Prince Hui and the Princess Consort left the capital on the ninth day of the sixth lunar month.
There were four carriages in total. In the first carriage sat a "mother and son" pair: Madam Gao and Qingai.
The second carriage carried the taciturn "good nephew" Prince Hui, who preferred solitude, along with his close "little cousin" Feiquan. In the third carriage sat the "sisters-in-law," Yao Huang and Aji.
The last vehicle was a flatbed cart specifically for luggage and belongings. Wooden boards surrounded the cart to block the view of passersby, and it was drawn by two horses.
Besides the four drivers, there were four armed escorts. Among these eight people, one was another physician from the princely estate, Physician Li, and the remaining seven were all guards. Together, they disguised themselves as carriage drivers hired by the Liao family. Once the group arrived at Lingshan Town, these eight would drive the carriages away. The actual squad of guards assigned to stay in the town and secretly protect the Prince and Princess Consort had already checked into an inn there in advance; otherwise, it would seem too coincidental for both groups to arrive at the town simultaneously.
"Madam, why would Second Master rather have Feiquan share his carriage instead of you?"
Aji couldn't understand it. If she were a man, having such a beautiful wife like the Princess Consort keeping her company would make the long journey much more interesting.
Yao Huang smiled and said, "He probably just likes the quiet. If I were there, I definitely wouldn't be able to resist talking to him."
Aji was speechless.
Lying on the main seat facing north, Yao Huang patted her bent legs and said with satisfaction, "It's even better if he doesn't want me to accompany him. Being with you, I can lie down however I want."
Aji sat on the floor next to the main seat. "Come, let me massage your legs for you, Madam."
Yao Huang replied, "Just rest. Back at home, you were as leisurely as I was, but once we reach the town, you'll be just as busy as Qiaoniang. You only have these two good days on the road left."
Aji retorted, "Don't look down on me. I can do whatever my sister can do. Besides, the reward money I get is much more than hers."
There would indeed be more work in the town than in the princely estate, but who in the entire estate wouldn't want to show their face and serve the Prince and Princess Consort?
Take Master Kong, for example. Because Madam Gao had obtained the qualification to travel with them, he specifically ran to Ming'an Hall to volunteer himself to the Princess Consort. He claimed he was familiar with the Prince's tastes, had great strength, and wouldn't be tired cooking for several people, hoping the Princess Consort would consider him. Unfortunately, the Princess Consort had other reasons for choosing Madam Gao. With red eyes, Master Kong could only obediently wait in the estate for the Prince's return to the capital.
The carriage wheels rolled along the compacted official road with a clattering sound, stirring up puffs of yellowish dust. Fortunately, the weather was hot and windless, so the dust didn't rise too high.
Aji rolled up the bamboo curtains on both sides of the carriage windows, leaving only a layer of gauze to keep out the mosquitoes and insects.
Seeing that the Princess Consort had fallen asleep, Aji also leaned against the corner and dozed off.
When they needed to relieve themselves midway, Aji took out the brass chamber pots kept in a bamboo basket, one for the master and one for the servant.
Just as Yao Huang was about to lift her skirt, she suddenly realized why Prince Hui had chosen Feiquan to share his carriage. Otherwise, when Prince Hui needed to relieve himself, wouldn't she have to serve him?
Newlywed couples might be so affectionate that they wished they could merge into one person, but Yao Huang was truly not prepared for that kind of serving.
Obviously, Prince Hui also didn't want her to witness that scene.
After they were done, Aji fastened the lids of the two brass chamber pots and put them back into the bamboo basket. The basket was sewn with cloth on the outside, and once the top lid was closed, it was completely airtight.
At noon, the four carriages stopped under the shade of some trees.
Aji first helped the Princess Consort down from the carriage, and behind them, Qingai and Feiquan worked together to lower Prince Hui.
By the time Yao Huang sat on the wooden stool opposite Prince Hui, she saw Qingai taking away the bamboo baskets from two of the carriages, with Feiquan following beside him carrying a bucket of water.
Yao Huang's face inexplicably grew hot. Only by truly going on this long journey did she realize how many inconveniences there were along the way.
