With the rattan wheelchair that was slightly easier to push, Zhao Sui switched to using it whenever he moved around the three rooms of the Bamboo Courtyard. Although his speed was no faster than when he supported himself on the handrails, it was much more dignified than that clumsy and stiff posture, allowing him to feel more at peace.
The handrails would remain, and Zhao Sui would still insist on going to the backyard every day to support himself for a few laps. Firstly, sitting all the time was uncomfortable; secondly, he liked standing, even if he had to rely entirely on his arms for support.
In the past, after his massages, Zhao Sui would go to the study to read or to the backyard to admire the scenery. This morning, after wiping his legs and putting on his trousers, Zhao Sui looked toward the high south window propped open by Qingai. He stared at the patch of clear sky visible outside the window, gazing at it for a long while.
The Princess Consort had been married to him for forty days, and Zhao Sui had basically figured out her temperament. She was lively, active, and straightforward, yet she did not lack the necessary intelligence and caution.
The palace was a place of strict rules. She had learned them in the Chuxiu Pavilion for a month. To be able to repeatedly peek at him in front of the Emperor and Empress was neither because she recklessly forgot the rules, nor because she was truly mesmerized by his looks. Rather, she knew that her beauty made it hard for her to be eliminated, yet her low family background meant she could not catch the eyes of Consort Xian or Consort Rou. Therefore, she simply decided to focus her efforts on him, a disabled prince who could choose his own primary consort.
He was indeed not ugly, and she had gained the freedom and dignity that only a prince's primary consort could have. Thus, she looked very satisfied, and she treated him with genuine care; her intimacy and concern were all sincere.
However, having grown up in Changshou Lane, she was not used to the dullness and monotony within the high walls of a noble mansion. She liked to go shopping and ride horses, and she enjoyed visiting restaurants and teahouses. In the summer, she wanted to go to Mount Ling to escape the heat; in the spring, she might want to go to the suburbs to admire flowers and fly kites; in the autumn, she would want to climb high and gaze afar; and in the winter, she would want to tread through the snow in search of plum blossoms.
Her husband was a prince, so she did not have to worry about the expenses of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. In her eyes, as long as there was enough silver, she could go anywhere.
But her husband was a disabled prince who required her reverence and care. She could not just leave him alone to go have fun; it was best to take him along to fulfill etiquette and maintain her reputation.
Zhao Sui thought that if there had been no palace selection, she probably would have preferred to marry a normal husband with a similar family background who could accompany her to play everywhere, rather than choosing a disabled prince for a husband, even if the latter could bring her wealth and glory.
The Princess Consort loved money but was not greedy. Her parents doted on her, and she was beautiful enough. It would have been effortless for her to marry a young talent with an official position and salary, and her life would not have been bad no matter what.
Pushing the wheelchair, Zhao Sui made his way to the study, stroke by stroke.
The Buddhist scriptures were obscure and difficult to understand, and Prince Hui did not turn the page for a long time.
Your Highness, the Princess Consort requests an audience.
Feiquan's announcement sounded from under the eaves of the corridor. Zhao Sui slightly tilted his head, paused for a moment, and then said, Come in.
Feiquan pushed open the south door of the main room, came in, and closed it behind him. Arriving at the study, Feiquan bowed. Because there was only one small green grape, Feiquan had to abandon the rule of using both hands to present items to his master. Holding the grape in one hand, he relayed the Princess Consort's message: The Princess Consort asked me to bring this to Your Highness first, and then to ask if you still want to eat steamed buns. The Princess Consort just personally went to the vegetable patch and picked a basket of baby bok choy. She is currently waiting outside the courtyard.
Zhao Sui: ...
The events of yesterday flashed through his mind one by one. Zhao Sui actually could not guess why she sent this grape. Was she annoyed by his teasing at that time and wanted him to eat a sour fruit in retaliation, or was she afraid he was angry about the Lingshan Town incident and hoped he would think more about her good points?
For the former, the Princess Consort indeed had the courage; for the latter, she was indeed also very afraid of angering him.
Take the Princess Consort to the kitchen over here. Master Kong does not need to come over at noon.
Yes, Your Highness.
Outside the Bamboo Courtyard, Yao Huang said in surprise, His Highness asked me to steam the buns over here?
