On the tenth day of the month, the artisans from the prince's estate made another trip to the Ministry of Works. They moved in and arranged all the various items that Prince Hui would need. After they finished their work, this official office was ready for use.
The office had a total of two locks. The key to the south door of the outer room was kept by Qingai. From now on, when Prince Hui arrived, he would open the door for him, and when Prince Hui left, he would lock it again. The key to the small door on the north wall of the inner resting room was kept by Feiquan. Whether Prince Hui needed water for washing or to have the chamber pot cleaned, he would use this route to avoid running into the officials coming and going from the south courtyard.
With these two locks, along with the close attendance of Qingai and Feiquan, it was guaranteed that no one else could pry into the inner room and see the private matters that Prince Hui did not want outsiders to know.
On the morning of the same day, Prince Hui also entered the palace sitting in his newly made red sandalwood wheelchair with large metal wheels.
Barring any accidents, Zhao Sui would use this new wheelchair with large metal wheels for all his movements inside and outside the estate from now on. The previous purely wooden wheelchairs were all stored in the estate's storehouse as backups. The three-wheeled wheelchair was suitable for the inner chambers, but the rattan chair was not dignified enough, so Zhao Sui kept it in the estate for private use. As for the red sandalwood one, the artisans had already transported it to his office to serve as Zhao Sui's seat when handling official duties and summoning officials.
Pushed by Qingai, Zhao Sui entered the palace through the Xihua Gate. At this time, a fixed ramp had been added to both the inside and outside of the high threshold of the Xihua Gate. The top of the ramp was flush with the threshold and did not hinder the opening and closing of the palace gates.
With the lightweight red sandalwood wheelchair and the large metal wheels that made pushing smoother and more effortless, Qingai controlled his strength so that the wheelchair only paused slightly for a moment when rolling onto and leaving the ends of the ramps. Other than that, there was absolutely no inconvenience.
The master and servant smoothly passed through several palace gates, climbed over several high and low white marble steps, and easily and successfully arrived at the Qianyuan Hall.
Approaching mid-October, the north wind blowing in their faces had already turned cold. Emperor Yongchang sat in the West Warm Chamber, where the underfloor heating had already been lit. Looking at Qingai, who walked in with Eunuch Wang, and his son in the wheelchair, he noticed that Qingai's eyes were red, and even the beautiful thin eyelids of his son showed a very faint hint of crimson.
Emperor Yongchang suddenly dared not look too closely. He was afraid that his son was truly moved to tears and that it would draw out his own tears as well.
Emperor Yongchang waved his hand, telling Eunuch Wang and Qingai to withdraw. Then he left his seat, walked around to the back of his son's wheelchair, and carefully examined the two red sandalwood-colored large metal wheels that were coated with a thin layer of dust. He asked with concern, Is the new wheelchair easy to use?
Zhao Sui turned his head to look at the hem of his imperial father's robes as a sign of respect. It is very good. It is much more convenient and effortless to push than the wooden wheels. As for the thresholds and steps in the palace, your son does not know how to express his gratitude to Imperial Father.
Emperor Yongchang turned his son's head back around, calmed himself for a moment, and laughed. What is there to thank? How much silver does it take to alter a few thresholds? I give you brothers five thousand taels of noble stipends every year, and spend tens of thousands of taels on betrothal gifts for you to marry your wives, yet I have never seen any of you come to thank me.
Without waiting for his son to reply, Emperor Yongchang reached out a finger and swiped it across his son's large metal wheel. Looking at the dust on his fingertip, Emperor Yongchang shook his head. What kind of job is the Armory doing? This color of large wheels looks nice when kept clean, but the moment it rolls on the ground, it gets dirty. It is better to use golden-yellow wheels. Paired with a chair body made of golden thread nanmu, that color hides dirt well.
The red sandalwood-colored metal wheels were glossier than red sandalwood wood, but they showed dust much more easily.
I will have the storehouse specifically allocate a batch of golden thread nanmu for you. Use it as you need, do not be overly polite with me.
Zhao Sui: ...Thank you, Imperial Father.
Emperor Yongchang pushed his son to the chess table. Knowing that his son did not like to talk, Emperor Yongchang had prepared the chessboard in advance this time.
Once they started playing chess, the father and son did not mention the thresholds along the way again. Emperor Yongchang looked at the chessboard and asked, Is the office finished?
