There were many thresholds and steps in the palace. Since Prince Hui was rushing to have his official workspace repaired by the tenth of October, Yan Lun had no choice but to have the royal carpenters and stonemasons he recruited prepare their tools and materials in advance. Taking advantage of the noon hour when the Emperor, Empress, concubines, and various officials were resting, they began working intensely to modify the thresholds and stone steps.
The stone steps only needed a section on both sides smoothed out and connected into a ramp. The white marble was processed in advance at a workshop outside the palace, and after being brought in, it was glued along the stone steps, which did not make too much noise. However, grinding those high hardwood thresholds into sloped sills convenient for wheelchair access required keeping the highest part of the threshold flush with the bottom of the door while extending the sides downwards into a slope. The scraping, cutting, and planing produced all sorts of ear-grating noises, which drew out some of the officials.
"What is being done here?"
The craftsmen only knew how to do their work and truly did not know the reason for such modifications. Yan Lun was also absent, having only dispatched an overseer from the Ministry of Works.
The overseer was equally uninformed. No matter who asked, he only said that he was following Lord Yan's orders.
But the clever officials all understood. These were royal thresholds; whether the modification was big or small, the Emperor had to give the order before Yan Lun would dare to start construction.
If the sloped thresholds were not obvious enough, when two even more prominent ramps appeared on the white marble steps in front of the main hall, combined with the fact that the Emperor had visited Prince Hui's manor a few days prior, it was as if a stone had been thrown into the hearts of the civil and military officials, stirring up ripples of speculation.
Right at this time, news spread from the Ministry of Works that the thresholds of every room and area within the ministry were undergoing similar modifications.
Prince Kang had his doubts, but these last few days of the month were not his scheduled days to pay respects to his mother, the consort. His mother had also instructed him long ago not to seek her out on non-greeting days unless there was an emergency. Thus, Prince Kang continued calculating accounts at the Ministry of Revenue.
After finishing his shift at dusk, Prince Kang walked out and, passing by the Ministry of Rites, happened to run into his third brother, Prince Qing, who was just coming out.
"Eldest Brother," Prince Qing greeted with a smile.
Prince Kang nodded, and the two brothers naturally walked together.
Just ahead was a newly modified threshold. The very top of the threshold was clearly as high as before, but both sides had been lowered. As the brothers lifted their legs to step over it, they both felt a bit awkward.
Prince Qing said in a low voice, "Eldest Brother, you must have heard the news spreading through the various ministries, right?"
Prince Kang remained silent, avoiding any traps his third brother might be digging for him with his words.
Prince Qing knew his eldest brother guarded against him like a fox, so he voiced his speculation openly first: "I also think Imperial Father is going to have Second Brother go to the Ministry of Works to take up an official post."
Only then did Prince Kang glance at him.
Prince Qing touched his nose. "Actually, it is a good thing. Second Brother is young; it will not do for him to always idle at home. But why must Imperial Father insist on modifying these thresholds? Would it not be just as convenient if, like before, when Second Brother comes, the gatekeeping palace servants are told to lay down wooden planks in advance? Now that it is made into this strange shape, it instead forces the civil and military officials, including Imperial Father himself, to readjust."
Instead of having one person accommodate the civil and military officials, making the civil and military officials accommodate one person—just how noble must one's status be to deserve such courteous treatment?
If you asked Prince Qing, only if the sole master of the imperial palace himself were crippled would it be worth such a massive alteration to the palace gates.
Prince Qing felt that their Imperial Father should not be old and senile yet, inexplicably wanting to make Second Brother the Crown Prince out of nowhere. But the things their Imperial Father was doing truly made it hard not to think in that direction.
Prince Kang harbored similar suspicions and exchanged a tacit, knowing look with Prince Qing.
Prince Qing said, "Eldest Brother, you have always been on good terms with Second Brother. Why don't you go to Second Brother's place and sound him out?"
Prince Kang was speechless.
He just knew it! Whenever his third brother took the initiative to approach him, he never had good intentions!
Although Prince Kang's long, square face was not as handsome as his two younger brothers', it did have an advantage: no matter how you looked at it, it gave off a sense of uprightness. Just like at this moment, even though he was secretly criticizing his third brother in his heart, not a single trace of it showed on his face.
"Your second brother is like a gourd with its mouth sawn shut; he does not like to speak when there is nothing going on, and he certainly would not say an extra word about this kind of matter. It would be better for Third Brother to go directly and ask Imperial Father. You have always been in Imperial Father's good graces. Perhaps if you ask, Imperial Father will tell you."
Prince Qing was speechless.
He truly regretted it. When they were young, he should not have set traps for his eldest brother so many times. He tricked him too early and to little effect, and instead ended up making his eldest brother smarter. Now, not only did he know how to guard against him, but he had also learned to steal his tricks.