Madam Gao and Aji took the iron pot, noodles, and vegetables to the other side to cook, while a few guards were responsible for gathering firewood and setting up the stove.
Yao Huang looked around and whispered to His Highness Prince Hui, "It's all because of me that Second Master has to suffer this hardship."
Zhao Sui replied, "It's fine. We should be able to reach the town for lunch the day after tomorrow."
Yao Huang asked, "Was Second Master sitting or lying down in the carriage?"
Zhao Sui answered, "I'll take a nap in the afternoon."
The implication was that he had been sitting the entire morning.
Yao Huang looked at the rattan wheelchair Prince Hui was currently sitting in. It had a standard-height backrest. Just sitting there straight for half a day would be uncomfortable even to think about.
She stood up, walked behind Prince Hui, and began to massage his shoulders.
As soon as her hands rested on him, Prince Hui removed them. His voice was slightly deep, "There are many eyes here, mind your manners."
Yao Huang glanced at the guards who didn't even dare to look in their direction and retorted, "What manners? You are my husband. Massaging your shoulders shows that I care about you. This is called being gentle and considerate. How is it against the rules?"
After saying that, she pressed her hands back onto his shoulders.
Zhao Sui said, "...You are the Princess Consort, there's no need for this."
A Princess Consort has her dignity. He didn't want the subordinates to see her acting so attentively, as it would easily make others look down on her.
Yao Huang said, "Where is the Princess Consort? I am the nephew's wife of the Liao family's physician. I wouldn't dare dream of being a Princess Consort."
Zhao Sui was speechless.
Yao Huang not only massaged his shoulders but also moved to the front of Prince Hui, wanting to pull his hands to help stretch his arms.
Zhao Sui clenched his hands into fists, remaining completely motionless.
Yao Huang said, "...Your brain has gone numb from reading too much. All you know are etiquette and rules. If you have the ability, remember these rules at night too."
Zhao Sui remained silent.
.
Lunch consisted of pan-fried vegetable pancakes and cucumber egg drop soup. Since it was hot and difficult to carry fresh meat, they simply ate simpler meals for these two days.
Madam Gao, who was able to enter the princely estate to take charge of the Princess Consort's meals, had culinary skills no less inferior to Master Kong's. The simple vegetable pancakes were fried until golden on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fragrant and fresh filling. The slightly salty cucumber egg drop soup was even better at relieving the heat and quenching thirst.
After eating and drinking their fill, they rested on the spot for an hour, waiting for the hottest part of the afternoon to pass before continuing their journey.
The route had been scouted in advance by Zhang Yue and the others. As the sky was getting dark, the group arrived by a shallow stream over twenty feet wide.
As usual, the Prince and Princess Consort rested, while the others had their respective tasks.
Yao Huang watched the seven guards skillfully set up three tents.
Zhao Sui said, "I will share a tent with Qingai and Feiquan. You will share with Aji and Madam Gao. The other one is for Physician Li and the guards."
Yao Huang nodded cooperatively. At night, they would need to boil water to wipe their bodies, so it was indeed more convenient for the husband and wife to sleep separately.
After dinner, Qingai and Feiquan each carried two buckets of water into the tents of the Prince and Princess Consort. Yao Huang bade farewell to Prince Hui. As she walked away, she heard Prince Hui's low-voiced reminder: "Silhouettes will be cast on the tent. Finish washing and changing before lighting the lamp."
Yao Huang was speechless.
Washing her hair and wiping her body dry in the dark, Yao Huang thought of Prince Hui's numerous rules and didn't go out again. She went into the inner tent by herself, listening to Madam Gao and Aji cleaning themselves up together.
The guards' tent was far away, while Prince Hui's tent next door was quite close. Yet, no matter how much Yao Huang held her breath and concentrated, she couldn't hear the slightest sound from Prince Hui, only the footsteps of Qingai and Feiquan going in and out.
Freshly washed, Aji slipped in. As agreed just now, Aji would sleep inside and keep the Princess Consort company tonight.
After bumping along in the carriage for a whole day, their waists and backs ached. The master and servant didn't chat after lying down and soon fell asleep.
