After the wheelchair-bound couple walked far away, Aji leaned close to the Princess Consort's ear and whispered, "Madam, I think our Second Master could also come out for walks more often."
The back garden of the Prince of Hui's estate was quiet enough, but the Bamboo Courtyard was so silent it was almost eerie. With the Prince cooped up in there all day, it would be a miracle if his complexion looked good.
What was wrong with sitting in a wheelchair? Whether it was bad luck leading to a leg ailment or an unavoidable injury from fighting on the battlefield, neither was shameful. Normal people would not mock a patient in a wheelchair. The Prince was still young; although his legs were crippled, he still had his noble status and endless wealth. He could still live a comfortable and enviable life. Why bother locking himself up in the Bamboo Courtyard?
If her lady had not married the Prince, Aji would not have worried about the unrelated His Highness the Prince of Hui. But since her lady had become the Princess Consort of Hui, Aji hoped the Prince would live happily and have a long life. Only if the Prince lived well would her own lady fare well. If the Prince really made himself sick from being cooped up and died young, her lady would be left with nothing but the title of Princess Consort. If they encountered trouble, would the Princess Consort's words carry as much weight as the Prince's?
Yao Huang sighed.
Hearts are made of flesh. The longer she spent with the Prince of Hui, and the more lenient and considerate he was toward her, the more Yao Huang wanted him to regain the vitality a normal person should have.
The problem was that the Prince of Hui lived in seclusion in the Bamboo Courtyard. Even if Yao Huang could invite him out to stroll in the garden or fish by the lake, in the massive estate, there were still only a handful of people allowed to get close to him. This would not do much to stimulate the Prince's vitality. Moreover, racking one's brains to accompany a man of few words was truly exhausting.
A prince who repeatedly refused palace banquet invitations from the Emperor and Empress, a prince whom even his newly wedded, voluptuous Princess Consort could only coax out of the Bamboo Courtyard on a few fixed nights—Yao Huang did not think he would be in the mood to stroll down this bustling street.
Relying on their recent intimacy and her gradual understanding of the Prince of Hui, Yao Huang indeed dared to speak and act more freely in front of him. However, if saying something might provoke the Prince's displeasure, resistance, or even cause him to give her the cold shoulder, Yao Huang did not want to take that risk.
With her mood for sightseeing dampened, Yao Huang returned to the estate early.
As she stepped down from the carriage, she saw Eunuch Cao and Steward Guo seeing Master Deng out. Upon the Princess Consort's return, the three of them followed her back inside.
Master Deng and his apprentices had been busy for nearly a month, and today they had delivered four new wheelchairs all at once, which were currently displayed in the hall.
Compared to the large red sandalwood wheelchair the Prince of Hui was currently using, the four new wheelchairs all looked very lightweight.
The first one was still made of red sandalwood. It removed the front platform of the large red sandalwood wheelchair, keeping only the footrest. The width of the seat and the armrests looked just like a normal armchair. The solid backrest was still made very high; the side meant for lumbar support was polished smooth and comfortable, while the back was carved with exquisite craftsmanship, featuring two four-clawed coiled dragons symbolizing the noble status of the wheelchair's owner.
The second wheelchair was very similar to the first, also made of red sandalwood, but the backrest was changed to the height of an ordinary armchair. It had a lumbar support in the middle, leaving empty space between the sides and the armrests, thus further reducing the weight of the wood.
Both new red sandalwood wheelchairs featured exquisite and intricate carvings. According to Master Deng, His Highness the Prince of Hui could use the first one when entering the palace or attending banquets as a guest, and use the second one when staying within the estate or going out of the city to relax, as it would be more convenient.
The third wheelchair was made of elm wood, similar to the two Yao Huang had bought from the shop. It was simple and unadorned, only slightly modified according to the Prince of Hui's height and leg length, with added curvature at the lumbar support suitable for long periods of leaning, ensuring the Prince would sit more comfortably.
Master Deng said, "This commoner thought that if one day the Prince plans to travel incognito, using this elm one would better conceal his identity."
The Princess Consort wouldn't have bought two elm wheelchairs for no reason, so he figured making an extra elm one couldn't be wrong.
