On May 20th of the 22nd year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, Fu Erkang abducted Xia Ziwei from the palace.
"Young Master Fu, where are you taking me?"
"Don't worry, I won't sell you out."
Xia Ziwei followed Fu Erkang to the sea of flowers. When she saw the beautiful scenery of the sea of flowers, Xia Ziwei was so surprised that she could hardly speak.
She asked curiously, "Could this be one of the four secret bases that Little Swallow mentioned?"
Fu Erkang laughed and said, "That's right, this place is one of my secret bases. I named it the Sea of Flowers."
Xia Ziwei closed her eyes, breathing in the air of the sea of flowers. "Being surrounded by such natural beauty makes me feel better."
Fu Erkang smiled at Xia Ziwei and said, "I used to come here often and was moved by its tranquility and beauty, but I've never been so overwhelmed by this sea of flowers as I am today..."
"Now, seeing your smile and hearing your laughter, I know what true beauty is!"
"Flowers alone are not enough; there must also be people to appreciate them!"
"It's not enough to just have people who appreciate flowers; we also need people like you who appreciate flowers."
Hearing Fu Erkang say such a string of words, Xia Ziwei was a little confused, "You... what did you say?"
"...You...you'd better stop joking."
Fu Erkang hurriedly said, "I'm not joking with you, I'm telling you my truest feelings!"
"Ever since you and Xiao Yanzi came back, I don't know why, but I always find myself paying attention to you. When I see you smile, I smile too; when I see you frown, I feel bad too..."
"Seeing your smile again today fills my heart with joy."
From this day forward, your smile will be my greatest wish in this life!
Xia Ziwei frowned and asked, "Why me?"
Fu Erkang smiled slightly and said, "I don't know either..."
"According to what Xiao Yanzi said, there are countless princesses inside and outside the palace who are just as knowledgeable and well-mannered as you, and who are proficient in all the arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting..."
"But I don't know why, ever since you appeared, I can't see anyone else..."
"Perhaps it was when you were playing the zither and talking about your mother; perhaps it was when you were sparring with Little Swallow; perhaps it was when you were taking lessons in the Imperial Study..."
"I don't know the specific reason why I like you, but I know that my life cannot be without you!"
Xia Ziwei smiled and said, "Young Master Fu, I understand your feelings, but whether I accept you, and when I accept you, is up to me to decide!"
Fu Erkang nodded and smiled, "Of course!"
Xia Ziwei thought for a moment, "At most three months, I will give you an answer in three months."
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
Afterwards, Fu Erkang took Xia Ziwei to visit his remaining three secret bases, where Xia Ziwei had so much fun that she didn't want to return to the palace.
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On the 18th day of the seventh month of the 22nd year of Qianlong's reign, the group headed to the hunting grounds.
With Xiao Yanzi's help, Fu Erkang and Xia Ziwei successfully teamed up.
"Ziwei, what have you thought about it?"
"I'll tell you after this competition is over."
"good."
After successfully forming a team, Fu Erkang and Xia Ziwei naturally spared no effort in pursuing their respective prey.
However, they were unlucky and encountered a tiger while hunting one day.
"Ziwei!"
When Fu Erkang saw the tiger heading towards Xia Ziwei, he was so frightened that he almost lost his mind!
The two worked together to capture the tiger, but they were injured in the process.
Fu Erkang shielded Xia Ziwei from a tiger's claw, suffering a scrape on his back, while Xia Ziwei twisted her right hand.
"Ziwei, how's your hand?"
"It's a minor sprain, nothing serious. But how's your back?"
"My back is fine, but your hand..."
Looking at Xia Ziwei's right hand with great concern, Fu Erkang said, "Let's go back to camp first and have the imperial physician bandage it for you..."
"Please, I'm begging you, don't make me worry about you."
Xia Ziwei had no choice but to nod, "I can go back, but you have to go apply the medicine..."
Fu Erkang asked with a smile, "Are you worried about me?"
Xia Ziwei blushed slightly, but denied it, saying, "Don't flatter yourself. I'm just afraid you'll drag me down and cause me to lose the competition..."
Seeing Xia Ziwei's blushing cheeks, Fu Erkang was feeling quite pleased with himself and naturally wouldn't hold her stubbornness against him.
After returning to their camp, the two had the imperial physician treat them both.
After changing their clothes, the two rested at the campsite. "Ziwei, who do you think will win this competition?"
Xia Ziwei said without hesitation, "It's definitely Xiao Yanzi and Fifth Prince who will win!"
Fu Erkang looked at her curiously, "Are you so sure?"
Xia Ziwei nodded, "Of course!"
When Fu'ertai returned from hunting and saw Fu'erkang and Xia Ziwei, he was somewhat surprised. "Brother, why are you back so early?"
Benjamin smelled the medicine on Xia Ziwei and asked, "Is Princess injured?"
Xia Ziwei smiled slightly and said, "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious..."
