Leaving the imperial study and pushing the prince back to the Ministry of Works, Qingai noticed that many officials walking in the courtyard were secretly peeping at the prince's wheelchair.
Qingai thought of the scene at dawn when Prince Qing held a lantern so that all the officials could examine the prince's new wheelchair.
At that time, Qingai's blood was colder than the biting wind, because he knew the prince didn't like people paying too much attention to his legs or wheelchair.
To the prince, his crippled legs and the wheelchair beneath him were like a scar. Who would like having their scars stared at and gossiped about?
While feeling sorry for the prince, Qingai also hated Prince Qing for his reckless behavior. At the same time, he prepared himself to serve the prince even more carefully today, lest he make the prince's already unpleasant mood even worse.
However, after the morning assembly when the sky brightened, Qingai, who could clearly see the prince's face again, was surprised to find that the prince looked the same as usual, seemingly unaffected by the incident. Even when some minor officials in the Ministry of Works frequently peeked at his wheelchair, the prince remained calm and composed. Upon entering his office and arriving at his desk, the prince simply continued reading the files.
While waiting outside alone, Qingai suddenly remembered the prince's reply to Prince Qing, saying that the new wheelchair's cowhide seat was made because the princess was worried he would be cold.
Qingai smiled. It turned out to be a case of loving the house and its crow.
When the prince was in a good mood, Qingai's mood followed suit. However, the sky grew increasingly gloomy today. When he went to the dining hall to fetch food at noon, it was merely overcast, but as he came out carrying two food boxes, a snowflake actually landed on the back of his hand.
It was the first snow of the winter, and Qingai was somewhat excited. He jogged back to the office: "Your Highness, it's snowing!"
Zhao Sui looked up toward the open door.
Worried that the heat in the room would escape, Qingai only let the prince look for a moment before closing the door, saying, "It's just a few flurries. Your Highness, please eat first. It should be heavier by the time you finish."
Zhao Sui pushed his wheelchair to another table specifically used for his meals.
While he ate there, Qingai and Feiquan sat face-to-face in the guest chairs and ate. The Ministry of Works was not like the prince's mansion; there weren't many rooms allocated for their use. Since the prince was willing to accommodate them, Qingai and Feiquan ate freely.
The prince ate slowly and methodically, and Qingai and Feiquan also ate with proper manners, just much faster. Once the prince finished, Qingai packed away the food boxes, and Feiquan brought warm water to serve the prince as he rinsed his mouth.
Afterward, the two remained outside while Zhao Sui pushed his wheelchair to the resting room by himself.
Inside the resting room, a row of handrails was installed along the wall from the door to the washroom on the north side. Zhao Sui had been sitting for half a day. He leaned on the handrails, left his wheelchair, and used the strength of his arms to keep his whole body in an upright position.
Although he had tried countless times to no avail, Zhao Sui would still try to mobilize his legs. Because he held no hope, even when his legs and feet remained completely still, Zhao Sui would no longer feel frustrated or angry, but simply maintained this habit with a calm mind.
After holding himself up for long enough, Zhao Sui sat back in his wheelchair, went to the heated couch on the south side, and lay on his side facing the window.
Outside, officials were heading to the dining hall for their meals one after another, and some who had finished eating were returning to their offices. The officials conversed in low voices about the weather, the tasks at hand, or trivial family matters. The wind was lighter than in the morning, and occasionally there would be the soft sound of snowflakes hitting the window paper.
What was the princess doing?
Today was the second day; would the handkerchief be embroidered?
Yao Huang was at Changshou Alley. In the morning, she cheerfully made a trip to South Main Street. At the jewelry store, she bought jewelry for her mother, maternal grandmother, two aunts, and cousin, spending about ten taels for each person and around five taels for two items, totaling one hundred taels. She then went to the silk shop and bought two bolts of silk for every relative of the Yao and Luo families to keep for New Year's clothes. She also bought a bunch of cosmetics, fine tea, and good wine, finally loading a carriage full of items before heading to Changshou Alley.
