Between the mountain road and the river was a long, gentle slope. When the Xing Palace was built, the gardeners had deliberately scattered many flower seeds on this slope. Now red, yellow, white, and purple flowers bloomed in profusion, delighting the eye.

By the riverside, there were trees and rocks. Lu Zhuo planned to rest there.

Wei Rao followed him down. The river water was clear, so Wei Rao took some to drink. After standing up, she began looking for a suitable place to change clothes.

The riverside had an open view – she would have to go into the mountains.

Wei Rao took her bundle from horseback. Seeing Lu Zhuo look over, she explained quietly, “I’m going to walk in the mountains.”

Lu Zhuo guessed she needed to relieve herself and faced the river, saying, “Don’t go too far. Call me if anything happens.”

To be cautious, Wei Rao also said to him, “If I don’t call out, please don’t come up either, young master.”

Lu Zhuo smiled faintly: “Alright.”

Behind him came the sound of her light, deer-like footsteps.

Lu Zhuo picked a red wildflower, looked at it, then threw it into the river. The water immediately carried that splash of red away, farther and farther until it could no longer be seen.

Fei Mo and the date-red horse were leisurely eating grass under the tree’s shade. Lu Zhuo was also somewhat hungry, so he took out two pieces of dried meat from his saddlebag and slowly chewed them while leaning against a tree trunk.

After finishing the dried meat, Lu Zhuo crouched by the bank to get water. Behind him finally came the sound of her returning footsteps. Lu Zhuo turned his head slightly, and in his peripheral vision appeared a figure in crabapple pink.

Lu Zhuo stood up in shock, looking at Wei Rao on the mountain path in disbelief.

She had gone in wearing men’s clothing just now, but had now changed into women’s attire – a crabapple-colored embroidered jacket and a light pink long skirt. Even her long hair was pinned up, though not as elaborately as usual, with only a white jade hairpin inserted.

With blue mountains and sky behind her, she looked like a wild crabapple tree that had gained human form. She walked over as if oblivious to everything, passed by him, and finally knelt by the bank, using the water as a mirror to gently adjust the position of her hairpin.

Only when she stood up again and put her bundle back on the saddle did Lu Zhuo react, feeling both heated and angry.

She had changed clothes in these wild mountains – wasn’t she afraid of being seen? What if there were hunters in the mountains? What if palace servants from the Xing Palace entered the mountains? What if he had been bewitched and secretly followed her? Wasn’t she at all afraid of being spied on by men?

“Changing clothes outdoors – the young lady is rather too bold,” Lu Zhuo said with a dark expression.

Wei Rao paused in adjusting her saddle. Perhaps because she was too happy about finally seeing her mother, Wei Rao didn’t want to argue with him at all and smiled: “First, I carefully checked the surroundings before changing and was certain no one was there. Second, I only changed my outer garments – I didn’t change the undergarments underneath, so even if someone saw, they wouldn’t see anything. Third, if the young master is truly worried that this matter might spread and damage your reputation, you’re welcome to search the mountains. I’ll wait here for you.”

Lu Zhuo closed his eyes.

Seeing that the date-red horse was still eating grass, Wei Rao wasn’t in a hurry to leave and didn’t look to see what expression Lu Zhuo had.

Lu Zhuo turned in another direction, directing his gaze toward the forest on the opposite side. If anyone were walking inside, it would surely startle the birds.

Above the forest was complete calm – there probably really was no one there.

Lu Zhuo still thought Wei Rao was too bold, but since she was neither his sister nor his real wife, even if he disciplined her out of good intentions, she wouldn’t listen and would only resist him more.

“When you see the Consort, how do you want to explain?” Lu Zhuo decided to change the topic. “According to what we originally agreed to say?”

Wei Rao’s long lashes trembled slightly.

When she and Lu Zhuo suddenly came to the Xing Palace, her mother would ask why they had come. Before departing, the two had already agreed on a half-true, half-false story – they would just say Lu Zhuo had gotten drunk and bullied someone, offending her, and to coax her forgiveness, he had petitioned for an imperial edict.

But she and Lu Zhuo had already agreed to divorce upon returning to the capital. They hadn’t seen each other for a month, and when they did meet, they were like strangers. If they continued with the original story, they would have to keep acting in front of her mother.

“Since we’ve come this far, I don’t mind performing with you for a few more days,” Lu Zhuo suddenly said.

Wei Rao couldn’t think of a better solution and smiled at him: “Thank you for the trouble, young master.”

The two horses finished eating grass, and the pair remounted.

With the Xing Palace right before their eyes, Wei Rao took the lead and didn’t continue galloping wildly. Like two people simply out enjoying the mountains and waters, they proceeded slowly.

