Today was the day of the Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet. The guests included not only the imperial family and relatives but also dukes, marquesses, earls, and civil and military officials of the fifth rank and above. Consequently, the Imperial City opened both the Xihua and Donghua Gates to allow these two streams of people to enter the palace separately.
The imperial relatives all entered through the Xihua Gate.
The carriage from the Prince Hui Estate traveled along the broad stone road outside the palace walls toward the Xihua Gate. Inside the carriage, Yao Huang leaned toward the gap in the curtains. She saw a line of carriages parked at the base of the palace walls; they likely belonged to imperial relatives who had arrived early. While the people could enter, the horses and carriages could not, so they had to wait outside in an orderly line.
As she watched, Yao Huang’s eyes suddenly lit up. She lifted the curtain a bit higher and pointed toward a plain, dusty mule cart parked outside, saying to Prince Hui, who was in his wheelchair, "Your Highness, look! That unremarkable mule cart must be ours."
Before her mother had left the estate after her last garden visit, she had mentioned she wanted to buy a cart. She said it would save them from having to borrow one every time something came up, which was quite embarrassing for her daughter and son-in-law. Her maternal grandmother felt the same way. Since both families already owned mules, it wouldn’t cost much to simply add a wooden frame for a cart.
Zhao Sui looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed saw a common mule cart sandwiched between two magnificent carriages.
Had the Princess Consort looked dejected or ashamed, Zhao Sui might have suggested gifting his father-in-law a better carriage. However, her face was filled only with the joy of seeing her family's cart. If he were to bring up a gift now, it might seem as though he looked down on his father-in-law's humble circumstances.
"So, His Majesty actually invited my family." This was the true source of Yao Huang's delight.
Zhao Sui reminded her, "Your family are the Emperor's in-laws."
Unless his father no longer acknowledged him as a son due to his disability, the Emperor would not forget his wife's family at such a banquet.
Yao Huang thought about it, then squeezed onto his wheelchair, leaning against Prince Hui's shoulder. She looked up into his eyes and asked, "The wives of the other princes all come from powerful and influential families, while my father is only a low-ranking official. When everyone gathers later, will Your Highness feel ashamed of my father?"
As the two became increasingly intimate at night—having seen the side of him that wished to be joined with her forever—Yao Huang grew less and less afraid of her husband during the day, unless he chose to use his status as a Prince to scold her.
The Princess Consort was like a clinging vine, yet Prince Hui remained as steady as a rock. "I will not."
Happy, Yao Huang almost kissed him, but remembering that he didn't seem to like being kissed on the cheek, she simply rubbed her shoulder against his. After that, she went back to peeking outside.
As the carriage neared the Xihua Gate, Yao Huang saw two large carriages of the same specification as their own being led to the wall by grooms. Those grooms were dressed in silk garments.
As the carriage moved forward a bit more, several figures standing and watching the Prince Hui Estate carriage came into view. Yao Huang quietly lowered the curtain, straightened her dress, and then helped Zhao Sui unlock the wheelchair's securing mechanism.
The carriage door opened. Qingai set up the long wooden ramp and, together with the Princess Consort, pushed Prince Hui out of the carriage.
Just as they regained their footing, a figure in magnificent robes walked up. With a look of pleasant surprise, he said to Zhao Sui, "Second Brother, I truly didn't expect you to come."
Zhao Sui gave a faint smile and introduced him to Yao Huang: "This is His Highness, Prince Kang."
Yao Huang performed a polite greeting, addressing him as "Your Highness."
Prince Kang had attended the wedding at the Prince Hui Estate, but today was the first time he had seen his second younger brother's wife clearly. Fortunately, it took the couple longer to dismount than others, allowing Prince Kang to take in the bright and beautiful appearance of his sister-in-law beforehand. Thus, he appeared very composed now, saying, "Between brothers, why call me 'Your Highness'? Just call me 'Eldest Brother' from now on."
Having said that, Prince Kang turned and gestured to the three children standing beside his two secondary consorts. "Come here, pay your respects to your Second Uncle and Second Aunt."
Taking advantage of this moment, Yao Huang stole a few quick glances at Prince Kang.
