Where the Mask Ends - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Wei Rao’s voice was very soft; only Old Madame Wei, sitting right above her, could hear it. Even the Cheng’an Earl and his wife, kneeling on either side of Wei Rao, were completely unaware of what she had said.

Old Madame Wei looked at her granddaughter as if she were a stranger.

Wei Rao answered with her gaze; she truly wanted to marry.

Old Madame Wei’s heart was in turmoil. She needed to know what her granddaughter was thinking; surely, it couldn't just be that she was moved by the Duchess of Ying’s tears. People naturally say sweet things when they need something; who knew how much of that sugary talk was true and how much was false?

Clasping Wei Rao’s hand firmly, Old Madame Wei stood up. Without revealing a single crack in her expression, she said to the Duke and Duchess of Ying, "This matter concerns Rao Rao’s entire life; I must think it over carefully. Please sit for a moment, you two; I must excuse myself for now."

The Duchess of Ying immediately replied, "It is only right, it is only right."

Her moist eyes looked at Wei Rao with yearning. She had a feeling that whether the marriage succeeded or not depended entirely on whether Wei Rao was willing.

Wei Rao remained impeccable. She curtsied to the two noble guests and followed her grandmother as they walked away.

The Cheng’an Earl went to keep their guests company.

Madam Guo stared intently at the hem of Wei Rao’s skirt with a complicated expression. Such a marriage was already a massive windfall for this little vixen; was she still playing hard to get?

Thinking of her own daughter, Wei Chan, who hadn't been chosen, Madam Guo’s eyes burned red with jealousy!

That was the Duke of Ying’s household! Even if her daughter had to live as a widow in that house for the rest of her life, it would still have been a gain for the Wei family. How much benefit could her son have reaped?

Old Madame Wei led Wei Rao all the way back to Zhengchun Hall. She dismissed the attendants and asked Wei Rao privately, "You want to marry? Do you know how much gossip a luck-changing marriage will invite?"

Wei Rao knew. From the moment her grandmother spoke the first sentence to the Duchess of Ying, Wei Rao had begun analyzing the various pros and cons of marrying or not.

Helping her grandmother sit on the bed, Wei Rao sat beside the old lady and said calmly, "The Duke of Ying’s mansion came to propose with such a grand display; in a few days, the entire capital will hear the news. If I don't marry, outsiders will say I am cold-blooded and ruthless, unwilling to save even a hero like Lu Zhuo who protected our country. And it won't just be me; you and my uncle will also be cursed for lacking righteousness."

Old Madame Wei said with a pained heart, "So, to keep us from being cursed, you are willing to sacrifice yourself?"

Wei Rao smiled. "Not entirely. I want to marry because marrying into the Lu family benefits me."

Old Madame Wei: "What benefits? If Lu Zhuo recovers, this marriage is naturally good, but what if..."

Wei Rao gestured for the old lady not to worry. "If he doesn't wake up, this marriage will still be of great help to me. Grandmother, you understand—if I don't marry, I will definitely be cursed. But if I marry, I can wash away the shame on my reputation."

Old Madame Wei: "You are thinking too simply. Do you think people will praise you because you went to perform a luck-changing ceremony? They will say you couldn't get married before, and now you are only taking advantage of the Duke of Ying’s mansion by swooping in to perform this ritual."

For the same actions, different people will receive different evaluations.

Wei Rao had her own response: "My marriage has conditions. First, the Lu family must prepare a dowry of 100,000 taels of silver. Second, if the luck-changing ceremony fails and Lu Zhuo dies, I will return the entire dowry to the Lu family, not keeping a single cent, and I will be willing to remain a widow for Lu Zhuo for five years. This way, outsiders will believe I married only to save a life, not to take advantage of the Lu family, completely sealing their mouths."

