In the mornings and evenings when the sunlight was gentle, Wei Rao would ride outside, either browsing nearby villages and towns or galloping freely along the official road. When the sunlight became intense, Wei Rao would return to the carriage to rest. This combination of work and leisure made the journey much more interesting than before.

Wherever she went, Lu Zhuo always followed her, never leaving her side. In the eyes of their traveling companions, this appeared to be a loving couple.

On the sixth day of travel, everyone lodged at a relay station.

Wei Rao and Bitao still shared one room, while Lu Zhuo stayed next door.

“Miss, the heir follows you every day, never leaving your side. What does he mean by this?”

White mist swirled around as Bitao gently helped her mistress bathe, asking in a lowered voice.

Wei Rao sat in the bathtub, comfortably closing her eyes. Hearing Bitao’s words, she hummed: “What could he mean? He’s afraid I’ll run around alone and cause trouble, making it difficult to explain to Old Madam and Old Madam Lu when we return.”

When the two were alone, Bitao couldn’t see anything, so she couldn’t make anything out. She said in bewilderment: “Miss is so beautiful, and the heir has traveled with you for many days. Has he truly not been moved at all?”

Bitao really couldn’t understand. She, a woman, loved her mistress’s beauty so much that she wished to serve by her side for life. How could the heir, a young man, not be attracted to her mistress at all?

Wei Rao didn’t mind and smiled: “When taking a wife, choose virtue; when taking a concubine, choose beauty. Some men only treat beauties as playthings. When marrying a wife, they must choose virtuous and gentle noble ladies—it brings honor to both themselves and their families. This heir beside us has his eyes on the top of his head and finds fault with me everywhere. How could he be moved by my face? That he’s willing to act with me is already remarkable.”

Bitao bit her teeth: “What’s so great about a good reputation? Back then, when the heir was dying of illness, that Miss Xie…”

Wei Rao shook her head and interrupted Bitao: “How others are has nothing to do with us. Don’t discuss it anymore.”

Bitao stopped discussing it, but was still angry that the immortal-like heir was a fool who only cared about reputation.

Because the heir looked down on her mistress, when they continued their journey the next day, Bitao only kept her head down in the cart, making braided cords. When Zhao Song came over several times, trying to make conversation, Bitao ignored him.

In the afternoon, the travelers finally arrived at Jin City’s gates.

This was Wei Rao’s first time leaving the capital to come to such a distant place. Sitting in the carriage, she pressed her head against the gap in the curtains, secretly observing the situation outside.

Jin City was the prefectural city of Qingzhou and also a northern military fortress. The city walls were thick and towering, imposing and majestic.

Looking at the people entering and exiting the city gates, both men and women seemed to be a head taller than the people of the capital. The men laughed and talked loudly, while the women’s words and actions were also more forthright.

She leaned sideways, watching with great interest. Lu Zhuo sat upright beside her, already accustomed to her behavior and no longer trying to interfere.

There was an official guesthouse in Jin City where the travelers would stay for the next two months.

The guesthouse officials warmly welcomed Lu Zhuo.

The Shenwu Army was recruiting soldiers this year and had already sent people ahead to notify local officials. The guesthouse was well-prepared. Not long after Lu Zhuo arrived, local officials, including the Jin City prefect and military officers, came to pay their respects. Lu Zhuo had Wei Rao settle in and rest first while he went to the guesthouse’s reception hall to socialize with the officials.

The guesthouse assigned four young maids and two matrons to serve Lu Zhuo and Wei Rao. With the inner quarters now filled with strangers except for Bitao, Lu Zhuo would have to sleep in the same room with her at night.

While Lu Zhuo was socializing, Wei Rao first took a hot bath.

Lu Zhuo didn’t return until nightfall, having already dined.

Wei Rao sat on the couch reading. Bitao respectfully asked: “Would the heir like to bathe?”

Lu Zhuo looked at Wei Rao.

Wei Rao lowered the book in her hands and said to him with little concern: “I’ve already bathed. If the heir wants to wash, have the matrons move the bathtub to the inner room later. After the servants withdraw, you can bathe inside while I read outside. When the heir is finished, I’ll go in.”

The room’s lighting was soft. Her face still held some flush from her recent bath, her posture was languid, and her tone carried a trace of lazy charm. She seemed not to care much about the man before her, not knowing that such indifference more easily aroused a man’s desire to conquer her, to lift her chin and force her to look at him properly.

Such thoughts flashed quickly through Lu Zhuo’s mind, so fast that it was as if they had never appeared.

Lu Zhuo directly instructed Bitao to prepare water, then sat on the couch and spoke with Wei Rao like a normal couple about whom he had met tonight and what arrangements were planned for tomorrow.

When Bitao led the matrons in to carry water, the two were still in an intimate posture of quiet conversation.

The guesthouse’s constraints on servants weren’t as strict as those of noble families. When one matron finished carrying water and came out of the inner room, she secretly lifted her head to glance at the Duke Ying heir and his wife on the couch. The first thing she saw was the heir lying on his side, supporting his upper body with his elbow. His handsome face didn’t look like it could be raised in the mortal world. The heir was very close to his wife—if he lowered his head slightly forward, it could rest on the wife’s crossed legs.

