In the half month since the Prince of Qing's wedding, Yao Huang and Prince Hui had basically maintained a routine of going out every other day.
With greater exertion outside, certain desires faded upon returning to the manor. At least, that was the case for Yao Huang. Prince Hui must have been tired out as well; the last few times they rested in the afternoon, it was purely for sleep. At night, there was only one occasion on the fifth, and then last night. Thinking that her monthly courses were approaching and fearing that Prince Hui would be holding back too much, Yao Huang deliberately pushed him to the back courtyard. However, Prince Hui showed little interest, only holding her mildly once.
Today was the Double Ninth Festival. Although it was a minor holiday, Prince Hui was supposed to sleep on her side.
The autumn nights were growing longer. Woken up again by Prince Hui in the pitch-black darkness at some unknown hour, Yao Huang cooperatively wrapped her arms around his neck while groggily thinking: resting for a day really makes a difference! But whether staying in the manor or going out, Prince Hui spent most of his time sitting in a wheelchair. Could the difference in physical exertion really be that great?
When her mind was turned to mush by Prince Hui, the Princess Consort became incoherent again: "Deliberately keeping me from sleeping in the middle of the night—you just don't want to accompany me out, do you? If you don't want to, just say so. It's not like I forced you!" She would love to rest for a few more days!
Since the Princess Consort brought it up herself, Zhao Sui paused and said, "It's not that I don't want to accompany you; I just don't want you to get tired."
Yao Huang: "I'm tired right now too!"
Prince Hui fell silent.
The Princess Consort was both crying and angry. Her right hand, wearing a green jade bracelet that cost a thousand taels of silver, scratched at his neck and shoulders again and again.
She loved this bracelet too much. She was afraid of chipping it if she wore it out to play, and afraid of making others jealous and causing trouble if she wore it to social events, so she could only wear it while sleeping.
The Princess Consort's skin was like creamy jade. With her arm raised high, the green bracelet had long slipped from her wrist to her elbow.
In the end, the Princess Consort's arms drooped limply like vines that had lost their support. The green bracelet was pressed between her lightly sweating skin and the brocade, rubbing back and forth on its own.
.
Within the bed curtains, a pair of hands pressed against the Princess Consort's shoulders. The soundly sleeping Princess Consort unconsciously shrank inward.
Aji said anxiously, "Princess Consort, wake up quickly! Prince Kang has brought the little heir to visit!"
The sun was already high in the sky. Usually, the Princess Consort could sleep as long as she wanted, but today they had esteemed guests. If the Princess Consort delayed her appearance, His Highness Prince Kang would start getting suspicious.
Prince Kang and his son?
Yao Huang woke up. Seeing Bailing and the others behind Aji all ready to help her wash and dress, she hurriedly got up. Before washing her hands, she took off the green bracelet and carefully put it away in a silver box adorned with gilded floral medallions. When Prince Hui brought the green bracelet back from the jewelry shop, it had come with this very silver box.
Bailing combed the Princess Consort's hair, while Aji held a bowl of snow fungus and red date soup, feeding her bite by bite from the side to prevent the Princess Consort from going to socialize on an empty stomach.
In the front courtyard of Ming'an Hall, Zhao Sui sat in his wheelchair facing south, while Prince Kang sat on the left side of the long table, holding his five-year-old little heir in his arms.
"Go greet your Second Uncle," Prince Kang encouraged, nudging his son.
The little heir shrank back into his father's arms, secretly peeking at his Second Uncle in the wheelchair with round eyes like black grapes.
When Zhao Sui went north to fight the Wu in the twenty-seventh year of Yongchang, the two-year-old little heir had not yet formed memories. After Zhao Sui returned to the capital wounded from the battlefield last year, he had stayed behind closed doors, so the little heir never had the chance to meet this Second Uncle. They were practically strangers. Coupled with the fact that this Second Uncle looked cold and aloof, seeming not to like him at all, the little heir's timidity was entirely understandable.
Prince Kang wanted to push his son again, but Zhao Sui said, "We are family, uncle and nephew. There is no need to care too much about empty formalities."
Prince Kang smiled awkwardly, looking outside for the umpteenth time. Why wasn't his talkative and cheerful second sister-in-law here yet?
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside. Not long after, a figure wearing a white top and a green skirt appeared at the door of the main hall.