Old Madame Wei furrowed her brows. "By doing this, you might gain a reputation, but you are at too great a loss. You are such a fine girl—why go to perform a luck-changing ceremony and remain a widow? Even if you remain chaste, you will still carry the label of a 'second-marriage' woman when you marry again."

Wei Rao gave a bitter smile and lowered her voice. "Because I am aiming for the status of a Lu family daughter-in-law; I need the protection of the Duke of Ying’s mansion. Grandmother, there is something I have never told you. In the third month, when I went to Xianzhuang to celebrate my maternal grandmother’s birthday, that person in the palace actually sent assassins to track me. It was only by sheer luck that I knew some martial arts, or they would have succeeded."

Old Madame Wei’s face turned deathly pale with shock. "There... there is such a thing?"

After the shock, Old Madame Wei was filled with lingering fear and anger. Her eyes reddened. "That poisonous woman! I curse her to have a miserable death!"

Since so much time had passed, Wei Rao was very calm. She rubbed the old lady’s back and continued, "I wanted to marry into a prominent family precisely to make that person hesitant. Grandmother, think about it—if I go to perform the luck-changing ceremony for Lu Zhuo, the Duke and Duchess will certainly be grateful to me. Even if they aren't grateful, for the sake of the Lu family’s reputation, they will not tolerate that person bullying me. Five years from now, that person will likely be gone, and I won't have to avoid her anymore, no matter what I do."

Old Madame Wei finally understood her granddaughter’s choice. After a moment of contemplation, she asked, "Then, what if the young heir wakes up..."

Wei Rao smiled. "The third condition: if Lu Zhuo wakes up and wants to be a real husband and wife with me, respecting and valuing me, then I will gladly be his wife. If Lu Zhuo still misses the Xie Sixth Miss or looks down on me, then we will only be a married couple in name. We will appear loving to the outside world, but we will sleep in separate rooms in private. Within five years, he must not, under any pretext, ask for a divorce or send me away. Once five years are up, I will naturally separate from him. Of course, if I’m lucky and that person in the palace dies early, I’ll leave sooner. I will take half of the 100,000-tael dowry and return the other half to the Lu family—a fair trade."

Old Madame Wei worried, "What if your luck is bad and that person lives to be a hundred?"

Wei Rao was very confident about this. "She won't. Giving her five years is already being generous to her." The Empress Dowager’s complexion was certainly not that of a long-lived person.

Old Madame Wei carefully considered her granddaughter’s three conditions. The first and second had to be made public, but the third had to remain secret—known only to her, Rao Rao, the Duchess of Ying, and Lu Zhuo. Even the Duke of Ying could not be told.

"Grandmother, do you agree?"

Old Madame Wei touched her granddaughter’s flower-like face and said helplessly, "This is the only way for now; the Lu family has left us no other path."

Wei Rao smiled. It was a mutual exchange of needs; there was nothing to feel aggrieved about.

After the two reached an agreement, Old Madame Wei told Wei Rao to stay in Zhengchun Hall, and she returned with her maids.

"You two may step back first."

Sitting down once more, Old Madame Wei looked at her son, the Cheng’an Earl.

The Cheng’an Earl was very filial. Even though he was full of questions, he did not say a word and took Madam Guo away to excuse themselves.

Old Madame Wei arranged for her head maid, Feicui, to stand guard at the door with the maid brought by the Duchess of Ying, allowing no one to approach.

The Duke and Duchess of Ying looked at each other, then turned in unison toward Old Madame Wei, waiting for her to speak.

Old Madame Wei handed the two documents, written out in black and white, to the couple.

The documents stated the three conditions under which the Cheng’an Earl’s Mansion agreed to marry off their daughter to perform the luck-changing ritual for Lu Zhuo:

Condition One: A dowry of 100,000 taels.

Condition Two: If the ritual fails, Wei Rao voluntarily remains a widow for Lu Zhuo for five years. After five years, she returns home. The 100,000 taels and all other gifts given by the Lu family will remain with the Lu family; Wei Rao will not take a single cent.

