Thanks to the strict upbringing by Imperial Consort Du during his childhood, Zhao Sui had long been accustomed to waking up early around the fourth quarter of the Yin hour.
The room was dark. Without needing anyone to call him, Zhao Sui woke up on his own and heard the long, rhythmic breathing of the Princess Consort beside him.
Zhao Sui lifted the quilt covering him, pressed it firmly between himself and the Princess Consort, and then sat up, supporting himself with his hands against the bed.
Just as he gently placed his legs over the edge of the bed and prepared to reach for his outer trousers, which the Princess Consort had draped over his wheelchair the night before, there was a rustle behind him. Two arms, like water snakes, wrapped around his waist from the left and right, followed by the Princess Consort's soft, sleepy murmur, "Don't go, Your Highness. Hold me a little longer."
Prince Hui took a deep breath. He pinned down the Princess Consort's right hand—whose index finger was wriggling like a little snake trying to squeeze into the waistband of his trousers—and scolded in a low voice, "Stop fooling around."
The Princess Consort immediately put on an aggrieved tone, "I wasn't fooling around the past few days. Look how virtuous I was! Afraid of delaying Your Highness's official duties, I would rather suffer lonely, sleepless nights and push Your Highness away. And what was the result? Your Highness actually blamed me for it, abandoned me to go look at bamboo, and even came to collect a debt from me. Fine, now I'm not being virtuous, and Your Highness blames me for fooling around again."
Zhao Sui tilted his head back, tightly restraining the Princess Consort's hands that still wanted to cause mischief. However, aside from her hands, the Princess Consort also had her mouth, biting at his inner garments just like Jinbao.
A Princess Consort like this was practically asking for trouble. It wasn't as if Zhao Sui couldn't spare a quarter of an hour to punish her.
It was just that Qingai and her maidservants should all be waiting outside by now. If the Princess Consort's cries really rang out, what would they think?
It would be one thing if they heard it on an ordinary day, but today was the day of the morning court assembly.
"Those two nights, I won't make you make up for them," Zhao Sui compromised, guessing what the Princess Consort was plotting.
"Your Highness is so good to me. Hurry and go to court, Your Highness, and serve Imperial Father with peace of mind."
The water-snake-like arms, along with their ten little snake-like fingers, retreated. Zhao Sui turned his head and saw the Princess Consort comfortably rolling to the innermost side of the bed, wrapped in the quilt, with the back of her head facing him.
He watched her for a few more moments before he began to dress.
Cold winter days were the most suitable for sleeping in. There were only two masters in the Prince Hui estate. Since the Prince had left early for his duties, the sole mistress, the Princess Consort, naturally wanted to sleep as long as she pleased.
Around the hour of Si, Yao Huang finally woke up. She was a bit hesitant about whether to eat breakfast now or just have a light snack and save her appetite for lunch.
Before she could decide, someone from the front courtyard came to report that Master Deng had delivered the new wheelchairs.
Yao Huang quickly drank a few mouthfuls of yam and lotus seed porridge, then went to see Master Deng first.
It had only been about ten days since the last wheelchair delivery. This time, Master Deng brought only two golden thread nanmu wheelchairs, both equipped with luxuriously colored gold-plated large wheels. The four-wheeled one was suitable for Prince Hui's everyday outdoor movements, while the three-wheeled one was for indoor use. Although they were heavier than rattan chairs, pushing them over short distances wasn't an issue, and sending one to his office at the Ministry of Works was more fitting for Prince Hui's status.
Yao Huang exclaimed in amazement, "So fast?"
With Prince Hui absent, Master Deng felt much more at ease. He smiled and explained, "This commoner is very familiar with making wheelchairs for His Highness now. The armory also has dedicated molds for the gold-plated large wheels, as well as master blacksmiths who have mastered the technique. If His Highness truly settles on only two colors for the gold-plated large wheels, then the armory can forge a batch of large wheels in advance. Meanwhile, this commoner can prepare ready-to-use red sandalwood and golden thread nanmu. Then, crafting a wheelchair will only take five or six days."
His apprentices were responsible for the pure physical labor, while he took charge of the exquisite, detailed carving work.
Yao Huang stroked the golden large wheels equipped on the golden thread nanmu wheelchair, liking them more and more as she looked at them. She said, "The armory bears official duties, so we will follow His Highness's wishes for the large wheels and won't ponder any new patterns. However, as for the style of the wheelchair, I've thought of a new one. I'm afraid you won't be able to enjoy any leisure time for a while, sir."
