The carriage stopped in front of the Prince of Hui's estate, where the head steward, Guo Shu, was already waiting.
Once the Prince and Princess had entered the estate, Guo Shu said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has bestowed an ivory mat. Shall we put it to use today, or wait a while?"
The Emperor's oral decree was to deliver the ivory mat to the Prince of Hui's estate, but it didn't specify whether it was a reward for the Prince or the Princess. Not knowing how to arrange it, Guo Shu cleverly left the decision to the Prince.
Yao Huang sneakily glanced at her husband. Based on the situation before Emperor Yongchang issued the decree, the ivory mat was meant for her. However, the Emperor deliberately kept the decree vague. Perhaps he actually wanted to give the ivory mat to his second son, using it as a cover to avoid complaints from his other children about his favoritism as a father.
Furthermore, an ivory mat sounded both cool and comfortable. The Prince might not care about gold and silver, but would he really be willing to give her such a practical and wonderful item that even the Eldest Princess and Noble Consort coveted?
If it were Yao Huang, and her own father gave her a treasure to ward off the summer heat, she would definitely use it herself, or at most share it with her husband. She would never let her husband have all the benefit while she suffered sleeping on a hot mattress. By the same logic, if the Prince really ordered someone to send the ivory mat to the Bamboo Courtyard, Yao Huang wouldn't be disappointed. At most, she would brazenly ask the Prince to bring the ivory mat along when he visited Ming'an Hall, so she could benefit from it too.
"It is a reward for the Princess; let the Princess handle it."
Glancing at his disbelieving wife, Zhao Sui gestured for Qingai to push his wheelchair to the Bamboo Courtyard.
By the time Yao Huang remembered to make a polite show of declining, the Prince of Hui was already far away.
Guo Shu smiled and said, "Princess, please go rest first. I will have the ivory mat sent to you shortly."
Yao Huang looked at the hundred taels of gold Aji was holding and returned to Ming'an Hall in a daze.
After washing her face, she changed into a new open-front nightgown newly delivered by the embroidery room. The so-called open-front nightgown had a collar and sleeves sewn directly onto a chest-high long skirt. This way, the waist of the skirt didn't need to be too tight, and the collar could be opened wider. Although it exposed a bit more skin, a nightgown was meant to be worn in the inner chambers, so there was no fear of outsiders seeing.
The one Yao Huang wore had white sleeves on top and a very light green long skirt below. The fabric was light and sheer; just taking a few steps made the hem ripple like green waves. It was so beautiful that Yao Huang spent quite a while admiring herself in the mirror.
Aji said, "The Princess's face is rosy, like a flower bud emerging from lotus leaves, and the two ankles and feet below are the lotus roots."
Yao Huang replied, "Nonsense, can a lotus root be as white as me?"
Aji: "...I meant peeled lotus roots."
At this time, two young maidservants sent by Guo Shu carried in the imperially bestowed ivory mat. Bailing and the other two senior maids had never touched such a fine thing and, fearing there might be strict rules about handling it, simply helped lift the curtains with the Princess's permission, allowing the two young maids to carry the ivory mat into the inner chamber.
The ivory mat was placed in a long nanmu wood box, wrapped in a layer of brocade. Once the brocade was removed, the two young maids each held one end and slowly stepped back to unroll it, finally revealing the true appearance of the ivory mat.
The entire ivory mat was eleven feet long and nine feet wide, fitting perfectly on Yao Huang's bed.
The ivory-white surface was as lustrous as jade, and it felt as smooth as silk. Reed and bamboo mats were prone to splinters, but an ivory mat would never have such a problem.
"Can it be used directly, or does it need to be wiped down first?" Yao Huang asked.
One of the maids who brought the mat replied, "To answer the Princess, it was already wiped once before being sent from the palace. After Steward Guo received it, he had us wipe it again according to the method taught by the eunuch. The Princess can use it directly."
Yao Huang: "Lay it out on the bed."
