Stepping on the stool, Yao Huang boarded Prince Hui's carriage.
The carriages used by the group were all new ones bought by Chief Steward Guo Shu. They were styled like the carriages of ordinary families. There was a main seat facing north, and a side seat placed horizontally on the left and right. The side seat near the door left some empty space for miscellaneous items. If they squeezed together, six or seven adults could sit there. If there were fewer people, the side seat could be used to put bedding, boxes, and other luggage.
When Yao Huang got on the carriage, she subconsciously looked at the place where the bamboo basket was placed outside, but both sides were empty. Feiquan had probably temporarily put it somewhere else.
Prince Hui, wearing a gray-white fine cloth summer shirt, sat upright in the middle of the main seat. The empty wheelchair was placed on his left hand side, occupying a large area, making the carriage look even more crowded.
Since Yao Huang had to talk to the Prince, she could only sit on the right side seat. Presumably, Feiquan had also sat here before.
A layer of soft cushions was laid on the main seat and the right side seat. A long mahogany box was placed on the left side seat, containing tea, fruits, and other snacks, which could be taken as needed.
The bamboo curtain was half rolled up, revealing only half of the gauze curtain, but it was not stuffy inside the carriage. On the contrary, there was a faint smell of bamboo and wood, making people feel as if they were in the bamboo forest of the Prince's mansion.
Yao Huang sniffed and asked curiously, "Second Master, where did this fragrance come from?"
Zhao Sui: "A sachet."
Yao Huang then noticed that he was also wearing a moon-white sachet on his waist. It was made of fine cloth with a few green bamboos simply embroidered on it.
Yao Huang leaned closer, picked up the sachet, and sniffed it in front of her nose. It was indeed this smell.
Looking at Prince Hui, who was still incredibly handsome even in ordinary cloth clothes, Yao Huang muttered, "Ordinary men in a small town wouldn't wear a sachet. Only romantic young masters from wealthy families would use such elegant things to attract the attention of young girls."
Zhao Sui: "...I just use it on the road."
Yao Huang: "We'll be entering the town at noon. Second Master should take it off early, lest you forget when you get off the carriage and the neighbors see it. We just moved in, and the neighbors will definitely come out to watch the fun."
Zhao Sui was about to untie the sachet.
Yao Huang actively helped. After untying it, she tied it around her own waist and smiled, "Women in the small town also love beauty. Girls and young wives all like to wear this."
Zhao Sui: "...Didn't the embroidery room prepare these for you?"
Yao Huang: "Yes, I thought they were all used to repel mosquitoes and insects, so I asked Aji to put them away and hang them up when sleeping at night."
Zhao Sui glanced at the sachet on the Princess's body and asked no more.
The carriage swayed slightly with the horse's footsteps. Yao Huang looked at the Buddhist scriptures placed upside down by Prince Hui and asked, "Is Second Master tired of reading?"
Zhao Sui tacitly agreed.
Yao Huang understood. The Prince's eyes were tired, and the narrow main seat couldn't accommodate his broad shoulders. He was uncomfortable sitting or lying down, so he called her over to help pass the time.
"Then shall I sing a song for Second Master?" Yao Huang asked with a smile.
Zhao Sui: "...No need. Help me massage my shoulders."
Yao Huang suddenly understood. She rolled up her sleeves and stood up to serve His Highness Prince Hui. Behind Prince Hui was the carriage board, so she couldn't turn around. If she massaged face-to-face, Prince Hui's face would be directly facing her lapel, which would be too awkward. There was a wheelchair blocking the way on the left, so she could only kneel on the right side of the main seat. But how could one only massage one side of the shoulders?
Seeing her dilemma, Zhao Sui said, "Forget it. Read the scriptures for me."
Yao Huang didn't want to read those scriptures where she knew every word but couldn't understand them when put together, causing her head to ache, and sometimes she couldn't even break the sentences properly!
Suddenly, Yao Huang had an idea. She bent over and smiled at Prince Hui: "How about Second Master suffer a little and sit on the floor while I sit behind you? It's easier for me to exert force this way."
