Between the mountain path and the river lay a long, gentle slope. When the traveling palace was built, the gardeners had deliberately scattered many flower seeds across this slope. Now, blossoms of red, yellow, white, and purple bloomed in abundance, a feast for the eyes.
By the river, trees and rocks dotted the landscape. Lu Zhuo decided to rest there.
Wei Rao followed him down. The river water was clear, and she cupped some to drink. After standing up, she began searching for a suitable spot to change clothes.
The riverbank was too exposed; she would have to go into the mountains.
Wei Rao retrieved a bundle from her horse. Noticing Lu Zhuo’s gaze, she explained softly, “I’m going for a walk in the mountains.”
Lu Zhuo guessed she needed to relieve herself. Facing the river, he said, “Don’t go too far. Call if you need anything.”
Out of caution, Wei Rao added, “If I don’t call, please don’t come up either.”
Lu Zhuo gave a faint smile. “Very well.”
Behind him, her light, deer-like footsteps soon faded away.
Lu Zhuo plucked a red wildflower, examined it briefly, and tossed it into the river. The current immediately carried the speck of red away, farther and farther, until it vanished from sight.
Flying Ink and the chestnut horse grazed leisurely in the shade. Feeling hungry, Lu Zhuo rummaged through his saddlebag, pulled out two pieces of dried meat, and leaned against a tree trunk to chew slowly.
After finishing the meat, he crouched by the bank to fetch water. Finally, the sound of her returning footsteps reached him. Lu Zhuo tilted his head slightly, catching a glimpse of a begonia-colored figure in his peripheral vision.
Lu Zhuo stood up abruptly, staring in disbelief at Wei Rao on the mountain path.
She had entered the mountains in men’s attire but now wore women’s clothing—a begonia-colored embroidered jacket and a light pink long skirt. Her long hair was even tied up, though not as elaborately as usual, secured only with a single white jade hairpin.
Against the backdrop of green mountains and blue sky, she resembled a wild begonia blossom transformed into a spirit. She walked over indifferently, passed by him, and knelt by the riverbank. Using the water as a mirror, she gently adjusted the position of her hairpin.
Only when she stood up again and returned the bundle to her saddle did Lu Zhuo snap out of his shock, feeling both agitated and angry.
How could she change clothes in this remote wilderness? Wasn’t she afraid of being seen? What if a hunter entered the mountains? What if palace servants from the traveling palace wandered in? What if he, driven by some foolish impulse, had secretly followed her? Was she completely unafraid of being spied on by a man?
“Changing clothes outdoors—you’re far too bold, miss,” Lu Zhuo said, his face dark.
Wei Rao paused while adjusting her saddle. Perhaps too overjoyed at the prospect of soon seeing her mother, she found herself unwilling to argue with him. Smiling, she replied, “First, I carefully inspected the surroundings before changing and confirmed no one was there. Second, I only changed my outer garments; my underwear remained untouched, so even if someone saw, they wouldn’t see much. Third, if you’re truly concerned and fear this might tarnish your reputation if word gets out, you’re welcome to search the mountains. I’ll wait here for you.”
Lu Zhuo closed his eyes.
Seeing the chestnut horse still grazing, Wei Rao didn’t hurry to leave, nor did she look to see what expression Lu Zhuo wore.
Lu Zhuo turned his gaze toward the opposite mountain forest. If anyone were moving about there, they would surely startle the birds into flight.
The forest remained calm above; likely, no one was there.
Lu Zhuo still thought Wei Rao was far too reckless. But she was neither his sister nor his true wife. Even if he tried to discipline her out of goodwill, she wouldn’t listen and would only resist him more.
“When we meet the noble, how do you plan to explain yourself?” Lu Zhuo decided to change the subject. “Stick to our original plan?”
Wei Rao’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly.She and Lu Zhuo had suddenly rushed to the imperial palace, so her mother would surely ask why they had come. Before setting out, they had agreed on a half-truth: they would simply say that Lu Zhuo, drunk, had bullied and offended her, and to win her forgiveness, he had sought an imperial decree.
But since she and Lu Zhuo had already agreed to separate upon returning to the capital and had not seen each other for a month—acting like strangers when they did—sticking to their original story would mean continuing the charade in front of her mother.
"Since we're here, I don't mind playing along for a few more days," Lu Zhuo suddenly said.
Wei Rao could think of no better alternative and smiled at him. "Thank you, General."
Once the two horses had finished grazing, they mounted again.
With the imperial palace now in sight, Wei Rao took the lead, slowing their pace to a leisurely trot as if they were merely out enjoying the scenery.
