After basking in the sun, the Prince of Hui went to the study to read. Yao Huang came to the backyard and received a brief reply from A'ji from Zhang Yue: It's done.
Yao Huang rubbed Jinbao's little head, in a very good mood.
In the afternoon, Yao Huang changed into her inner garments and lay on the bed. Just as she was in a daze and about to fall asleep, thinking that the Prince of Hui had forgotten what he said last night, the Prince of Hui came to accompany her to "take a nap".
The Princess Consort didn't come out to greet him. Perhaps she was already asleep, or perhaps it was because her summer nightclothes were too thin for her to show her face. Zhao Sui watched the rattan chair beneath him completely enter the east room, then signaled Feiquan to retreat.
Feiquan kept his head bowed and closed the door from the outside.
Just as Zhao Sui was about to push the large wheels of the rattan chair, there was movement on the canopy bed. The Princess Consort walked out wearing a light green damask outfit embroidered with lotus flowers, her eyes lowered and her cheeks flushed.
Zhao Sui withdrew his gaze and looked at his own legs.
Last night, in a moment of impulse during a fit of passion, he deliberately misinterpreted her meaning and set a new rule of coming to accompany her for a nap every noon. But after all, it was broad daylight. Would the Princess Consort really be willing to do this kind of thing? Yesterday, the Princess Consort just praised him for being a gentleman. How could a true gentleman be so greedy for pleasure to such an extent?
The Princess Consort came close and pushed him towards the bed canopy.
After stopping the wheelchair, the Princess Consort climbed up by herself and lay on her side with her back to him.
Having already reached this position, Zhao Sui couldn't call Feiquan in to push him away. He silently propped himself onto the bed, closed his eyes, and lay flat.
Actually, accompanying the Princess Consort for six nights a month, and only wanting it once or twice a night, wasn't that unbearable?
In broad daylight, Yao Huang's heart pounded like thunder for quite a while, but the Prince of Hui beside her didn't make a single movement, as if he had really just come to take a pure nap with her.
But Yao Huang wasn't the same as when she had just married over. How could she possibly believe it?
The Prince of Hui was just being reserved. No matter how much he wanted it, he had to find an excuse first, or have her speak or make a move first.
Was this the behavior of all princes and children of noble families, or was it just the Prince of Hui who was thin-skinned? Or was it because the Prince of Hui's legs were crippled that he became like this?
If his legs were fine, he wouldn't need to sleep in a separate room from her at all, and naturally he wouldn't need to endure the fire for a few days.
It was she who first discussed sleeping together every night. The Prince of Hui was concerned about the inconvenience of his legs and couldn't agree, so he thought of using the nap to share the fire.
Forget it, sharing it was good for both her and the Prince. What was there to be embarrassed about for a proper married couple?
Rolling over, Yao Huang rolled right into the Prince of Hui's embrace.
Zhao Sui still had his eyes closed. He patted the Princess Consort's hand that rested on him and said in a low voice, "Go to sleep."
Yao Huang thought he couldn't let go, so she asked in his ear, "In the evening, let's go to the fabric shop to buy a bolt of black silk, make it into a canopy and hang it up. Won't it be just like at night?"
Zhao Sui: "...There's no need to do something so unnecessary. I came to accompany you for a nap, not necessarily to tire you out."
Yao Huang laughed: "What is Second Master thinking about? I'm saying that with a black canopy hung up, we can sleep as soundly as at night. What does that have to do with tiring me out?"
Zhao Sui: "..."
Yao Huang: "Besides, Second Master isn't tiring me out now. Are you preparing to put on a show that will tire me to death next time?"
Zhao Sui grabbed the Princess Consort and turned her over.
On the narrow couch by the window in the west room, A'ji, who had been lying there for a while, suddenly raised his head like Jinbao being startled, and looked towards the east room in disbelief. Sounds that were more deliberately suppressed than at night were coming from over there.
After his surprise, A'ji skillfully dug out the cotton balls hidden over here, hugged his quilt, and continued to sleep.
After taking a fake nap and then taking a real one, the Prince of Hui returned to the front yard an hour later.
When they went out to bask in the sun at dusk, Yao Huang really pushed the Prince of Hui to the fabric shop on the main street and asked the female stall owner for a bolt of black silk with a normal smile.
