Children without mothers want a mother.

Children with mothers who are abandoned by their mothers – some will long for them, some will resent them, and some will resent them while longing for them at the same time.

Wei Rao couldn’t tell anyone that she resented her mother. If she showed even a little resentment, her maternal grandmother would be caught in a difficult position between them, and those who disliked her mother would use her resentment to blame her mother for being heartless and callous in abandoning her children. Wei Rao could resent her privately, but she didn’t want to hear outsiders condemn her mother.

She did resent her – resented why her mother had to abandon her, why she went to that palace where Wei Rao couldn’t enter without a summons, resented that while she was bedridden and struggling to learn martial arts, her mother had another child, resented that her mother was banished to a palace hundreds of li away because she gave birth to a prince, resented that her mother no longer wanted her but continued to accompany another child.

But this resentment would only surface when she felt wronged and was sad alone. Most of the remaining time, Wei Rao spent thinking about her mother. She remembered how good her mother had been to her, her meticulous care, remembered her mother telling her stories, measuring her height to make clothes for her, remembered how her mother had emphasized countless times before leaving that she was just changing where she lived – she would still be her mother.

Wei Rao missed her mother. She was her mother’s child, so she was also curious about that younger brother who shared half the same blood as her.

That was her brother, and also a prince. Would the Fourth Prince be happy to acknowledge her as his sister?

So when the Fourth Prince happily called her sister, Wei Rao cried. When Aunt Ying said her mother was crying, Wei Rao rushed in to find her mother.

Rushing into the hall, Wei Rao saw a woman standing inside. Her clothes were green – she couldn’t see anything else.

That person ran toward her and embraced her: “Raorao, my Raorao…”

When Wei Rao fainted, there were tears on her face, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

She had finally seen her mother, really seen her – this wasn’t a dream.

Wei Rao had heatstroke and collapsed in Xiao Zhou Shi’s arms. Her temples were already soaked with cold sweat and tears, her pale little face was bloodless, her long lashes were wet and stuck together, and teardrops still slid from the corners of her eyes.

Xiao Zhou Shi was reminded of her last few days at Cheng’an Earl’s mansion.

Her daughter had stayed by her side constantly, never letting her disappear from sight except when she went to the privy. Her daughter had become sensible then. Ever since she told her daughter she was going to live at her maternal grandmother’s estate, her daughter had cried but never once begged – never begged her mother not to leave. On the day she had to leave, her daughter hid in her room. Although Xiao Zhou Shi couldn’t see her daughter, she knew her daughter must have been hiding under the covers, sobbing uncontrollably.

At that time, Xiao Zhou Shi hadn’t thought she would be separated from her daughter for so long.

She just couldn’t bear the suffocating days at Cheng’an Earl’s mansion anymore. Everywhere were traces of Second Master, and when Old Madam saw her, she would think of Second Master. Old Madam’s sorrowful gaze made her feel even worse. Sister-in-law Guo Shi had never gotten along with her, and once Second Master was gone, Guo Shi pitied her widowhood with her words, but was mocking her.

She felt like she was trapped in a cage, entangled by a cloud of gloom she couldn’t escape. Xiao Zhou Shi feared that if she remained trapped any longer, even her daughter would be frightened by her increasingly melancholy appearance.

So Xiao Zhou Shi wanted to leave, wanted to return to her mother’s side, wanted to return to the familiar estate, wanted to see the misty mountains of her memories.

Those people all said she left Cheng’an Earl’s mansion to remarry, but Xiao Zhou Shi didn’t even know if she would remarry. At the time, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Then Emperor Yuanjia came to the estate – he didn’t give her a chance to refuse. When Emperor Yuanjia invaded her chambers at night and pressed her down to take what he wanted, Xiao Zhou Shi was unwilling, until Emperor Yuanjia grasped her hand and said he would support Raorao, and when Raorao grew up, he would arrange a good marriage for her.

Second Master was gone, Elder Uncle was mediocre in talent, Cheng’an Earl’s mansion had no power or influence, and her mother’s reputation had been deliberately ruined by the Empress Dowager. If Emperor Yuanjia was willing to support Raorao…

Xiao Zhou Shi followed Emperor Yuanjia into the palace.

