The palace banquet ended. It was time for a nap upon returning to Yunshan Hall, but Yao Huang, who had been quite sleepy lately, felt no drowsiness at all.
From the time she returned from the hunting grounds until she attended the banquet, Yao Huang had been worrying that her brother might incur the resentment of Prince Kang and the Duke of Zhenguo's estate. She also worried about the innocent girl's attitude toward this bestowed marriage. However, once she actually sat at the banquet, Yao Huang noticed that the Duchess of Zhenguo still maintained her amiable demeanor. Li Fuwei was very calm, and when their eyes met, there was neither shyness nor resistance in her gaze.
Yao Huang breathed a sigh of relief. Even if a single glance couldn't prove much, the fact that Li Fuwei could be so peaceful was much better than if she had directly shown contempt for the Yao family's background, like the Second Princess or Zheng Yuanzhen had done in the past.
But Yao Huang soon realized that Consort Xian, Consort Rou, and Grand Princess Fucheng were looking at her more frequently, each with complex expressions in their eyes. Even some of the other officials' wives acted very cautiously, preferring to speak less for fear of accidentally offending some noble personage. The atmosphere was so complicated that, for the first time, Yao Huang lost her good mood and appetite for the feast.
Consort Xian was Prince Kang's mother and an in-law to the Duke of Zhenguo's estate; it was normal for her to take her anger out on the Yao family over the bestowed marriage. But why were Consort Rou and Grand Princess Fucheng joining in the fuss?
Because of that position, Consort Xian, Consort Rou, and Noble Consort Du were rivals. If one suffered a loss or lost face, the other two would gloat. Today, Prince Kang was reprimanded by Emperor Yongchang. Consort Rou and Grand Princess Fucheng, who were on Prince Qing's side, should have been happy. Why were their faces clouded with gloom?
Since both Prince Kang and Prince Qing's factions were involved, Yao Huang finally thought of the battle for the crown prince position.
Her own Prince Hui had long been out of the running for the crown, but Emperor Yongchang doted on Prince Hui so much that even the thresholds in the imperial palace had been replaced with new ones just for him!
Although Emperor Yongchang wanted to use her brother—who had delivered himself right to the door—to reprimand Prince Kang and the Duke of Zhenguo's estate, the Emperor had also promoted her brother by two ranks! Her brother was only twenty years old, yet he had suddenly gone from a Rank 6A Centurion to a Rank 5A Battalion Commander. That was considered quite young and promising. Being Prince Hui's brother-in-law as well, all things considered, it wouldn't be too embarrassing for the Duke of Zhenguo's estate...
But once the marriage was finalized, both Prince Kang and Prince Hui would become in-laws to the Duke of Zhenguo's estate, bringing the two brothers even closer together!
Four brothers were fighting for the family inheritance. The second was disabled, and the fourth was young and useless. When the patriarch could only choose an heir between the eldest and the third, he suddenly pushed his beloved, pitied second son over to the eldest son's side...
Yao Huang sat bolt upright. After the initial shock came sheer ecstasy!
Prince Qing was disrespectful to Prince Hui, and Zheng Yuanzhen was disdainful of her. Yao Huang wasn't stupid; she definitely preferred that Prince Kang inherit the throne.
If she guessed correctly and Emperor Yongchang had truly decided on Prince Kang, then her foolish brother would become the future emperor's brother-in-law!
Furthermore, if Consort Xian and Consort Rou could think of this, and she could think of this, the Duke of Zhenguo's estate should be able to figure it out too. They would understand that Emperor Yongchang wasn't truly trying to beat them down, but rather hinting that Prince Kang was going to take that seat. In that case, Prince Kang and the Duke's estate would be overjoyed; why would they resent her brother?
With such a joyous event benefiting the entire Duke's estate, Li Fuwei probably wouldn't be too resistant to the Yao family's background. At most, she might just dislike her brother's boorishness.
After this thorough analysis, Yao Huang felt as if she had swallowed two reassuring pills. She no longer needed to worry about her husband's family inheritance dispute or her maiden brother's marriage.
Overjoyed, Yao Huang was even less sleepy. She hummed a little tune and grabbed a storybook to read.
