Wei Rao didn’t know whether Lu Zhuo had obediently gone to the military camp and stopped watching her. In any case, she had no plans to leave the villa for the time being.

Unexpectedly, after two days, Lu Zhuo didn’t come to pester her again, but Han Liao came instead, saying that Zhou Huizhen missed Shou’an Jun, so he had accompanied Zhou Huizhen back to her maternal home for a few days.

Facing Han Liao, Shou’an Jun smiled without warmth, expressing that as long as Madam Marquis Xiting didn’t mind, Zhou Huizhen could stay at the villa as long as she wanted. However, the Zhou family had no male master, so it was inconvenient to have Han Liao stay longer. Please let Han Liao drink some tea and leave quickly.

Wei Rao wasn’t present when Shou’an Jun entertained Han Liao. Zhou Huizhu ran over to tell her about it after Han Liao left.

“Han Liao left. What about Cousin?” Wei Rao asked curiously.

“Sister is staying. Han Liao said he’ll come pick up Sister at the end of the month,” Zhou Huizhu said gloatingly. “Sister Rao, you didn’t see—after Grandmother said those words, Han Liao’s eyebrows kept twitching. He wanted to lose his temper but had to hold it in. He’s something—when Sister got married, Grandmother didn’t even prepare a dowry for her. Wasn’t the meaning obvious enough? Yet he still had the delusion of staying overnight at the villa. He’s so lustful—if Grandmother had let him stay, what would happen to our reputation?”

Wei Rao could imagine Han Liao’s expression, which made her laugh too.

Grandmother was someone who could handle even the Late Emperor and Empress Dowager. Even Emperor Yuanjia respected Grandmother—how could Han Liao’s status make Grandmother treat him specially? If Han Liao were likeable enough, Grandmother would treat him warmly even if he were a beggar. Conversely, Han Liao could only endure Grandmother’s cold treatment.

“How did Cousin react to Grandmother treating Han Liao that way?” Wei Rao asked.

Zhou Huizhu sighed softly, “She was unhappy, but didn’t say anything. After all, Sister knows what kind of person Han Liao is.”

In Zhou Huizhu’s view, her sister didn’t like Han Liao—she only liked Han Liao’s status, the so-called respectability he could give her, and at most, she might like Han Liao’s face. Han Liao’s character was questionable, but his appearance and abilities were genuine. If Han Liao were an ugly fat man, no matter how powerful he was, Sister wouldn’t be able to accept him.

Speaking of the devil, Zhou Huizhen arrived.

“Raorao, I heard that Young Master Lu helped Grandmother plant fields?” Since they were all family, Zhou Huizhen didn’t beat around the bush and directly asked about the rumors she had heard in the city.

Wei Rao was surprised, “This place is so far from the capital—how can gossip travel there?” It had only been two days!

Zhou Huizhen said, “Don’t you know? People in the capital are all curious about whether you and Young Master Lu will reconcile. I don’t know about other households, but just the maids in our marquis mansion all love discussing this matter—some are even placing bets. Besides, with so many people coming to Yunwu Mountain for spring outings recently, someone brought the news back to the capital that very day.”

Wei Rao understood.

Zhou Huizhen looked at Wei Rao sourly and wistfully, “Are you not planning to marry Young Master Lu, or are you deliberately keeping him dangling to raise your value?”

Zhou Huizhen couldn’t understand Wei Rao.

Han Liao was so inferior to Lu Zhuo in age, appearance, and family background, yet she was reluctant to leave Han Liao. If Han Liao had even half of Lu Zhuo’s deep feelings for Wei Rao toward her, Zhou Huizhen would willingly endure Han Liao’s mother and a bunch of children. But Wei Rao—how could she bear to divorce Lu Zhuo and treat him with such indifference?

Wei Rao could almost smell the sourness emanating from Zhou Huizhen’s direction and laughed, “What do I care what you think? He’s the one who insists on pestering me—I never forced him to chase after me. If Cousin is envious, then quickly divorce Han Liao. With Cousin’s beauty, if you just wait a bit, you’ll meet someone who treats you the same way.”

Zhou Huizhen gritted her teeth angrily, “Why do you always advise me to divorce? Can’t anyone hope for good things for me?”

Zhou Huizhu muttered quietly, “Marrying such a man—how could that be good? If Sister hadn’t married him in the first place, would we hope for you to divorce?”

Zhou Huizhen got angry and left without even drinking tea.

Zhou Huizhu asked Wei Rao doubtfully, “Does our approach work?”

Wei Rao smiled, “How is it not working? First, we let Cousin remember that she has the option of divorce. When Han Liao completely breaks her heart someday, Cousin will think of that option.” Unlike some women who, despite being bullied to the extreme by their husband’s family, still worry about this and that, not daring to propose divorce.

Perhaps because Wei Rao and Zhou Huizhu had teased her too much, when they brought up divorce again, Zhou Huizhen no longer got angry. She still played with them every day. The three cousins flew kites, fished, admired flowers, and played hide-and-seek at the villa, their relationship becoming even more harmonious than when they were all young girls.

This morning, after Wei Rao finished practicing swordplay, she suddenly wanted to go horseback riding.

Dawn came quickly, but it was still very early—no cooking smoke had yet risen from the rooftops of houses in Yunwu Town.

Wei Rao changed into riding attire, put on a veil, and went out.

In the peaceful silence, Wei Rao spurred her horse toward Yunwu Mountain, planning to run along the mountain base until she was satisfied before returning.

Who would have thought that just as she reached a turn, a black shadow suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision. Wei Rao turned her head and saw Lu Zhuo riding Fei Mo.

After her initial surprise, Wei Rao continued running forward.