Once it was laid out, Yao Huang dismissed the maids. She lay on the ivory mat and rolled around a couple of times. It was indeed very comfortable, only slightly firmer than a brocade mattress, but it was just too cool. It was only the beginning of May, and Yao Huang, someone who was usually afraid of the heat, felt it was still too early to use a cooling mat.
Yao Huang rolled up the ivory mat and temporarily placed it on the arhat bed, deciding to show it to the Prince when he came over in the evening before putting it away.
Lying back on her bed, Yao Huang felt no sleepiness at all. Her mind was full of the gold ingots and the ivory mat she had just received today.
Aji suddenly pushed open the door to the inner chamber and said excitedly, "Princess, Steward Guo has come again! He had people bring in five trays of gold ingots, saying it was ordered by the Prince!"
Yao Huang bolted upright: "...He actually gave them?"
Aji: "What did you say?"
Yao Huang: "Nothing, it's nothing. Bring them in and put them on the arhat bed for now. I'll tidy them up after I wake up."
The four senior maids came in twice, arranged the gold ingots, and then left.
Only then did Yao Huang get out of bed. She pulled up a chair to sit by the arhat bed, staring blankly at the gold ingots and the ivory mat in front of her.
Perhaps the Prince was born into wealth and luxury, and everything he ate, wore, and used was of the highest quality, so he didn't value these things and gave them to her just like that.
But ultimately, it was because the Prince knew she loved wealth and sent these to make her happy. Otherwise, why didn't he reward Qingai, Feiquan, Eunuch Cao, and the others with gold and treasures? In terms of merit, she couldn't compare to these old servants by the Prince's side.
Yao Huang loved wealth, but she had a conscience. Since the Prince treated her so well, she had to treat the Prince exceedingly well in return.
Taking off her nightgown, Yao Huang changed into a fine cotton outfit and went out, taking Aji along with the guards Zhang Yue and Wang Dong.
Before leaving, Yao Huang said to Guo Shu, "I'm going out for a stroll. If the Prince doesn't ask, you don't need to inform him."
Guo Shu: "Yes."
.
Sitting in the ordinary-looking carriage, Yao Huang told the driver to just keep heading down South Street, while she and Aji each kept an eye on the shops on one side.
Yao Huang remembered that when she used to go out for random strolls, she seemed to have seen a shop selling wooden furniture and sundries somewhere on South Street, and they had wheelchairs inside.
Do not be fooled by the fact that few people in wheelchairs were seen on the streets of the capital; in reality, there were quite a few people with crippled legs in the capital. Yao Huang had personally seen someone injure their leg in a polo match, and she had heard her brothers and older male cousins mention a classmate who had an accidental fall and could no longer walk properly. Not to mention the wounded and disabled soldiers who had retired from the battlefield in past years, as well as ordinary people who could not walk independently due to various accidents or illnesses.
It was just that most of these people were like the Prince of Hui; once they fell ill or were injured, they didn't like to go out, making wheelchairs seem like something rare.
It was the Dragon Boat Festival, and business on South Street was booming. Many commoners living in the suburbs of the capital had specially come to the city for the festival to sell their goods.
With more pedestrians, carriages and horses moved slowly, but fortunately, Yao Huang was not in a hurry.
When they had almost reached the end of South Street, Aji suddenly called out, "Stop the carriage!"
The driver stopped immediately.
Yao Huang leaned over to Aji's side and looked out. Sure enough, she saw a shop specializing in wooden furniture like tables, chairs, chests, and trunks. The storefront was small, but out the back door was a courtyard, and as far as the eye could see, there were more wooden items placed under the sheds in the courtyard.
The four of them, master and servants, entered the shop.
The shopkeeper was yawning. A small civilian shop like his, selling large items, could not take advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival. He could only get large orders when slightly well-off families moved to a new house, replaced old items, or prepared betrothal gifts and dowries; otherwise, he just did some small retail business.
Taking advantage of the yawn, the shopkeeper narrowed his eyes and quickly sized up the newcomers. Seeing that the two sturdy men in the back looked like guards, the shopkeeper immediately guessed that the beautiful young woman in front was either rich or noble.