Feiquan smiled and said, Yes, there is rice, flour, oil, and vegetables here. Once the Princess Consort finishes cooking, you can immediately serve it to His Highness; otherwise, you would have to make a round trip to deliver it.
It was indeed more convenient to do it in the Bamboo Courtyard. Yao Huang walked in carrying the basket. Seeing the main room door tightly shut and the Prince not even showing his face, Yao Huang lowered her voice and asked, What about that grape?
Feiquan said softly, His Highness told me to put it on the desk.
Yao Huang thought to herself, since he accepted the grape and still wanted to eat her steamed buns, his anger should be considered appeased, right?
The first step in steaming buns was to leaven the dough. It had already been leavened over at Ming'an Hall. Yao Huang asked Feiquan to fetch the dough while she familiarized herself with the kitchen, which had been cleaned spotless by Master Kong. She turned her head and asked Qingai, who was guarding the door, Why isn't there any meat prepared?
Qingai replied, There are few people on our side, so we are afraid that things won't be fresh if kept for too long. Master Kong always brings the freshest meat when he comes. If the Princess Consort needs to use it, should I go get some?
Yao Huang said, Go ahead. If I had known, I would have asked Feiquan to get the dough a bit later so you two could bring them over together from Ming'an Hall.
Qingai said, It's fine, I run errands quickly. Please wait a moment, Princess Consort.
After saying that, Qingai went under the eaves of the study to inform the Prince, and after receiving permission, left in a hurry.
Yao Huang scooped a basin of water from the vat and sat on a small stool. She first twisted off the roots of the baby bok choy, then put the remaining leaves into the basin to soak. After washing them once, she poured the water into a bucket specifically meant for vegetable washing water, then scooped more water for a second wash. After draining the leaves, just as she was about to chop the filling, a sporadic sound of a rolling wheelchair suddenly came from outside.
Yao Huang took two steps outside and peeked out. To her surprise, Prince Hui had come out of the room and was already three or four steps away from the half-closed main room door behind him.
He was sitting in that rattan wheelchair.
Their eyes met. Prince Hui's hands were gripping the large wheels on both sides, just preparing to exert force.
Yao Huang's heart skipped a beat. She shook the water off her hands and ran out, Your Highness, don't move, let me do it!
The courtyard was paved with stone slabs. No matter how clean it was swept, there would still be dust and sand. How could she let the Prince's precious hands get dirty or hurt?
She ran fast. Zhao Sui let go of his hands, and when the Princess Consort stood behind him, he said, I came to see how you make them.
Yao Huang said, Then Your Highness could have just called me. It's just the two of us here; if you shout from the room, I would definitely hear it.
Zhao Sui remained silent.
Yao Huang pushed him into the kitchen, picked the most spacious and bright spot by the window to park the wheelchair, and then took a towel from a rack hanging with a row of clean towels. She wet it, walked over, and said, Let me wipe Your Highness's hands.
Zhao Sui said, I will do it myself. You go back to your work.
Seeing that he truly did not need her to serve him, Yao Huang walked back to the cutting board and began chopping the filling with a clatter.
Thinking that she shouldn't just leave the Prince hanging, Yao Huang chopped the filling with one hand while turning her head to look at him, explaining, Some families like to blanch the baby bok choy in boiling water first. Our family doesn't blanch it because this way the flavor is fresher.
Zhao Sui nodded, avoiding her gaze.
Yao Huang asked, Your Highness has never been in a kitchen, right?
Zhao Sui replied, Yes.
Yao Huang followed his gaze and, looking at the neatly arranged cabinets and shelves on the north side, said, Even the kitchen in the Bamboo Courtyard is so spacious. It's as big as my boudoir in my maiden home plus a main hall.
Zhao Sui glanced a few times at the sharp kitchen knife in her hand. Focus on chopping the vegetables.
Yao Huang was more than happy not to have to find topics to keep him company!
After she finished chopping the vegetable filling, Feiquan returned first, holding a dough basin in his arms. Upon entering and seeing the Prince sitting inside, Feiquan subconsciously put away his smile, properly placed the basin down, and withdrew.
