On the final day at the temporary palace, time flowed like water cascading off a cliff, passing with exceptional swiftness.
As the crimson sun dipped in the west, Wei Rao gazed quietly at her mother and younger brother, her heart filled with reluctance.
Lu Zhuo took his leave and departed for the outer gardens.
Little Zhou had Ying Gu carry away the Fourth Prince.
She hadn’t told her son that his sister and brother-in-law would depart the next morning. New faces were rare in the temporary palace, and to her son, his sister and brother-in-law were both family and fascinating playmates. When he couldn’t find them tomorrow morning, he would surely cry bitterly—but at least her daughter wouldn’t have to witness it. In this parting, it was her daughter who felt the deepest sorrow.
In the quiet of the night, Wei Rao leaned against her mother’s embrace. Though she was now nearly as tall as her mother, and though she was already a married woman, she still cherished nestling close to her mother, still loved being cherished like a child. Her mother’s gentle hand stroking her long hair was the most soothing jade comb in the world.
“Mother, does it grieve you that the Emperor left you here?”
Mother, after all these years following the Emperor into the palace, do you have any regrets?
Wei Rao silently asked these questions in her heart.
Little Zhou rested her forehead against her daughter’s crown and replied softly, “It doesn’t grieve me. In this life, one may live smoothly or face turbulent storms—both are lifetimes. No matter how one lives in youth, in old age, all are left with wrinkled faces and white hair. Everything that once was becomes only memories. So whether life is a little sweeter or a little bitter now, as long as we endure, it no longer matters.”
“My fate has been both fortunate and unfortunate. First, I lost my father, then my husband. Now, I fear no hardship—I only fear that my past impulsiveness has burdened you. Raorao, I know you’ve suffered much these years. Nothing I do can make up for the hardships you endured then. But Raorao, don’t be afraid. When I return to the capital, I will repay you with double the kindness.”
She would not become a second mother.
Her mother had not sought contention, and so she became Shou An Jun—blameless toward anyone, yet sullied by the Empress Dowager’s slander.
Since one would be scorned and insulted even without contending, why not contend?
If Emperor Yuanjia had not provoked her, that would have been one thing. But he came, and he severed her path of retreat—so Little Zhou would establish her footing in the rear palace. The Empress Dowager was Emperor Yuanjia’s mother; whether he wished to be filial or not, he had to be. Little Zhou had to endure. Once the Empress Dowager passed, she would yield to no one again.
Before dawn had broken, the sparsely populated temporary palace echoed with birdsong everywhere.
The Fourth Prince was still fast asleep. Dressed in men’s attire, Wei Rao walked out of Flowing Wave Palace, hand in hand with Little Zhou.
A carriage waited at the palace gate. Mother and daughter boarded it, and the palace attendants drove the carriage toward the southern gate of the temporary palace.
“Mother, what about Younger Brother?” Wei Rao looked back, tears already glistening in her eyes. The Fourth Prince’s bright, joyful phoenix eyes seemed imprinted in her mind. All these years without her mother by her side, she still had her grandmother, maternal grandmother, and close sisters. She could stroll the capital as she pleased, visit Cloud Mist Mountain whenever she wished. But what of the Fourth Prince? He had a father he could not see, confined with his mother in this vast cage—was he not equally pitiable?Little Zhou said, "Don't worry. He likes that set of shepherd boy woodcarvings you gave him. I'll have the craftsmen make him a few new sets. He's still young and doesn't understand much, so he's easy to placate. As for you, be gentler with the heir. Don't lose your temper so easily. Fortunately, the heir is a gentleman who knows how to yield to you. If he were some rough-and-tumble military man, you'd have a hard time of it."
Wei Rao knew her mother had been completely taken in by Lu Zhuo's handsome appearance and noble demeanor, so she didn't attempt to argue further.
The path from Flowing Wave Palace to the southern gate of the traveling palace was long, but because it symbolized parting, Wei Rao wished it would never end.
Unfortunately, Lu Zhuo's figure with two fine horses soon appeared before her eyes.
The carriage stopped, and before Wei Rao alighted, Little Zhou personally helped her daughter put on the veil.
Wei Rao's tears welled up like a spring, silently streaming down her face.
Little Zhou smiled, patted her daughter's shoulder, and signaled that it was time to get off the carriage.
Wei Rao turned back, looking at her mother through tear-blurred eyes. Lu Zhuo had already come to the carriage to help her down.
After Wei Rao stood steady, Little Zhou leaned toward the window, her eyes red-rimmed as she looked at Lu Zhuo. "Heir, Rao'er is my only daughter. I haven't been a good mother to her. I only hope you will be a good husband to her - protect her when she's in danger, stay by her side when she's ill, and accompany her until her hair turns white with age."