Zhao Sui: Yes. The room Imperial Father allocated to your son is spacious, so your son partitioned it into inner and outer rooms.
Emperor Yongchang looked surprised. Is it that big? I only heard Yan Lun mention it and haven't seen it myself. But since it was given to you, it is yours to modify as you please.
Since his imperial father refused to admit it, Zhao Sui could only remain silent.
Emperor Yongchang: Since it is finished, will you go over tomorrow, or spend more time with your wife?
Zhao Sui: ...Your son wishes to come over tomorrow.
He had already accompanied the princess consort for half a year. Because he had too much free time, he had been diligent in their intimate matters day and night, to the point where the princess consort mistakenly thought he was lustful. Starting his official duties earlier would not only allow him to put his learning to use but also make the princess consort realize that he was not that kind of greedy prince at all.
Emperor Yongchang: Alright, then you should also attend tomorrow morning's court assembly. Including all major and minor court assemblies from now on. Old ministers like Yan Lun, who are in their sixties, can get up for it. You are young, there is no reason for you to sleep in.
The eldest and the third son had the right to attend court and listen to state affairs, so the second son should have it too.
As the imperial father, he would first settle the matter of his second son attending court. In the future, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he would continue to treat and use the second son as a normal prince.
Zhao Sui held the chess piece in his palm, glanced at his imperial father's hand opposite him, and said, Imperial Father, your son only wishes to focus on doing a good job at the Ministry of Works. The court assembly...
Emperor Yongchang looked up and stared at his son. You want to slack off? I have paved the steps in front of the great hall for you, yet you won't come. Wouldn't those officials gossip that I am wasting silver?
Zhao Sui: ...
Emperor Yongchang: The silver alone is a small matter. The court assembly discussions concern the official administration, people's livelihood, and military defense of the entire Great Qi dynasty. As a prince of the Great Qi dynasty, how can you stay out of it? Let me tell you plainly, you must attend the court assemblies while I am on the throne, and you must still attend them when I am gone. I am counting on you to assist the new emperor, to prevent him from being fooled by the ministers and ruining the era of resurgence that the late emperor and I worked so hard for two generations to create.
If his second son's legs were not crippled, he would be the future new emperor, and his brothers would have to obey him.
Since his second son's legs were crippled, and he had such an unambitious and uncontested nature, he posed no threat to the new emperor. The new emperor could completely trust and heavily rely on the second son.
In the future, when passing on the throne, Emperor Yongchang would instruct the chosen new emperor to make good use of the second son. At this moment, he needed to instill in the second son a sense of duty and a loyal heart to do his utmost to assist the new emperor, rather than hiding in the Ministry of Works for the rest of his life, putting in effort but never standing out, and being a hands-off prince who would let the new emperor go astray just because he was afraid of his brothers being jealous of his talents.
Emperor Yongchang stared at his son in the wheelchair with imposing dragon eyes.
Zhao Sui met his imperial father's gaze for a moment and lowered his eyes. Please rest assured, Imperial Father. Your son has never thought of staying out of it.
He just didn't want to stand out too much and attract trouble. But when it truly came to matters concerning the state and society that required him to speak up, Zhao Sui would absolutely not avoid it.
.
After finishing the game of chess, Zhao Sui left the palace, politely declining his imperial father's invitation for lunch.
Yao Huang came to the front to receive Prince Hui. Upon learning that Prince Hui would start his official duties tomorrow and had to get up at the hour of Yin to enter the palace and wait for the morning court, Yao Huang did not know whether to congratulate Prince Hui on finally getting his wish and having something to do, or to feel sorry for him having to crawl out of his warm bed so early in the pitch black morning.
Regardless of the previous rule of sharing a bed on days ending in five or ten, or Yao Huang's newly proposed rule of doing so on days ending in three, six, and nine, the couple had never strictly enforced these schedules due to the Princess Consort's boldness. Today was the tenth of the month, an awkward day where Prince Hui could either follow the old rule and sleep with his wife or follow the new rule and sleep alone in the front courtyard.
After dinner, Yao Huang considerately took the initiative, saying, "Since Your Highness needs to wake up early tomorrow morning, I won't pester you tonight."
By saving him the trip from the back courtyard to the front, the Prince could sleep for an extra quarter of an hour.
Prince Hui originally wanted to clear his tarnished reputation of being lustful, so he naturally cooperated.