Fortaire frowned and asked, "Injured? How could you be injured?"
Fu Erkang explained, "Ziwei and I encountered a big tiger. I shielded Ziwei from it, and I only suffered a scrape on my back, without any internal injuries, but Ziwei twisted her right hand..."
"Young Master, the tiger has been brought back..."
When Fu Ertai saw the large tiger that the servants had brought back, he was almost dumbfounded. "It really is a tiger!!!"
Benjamin was also shocked. "It's unbelievable!"
"Brother, one of your big tigers is worth several prey!"
Fu Erkang said helplessly, "But Ziwei's hand is injured, and it will take at least half a month to fully recover..."
"The scar on my back will fade in two or three days, but I can't possibly keep up with your speed by myself..."
Not to mention, there were so many other hunters around, there wasn't much prey left for him and Ziwei!
It wasn't until the tenth day of the ninth month that Emperor Qianlong announced the results of the competition.
They really did lose. Xia Ziwei felt guilty at this moment. If she hadn't had an accident and dragged the team down, their results wouldn't have been so bad.
Fu Erkang comforted him, "What's the big deal?"
"If we lose this time, we can just win it back next time!"
"Besides, it's already a blessing that your hand is alright."
Seeing that Xia Ziwei's eyes were still filled with worry, Fu Erkang asked in confusion, "What kind of look is that?"
"Is it because you're worried that my back injury hasn't healed yet?"
"That can't be! Ertai helped me apply the medicine, so I must be better by now!"
“I don’t feel anything wrong with my back when I’m hunting, so it must be healed.”
After a long silence, Xia Ziwei asked, blushing, "Can I check it? Otherwise, I'm not at ease..."
Fu Erkang stared in disbelief. "Did I hear that right?"
Seeing that Fu Erkang hesitated, Xia Ziwei's newly mustered courage vanished again. "If you don't want to, then forget it..."
Seeing that Xia Ziwei was really about to leave, Fu Erkang quickly stepped forward and took her hand, "If you want to get checked, then go ahead, I'm fine..."
And so, Fu Erkang lay on the bed, letting Xia Ziwei take off his clothes. "Am I right? Everything's definitely better..."
While Fu Erkang was still feeling smug and pleased with himself, Xia Ziwei was already stunned. The previous wounds had all healed, but some scars remained. She subconsciously placed her hand on those scars...
Fu Erkang, who was lying on the bed, suddenly felt a jolt in his back. "Zi... Ziwei, what are you doing?"
"I...I...I didn't mean to..."
Xia Ziwei quickly put Fu Erkang's clothes back on, "The wound has healed, he's fine..."
After Xia Ziwei finished speaking, she ran away quickly.
Fu Erkang watched Xia Ziwei's retreating figure, somewhat puzzled, "She...she just ran away like that?"
After that, Xia Ziwei felt somewhat uncomfortable looking at Fu Erkang's expression.
She would blush unintentionally, and when she thought about the back she had seen that day, Xia Ziwei's mind would uncontrollably conjure up images she shouldn't be thinking about.
"Ziwei, the competition is over, shouldn't you give me an answer now?"
"Until the mountains crumble and the heavens and earth unite, I will never part from you!"
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After their relationship stabilized, Emperor Qianlong began to consider arranging marriages for all the couples.
Seeing that Xiao Jian and Qing'er's wedding, and Yong Qi and Xiao Yanzi's wedding had all encountered setbacks, Fu Erkang was very worried that his wedding with Ziwei might also be disturbed.
Fortunately, he and Ziwei were quite lucky. From setting the wedding date to the grand wedding, no one tried to sabotage them!
The daily life of the married couple was even more blissful. Before having children, they were inseparable every few days. If it weren't for his official duties, Fu Erkang would probably be just like Yongqi, indulging in a life of romance all the time.
For the first three months after Fu Peidong was born, the couple took good care of their child.
Later on, the son was left with his grandparents.
The couple resumed their marital life without any shame or recklessness.
However, their son might not grant their wishes. There were times when he would suddenly burst into tears and only stop crying when his parents comforted him.
After his daughter Fu Anying was born, Fu Erkang became a doting father.
For most of the year after his daughter was born, Fu Erkang devoted himself to her.
As a result, Xia Ziwei was jealous of her daughter for a short period of time, and Xiao Yanzi found out and laughed at her.
After Fu Anying's first birthday, Fu Erkang left her in the care of his parents.
"I know you're feeling wronged, so I'll give you all my time from now on."
Yes, after that, Fu Erkang devoted half of his time to serving his country and the other half to Ziwei.
As for the children, he would only approach them when it was inconvenient to kiss, hug, or lift Ziwei up high.
Just kidding, he and Ziwei are still dedicated parents.
They will be there for the children whenever they need them!
Of course, the grandparents will also keep the child out during times when he shouldn't be there, so as not to disturb the couple's happy life.
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