After spending a day at the barracks, Lu Zhuo returned to the mansion in the evening and proactively went to pay respects to Duchess Ying. He Shi happened to be there as well.

“What did Old Madam say last night?” Duchess Ying was rather worried about Shou’an Jun – her grandson had truly gone too far this time.

Lu Zhuo explained: “Old Madam doesn’t know the details of my dispute with Raorao – it’s just that Raorao doesn’t want to see me.”

Duchess Ying breathed a long sigh of relief. Young ladies were soft-hearted and easy to coax. If Shou’an Jun knew what her grandson had done, she probably wouldn’t let Wei Rao return.

After relaxing, Duchess Ying looked at her biological grandson with even more displeasure: “Look how sensible Raorao is! You bullied her like that, yet she still covers for you and preserves face for our Lu family. Otherwise, if Shou’an Jun knew I had raised such an impolite descendant like you, I wouldn’t have the face to meet her!”

He Shi had already learned from her mother-in-law during the day why her daughter-in-law was angry. She completely sided with her daughter-in-law and joined her mother-in-law in scolding her son: “Shoucheng, if you could say such words, do you think Raorao’s mother returning home to remarry was wrong? What do you, a man, understand about such matters? When an inner chamber woman loses her husband, all that awaits her is a long, lonely lifetime. Like our family, we have a thriving population. I usually chat with your two aunts, play cards, and talk about you cousins. A day passes without notice. When Raorao’s mother was at Earl Cheng’an’s mansion, she had only one sister-in-law and only Raorao as a daughter. Of course, she had to secure her future while young – otherwise, when Raorao married, she wouldn’t even have that last bit of hope.”

Duchess Ying nodded, looking at Lu Zhuo: “Raorao’s mother was quite good. After Second Master Wei passed away, she observed mourning at her husband’s family for three years. With her temperament, those three years must have been for Raorao’s sake. When she truly returned home, Raorao was already over ten and sensible. I heard that she wanted to take Wei Rao with her then, but Old Madam Wei couldn’t bear to part with her granddaughter.”

Lu Zhuo looked at the two elders with complex emotions. They both approved of widow remarriage?

Lu Zhuo had thought…

Duchess Ying understood her eldest grandson’s expression. After thinking, she sighed: “Only when lice are on your head do they itch. All those concepts of women’s virtue are made up by men to constrain women. Look at those men who lose their wives – how many never remarry for life? Their wives might have just been buried when they bring new women through the door. Does anyone criticize them? These principles shouldn’t be discussed with a young man like you, but who knew you’d be so old-fashioned.”

Lu Zhuo shamefully lowered his head.

“Enough, enough. You left hastily yesterday – go again on your rest day tomorrow. I’ve already arranged the apology gifts.”

Lu Zhuo took his leave.

Returning to Song Yue Hall, the grandmother had indeed already sent over the apology gifts.

Lu Zhuo had A’Gui prepare bath water. Having slept on the ground last night, he needed to bathe.

The next day, Lu Zhuo departed after having breakfast at home. He rode his horse while A’Gui led an uncovered horse cart loaded with apology gifts.

Passersby in the streets came and went, all curiously gathering to inquire when they saw this procession.

This time, A’Gui was too embarrassed to answer.

But with such a spectacle, within a few days, the news of the Young Madam being driven away in anger by the Young Master would surely spread.

An hour later, Lu Zhuo’s party arrived at the estate.

The sun was bright and beautiful. Wei Rao and her cousin Zhou Huizhu were swinging together in the estate’s large garden, the warm spring light falling on them, making them feel like sleeping.

Shou’an Jun sent a little maid to invite Wei Rao to the reception hall.

Wei Rao leaned comfortably against one side of the swing rope, asking carelessly: “Has something happened?”

The little maid said, “The Young Master brought a cartload of apology gifts and wants to apologize to you, Young Madam.”

Zhou Huizhu exclaimed, “Wow!” and leaned over from the neighboring swing toward Wei Rao: “Sister Rao, brother-in-law came the night before last and again today – he cares about you!”

Wei Rao glared at her: “What do you understand? If he truly cared about me, he wouldn’t have angered me. Also, until my anger subsides, you should call him Young Master, not brother-in-law.”

Zhou Huizhu shrank her head.

Wei Rao said to the little maid, “Go tell Old Madam that I’m tired from playing and have returned to my room to rest.”

Wei Rao often stayed at the estate, so the maids here all knew her temperament. Without saying more, they smiled and went to report.

Zhou Huizhu swayed on her swing while tilting her head to look at Wei Rao, saying curiously: “Sister Rao, the Young… Master is such a handsome person. If it were me, I couldn’t bear to be angry with him – how can you be so heartless?”