The kitchen had a designated area for kneading dough. Finding it tiring to stand, Yao Huang placed a low table in front of Prince Hui, then brought over the kneading board. Sitting on a small stool, she showed off her skills in kneading dough, cutting it into pieces, and rolling out bun wrappers for Prince Hui. Recalling the past, Yao Huang amused herself, "Back then, my mother used to complain that I was lazy, saying that steaming buns was the only thing I knew how to do. She worried that if I married and encountered a difficult mother-in-law, she would use this shortcoming against me. I never expected to be so lucky as to marry you, Your Highness, and have a whole kitchen of servants to wait on me!"
Zhao Sui simply looked at her.
Yao Huang was already used to it. Whenever an amusing thought came to mind, she would share it; when she had nothing to say, she would hum little tunes for Prince Hui.
Zhao Sui asked, "...Why is there so much dough?"
Yao Huang replied, "Making buns is quite a hassle. Since I have already started, I might as well make a few more. It just so happens that Chef Kong is not here, and Feiquan and Qingai are also counting on my buns for their lunch."
Qingai returned carrying two basins of filling. One basin contained minced pork belly that Chef Kong had hastily chopped with his twin cleavers, while the other basin held fresh pork belly chilled in ice water, looking to be about twenty percent fat and eighty percent lean. If the princess consort wanted to do everything herself, she could chop it again; if she wanted to save time, she could use the ready-made filling.
Yao Huang was simply craving buns and did not have that much of an urge to do manual labor, so she directly used the filling Chef Kong had chopped.
After pinching a bun into shape, Yao Huang placed it aside with a touch of shame. "My hands are clumsy. The pleats I make are not as pretty as my mother's. Please do not mind them, Your Highness."
Zhao Sui looked at the backs and palms of her hands, which were dusted with white flour, and did not mind at all.
With plenty of dough and filling, Yao Huang shaped a total of ten buns with a mixed filling of baby bok choy and meat, and another nine with pure meat filling. After counting them, she said with satisfaction, "That is enough!"
Placing the buns into the steamer, Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui out of the kitchen. "The fire makes a lot of smoke. Your Highness should go wait in the room."
Zhao Sui did not go back into the room. Instead, he had Qingai and Feiquan move the stone table and stools from outside the main gate to a flat area inside the bamboo grove, where he went ahead to wait.
The lush green bamboo grove blocked out the bright sun. Even without a breeze, it was exceptionally cool among the trees.
When Yao Huang walked out carrying a tray, she saw Prince Hui sitting quietly in the grove. The thin leaves on the bamboo tips would sway gently with the imperceptible breeze, yet Prince Hui was as still as a dummy carved from white jade.
Yao Huang once again had the fleeting illusion that her husband was a male demon from the deep mountains, though she knew clearly in her heart that Prince Hui had only become this way because of his leg ailment.
On the tray were one plate, two bowls, and two pairs of chopsticks. Each bowl contained one meat bun and one vegetable bun, and four more were arranged on the plate.
After setting down the tray, Yao Huang sat opposite Prince Hui. Handing him a pair of chopsticks, she said, "Hurry and taste them, Your Highness. Buns are most fragrant right out of the pot."
From beginning to end, she did not mention a single word about last night, as if she had never yearned to go to Lingshan Town for the summer, nor had she suffered any cold shoulder from him.
Zhao Sui said, "If you are traveling incognito to Lingshan, you cannot stay at courier stations along the way."
The bun Yao Huang had just picked up immediately dropped back into her bowl. She said nervously, "Why are you bringing this up again, Your Highness? I already said I really do not want to go that badly."
Zhao Sui said, "I do not like staying in inns, nor do I want to lodge at commoners' homes. What do you think about camping in the wild?"
Yao Huang blankly put down the chopsticks in her hand. "Your Highness, are you planning to accompany me to Lingshan Town?"
Prince Hui nodded faintly, as if this were just a very ordinary decision.
Receiving an affirmative answer, Yao Huang suddenly jumped up. Staring at the prince across from her, she asked, "Are you serious, Your Highness? You are not teasing me?"
Zhao Sui replied, "I am serious, but camping is not as simple as you think..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the princess consort opposite him suddenly ran over. Bending down beside his wheelchair, she cupped his head and kissed him on the left cheek, then on the right cheek, each kiss making a crisp smacking sound. Finally, she turned his wheelchair around, sat on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying, "You are so good to me, Your Highness. You are definitely the very best husband in all the capital!"
Zhao Sui said, "...It is merely a summer retreat. Let us eat."
