On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, Prince Kang's grand wedding took place.
In the carriage heading to Prince Kang's estate for the morning banquet, Yao Huang smiled and said to Prince Hui, "I will probably be staying at Prince Kang's estate all day today. If Your Highness wishes to return home to rest at any point, just go ahead. There is no need to wait for me."
Zhao Sui looked at his wife's radiant face, recalling the sight of her murmuring to herself while counting her purses that morning.
Zhao Sui had asked her why she was bringing the purses.
The Princess Consort had laughed, "There is over two hours of free time between the morning and noon banquets. It is too cold to stroll in the gardens to admire the flowers. Last time, when we attended the wedding banquet at Prince Qing's estate, the First Prince's two secondary consorts discussed this with me. They said that once the First Prince gets married, we could sit in the heated pavilion and play cards. We can play through the morning and continue in the afternoon; after all, the bride will not arrive until dusk."
They arrived at Prince Kang's estate.
After stepping out of the carriage, Qingai took charge of Prince Hui's wheelchair. Yao Huang, taking Aji with her, headed straight toward the female guests' quarters, casting a smiling "see you tonight" glance at Prince Hui.
Zhao Sui watched his wife's light, graceful silhouette, his gaze briefly sweeping over the purse hanging at Aji's waist—the very one his wife had personally counted earlier.
When his wife had first married him, her eyes were always bright and captivating whenever she looked at him. Encouraged by that gaze, Zhao Sui had done many things at night he had never imagined himself doing. However, as they spent more time together, Zhao Sui realized that as long as his wife was in a good mood, the way she looked at him, at Qingai and Feiquan, at irrelevant passersby, or even at a wheelchair, Jinbao, and a purse, her eyes would be equally clear and soft as water, seemingly brimming with infinite affection.
It was simply her natural charm.
Before and during the banquet, Yao Huang had already finished exchanging pleasantries with the various female guests. After the banquet concluded and they had sat for a short while, Prince Kang's two secondary consorts, who were in charge of hosting, asked the noble ladies—led by Grand Princess Fucheng, Princess Consort Hui, Princess Consort Qing, the First Princess, and the Second Princess—if they would like to play cards.
Grand Princess Fucheng had no interest in this and prepared to return to her estate first, planning to come back for the noon banquet.
Zheng Yuanzhen also wanted to leave with her mother, but upon receiving a pointed look from her, she agreed to join the card game.
Thus, Secondary Consort Gu of Prince Kang's estate sat down with Yao Huang, Zheng Yuanzhen, and the Second Princess to form a card table. The other secondary consort, Ruan, was responsible for entertaining the rest of the guests, while the First Princess sat beside Yao Huang to watch the game.
When Zheng Yuanzhen had gotten married, the two princesses, as her younger cousins, went to the Grand Princess's estate to see her off. To them, Chen Ying was merely a sister-in-law from a different family, so the two princesses had come directly to Prince Kang's estate. Meanwhile, Chen Ying's grandparents, parents, and siblings had finally rushed to the capital in early December, moving into a residence bestowed by Emperor Yongchang. Chen Ying was thus able to return to her family's side, waiting to be married off from the imperially bestowed residence.
Yao Huang was quite happy for Chen Ying. Even though her family would have to hurry back after the bride's traditional home visit, being able to reunite even briefly was a joyous occasion.
The Second Princess glanced at Yao Huang and said, "I heard that Second Sister-in-Law was good friends with First Sister-in-Law back when you were both candidates for the imperial harem. Now that First Sister-in-Law is married, Second Sister-in-Law can often come to Eldest Brother's estate to play cards. With the two secondary consorts keeping you company, you will not even need to look for card partners outside."
Speaking of card partners, the Second Princess deliberately threw a glance at Zheng Yuanzhen.
Yao Huang playfully scolded her, "Do you think I am a fool? The three of them are of one mind. If I come here all by myself, would I not just be willingly handing over my silver for them to divide among themselves?"
Secondary Consorts Gu and Ruan hurriedly said they would not dare.
The Second Princess said, "So, does that mean Second Sister-in-Law will also invite Third Sister-in-Law?"