The days were growing shorter. Cloaked in the descending night, Yao Huang returned to the back courtyard. After washing up, she instructed Chunyan, who was keeping the night watch, "Wake me at exactly four in the morning."
Yao Huang couldn't manage to wake up early to see Prince Hui off every time he went to morning court, but the first time was special. She was willing to endure the hardship just this once.
With the Prince absent and no entertainment available after dark, Yao Huang was in bed and asleep before eight in the evening.
Perhaps because she was preoccupied with seeing the Prince off, Yao Huang actually woke up the next day before Chunyan came to call her. It was pitch black outside, and a brisk, chilly wind was blowing. Without combing her hair or putting on makeup, Yao Huang slipped on her outer garments and wrapped herself tightly in an ankle-length cloak, pulling the hood up so securely that only half of her face was visible.
She sat on the window-side couch in the side room and had Chunyan listen for any movement from the front. Waiting until Prince Hui had finished washing up and was ready to depart, Yao Huang trotted after him, successfully intercepting him just before he left Ming'an Hall.
Qingai pushed the wheelchair, while Feiquan walked ahead carrying a lantern. The areas beyond the lantern's glow remained shrouded in utter darkness.
It wasn't until the Princess Consort ran closer that the master and his two servants could clearly make out her figure, hidden from head to toe.
Qingai turned the wheelchair around.
Zhao Sui looked at his wife, who had stopped in front of him. Listening to her slight panting, he asked, "Why are you up?" He had never expected her to see him off.
Yao Huang smiled and said, "To see Your Highness off, of course. Just this once, though, so don't overthink it. I definitely couldn't get up to see you off every day."
Zhao Sui fell silent.
Morning court was important. Yao Huang took hold of the wheelchair and pushed Prince Hui outside, with Qingai and Feiquan walking alongside them. The couple didn't exchange any words. In the dim light, there were only the sounds of three pairs of footsteps, mingled with the faint crunch of the red sandalwood wheelchair's large golden wheels rolling over the stone-paved path.
Master Deng was already rushing to craft a new wheelchair out of golden thread nanmu wood, but it wasn't finished yet. The more exquisite the wheelchair, the more time and effort it required.
Watching Prince Hui being lifted into the carriage, Yao Huang tilted her head up, gave him a smile, and darted back into the estate before the carriage departed.
Zhao Sui could hear his wife's footsteps. Imagining the scene of her shedding her cloak and diving straight back into her warm bed, he called out to the front, "Let's go."
The Duan Gate of the Imperial City was already open, and civil and military officials were filing inside one after another.
Prince Hui arrived neither early nor late. The lanterns held by the palace servants cast a dim light, making it impossible to identify anyone from a distance, but Prince Hui's wheelchair was distinctly eye-catching.
"Greetings, Prince Hui."
"Dispense with the formalities."
Accompanied by a few officials, Qingai pushed Prince Hui to the outside of the main hall, stopping at the base of the high white marble steps.
Prince Kang was always one of the earliest officials to arrive. It was pitch black and freezing cold. The officials who had woken up so early were all drowsy, and no one was in the mood for small talk.
Standing at the very front, Prince Kang didn't turn around until he heard someone behind him call out, "Greetings, Prince Hui." He spun around abruptly.
Upon clearly seeing his younger brother, Prince Kang was both surprised and delighted. He strode over, skillfully shooed Qingai away, and took control of the wheelchair. "Wait outside. From now on, I will push your master in and out of the court assemblies."
Qingai thought to himself that he had better remember that, and not leave their Prince all alone inside when court was dismissed.
At a quarter to five in the morning, all the officials had assembled. The palace servants opened the main doors of the great hall, and the officials orderly ascended the high white marble steps according to their designated court positions.
On the left side, Prince Kang pushed Prince Hui at the very front, with Prince Qing following closely behind.
Because the three princes took the ramp, the civil officials behind them had no choice but to follow suit. Seeing this, the military officials on the right hurriedly changed their path to the right-side ramp as well.
The brilliant, daylight-like illumination from inside the great hall spilled outward. Only then did the officials in the front rows truly get a clear look at Prince Hui's new wheelchair. Even coated with a layer of fine dust, those two large golden wheels on the red sandalwood frame glinted brightly, much like Prince Hui's flawless, jade-like profile under the lamplight.
In the early winter of the thirtieth year of Yongchang, the second imperial son, Prince Hui, who had lived in seclusion for over a year after losing the use of his legs, finally returned to the royal court.