Having had an unpleasant conversation, the two brothers each boarded their own carriages.
The next day, Emperor Yongchang summoned Prince Kang and Prince Qing to the imperial study and asked straight to the point, "Have you seen those new thresholds?"
Both brothers nodded.
Emperor Yongchang asked, "Do you know why I wanted to modify them like this?"
Prince Kang lowered his eyes, avoiding his Imperial Father's gaze. Having often been reprimanded over his schoolwork when he was young, Prince Kang had developed this habit: whenever his Imperial Father asked questions that were not so easy to answer, he subconsciously wanted to evade them.
Prince Qing smiled and said, "It is for Second Brother's sake, isn't it? The word has spread through the Ministry of Works, saying that Second Brother might be going over there to take up a post."
Emperor Yongchang glanced at his eldest son, who was shrinking back like a quail, and said, "Indeed. Your second brother is highly educated and possesses the talent of a top scholar. Rather than letting him stay idle at his manor doing nothing, it is better to call him out to serve the imperial court. Then tell me, why did I insist on modifying those thresholds and stone steps?"
This was easy to answer. Prince Kang dared to raise his eyes and said, "To make it more convenient for Second Brother to enter and exit."
Emperor Yongchang ignored him and looked directly at his third son.
Prince Qing knew right away that his eldest brother's answer just now had failed to satisfy their Imperial Father. After a brief moment of thought, he sighed softly and said, "Imperial Father wants Second Brother to feel that he is the same as everyone else. The civil and military officials only need to step over the thresholds when entering and exiting the palace gates. But when it comes to Second Brother, the gatekeeping palace servants have to lay down wooden planks in advance. Every time a plank is laid down, it is a reminder to Second Brother that his legs are injured, which more or less feels like rubbing salt in his wounds. If some careless palace servant forgets to lay down the planks, Second Brother would be even more embarrassed. By changing it to how it is now, Second Brother's wheelchair can pass through as unimpeded as our legs. Second Brother will no longer need to mind the palace servants' actions of paving the way, but will instead feel grateful every time for Imperial Father's loving heart towards his son."
Prince Kang was speechless.
Why couldn't he think of these things? Why could he only answer with a dozen or so words?
Emperor Yongchang nodded and said, "That is only one reason. More importantly, I want Sui'er to know that he has talent, and I am happy for him to come out and serve. He can serve for as long as he wishes, and for as long as he is able. It is just a few thresholds. When he is old and can no longer work, a single verbal decree from the new emperor to have people rebuild the thresholds will suffice. How much effort could that possibly take?"
By using Sui'er instead of your second brother, he was telling Prince Kang that these words were also meant for him.
Prince Kang's eyes turned red. His Imperial Father truly was a loving father, and his second brother was worthy of it.
Before he could speak, Prince Qing hurriedly said, "What new emperor? Imperial Father will live a long and boundless life. When Second Brother can no longer work, Imperial Father will still be in the prime of his life."
Emperor Yongchang was speechless.
Was this treating him like a foolish, incompetent ruler who only loved hearing flattery, or was it cursing his second son to be so frail and sickly that he could not even outlive his old father?
In his heart, he was probably incredibly happy about the words new emperor, yet he was spouting this kind of nonsense to kiss up!
Emperor Yongchang snorted coldly, "I am not a turtle and will not live that long. I only hope that the new emperor who succeeds me will take good care of his crippled brother. Don't let him impatiently change the thresholds back as soon as I am gone, hinting to his brother to go home and retire early. Not only would that break his brother's heart, but it would also make the civil and military officials and the common people laugh at the discord between the imperial brothers!"
When their imperial father grew angry, Prince Kang and Prince Qing hurriedly knelt down.
Emperor Yongchang: "Leave now, and focus on your duties with peace of mind."
The two princes took their leave. Once outside the imperial study, blinded by the glaring sun, the brothers exchanged another look.
Their father hoped the "new emperor" would continue to take care of Prince Hui. The implication was that their father still intended to choose the Crown Prince from between the two of them!
Having swallowed this reassuring pill, Prince Kang and Prince Qing once again tossed the crippled Prince Hui out of their minds, leaving only each other in their sights.
Inside the imperial study, Emperor Yongchang leaned back in his chair, staring dejectedly at the ceiling.
One was honest but foolish, the other arrogant and clever. Were it not for the fear that these two would grow suspicious and go bother his second son, Emperor Yongchang truly wouldn't have wanted to give them this reassurance.
.