Wei Rao didn't want to cry, didn't want to break down sobbing in front of so many people. She knelt and kowtowed to her mother, then rushed onto her horse and galloped out of the traveling palace without looking back.
Little Zhou watched her daughter's receding figure until tears finally fell, dripping onto the stone pavement before Lu Zhuo who remained kneeling.
Looking at those tear stains, Lu Zhuo solemnly promised, "This son-in-law will surely live up to your expectations."
Little Zhou was slightly taken aback. Over the past few days, Lu Zhuo had always addressed her as "Your Highness." This was the first time he had called her "mother-in-law."
She smiled, her gaze returning to her increasingly distant daughter, and said softly, "Go quickly now. Rao'er is getting far ahead."
Lu Zhuo took his leave, mounted Flying Ink, and pursued at a faster pace.
Little Zhou craned her neck until she could no longer see her daughter and son-in-law's figures, then ordered the palace attendants to return.
Having cried her fill, Wei Rao found her veil completely soaked with tears. As the horse galloped forward and the wind blew back, the wet veil clung uncomfortably to her face.
Wei Rao slowed her pace, then stopped her horse and jumped down by the riverbank to wash her face thoroughly, giving the veil a complete cleaning as well.
The river water was cool and refreshing. After this washing, Wei Rao felt much better in her heart. Being able to come to the traveling palace, to see her mother and brother, knowing they held her in their hearts, knowing they weren't living as destitutely as commoners speculated - all this brought peace to a certain place in Wei Rao's heart. From now until her mother returned to the palace, she wouldn't need to worry about her mother's situation anymore.
Wei Rao spread the veil flat on a sun-warmed rock. The stone was already quite hot, and the thin veil would dry quickly in the sunlight.
While her chestnut horse drank from the river, Wei Rao lay back on the flower-dotted grass, heaving a long sigh of relief.
Lu Zhuo had been following at a distance. Seeing her so content, her pale face framed by green grass and wildflowers, he patted Flying Ink and let the horse go down to drink while he found a tree by the official road to lean against and rest.
When Wei Rao had rested sufficiently, she went over to feel the veil on the rock - it was already seventy to eighty percent dry.Wei Rao adjusted her veil and led her bay horse onto the official road.
Seeing this, Lu Zhuo whistled.
Flying Ink cheerfully trotted past Wei Rao and lightly leaped onto the road.
Lu Zhuo patted Flying Ink’s neck and turned his gaze to Wei Rao. Her face was veiled, revealing only a pair of eyes with reddened rims. The corners of her eyes resembled delicate peach blossoms on a spring branch, and her gaze was clearer than a flowing stream. He had never imagined that after crying, she could appear so enchantingly delicate and pitiable.
“The heat can easily cause sunstroke. There’s no need to rush on the way back.”
As Wei Rao mounted her horse, Lu Zhuo rode up beside her and spoke gently.
Wei Rao nodded. Even if she didn’t care for herself, she had to care for her horse. After galloping for half a day, the horse would surely be exhausted.
The two set off along the mountain path, one behind the other, maintaining a distance of one horse’s length, their pace half as fast as when they had come.
The mountain path was long, accounting for nearly half of the entire journey. At times, it was wide enough for three carriages to travel side by side; at others, it narrowed to allow only one carriage to pass. On one side of the path lay a slope and a river, while the other side featured undulating forests—sometimes a cliff several meters high, sometimes flat woodland.
Wei Rao glanced back. The temporary palace was long out of sight, but the moment she turned, Lu Zhuo immediately looked over.
After a moment’s thought, Wei Rao decided to thank Lu Zhuo.
Lu Zhuo rode up beside her and said earnestly, “There’s no need for thanks. This trip is my apology to you. I only hope you can forgive my disrespect that day.”
Wei Rao glanced at him and replied as they moved forward, “Very well, I forgive you. Let’s pretend that day never happened.”
Lu Zhuo smiled, urged his horse forward, and rode alongside her.
Even riding side by side, they maintained a distance of two horses between them, so Wei Rao paid him no mind.
After emerging from the mountain path and continuing forward, the outlines of villages appeared in the distance.
The sunlight grew increasingly intense, but fortunately, trees lined both sides of the official road. Wei Rao stayed in the shade on her side. Though Lu Zhuo could have ridden ahead or behind her, he insisted on staying by her side.
Wei Rao tried her best not to look in his direction.
