In the servants' quarters, Eunuch Cao lived in a small, private courtyard.
As the wheelchair approached the entrance, it encountered its first threshold. Yao Huang didn't bother covering Prince Hui’s eyes this time; she simply brought the chair to a halt. Feiquan quickly pulled a four-layered wooden board from a narrow cabinet on the chair, unfolding it as he walked toward the threshold.
The unfolded board was about six feet wide. Master Deng had crafted a bridge-like groove in the center, designed to fit over even the widest palace thresholds. When placed over a standard doorframe, it remained perfectly stable despite some extra space within the groove.
Zhao Sui watched Feiquan’s every move in silence, observing how a small arched bridge—designed specifically for easy wheelchair passage—appeared at the threshold in the blink of an eye.
Eunuch Cao, who had been feigning illness, came scurrying out from inside and dropped to his knees. "This old servant has deceived Your Highness. I beg for your punishment!"
He knelt heavily, looking genuinely terrified of the Prince’s wrath. Yao Huang’s heart sank at the sight. She hurried to the front of the wheelchair and looked up at the unreadable Prince Hui with trepidation. "Your Highness, I was the one who ordered Eunuch Cao to pretend to be sick. If you want to punish someone, punish me."
"So, you all tricked me into coming here just for this?" Zhao Sui asked.
"Yes," Yao Huang replied. "Your Highness... do you like it?"
"Where did this come from?" Zhao Sui inquired.
Eunuch Cao rushed to answer. "On the evening of the second day, the Princess Consort was so worried she lost her appetite. She ordered me to summon the carpenter, Master Deng, to the manor. Upon meeting him, the Princess mentioned that Your Highness’s wheelchair had difficulty crossing thresholds. She asked if he could build a set of folding, portable boards. Master Deng went back and made several attempts before delivering this set today."
Yao Huang was speechless. When had she ever lost her appetite? She had clearly met Master Deng right after a full dinner.
Noticing the Prince looking her way, Yao Huang whispered, "Your Highness, say something. If you truly don't like it, I... I’ll kneel for you, too."
"...Let’s test if it works first," Zhao Sui said.
Hearing this, Feiquan was about to push the wheelchair, but catching the Prince's eye, his feet stayed glued to the spot.
Since Feiquan didn't move, Qingai hadn't arrived, and Eunuch Cao was still kneeling, Yao Huang had no choice but to push the wheelchair forward herself. Master Deng’s craftsmanship was superb. When the two front wheels hit the bridge board, there was only a slight resistance. Yao Huang applied a bit more strength, and the wheelchair rolled smoothly onto the bridge. The only issue was that Prince Hui’s wheelchair was too grand and long; the front of the chair had already crossed the threshold before Yao Huang had even stepped onto the near side of the bridge.
However, the boards couldn't be made any longer. The longer they were, the thicker the stack would be when folded, and they wouldn't fit in the wheelchair's cabinet.
Yao Huang thought to herself that she should ask Master Deng to make a simpler wheelchair later. When just moving around their own manor, there was no need for such pomp; lightness and comfort were what mattered.
Having crossed the threshold without incident, Yao Huang turned the wheelchair around so the Prince could inspect the bridge boards more closely.
"Keep them," Zhao Sui said. "Eunuch Cao, you may rise."
Eunuch Cao stood up, beaming with joy.
Looking at his heartfelt smile, Yao Huang felt that her gift had truly touched Eunuch Cao’s heart, whereas to the Prince, it seemed almost incidental.
"Back to Mingan Hall."
Leaving the servants' quarters, Feiquan followed at a distance while Yao Huang slowly pushed the wheelchair. "Your Highness isn't going back to the Bamboo Courtyard?" she asked curiously. "Are you staying for lunch with me?"
"Mhm," Zhao Sui replied. "After the midday nap, I shall give you a gift in return."
Yao Huang stopped and walked to the side of the wheelchair, looking down at Prince Hui. "So, Your Highness does like my gift?"
Zhao Sui nodded.
Yao Huang pouted. "If you like it, why have you been wearing such a stiff face? You made me worry for so long that the boards weren't to your liking."
"I said to keep them," Zhao Sui countered.