Zhao Sui looked at his feet.
Yao Huang immediately spread the soft cushion on her side over.
Since the Princess had already done this, Zhao Sui paused, then stretched out his legs forward, supported his body with his hands to leave the main seat, and finally sat steadily on the soft cushion below, changing his legs to a cross-legged posture.
Yao Huang climbed onto the main seat and carefully straddled his shoulders. Seeing that Prince Hui's straight back was still some distance from the main seat, she pressed his shoulders backward: "It's so tiring to keep tense all the time. Lean back."
Zhao Sui's back was leaning firmly, but the outside of his shoulders was actually tightly pressed by her two legs. Being so close, the back of his head seemed to touch her too.
Yao Huang noticed it earlier than he did, so she also leaned back. Anyway, her hands could still massage Prince Hui's shoulders.
After massaging for a while, Yao Huang sighed, "Second Master's shoulders are really strong. Were you more burly than my dad and brother in the past?"
With a father who was a centurion and a brother who practiced martial arts, Yao Huang knew that a man's good physique required years of martial arts practice to maintain, and once abandoned, the flesh would loosen. His Highness Prince Hui had been inactive for over a year, yet his shoulders, arms, and even his chest and waist were still hard everywhere. It showed how strong he was when his legs were intact. Only by being extraordinarily strong could he make repeated meritorious deeds on the battlefield.
Zhao Sui: "..."
His Princess was as beautiful as a flower, but her words were really too straightforward. Growing up, Zhao Sui had never been called "shoulders" by anyone.
Yao Huang interpreted Prince Hui's silence as displeasure. After all, she had mentioned his glory before his disability. She quickly remedied, "Actually, being too burly is not good either. Even after Second Master has lost weight, I, I can't take it. If Second Master hadn't lost weight, I might really, really die in your bed."
The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, and the last few words were almost inaudible. The hands that were quite strong just now also became weaker and weaker.
Zhao Sui closed his eyes. The sound of horse hooves and rolling wheels outside the carriage became clearer, reminding him of where he was.
"Continue. I'll sleep for a while."
Yao Huang understood again. The Prince was hinting for her to shut up and stop nagging!
Saying less meant making fewer mistakes. Yao Huang was very cooperative. She focused on massaging Prince Hui's shoulders. After massaging the shoulders, she massaged the arms. After massaging the arms, she used her fists to roll down Prince Hui's spine to the seat board, and then rolled back inch by inch. Then she imitated Bailing's technique to massage Prince Hui's forehead, sides of the eyes, and head. Only then was it considered over.
Zhao Sui: "Where did you learn this?"
Yao Huang: "Bailing. Is Second Master comfortable?"
Zhao Sui responded with an "Mhm". When he heard her breathing become heavy, he told her to rest.
Yao Huang: "Let me comb Second Master's hair again. The bun is messed up."
There was also a comb in the carriage. Yao Huang untied Prince Hui's hair bun, carefully combed his hair, and tied it into a bun with a cloth band.
Zhao Sui thought of something: "The journey was bumpy. How is your body these past two days?"
Yao Huang: "Not bad. Although my waist is a little sore, I guess it will recover after a good night's sleep tonight."
Zhao Sui: "It's inconvenient to eat on the road. When we arrive in town, let Madam Gao stew some nourishing soup for you."
Yao Huang: "Okay, let's both nourish ourselves."
Zhao Sui: "...You haven't had your period?"
Yao Huang: "...Soon, it should be these few days. It's not like it came on the tenth of last month and it must come on the tenth of this month. It's common to be delayed for one or two days."
The carriage was quiet for a while until Yao Huang remembered to make way and let Prince Hui sit back on the main seat.
Zhao Sui glanced at the Buddhist scripture, then looked at the princess, whose eyes were downcast and whose face was slightly flushed. Pointing at the cushion below, he said, "Come here, let me massage your shoulders too."
Yao Huang was flattered but alarmed. "There is no need. I have spent most of the past two days lying down in the carriage. I am not tired."
Zhao Sui reached his hand out to her.