Condition Three: During the time Wei Rao is a Lu family daughter-in-law, the Lu family must not force her to do anything she is unwilling to do, and they must guarantee her safety.

The Duchess of Ying read it word for word and felt deeply ashamed. Old Madame Wei and Wei Rao were so righteous, and yet she had worried they would refuse.

"When Rao Rao marries into our Lu family, the dowry and gifts are what she deserves. Whether Shoucheng wakes up or not, Rao Rao can take them with her when she leaves; there is no need to return them," the Duchess said, tears in her eyes. She only wanted to find a good girl to help her grandson; she never thought about forcing a girl to remain a widow for her grandson for the rest of her life if the ritual failed, let alone caring about gold and silver.

The Duke of Ying became furious. He squeezed the contract and glared at Old Madame Wei. "Don't talk about 100,000 taels; even if it were 200,000, it is given to the Fourth Miss, and it is hers! Our Lu family will never ask for it back!"

He viewed Old Madame Wei’s second condition as an insult.

Old Madame Wei sighed. "Actually, the amount of the dowry is not the problem. It is that we must write these two points down and follow the contract. Otherwise, outsiders will drown Rao Rao in their spit—either mocking her for taking advantage of the Duke’s mansion, or saying we are greedy for power and desperate to climb the social ladder."

The Duke of Ying was not very familiar with the gossip of the capital and looked at his wife in confusion: why would the Fourth Miss be cursed for doing a good deed?

The Duchess of Ying understood the inside story. A girl’s reputation was something that people deliberately sought to destroy; there was really no way around it. Unless one performed some earth-shattering act of kindness, it would only get worse and worse. If you went to pick a peach blossom to admire, someone would see you and question if you were doing it for show to seduce someone. In short, everything you did would be wrong.

Understanding Old Madame Wei’s hidden worry, the Duchess of Ying said solemnly, "Since this is the case, then Rao Rao has been wronged. Sister-in-law, rest assured; no matter what happens in the future, Rao Rao will be a benefactor to the Lu family. Our Lu clan will never treat her badly." After finishing, she even had the Duke of Ying make the same promise.

Old Madame Wei trusted the couple’s integrity.

Both sides pressed their handprints onto the two documents. Old Madame Wei kept one, and the other was given to the Duchess of Ying to keep.

"Duchess, there is one more thing I wish to discuss with you privately," Old Madame Wei said, looking at the Duchess of Ying.

The Duchess of Ying asked no questions and sent her husband away directly.

The Duke of Ying cast a suspicious glance at Old Madame Wei, then obediently left.

Only then did Old Madame Wei whisper to the Duchess of Ying the true third condition that Wei Rao required: after Lu Zhuo woke up, the two young people would either be a real husband and wife who respected each other, or they would be a fake couple who slept in separate rooms for five years.

The Duchess of Ying’s face flushed red, and she hurriedly promised Old Madame Wei: "Sister-in-law, you worry too much. With me here, I will never let Shoucheng do such foolish things. Sister-in-law, you may not know, but Shoucheng’s marriage to the Xie family was entirely my arrangement. He has never met the Sixth Miss, nor do they have any personal feelings; when it ends, it will end cleanly. Rao Rao is the granddaughter-in-law I have chosen myself; she is the future mistress of the Duke’s mansion, and she has even saved Shoucheng’s life. If Shoucheng wakes up, he will never humiliate Rao Rao like that."

Old Madame Wei waved her hand and said with self-mockery, "I treat Rao Rao as a treasure, but outsiders treat her as grass. If the young heir thinks the same, then let’s do as Rao Rao said: they will act as a couple on the surface and sleep in separate rooms in private, so neither will be wronged. To be honest with you, I just want to win a sense of dignity for Rao Rao, so I ask that the heir pretend to be a loving couple with her for five years, to make others envy and be jealous of Rao Rao for once. Otherwise, if Rao Rao separates and returns home the moment he wakes up, outsiders will surely say she was kicked out by you, and she will have even less face..."