The banquet for the ruler and his ministers ended late. By the time Yao Huang's mood had gradually calmed down and she started feeling sleepy over her storybook, Prince Hui finally returned. After bathing and changing his clothes, he came to the rear courtyard.
Sitting in his three-wheeled wheelchair, he propelled himself into the canopy bed area. Seeing his princess lying on the innermost side with her back to him, properly covered by the quilt, he assumed she was already fast asleep. Zhao Sui hoisted himself onto the bed, took off his shoes, and moved his legs. Just as he lay flat on his back, the princess beside him suddenly turned over, moved close to him, and looked at him with bright eyes full of laughter.
Zhao Sui: ...Why haven't you slept yet?
Yao Huang smiled: Waiting for you, Your Highness.
Zhao Sui: ...Why are you so happy?
She had clearly been worried about the bestowed marriage before the banquet.
Yao Huang grew excited again. She sat up and, glowing with enthusiasm, said to Prince Hui: I have some new thoughts regarding the marriage Imperial Father bestowed. Shall I tell you about them?
Zhao Sui nodded.
Yao Huang lowered her voice and detailed her observations from the banquet and the deductions she had made after returning.
Of course, she didn't mention Prince Hui's legs or the Fourth Prince's mediocrity. She merely stuck to the facts and discussed the competitive dynamic between Prince Kang and Prince Qing.
Zhao Sui liked seeing his princess smiling so relaxedly. Not to mention that she was currently pregnant and needed to maintain a happy and relaxed mood, even if she weren't, Zhao Sui hoped she could always be happy, rather than constantly worrying about gains and losses or fearing others' resentment and retaliation.
Moreover, it was highly possible that this was exactly what his Imperial Father meant.
So, he held the princess's hand and instructed: It's good that you understand this yourself, but do not show it outwardly.
Yao Huang understood. While Prince Kang and Consort Xian were satisfied, Consort Rou and Grand Princess Fucheng were gloomy. If she obviously tried to curry favor with Consort Xian and Chen Ying, she would become a thorn in the side of Consort Rou and Grand Princess Fucheng. Therefore, Yao Huang would pretend she knew nothing, neither flattering nor offending either side, lest Prince Qing's faction—jealous of Prince Kang but afraid to strike at him—decide to take their anger out on her and Prince Hui, treating them as soft targets.
.
After the autumn hunt came the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
On the morning of the fourteenth, Yao Huang brought Prince Hui to the shores of the North Lake to fish. They arrived by carriage. After alighting, they laid out felt mats on the grass and propped up a canopy, making it exceptionally cozy to sit or lie down.
Although the First and Second Princesses liked playing with their second sister-in-law, seeing this setup, they guessed that today was her time to accompany their second brother, so they did not come over to disturb them.
Before long, following the princess's orders, Feiquan led Yao Lin over from the Imperial Guards' side.
At this time, Prince Hui was fishing by the shore, while the princess sat alone on the felt mat, enjoying the scenery.
Yao Lin suppressed his impatience and first bowed formally to the prince and princess according to the rules.
Zhao Sui: We are family, no need to be so formal. Go keep the princess company and chat with her.
The implied meaning was: don't disturb his fishing.
Yao Lin looked at his sister.
Yao Huang patted the felt mat beside her, motioning for her brother to come sit.
Yao Lin didn't want to dirty the mat that the prince might sit on later, so he simply sat cross-legged on the grass opposite his sister. Scanning the area, he saw that Aji, Qingai, Feiquan, and the two accompanying guards were standing far away. Yao Lin immediately began complaining to his sister in a low voice: How was I supposed to know you can't just shoot a red fox casually? When I bumped into it in the mountains, all I could think about was the one hundred taels of silver reward... Oh, right, this is for you.
Yao Huang watched as her brother pulled a five-tael silver ingot from each sleeve and swiftly stuffed them into her hands.
Yao Huang: ...
Yao Lin: I know you look down on ten taels of silver now, but this is the first time your brother has made big money. I had to share a little with you so you could be happy too.
With ninety taels left, he would give fifty to his mother for savings, and divide the remaining forty into two parts. One part would be used to treat his subordinates to drinks after returning to the capital, and the other to treat Li Guantang. Of course, it would be even better if Li Guantang got angry and refused, which would save him a sum of silver.
