The tea bowl hit the ground, its sharp shattering sound alarming Bitao and Liu Ya, who were waiting outside.

The two maids ran over in panic, only catching a glimpse of Wei Rao’s figure as she swept through the curtain and rushed into the eastern side room, along with the Young Master sitting upright at the western side of the dining table. Due to the angle, Bitao noticed the Young Master’s face and clothing front were splashed with soup, while Liu Ya was so frightened by that winding trail of fresh blood that she covered her mouth.

Lu Zhuo took out a handkerchief, wiping his face while pressing the wound on his forehead, lowering his eyes to instruct the two maids: “Withdraw. Do not spread word of this.”

How dare Liu Ya spread the word?

The Young Master’s status in the Duke’s mansion was second only to the Duke and Old Madam. If the Lu family knew that the young lady had bloodied the Young Master’s forehead, how could the young lady establish herself in the Duke’s mansion in the future? If word spread outside that the young lady dared strike her husband, the Young Master who loyally protected the country, wouldn’t she be cursed until her spine broke!

Glancing at the tea bowl fragments scattered on the ground, Liu Ya pulled Bitao away.

“Did the Young Master and young lady quarrel?”

Once they were far away, Bitao quietly asked Liu Ya, somewhat worried: “Could the young lady have been wronged?”

Having witnessed it firsthand, Liu Ya said with trepidation: “Didn’t you see? The Young Master’s forehead was bleeding – it must have been our young lady who threw it. Even if the Young Master said something first to provoke the young lady, our young lady has already retaliated. I’m only afraid the Young Master can’t swallow this insult and will later regret it, going to the Old Madam to complain about the young lady.”

Bitao clutched her chest, already frightened silly by the word “bleeding”!

Although the young lady had practiced martial arts for years, she had never hurt anyone – the Young Master had become the first!

In the hall.

Lu Zhuo still sat with lowered eyes, his clothing front spotted here and there, the table before him also splashed with soup.

He had thought Wei Rao’s words were meant to mock his mother and aunts for being foolish widows. In his momentary impulse, he had retaliated without thinking, but when Wei Rao suddenly flew into a rage, splashing him with chicken soup and hurling a bowl at him, Lu Zhuo instantly regained his composure.

The despicable men Wei Rao spoke of should refer to despicable living men – otherwise, she would have included her father, Second Master Wei, in the insult.

Second Master Wei was a good official who feared no powerful interests and refused to collude with corrupt officials. He lived righteously and died with integrity.

She must deeply respect Second Master Wei, so despite her usual disregard for others’ opinions, she had been moved to tears by his words insulting her father.

Her strength was considerable – the place where his forehead was struck hurt badly, yet what Lu Zhuo thought of was his repeated discourtesies toward Wei Rao.

Misunderstanding her mockery of his mother’s gambling, misunderstanding her prying into Fourth Aunt’s secrets, misunderstanding her…

He knew Wei Rao’s nature wasn’t bad – why did he always misconstrue her words?

He was a man, yet became so angry and impulsive when he misunderstood Wei Rao as insulting his mother. Wei Rao was a young lady – when he insulted her deceased father, what must her feelings have been?

Lu Zhuo looked toward the eastern side room.

He wanted to apologize.

The wound’s bleeding had stopped. Lu Zhuo left his seat and entered the eastern side room. Just approaching the inner chamber door, he heard a woman’s suppressed weeping from within.

That crying reminded Lu Zhuo of his cousin Lu Changning.

When Second Uncle died in battle, Changning had cried just like this – crying while gasping for breath.

Lu Zhuo turned and retreated to the hall.

In the inner chamber, Wei Rao gradually stopped.

She hadn’t cried like this in a long time. The last time was when she was gravely ill – she hurt so much, missing her father and also her mother. She would think: if father hadn’t died, mother wouldn’t have returned home; if mother hadn’t returned home, she wouldn’t have caught Emperor Yuanjia’s eye and been brought into the palace; if mother hadn’t entered the palace, she wouldn’t have been invited to palace banquets and wouldn’t have suffered that calamity from being framed.

Some people cursed her mother for not observing widowhood propriety – her father was such a good man, what would be wrong with keeping widowhood for him for life?

As a daughter, had Wei Rao ever resented her mother? Had she never felt heartache and injustice for her wrongfully dead father?

But that was her mother – the person who bore her, raised her, and accompanied her longer than her father, her dearest, closest mother. She couldn’t watch her mother be locked in the cage of Earl Cheng’an’s mansion just because she pitied her father and longed for her mother’s company, could she? Her mother was so young, so beautiful – why should she spend lonely nights growing old in the deep mansion?