As expected, Prince Kang and Prince Qing did not come to bother Prince Hui. Civil and military officials were even less likely to rashly visit Prince Hui, who had long declared his doors closed to guests. However, at the end of the month, the craftsmen sent by the Prince Hui's estate to renovate the rooms at the Ministry of Works took a short tour around the palace and the Ministry. Dozens of eyes saw those strange thresholds. After finishing their work and returning to the estate, the head craftsman reported the matter to Eunuch Cao.
The head steward, Guo Shu, was mainly responsible for the estate's external affairs, such as social interactions with imperial relatives and officials, as well as the shops, properties, and farmlands under the estate's name. The internal affairs of the estate were mostly managed by Eunuch Cao and Nanny Liu.
Naturally, Eunuch Cao had to report such a major event to the Prince and the Princess Consort.
After Eunuch Cao withdrew, Yao Huang whispered, "I used to think Imperial Father was quite careless, but this time he was finally attentive."
Zhao Sui reprimanded her, though not too harshly, "Imperial Father has the whole world in his heart. You must not harbor any complaints against him on my account."
Yao Huang hummed lightly.
When she first married Prince Hui, Yao Huang truly felt that Emperor Yongchang was not a good father. What kind of good father would do something as disgusting as taking a woman who had broken off her engagement with his second son and marrying her off to his third son?
It was only after she became more familiar with Prince Hui and Emperor Yongchang that Yao Huang realized Emperor Yongchang didn't lack care for his crippled second son; he just wasn't attentive enough. Coupled with Prince Hui's uncompetitive, quiet nature and his reluctance to hover around his father, Emperor Yongchang felt that his son's only unsolvable problem was his "disability," which he could do nothing about.
Like this time when asking for an official post, Yao Huang had considered a separate office and washroom for Prince Hui, but the thresholds were brought up by Emperor Yongchang himself. This proved that the emperor father truly understood how to take care of Prince Hui.
.
On the eighth of October, when the thresholds and steps in the palace and Prince Hui's office in the Ministry of Works were just finishing up, Master Deng and Ji Zhun, the minister of the Armory, arrived at the Prince Hui's estate with four new wheelchairs.
Yao Huang was looking forward to the new wheelchairs with large metal wheels so much that she pushed Prince Hui at a flying speed, only slowing down with feigned steadiness when Prince Hui spoke up.
The four new wheelchairs were all placed in the main hall. They all featured large metal wheels and fine wooden push-rims. Among them were a rattan three-wheeled wheelchair, a red sandalwood three-wheeled wheelchair, a rattan four-wheeled wheelchair, and a red sandalwood four-wheeled wheelchair.
The large metal wheels on the rattan wheelchair were golden-yellow and only about two fingers wide. They matched the color of the golden thread nanmu push-rims on the outside, which were two sizes smaller, only one finger wide, and did not touch the ground. The two wheels and the rattan chair shared a similar color, blending together seamlessly.
The large metal wheels on the red sandalwood wheelchair were purplish-black, complementing the fine red sandalwood wheels and the red sandalwood chair body perfectly.
Aside from the familiar rattan and red sandalwood, Yao Huang did not recognize any of the materials. She relied entirely on Ji Zhun's explanations from the side, detailing what metal materials were used for the two beautifully colored large wheels.
Master Deng pointed to the four-wheeled rattan chair and said, "The four-wheeled ones are for outdoor use. If self-propulsion isn't considered, this chair body would be better suited with golden thread nanmu. However, due to the rush, this commoner hasn't had time to craft that chair body yet."
Zhao Sui: "No matter. For the outdoor wheelchairs, just crafting them from red sandalwood will do."
Yao Huang stood behind Prince Hui and blinked at Master Deng. The estate wasn't short on silver; they wanted both the red sandalwood and the golden thread nanmu ones. To Prince Hui, wheelchairs were like clothes; always sitting in one color would get boring.
Prince Hui was about to test the wheelchairs, so Yao Huang and the others withdrew first. Not long after, Prince Hui, sitting in his old wheelchair, expressed his satisfaction with this batch of new wheelchairs. He told the Armory that in the future, they only needed to craft the two types of metal large wheels currently in use as spares, and there was no need to rack their brains for new designs.
Ji Zhun and Master Deng could finally unload the heavy burden that had weighed on them for two months. When they left, they both received a generous reward.
Once the outsiders were gone, Yao Huang picked the lightest rattan three-wheeled wheelchair, sat on it right in front of Prince Hui, and pushed herself around the main room for half a circle. The push-rims made of golden thread nanmu felt incredibly comfortable to the touch!
"How does Your Highness find using it?"
"I can move around freely indoors."
In other words, while performing his duties in his office at the Ministry of Works, from retrieving files to going to the restroom to relieve himself and wash his hands, he would not need Qingai and Feiquan to serve him.