The Empress Dowager wished her dead. If she swallowed her anger, the Empress Dowager would only become more aggressive. So Xiao Zhou Shi openly opposed the Empress Dowager, hoping to anger her into an early grave. But Xiao Zhou Shi hadn’t expected that when the Empress Dowager couldn’t find anything to use against her, she would ruthlessly plot against her eleven-year-old daughter, nearly taking her daughter’s life.

Xiao Zhou Shi had a huge fight with Emperor Yuanjia. Emperor Yuanjia promised to cure her daughter’s illness, so Xiao Zhou Shi began refusing to see him. When her daughter was truly well, then she would see Emperor Yuanjia again.

Emperor Yuanjia indeed invited a master to teach her daughter martial arts and even took her to Misty Mountain once. Seeing with her own eyes how her daughter diligently learned martial arts from the master, Xiao Zhou Shi reconciled with Emperor Yuanjia.

When she gave birth to her son, the Empress Dowager caused trouble again, trying every means to drive her from the palace. Xiao Zhou Shi was weak after childbirth and had no heart to fight the Empress Dowager anymore. When Emperor Yuanjia suggested she move to the Xing Palace, Xiao Zhou Shi agreed, only asking that Emperor Yuanjia not forget about her daughter’s marriage. Xiao Zhou Shi was reluctant to leave her daughter, but she wasn’t anxious. The Empress Dowager was old – how many more years could she live? When she returned to the capital, she could dote on her daughter however she wanted.

Living at the Xing Palace, the Emperor wrote to her every month, informing her of her mother’s and daughter’s conditions.

Xiao Zhou Shi cared for her young son while waiting for the Empress Dowager to die soon.

This year, during the Lantern Festival, Emperor Yuanjia secretly brought her to the capital to celebrate. Only when they met did he tell her that her daughter had married Lu Zhuo.

Learning that her daughter had only married Lu Zhuo for good luck, Xiao Zhou Shi lost her temper with Emperor Yuanjia. Later, seeing Lu Zhuo’s distinguished bearing in person, thinking of Duke Ying’s mansion’s status, and seeing Lu Zhuo’s gentleness toward her daughter, Xiao Zhou Shi felt this marriage wasn’t bad, though the way her daughter married was unfair to her.

In Xiao Zhou Shi’s imagination, her daughter should be living sweetly with Lu Zhuo, but the daughter appearing before her now was so haggard and pitiful that Xiao Zhou Shi’s heart ached as if pierced by needles.

No matter how well her daughter’s married life was going, she owed her daughter greatly. She hadn’t been able to stay by her daughter’s side when she needed her most, and when her daughter married, she hadn’t been able to personally see her off.

After the imperial physician withdrew, Xiao Zhou Shi asked Aunt Ying to look after the Fourth Prince. She closed the door to the inner room, took off her shoes, and sat cross-legged beside her daughter.

The fan stirred the thin curtains hanging halfway around the bed as the mother gazed lovingly at her long-separated daughter.

After an unknown amount of time, Wei Rao regained a trace of consciousness.

A gentle breeze blew over, then stopped, then blew again after a while – very comfortable.

Wei Rao opened her eyes and saw a beautiful woman in a green dress sitting beside her, gently waving a round fan. When their gazes met, she put down the fan and leaned over, tears misting her beautiful eyes: “Raorao.”

Wei Rao recognized her mother, the same mother from her memories. After five years apart, her mother still looked exactly as she had five years ago, not aged at all.

“Mother.” Wei Rao threw herself forward, buried her face in her mother’s lap, and began crying: “I missed you so much.”

Xiao Zhou Shi’s tears fell in streams. Afraid her tears would dampen her daughter’s clothes, she quickly grabbed a handkerchief to cover her eyes.

The mother and daughter held each other and cried for a long time.

Xiao Zhou Shi stopped first, her eyes swollen as she said: “Alright, alright. Our mother-daughter reunion is a happy occasion. No more crying, no more crying.”

Xiao Zhou Shi helped her daughter sit up, wiping her daughter’s tears while saying distressedly, “How did you get heatstroke? I heard you rode horses here – why didn’t you take a carriage?”

Wei Rao gazed unblinkingly at her mother before her, feeling this was her mother-her mother who hadn’t been away for a single day. Mother still cared for her and felt sorry for her just the same.

It was like a gentle stream flowing through her heart, warm and comforting.