Suddenly, a woman’s desperate cries echoed from afar. Wei Rao reined in her horse and looked toward the sound. About half a mile away, two men in plain clothes were sprinting from the direction of a village into a grove of trees opposite. The man in the lead carried a disheveled woman over his shoulder, her body seemingly bound with ropes. As she wept and screamed, the man behind picked something up from the ground and stuffed it into her mouth.
Were they abducting a respectable woman in broad daylight?
Wei Rao looked at Lu Zhuo, who nodded in agreement. Simultaneously, they spurred their horses toward the scene.
“You go first!” Wei Rao urged Lu Zhuo, knowing his horse was faster.
Lu Zhuo released his reins, and Flying Ink shot forward like a divine steed. By the time the two scoundrels had carried the woman into the woods, Lu Zhuo had already caught up.
Riding was impractical in the woods, so Lu Zhuo dismounted to pursue them on foot.
Wei Rao soon reached the edge of the forest. She had only ventured a short distance inside when two patches of turf suddenly lifted from the ground, and two black-clad, masked figures sprang up, encircling her from front and back.
At that moment, the sounds of fighting erupted from deeper within the woods.
Wei Rao’s gaze turned cold. Was this a trap?
Had the Empress Dowager sent assassins again?
Her sword was on her horse. Thinking it was merely two ruffians and that Lu Zhuo could handle them, she hadn’t taken her sword when she dismounted.The two assassins were taken aback when they saw that this delicate woman wasn't crying or showing fear but instead watching them warily. After exchanging a glance, they simultaneously lunged at Wei Rao—one empty-handed, the other pulling out a rope.
Wei Rao was equally startled. Were they trying to capture her alive?
Alive or dead made no difference to her fate. Wei Rao turned and fled, releasing hidden weapons at both pursuers as they gave chase. The concealed weapon bracelet her master had given her was never removed except during baths.
One assassin was struck between the eyebrows and died instantly. The other dodged nimbly, finally realizing Wei Rao was no ordinary woman. Drawing a short blade, the assassin charged at her.
Wei Rao could easily outpace a single pursuer. Bursting from the woods, she raced toward her chestnut steed when the assassin's blade swept toward her!
Drawing her sword just in time to evade, Wei Rao watched helplessly as her horse was struck, whinnying in agony before collapsing in a pool of blood.
Enraged by her beloved steed's death, Wei Rao called off Flying Ink who was about to kick the assassin, and engaged the killer directly.
The assassin was highly skilled, but Wei Rao's swordsmanship was no mere display. Concerned about Lu Zhuo's situation, she didn't prolong the fight. With a sweep of her blade across the assassin's throat, she rushed toward the woods without looking back. The commotion within suggested far more than two assassins. Recalling how the two had attempted to subdue her with mere rope, a sudden suspicion dawned on her.
Perhaps these assassins weren't sent by the Empress Dowager, and she wasn't their primary target.
Lu Zhuo's expression was grim.
The two ruffians and the bound woman had all been bait. The moment he gave chase, arrows shot from the grass on all sides. Grabbing two ruffians as human shields, Lu Zhuo barely managed to duck behind a tree, though an arrow still pierced his right arm.
A quick assessment revealed at least twenty assassins, all now aiming their bows at his position.
What truly alarmed him was the distressed whinny from beyond the woods.
It was Wei Rao's horse—had something happened to her?
The thought spurred him to action. Raising a human shield with his left hand and gripping his sword with the right, he charged at the two nearest assassins.
Wei Rao stealthily approached the battlefield, spotting several black-clad corpses on the ground. Lu Zhuo crouched behind a tree with his bow while over a dozen assassins closed in with their own bows. Every time he peeked out, a volley of arrows followed. Though she couldn't see his wounds, Wei Rao noted his unerring aim—each of his arrows felled a black-clad assassin.
The assassins remained focused on Lu Zhuo, apparently unconcerned about her escaping the two assigned to her.
Wei Rao crept to the nearest corpse and appropriated its bow. A faint smile touched her lips as she took position and began her own hunt.
Two swift arrows dropped two assassins. The remaining ones panicked, whipping around to look.
Wei Rao ducked behind a tree as Lu Zhuo fired three arrows from the opposite side. When the assassins turned to return fire, she loosed more arrows from her position.
Her surprise attack briefly threw the assassins into disarray. Of the original sixteen, only eight remained.
They split into two groups—six to deal with Lu Zhuo, two coming for Wei Rao.
Wei Rao peeked out and immediately two sharp arrows came flying toward her.Wei Rao quickly pulled back. After a moment, she took off her crown cap and threw it to the right, while she herself leaned to the left, shooting and hitting one person.
Only one remained. Wei Rao grew increasingly calm.
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