The carriage drove into the Yao family's courtyard. Luo Jinhua, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded jacket, came out to meet her daughter, only to see her struggling to get through the silk and boxes piled at her feet, smiling like a silly girl who had just suddenly become rich from a piece of gold falling from the sky and couldn't wait to go on a shopping spree!
Luo Jinhua was not at all pleased that her daughter was so mindful of her maiden family. She told Aji and the others not to rush to move things, hurriedly pulled her daughter into the east room, and gave her a low-voiced scolding: "It's not like our family is so poor we can't open the pot. Why do you need to spend money so extravagantly bringing things home?"
Although her prince son-in-law might not care about this small amount of money, Luo Jinhua didn't want to always take advantage of her daughter's in-laws for nothing!
Yao Huang leaned close to her mother's ear and smilingly told her about the five thousand taels.
Luo Jinhua was utterly dumbfounded.
Yao Huang quickly explained that this sum of silver had already received Prince Hui's tacit approval and would not cause any trouble. Only then did Luo Jinhua dispel the various misgivings that had just popped into her head. Then, as if a piece of gold from the sky had actively smashed into her arms, she hugged her daughter in a fit of wild joy.
Looking at her mother's mouth that couldn't close, Yao Huang felt double the happiness in her heart. The indifferent manner of Prince Hui, not taking the five thousand taels of silver seriously, was not the reaction Yao Huang had anticipated.
After laughing until her face was sore, Luo Jinhua finally let Aji's mother and the others move all the items into the house. Looking at the jewelry and touching the silk, Luo Jinhua asked, "How much did all this cost?"
Yao Huang said casually, "Not even two hundred taels."
The relatives and friends her maiden family usually interacted with were not extremely wealthy or noble. It would actually be inappropriate for Yao Huang to give overly expensive jewelry and silk. The items she picked today were very good; they were all things the Yao and Luo families could occasionally splurge on themselves if they gritted their teeth. Wearing them out wouldn't make people immediately suspect they were basking in the glory of Prince Hui's mansion.
Luo Jinhua looked at her daughter's increasingly noble and composed face and sighed, "It's true that a place nurtures its people. My Yao Yao has lived in the prince's mansion for half a year, and she looks more and more like a born noblewoman."
Yao Huang laughed, "Where am I noble? Except for not lacking silver, I don't feel I've changed at all."
She still wasn't willing to rigidly adhere to the rules that nobles observed, and she would still occasionally blurt out a few coarse words that the noble prince disliked hearing. As for the true nobility of spending thousands of taels on a famous painting without a second thought, Yao Huang believed she would probably never learn that in this lifetime.
Luo Jinhua didn't argue with her daughter, just telling her to be happy this time, but definitely not to spend all five thousand taels on her maiden family.
Yao Huang: "... Rest assured, Mother, I'll keep the rest for myself. Just in case the prince is reluctant to spend silver on me in the future, I'll always need to have some jewelry made for myself to keep up appearances."
Luo Jinhua spat three times and told her daughter to shut her jinxing mouth.
.
After having lunch at her maiden home, when Yao Huang returned to the prince's mansion, the flurry of snow from noon had turned into a heavy, swirling snowfall.
Yao Huang asked Eunuch Cao, "Is there an umbrella prepared in the prince's carriage?"
Eunuch Cao: "Yes, there is a specific place for umbrellas. Whether there is rain or snow, they are kept there year-round."
Yao Huang: "Did the prince wear a cloak when he went out?"
Eunuch Cao: "He wore a fox fur cloak, newly made by the embroidery room this winter. When the prince sits, the hem can drape down to cover half of the prince's leather boots, ensuring the prince doesn't catch cold."
Yao Huang knew of that fox-fur cloak, as the embroidery room had also made her a fox-fur cloak with a bright red satin exterior, along with four other cloaks made of various satins. Yao Huang had secretly asked Bailing, who had seen the world in Noble Consort Du's palace, and learned that her own custom-fitted fox-fur cloak alone was worth two to three thousand taels of silver. Since Prince Hui was much taller than her, the cost of his cloak would only be even more expensive.
Thinking of this, Yao Huang suddenly understood why Prince Hui had reacted so indifferently to her unexpected windfall of five thousand taels. It turned out he had truly been raised in a nest of wealth since childhood. Not to mention anything else, just his wheelchairs made of rosewood or golden thread nanmu wood wouldn't be any cheaper than a wheelchair crafted from pure gold.