The matron’s second glance caught the wife sitting beside the heir, wearing a water-green vest with a gem-inlaid golden hairpin in her cloud-black hair. The wife lowered her face, speaking softly about something unknown to the heir. Though the matron couldn’t see her features, she felt this wife was very, very beautiful.

Just these two glances—the matron hadn’t seen enough before she was already at the secondary room’s doorway.

The matron was somewhat disappointed but also very excited. Serving here for over two months would give her plenty to talk about later.

After the servants left, Lu Zhuo sat up without delay, stood on the ground, and looked at Wei Rao on the couch, who continued reading as if nothing had happened.

Lu Zhuo lowered his eyes and went to the inner room to bathe.

While undressing, Lu Zhuo seemed to still smell her faint sweet osmanthus fragrance, and her tender white hands holding the book seemed close at hand.

If the two were truly husband and wife, the way they had just interacted seemed quite nice.

Removing his clothes, Lu Zhuo stepped into the bathtub. Thinking of Wei Rao reading on the couch next door, he deliberately lightened his movements.

Wei Rao could hear the sound of him splashing water, but this sound affected her about as much as Bitao or Liu Ya washing clothes. Wei Rao remained calm, not curious about Lu Zhuo’s bathing scene.

Lu Zhuo bathed quickly, stepping out of the tub to dry and dress in about a quarter hour. When he came out, he wore only white silk undergarments.

Wei Rao glanced up, saw Lu Zhuo like this, and immediately looked away again.

Lu Zhuo explained quietly: “It’s time to sleep. Wearing outer robes would raise suspicion.”

Wei Rao said to the book pages, “No matter. During those days when the heir was unconscious, I saw this too.”

Lu Zhuo didn’t want to recall his condition then and asked Wei Rao, “Would you like to play chess?”

Wei Rao wasn’t interested: “My chess skills aren’t refined, and I don’t enjoy playing.”

Lu Zhuo called for Bitao to bring people in to clean up, then sat cross-legged beside Wei Rao, lowering his head to look at the book in her hands.

Wei Rao assumed he was about to start acting again, so she smiled and moved the book toward him.

Lu Zhuo read a few lines and discovered this was a storybook about martial arts heroes, quite fitting Wei Rao’s temperament.

“It’s all made-up nonsense. Do you believe it?” Lu Zhuo commented.

Wei Rao: “Whether I believe it or not, if it’s interesting to read, it’s a good book.”

Lu Zhuo offered no comment, but having nothing else to say, he read along with her.

Bitao led the water-carrying matrons out, glancing at the heir and miss on the couch who were almost snuggled together, especially with the heir wearing only undergarments. One jade-like, one charmingly beautiful—such an eye-catching pair. Bitao couldn’t help feeling regretful; how wonderful it would be if they were real.

After the performance ended, Wei Rao arranged for Bitao to sleep in the side room, with no need to keep watch in the main room.

After Bitao withdrew, Wei Rao had Lu Zhuo close the outer door.

When Lu Zhuo returned from closing the door and extinguishing the hall lamps in the secondary room, he saw Wei Rao emerge from inside carrying a set of bedding and pillows, tossing them onto the secondary room’s couch. She clapped her small hands and said to him, “For these two months, you’ll sleep outside.”

Lu Zhuo smiled: “Alright.”

Wei Rao didn’t bother with his bedding arrangement, turned around, returned to the inner room, and closed the door with a latch.

Lu Zhuo heard that sound clearly, as if Wei Rao were glaring and warning him not to harbor improper thoughts about her.

Lu Zhuo smiled bitterly. Like this, and Mother still hoped to hold grandchildren?

Making his bed and extinguishing the lamp, Lu Zhuo lay down on the unfamiliar guesthouse couch.

Lu Zhuo rarely dreamed normally, but tonight, for some unknown reason, he dreamed.

In the dream, it was still this guesthouse, and they were still acting. Wei Rao was reading while he sat beside her companionably. Later, the maid withdrew, and Wei Rao brought out bedding, but the Wei Rao in the dream didn’t leave heartlessly. She very gently and considerately helped him make the bed, like a true wife.

Lu Zhuo was attracted by her gentleness and couldn’t help but walk over, embracing her from behind.

She didn’t resist, shyly closing her eyes. The sweet osmanthus fragrance on her body became even richer. Lu Zhuo couldn’t control himself, lightly sniffing her neck while asking if she was willing to be his wife.

She nodded very joyfully.

Lu Zhuo then pressed her onto the couch, her body as he had imagined…

Dreaming to this point, probably no man would be willing to wake up, but Lu Zhuo was startled awake by his improper thoughts about Wei Rao.

In the pitch-black deep night, only his heavy breathing remained.

Before opening his eyes, Lu Zhuo reached out to feel beside him.

There was nothing there.

Confirming Wei Rao wasn’t beside him and that all of that was just an absurd dream, Lu Zhuo’s breathing gradually calmed.

Since Wei Rao was unwilling to give herself to him, even in dreams, Lu Zhuo wouldn’t take advantage of her in the slightest.