Prince Hui maintained a cold, detached demeanor, showing no interest in entertaining guests. Having already found out where the leather chair came from, Prince Qing tactfully took his leave.
Yao Huang first handed Prince Hui a small wooden-handled spatula to replace his tool, then smiled at the couple and said, "It is rare for you to visit. Let me accompany you to the front for a cup of tea, and we can leave your second brother here to build his snowman by himself."
Knowing she was just being polite, Prince Qing declined, "There is no need, Second Sister-in-law. Please stay. We will head over to Yaju Pavilion to have a look around."
Yao Huang merely helped Zheng Yuanzhen to the shore, warmly inviting the couple to visit again when they had free time.
Prince Qing and Zheng Yuanzhen walked through the ice and snow for over a quarter of an hour before finally boarding their carriage.
Only then did Zheng Yuanzhen drop the faint smile from her face, revealing a look of displeasure.
There was a small hand-warming stove prepared in the carriage. Prince Qing handed it to Zheng Yuanzhen. Seeing her stony expression, he chuckled, "Are you upset because I used you as an excuse?"
Zheng Yuanzhen glanced at the snow clinging to the soles of her boots and replied, "No, I just do not like walking in the snow for so long."
Prince Qing said, "It does not seem like Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law were intentionally neglecting us. Second Brother is confined to a wheelchair and has limited mobility. Plus, he is the elder brother; we could hardly expect him to travel back and forth between the front and back courtyards just for us."
Zheng Yuanzhen gave a faint murmur of agreement.
Prince Qing kept his gaze fixed on her. Suddenly, he lifted her chin and gave her a half-smile. "Or are you envious of Second Sister-in-law? Envious that she has such an elegant husband who can carve a beautiful snowman for her?"
Zheng Yuanzhen's heart skipped a beat, though she did not let it show on her face. She irritably swatted Prince Qing's hand away and glared at him. "Stop talking nonsense. It is just a lifeless object. If I wanted one, I could easily summon a few skilled craftsmen to carve an even better one for me."
"Craftsmen are just craftsmen, but what a husband carves represents his affection," Prince Qing said. "I never expected Second Brother to be so good at doting on someone. When I first heard about Second Sister-in-law's family background, I thought Second Brother had completely given up on himself and was just settling for any princess consort."
Zheng Yuanzhen played along with his words, "Although the Yao family's status is low, she is undeniably beautiful and alluring. Never mind Second Brother—do you not also fancy that type?"
Her words carried a hint of jealousy, but they successfully dispelled Prince Qing's lingering suspicions. He pulled Zheng Yuanzhen into his arms, pressing his face against hers. "There are plenty of beautiful, alluring wildflowers out there, but you, my dear cousin, are a magnificent peony of unparalleled beauty. In my heart, no one could ever outshine you."
Zheng Yuanzhen shot him a coquettish glare.
After that, the couple did not mention the events at Prince Hui's estate again, heading straight to Yaju Pavilion to look at leather chairs.
Yao Huang finally understood that Prince Hui was not just building a snowman; he was sculpting one. He worked right up until it was time to return to Ming'an Hall for lunch. By then, the snowman's cloak was only ninety percent finished, yet the sculpted folds looked so incredibly lifelike, as if a real cloak were fluttering in the wind.
When Prince Hui finally put down his carving knife, Yao Huang quickly draped his thick cloak over him. She tied the strings, sat beside him, and immediately tucked his freezing hands into her arms to warm them. "Your hands are like ice! I told you to wear your leather gloves, but you refused."
Enveloped by his princess consort's warm hands, Zhao Sui only belatedly realized how cold he was.
Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui's wheelchair to the shore, then hurried him all the way to the back courtyard of Ming'an Hall. She ordered the maids to prepare a basin of hot water for Prince Hui to soak his feet. As for the ginger soup meant to ward off the cold, she had already managed to coax him into drinking two large bowls of it while they were out on the ice.
While waiting for the hot water, Yao Huang had Prince Hui sit on the heated couch in the side room. She went into the inner chamber to fetch a thick quilt and draped it over him.
"I am not cold," Zhao Sui said.
Yao Huang simply held down one of his legs and reached for the hem of his trousers.
Zhao Sui gently deflected his wife's hand. Lowering his gaze, he explained, "The cold my hands feel is only half as strong down here. So I truly do not feel cold."