Thinking of the Li family, Yao Lin glanced at Prince Hui's back and asked his sister, "Yesterday I saw the Duke of Zhenguo and his son go to see the Emperor. It should have been to ask the Emperor to cancel the engagement. Did you hear any news inside? Did the Emperor retract his edict?"
Yao Huang picked up a silver ingot and lightly tapped it on her brother's forehead. "The Emperor's word is law. He bestowed this marriage in front of so many people, how could he possibly take it back? What, are you unwilling to marry the Li family's daughter?"
Yao Lin rubbed the spot where his sister had hit him. "Does it matter if I'm willing or not? Miss Li definitely looks down on me. Rather than bringing her home to be despised, it's better to cancel the marriage before we even meet. It saves face for everyone."
Yao Huang said, "Then give up on that idea. An imperial marriage is set in stone. Stop dwelling on it, and don't go spouting nonsense to others."
Yao Lin replied, "Who could I even tell? The Li family is already going to despise me. If I talk out of turn and make them think I'm the one looking down on Miss Li, her brothers really will come and beat me up."
Yao Huang comforted her brother. "Don't worry. This afternoon I'll invite Miss Li for a stroll in the garden. I'll test her attitude towards you first. If she really doesn't dislike you, I'll let you know so you can stop overthinking."
Since it was an imperial marriage, as a Princess Consort, it was only right for her to invite her future sister-in-law over for a chat to show that she was also satisfied with the match.
Yao Lin asked, "And if she does despise me?"
Yao Huang replied, "Then it will depend on your performance after marriage. Fix all those bad habits that Mother and I usually nag you about, and treat her better. If you strive to be flawless, what could she possibly find to dislike about you?"
Yao Lin sighed, "Even if I do perfectly, my family background still isn't good enough for her."
Yao Huang advised, "If she really picks on that, just read her mood. If she calls you over, go; if not, just keep to yourself. The Prince and I started out the exact same way. We only slowly grew closer after getting familiar with each other."
Prince Hui, who wasn't sitting very far away and could hear the siblings' entire conversation perfectly well: "..."
Having finished discussing the marriage, Yao Lin wanted to leave. The nobles and officials in the temporary palace had time off for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the Imperial Guards' duty of guarding the palace could not be neglected.
Yao Huang glanced at her brother, coughed lightly, and asked, "Since you came here, have you written home?"
Yao Lin said, "No, we're so close by, what's there to write about?"
As a member of the Imperial Guards, corresponding with outsiders at a time like this could easily break taboos and arouse suspicion.
Yao Huang reached out a hand to her brother.
Yao Lin subconsciously grasped his sister's hand and pulled her up.
Yao Huang twirled around in front of him. "Notice any changes in me?"
She had only written to tell their mother about her pregnancy. As for her unmarried brother, sending someone specifically to break the news felt a bit awkward.
Yao Lin looked his sister up and down and laughed. "Eating and drinking so well with the Prince, you're looking more and more beautiful."
Prince Hui, who was now completely unable to focus on his fishing: "..."
Yao Huang deliberately pulled her skirt tight around her waist. "You still can't tell?"
Yao Lin asked, "Tell what?"
Seeing Prince Hui tilt his head in their direction, Yao Huang quickly loosened her skirt and smiled at her brother. "Next year, you're going to be an uncle!"
Yao Lin's eyes widened first, then he broke into a massive grin. He instinctively wanted to scoop his sister up and spin her around in circles, but feared hurting her. Yet, holding back such an immense surge of joy was pure torture!
Yao Huang watched her brother repeatedly raise and lower his hands, looking entirely foolish as he tried to find the words but couldn't speak.
Yao Huang prompted him, "Are you happy?"
Yao Lin nodded vigorously.
Yao Huang asked, "Do you want to drink?"
Yao Lin nodded again.
Yao Huang pointed in the direction he had come from and said, "Go on, go to your post first. This evening, I'll have the Prince treat you to drinks."
Yao Lin then ran off with long strides, running just as fast as the joy bursting in his heart!