Wei Rao snorted: “The more handsome they are, the more conceited they become, and the less courteous they are to others. For example, if a noble young master even more handsome than him were standing before you right now, pointing at your face and calling you a little fat pig, would you be angry?”

Zhou Huizhu’s face immediately turned red with anger. Among the four cousin sisters, she was the fattest, though not particularly fat. Although grandmother said nothing about it, her mother and sister kept advising her to eat less. Over time, Zhou Huizhu came to hate anyone mentioning her weight the most. Now Wei Rao, using “little fat pig” as an example, precisely hit Zhou Huizhu’s sore spot.

“Not only would I be angry, I’d beat him up!” Zhou Huizhu said indignantly.

Wei Rao laughed.

In the reception hall, Shou’an Jun dismissed the little maid and helplessly shook her head at Lu Zhuo: “She still hasn’t calmed down. What exactly did you two fight about? Young Master, tell me so I can help persuade her.”

How dare Lu Zhuo say? If he made Shou’an Jun ill with anger, Wei Rao would hate him, and grandmother and mother at home would continue blaming him.

“Could Old Madam persuade Raorao to meet with me once?” Lu Zhuo entreated. This time, he truly knew how to apologize properly.

Seeing his confident manner, Shou’an Jun said, “Let’s try this afternoon.”

At noon, Lu Zhuo again had lunch with Shou’an Jun. After the meal, he followed Eunuch Li to the guest room to rest. At the appointed time with Shou’an Jun, Lu Zhuo was led by Eunuch Li to a water pavilion by the garden lake. The pavilion extended into the lake via a causeway, surrounded by water on all sides – tranquil and elegant, very suitable for one person to calm their mind or for two people to talk.

Eunuch Li had tea and refreshments prepared, then withdrew.

Lu Zhuo sat on the left side of the tea table, facing sideways toward that winding causeway. If Wei Rao came, he could spot her from the corner of his eye.

Weeping willows were planted on both sides of the causeway. In February, the willow branches were covered with dense buds, waiting only for the spring wind to warm before sprouting tender leaves.

A fish leaped from the water’s surface and fell back in with a splash.

Lu Zhuo’s attention gradually settled on this garden scenery. Because the suburban location was spacious enough, the estate’s landscaping combined grandeur with elegance. In terms of scenery alone, even the Duke’s mansion couldn’t compare to the estate.

The tea in the bowl gradually lost its heat, and the warm sun slowly moved westward from mid-sky.

Having waited too long, Lu Zhuo felt somewhat thirsty. He picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of cool tea.

When he set down the tea bowl, the gray and hazy early spring scenery in his peripheral vision finally gained a touch of bright color.

Lu Zhuo turned his head and saw Wei Rao at the other end of the long causeway. She wore a plum-red embroidered jacket, with a matching colored sash outlining a slender waist that two hands could encircle. When windless, those light sashes hung quietly against her long white skirt. When a lake breeze blew over, the plum-red sashes and snow-white skirt hem swayed together, as if a fairy were approaching on the wind.

Maid Bitao stopped at the shore while Wei Rao walked over alone. She held a round fan in her hand, idly waving it as she walked. The thin gauze fan sometimes covered her delicate chin and lovely lips, then revealed them again.

Lu Zhuo withdrew his gaze and stood up, leaving his seat.

Wei Rao truly didn’t want to see Lu Zhuo, but her maternal grandmother said that if she didn’t come, Lu Zhuo would stay at the estate until she showed herself.

Stepping into the water pavilion, Wei Rao stopped and looked at Lu Zhuo approaching: “What does the Young Master want to say?”

Her manner suggested she would leave immediately after he finished speaking.

Lu Zhuo lowered his eyes: “To be honest with you, young lady, from when I first returned to the capital and heard about your maternal family’s affairs, I couldn’t approve in my heart of Old Madam indulging the Zhou family women’s remarriage customs, couldn’t approve of your wanton travels outside the city into the mountains. The reason was that my father and two uncles died in battle, while my mother and my aunts maintained pure hearts, observing widowhood. I thought all women in the world should be like this.”

Wei Rao pursed her lips, having guessed as much.

Lu Zhuo continued: “So when I woke from my coma and discovered the bride was you, I determined you were not suitable wife material for our Lu family. I treated you with extreme disrespect and impulsively spoke harsh words repeatedly. The great mistake has already been made. I know you won’t easily forgive me. Coming today, I only want to tell you that grandmother and mother both like you very much and understand why your mother remarried. I, too, learned from them about the difficulties women face in widowhood. From today forward, I will harbor no more disrespectful thoughts toward your mother, nor maintain any prejudices against you. Please, for the sake of the elders at home, return to the mansion with me and put both families’ elders at ease.”