Yao Huang replied, "That depends on who organizes the game. If I am the one hosting, not to mention your First and Third Sisters-in-Law, I would even send people to bring you two sisters out of the palace. If you are the ones organizing it, I will just sit back and wait for your invitation. As for who else you invite, I have no say in that. Of course, if you invite others but leave me out, I will be very heartbroken."
The Second Princess was speechless.
As they played, Zheng Yuanzhen noticed that perhaps because Yao Huang seemed so approachable, whether it was Secondary Consort Gu, Secondary Consort Ruan, or the two princesses, and whether they were joking or chatting about fabrics and jewelry, they all loved talking to Yao Huang. Despite so many people being around, Yao Huang had naturally become the center of attention, making everyone else seem like mere foils to her.
Zheng Yuanzhen had stayed behind to play cards in order to observe the relationship between Yao Huang and Prince Kang's two secondary consorts. However, all they joked and talked about were trivial daily matters, and even the Second Princess's several attempts at instigation were effortlessly deflected by Yao Huang.
By the time the morning card game ended, Zheng Yuanzhen not only had failed to observe anything useful but had also lost over thirty taels of broken silver.
After the noon banquet, Zheng Yuanzhen left directly with Grand Princess Fucheng to return to their estate.
Grand Princess Fucheng instructed her daughter, "You still need to try and interact with them more. Many secrets are leaked through a casual, unintentional remark."
Zheng Yuanzhen replied, "What secrets could they possibly have? Ultimately, it all depends on the performances of the princes in the imperial court."
Grand Princess Fucheng said, "That is not necessarily true. Husband and wife share in each other's glory and disgrace. A wife's family can be a prince's pillar of support, or they can become a burden that drags him down. If you can catch hold of a weakness in any of them, it might be put to excellent use in the future. This is especially true for Prince Kang's primary consort and two secondary consorts; wives and concubines fighting for favor are destined to be divided."
Zheng Yuanzhen felt a wave of irritation listening to this. At the end of the day, she believed Prince Qing was vastly superior to Prince Kang. As long as Prince Qing made no mistakes in the imperial court, the Emperor would ultimately choose him. There was absolutely no need for her to lower herself and pretend to be cordial with Yao Huang, Chen Ying, and Prince Kang's two secondary consorts.
At dusk, Prince Kang finally brought his bride back to the estate.
Yao Huang had long tossed the card game, which had ended half an hour ago, to the back of her mind. Smiling, she pulled the First Princess along to watch the ceremony. Seeing that, without Chen Ying around, Yao Huang would rather leave one hand empty than hold hers, the Second Princess stayed behind in anger, exchanging a speechless look with Zheng Yuanzhen, who remained firmly seated.
When the bridal veil was lifted, Chen Ying's exposed eyes were red-rimmed, making it obvious that she had cried hard when bidding farewell to her parents.
Yao Huang had not shed a single tear during her own wedding because her maiden home was right in the capital; whenever she missed her family, she could visit them at any time. Chen Ying was different; when she married, she was bidding farewell to parents who would soon be worlds apart from her.
After the evening banquet, as Yao Huang and the others were preparing to take their leave, Chen Ying looked at Yao Huang longingly, her face written all over with nervous anxiety.
Yao Huang then told Aji to wait outside while she accompanied Chen Ying into the inner chamber alone.
Chen Ying threw herself forward, her entire body trembling uncontrollably. "Yao Yao, I am so scared."
Yao Huang teased her with a smile, "Scared of the wedding night? The female officials in the palace should have taught you about it."
Chen Ying was too embarrassed to say that she was scared precisely because they had taught her. She could not imagine the pain involved, especially since Prince Kang was a whole head taller than her and had such a burly physique. Her mother had only repeatedly instructed her to endure and be obedient, warning her never to displease Prince Kang. The more her mother said this, the more nervous Chen Ying became, making the already-married Yao Huang the last person she could turn to for help.
Yao Huang was all too familiar with Chen Ying's timidity. After a moment of thought, she leaned close to Chen Ying's ear and shared a few little tips that she had actually figured out on her own, though she claimed they were taught by her mother.
"In short, at that time, don't revere the Prince as a Prince anymore, just treat him as your husband. Discuss when you need to, take the initiative when you should, complain when you want to, and praise him when he deserves it. The Prince is also human; you'll be able to tell what he likes and dislikes. Just act according to his reactions."