Finally reaching the south gate of the Xing Palace, as soon as the two approached, palace guards came forward to stop them.

Wei Rao looked toward Lu Zhuo.

Lu Zhuo, sitting on his horse, handed the imperial edict in his hand to the guard.

Seeing the bright yellow edict and dark red imperial seal, the guard immediately knelt on the ground.

Only then did Lu Zhuo signal Wei Rao to dismount and take out his deputy general’s waist token, handing it to the guard.

After the guard verified everything was correct, he arranged for one guard to lead the way for them.

The Xing Palace was magnificent, covering an area many times broader than the imperial palace in the capital. The guard hurried along the way, forcing Wei Rao to follow quickly. With the sun so fierce, sweat soon appeared on her face again.

“Walk slower, there’s no rush,” Lu Zhuo instructed the guard.

The guard noticed the young master’s wife’s disheveled state and slowed down.

Lu Zhuo asked him, “Where does the Consort reside?”

The guard thought for a moment and said, “When the Consort first came to the Xing Palace, His Majesty instructed that the Consort could live wherever she pleased. Over these three years, the Consort has changed residences several times. Recently, with the hot weather, the Consort and the Fourth Prince have just moved to Flowing Wave Palace.”

Hearing the guard’s words, both Wei Rao and Lu Zhuo were stunned.

The rumors circulating in the capital said that because Consort Li and the Fourth Prince had offended the Empress Dowager, the mother and son had been sent by Emperor Yuanjia to the West Mountain Xing Palace, five hundred li from the capital, and hadn’t returned to the capital for nearly three years. In those rumors, Consort Li had completely fallen from favor, weeping day and night at the Xing Palace, hoping the Emperor would still remember their mother and son.

The common people all thought Consort Li’s situation was even worse than being confined to the cold palace. At least when concubines were confined to the cold palace, it didn’t implicate the princes, but Consort Li had been sent to the cold palace together with the Fourth Prince.

Wei Rao had once cried because of such gossip. Her maternal grandmother had comforted her, saying her mother would never fall to such a state, and that since the Empress Dowager disliked her mother, her mother being able to live at the Xing Palace was a good thing.

Wei Rao both hoped this was true and feared her maternal grandmother was just saying nice things to comfort her. Now, having personally come to the Xing Palace and hearing with her ears that her mother had the privilege of freely choosing which palace to live in at the Xing Palace and could even move around at will, Wei Rao was certain that her mother’s life at the Xing Palace wasn’t as miserable as the rumors claimed.

Wei Rao was happy for her mother, and a smile spread across her face.

Lu Zhuo, however, was thinking about what kind of beauty Consort Li must be to receive such overwhelming favor from Emperor Yuanjia.

In Lu Zhuo’s eyes, Emperor Yuanjia was an enlightened ruler who worked diligently for the people’s welfare and strengthened the nation through military might. Emperor Yuanjia’s harem had very few concubines – he was the least lustful among the emperors of several dynasties. Yet this same Emperor Yuanjia not only brought a widowed woman who had returned to her family into the harem and made her a consort, but also doted on this consort beyond measure.

As early as that Lantern Festival night, Lu Zhuo had already guessed at Emperor Yuanjia’s favoritism toward Consort Li. At this moment, Lu Zhuo was left only with curiosity about Consort Li. Wei Rao was already sixteen, so Consort Li should only be around thirty, not young among women. If Emperor Yuanjia truly loved beauty, he could easily select several young beauties. Why was he so devoted to Consort Li alone?

After walking and turning, they finally reached Flowing Wave Palace. The original leading guard had long been replaced by a young eunuch from the inner palace.

The young eunuch introduced Lu Zhuo and Wei Rao’s identities to the gatekeeper eunuch of Flowing Wave Palace.

Hearing this, the gatekeeper eunuch looked at Wei Rao excitedly and hurriedly sent someone to inform his mistress.

Xiao Zhou Shi was having a meal with the Fourth Prince. The three-year-old Fourth Prince could use chopsticks now and sat obediently beside his mother with a large bib tied around his neck.

“Your Highness! Your Highness! The Fourth Lady from Cheng’an Earl’s mansion and her husband have come by imperial decree to visit you!”

Outside, Lu Zhuo’s status as heir to Duke Ying was higher, but in the current Flowing Wave Palace, all the serving palace servants would put the young mistress, Fourth Lady’s title, first. What young master or not – he was just the Fourth Lady’s husband!

Eunuch You’s excited voice echoed and reverberated in the hall. Xiao Zhou Shi was so startled that she dropped her bamboo chopsticks.