"Sister-in-law, please don't say that; I truly feel ashamed of myself!" The Duchess of Ying could no longer bear to listen and interrupted Old Madame Wei. "Rao Rao is someone I have chosen; she will be my granddaughter-in-law for the rest of her life. If Shoucheng dares to bully her, I will have the old man send him to the border, and he will never be allowed to return!"

Old Madame Wei took all this as polite talk and said with a faint smile, "Fine, I will say no more. I only ask that the Duchess fulfill this request; otherwise, I truly cannot feel at ease letting Rao Rao marry over."

Old Madame Wei’s attitude was firm. If the Duchess of Ying did not agree, then there would be no marriage.

The Duchess of Ying had no other choice and could only agree with shame.

Old Madame Wei put away her smile and looked into the Duchess’s eyes with a sorrowful gaze: "Gossip and rumors can kill. For Rao Rao’s sake, please swear by your grandson’s life that you will keep your promise and never reveal this to anyone other than the young heir. Even the heir must keep this secret. Even if the attendants see something amiss, they must be strictly disciplined and not be allowed to spread it outside."

The Duchess of Ying was silent for a long time, then slowly raised her hand and swore.

She loved her grandson, and Old Madame Wei loved her granddaughter; everyone was considering the treasure of their own heart.

Regardless, the Lu family owed Wei Rao a favor.

The Duke and Duchess of Ying left the dowry gifts behind. The moment they stepped out of the Cheng’an Earl’s Mansion, the Third Miss, Wei Chan, received confirmation from her mother, Madam Guo.

"She is going to marry Lu Zhuo?" Wei Chan muttered, unable to believe that someone like Lu Zhuo—whom she could only look up to from afar—had been snatched up by Wei Rao.

Madam Guo saw her daughter’s envy and gritted her teeth. "So what if she marries him? Even the Xie family wouldn't marry him, which shows that Lu Zhuo is truly beyond saving. If she performs the luck-changing ritual and he dies, the Duke of Ying’s mansion might even blame her for being useless and demand the dowry back. She’ll have gone through all that trouble for nothing and won't get a single benefit."

Wei Chan’s heart was already filled with sourness, and she asked unwillingly, "What if Lu Zhuo lives?"

Madam Guo froze. If he lived, Wei Rao would not only have a husband like a celestial being, but she would also have 100,000 taels of dowry in her hand!

Never mind her daughter; even Madam Guo was jealous!

Therefore, let Lu Zhuo die; don't let the little vixen benefit!

In the palace, the Empress Dowager naturally heard of this marriage that had shaken the capital.

"I really don't understand. With so many noble ladies in the capital, why did the Duke of Ying’s mansion insist on proposing to the Fourth Miss Wei? Isn't this ruining the reputation of the young Heir of Lu?" The maids and eunuchs serving in the Ciming Palace naturally knew that the Empress Dowager disliked Lady Shou’an and the Fourth Miss Wei, so they spoke mockingly. "If the young heir really meets with a disaster, with the Fourth Miss Wei coming from such a crooked family, would she be willing to remain a widow for him?"

The Empress Dowager lowered her eyes, fiddling with the balsam on her fingernails, and said with a pleased look, "Treating a dead horse as a living one. They know in their hearts that the luck-changing ritual is useless. Rather than marrying a granddaughter-in-law who will rely on the family to eat for free for the rest of her life and still owe the family favors, it is better to marry a plaything who will run away the moment someone dies. It saves worry and trouble."

"In that case, the Duke of Ying’s mansion is also quite cunning. Poor Fourth Miss Wei; she’s being used by both her husband’s family and her natal family for nothing. She hasn't even lost her virginity, and she’ll become a widow and remarry after just going through the motions."

"How do you know she won't lose it? Men, as long as they have a breath left, can still carry on the family line.”