When she had met the Emperor, Yao Huang had noticed that Emperor Yongchang had a rectangular face, possessing the upright and dignified air of a sovereign, though he was by no means the kind of handsome man who would make a woman's heart skip a beat. Among his four consorts, Empress Zhou was as gentle as water, and Consort Xian was dignified and virtuous; only Consort Du and Consort Shen Rou possessed extraordinary beauty.
The Prince Kang before her had a rectangular face very similar to Emperor Yongchang's, though his eyes and nose favored Consort Xian. However, those same long, narrow eyes did not seem small on Consort Xian’s petite face—at most, they were ordinary—and combined with her scholarly aura, her gaze seemed very wise. But on Prince Kang’s face, those eyes were truly small and lacked Consort Xian's intelligent spark.
In short, Prince Kang's appearance was quite unremarkable; only his tall, upright stature was worth a compliment.
The three children had arrived at Prince Kang's side. The eldest, the little heir, was just five years old. The two secondary consorts had respectively given him a four-year-old brother and a three-year-old sister.
The three children, all smartly dressed, first looked at the wheelchair with curiosity, then were frightened by their Second Uncle’s pale, lifeless face. They greeted their Second Uncle and Second Aunt with a mix of nervousness and timidity.
Zhao Sui nodded slightly, and Yao Huang praised each of them in turn.
Prince Kang then introduced his two secondary consorts. The very beautiful one with peach-blossom eyes was surnamed Gu, and the one who revealed two dimples when she smiled was surnamed Ruan.
Back when Prince Kang had married, Yao Huang had followed her mother to watch the festivities. She knew that the former Princess Kang was the daughter of the Duke of Zhen, and the two secondary consorts were also daughters of high-ranking officials. For instance, Secondary Consort Gu’s father had now risen to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Although Secondary Consort Ruan’s grandfather, who had been the Imperial Tutor, had passed away, the Ruan family remained a prominent clan in Jiangnan, with most of the men in the family serving as court officials.
Given their backgrounds, the two secondary consorts showed no hint of intimidation when meeting Yao Huang, the Princess Consort of Hui.
After the greetings, it was time to enter the palace. Prince Kang, playing the role of a good elder brother, insisted on pushing the wheelchair for his younger brother. Zhao Sui declined once, but did not press further when he persisted.
Yao Huang was left to walk side-by-side with Prince Kang’s two secondary consorts, while the children were followed by their respective wet nurses.
When Feiquan took out the folding wooden boards and laid them over the high threshold of the palace gate, Prince Kang nodded in approval. "These boards are excellent; they save a lot of trouble."
Yao Huang watched from the side as Prince Kang racked his brain to talk to his younger brother, while her "good" husband barely offered a hum in response.
The princes and their families were to pay their respects to the Emperor and Empress first. Prince Kang held onto the wheelchair throughout, refusing to let Feiquan or Qingai take over. He pushed the wheelchair all the way in front of Emperor Yongchang and his consorts, presenting a perfect picture of brotherly harmony.
Upon seeing his second son, the excitement in Emperor Yongchang’s eyes was unmistakable. It wasn't until Feiquan once again unfolded the wooden boards to bridge the threshold that Emperor Yongchang stopped his advance to welcome his son. An expression of shock followed by regret flickered across his aging, rectangular face—no wonder his son was reluctant to enter the palace; there were so many thresholds, making it inconvenient for his wheelchair!
Even though his son had brought his own boards now, what kind of situation was it to have his son lay them down every time he crossed a threshold?
Emperor Yongchang immediately instructed the eunuch beside him, "Pass down my oral decree: every gate in the Imperial Palace must be equipped with a set of wooden boards. From now on, whenever Prince Hui enters the palace, the gatekeepers must lay the boards in advance to facilitate his passage. Let it be for today, but they must be fully distributed within three days."
As soon as these words were spoken, the great hall fell into a heavy silence that lasted for several breaths.
Prince Kang, who was still holding the wheelchair, instinctively looked toward Consort Xian. Consort Xian wore a smile, appearing as though she were truly happy for Prince Hui.
The twenty-year-old Prince Qing cast a discreet glance at Prince Hui’s feet, which rested on the footstool of his wheelchair. He thought to himself that no matter how much their father favored his second brother, the man’s ties to the Eastern Palace and the throne were now completely severed. There was no longer any need for envy or jealousy.