Taking in the scene inside, Yao Huang smiled and called Prince Kang "Eldest Brother," then waved to the little heir with a beaming smile. "Brother Dun is here! Come quickly and let Second Aunt give you a hug."
The little heir was also shy around this Second Aunt, but she smiled so beautifully. With a push from his father, the little heir cooperatively walked over.
Yao Huang led the little guy to sit at the other end of the long table, then pulled the little heir into her arms. She touched the tender cheeks unique to young children and squeezed the little heir's chubby little hands, sincerely praising, "Brother Dun is so good-looking."
Prince Kang had a long, square face and narrow eyes, while the little heir currently had an oval face and peach-blossom eyes. At a glance, he took after the late Princess Consort and was a very handsome boy who had inherited the best features. However, his forehead and eyebrow shape looked exactly like Prince Kang's, giving him an air of rectitude.
The little heir stared unblinkingly at his Second Aunt, who was even better looking than him.
The kitchen sent over pastries and fruit. While helping the little heir eat, Yao Huang glanced at the two royal brothers, who were both staring at her and the child.
Guessing that Prince Kang had serious matters to discuss with Prince Hui, Yao Huang asked the little heir, "Second Aunt has a little puppy. Shall I take you to see it?"
The little heir nodded expectantly.
Yao Huang then left Prince Hui to entertain Prince Kang and walked away hand in hand with the little heir.
Zhao Sui looked at Prince Kang.
Prince Kang: "...I have nothing going on. My hands are just itching for a game, so I wanted to ask Second Brother to play chess with me."
Hearing this, Zhao Sui asked Qingai to fetch the chessboard.
Prince Kang pulled up a chair and sat opposite his second brother, silently playing chess. As they played, Prince Kang recalled their youth. Their imperial father hadn't wanted his second brother to stay cooped up in the study all day, so he asked him, as the eldest brother, to find a way to take his second brother out for walks. Prince Kang had tried. His second brother was willing to come out with him, but along the way, Prince Kang had to rack his brains to find things to talk about. If he didn't speak, his second brother wouldn't say a word, which made Prince Kang feel completely uncomfortable.
After their imperial father found out, he told him to accompany his second brother in doing things his second brother loved to do.
Prince Kang went to ask, and his second brother said he liked reading. Besides reading, there was playing chess and painting.
Painting was a solitary activity, so Prince Kang accompanied his second brother in playing chess. He won every time, which made Prince Kang feel very embarrassed. Later, when their imperial father came to watch the brothers play chess and took him away, his imperial father scolded him: "It's one thing for an older brother's chess skills to be inferior to his younger brother's, but you couldn't even tell that your second brother was letting you win the whole time!"
Recalling the past, Prince Kang raised his eyes, looked at his second brother, and said, "Let's play fair and square. You don't need to let me win. Although your eldest brother's chess skills are lacking, I can afford to lose."
Zhao Sui nodded.
They played three games in a row, and Prince Kang lost three times in a row.
Prince Kang turned his head to look outside and said, "The weather is nice. Let me push you into the garden to get some sun."
Zhao Sui: "..."
Prince Kang walked around to help push his second brother's wheelchair. His face revealed a sense of relief that his second brother couldn't see, but the next moment, his smile vanished. He stared in horror at several thin red marks on the back of his second brother's neck. He immediately stopped in his tracks and suddenly grabbed his second brother's back collar, pulling it outward to reveal even more red marks hidden underneath.
Seeing it with his own eyes, Prince Kang was furious: "What is going on? Who hurt you, Second Brother?"
When Zhao Sui used a cloth to wipe the back of his neck and back last night, he had noticed a slight stinging sensation, but he hadn't paid it any mind at the time. Now, being grabbed by the collar and questioned by his older brother, he instantly realized what it was. After a brief silence, Zhao Sui explained, "It's inconvenient to turn over at night, so I often get rashes on my neck and back. When it gets itchy, I can't help but scratch."
The anger in Prince Kang's eyes was quickly replaced by heartache, and his eyes even grew red.
Zhao Sui did not turn his head. He spoke in his usual tone, "I'm used to it long ago. There is no need for you to be sad, Big Brother. I also ask you to keep this a secret for me. I don't want people to show concern for any other parts of my body besides my legs."