On one side was her father, on the other her mother. Feeling injustice for her father meant blaming her mother; agreeing with her mother meant being unfilial to her father. For all these years, Wei Rao had been caught between her deceased father and living mother. Usually, she concealed it well, but Lu Zhuo’s single sentence had not only insulted both her parents but also torn open the wound on her heart.

Her father was an upright, true gentleman; her mother’s private virtue was also entirely proper.

There was nothing worth crying about. Lu Zhuo looked down on her – she had known this long ago.

Clear water was provided in the room. Wei Rao washed her face and sat before the dressing table, carefully applying makeup to conceal her tear-stained appearance. As for the fine bloodshot lines in her eyes from crying, so be it; there was no help for it.

After arranging her dress and skirt, Wei Rao returned to the hall.

Lu Zhuo was sitting in the grand master’s chair on the north side. Seeing her emerge, he immediately stood up.

Wei Rao acted as if she hadn’t seen him, walking straight to sit at the dining table.

The food still held some warmth. Wei Rao picked up her chopsticks and began eating as if nothing had happened.

Lu Zhuo knew her heart wasn’t as unconcerned as she appeared. He walked to Wei Rao’s side, cupping his hands and bowing to apologize: “Uncle was upright and incorruptible, a model for officials. I shouldn’t have impulsively offended Uncle. Please forgive me, young lady.”

The bit of appetite Wei Rao had just mustered was immediately destroyed by his words again.

After cursing, what was the point of apologizing afterward? To show he was gentleman enough to correct his mistakes?

Wei Rao set down her chopsticks, glancing sideways at Lu Zhuo’s robe hem: “Lu Zhuo, with one sentence, you insulted both my parents. If divorce weren’t too disadvantageous for me now, I would request to return home today and never give you another chance to insult me. But remember this – starting tonight, unless there’s official business to discuss, don’t speak a single word to me. If there are banquets outside, you and I should try not to appear before others simultaneously. The less we pretend, the better – any more disgusts me.”

The two had crossed swords many times, but only this time did Wei Rao leave no room for repairing their relationship.

Lu Zhuo was silent for a moment, only able to agree: “Alright.”

Having spoken, Lu Zhuo went to the western room to avoid continuing to stay and spoiling her appetite.

After Wei Rao finished eating, she walked to the door and saw Bitao and Liu Ya both hiding far away.

Wei Rao beckoned to them.

The two maids quickly ran back. Liu Ya first asked about her mistress’s condition: “Young lady, you weren’t hurt, were you?”

Wei Rao smiled: “I’m fine. Starting tomorrow, if the Young Master comes to the rear courtyard for meals, send my portion to the side room. The Young Master and I will eat separately.”

Bitao and Liu Ya were greatly shocked.

Wei Rao returned to her room.

The two maids entered the hall and discovered that the dishes on the young lady’s side of the table had all been touched, while the Young Master’s side was barely eaten. Liu Ya told Bitao to ask what exactly had happened, while she came to the western room door and anxiously inquired: “Young Master, the food has all gone cold. Shall this servant have the kitchen reheat it?”

“No need. Prepare water.”

Liu Ya clenched her hands and asked again: “Your wound…”

“It’s nothing serious.”

Liu Ya breathed a sigh of relief. From the Young Master’s attitude, he shouldn’t go spreading word of this matter to the Old Madam.

Bitao also emerged from the eastern room, having learned nothing. Why the Young Master and Madam had quarreled and come to blows remained a mystery to them.

Because arrangements had been made for Lu Zhuo to live in the western room, when Wei Rao first married over, she had already furnished the western room with everything needed, including a dressing table.

Lu Zhuo stood before the mirror and discovered the wound was at the left temple corner. The bleeding wound was only the size of a corn kernel, but the surrounding area was swollen and raised.

The tea bowl’s edge was rounded, yet Wei Rao had still managed to draw blood, showing how much force she had used and how much hatred filled her heart.

Previously, when he was recuperating, the western room had been stocked with various wound-treating powders. Lu Zhuo opened that drawer from memory – the medicines were still there.

Lu Zhuo took out a bottle of ointment for reducing swelling and removing bruises, sitting on the bedside to apply it evenly.

It hurt, but external wounds healed easily. Wei Rao’s heart wound would likely be difficult to heal.

After the lamps were extinguished, Lu Zhuo still sat on the bed, thinking about the cause of tonight’s dispute – Zhou Huizhen and Han Liao’s marriage.

All his various concerns at the time now seemed laughable. What did it matter to him if Han Liao married Zhou Huizhen? No matter how much Zhou Huizhen resembled Wei Rao, she wasn’t Wei Rao. What advantage could Han Liao gain regarding Wei Rao through Zhou Huizhen? Even Shou’an Jun wasn’t afraid of Zhou Huizhen suffering at the Han family and dared marry her off – what was he concerned about?

Lu Zhuo closed his eyes.