"That doesn't necessarily mean you like them," Yao Huang argued. "It only means you recognize they are useful. To truly like something, you should smile like Eunuch Cao. Of course, I don't expect Your Highness to smile that brightly, but even a slight curl of the lips would do."
She subconsciously stared at the corners of his mouth.
The more she stared, the more Zhao Sui found it impossible to smile.
Yao Huang huffed and resumed pushing the chair. After a moment, she remembered the important part. "What does Your Highness plan to give me?"
"A painting," Zhao Sui said. "Or is there something else you want?"
For a moment, Yao Huang truly couldn't think of anything else. As for a painting, she recalled the awkwardness of their eye contact in the Peony Garden and muttered, "A painting is fine. It’s just that staying in one position without moving is too difficult. I can't help myself."
"You can sit on the daybed and read a book," Zhao Sui suggested. "Choose whatever position is most comfortable for you."
"Truly reading?" Yao Huang asked. "Or just holding the book while my eyes are fixed on Your Highness?"
"Just reading is fine."
Suddenly, Yao Huang found herself looking forward to it.
After lunch and a nap, by the time Yao Huang had slept her fill, Zhao Sui had already finished his afternoon massage in the front courtyard. Qingai and Feiquan had also prepared the easel and paints.
The low table on the daybed had been moved aside. Now, only a long bolster and a large silk-covered pillow remained at the western end.
To the east of the daybed stood a large floor vase holding several stalks of emerald green bamboo. To the right was a flower stand with a pastel vase containing several fresh, delicate peonies.
Yao Huang had prepared her book in advance—a popular novel suitable for all ages.
Once Feiquan and the others finished the preparations and withdrew, Yao Huang, dressed in a white jacket and a water-green high-waisted skirt, kicked off the light green satin soft-soled slippers Bailing had picked for her. She sat on the daybed and was about to strike a pose when Prince Hui suddenly spoke.
"The embroidered shoes don't need to be placed so neatly. It looks too forced."
Yao Huang leaned over to look under the bed. He had a point; she certainly wouldn't arrange her shoes so perfectly at home.
She nudged one shoe askew and lay down on her side facing the peonies. Her head and shoulders rested against the large pillow, her left elbow propped up on the bolster, and she held the book in her hand.
The person was beautiful, but the pose was a bit lacking.
Zhao Sui thought for a moment and said, "You can pretend you fell asleep while reading. Push the pillow further back, rest your right hand in front of you, hold the book with your left, and let it rest open against your bodice."
Yao Huang adjusted her posture as instructed and laughed once she was settled. "If I’d known, I would have had you come paint while I was actually napping. It would have saved me the trouble of acting."
Zhao Sui looked into her smiling eyes.
After a moment of eye contact, Yao Huang closed her eyes, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.
It had been nearly four days since they had last shared a bed. Zhao Sui had enough self-control to push aside distracting thoughts and focus on his painting.
Whenever the sound of the brush scratching against the paper came from the easel, Yao Huang would peek. If the Prince looked over, she would immediately "fall back asleep."
The sunlight outside slowly shifted. Because the room was so quiet, Yao Huang actually did fall asleep for a while. When she woke up, she forced herself to endure the pose. It wasn't until dusk that the Prince put down his brush.
"There is still a little left," he said. "I will continue after dinner."
Yao Huang was nearly numb from lying down. She sat up, rubbed her shoulders, put on her shoes, and walked around to the easel. This time, there was finally a person on the rice paper, but it gave Yao Huang a fright. She took two steps back.
"Where is my head?"
On the daybed in the painting lay a woman with a graceful figure who looked every bit a peerless beauty, but the fact that the beauty had no head above her neck was terrifying!
Zhao Sui explained, "Clothing is prone to shifting with movement, so I painted that part first. I will paint the head and face later."
Yao Huang still felt it was unsettling. She tilted her head and said, "Then I’ll wait until Your Highness has finished the whole thing before I look again."
Zhao Sui said, "Alright, push me out."
Before dinner, they took a stroll through the garden. Afterward, Zhao Sui decided to remain in the front courtyard, agreeing to join her in half an hour.
