What with the fuss over the bamboo demon and the Crown Prince, Yao Huang felt she could have slept until almost noon. However, the Crown Prince, who was on his day off, woke her up right at the hour of Chenzheng.
After failing to dodge him several times, Yao Huang poked her head out from under the covers and glared resentfully at the Crown Prince sitting by the heated kang bed. Since Your Highness is in such good spirits, why don't you go clear the bamboo forest of demons? Why must you disturb my sweet dreams?
The Crown Prince wore an elegant expression, as if he didn't understand her nonsense and had no intention of delving into it. He simply explained, The day before yesterday, I sent a calling card to my mother-in-law, stating that I would accompany you back for a visit today. I also asked her to bring your maternal grandfather's family over for a small gathering. They should already be waiting by now.
Only then did Yao Huang notice that His Highness the Crown Prince was wearing a jade crown. Usually, when resting in the estate, he only used a single jade hairpin to tie up his hair.
Her complaints turned into pleasant surprise. Yao Huang scrambled out of the covers and reached out to hug the Crown Prince.
Zhao Sui promptly pinned the Crown Princess in place on the edge of the kang. Looking down at her pair of snow-white bare feet dangling below, he reminded her, The carriage and horses are all ready. Hurry and get dressed.
Yao Huang then stretched out her right foot and rubbed it against the Crown Prince's leg.
The Crown Prince turned his wheelchair around and quickly left.
By the time Yao Huang finished freshening up, A'ji had also brought over her breakfast. Sitting at the stone table in the small bamboo courtyard, listening to the crisp bird calls outside, and looking at the handsome Crown Prince holding a book beside her as he accompanied her for the meal, Yao Huang finally appreciated the tranquil beauty of this place.
As she pushed the Crown Prince's wheelchair to leave, Yao Huang whispered, We move on the twenty-eighth, so we can still stay in the princely estate for eight nights. How about we spend a few more nights in the bamboo courtyard when Your Highness doesn't have to attend morning court?
Facing forward, the Crown Prince ignored her. Yao Huang was just about to blow on the top of his head when she noticed that his earlobes had turned red.
Yao Huang said, ...I just like the peace and quiet here, please don't misunderstand, Your Highness.
The Crown Prince remained silent.
Annoyed, Yao Huang said, Forget it. Even if Your Highness asks me to come, I won't. A clear conscience speaks for itself.
Looking at the gradually retreating bamboo forest on both sides, the Crown Prince really wanted to tell the Crown Princess that the bamboo forest was dead, but the bamboo demon wasn't restricted to appearing only in the bamboo courtyard.
The Yao family's new residence was nearby, so the Crown Prince and his wife, bringing Jun'er along, arrived very quickly.
The members of the Yao and Luo families were indeed all waiting. The Crown Prince spoke up early to excuse them from the formality of kneeling and bowing.
Zhao Sui arranged today's trip so the Crown Princess could have a proper reunion with her maiden family before moving into the palace. His accompanying her was a matter of etiquette, but if he stayed here the whole time, it would only make everyone feel constrained. Therefore, after chatting with Yao Zhenhu and the others for about two quarters of an hour, Zhao Sui left first, agreeing to return and pick up the Crown Princess in the afternoon around the hour of Shen.
After the Crown Prince left, Li Fuwei also slipped away under the pretext of fetching a gift for Jun'er. It wasn't that she didn't want to be close to her husband's relatives, but rather that on her husband's side, apart from her husband Yao Lin, her mother-in-law Luo Jinhua, and the Crown Princess who could interact with her comfortably, the way everyone else looked at her was not much different from how they looked at the Crown Prince, with both respect and fear.
Some relationships shouldn't be forced; keeping a distance actually made both sides more comfortable.
After her daughter-in-law left, Luo Jinhua explained the daughter-in-law's good intentions to the maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, and the rest.
The maternal grandfather said, It's nothing. Not to mention she doesn't look down on us, but even if she did, we wouldn't mind. As long as she and Lin'er can live well together, that's enough.
After all, the Duke Zhenguo's Estate was a top-tier noble family passed down generation by generation since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty. The young ladies of that estate were almost as precious as the princesses in the palace. His son-in-law and grandson were at least officials, while he, his old wife, and his two sons and daughters-in-law were just farmers from a small town. They had already benefited greatly from their grandson's marriage; they had no right to be picky.
Besides, other than when their daughter and son-in-law invited them over for holidays, they wouldn't frequently travel to the capital for no reason. The city might be wealthy and noble, but it wasn't as comfortable as staying in their town. There, the people they interacted with were all farming neighbors, and everyone spoke in their local dialect. No one had to laugh at anyone else.