The female stall owner went to get the silk. Yao Huang lowered her head and saw the Prince of Hui's eyes lowered. Although he wasn't lifeless, it was as if his soul had left his body.
The female stall owner brought out the black silk and asked casually, "What is Little Lady buying black silk for?"
Yao Huang: "To make a black long gown for my husband."
The female stall owner didn't understand why a scholar would wear a black gown in the middle of summer. She just handed the black silk to Yao Huang and waited for the scholar to pay.
Only then did the Prince of Hui's soul return, and he took out his purse.
At night, the Prince of Hui stayed in the front yard. Yao Huang had slept a lot in the afternoon and was in good spirits. Before it was completely dark, she sat in the yard cutting the black silk to sew the canopy. This was simple, and it was something used by the couple in the room, so there was no need to be too particular about needlework.
A'ji sat beside her, both feeling sorry for the black silk bought for six mace of silver and questioning the Princess Consort's taste: "Who uses a black canopy?"
Yao Huang said without changing her expression: "It's not that I like black. The window is too bright at noon, and Second Master can't sleep."
When A'ji heard this, he suddenly realized. Second Master had trouble taking a nap, and if he was awake, wouldn't he have to...
The next day, Yao Huang wasn't in a hurry to change into her nightclothes. She sat on the bed waiting for the Prince of Hui to come over. The black canopy she had sewn herself was already hung up beside her, just waiting for His Highness the Prince of Hui to appreciate it.
However, Yao Huang waited and waited but didn't wait for anyone. Recalling the Prince of Hui's expression when they bought the black silk yesterday, Yao Huang smiled and went to the front yard by herself.
The door of the main room was closed. Yao Huang looked inside through the crack in the door and saw Feiquan dozing on the long table.
Yao Huang knocked gently on the door.
Feiquan immediately raised his head and tiptoed over to open the door.
Yao Huang glanced at the east room and asked, "Has Second Master gone to sleep?"
Feiquan said quietly, "He's been resting for a while. I don't know if he's asleep."
Two quarters of an hour had passed since Doctor Liao finished the massage. Listening to the sound, the Prince had also wiped his legs himself. It was so quiet inside, what else could the Prince be doing besides taking a nap?
Yao Huang thought for a moment, told him to keep the door open, went to the backyard to take down the black canopy, and then brought it to the front yard.
Telling Feiquan to wait outside, Yao Huang walked into the east room. She didn't care whether the Prince of Hui on the bed was really asleep or faking it. She first gathered the white canopy hanging down on this side to the sides, then turned the Prince of Hui's rattan wheelchair placed next to it, fixed it, and stepped on the seat to hang the black canopy in her arms. After hanging it up, Yao Huang glanced at the Prince of Hui, who had opened his eyes at some point, jumped off the rattan chair barefoot, unfolded the two sides of the black canopy, and stood outside the canopy laughing: "I sewed it myself. What does Second Master think?"
Zhao Sui felt that separated by a layer of black silk, the Princess Consort seemed to be even whiter.
"Come in."
The Prince of Hui said in a low voice.
Yao Huang didn't move: "What for?"
The Prince of Hui was silent.
Yao Huang stepped onto the wheelchair again, untied it the same way she had hung it, and then, holding a bundle of black silk, put on her shoes while saying without even lifting her eyes: "Second Master said it himself, you would come to accompany me for a nap every day. You made me wait in vain for half a day just now. And look at you, you're already resting. In that case, Second Master can continue resting. I'll sleep by myself."
After saying that, the Princess Consort glared at him and swaggered away.
Zhao Sui was helpless and had to call Feiquan in to push him to find the Princess Consort.
Every day, he accompanied the Princess Consort to enjoy the meals and nourishing soups cooked by Madam Gao. He persisted in basking in the sun for half an hour every morning and afternoon for several consecutive days. On the twenty-sixth, he was even pushed by the Princess Consort to stroll around the market for a whole morning. By the twenty-ninth, when Squire Qi, their neighbor to the west, was going to celebrate his birthday, the Prince of Hui in the wheelchair had successfully shed his former pallor and truly become as handsome as jade.