Eunuch Cao and Guo Shu exchanged a glance. The Princess Consort often went out incognito, but the Prince would probably never use it in his lifetime.
Yao Huang praised Master Deng's thoughtfulness and looked at the fourth wheelchair.
The fourth wheelchair was made of rattan. It looked even more refreshing and simple than the elm one. The backrest and seat were tightly woven from flat rattan strips, making it well-ventilated and breathable. The frame of the entire chair had smooth, rounded curves, and the craftsmanship was very sturdy.
Master Deng explained, "The Princess Consort previously suggested adding hand rims to the large wheels. This commoner hasn't thought of a suitable method yet, so I could only focus on reducing the wheelchair's own weight. As the Princess Consort can see, this rattan chair uses the lightest materials. I had someone test it; if pushing oneself, it can be propelled a few steps further than the lightweight red sandalwood or elm wheelchairs. However, rattan chairs are not as sturdy as wooden ones, so it's best used only on flat ground."
Yao Huang was already aware of the difficulty of building a self-propelled wheelchair. It had only been a little over twenty days, and it was a time when Master Deng was concentrating on making these four wheelchairs, so it was perfectly normal that he hadn't figured it out yet.
"Take your time with that. I am already very satisfied with these four wheelchairs. When you go back, please make two more sets to keep as spares for the estate."
Master Deng said, "Yes. These four were made a bit hastily; this commoner will see if there are any areas that can be improved."
Yao Huang asked Guo Shu to take Master Deng to the accounting room to receive a reward of one hundred taels, with the labor cost for making the chairs calculated separately.
Of the four new wheelchairs, Yao Huang had Eunuch Cao send the two red sandalwood ones and the rattan one to the Bamboo Courtyard for His Highness the Prince of Hui to inspect, while she took the elm one back to Ming'an Hall.
The Prince of Hui had very long legs. When Yao Huang sat in the elm wheelchair, her feet couldn't even reach the footrest below.
Elm was far less precious than red sandalwood, but Master Deng had polished it well. The wheelchair's armrests felt smooth to the touch, and the backrest was very comfortable to lean against.
Aji came in to serve tea. Seeing the Princess Consort sitting in the wheelchair, she said with a laugh, "You aren't planning to keep this one to sit and play with yourself, are you?"
Last time, the Princess Consort had come back sitting in a wheelchair along with the Prince.
Yao Huang shook her head. She was pondering the idea of "His Highness the Prince of Hui traveling incognito." Master Deng had only mentioned it in passing at the time, but a thought suddenly popped into Yao Huang's mind.
The nobles in the imperial palace, the royal relatives within the capital, and the numerous civil and military officials had all seen His Highness the Prince of Hui's magnificent bearing before his injury. The Prince was unwilling to go out precisely because he did not want to see these former acquaintances. He did not want to see the unwanted concern, pity, sympathy, or even schadenfreude in their eyes, nor did he want them to see his current awkward and down-and-out state.
Then why not go to a place where no one knew His Highness the Prince of Hui?
Just like the ordinary commoner in a wheelchair they had met on the street that morning. None of the pedestrians coming and going recognized him. Because they didn't know him, there was no need to strike up a conversation, exchange pleasantries, or show concern and pity. Because they didn't know him, they didn't care how he got injured. Their gazes would at most sweep past him. As long as the person in the wheelchair got used to it, he wouldn't take it to heart either.
Everything has a process of getting used to. As long as the Prince could get used to traveling among strangers in a wheelchair, then he would certainly be able to get used to facing his former acquaintances from the posture of sitting in a wheelchair.
After resting for the afternoon, Yao Huang called for Guo Shu and chatted with him for over half an hour before letting him leave.
At dusk, Yao Huang stood outside the Bamboo Courtyard once again, inviting His Highness the Prince of Hui to tour the garden together.
Feiquan ran to announce her arrival, and soon Qingai pushed Prince Hui out. He was sitting in the second red sandalwood wheelchair delivered by Master Deng today, which was simple and lightweight.
