bed with fresh bedding for the Young Master.

At dusk, Lu Zhuo changed his bandages in the front courtyard, dressed properly, and headed toward Elegant Wind Residence.

A’Gui hesitated repeatedly, but when the Young Master turned into the corridor leading to Elegant Wind Residence, he still quietly advised: “Master, please take it easy. Your health is important.”

This time, Lu Zhuo didn’t even turn his head, walking alone toward the back courtyard.

A’Gui stopped there, sighing wistfully.

In Elegant Wind Residence, surrounded by Wei Rao’s people, neither Wei Rao nor Lu Zhuo needed to pretend. One put away his gentle jade-like demeanor, the other her tender dignity.

“Prepare dinner.” Wei Rao came out carrying paper, brush, and an ink pad, glanced at Lu Zhuo, and smilingly instructed Bitao.

Bitao sent little maids Xi’er and Cai’er to the kitchen to fetch the meal.

At a square rosewood dining table, Wei Rao sat across from Lu Zhuo, pushing over a contract she had prepared: “Please review this, Young Master. If there are no problems, please sign and seal it.”

Lu Zhuo picked up the contract. It was the five-year agreement she had mentioned before. The content was essentially the same, except that if he or anyone around him revealed their true relationship and caused Wei Rao to become a laughingstock, the compensation he would have to pay was extremely harsh. One clause stated that if the truth was indeed revealed, Lu Zhuo would have to publicly admit that, due to impotence acquired after his serious illness, they had been living as a fake couple.

Lu Zhuo’s fingers gripping the contract tightened slightly as he looked incredulously at Wei Rao across from him.

What kind of woman could think up such an excuse and write it down on paper without changing expression?

“Does the Young Master find something inappropriate?” Wei Rao asked curiously.

Lu Zhuo didn’t want to argue with her. He signed with a dark face and pressed his handprint.

Wei Rao considerately handed him a handkerchief. As Lu Zhuo wiped his hands, Wei Rao smiled and put away the contract, having Liu Ya store it in the inner chamber.

Xi’er and Cai’er brought over dinner.

Wei Rao’s meal was normal dishes with meat and vegetables, while Lu Zhuo’s was still medicinal food that looked very bland.

Wei Rao practiced martial arts morning and evening; her physical exertion was greater than ordinary young ladies, so her appetite was also larger. Where other young ladies might be full or even overstuffed on half a bowl of rice, Wei Rao ate two bowls for breakfast and lunch, and one bowl for dinner to maintain health.

Marrying into Duke Ying Mansion for the wedding celebration, besides some necessary pretenses, Wei Rao didn’t plan to do wrong to herself in any way. She had already sent Bitao to convey her dietary preferences to Song Yue Hall’s kitchen. The kitchen’s chefs were quite skilled, and after several days of adjustment and feedback, the meals served were now perfectly suited to Wei Rao’s taste.

The sweet and sour spare ribs were deliciously tangy, the cabbage with tofu fresh and tender—one rich flavored, one light. Wei Rao ate them together with great relish.

Of course, though Wei Rao had a good appetite and ate more, her dining etiquette wasn’t crude. Her movements were elegant and proper, and because of her beauty, watching her eat was simply a pleasure.

Lu Zhuo had no mind to enjoy her beauty, only feeling that Wei Rao’s two dishes looked very appetizing.

They finished eating almost simultaneously. Lu Zhuo rinsed his mouth and went to rest in the west room.

Wei Rao looked outside. Winter days darkened too quickly—in the time it took to eat a meal, it was already pitch black outside. In spring, summer, or autumn, Wei Rao liked to stroll in the garden after dinner, either walking or fishing, both passing time and aiding digestion. But now, in the cold darkness, Wei Rao could only stay in the courtyard.

After resting for half an hour, Wei Rao changed into practice clothes and went alone to the courtyard to practice swordsmanship.

Tonight was Liu Ya’s turn to keep watch. Bitao had gone to sleep. Liu Ya wrapped herself in a padded jacket and stood under the porch. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see her miss’s slender figure gracefully spinning and turning in the courtyard, sometimes like a black butterfly alighting and rising among flowers, sometimes like a black bird darting between branches.

The sound of the sword cutting through the air would change with the urgency or slowness of Miss’s movements. Liu Ya clutched her clothing with both hands, her eyes barely able to keep up with the speed of Miss’s sword work.

Finally, Wei Rao sheathed her sword. On such a cold night, she had worked up a light sweat.

“Miss, come in quickly. The wind is strong tonight—don’t catch a cold.”

Liu Ya called softly.

Wei Rao smiled and obligingly went to the east room. Liu Ya went to the water room to fetch water and skillfully helped Wei Rao wash.

The master’s and servant’s silhouettes fell on the screen. Liu Ya suddenly let out a low cry: “Oh no, I forgot to bolt the door.”

Previously at Cheng’an Earl Mansion, Miss’s courtyard had no other people, so a slightly ajar door was fine. Now it was different—a grown man was living in the west room!

“Miss, please wait. I’ll go bolt the door,” Liu Ya said self-reproachfully.

Wei Rao held her back, smiling: “Be careful next time. Tonight let it be—he’s not that kind of person.”

If Lu Zhuo coveted her beauty, he wouldn’t have chosen the five-year agreement.

Though the room had heated floors, bathing like this would still be cold. Wei Rao just wanted to quickly slip under the covers and didn’t want to waste time.

Liu Ya had to speed up.

After finishing the upper body, Wei Rao put on her undergarment and slipped into bed, extending a pair of lustrous white, delicate feet onto Liu Ya’s knees.

Liu Ya looked at her miss’s rosy, charming face, and the beautiful feet in her arms that made her want to kiss them. The more she thought, the less she could understand the Young Master’s heart. Both being military men, Second Master Qi wanted to practically glue his eyes to Miss, so why was the Young Master so proud? Was Miss Xie Sixth so wonderful that the Young Master could no longer see anyone else?

In the west room.

Lu Zhuo slowly returned to bed from the window.

He knew Wei Rao knew martial arts. On Cloudy Mist Mountain, she had been able to kill two assassins in such a short time without him noticing, which was enough to prove Wei Rao’s martial skills were considerable. However, until tonight, personally hearing the air-cutting sounds of Wei Rao’s sword practice, Lu Zhuo realized that Wei Rao’s skills weren’t limited to hidden weapons.

Why would a young lady think to practice martial arts? Both the Zhou and Wei families were civilian officials. Who was Wei Rao’s master, and where did she get the opportunity to study?

The next morning at dawn, Lu Zhuo was suddenly awakened by sounds from next door.

Wei Rao’s movements weren’t loud, but Lu Zhuo’s hearing was exceptional. As soon as Wei Rao pushed open her door, he awoke.

Getting up so early—what was she doing?

Lu Zhuo sat up. Soon, the sound of her sword practice came from the courtyard again.

Lu Zhuo didn’t go to the window to peek, lying back down. But hearing her practice so freely, Lu Zhuo felt quite envious.

Since awakening, he had been carefully recuperating, not practicing martial arts for a long time.

Lu Zhuo reached back to touch his back.

The scab on his wound was about the size of a bowl bottom, round in shape, newly formed. For a short time, he shouldn’t make large movements.

Touching the wound, Lu Zhuo thought again of the night he was injured.

The traitor who had leaked information to the enemy had been caught and committed suicide. Emperor Yuanjia had also beheaded his nine generations of relatives. But Lu Zhuo believed the real mastermind who wanted to eliminate him or Qi Zhongkai was still lurking in the shadows, waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

Lu Zhuo pressed his lips together, his dark eyes coldly staring at the bed canopy.