June 28th was the birthday of the little heir of Prince Kang's Manor, Brother Dun.
Yao Huang went to Empress Zhou two days in advance to ask for permission. She said she wanted to take Jun-ge'er to Prince Kang's Manor on the 28th to celebrate Brother Dun's birthday, and let Jun-ge'er bond with his older cousins and little sister from his uncle's family. That night, she would stay at the Crown Prince's Manor outside the palace. On the 29th, she planned to visit the pregnant Eldest Princess and then stay another night at the Crown Prince's Manor, because the Crown Prince wanted to ride horses out of the city on his rest day at the end of the month.
Empress Zhou replied, "...Just say you want to stay outside the palace for two nights. Would I actually stop you?"
Look at this string of excuses—from Brother Dun to the Eldest Princess to the Crown Prince. Even the Emperor wouldn't be able to find a reason to refuse.
Yao Huang smiled and said, "When your daughter-in-law leaves the palace, Mother, you will definitely have to report this to Father the Emperor. I was afraid Father would misunderstand and think I was just being playful, so I explained it clearly to you in advance. I will have to trouble you to smooth things over for me."
Empress Zhou pinched the Crown Princess's delicate cheek. With this temperament, it was a good thing the Crown Princess knew how to restrain herself. If she were the Emperor's own biological princess, she probably wouldn't even bother finding a suitable excuse and would just leave the palace to play.
"Go ahead. Your Father the Emperor has been in a good mood lately, so he won't mind."
This year, the weather had been favorable everywhere, and several neighboring states had come to pay tribute. Up north, the various tribes of the Wu Kingdom were embroiled in internal strife, and Emperor Yongchang was more than happy to sit back and watch the show.
Yao Huang smiled, having already guessed this would be the outcome.
She didn't just casually clamor to leave the palace. She had gone out for a spring outing in March, and for the next three months, she had obediently stayed in the palace. During that time, the Crown Prince had twice suggested taking her out, but Yao Huang had refused both times to avoid displeasing Emperor Yongchang by leaving too frequently. It had just been too hot recently, and Yao Huang missed the Serene Pool at the Crown Prince's Manor, so she calculated the birthdays of several royal relatives...
In the blink of an eye, the 28th arrived.
Before the Crown Prince got up early to practice martial arts, Yao Huang threw herself onto his back and asked with a smile, "After your shift tonight, Your Highness, will you return to the Eastern Palace or go to the Crown Prince's Manor?"
Zhao Sui remained silent.
Yao Huang touched the edge of his collar. "Who asked you to have to work tomorrow? I have the excuse of visiting the Eldest Princess, but I really can't find one for Your Highness. Fortunately, it's just one night. Hmm, perhaps Your Highness is also very happy that for this one night, you won't have to coax Jun-ge'er or keep me company, right?"
Zhao Sui looked at the Crown Princess's mischievous hands and said, "You are happy to spend one less night with me, which is why you project those same thoughts onto me."
Yao Huang replied, "...What do I have to be happy about? Your Highness is so handsome, I wish I could serve you in bed every night."
Zhao Sui really wanted to remind the Crown Princess that just last night she was crying and cursing him, asking if he was the reincarnation of a donkey, but while the Crown Princess could say such things, he found it too difficult to speak aloud.
"I will stay in the palace. You don't need to wait for me."
Trying hard to ignore the Crown Princess's body pressing against his, Zhao Sui helped her sit up straight and then quickly walked away. She had to go to Prince Kang's Manor in the morning, so it wouldn't be appropriate to tire her out now.
Yao Huang also hoped the Crown Prince would stay in the palace tonight. Otherwise, if the Crown Prince followed her everywhere she went, her mother might be happy that her son-in-law was clingy to her daughter, but Emperor Yongchang might not be so pleased that his son was too clingy to his daughter-in-law.
From morning until noon, Yao Huang stayed at Prince Kang's Manor. Prince Kang was also on duty in the palace, so the manor only had the female family members and children. It was bustling and incredibly lively. After attending the banquet there, Yao Huang took Jun-ge'er directly to the Yao family's new residence, which was only three streets away from the Crown Prince's Manor. She spent two hours with her mother and sister-in-law before returning to the Crown Prince's Manor.