Wei Rao stared at him for a while, then asked curiously: “Are these words you wanted to say yourself, or did the Old Madam teach you?”

Lu Zhuo raised his eyes to meet her probing gaze directly: “Every word I just spoke came from my heart.”

Wei Rao scoffed, waving her round fan as she walked a few steps to the side, facing the sparkling lake surface: “I’ve long known the Young Master looks down on me, but I don’t care – I agreed to the wedding blessing ceremony not for you as a person. This time, I left in anger because the Young Master insulted me deeply. The resentment in my heart means that even if the Young Master sincerely repents, I cannot forget the humiliation I suffered that day. Asking me to return now – I’m truly unwilling.”

Lu Zhuo understood. Looking at her fair profile, he asked: “Then how long do you plan to stay here?”

If Wei Rao could choose, she never wanted to return for the rest of her life, but reality lay before her – she had no right to be willful.

With a bitter smile, Wei Rao murmured as if to herself: “I’d like to stay until month’s end, but fear the Old Madam would worry too long. How about this – if the Young Master is willing, come to the estate again on your next rest day to put on a show. Then I’ll return to the Duke’s mansion with you.”

She wasn’t forgiving Lu Zhuo – she just didn’t want to trouble the elders on both sides for too long.

Lu Zhuo could see her attachment to the estate. In that instant, Lu Zhuo understood the grandmother’s words.

Grandmother had always praised Wei Rao’s sensibility. Even when Wei Rao came to the estate in anger, the deadline grandmother set for him to coax Wei Rao back was the month’s end. Wei Rao also wanted to stay until the month’s end, but she compromised, voluntarily moving up the return date by ten days, sparing the Duke’s mansion ten more days of public gossip.

“Thank you.” Lu Zhuo said sincerely.

Wei Rao cast him a sarcastic sideways glance and turned to leave the water pavilion.

Lu Zhuo took leave of Shou’an Jun. Their party entered the capital’s city gates and was again pointed at and whispered about by passersby they encountered.

Having received Wei Rao’s promised return date, Lu Zhuo felt very settled.

Learning that Wei Rao was willing to return, Duchess Ying and He Shi temporarily let Lu Zhuo off.

But over the following days, acquainted ladies continually visited under the guise of concern, all probing why Wei Rao had run to the estate.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair only said the young couple had quarreled and placed the blame on Lu Zhuo.

The capital’s officials and common people discussed Lu Zhuo’s marriage with relish. Even Qi Zhongkai heard about it and came to demand what Lu Zhuo had done.

Qi Zhongkai’s expression and tone showed considerable intention to defend Wei Rao.

Fortunately, Lu Zhuo knew Qi Zhongkai’s feelings for Wei Rao were more like protective affection for a flower rather than deep romantic love between man and woman, so he didn’t take issue with his good brother’s excessive concern for his wife.

“It’s none of your business.” Lu Zhuo responded coolly.

Qi Zhongkai angrily scratched his head, wanting to continue scolding Lu Zhuo but fearing that Lu Zhuo would misunderstand that he still thought about the Fourth Lady.

Unable to scold, Qi Zhongkai held back for a long time before finally thinking of the most crucial matter: “Have you apologized and made amends to her? You bullied someone – you should properly admit your mistake!”

Before his good friend, Lu Zhuo, maintained his aloof attitude: “I’ll go again on my rest day to bring her back.”

Qi Zhongkai: “I heard that last time you brought a cartload of apology gifts and still couldn’t appease her?”

Lu Zhuo pressed his lips together.

Qi Zhongkai punched his shoulder: “I told you that you’re foolish, but you wouldn’t believe it. What use are those vulgar gifts? You need to give her something she likes, something that makes her eyes light up when she sees it. I remember when I was little, every time my mother got angry with my father, he’d give her some jewelry. Once my mother put it on, all her anger would disappear.”

Jewelry?

Lu Zhuo thought of Wei Rao returning his New Year’s money. If he took jewelry to appease Wei Rao, she would think he was insulting her with gold, silver, and precious stones. Their first quarrel was related to money.

However, Qi Zhongkai’s words also made some sense. Next time he went to the estate, Wei Rao would return with him, but she hadn’t forgiven his offense. If he could use one gift to eliminate the grudge between them and get along harmoniously afterward, grandmother and mother would certainly be happy, and he wouldn’t have to be blamed by the whole family anymore.

The problem was: what kind of gift would Wei Rao like? Something that could make her forget the hatred of insulting her father and mother?

Lu Zhuo went to Song Yue Hall’s storehouse. After walking around, he discovered there was nothing here that Wei Rao couldn’t buy with money – no rare treasures.