The Fourth Prince blinked, swallowed the meat in his mouth, and asked his mother, “Mother, who is Fourth Lady? Who is the husband?”

Xiao Zhou Shi very much wanted to answer her son, but tears came out first.

Aunt Ying quickly handed a handkerchief to her mistress. While shedding tears herself, she answered the Fourth Prince: “Has Your Highness forgotten? Fourth Lady is your older sister outside the palace.”

The Fourth Prince then remembered.

Mother often told him about his sister. Besides the palace servants commonly seen at the Xing Palace, among people outside the Xing Palace, the Fourth Prince heard most about his father, the Emperor, and his sister. Mother said the Emperor was an enlightened ruler who had done many things praised by the people. Mother said his sister was her daughter, the closest and dearest person to him in the world besides his father and mother.

Some things the Fourth Prince didn’t quite understand. 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, had his sister come?

The Fourth Prince didn’t understand why Mother was crying. He was so eager to see his sister, so eager to see people from outside the Xing Palace!

Pulling off the bib around his neck, the Fourth Prince happily ran outside.

Rules were rules. Before receiving permission from the Consort, even though the palace servants knew the Consort would invite her daughter and son-in-law inside, they couldn’t let them in without authorization.

Wei Rao’s heart beat like a drum. Many thoughts swirled in her mind – she didn’t know if her mother, having become a consort, still thought about her daughter, didn’t know if her mother would be happy to see her. But she didn’t dare show it – she couldn’t let the palace servants around her mother laugh at her for losing her composure.

Lu Zhuo saw her forehead constantly sweating, her face pale, and her full lips losing their vivid color.

Thinking of how she had traveled half a day under the blazing sun and refused to eat during their rest, Lu Zhuo suddenly worried she might have heatstroke.

Just then, a little boy wearing a cool, short-sleeved garment came running out energetically. Seeing the two standing before the palace gate, the boy whose features closely resembled Emperor Yuanjia gradually slowed down. His gaze swept over Lu Zhuo, then he continued running to Wei Rao’s front, looked up, and gazed at Wei Rao with bright phoenix eyes: “Are you my sister?”

Wei Rao crouched down and looked at the Fourth Prince through tear-blurred vision, feeling he was just as cute and beautiful as she had imagined.

Wei Rao couldn’t speak. She took out her handkerchief and began crying with her head lowered.

The Fourth Prince panicked. Why was it that when his sister came, his mother cried, and his sister cried too?

Feeling helpless, a tall figure suddenly bent down, reached out to grasp Wei Rao’s shoulder, and while helping her up, pulled her into an embrace.

Hot tears quickly soaked Lu Zhuo’s front, dampening a large area. His right hand still rested on her thin shoulder, which trembled continuously. The more she tried to hold back her sobs, the more violently her shoulder shook.

Aunt Ying hurried out.

She had been serving Xiao Zhou Shi since she was ten, following Xiao Zhou Shi into Cheng’an Earl’s mansion, watching Xiao Zhou Shi and Second Master Wei’s loving marriage, watching Fourth Lady’s birth and growth, then following Xiao Zhou Shi into the palace.

Aunt Ying still remembered her young lady.

“Young lady, please come in quickly. When Her Highness heard you had come, she wept with joy and was afraid the young master would laugh at her, so she didn’t dare come out,” Aunt Ying said while wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

Wei Rao recognized Aunt Ying’s voice. Learning that her mother was crying and that her mother also missed her, Wei Rao immediately pushed away the person supporting her and rushed inside.

The Fourth Prince also wanted to follow. Aunt Ying promptly picked up the Fourth Prince and gently coaxed, “Her Highness is crying. Only the young lady can comfort her. Would Your Highness play outside with me for a while?”

The Fourth Prince nodded in confusion.

Only then did Aunt Ying look at Lu Zhuo with red-rimmed eyes, not having had time to examine him carefully before.

Lu Zhuo’s chest was soaked by Wei Rao’s tears, his clothes disheveled, but his features were incomparably handsome, and his demeanor was composed and elegant.

He indeed looked like a young master.

Aunt Ying smiled: “Her Highness and the young mistress haven’t seen each other for many years. The mother-daughter reunion may take some time. Please forgive any impropriety, young master.”

Lu Zhuo said, “Let Madam spend more time with the Consort. I’m not in a hurry.”

Aunt Ying nodded and ordered a young palace maid to first take Lu Zhuo to a side hall to rest.

Lu Zhuo followed the palace maid forward and heard the Fourth Prince’s clear voice behind him: “Who is he?”

“He is the young lady’s husband. Your Highness should call him brother-in-law.”