The shopkeeper, wondering why a wealthy person would visit his humble shop that used such ordinary materials, smiled and came out to greet her. "Madam, would you like to look at cabinets or trunks?"
Yao Huang had already scanned the wooden furniture displayed in the shop and asked directly, "Do you have wheelchairs?"
"Yes, yes," the shopkeeper replied. "Not many people buy these usually, so they are kept out in the backyard. This way, Madam."
In the backyard, Yao Huang saw two dusty wheelchairs sitting in a shed. Two stacks of wooden basins were piled on the seats, and small items like chopstick holders were stuffed in the gaps between the basins.
The shopkeeper didn't hold much hope for this transaction. Seeing the beautiful female customer frown, he was even less inclined to clean them up. He introduced them simply, "They are made of elm wood, sturdy and durable. If well-maintained, they can be used for decades. If Madam likes them, I will immediately bring them out and wipe them completely clean."
Yao Huang walked halfway around the two wheelchairs. They were identical, with two small wheels in the front and two large wheels in the back. The seat was about as wide as a normal armchair. Two push handles extended from the ends of the backrest, and a narrow footrest stuck out from the front of the chair.
This was a wheelchair for ordinary families—sturdy, lightweight, and durable. It definitely wouldn't be as comfortable as Prince Hui's, which could also serve as a recliner for sleeping, and no extra effort had been spent carving any decorative patterns onto its frame.
Yao Huang asked the shopkeeper to wipe one clean; she wanted to try it.
Hearing that there was a chance for a sale, the shopkeeper hurriedly fetched two towels and wiped it up and down, front and back, several times over.
Yao Huang sat in the wheelchair, reached out past the armrests on both sides to grip the two large wheels, and tried to push forward. Unfortunately, even after turning red in the face, she couldn't make the wheelchair move an inch.
The shopkeeper hesitated. "...Madam wants to push it yourself? That won't work. This wheelchair weighs about thirty catties, plus Madam's weight..."
Noticing a guard glaring at him, the shopkeeper hastily added, "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that, no matter how heavy the person sitting in it is, it's hard to push oneself purely by hand, unless their feet can touch the ground and help push along."
Some people who used wheelchairs just couldn't walk, but their legs still had strength. They could move by half-pedaling and half-pushing, but they couldn't endure it for long and would still need others to help.
Yao Huang asked Zhang Yue and Wang Dong to try it respectively. Both had strong arms. When deliberately not using their leg strength to help, they managed to move the chair forward a few steps, but even so, they both broke out in a sweat from the exertion.
Yao Huang asked, "Is it possible to make a wheelchair that can be pushed by oneself?"
The shopkeeper smiled bitterly. "If there really were such a good method, it would have been made long ago."
Yao Huang also felt she had asked a silly question. However, if ordinary carpenters couldn't figure it out or hadn't spent much time pondering it, she could consult Master Deng. If Master Deng couldn't do it, there were still the carpenters at the Prince's estate. As long as the estate offered a handsome reward, she didn't have to worry about those skilled craftsmen not putting their hearts into it.
"How much are they?"
"Not expensive, one tael each."
Yao Huang looked at the shopkeeper with a smile. She was rich now, but she wouldn't let anyone fleece her like a fool.
The shopkeeper's heart trembled at her smile, knowing she was shrewd, and he hastily changed his tune, "If Madam sincerely wants to buy, five mace of silver will do. Look at this elm wood, it's all old elm. At this price, our humble shop is purely earning a little for the labor costs."
Yao Huang didn't bargain further. "I'll take both."
.
Of the two wheelchairs, Yao Huang left one in the front, waiting to invite Master Deng over after the Dragon Boat Festival to discuss how to improve it. For the other, she had her senior maids wipe it down again, and then, when the weather cooled down, she personally pushed it to the Bamboo Courtyard.
Feiquan carefully inspected the new gift brought by the Princess Consort and went to invite the Prince with complicated feelings.
Soon, Prince Hui, sitting in the luxurious large wheelchair that Master Deng had spent countless efforts to create, saw with his own eyes the crude wheelchair in the Princess Consort's hands.
