After returning from the hunt, Lu Zhuo left early and returned late for two days. Wei Rao wasn’t the kind of virtuous wife who would wait for her husband to return before sleeping, so during these two days, they didn’t meet even once.

On the third evening, Lu Zhuo returned early enough, and the two shared a meal at the same table again.

The food prepared by the post station was quite palatable, including a local specialty of dried radish, sour and crispy, delicious with both porridge and noodles.

Wei Rao nibbled the dried radish in small bites.

Lu Zhuo picked up a piece.

As they chewed together, the soft crunching sounds collided, inexplicably reminding Wei Rao of the white rabbits in cages at her leisure estate gnawing on carrots.

Wei Rao stopped touching the dried radish.

Lu Zhuo suddenly said, “I’ll depart for Weihsien County tomorrow morning to recruit soldiers. After making the rounds, I expect to return to Jin City around this time next month.”

Wei Rao nodded—he had already mentioned the general recruitment itinerary.

Lu Zhuo smiled: “You staying alone at the post station will probably be quite boring. Do you have any interest in coming with us?”

Wei Rao had just finished seven days of travel not long ago and had no interest in continuing to travel far by carriage. Besides, Jin City was so large, and with Yang Yan as company, the next month should pass well.

“I won’t disturb the Heir’s official business,” Wei Rao immediately replied.

Lu Zhuo had thought she wouldn’t be able to stay idle and would be happy to go out and explore. Since she didn’t want to go, Lu Zhuo didn’t force her, only instructing: “I’ll leave Zhao Song and Zhao Bai behind. Wherever you go, please take them both along.”

Wei Rao nodded.

Lu Zhuo looked at her pale face: “I’m quite at ease with you touring within Jin City, but if you leave the city, for safety’s sake, try to travel with Miss Yang. The Yang family has been settled in Jin City for five generations—petty criminals wouldn’t dare trouble the Yang family.”

Wei Rao glanced at him: “Now you trust the Yang family again? Weren’t you worried before that the siblings might drug me?”

Lu Zhuo smiled: “I never doubted the Yang siblings’ character, only wanted to remind you to be wary of others.”

Wei Rao snorted and continued eating. After finishing, she went to the inner room.

Lu Zhuo watched the slightly swaying curtain of the side room, still feeling uneasy about leaving her in Jin City for a month.

The next morning, before Lu Zhuo departed, he called Zhao Song and Zhao Bai over and said only one sentence:

“If anything happens to the Young Madam, you two will face military law.”

Yang Yan also knew Lu Zhuo had gone to recruit soldiers. She came to the post station to find Wei Rao every few days, either taking Wei Rao to browse Jin City’s various shops or taking her outside the city for spring outings to experience the local customs. Every time Wei Rao went out, Zhao Song, Zhao Bai, and Bitao followed, and Yang Yan also brought family servants and guards.

With the like-minded Yang Yan as company, Wei Rao felt time passed quickly. Before she knew it, it was the end of March, and Lu Zhuo would probably return in a few more days.

On this day, Yang Yan had matters to attend to and couldn’t accompany her, so Wei Rao dressed in men’s clothing with Bitao to browse the shops, while the Zhao Song and Zhao Bai brothers followed closely, maintaining a five-step distance.

Wei Rao liked browsing shops that sold small trinkets—she wanted to pick out some gifts that the Fourth Prince might like.

Half a month ago, Wei Rao had seen a small ornament of a shepherd boy riding a yellow ox in a wood carving shop. Wei Rao liked it very much, but that ornament was one solid piece that couldn’t move anywhere. Wei Rao asked the shopkeeper if the master could make separate carvings of two children and one yellow ox, with the children’s legs and arms able to move, so they could both stand on the ground and ride on the ox’s back.

The shopkeeper thought Wei Rao’s idea was quite novel and would be difficult to make, but once completed, it would sell better. So the shopkeeper told Wei Rao to come back in half a month—if the master could make it, Wei Rao could collect her goods; if not, she would get an answer.

After browsing several shops, Wei Rao came to the wood carving shop.