Consort Noble Du looked back and forth between her foster son and her own fourth prince, wishing the Emperor would show her son even a fraction of such favoritism.
While everyone harbored their own private thoughts, Prince Hui sat steadily in his wheelchair and spoke to thank his Imperial Father.
Emperor Yongchang waved a hand dismissively. "It was my own oversight; I only thought of these things today. By the way, whose idea was it to add these boards to the chair? I must reward them as well."
Zhao Sui looked toward his Princess Consort. She maintained that same indifferent expression, as if everything in the world had nothing to do with her.
Emperor Yongchang was delighted. Although his second daughter-in-law came from a humble background, she was beautiful and knew how to care for his son. As long as she could persuade the second prince to leave the house more often and wash away that aura of deathly gloom, she would be the most meritorious daughter-in-law in the entire Imperial Family!
"Go, take the other ivory mat recently presented from Jiaozhou and send it to the Prince Hui Estate."
With the sweltering heat of midsummer approaching, officials from Jiaozhou had specifically sent two cooling mats woven from ivory filaments to the capital for Emperor Yongchang. The texture of the mats was fine and dense, white as jade, and felt as soft and comfortable as silk. They provided a level of coolness far superior to straw or bamboo mats. Because ivory was precious and the process of weaving it into mats was extremely complex, Emperor Yongchang had only acquired five such mats in the thirty-odd years since his coronation. He had given one to the Empress Dowager, kept one for himself, and bestowed one upon Empress Zhou.
Of the two that had just arrived, the Emperor used one to replace his old one, and the other he decided to grant to his second son’s young couple.
He was being generous, but Consort Noble Du and Princess Royal Fu Cheng both turned pale. One had relied on being the most favored among the concubines and had already considered the ivory mat her own, while the other prided herself on being her Imperial Brother’s favorite sister and had planned to ask for it after the Dragon Boat Festival banquet. In the blink of an eye, Emperor Yongchang had actually bestowed such a precious ivory mat upon the daughter of a mere sixth-rank hundred-household commander!
Even the Second Princess and Zheng Yuanzhen, who were of noble status but had never enjoyed the luxury of an ivory mat, looked at Yao Huang with eyes burning with varying degrees of resentment.
Yao Huang felt it. Anything that could provoke jealousy in princesses and noble consorts had to be a treasure more precious than gemstones!
Her heart raced with excitement. Suddenly, the rest of the palace banquet didn't seem important anymore; she just wanted to return to the estate and see exactly what an ivory mat looked like.
The dragon boat races were held on the palace moat. By this time, Yao Huang had been separated from her prince and was following the imperial consorts along with the other female family members.
From a distance, she spotted her mother among the crowd of noblewomen. Her father and brother should be on the men’s side, out of sight.
In folk dragon boat races, spectators could shout and cheer for their favorite teams, but this race in the palace lost much of its fun because it was so strictly governed by etiquette.
Glancing around, Yao Huang happened to catch Chen Ying’s cautious, stolen glances toward Prince Kang. Consequently, Yao Huang also looked toward the four princes sitting on the other side of Emperor Yongchang.
Prince Hui was her own man. She had already looked closely at Prince Kang. Prince Qing, at twenty years old, was very handsome, having fully inherited Consort Shen Rou’s beauty. The Fourth Prince was clearly Consort Noble Du’s son; at only thirteen, he already possessed the looks to stir a young girl’s heart.
With the four princes gathered together, based on looks alone, Prince Kang actually turned out to be the most ordinary of them all.
Yao Huang looked back at Zheng Yuanzhen, who sat beside her. Prince Kang was the eldest son and had the support of his wife’s powerful family, yet Zheng Yuanzhen insisted on marrying Prince Qing, who only had the support of the Shen family. Aside from not wanting to be Prince Kang’s second wife, it probably had something to do with his looks as well, right? As for her own previous interest in Prince Hui, besides his importance to Emperor Yongchang, the prince’s handsome face must have played a significant role.
Suddenly, Zheng Yuanzhen looked toward her, appearing as though she had been tolerating her for a long time. She used her eyes to demand what Yao Huang was staring at.
Yao Huang responded with a smile.
She was just looking around because she had nothing better to do. After all, these were all her husband's relatives with whom she would have to deal regularly in the future.