Yao Huang accompanied Prince Hui every day, so she did not notice the changes in him as obviously. After breakfast, she specifically called over Madam Gao—who, despite coming to the town with them, rarely had the chance to see Prince Hui face-to-face—and said with a smile, "Auntie, take a look at our Second Master."
Madam Gao's heart trembled. Was he someone she was allowed to look at?
But since it was an order from the princess consort, Madam Gao nervously and slowly raised her head, finally looking directly at His Highness Prince Hui. She saw the prince sitting upright in a rattan chair, holding a book, as if he had not heard the princess consort's playful words at all.
The next moment, Madam Gao understood why the princess consort wanted her to look at the prince.
Seeing the amazement and joy on Madam Gao's face, Yao Huang was convinced that Prince Hui's complexion had indeed improved, and it was not just her own wishful thinking.
Mindful of Prince Hui's prestige, Yao Huang did not joke any further. She had A'ji hand a pouch of reward silver to Madam Gao. "Auntie, every dish you have made over the past half month has been delicious. Both the Second Master and I are very satisfied. We will continue to rely on you going forward."
Madam Gao knew her own skills very well. Master Kong's culinary skills were on par with hers, perhaps even a notch higher, yet despite racking his brains, he had not been able to improve the prince's appetite. She had only arrived at the prince's estate a short time before the princess consort; what ability did she have to satisfy the prince? Now that the prince had an appetite, it was entirely because he had a beautiful and caring princess consort by his side!
After Madam Gao left, as soon as it was five quarters into the chen hour, Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui out the door again.
Over at the Qi family's place, people were coming and going; they were all relatives and friends who had come to help manage the birthday banquet. Half an hour later, Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui back, only to see a festively decorated theatrical stage set up on the riverbank outside the Qi residence. A theatrical troupe of about seven or eight people was painting their faces and drawing their eyebrows under the watchful eyes of the neighbors.
Yao Huang asked in surprise, "They even hired a theatrical troupe?"
Although it was a folk troupe with ordinary or even mediocre singing skills that could be hired to perform for half a day for just a few taels of silver, in such a small town, it was highly respectable and glorious, enough for the townspeople to talk about with relish for quite a while.
A steady stream of commoners was hurrying over. The adults were relatively composed, but the children all ran past, no one paying attention to the man in the wheelchair nearby.
Zhao Sui was already accustomed to this small town and such lively occasions.
Sticking to the edge of the crowd, Yao Huang walked a few steps and stopped a few steps, finally pushing the wheelchair back to the eastern courtyard.
Once the main doors were closed, the crowded masses were out of sight, but the buzzing clamor continued to drift inside.
Zhao Sui did not mind much and said to the princess consort, "I will read a book, you go watch the play. Come get me when the banquet is about to start over there."
Yao Huang replied, "There are too many people. It is a hot day, and I cannot be bothered to squeeze through the crowd. Besides, I can hear it from home anyway."
Leaving Prince Hui to read in the study, Yao Huang, Madam Gao, and A'ji set up a small table at the front of the western courtyard. The three of them listened to the play while cracking melon seeds.
Near noon, the Qi family's guests gradually arrived. Squire Qi even specially sent a grandson to notify the Liao family, so everyone tidied up briefly and headed out.
Yao Huang and her two companions were led to the Qi family's backyard. Because of his status as a scholar and that painting, Zhao Sui was treated as an honored guest by Squire Qi. Along with him, Doctor Liao, his two sons, and his two adopted son apprentices were all invited into the main hall. Sharing their table were two other individuals of considerable status in the town: Scholar He and his son, the provincial graduate He Wenbin.
Zhang Yue and Wang Dong sat in the seats next to the He father and son, respectively.
In He Wenbin's mind, these were two budding murderers who dared to kill at any moment. He had the mind to reprimand them but lacked the strength to resist, so he could only sit there stiffly.
Scholar He was even more timid than his son, not even daring to dart his eyes around.
The father and son were acting too abnormally, so Zhao Sui looked toward Feiquan.
Feiquan tilted his head and explained in a low voice, "On the morning of the twentieth, Madam Zhu was making a loud racket and disturbed Second Sister-in-law's good sleep. I had them go over and give a warning."
Zhao Sui had an impression of Madam Zhu's voice; it was indeed very noisy. The methods used by Zhang Yue and the other might have been a bit excessive, but it was excusable.