On the tenth day of the month, they were still on the road. Yao Huang deliberately drank less water and ate little for her three daily meals. Although she had servants attending to her, she wanted to minimize the inconvenience of answering nature's call as much as possible.
In the evening, they set up camp by the water again. The closer they got to Mount Ling, the sparser the population became. The wide river before them meandered between two continuous stretches of low hills, its end lost in the distance. A round, bright red sun hung low on the horizon, sinking inch by inch, its afterglow turning the long river into a floating ribbon of radiant light.
This was a magnificent sight that Yao Huang had never witnessed in her over ten years of wandering around the capital and its outskirts.
She pushed Prince Hui's wheelchair westward, facing the setting sun and going against the river's current. The flat shore right next to the river was covered in pebbles. The side of the riverbank closer to the low hills was slightly higher, where the pebbles gave way to land overgrown with wild grass. The grass only reached Yao Huang's ankles, so the wheels of the rattan wheelchair easily crushed it down, forging a relatively smooth path.
Yao Huang looked down and teased, "Second Master, your face is flushed red from the light."
Zhao Sui raised his eyes; his Princess Consort's face was also glowing red.
Yao Huang didn't go too far. She stopped at a spot and sat down on a large rock nearby. Looking at the Prince and then at the sunset, she smiled, "Although traveling is very inconvenient and exhausting, just seeing this scenery tonight makes me feel that this trip is worth it."
Zhao Sui gazed out at the distant river.
He had rushed to the battlefield twice before and had seen far more spectacular and vast landscapes on the way.
However, tonight's sunset was indeed worth admiring.
Hearing a sigh from his Princess Consort, Zhao Sui turned his head, looked at her, and asked, "Why are you sighing?"
Yao Huang pointed at the river right in front of them. "There's a small river near my grandmother's town too. Whenever we went there for a short stay in the summer, my brother and cousins would go swimming and diving in the river. Actually, I really wanted to join them, but how could a girl go bathing in the water? Even just standing on the bank to watch would get me laughed at by those people."
Zhao Sui: "...You can't do it here either."
Yao Huang shot him a resentful glance. "I knew you would say that, which is why I sighed. The water has been warming in the sun all day; the temperature would be just perfect for a dip right now."
Zhao Sui looked away.
If it were just the two of them, he wouldn't mind letting his Princess Consort fulfill her wish. But with so many guards following them, even if he ordered them to stay in their tents and not come out, such a command would only make them speculate about what the Prince and Princess Consort were up to.
"Let's go back," Zhao Sui said.
Yao Huang: "What's the rush? I want to spend a little more time with you. These past two days, aside from meal times, I haven't even been able to see your face while we're in the carriages."
Zhao Sui: "...We don't see each other every day at the prince's estate either."
Yao Huang: "That's different. At the estate, I know you have everything you need. You can read when you want to, you have a comfortable wheelchair to lean back in when you're tired, and a spacious bed to lie on. Now that we're on the road, the carriage seats are narrow, and leaning against this new wheelchair isn't comfortable. Whenever I think about how you're suffering all this hardship for nothing just because of me, I feel terrible all over."
Zhao Sui: "...We will arrive tomorrow."
Yao Huang: "Tomorrow is tomorrow. Right now, I just want you to keep me company a bit longer."
Meeting his Princess Consort's passionate and persistent gaze, Prince Hui once again chose to remain silent.
Lulled by the sound of flowing water, she slept soundly through the night. When Yao Huang woke up again, the thought that they would reach Mount Ling Town by noon—where she could eat meat heartily and sit in a bathtub for a thoroughly refreshing wash—made her feel entirely revitalized.
After a simple breakfast, just as Yao Huang was about to walk toward her own carriage, Fei Quan suddenly ran over. Smiling, he said, "Madam, Second Master invites you to share his carriage."
Yao Huang: "..."
Fei Quan was, after all, the eunuch serving by His Highness Prince Hui's side. Having practiced the art of reading people's expressions for over a decade, he immediately saw what the Princess Consort was worried about. Lowering his head, he said, "Please rest assured, Madam. Second Master said that I am to come and switch places with you in two hours."
Yao Huang instantly felt relieved. Two hours—both she and the Prince could hold it in for that long!