The shopkeeper received her with great joy—the master had indeed made it! One yellow ox and two wooden figurines, a boy and a girl. Additionally, the wood carving master had also carved a small basket that could be filled with grass to pretend to feed the ox, and included a small rattan whip to play at driving the ox.

The wood carving master’s craftsmanship was exquisite. This whole set of toys would delight not just children, but even Wei Rao loved it.

The wood carving master had made two identical sets, and Wei Rao bought both.

She handed the boxes to Zhao Song to carry and led Bitao outside. As they emerged from the shop, she saw a merchant caravan slowly pulling carts toward them. Wei Rao stood beside the shop, preparing to wait for the caravan to pass before entering the street. Just then, someone suddenly lifted the window curtain of the front carriage, revealing a handsome, gentle face.

Wei Rao stared at that person, and he stared back at Wei Rao, as if unable to believe his eyes.

Wei Rao was the first to react, joyfully stepping down from the shop’s front steps. Seeing this, Huo Jue in the carriage immediately confirmed he wasn’t mistaken and told the coachman to stop. Before the cart had fully stopped, he leaped down.

“Cousin, are you here in Jin City on business?”

“Raorao, how are you here?”

The cousin siblings, meeting each other, both urgently asked the questions in their hearts.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land was already one of life’s great joys, especially blood-related cousins. Whether Huo Jue or Wei Rao, both had joy written on their faces.

Zhao Song and Zhao Bai, seeing an outstandingly handsome young master jump from the cart and their Young Madam looking so happy to see him, both felt shocked. Fortunately, the Young Madam immediately called the man “cousin,” sparing them from further worry for their master.

The street wasn’t convenient for talking, so the cousin siblings found a nearby teahouse and reserved a private room on the second floor. Bitao followed in to serve, while Zhao Song and Zhao Bai guarded outside the door, which remained open with windows ajar.

Wei Rao looked at Huo Jue with a beaming smile: “Cousin is getting more and more capable—Uncle and Aunt trust you to lead a team to Jin City for deliveries.”

Huo Jue said modestly, “I’ll have to gain experience sooner or later. Besides, I’m almost twenty. But Raorao, how did you come to Jin City?”

Wei Rao couldn’t tell the truth, so she only said Lu Zhuo had come to Qingzhou to recruit soldiers, and she had taken the opportunity to travel along for sightseeing.

She spoke simply, but she was already married. For a new bride, if her husband’s family didn’t cherish her, if Lu Zhuo didn’t dote on her, how could she accompany him even for such important matters as military recruitment?

Though Wei Rao described the matter as nothing significant in just a few words, Huo Jue heard the affection between a newly married couple.

His heart was half sour, half comforted. His cousin and Heir Lu were perfectly matched in talent and beauty—as long as his cousin was doing well, what did his little selfish feelings matter?

“How long will cousin stay in Jin City this time?” Wei Rao asked excitedly.

Huo Jue said, “About half a month. Besides delivering goods, I also need to purchase a batch of furs.”

Further north of Qingzhou was the grassland, and merchants from Wuda usually came to Jin City to trade goods with Central Plains merchants.

Wei Rao: “Can I follow my cousin to see the shop? I’ve never seen my cousin doing business before.”

Jin City was only so big—she had browsed most of the scenery and shops and wanted to find something fresh to pass the time. Her cousin’s arrival was perfectly timed.

Huo Jue hesitated: “Your status is different from before. You should stay at the post station. Even going out to enjoy the mountains and waters would be more suitable than following me.”

Merchants had low status. His cousin was already a pearl, and now that she had married into Duke Ying’s mansion, her status was even higher. How could she follow him and be tainted by the smell of money?

Wei Rao didn’t like hearing this: “What do you mean my status is different from before? I was your cousin before, and I’m still your cousin now. What, now that I’m married, cousin treats me like an outsider?”

Huo Jue felt a headache: “I didn’t mean that…”

Wei Rao smiled: “Then it’s settled. Where is Cousin planning to stay? I’ll wait for you tomorrow morning.”

Huo Jue was helpless and compromised: “Very well, I’ll take you along for a few days before the Heir returns to the city. Once the Heir returns, you’re not allowed to run around anymore.”