When they finally reached the southern gate of the palace, guards immediately stepped forward to halt them.
Wei Rao glanced at Lu Zhuo.
Still on horseback, Lu Zhuo handed the imperial decree to the guard.
At the sight of the bright yellow decree and the deep red imperial seal, the guard dropped to his knees.
Only then did Lu Zhuo signal for Wei Rao to dismount. He produced his deputy general's token of the Divine Martial Army and handed it to the guard.
After verifying its authenticity, the guard assigned one of his men to escort them.
The imperial palace was magnificent, its grounds vastly more expansive than the Forbidden City in the capital. The guard led them at a brisk pace, forcing Wei Rao to hurry along. Under the blazing sun, she soon broke into a sweat again.
"Slow down. There's no rush," Lu Zhuo instructed the guard.
Noticing the young mistress's disheveled state, the guard finally reduced his speed.
Lu Zhuo asked him, "Where is the honored consort residing?"
The guard thought for a moment before replying, "When the honored consort first arrived, His Majesty decreed that she could choose any residence she pleased. Over the past three years, she has moved between several palaces. Recently, due to the heat, she and the Fourth Prince have relocated to Flowing Wave Palace."
Hearing this, both Wei Rao and Lu Zhuo were taken aback.
Rumors in the capital claimed that Li Guiren and the Fourth Prince had been banished to the West Mountain Imperial Palace, five hundred li from the capital, for offending the Empress Dowager. For nearly three years, they had not returned to the capital. Gossip painted Li Guiren as utterly fallen from grace, weeping day and night in the imperial palace, hoping the Emperor would remember them.
Commoners believed Li Guiren's situation was worse than being confined to the cold palace—at least there, a consort's disgrace would not implicate her prince. Yet Li Guiren had been exiled alongside the Fourth Prince.
Wei Rao had once wept over such rumors, but her grandmother comforted her, insisting her mother would never sink to such depths. She added that since the Empress Dowager disliked her mother, residing in the imperial palace might actually be a blessing.
Wei Rao had hoped this was true but feared her grandmother was merely soothing her with kind words. Now, having come to the imperial palace herself and hearing the guard confirm that her mother had the freedom to choose and change residences at will, she felt assured that her mother's life here was far from the misery depicted in rumors.
Delighted for her mother, a smile spread across Wei Rao's eyes.
Lu Zhuo, however, pondered: What kind of beauty was Li Guiren, to have won such profound favor from Emperor Yuanjia?
In Lu Zhuo's view, Emperor Yuanjia was a wise ruler—diligent, compassionate, and dedicated to strengthening the military. His harem was notably small, making him the least lustful emperor in generations. Yet this same Emperor had not only welcomed a widow who had been cast out by her family into the inner court, granting her the title of honored consort, but had also showered her with unparalleled affection.As early as the Lantern Festival night, Lu Zhuo had already guessed Emperor Yuanjia's favor towards Li Guiren. At this moment, Lu Zhuo was left with only curiosity about Li Guiren. Wei Rao was already sixteen years old, so Li Guiren should only be around thirty—by no means young among women. Since Emperor Yuanjia had such an appreciation for beauty, he could easily have selected several young, charming beauties. Why was he so uniquely devoted to Li Guiren?
After walking and turning through the palace grounds, they finally arrived at Flowing Wave Palace. The guard who had initially led the way had long been replaced by a young eunuch from the inner court.
The young eunuch introduced Lu Zhuo and Wei Rao's identities to the eunuch guarding the gate of Flowing Wave Palace.
Upon hearing this, the gatekeeping eunuch glanced excitedly at Wei Rao and immediately sent someone to inform his mistress.
Little Zhou was having a meal with the Fourth Prince. The three-year-old Fourth Prince had learned to use chopsticks and sat obediently beside his mother, a large bib tied around his neck.
"Your Highness, Your Highness! The Fourth Miss from the Cheng'an Marquis residence and her husband have come by imperial decree to visit you!"
Outside, Lu Zhuo's status as the heir of Duke of Yingguo held more weight, but here in Flowing Wave Palace, all the attending palace servants would prioritize addressing the Fourth Miss—the mistress—first. As for the heir, he was merely the Fourth Miss's husband!
Eunuch You's excited voice echoed through the hall, startling Little Zhou so much that she dropped her bamboo chopsticks.
The Fourth Prince blinked, swallowed the meat in his mouth, and asked his mother, "Mother, who is the Fourth Miss? And who is her husband?"