Wei Rao stopped crying and said softly: “The Emperor secretly gave us the edict – how could we dare take a carriage and make a big show of it?”

Xiao Zhou Shi wanted to complain about Emperor Yuanjia, but the Empress Dowager was Emperor Yuanjia’s mother. Could Emperor Yuanjia anger his mother to death for her sake?

“Look how pale your face is. Are you dizzy? Are you hungry?” Setting aside Emperor Yuanjia, Xiao Zhou Shi focused entirely on caring for her daughter.

Wei Rao wasn’t dizzy, just felt weak all over. Her stomach was empty, and she should be hungry, but she had no appetite.

Xiao Zhou Shi placed a soft cushion behind her daughter. After Wei Rao was comfortable, Xiao Zhou Shi called for a palace maid and had her bring a bowl of mung bean soup first.

When the soup was brought, Xiao Zhou Shi took it and wanted to personally feed her daughter.

Wei Rao’s face reddened: “I’m grown up now. I can do it myself.”

Xiao Zhou Shi looked at her tenderly: “Even if you’re seventy or eighty, as long as Mother is alive, Mother will still feed you.”

Wei Rao’s eyes grew teary: “Mother will surely live to be a hundred.”

Xiao Zhou Shi smiled and scooped up a spoonful of soup to bring to her daughter’s mouth.

The mung bean soup was cool and refreshing. After Wei Rao drank several spoonfuls, her mind gradually cleared and her appetite returned.

The kitchen naturally had food ready at all times.

“Eat in bed or go outside to eat?” Xiao Zhou Shi asked gently, satisfied that her daughter’s complexion had improved somewhat.

That tender gaze was like a net that had always enveloped Wei Rao.

Wei Rao forgot the fatigue of the journey, forgot the unpleasantness with Lu Zhuo, and smiled: “Let’s go outside to eat.”

Xiao Zhou Shi helped her daughter off the bed, bent down, and personally put embroidered shoes on her daughter’s feet.

The dining table was already set in the outer room with two sets of bowls and chopsticks. Xiao Zhou Shi had only taken two bites when Wei Rao arrived.

Wei Rao sat at the table and looked carefully – everything on it was her favorite dishes.

So Mother remembered everything.

She knew it – Mother wouldn’t lie to her, hadn’t stopped wanting her.

“Where is His Highness?” Afraid she would cry again, Wei Rao quickly changed the subject.

Xiao Zhou Shi smiled: “Call him Your Highness in front of outsiders, but there are no outsiders here. You’re close siblings, so just call him by his pet name, Yan’ge.”

Only then did Wei Rao learn her brother’s pet name.

“You were unconscious for a while. I had Aunt Ying take him to sleep. When he wakes up, you siblings can get to know each other properly.”

Xiao Zhou Shi picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish for her daughter: “Eat quickly. You need to eat your fill to have the strength to talk.”

Wei Rao smiled and lowered her head to eat. After finishing the fish, Wei Rao suddenly thought of Lu Zhuo.

Xiao Zhou Shi explained: “This is the inner palace – it’s not appropriate for him to stay long. I had someone take him to the outer courtyard to settle in first. Seeing how travel-worn he looked, let him rest for a while before coming over.”

Wei Rao nodded.

Xiao Zhou Shi’s entire attention was on her daughter. She would only take one bite for every three bites Wei Rao took, and whenever Wei Rao looked over, Xiao Zhou Shi would smile at her daughter.

After eating, Xiao Zhou Shi pulled her daughter into the room to talk, asking about the journey and how Emperor Yuanjia had suddenly issued the edict.

Wei Rao repeated the story she and Lu Zhuo had agreed upon. Her mother didn’t know how much longer she would stay at the Xing Palace, and Wei Rao didn’t want her mother to worry about her.

Xiao Zhou Shi believed it completely.

“Mother, I want to bathe. After riding for half a day, I’m sweaty all over.”

“Mm, I’ll have water prepared.”

When the water came, Xiao Zhou Shi wanted to personally scrub her daughter’s back.

Wei Rao’s face was about to turn completely red: “I can do it myself.”

Xiao Zhou Shi: “Why be shy with me? Is there any part of your body I haven’t seen?”

Wei Rao could no longer refuse.

Her heart felt sweet.