He rarely lost his composure like this. He didn’t know why, but every time he was discourteous and made mistakes, he somehow offended Wei Rao. No wonder Wei Rao treated him increasingly coldly, unwilling even to mention her maternal family sisters’ marriages to him.

However, Wei Rao hadn’t favored him to begin with – otherwise, how could she have planned the five-year agreement so early?

Sounds came from outside – Wei Rao had risen to practice swordwork.

The sword qi cutting through the air could be heard even from inside the room, filled with murderous and ruthless intent.

If Wei Rao had been holding her sword instead of a tea bowl at that moment, she probably would have directly thrust the sword at him.

The next morning, Lu Zhuo rose and looked in the mirror. The redness and swelling on his forehead had subsided, leaving only a small patch of bruising and the tiny split in the center.

Liu Ya brought water in. After setting it down, she couldn’t help stealing glances at the Young Master’s forehead.

“The official hat can cover it – no need to worry.” Lu Zhuo said while rolling up his sleeves, his voice gentle.

Caught peeking, Liu Ya’s face reddened as she withdrew.

When Lu Zhuo emerged after washing his face, he saw only his breakfast on the table and suddenly remembered her instructions to the maids last night – from now on, she wouldn’t share meals with him.

Lu Zhuo sat down silently. Before lifting his chopsticks, he instructed Liu Ya: “Fetch my official hat and robes. I’ll leave directly after eating.”

Liu Ya glanced again at the Young Master’s wound, knowing he wanted to hide it even from A’Gui, and hurried to the front courtyard.

After Lu Zhuo departed, Liu Ya approached her mistress and repeated the Young Master’s morning conversation: “Young lady, the Young Master is carefully concealing this. He still has some redeeming qualities toward you – otherwise, if he just showed the wound, the elders in the Duke’s mansion alone could make you suffer.”

When Wei Rao threw things at Lu Zhuo, she hadn’t thought of anything. Now she felt no fear at all: “If he spreads word everywhere, then this fake marriage needn’t continue. I’ll return home immediately – no one from the Lu family should think of lecturing me.”

Liu Ya immediately dared not speak up for the Young Master anymore. To anger the young lady like this, the Young Master must have committed a grave error. She naturally stood on the young lady’s side.

Lu Zhuo successfully concealed his wound with his official hat for two or three days. Just before the bruising was about to fade completely, Qi Zhongkai came to the Shenwu Army barracks specifically to invite him for drinks.

Thinking of these past few days of dining alone, Lu Zhuo nodded in agreement.

The two rode side by side. After leaving the barracks for some distance with no one around, Qi Zhongkai began probing Lu Zhuo: “I heard Han Liao is marrying the eldest young lady from Shou’an Jun’s family?”

Lu Zhuo: “Mm.”

Qi Zhongkai’s tiger eyes widened: “Then won’t you two become brothers-in-law in the future? That old lecher Han Liao – he used to call your Fourth Uncle brother when he was young. Such nerve!”

Qi Zhongkai seemed to have seen Zhou’s eldest young lady once when he accompanied Emperor Yuanjia to the estate, but had no impression of her. When the Fourth Lady was present, he couldn’t see the other young ladies. This time, when Han Liao’s marriage to the Zhou family was announced, hearing that Zhou’s eldest young lady was exceptionally beautiful, Qi Zhongkai couldn’t help feeling somewhat regretful. If he had known Han Liao would marry Zhou’s eldest young lady, he would have proposed too. Having him and Lu Zhuo as brothers-in-law – two close friends, one marrying the elder sister and one the younger – would have made a fine tale.

“Fourth Lady has another sister, right? I’ll go propose too!” Qi Zhongkai said as if unwilling to be outdone.

Lu Zhuo glanced at him sideways: “You treat marriage as child’s play?”

Qi Zhongkai grinned wickedly: “Fourth Lady is so beautiful – her sisters must all be beauties too. If I marry a beauty and also become brothers-in-law with you, why not?”

Lu Zhuo didn’t know if he was sincere or joking, only reminding: “She only has two unmarried sisters left. Third Lady Wei strictly observes propriety and wouldn’t suit your temperament. As for Zhou family’s second young lady, your mother wouldn’t agree.”

Lu Zhuo didn’t understand Earl Cheng’an mansion’s Third Lady Wei Chan, but Wei Chan hated even her cousin so viciously that she probably wasn’t a virtuous woman. Lu Zhuo didn’t want Qi Zhongkai to impulsively marry her. Zhou’s second young lady’s character aside, just her family status and reputation alone wouldn’t pass the test of Qi Zhongkai’s mother, Marquis Pingxi’s wife.

After Lu Zhuo’s analysis, Qi Zhongkai felt somewhat disappointed, though fortunately, he had only spoken carelessly and wasn’t truly determined to become Lu Zhuo’s brother-in-law.