Little Zhou wanted to answer her son, but tears welled up in her eyes first.
Ying Gu quickly handed a handkerchief to her mistress, while she herself wept as she answered the Fourth Prince, "Your Highness, have you forgotten? The Fourth Miss is your elder sister outside the palace."
Then the Fourth Prince remembered.
His mother often told him stories about his sister. Aside from the palace servants commonly seen in the detached palace, the people outside the palace he heard about most were his father and his sister. His mother said that his father was a wise emperor who had accomplished many great deeds praised by the people. She also said that his sister was her daughter and, besides his father and mother, the closest person to him in the world.
There were some things the Fourth Prince didn't fully understand, so his mother would take his hand and place it on her belly, saying that in this world, only he and his sister were born from her.
So, was it his sister who had come?
The Fourth Prince didn't understand why his mother was crying. He was too eager to see his sister, too eager to meet someone from outside the detached palace!
Pulling off the bib around his neck, the Fourth Prince happily ran outside.
Protocol was protocol. Without explicit permission from the noble, even if the palace servants knew she would surely invite her daughter and son-in-law inside, they could not allow entry without authorization.
Wei Rao's heart pounded like a drum, her mind swirling with countless thoughts. She wondered if her mother, now a noble, still missed her daughter. She wondered if her mother would be happy to see her. But she dared not show it, not wanting the palace servants around her mother to laugh at her for losing her composure.
Lu Zhuo noticed sweat continuously beading on her forehead, her face pale, and her full lips losing their vibrant color.
Thinking of her rushing about under the scorching sun for half a day and refusing to eat during breaks, Lu Zhuo suddenly worried that she might be suffering from heatstroke.
Just then, a little boy wearing a cool, short-sleeved top dashed out energetically. Seeing the two of them standing at the palace gate, the boy—whose features closely resembled Emperor Yuanjia's—gradually slowed down. His gaze swept over Lu Zhuo before he continued running up to Wei Rao. Tilting his head back, he looked up at her with sparkling phoenix eyes and asked, "Are you my sister?"Wei Rao crouched down, gazing at the Fourth Prince through tear-blurred eyes, thinking he was just as adorable and beautiful as she had imagined.
Unable to speak, she took out a handkerchief and lowered her head, weeping quietly.
The Fourth Prince grew anxious. Why did Mother cry when Sister arrived, and now Sister was crying too?
As he stood there bewildered, a tall figure suddenly leaned over, reaching out to grasp Wei Rao’s shoulders, lifting her up and drawing her into an embrace.
Hot tears quickly soaked through Lu Zhuo’s robes, leaving a large damp patch. His right hand remained on her slender shoulders, which trembled faintly—the more she tried to hold back her sobs, the more they quivered.
Ying Gu hurried out.
She had served Little Zhou since she was ten, following her into Cheng'an Marquis’s residence, witnessing Little Zhou and Master Wei the Second’s loving marriage, watching the Fourth Young Lady—Wei Rao—be born and grow up, and then accompanying Little Zhou into the palace.
Ying Gu still remembered her young lady clearly.
“Young Lady, please come inside quickly. The Consort was so overjoyed to hear of your arrival that she wept, but she dared not come out for fear of being laughed at by the Young Lord,” Ying Gu said, wiping her own eyes with a handkerchief.
Recognizing Ying Gu’s voice and learning that her mother was crying and missed her too, Wei Rao immediately pushed away the person supporting her and rushed inside.
The Fourth Prince wanted to follow, but Ying Gu promptly picked him up and coaxed gently, “The Consort is crying, and only the Young Lady can comfort her. Would Your Highness like to play outside with me for a while?”
The Fourth Prince nodded innocently.
Only then did Ying Gu, her eyes red-rimmed, turn to look at Lu Zhuo—she hadn’t had a chance to observe him carefully earlier.
Lu Zhuo’s chest was soaked from Wei Rao’s tears, his robes in disarray, yet his face was exceptionally handsome, composed and dignified.
Truly, he looked like a Young Lord.
Ying Gu smiled and said, “The Consort and the Young Lady haven’t seen each other for many years. Their reunion may take some time. Please forgive any discourtesy, Young Lord.”
Lu Zhuo replied, “Let the Lady spend more time with Her Highness. There is no hurry on my part.”
Ying Gu nodded and instructed a young palace maid to escort Lu Zhuo to a side hall to rest.
As Lu Zhuo followed the maid, he heard the Fourth Prince’s clear voice from behind: “Who is he?”
“He is the Young Lady’s husband, Your Highness should call him Brother-in-Law.”
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