Furthermore, she also told Chen Ying that after enduring the initial discomfort, the later parts would make her cry from pleasure.
Chen Ying's ears turned red upon hearing this.
She didn't ask to cry from pleasure; as long as it wasn't as painful as she thought, it would be fine.
Chen Ying trusted Yao Huang very much. Since Yao Huang dared to tell her such shameful things, it must definitely be true.
Around the first watch of the night, Prince Kang finally arrived, reeking of alcohol and walking with a slight stagger.
Of course, a Princess Consort had to take good care of the Prince. Chen Ying temporarily forgot her nervousness and helped support Prince Kang inside.
Prince Kang collapsed drunkenly onto the matrimonial bed.
He had too many relatives. There were the martial-arts-practicing brothers of his late first wife from the Duke Zhenguo's estate, the brothers of his two secondary consorts, and his malicious third brother who deliberately tried to get him drunk. Prince Kang only had a robust physique; his martial arts and alcohol tolerance were both subpar. In the end, it was his second brother who swept a glance over the jeering young men and simply said, "Enough," before they finally let him go.
A maidservant brought in hot water.
Chen Ying wanted to wet a towel to take care of the Prince, but Mujin, the palace maid gifted to her by Consort Xian, said respectfully, "Let this servant do it, Your Highness can just watch from the side."
Chen Ying knew that the palace and the princely estates had a strict set of rules. Perhaps these serving duties had to be done by the maids?
While she hesitated, Mujin had already wrung out the towel and was about to help wipe Prince Kang's face.
Chen Ying stood to the side, looking at Prince Kang with concern.
Prince Kang lay on the bed with his eyes open, clearly seeing the little Princess Consort's concern and misgivings, including her momentary embarrassment and awkwardness after reaching out for the towel only to be blocked by Mujin.
Prince Kang felt a bit displeased.
His mother had long told him her reasons for choosing Chen Ying. In his mother's eyes, Chen Ying was just an insignificant chess piece. She wouldn't make his imperial father suspect his greed and ambition, nor would she make the Duke Zhenguo's estate worry about the heir's situation.
Prince Kang knew his mother meant well, but he couldn't view a girl ten years his junior as a chess piece. She was born in Shu and had left her home to enter the palace for the draft. From now on, she could only rely on him, her Prince husband.
"Step down. Let the Princess Consort do it."
Prince Kang looked at Mujin with a warning gaze.
Mujin's expression changed. She lowered her head, handed the towel to the Princess Consort beside her, and retreated with the other maid.
Prince Kang then looked at Chen Ying, who seemed to have been frightened by his tone. He softened his voice and said, "You are the Princess Consort, the mistress of this estate. As long as you are in the right, you can do whatever you want in this estate from now on. You can take care of me however you wish. How can you let the maids around you make decisions for you?"
Chen Ying understood. Blushing, she came to the bedside and leaned over to wipe Prince Kang's face.
Looking at her still-reddish eye rims, Prince Kang asked, "Did you cry the whole way here?"
Chen Ying lowered her eyes guiltily.
Prince Kang propped himself up to sit, held her hand, and said, "I know you can't bear to leave your parents, so it's natural to cry. Just don't cry every day."
Chen Ying's attention was entirely captured by the man's large hand, and she nodded in a fluster.
Prince Kang was not a greenhorn getting married for the first time. Pitying Chen Ying's young age, he tried his best to be considerate. However, he had always gone by the book in this matter. His former Princess Consort and two secondary consorts were all dignified ladies from noble families who simply cooperated with whatever Prince Kang did. As a result, despite being married for six years, Prince Kang hadn't mastered any superb techniques.
Afraid of the pain, Chen Ying had no choice but to do as Yao Huang had taught her. With teary eyes, she pleaded with Prince Kang above her, "Please wait a moment..."
Prince Kang's body stiffened. How could this wait?
Chen Ying hooked her arms around his neck and pressed him down towards her own neck. "Please kiss me some more."
It was the first time Prince Kang had been asked this by a bedmate. Looking at Chen Ying's pale little face, he cooperatively kissed her. He kissed her until Chen Ying's face regained its rosy color and she even showed subtle, urging little movements, before Prince Kang finally let go of all restraint.