Prince Kang thought of his mother's past reminder, saying that disabled people hated hearing other people's sympathy the most, because that sympathy was useless and would only rub salt into their wounds over and over again.
With a slight lump in his throat, Prince Kang agreed.
Upon arriving at the back garden of Prince Hui's manor and walking to the foot of Mount Cuiping in the north, he saw the newly built ramp suitable for wheelchairs. Once again truly realizing the hardships his second brother had endured over the past year or so, Prince Kang's eyes stung with unshed tears.
Walking around to the lakeside on the west, Prince Kang saw his second sister-in-law. She tossed a red cloth ball high into the air, and his son and a golden-haired puppy excitedly chased after it at the same time.
Seeing his second sister-in-law's carefree and heartless smiling face, Prince Kang's expression stiffened. He parked the wheelchair to let his second brother throw the cloth ball for the child, then walked up to his second sister-in-law. With his back to his brother, he questioned her in a low voice, "Second Brother's back broke out in a rash and he scratched it until it bled. Can it be that you didn't see it?"
Yao Huang: "..."
Prince Hui's back felt as smooth as his face. What the hell kind of rash was there?!
However, as for being scratched until it bled, Yao Huang seemed to understand what was going on.
Her face grew hot as she lowered her head.
Prince Kang only assumed she was ashamed and continued, "It is your merit that you can make Second Brother happy, but you need to be more careful. It is inconvenient for Second Brother to turn over at night. You or Qingai and the others should work a little harder to help him turn over a couple of times. Don't just focus on your own sleep."
Yao Huang understood. Prince Hui must have spoken nonsense to Prince Kang, and Prince Kang, having never had his neck scratched by his former main wife or concubines, actually believed Prince Hui.
Yao Huang wasn't going to get angry with a foolish prince. Besides, such a misunderstanding was better than letting Prince Kang discover the couple's intimate secrets.
"I understand. Rest assured, Big Brother, I will be more careful. I also ask Big Brother to cover up this mistake for us. I'm afraid Imperial Father will blame me if he finds out."
Prince Kang gave a stiff "Mm" in response.
Prince Kang and his son did not stay for a meal. Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui and saw the father and son out of the manor. Returning to Ming'an Hall, taking advantage of the fact that Qingai and Feiquan had both retreated, Yao Huang stood behind him and gently stroked the back of Prince Hui's neck. "You really are something, Your Highness. Why didn't you tell me you had a rash? You caused me to get scolded by the First Prince."
Zhao Sui: "...I'll pay attention next time."
Seeing Prince Kang's normal expression after speaking with her, Zhao Sui knew that his princess had played along with his lie.
Yao Huang: "Who should pay attention? Are you telling me to pay attention not to scratch you again, or are you going to pay attention not to disturb my good sleep anymore?"
Prince Hui did not answer.
This meant he was stubbornly unrepentant. Annoyed, Yao Huang pushed the wheelchair forward.
Because the princess thought the wheelchair with push rings was ugly, the one Zhao Sui had been sitting in recently was still the original lightweight red sandalwood wheelchair. Being pushed several steps away by the princess at this moment, it was difficult for Zhao Sui to push himself, so he could only quietly stay where he was.
Yao Huang walked over, pushed him into the main room, and asked curiously, "The First Prince came at the end of the month, and he came again today. Is there something going on?"
Zhao Sui: "Nothing. It's about the same as his intention in helping me push my wheelchair in the palace."
Half genuine, half putting on an act.
Yao Huang turned it over in her mind before she understood. Emperor Yongchang's heartache for his disabled second son was obvious to all. Since she had brought Prince Hui back to life with her care, Emperor Yongchang rewarded her with a jade ruyi. If Prince Kang showed concern for Prince Hui a few more times, Emperor Yongchang would definitely praise him as a good older brother.
Emperor Yongchang was already in his fifties, and the Crown Prince would essentially be chosen between Prince Kang and Prince Qing.
For the sake of her and Prince Hui's comfortable days, Yao Huang hoped even more that Prince Kang would take over the Eastern Palace. At first glance, Prince Qing was someone who frequently ridiculed Prince Hui, and Zheng Yuanzhen had never treated her as a sister-in-law.
However, all of this was still far away. Yao Huang didn't dare to blindly interfere and could only cautiously watch from the sidelines. But Prince Kang's visit today had actually done her a small favor for her upcoming plans.