Yao Huang took over the wheelchair. As she pushed the prince out of the bamboo grove, she teased, As expected, red sandalwood suits Your Highness better. Even with a similar design, Your Highness looks much more handsome sitting in this one than in the previous elm wood wheelchair.
The handsome Prince Hui responded to the princess's praise with silence.
Yao Huang asked, Has Your Highness tried the other two?
Zhao Sui answered, Yes, they are all very good. The red sandalwood one will be kept for when I enter the palace, and the rattan chair will be used indoors.
The indoors were paved with wooden boards, which were wiped spotless by Qingai and Feiquan every day. This way, the large wheels of the rattan chair would not get dirty, and he would only need to simply wipe his hands after pushing it.
The new wheelchairs were all the princess's idea. Zhao Sui turned his head to look at her and said, You have gone to a lot of trouble.
Yao Huang deliberately said, Your Highness does not need to thank me. Actually, I did it for myself. That big contraption you used before was too heavy. If I kept pushing it, I was afraid my arms would become as thick and sturdy as my brother's.
Zhao Sui glanced at his own arm and said, You do not like arms like your brother's?
Yao Huang blew a puff of air at the top of his head. I could like them, but the point is, if I really became like that, would Your Highness still like me?
Zhao Sui wondered if the princess would still dare to be so casually presumptuous if he could stand up.
Passing by the vegetable garden, Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui inside.
The vegetable seeds in the prince's estate were sown late. While the commoners had long since harvested their winter wheat, the wheat seedlings here had barely grown to knee height. However, the transplanted sweet potato vines had already crawled across a lush green patch of the field.
In the northern vegetable plots, the baby bok choy was at its most tender. Yao Huang smiled and said, I will come and pick some tomorrow, and steam a pot of buns for Your Highness to taste at noon?
Zhao Sui said that would be fine.
The melon patch was also lush and verdant, with some plants bearing green buds.
Eventually, Yao Huang stopped the wheelchair between two grape trellises. The grapevines had also been transplanted and were growing very well. Clusters of small green grapes were already hanging from them, the fruits only as big as a pinky nail.
Yao Huang leaned close to a cluster of grapes and inhaled deeply, but there was not the slightest hint of a fruity aroma yet. Turning around, she met Prince Hui's gaze and smiled. I like eating purple grapes. Your Highness seems to have said that you like both green and purple ones?
Zhao Sui tacitly agreed. In truth, it did not matter to him whether he ate them or not; he always just ate whatever the kitchen sent him.
Yao Huang walked a circle around the two grape trellises and carefully picked out the largest green grape, about the size of a middle finger's nail, for Prince Hui. She bent down, offered it to him, and looked at him with a smile. This one is green enough and big enough. Would Your Highness like to taste it?
Prince Hui was only crippled in his legs, not foolish in his mind. He looked at the princess for a moment and said, You first.
Yao Huang shook her head. But I only like to eat purple grapes.
The princess's dark, moist eyes were full of teasing and triumph. Zhao Sui watched her for a moment, then raised his hand.
Yao Huang thought he was going to take the green grape, but Prince Hui unexpectedly grasped her wrist and pulled her into his arms. The newly made red sandalwood wheelchair was not that spacious, making it seem less stable than the large wheelchair. Yao Huang did not dare to dodge and instinctively looked around.
Zhao Sui said, Even if there were people, they would not be able to see. The grapevines beside them were dense enough.
Hearing this tone, Yao Huang blushed. She lowered her head and said, If you do not want to eat it, then do not. Your Highness, do not mess around.
Zhao Sui took the green grape from her hand, and then, under Yao Huang's secret glance, very casually slipped the green grape into the waist of Yao Huang's chest-high dress.
Yao Huang was speechless.
It felt like a cool little bead rolling inside. Yao Huang subconsciously tried to intercept the grape from the outside.
Zhao Sui held her wrist and said, Let me.
Yao Huang was so ashamed that she wanted to run away. His Highness Prince Hui only let her twist her body before pulling her tightly by the waist from behind, his other hand beginning to search for the grape.
A moment later, Prince Hui leaned close to the princess's red earlobe and said softly, I like this kind.
