Since encountering Emperor Yuanjia in the mountains, Zhou Fu no longer dared to visit Cloud Mist Mountain.
She had no desire to speculate about the emperor's feelings, knowing only that they were utterly incompatible—the Empress Dowager alone would never tolerate her.
Zhou Fu couldn't bear the stifling silence of Cheng'an Marquis' estate, nor did she wish to enter the palace and engage in covert struggles with other women.
"Why has A-Fu stopped going out lately?" Shou An Jun asked with concern.
Zhou Fu excused herself by saying the sunlight was growing too intense and she feared getting tanned. As for A-Man and Ying Gu, she had instructed them not to tell her mother.
Shou An Jun then said, "Well, you can stroll around the estate then. This garden is large enough for your amusement."
Zhou Fu smiled and from then on, she spent her time enjoying the scenery and leisurely activities within the Secluded Manor.
Before the Duanwu Festival, Old Mrs. Wei sent young Wei Rao over. Seeing her daughter had grown thinner, Zhou Fu's heart ached terribly. Young Wei Rao missed her mother deeply too, but understanding that her mother could not return to the marquis' estate, she sensibly refrained from pleading and simply enjoyed their happy reunion.
Zhou Fu wanted to spend more time with her daughter, but shortly after the Dragon Boat Festival, Old Mrs. Wei sent someone to bring Wei Rao back.
Zhou Fu understood Old Mrs. Wei's feelings—how could the old lady not resent her for leaving like this?
"Rao Rao, be good and listen to Grandmother. If you miss me, write me letters," Zhou Fu said reluctantly as she saw her daughter onto the carriage.
Young Wei Rao leaned against the carriage window, gazing at her mother with red-rimmed eyes.
Zhou Fu's heart wrenched. She stood at the gate, unable to bear returning inside until the carriage disappeared into the distance.
"Enough now, don't dwell on it too much. If you live well and long, Rao Rao will always have a mother. But if you torment yourself and something happens to you, she'll be even more heartbroken," Shou An Jun said compassionately to her daughter.
Zhou Fu understood this reasoning, yet thinking of her daughter's pitiful appearance filled her with guilt.
Shou An Jun tried every way to comfort her daughter.
No matter how old the child, a mother could never stand idly by when her child faced troubles.
Zhou Fu also knew regret was useless—she could only look forward to her daughter's next visit during the holidays.
Not long after the Dragon Boat Festival, on a gloomy afternoon, Emperor Yuanjia suddenly arrived at the Secluded Manor.
With the emperor's arrival, Shou An Jun naturally had to receive him. Upon hearing the news, Zhou Fu discreetly retreated to her Swallow Garden.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here at this hour?" Shou An Jun was quite puzzled. The Secluded Manor was some distance from the capital—even at a gallop, it took half an hour to reach, and the weather was so dismal it might rain at any moment.
Emperor Yuanjia looked at his wet nurse, now in her fifties, and though feeling somewhat guilty, he smiled and said, "During my nap, I dreamed you had taken a fall. My eyelid kept twitching fiercely, and I couldn't rest easy until I came to see you."
Shou An Jun believed him—aside from this filial devotion, she truly couldn't imagine any other reason for the emperor to travel all this way.
As they chatted, the sky outside grew increasingly overcast.
Thoughtfully, Shou An Jun urged Emperor Yuanjia to return early and take the manor's carriage to avoid getting caught in the rain. After all, he was the emperor—how could he stay overnight outside the palace? It never occurred to her to invite him to stay at the Secluded Manor.
Emperor Yuanjia had chosen this timing precisely to seek lodging. With a bitter smile, he quietly confided to Shou An Jun, "To be honest, Wet Nurse, I've encountered a dilemma that remains unresolved, and it weighs heavily on my mind. I came hoping to find a night's peace here."Lady Shou'an suddenly understood. Emperor Yuanjia had maintained this habit since childhood—he would keep his worries to himself, only turning to her when he could no longer bear them alone.
Though the emperor's filial devotion was not entirely pure, the fact that he sought solace in her presence meant he still regarded her as family.
Lady Shou'an immediately instructed Gonggong Li to prepare a guest room for the emperor.
When Emperor Yuanjia inquired about Zhou Fu's return home—just as he had shown concern when Big Zhou divorced her former husband—Lady Shou'an thought little of it. Her youngest daughter had spent several years in the emperor's company, so his interest in the matter seemed perfectly natural.