Yao Huang had no choice but to extend her hand to him. Prince Hui then pressed her down to sit on the cushion. Her shoulders were not very broad, and Prince Hui's hands were quite long and slender. When he applied pressure to her shoulders with his thumbs and index fingers, the middle fingers of his left and right hands could actually touch the waistband of her chest-high dress.
Regardless of whether Prince Hui noticed it or not, in that instant, a spark ignited throughout Yao Huang's entire body. Supporting herself with her hands on the floor, she scrambled away from Prince Hui and retreated to the side seat. Turning her head away, she said, "I appreciate Second Master's kind intentions, but I am truly not used to being served by you. It feels too awkward, so let's just forget it."
Zhao Sui looked at her flushed face and watched the front of the princess's dress rise and fall with her rapid breathing, the constant rumbling of the carriage wheels still echoing in his ears.
He picked up the Buddhist scripture and handed it to her. "Left page, start reading from the fourth column."
Now Yao Huang felt that reading the scripture was a good chore. Finding the spot Prince Hui had pointed out, she read down character by character, never expecting to encounter an unfamiliar character in the very next column!
Another fire, this one of shame and indignation, flared up within Yao Huang. Of course, she was no erudite lady from a prominent family, but she had truly studied under a female tutor for nine years. She had read so many storybooks without ever encountering an unknown character. If she got stuck in front of the prince today, would he despise her for her shallow knowledge?
In a brief instant, Yao Huang made up her mind and continued reading, pausing after each word, "May the World-Honored One, with great compassion and pity for the people..."
Zhao Sui: "People?"
Yao Huang: "..."
Zhao Sui: "...pity, the character is 'min', meaning compassion and sympathy."
Yao Huang: "I did read 'min'. Second Master must have misheard, right?"
Zhao Sui: "...Hmm. Continue."
Yao Huang continued reading without changing her expression. To her dismay, the next column suddenly presented four characters: "Hui Mi Li Che." The densely packed strokes of the first character almost blinded Yao Huang's eyes.
Yao Huang felt that this character was very likely pronounced "Sui," but having already learned her lesson once, what if the pronunciation of this character had absolutely nothing to do with "Sui"? If she couldn't even cover up her mistake, wouldn't it be even more humiliating?
While the princess read the scripture, Prince Hui had kept his eyes closed to rest. When the princess suddenly went silent, Zhao Sui opened his eyes, only to see her clutching her stomach with one hand, her brows tightly furrowed.
Zhao Sui: "What's wrong?"
Yao Huang put on a bitter face. "My stomach hurts. My time of the month might have come. I want to go back and check."
Zhao Sui immediately called out, "Stop the carriage."
Feiquan was right outside the carriage. He respectfully helped the princess step down. Zhao Sui sat inside, watching the princess's figure the entire time until she turned to the back.
He instructed Feiquan, "Call Physician Li to check the princess's pulse."
The journey was arduous, and sleeping in tents at night was cold. Her body was delicate, and it was highly possible she had fallen ill.
All four carriages came to a halt. Yao Huang had just returned to her own carriage and breathed a sigh of relief when Feiquan brought Physician Li over, causing her a wave of embarrassment.
Physician Li confirmed that the princess was fine, then followed Feiquan to report back to the prince.
Hearing him say that the princess's pulse was steady and her abdominal pain had disappeared, Zhao Sui figured that it really was her time of the month.
Only women knew exactly how their monthly courses felt; perhaps it was just an occasional twinge of pain.
After Physician Li retreated, Feiquan came up. Without the prince's orders, he took it upon himself to put away the cushion that was inexplicably laid on the floor, placing it on the opposite side seat. Then, he picked up the Buddhist scripture from the right side seat and handed it to the prince with both hands, keeping it open to the same page.
Zhao Sui took it. His eyes casually swept down from the spot the princess had been reading, and he saw the phrase "Hui Mi Li Che."
The carriage was only so big, and Feiquan was naturally observing the prince's expression in secret. Thus, he saw his prince smile at the Buddhist scripture, a genuine smile, as fleeting as a flash of silver lightning on a stormy night.