Lu Zhuo would probably return in four or five days. Once he returned, Wei Rao could go to the military camp to watch him train troops, so she wouldn’t lack things to do. She agreed.

Over the next few days, Wei Rao followed Huo Jue in his business dealings. She disguised herself as Huo Jue’s cousin brother, and since Huo Jue was a major Shanxi merchant courted by local merchants, all the merchants they dealt with were very polite to them both. It was just that among a group of men, occasionally crude jokes were made. Huo Jue worried Wei Rao would be angry, but Wei Rao didn’t understand many things, which avoided embarrassment.

On the sixth day of the fourth month, near noon, a black horse appeared on the official road outside Jin City.

This time, Lu Zhuo had led people to recruit soldiers in various counties of Qingzhou, recruiting nearly a thousand tall, strong recruits. They had just been taken by eight squad leaders to the garrison camp in the eastern suburbs of Jin City. Training would begin tomorrow for a month, weeding out lazy, unethical, or undisciplined bad soldiers. The remainder would all be taken to the capital.

Staff Officer Yang invited Lu Zhuo to dine at the military camp, but Lu Zhuo declined. A squad leader teased him about missing his wife, and Lu Zhuo smiled without refuting.

The city gate was just ahead. Over the past month, Zhao Song and Zhao Bai hadn’t sent any messages, indicating she was safe and sound.

Entering the city gate, Lu Zhuo slowed his horse and rode to the post station.

The little maid in the side courtyard saw him and bowed with a red face.

Lu Zhuo ignored the maid’s shyness and asked gently: “Zhao Song and the others aren’t here—has the Young Madam gone out?”

The little maid nodded repeatedly.

Lu Zhuo: “Do you know where she went?”

The little maid said, “The Young Madam didn’t have a carriage prepared, so she probably didn’t leave the city. Where she went, this servant doesn’t know. The Young Madam didn’t tell this servant, only instructed that she’d return for dinner at dusk.”

Lu Zhuo glanced at the dust on his boots and ordered: “Prepare water—I want to bathe.”

The little maid’s face turned even redder as she ran to the water room to instruct the women to heat water.

Before long, the maids had brought the bathtub and hot water to the inner room. Lu Zhuo sat in the main hall reading while waiting for all the maids to leave. He then closed several doors and windows and went in to bathe.

The inner room had two wardrobes that he and Wei Rao used separately. Lu Zhuo took out a set of purple sandalwood brocade robes to change into. After his hair dried, he put on his jade crown and rode away from the post station.

Jin City had only a handful of streets worth browsing. Riding slowly, he was bound to encounter her.

It was now noon with blazing sunlight. Lu Zhuo came to a street along the river, leading his horse through a row of willow shade along the bank.

There were large taverns and small restaurants along the bank, with the aroma of food wafting toward him in waves. Even though Lu Zhuo wasn’t hungry, he was becoming so.

Just then, he saw a two-story tavern. A private room on the second floor facing the window had its windows open wide. Four people sat around the dining table inside, including a young master in white robes with a slender, delicate build and a face white as jade. Even with a small mustache above his lips, Lu Zhuo recognized his wife.

Looking at the other three people, all were men, with one facing away from him, whose appearance he couldn’t see clearly.

Lu Zhuo stood with his hands behind his back in the tree shade, watching Wei Rao chat and laugh with others in the private room.

Wei Rao laughed more than she spoke, listening most of the time as Huo Jue conversed eloquently with two wealthy merchants. Those merchant tales were rarely seen even in storybooks, yet they had really happened, so Wei Rao listened with great interest.

Seeing that her teacup was empty, Huo Jue poured her fresh tea.

Huo Jue sat with his back to the window. When Wei Rao thanked him, she turned her head toward him, perfectly capturing the waterside scenery in her view.

In that waterside scene stood a tall, upright figure, like bamboo, like a sword. Wei Rao was drawn by the narrow waist outlined by the brocade sash. As her gaze lifted…

Recognizing Lu Zhuo, Wei Rao froze.