"But your legs still endured the full brunt of the freezing weather," Yao Huang insisted. "Since I have warmed Your Highness's hands, I must also make sure your feet are warmed up."
Left with no choice, Zhao Sui cooperatively covered his legs with the quilt.
Aji brought in a basin of hot water. Yao Huang moved a chair over to the couch, and Aji withdrew after setting the basin down.
Yao Huang urged Prince Hui to shift over and soak his feet.
Prince Hui remained completely still.
Yao Huang asked, "Shall I step out so Your Highness can soak them in private?"
Prince Hui nodded.
Yao Huang mused to herself that this version of Prince Hui was just like a bashful royal bridegroom who had only recently married her—surprisingly thin-skinned.
After lunch, Zhao Sui asked his princess consort to remain in Ming'an Hall. He took Qing'ai and Feiquan with him to finish the remaining parts of the snowman, promising to invite her to admire it once it was complete.
Yao Huang genuinely had no desire to stand out there in the cold for half the day again. While Prince Hui found great pleasure in his meticulous carving, she could not help but feel impatient just standing by and watching!
After Prince Hui left, Yao Huang thought for a moment and had Chunyan bring out her sewing basket. If Prince Hui was going to gift her a beautiful sculpted snowman, she wanted to have a gift ready for him in return.
The side room, warmed by the underfloor heating, was incredibly cozy. Yao Huang patiently embroidered stitch by stitch, applying the techniques she had practiced previously.
After working for over two hours, around mid-afternoon, Yao Huang finally finished her piece. She called Aji over to take a look, and Aji exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "I dare say this is Your Highness's finest piece of embroidery yet!"
Yao Huang thought so too. After all, she had received guidance from Master Chunyan, who was proficient in twenty-four different stitching techniques, including Shu and Su embroidery.
Tucking the handkerchief away and throwing on her cloak, Yao Huang grabbed a small hand warmer and hurried toward the back garden, bringing Jinbao along this time.
Prince Hui was not quite finished yet. Standing on the shore, Yao Huang asked him how much longer he would be. Prince Hui pondered for a moment before replying, "Another half hour."
Yao Huang then took Jinbao off to the side to play.
When Feiquan finally came to fetch her, Yao Huang ran over in excitement. She discovered that Prince Hui had not used the bamboo leaves, black agates, or red agates they had prepared. Instead, he had meticulously carved the hair and facial features using his small knives. A single glance was enough to tell that the snowman was modeled after her; it was even exactly her height. The discarded chunks of snow around the base had been swept completely clean, leaving only this cloaked "Snowman Princess" standing quietly before her and Prince Hui.
Yao Huang could not help but walk around the snowman in circles, admiring it from every angle.
Qing'ai and Feiquan had long since withdrawn. The setting sun on the horizon was obscured by clouds, yet the pure white snow seemed to emit a soft, natural glow of its own.
Yao Huang threw herself into Prince Hui's arms and told him in utter earnestness, "This is the most beautiful snowman I have ever seen. Just thinking about how it will melt when the weather warms up breaks my heart."
Zhao Sui smiled gently. "When it snows next year, I will carve you another one."
Satisfied, Yao Huang raised her left arm and gestured for Prince Hui to reach into her sleeve.
Zhao Sui cast a glance toward the shore to ensure Qing'ai and Feiquan were not peeking. Only then did he reach into his wife's sleeve, quickly pulling out a folded handkerchief.
It was made of bamboo-green silk. In the bottom left corner, a bamboo branch was embroidered alongside two black swallows—one large and one small, one resting and one in mid-flight.
Zhao Sui stared at the two black swallows for a long time.
Yao Huang softly prompted him, "Well, what do you think?"
Looking at the black swallow flying just beyond the bamboo branch, Zhao Sui replied, "It is wonderful. It is the most beautiful handkerchief I have ever seen."
Prince Hui's praise made Yao Huang's cheeks flush with heat. She tilted her head to look at the snowman, quickly changing the subject. "Ah, while it is not yet dark, let me build a 'Snowman Prince.' Otherwise, this Snowman Princess will be left standing here all alone tonight, without even a companion."