The female relatives all looked at Yao Lin.
Yao Lin said, ...Why is everyone looking at me? We're doing quite well.
Many young couples in the Changshou Alley neighborhood would argue, but he and Li Fuwei had almost nothing to talk about, so there was nothing to argue over. Anyway, he worked during the day, so the time he could see Li Fuwei was already limited. At night, they just went straight to sleep when it got dark, which required even less talking.
Yao Lin knew he was clumsy with words. Marrying a wife who didn't need him to coax her with sweet talk left him quite satisfied.
After a brief chat about whether Yao Lin and his wife were getting along harmoniously, the topic returned to Yao Huang, who was about to move into the palace.
Matters inside the palace did not need their worry, and they wouldn't let the Crown Princess worry about matters outside the palace either. They all promised to behave themselves, neither using their connections to bully others nor accepting bribes from people with ulterior motives, which would put the Crown Prince and Crown Princess in a difficult position.
Yao Huang was very clear about her maiden family's character. Although they had some minor flaws common among ordinary folks, they were never muddled when it came to major issues of right and wrong, much less covet ill-gotten wealth. Moreover, she had her mother and sister-in-law keeping an eye on things outside for her, ready to intervene promptly if any incidents arose.
Before moving, Yao Huang also made separate trips to the Eldest Princess's Estate and Prince Kang's Estate.
The Eldest Princess was both happy that her second brother and sister-in-law could move into the Eastern Palace, and very reluctant to part with her second sister-in-law. Before, when I lived in the palace, I always felt it was inconvenient to visit because you lived outside. Now I've only been out of the palace for three months, and I haven't even had enough time to stroll around the capital with you, yet you're already moving into the palace.
Yao Huang said, Stop playing the victim with me. Do you think I don't know how many young madams and gentlewomen your Princess Estate entertains every day? They are all the noble ladies you knew before leaving the palace. Wherever you want to go, hundreds will answer your call. I'm only afraid you'll have too much fun with them and forget to visit Mother Empress and me in the palace.
The Eldest Princess laughed. They are just there to join the fun and relieve boredom. You are my closest bosom friend.
Yao Huang replied, Say what you will, but the more young madams you know, the better. In the future, if there's any fresh gossip in any household, you must remember to tell me.
Having become the Crown Princess, Yao Huang could still leave the palace, but it certainly wouldn't be as free as when she was a Princess Consort and could go anywhere at a moment's notice. Therefore, she could only rely on her relatives and friends to keep an eye out for interesting tidbits outside the palace.
The Eldest Princess naturally agreed.
Over at Prince Kang's Estate, Chen Ying was already eight months pregnant, with her due date estimated for early September.
Chen Ying had no maiden family in the capital. Yao Huang, whom she had befriended back in the Chuxiu Pavilion, was practically half a maiden family to her.
Dismissing the servants, Chen Ying spoke in hushed, intimate tones with Yao Huang, Ever since the Emperor appointed the Second Prince as the Crown Prince, seeing the First Prince happily continue his duties has made my heart feel much more at ease.
Earlier, she too had thought the heir apparent would be chosen between Prince Kang and Prince Qing. Therefore, ever since she married Prince Kang, she had been bearing various pressures. Consort Rou and Grand Princess Fucheng would occasionally make remarks at her; ostensibly showing concern, but actually filled with thorns. Consort Xian was dignified and gentle, and didn't mind her lowly background, but whenever Chen Ying saw Consort Xian, she would become tense, always feeling that every look from Consort Xian carried some profound meaning.
When something happened to Prince Qing, it seemed like Prince Kang had a chance, and Chen Ying's nervousness turned into anxiety over whether she was truly capable of taking on the role of a future Crown Princess or the Mother of the Nation.
When Emperor Yongchang decreed that Prince Hui would be the Crown Prince, Chen Ying began to fear that Prince Kang and Consort Xian might be deeply disappointed, and whether their terrible moods would lead them to vent their anger on her. Fortunately, her husband, Prince Kang, was an upright and open-minded man. Not only did he genuinely support Emperor Yongchang's decree, but he also turned around to comfort her, telling her not to envy her second sister-in-law for becoming the Crown Princess.
Chen Ying was not envious in the slightest. She was only happy for Yao Huang, and happy for herself as well. She had long grown accustomed to relying on Yao Huang. Now that Yao Huang was the Crown Princess, she would eventually become the Empress, which meant Chen Ying could continue to rely on her. It was not that she wanted Yao Huang to do anything specific for her; rather, as long as Yao Huang sat securely in that high position, Chen Ying's heart would be at peace.