"She could never stand being confined since childhood. After Second Master's departure, her grief made familiar surroundings unbearable," Lady Shou'an explained.
Emperor Yuanjia nodded in understanding.
After sharing dinner with the emperor, Lady Shou'an retired for the night while he withdrew to his guest room.
The downpour intensified as Lady Shou'an fell into an early slumber.
Restless, Emperor Yuanjia waited until the second watch before slipping out into the storm.
No servants lingered outside in such weather, and the drumming rain masked his footsteps. As for the layout of Secluded Manor, the emperor possessed a topographical map he had memorized thoroughly for this very day. Orienting himself, he headed straight for Yan Garden where Zhou Fu resided.
While the outer walls of Secluded Manor stood imposingly high, the interior courtyard partitions barely exceeded the emperor's height. He effortlessly scaled a wall, dropped into the garden, and finally arrived beneath the main bedchamber's window.
Having made his decision, the emperor cast all caution aside and began rhythmically tapping on the carved window lattice.
Zhou Fu had not yet fallen into deep sleep.
Her heart had been in disarray since the emperor's arrival at Secluded Manor. Learning of his overnight stay had filled her with vague apprehension. After tossing and turning for hours, she had just begun to drift off when the tapping startled her.
Zhou Fu immediately suspected the emperor.
Had it been an intruder, they would have forced the window open. Only Emperor Yuanjia would seek a nighttime audience while politely knocking.
Under normal circumstances, Zhou Fu would have feigned sleep. But the torrential rain outside lacked the telltale patter against an umbrella—had he come through the storm unprotected?
He was the ruler of the nation! What if he fell ill? Should he become sick and the Empress Dowager learn of it, Secluded Manor would face dire consequences.
These thoughts churning through her mind, Zhou Fu could no longer remain abed. Throwing on an outer garment and slipping into sleeping shoes, she hurried to the window.
"Who's there?" she asked nervously, though she already had her suspicions.
"A-Fu, it's me," came the emperor's low voice.
Zhou Fu released a resigned sigh and opened the window.
The pitch-black night obscured his features, but she could discern his thoroughly drenched state.
"Was this necessary?" she asked with mixed emotions, recognizing how he deliberately played on her soft heart, confident she wouldn't leave him exposed to the rain.
"May I come in?" the emperor inquired.
Zhou Fu countered, "Could Your Majesty not return instead?"
The emperor answered with a soft laugh.
What more could she say? Holding the window open, she helped him climb inside.
As the window closed, Zhou Fu could distinctly hear water dripping from his clothes onto the floorboards.
He would surely fall ill at this rate. Silently retrieving a towel and blanket, she handed them to him and directed him to change in the rear washroom.
Instead, the emperor began disrobing right by the window.
Zhou Fu swiftly turned away, retreating behind the privacy screen.
After drying himself and wrapping in her blanket, the emperor walked barefoot toward the screen.His footsteps seemed to echo in Zhou Fu's heart. When she let him in, she had already harbored such suspicions, yet she still wanted to gamble, hoping he would remain rational for the sake of their childhood bond.
The bedside felt too dangerous. Zhou Fu moved around the screen and saw him approaching. Pointing to the desk by the window, she said, "Let's talk over there."
Emperor Yuanjia acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to draw closer.
Zhou Fu panicked. She wanted to flee, but Emperor Yuanjia suddenly seized her wrist, pulling her into his embrace. Holding her tightly, he began to kiss her.
"Your Majesty, please don't do this. I know you're not that kind of person," Zhou Fu pleaded in a low voice, struggling as she tried to reason with him.
"A Fu, I've endured for twelve years. You said you only see me as an elder brother, and I tried to keep enduring." Emperor Yuanjia gripped her wrist with one hand while lifting her chin with the other, pressing his face against her delicate cheek. His voice was hoarse as he whispered, "A Fu, if I could endure, I wouldn't treat you like this. But I can't hold back any longer. I think of you during morning court, while reviewing memorials, and even more at night. A Fu, have you ever tasted this kind of longing?"
Zhou Fu had. When Wei Jin first died, she had missed him just like this—wishing she could summon him back, have him hold her, and fill the emptiness in her heart.
Now, she no longer suffered such agonizing longing for Wei Jin, but another man was telling her he felt the same way about her.
By the time Zhou Fu regained her senses, Emperor Yuanjia had already pressed her onto the bed. His hair was still dripping with water, yet his breath and hands burned with heat.