The sound of hoofbeats followed as Lu Zhuo caught up. Although Wei Rao didn’t want him to catch up, her horse was inferior to Lu Zhuo’s, and soon there was another person beside her.

“What a coincidence—I came here to ride, and the Princess came too,” Lu Zhuo said with a smile.

Wei Rao’s anger flared. What did he mean? Did he think she had seen him running and chased after him?

“If I had known you were here, I wouldn’t have come,” Wei Rao slowed down and said coldly.

Lu Zhuo slowed down with her.

Wei Rao reined in her horse and glared at him, “Didn’t you say you’d return to the capital and not disturb my leisure?”

Lu Zhuo turned his horse to face her and countered, “When we left the traveling palace, the Princess said you had forgiven my offense toward Uncle and Aunt. Since you forgave me, why won’t you reconcile with me?”

Wei Rao only found it laughable, “You did make sufficient compensation for offending my parents, but what about your offenses toward me? Moreover, even if I forgave everything, that doesn’t mean I would like you. The marriage of convenience was for benefit—if I remarry, why wouldn’t I marry someone I like?”

Lu Zhuo looked at her seriously and asked, “What would make you like me?”

Wei Rao turned her head away. “That’s none of your business. In any case, it will never be you.”

Lu Zhuo smiled bitterly, “You see, the Princess dislikes me so much. If I don’t actively seek you out, wouldn’t I never achieve my heart’s desire in this lifetime? So, rather than being forgotten by the Princess, I’d rather try a few more times. Perhaps one day I’ll do something right and earn a bit of the Princess’s favor.”

Wei Rao pursed her lips and mocked sarcastically, “Didn’t the Young Master find me insufficiently dignified? Now you keep saying you want me to remarry you—aren’t you afraid my improper behavior will corrupt the Lu family’s traditions? Aren’t you afraid I’ll continue changing clothes outdoors, continue entering wine houses with unrelated men, afraid that someday I’ll cuckold you and make people mock you as a green turtle?”

She mocked Lu Zhuo with her words, but her eyes were already blazing with fury.

Lu Zhuo suddenly understood—when he had mocked or controlled her before, she had seemed not to care, seemed to forget immediately, but she had remembered everything in her heart.

He had indeed said all those words. Once spoken, they couldn’t be taken back. Lu Zhuo couldn’t deny them, but he had to explain.

“I know I said many harsh things, but I meant you no harm. Often, I was thinking of you. If someone saw you changing clothes outside, you would be the one to suffer. If you entered wine houses with men and someone with ulterior motives discovered and spread it, you would still be the one to suffer…”

“I’m not stupid. I naturally considered things before acting. What people could there be in those deep mountains and old forests? When I went to listen with Cousin, I was also disguised—who could recognize me? Why did you need to meddle?”

“We were husband and wife. Your affairs were my affairs. How was that meddling?”

“Bullshit husband and wife! Others might not know, but you signed the contract—fake spouses at most, ending in five years at most. What right did you have to control me?”

“I did sign the contract, but contracts are dead things; people are living. When I signed the contract, how could I know I would come to like you? How could I know that when you cried, I would rather be injured by your thrown objects than dodge? How could I know that, despite seeming rebellious, you handled matters very appropriately? How could I know that despite seeming willful, you were extremely filial to elders, preferring to swallow grievances yourself? How could I know that, despite seeming fearless, you were very afraid Mother wouldn’t want you anymore? How could I know that despite hating me, you would still risk danger to save me?”

Wei Rao gripped the reins tightly.

Lu Zhuo glanced at her hands, suddenly smiled—a self-mocking smile—and said with lowered eyes, “Do you think I minded you entering wine houses with unrelated men? No, I was angry with you—angry that you made me rush back to Jin City for nothing, angry that you chatted and laughed with other men but never gave me a single soft word.”

“If I only wanted to honor the contract, what would your laughing with unrelated men matter to me? If anything, causing a big scandal would give me a reason for an early divorce. If I hadn’t developed feelings for you, what would it matter to me where you changed clothes?”

At this point, Lu Zhuo raised his head and looked at her stubborn profile. “Wei Rao, you can mock me for first looking down on you and now being unable to live without you. You can refuse to forgive me and dislike me. But you can’t always think the worst of me. Though I’m no gentleman, I’m not so bad as to repeatedly and maliciously deceive you.”

By the rarely traveled path, a few wild flowers had bloomed. While Lu Zhuo spoke, Wei Rao stared at one of them.

But she didn’t notice what color the flower was or whether dewdrops hung on its petals. In her ears was only Lu Zhuo’s voice; in her mind were only the events that had occurred between them.

The final scene was her waking up in the carriage. Dawn had just passed, the sky still full of stars. Lu Zhuo sat injured on the shaft, gently telling her that Jin City lay ahead.

Those few short words were the gentlest thing she had ever heard Lu Zhuo say.

Not acting, not sarcasm—he had truly driven the carriage through the night for her, truly comforting her that she no longer needed to endure the hard journey.

He was the heir of Duke Ying, the most dazzling young general among the four armies, a hero who had achieved great merit on the frontier, a godlike young master who amazed Aunt, Cousin, and all the ladies of the capital, a refined gentleman who was warm and courteous to others. What lady wouldn’t want to marry such a Lu Zhuo?

She wasn’t some dignified lady. If Lu Zhuo respected her, she would want to marry him, too.

But from their very first meeting, Lu Zhuo had disdained her. Even when she wronged herself by bowing to a rooster for their auspicious wedding ceremony, he disdained her.

He was a gentleman to others but showed her nothing but cold smiles and mockery.

Why?

Wei Rao raised her riding whip, and the snow-white steed shot forward like flowing light.

Fei Mo shifted his hooves but was restrained by his master.

She was unhappy, and he was willing to wait.