It was just the Shen hour. Nanny Liu, who had arrived ahead of time, had already instructed the old servants of the Crown Prince's Manor to prepare the water in the Serene Pool.
The wet nurse took Jun-ge'er to take a nap. Yao Huang was also a bit sleepy and decided to play in the water after waking up.
In the palace, the Crown Prince was as diligent in his duties as always. Although he occasionally thought about what the Crown Princess was doing outside the palace, he quickly and rationally suppressed those thoughts.
Zhao Sui truly hadn't planned to leave the palace to find the Crown Princess tonight. For one, it was indeed only one night, and he didn't want the Crown Princess to laugh at him for not being able to wait even a single night. Secondly, leaving the palace required reporting to his father, and Zhao Sui couldn't figure out how to broach the subject with the Emperor.
Right before the end of his shift during the You hour, a young eunuch from the Qianyuan Hall delivered a letter. He excused himself before the Crown Prince even opened it.
The envelope was completely blank, but the only person who could command the servants of the Qianyuan Hall was Emperor Yongchang.
Zhao Sui had already guessed the contents of the letter, but he still had to open it to confirm. Taking out the letter paper, there was indeed a single sentence written in red ink: "Go, Jun-ge'er is used to seeing you every day."
The Crown Prince's face grew faintly hot. He then lingered in the Ministry of Works until almost all the officials had left before taking Qing Ai out of the palace.
The Crown Prince's Manor was just west of the Imperial City. Jing Wu trotted along briskly and quickly delivered the Crown Prince to his old residence.
Zhao Sui arrived at Ming'an Hall, but he only saw the wet nurse coaxing Jun-ge'er to play. The Crown Princess had just gone to the Lake Center Pavilion after dinner and would be sleeping there tonight.
The Crown Princess, having just eaten, definitely couldn't get into the water immediately. Zhao Sui then returned to the front courtyard to bathe and change clothes.
The Crown Prince washed quickly, and Master Kong, who continued to cook at the old residence because the masters frequently returned, also cooked quickly, promptly delivering three newly stir-fried dishes.
The Crown Prince absentmindedly ate until he was seventy percent full. After rinsing his mouth, he took Qing Ai to the back garden.
Summer days were long, and a trace of the setting sun still lingered on the horizon. As Zhao Sui walked alone along the covered bridge connecting the lake shore to the Lake Center Pavilion, a wisp of wind blew toward him, still carrying the daytime heat and the dampness of the lake water.
The Lake Center Pavilion was on a small island. The Crown Princess staying here alone didn't require too many people to serve her. Her close attendants were only Nanny Liu and Aji, along with two young eunuchs and two maids who were originally responsible for cleaning the pavilion. Now that the Crown Princess wanted to swim, only one eunuch out of these four was arranged to keep watch on this side of the covered bridge to prevent outsiders from trespassing. The other three could return to their rooms to rest.
The Crown Prince arrived silently. Qing Ai had the young eunuch on night watch lock the door on this side of the covered bridge and go to rest. He then whispered a few words to Nanny Liu, who was guarding the back hall. Waiting until Nanny Liu found an excuse to call Aji away from the Serene Pool, the Crown Prince, who had been waiting in the shadows, finally walked slowly toward the pool.
Night was falling. Two lamp stands were set up on the path leading to the Serene Pool. Bypassing the short but sufficiently hidden rockery path, there was only one lamp on the shore of the Serene Pool.
The Crown Princess, who hadn't been in the water for long, was swimming joyfully. When she swam two laps, stood firm by the shore, wiped her face, and looked toward the rockery path, her entire field of vision was just as it had been when Aji left, except the sky was slightly darker. The Crown Princess only glanced casually and didn't notice that a set of men's clothing had appeared next to the dress she left on the shore.
Right at this moment, the sound of water breaking suddenly came from behind her. Before Yao Huang could turn her head, a powerful arm fiercely wrapped around her waist and pulled her backward. When Yao Huang crashed into the other party's rock-hard chest, their other hand tightly covered her mouth, suppressing the scream that was about to escape her lips.