"A Fu, you're still young, and I'm not too old either. Before I grow too aged to bear, stay with me a little longer, won't you?" Emperor Yuanjia leaned down, his cool nose brushing against her vulnerable neck. "I know I'm being selfish. I know you dislike the palace, but staying alone in that fishbowl is too bitter. Come keep me company. Let's be companions for each other, alright?"
A lone little red carp in a fishbowl is pitiful. With a companion, life would be much more interesting.
Zhou Fu tightly clutched Emperor Yuanjia's hand, her entire body trembling.
Her heart ached for him—for enduring so long for her sake. But she couldn't enter the palace. If she did, she would bear the stigma of a seductress who led the emperor astray, and he would be tarnished in the historical records because of it.
"Your Majesty..."
"A Fu, think of Rao Rao," Emperor Yuanjia interrupted her. Since emotions couldn't sway her consent, he tempted her with benefits. "If you come to the palace with me, I will treat Rao Rao as my own daughter. With me as her backing, no one in the capital would dare look down on her. When Rao Rao grows up, I will select an ideal husband for her, ensuring her marriage is filled with happiness."
Zhou Fu's grip suddenly loosened.
If anyone else had said such words, she wouldn't have believed them. But Emperor Yuanjia was the emperor. If he truly supported Rao Rao, who would dare speak ill of her?
When Emperor Yuanjia's hand moved downward, Zhou Fu offered no further resistance.
Emperor Yuanjia swiftly turned into a blaze of passion.
Though Zhou Fu had reservations in her heart, she couldn't withstand such fervent affection. Her rationality frayed into tangled threads, a messy knot of confusion.
Outside the window, the rain pattered noisily, masking the sounds emerging from within the bed curtains.
A long, long time later.
After Lu Zhuo returned from Wuda following three years of feigning death and reconciled with Wei Rao, the couple brought A Bao to the palace to pay respects to the Noble Consort.
When A Bao saw Emperor Yuanjia, she obediently addressed him as "Your Majesty."
Emperor Yuanjia smiled warmly.After the family of three had left, Emperor Yuanjia chatted with his noble consort in a regretful tone: "A Bao initially called you grandmother and me grandfather, but Rao Rao corrected her. It seems Rao Rao still cannot accept me."
By rights, he was Wei Rao's stepfather, so A Bao could very well call him grandfather. Emperor Yuanjia enjoyed hearing A Bao address him that way.
The noble consort shot him a sidelong glance: "You are the Emperor. How would Rao Rao dare not accept you? She simply doesn't dare to presume such closeness."
Emperor Yuanjia smiled wryly: "Your sarcasm is quite evident."
The noble consort snorted: "Serves you right. All you knew back then was to sweet-talk me with pretty words, which ended up causing Rao Rao to suffer so much."
Mentioning this matter made her angry. She had trusted him so completely back then.
Thus, no matter how sweet a man's promises in bed may sound, they should never be taken seriously. Whoever takes them seriously is a fool.
When the noble consort brought up old grievances, Emperor Yuanjia couldn't help but feel guilty.
His promises back then had been genuine; he just hadn't anticipated the Empress Dowager being so vicious as to scheme against even a young girl. Wei Rao had been ill for three years, and Emperor Yuanjia had carried guilt for those three years. Fortunately, Wei Rao recovered, otherwise Emperor Yuanjia truly would have had no face to see his A Fu again.
Whenever the noble consort brought up past matters, Emperor Yuanjia wisely accepted fault without argument.
That night, still feeling somewhat troubled by A Bao's form of address, Emperor Yuanjia held the noble consort and asked: "If A Bao doesn't consider me her grandfather, do you at least consider me your husband?"
While the Empress Dowager was alive, he had been constrained by filial piety and couldn't treat her as well as he wished. But after the Empress Dowager passed, Emperor Yuanjia felt he had given her his heart and soul.
After being together for so long, Emperor Yuanjia still couldn't figure out how she truly saw him - purely as the Emperor, or as something more.
Leaning against his broad shoulder, the noble consort recalled the past dozen or so years, smiled, lifted her head and kissed Emperor Yuanjia's chin.
This man was an emperor, but he was also her man.
She, Zhou Fu, had two husbands: one was Wei Jin, the other was Emperor Yuanjia.
The former had given her tenderness and romance in her youth, while the latter had given her a new life during her lonely middle age.
Both had loved her, and both had been good to her.
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