Yao Huang gave Chen Ying a hug and said with a smile, I will come see you again after you give birth.
The twenty-eighth of the seventh month was an auspicious day for moving.
Everything in the Eastern Palace was brand new, and the materials used were a grade higher than those in the princely manor. For this move, the Crown Prince's family only needed to transfer their treasury and the favorite items they were accustomed to using daily. This Prince Hui Manor would become the former residence of the Crown Prince's family, still belonging to him. Some of the artisans and servants who originally worked in the manor would stay behind to look after the estate, and Chief Steward Guo Shu would continue to handle external affairs for the Crown Prince.
Eunuch Cao, Nanny Liu, Qingai, Feiquan, and others were originally palace servants the Crown Prince had brought out from the palace. This time, they would follow him back and move into the Eastern Palace. Yao Huang's four senior maids and four second-tier maids would also move into the Eastern Palace, becoming senior and second-tier palace maids of the same rank by the Crown Princess's side.
As for the pets raised in the manor, Jinbao was already an old patriarch and definitely had to move in with them. The bucks in the deer park would continue to be kept at the manor, while the does, along with the little doe born just this April, would move into the new Eastern Palace deer park that the Crown Prince had personally designed for them.
On the twenty-seventh, Eunuch Cao and Nanny Liu took a group of palace servants to transport various large items, dogs, and deer to the Eastern Palace. When the Crown Prince's family of three entered the palace on the twenty-eighth, they traveled light. By the time they arrived at the Eastern Palace, the various halls and palaces had already been neatly organized, and fresh potted plants and flowers had been placed in the masters' bedchambers and halls.
The doors, windows, and corridor pillars were coated with brand-new lacquer, shimmering with a captivating luster under the sunlight, making one's heart feel bright and clear just by looking at them.
After touring the rooms, Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui in his wheelchair to see the deer park, which had been converted from the eastern courtyard.
With the various buildings in the courtyard torn down, the park looked much more spacious. The deer park was modeled after the landscape where the hills met the grasslands in the Northern Garden. There was a small, slightly elevated hill planted with scattered plum and maple trees. Below the hill lay a flat stretch of grass, with a winding stone path paved through the middle.
The entire imperial palace was surrounded by walls on all four sides, yet Yao Huang found a refreshing expanse of grassland right here in the Eastern Palace.
She kissed the Crown Prince on the ear and said, I love it here.
After seeing the large and small does, Yao Huang pushed the Crown Prince to the garden on the west side.
If the beauty of the deer park lay in its openness, the beauty of the garden triumphed in its winding paths leading to secluded spots. In a park of the same size, the garden managed to gather rockeries, ponds, lake stones, rare flowers and trees, and pavilions all in one place. It was almost a different scenic view with every step. Yao Huang could already imagine that when Jun'er was a few years older and came here to play hide-and-seek with her, it would be incredibly difficult to find him!
As they walked, a clearing about ten feet long and over six feet wide suddenly appeared behind another rockery. Because it was hidden between the rockery and the adjacent covered walkway, one could not even tell from a distance that there was an empty space here.
Yao Huang stopped the wheelchair and asked in confusion, Your Highness, why is this spot empty? Have you not decided what flowers to plant yet?
Zhao Sui replied, We can make two vegetable patches.
The Crown Princess did not like the hard labor of working in the fields, but she enjoyed occasionally watering a vegetable patch and personally picking some vegetables when it was time to harvest.
Yao Huang was both pleasantly surprised that the Crown Prince still remembered this little quirk of hers, and a bit embarrassed. In such a beautiful garden, wouldn't planting vegetables look completely out of place?
It was as if the Crown Prince had painted a masterpiece, and she insisted on writing a line of ordinary, unappealing, vulgar text on it.
Yao Huang was a very mundane person, but she knew how to appreciate and cherish beautiful things. She would absolutely never scribble over the Crown Prince's painting.
Zhao Sui lowered his eyes and said, As long as you like it, we can even open a few more vegetable patches.
He had lived in the palace for over ten years. The princes' residences only had a single courtyard, and Zhao Sui could get used to moving back to the palace after a few years away.
The Crown Princess was different. She loved strolling through gardens. Since the Eastern Palace happened to have two extra courtyards, Zhao Sui had them converted into gardens for her.
Since it was the Crown Princess's garden, the Crown Princess could plant whatever she liked.
Yao Huang looked at this Crown Prince, who dared to pretend to be a bamboo demon to bully people at night but was so reserved that he hesitated to say a sweet word during the day. She smiled, bent down, and kissed him on the ear again. It is wonderful. I love it here too.