Yet, such a naturally noble prince only wanted a handkerchief embroidered by her own hands.
With nothing else to do, Yao Huang asked Chunyan to bring over some small pieces of silk and satin. After choosing carefully, Yao Huang picked a piece of bamboo-green plain silk. The silk was thin, light, and soft, making it very comfortable for wiping one's face or hands.
What should she embroider?
Mandarin ducks were too cliché, and the flashy design required too many colored threads. After pondering for a moment, Yao Huang asked Chunyan to teach her how to embroider swallows: a bamboo branch with a large swallow perched on it, and a smaller one flying beside it, just like the ones Prince Hui had painted on the river lantern.
Since Prince Hui did not despise her needlework, Yao Huang couldn't be too perfunctory. She first practiced on ordinary silk, practicing for an entire afternoon.
Prince Hui was about to return. Yao Huang had Chunyan put away the sewing basket. She stood up to stretch her limbs, threw on her sleeved fox-fur cloak, and headed to the front.
By now, a layer of snow had accumulated on the ground. Yao Huang deliberately stepped onto a spot the servants hadn't swept yet, and the soles of her mink boots completely sank into the snow.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Aji, who had been keeping a lookout outside the main gate, ran back to report that the prince's carriage had turned into the alley.
Yao Huang told her to return to Ming'an Hall first, while she herself held an umbrella and went outside the gate.
Qingai and Feiquan sat on the left and right shafts of the carriage. They both saw the princess consort, but neither informed the prince inside.
The carriage stopped. Qingai went inside to push the wheelchair, while Feiquan stood at the front of the carriage, waiting for Zhang Yue to set up the wooden ramp before opening the carriage door.
Zhao Sui sat in the soft leather wheelchair, wearing his cloak. When the carriage door opened, he finally realized that the princess consort was actually standing at the side of the ramp's end, holding a green silk umbrella. The road surface was white, and the top of her umbrella was also white with snow. The continuously falling snow formed a curtain that blurred the vision, but Zhao Sui could still clearly see the princess consort's lustrous white jawline and her cheeks tinged with a peach-pink hue.
When the wheelchair landed steadily on the ground, Zhao Sui looked at the princess consort's right hand holding the umbrella, where only her fingertips were flushed red. He didn't say anything.
Yao Huang didn't take over the wheelchair; instead, she walked alongside Prince Hui to hold the umbrella for him. It wasn't until they reached the door of the main hall in the front courtyard of Ming'an Hall that she handed the umbrella to Qingai and pushed Prince Hui inside herself.
The thick curtain fell back into place, isolating the cold outside.
Yao Huang parked the wheelchair to the north of the long table. Just as she was about to pour a bowl of hot water for Prince Hui, who had been freezing all the way back, he suddenly reached out and pulled her onto the wheelchair.
Zhao Sui had intended to use his own hands to warm hers, but as soon as he grasped it, he realized that the princess consort's right hand, which had been exposed outside holding the umbrella, was actually warmer than his own hand, which had been kept inside the wide sleeves of his cloak.
Zhao Sui let go as soon as he touched it.
Yao Huang smiled and slipped her right hand into his wide sleeve. She slid past Prince Hui's slightly cool hand and reached straight into the narrow sleeve of his python robe. By the time she reached his elbow, the prince's arm was quite warm.
Zhao Sui looked at the princess consort in his arms and said, Next time it snows, you don't need to go out to meet me. There is an umbrella in the carriage.
Yao Huang replied, I know, but I like holding the umbrella for Your Highness. Is Feiquan holding it the same as me holding it?
Prince Hui fell silent.
Of course, it was not the same. Qingai and Feiquan were merely his close attendants, but she was his princess consort.
Qingai and Feiquan were escorting him back to the manor; the princess consort was welcoming him home.
Prince Hui untied his sash, opened his cloak, and completely enveloped the princess consort in his embrace.
Not long after, the princess consort, wrapped in two layers of fox-fur cloaks, tilted up her flushed cheeks and complained, It is so hot...