Taking off her cloak and handing it to Prince Hui, she told him to sit still. Using the leftover snow pushed to the side, Yao Huang quickly built a sturdy and simple snowman body. She then went further away to roll a round snowman head and placed it on top. Sticking in the bamboo leaf eyebrows, black agate eyes, and red agate lips prepared by Feiquan, she clapped her hands together—mission accomplished!
Zhao Sui: ...
If the snowman princess consort could move, she would surely be scared away by such an ugly snowman prince, right?
Yao Huang didn't care what Prince Hui thought. Humming a little tune, she pushed Prince Hui away. Jinbao barked twice at the big snowman the princess consort had built, then trotted along behind its masters.
After dinner, night had already fallen.
As usual, Zhao Sui came to the backyard only after having his massage and bath in the front yard.
There was a morning court assembly tomorrow, so Zhao Sui didn't plan to do anything tonight. Now that he slept with the princess consort every night, he wasn't so demanding as to make her cry every single night.
However, after putting out the lamp and getting into bed, the princess consort unexpectedly took the initiative to embrace him. Her arms were well-behaved, and her head rested against his waist, but she stretched out her feet to playfully nudge his.
Zhao Sui: ...What are you doing?
Yao Huang laughed. I am checking to see if flowers have bloomed on Your Highness's feet. Otherwise, why would you keep them hidden from me?
Zhao Sui: ...
Unable to control his legs and feet, he could not avoid the princess consort's mischievous toes. He could only let her treat her feet like hands, repeatedly rubbing against his soles and insteps, occasionally deliberately slipping her toes between his.
It was true that the skin and flesh of Zhao Sui's legs and feet only retained about fifty percent of their sensation, but that didn't mean he was unaffected by the princess consort's teasing.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Zhao Sui grabbed the princess consort by the armpits, lifted her entirely, and pushed her diagonally into the inner corner of the bed. With one hand, he grasped both her feet, and with the other, he pulled up the quilt to cover her exposed upper body.
Embarrassed, Yao Huang kicked her legs, trying to kick Prince Hui's hand away. Does Your Highness not find it dirty?
Prince Hui said nothing, only mimicking the little movements she had just made with her feet.
Prince Hui's palms had a layer of hard calluses. It tickled so much that the princess consort kicked and squirmed wildly, softly begging the prince to quickly let go.
Once a fine layer of sweat appeared on the princess consort's ankles, Zhao Sui pulled her back into his arms.
The princess consort had already melted into a soft puddle of warm snow.
In the palace, Emperor Yongchang received the leather chair presented by his son, Prince Hui. After trying it out, he liked it very much and handed it over to the royal craftsmen for improvement, ensuring the final product would match his noble status as emperor.
The royal craftsmen were only responsible for creating comfortable leather chairs for the emperor and his concubines, which did not affect Proprietor Fu's business at Yaju Pavilion. With Prince Qing and his wife ordering a set of leather chairs from Yaju Pavilion, and Proprietor Fu spreading the word, within just over half a month, leather chairs became the new favorite among the capital's dignitaries and nobles this winter. Top-tier noblewomen like Princess Fucheng directly provided their own fox fur, mink, and tribute silk for Yaju Pavilion to use. Meanwhile, the wives of minor officials who received the news late but still wanted to catch up with the trend before the new year could only buy chairs made of sheepskin, pigskin, or rabbit fur.
At the end of November, Li Tingwang returned from the martial academy to find a new set of sheepskin chairs at home. They looked strange but were quite comfortable to sit in.
With the martial arts imperial examination coming up next spring, young men like Li Tingwang and Yao Lin were all studying and practicing martial arts diligently. Items like leather chairs were not worth their time to discuss or compare, so Li Tingwang hadn't heard a single piece of news about them beforehand. He asked casually, When did the capital start selling this kind of leather chair?
His mother, Madam Wang, glanced at her son's thin face, which had finally recovered a bit over the past half year, and said vaguely, I don't know either. I saw it while visiting someone else's home, so I went and bought a set too.
Li Tingwang didn't overthink it. He lowered his head and pressed the surface of the sheepskin chair a couple of times. As he pressed, his heart suddenly ached.
If Yao Huang were still in Changshou Alley, he would definitely give her a chair like this to make her happy. If Yao Huang were still in Changshou Alley, he would definitely tell her that as soon as he passed the martial arts examination and became a martial scholar, he would go to her home to propose.
She still had no idea just how much he liked her.