The four head maids, including Aji, attended to the Princess as she bathed and changed. Seizing a moment of leisure, they crowded around the easel to admire the work. One praised the masterful depiction of the dress's folds; another marveled at how the Princess’s fingers and wrists looked remarkably lifelike; a third complimented the vivid rendering of the peonies and emerald bamboo. Only Yao Huang remained steadfast in her refusal to look at her "headless" self.
Once her hair was dry, her tresses were styled exactly as they had been that afternoon, but she changed into a set of peach-colored k'o-ssu silk inner robes.
While high-waisted empire skirts were beautiful, the waistbands were quite tight and not suited for reclining—especially for someone with a figure as curvaceous as Yao Huang’s. Since night was falling anyway, she figured she would go straight to sleep once the painting was finished.
Aji and Bailing moved two lotus-shaped candle stands over. Hearing the Prince arrive outside, the two maids promptly withdrew.
Prince Hui sat in his wheelchair, also dressed only in white inner robes. Upon entering, he did not see the Princess immediately, nor did he look around for her. After Qingai stepped out, Zhao Sui focused on inspecting the various pigments before the easel. It was only when he heard footsteps that he saw the Princess emerging from behind the bed curtains, clad only in her thin, light inner garments.
However, Prince Hui merely gave her a brief glance before returning his concentration to mixing his paints.
Yao Huang settled into the same pose she had held that afternoon. Watching him, she asked, "How much longer will it take?"
Zhao Sui looked at the two ornaments nestled in her thick, dark hair. "Half an hour."
"That’s fine then," Yao Huang said. "Any longer and I really might fall asleep."
Zhao Sui kept his eyes on the Xuan paper. "If you are tired, sleep. There is no need to force yourself to stay awake."
Yao Huang thought to herself: If she really fell asleep, who would push the Prince’s wheelchair to the bedside?
The soft scratching of the brush against the paper resumed. The gentle candlelight draped a delicate, lustrous glow over the Princess as she feigned sleep on the Arhat bed.
Zhao Sui nearly chose the wrong color, but ultimately stuck to mimicking the afternoon light to paint her creamy, petal-pink complexion.
Prince Hui painted with meticulous care. Though he had said half an hour, he actually worked until the second watch of the night. In the side room, Bailing, who was on night watch, was already fast asleep.
Setting down his brush, Zhao Sui looked at the Princess five paces away, who had unconsciously shifted into a flat sleeping position.
Beside his wheelchair stood a high side table. A cup of tea had been placed there for him to drink whenever he grew thirsty while painting.
Zhao Sui moved the tea to the pigment stand and shifted the high table forward. Then, he used his strength to brace himself against the table, hauling his body into an upright position. Keeping his eyes on the Princess, he leaned his chest against the table to maintain his balance, reaching back with one hand to pull the wheelchair forward to the front of the table.
Zhao Sui’s movements were slow and steady. After three such rotations, his hands finally reached the edge of the Arhat bed.
Lying down flat beside the Princess, Zhao Sui closed his eyes, waiting for his breathing to steady.
Despite his efforts to suppress it, Yao Huang still heard the heavy breathing right next to her ear.
Yao Huang startled awake. Turning her head, she saw that it was indeed the Prince.
Looking past the bed, she saw the wheelchair and the high table standing one after the other, marking the path the Prince had taken to move himself across the room.
Just then, an arm reached over and pulled her into his embrace.
His chest was no longer heaving so violently, but Yao Huang could feel a warmth radiating from him—a heat unique to the Prince, far warmer than when he was resting quietly. It was clear he had just exhausted himself.
"Why didn't Your Highness wake me?" Yao Huang felt a pang of heartache, and a touch of annoyance at herself for sleeping so soundly.
Zhao Sui pointed to the carved lattice window behind her. "Close it."
Yao Huang knelt up, bracing one hand against the windowsill as she closed the two nearest windows in succession. Just as she was about to turn around, an arm suddenly hooked around her waist. With a firm tug, the arm pulled Yao Huang back, causing her to fall into the lap of Prince Hui, who had sat up at some point.
A large hand pressed against her thin silk robes, and a searing kiss fell upon her bared shoulder.
Yao Huang stared in shock at the two windows opposite them, finally understanding why the Prince had gone through such painstaking effort to move himself over.
She bit her lip. "Do you really want it that much?"
Prince Hui replied, "...It is because you are wearing too little."