Yao Huang, who hadn't yet thought of the Crown Prince, instinctively raised her elbow backward to attack the other party's abdomen.
The other party took a step back to dodge, simultaneously spinning her around.
Yao Huang finally saw her Crown Prince's handsome face. His hair, fastened with a jade hairpin, was still neatly bound despite being drenched in water. Only water droplets continuously rolled down, sliding past his lowered eyes and brows. The Crown Prince, having entered the pool, wore a set of inner garments. At this moment, the white silk inner garment clung tightly to his body, tracing the lines of his chest and abdomen—a sight he rarely gave the Crown Princess a chance to peek at.
As Yao Huang observed the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince—who was a head taller than her but conveniently looking down—was also silently gazing at his Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess wore a lotus-green gauze skirt. It used even less material than the one she wore for swimming here last summer; the top part alone looked exactly like a bandeau.
Once wet, the lotus-green gauze seemed almost to melt, clinging thin and sheer against the Crown Princess's skin...
Noticing where the Crown Prince's gaze had fallen, Yao Huang abruptly hugged her chest and sank into the water.
Zhao Sui lifted her out in one swift motion, forcing the Crown Princess to retreat two steps until her back pressed against a stone wall standing by the shore.
When the Crown Prince lowered his head, the Crown Princess bit her lip and tilted her face up. Her hands pushed, scratched, and beat at his shoulders, yet she could not budge him in the slightest.
The Crown Prince's advance was fierce and overwhelming. Yao Huang had no chance to speak at all. It was not until the rippling water finally calmed, and the Crown Prince carried her to sit on a step at the entrance of the secluded pool—leaving more than half of her body still soaking in the water that retained the lingering warmth of the scorching sun—that Yao Huang rested her head on his arm and asked weakly, Didn't you say you weren't leaving the palace tonight?
Zhao Sui brushed aside a wet strand of hair clinging to the Crown Princess's cheek. Avoiding her gaze, he said, Imperial Father was worried about Jun-ge'er and told me to come check on him.
Yao Huang: ...Then Your Highness should go accompany Jun-ge'er. Why come here to bully me?
The Crown Prince did not answer, taking it upon himself to help the Crown Princess clean her body, the pool full of lake water readily at his disposal.
The Crown Princess's body trembled. She turned her head and buried it in the Crown Prince's chest, only barely gathering the strength to grab his shoulders to vent her dissatisfaction.
The Crown Princess was too shy to look up or speak, and the Crown Prince took the opportunity to say, The water here is deep. I was afraid you might have an accident alone.
Unable to escape the Crown Prince's hands, Yao Huang could only splash water at his face, hoping to interrupt his movements.
Zhao Sui cooperatively released the Crown Princess.
Yao Huang immediately swam far away. Finding that the Crown Prince had not chased after her, she breathed a sigh of relief. But she soon realized the Crown Prince's wickedness: her outer robe and towel were on the shore behind him. If she wanted to go ashore and get dressed, she would have to go back to him!
Yao Huang swam back to the spot where the Crown Prince had just bullied her. On the floating surface of the water, she found the gauze skirt she had specially asked Chunyan to sew for playing in the water. However, when Yao Huang happily turned the skirt to the front and was about to put it on, she froze upon seeing a small torn hole in the fabric. The Crown Prince had only kissed her a few times—when did he use his teeth?
Flustered and exasperated, Yao Huang glared at the Crown Prince from afar and suddenly called out toward the outside of the rockery for Aji.
Zhao Sui: ...
The Crown Prince re-entered the water, approaching the Crown Princess like a swimming fish.
Yao Huang could no longer bother calling for Aji and turned to flee.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince, whose legs had fully recovered, had longer legs and greater strength than she did. Even his swimming skills were better. Yao Huang had only fled half a lap before the Crown Prince caught her by the ankle and pulled her back.
When the two resurfaced, Yao Huang angrily threw herself into the Crown Prince's arms, pulling at his inner garment to tear it open as well.
Zhao Sui smiled and grasped the Crown Princess's wrists.
Yao Huang proceeded to bite his inner garment.
Zhao Sui simply hoisted the Crown Princess over his shoulder, waded across most of the pool, and carried her ashore.