Master Deng was half nervous and half expectant, "Please speak, Princess Consort. Being able to serve His Highness and Your Highness, this commoner is happy to be busy."
The new wheelchair with push wheels was created for His Highness Prince Hui, but countless people with disabled legs would be able to benefit from it in the future. Master Deng already regarded this wheelchair, which was destined to be passed down through generations, as the greatest pride of his life. He could die without regrets.
And all of this was an opportunity given to him by the Princess Consort of Prince Hui standing before him.
Yao Huang smiled and said, "Don't worry, it shouldn't be that difficult this time."
After sharing her new ideas and asking Master Deng to craft two more sets of red sandalwood and golden thread nanmu wheelchairs to be delivered to the estate as spares, Yao Huang finally had Eunuch Cao see Master Deng out.
In the evening, Prince Hui returned from the Ministry of Works and saw the two new golden thread nanmu wheelchairs in the front courtyard's main hall.
Yao Huang said, "Golden yellow is indeed less likely to show dust than purple. Your Highness should switch to this one tomorrow morning. Imperial Father granted us so much golden thread nanmu in one breath; he must also be hoping that Your Highness will use it soon."
Golden thread nanmu was exclusively for royal use, and Prince Hui was precisely a royal descendant. Sitting in a golden thread nanmu wheelchair wouldn't be enough to cause officials to gossip.
Zhao Sui nodded, even though he was already very satisfied with the red sandalwood wheelchair he was currently using.
After dinner, Prince Hui still had to bathe in the front. Yao Huang pushed away the three-wheeled golden thread nanmu wheelchair that would be kept in her room from now on.
The Princess Consort's actions reminded Zhao Sui of the awkwardness before and after he relieved himself last night.
But since the Princess Consort wanted him to frequently stay in the backyard, Zhao Sui was willing to overcome that slight awkwardness.
Just as Yao Huang expected, the officials did not pay too much attention to Prince Hui's magnificent, golden new wheelchair. After all, no matter how good this thing was, they couldn't use it, and they hoped they would never have to use it in their entire lives.
In the blink of an eye, it was the seventh day of the eleventh month. Master Deng, who hadn't been seen for over half a month, came to the princely estate again. However, this time he also brought along the owner of the carpentry workshop he worked at in the capital.
Eunuch Cao personally came to Ming'an Hall to receive the Princess Consort.
Yao Huang asked curiously, "Proprietor Fu? What is he here for?"
Although Master Deng was still nominally affiliated with the Fu family's carpentry workshop, for the past half year he had been single-mindedly crafting various new wheelchairs for Prince Hui. Outsiders had long considered him a member of the Prince Hui estate, and the Prince Hui estate basically had no relationship with the Fu family's carpentry workshop.
Eunuch Cao guessed, "He probably wants to negotiate a business deal with Your Highness. What you had Master Deng make this time is truly a good item."
Yao Huang's heartbeat quickened. She had only asked Master Deng to try new methods for the sake of Prince Hui's comfort. Had he actually made something so good that even Eunuch Cao approved of it?
The Princess Consort, who was only seventeen, loved gold and silver but had never handled any major business deals. Her joy and excitement were evident on her face.
Eunuch Cao tactfully gave her a gentle reminder.
Yao Huang quickly calmed down. Silver or no silver, she was now a Princess Consort. She could be free and easy, but she couldn't compromise the majesty of a Princess Consort over money.
Upon arriving at the front, Proprietor Fu, who was visiting the princely estate for the first time, caught only a glimpse of the Princess Consort's magnificent skirt before hurriedly kneeling down to kowtow. This forced Master Deng beside him, who had long been exempted from such grand formalities by the Princess Consort, to accompany his proprietor and kowtow once more.
Yao Huang said in a calm tone, "Dispense with the formalities."
The two men stood up.
Yao Huang first went to look at the items Master Deng had brought into the hall.
There were three chairs in total, all made of golden thread nanmu. Two of them were Prince Hui's three-wheeled and four-wheeled wheelchairs, and one was an armchair crafted for the Princess Consort.
Aside from the large golden wheels, Prince Hui's two wheelchairs still featured frames made of golden thread nanmu. However, the seemingly hard wooden seats were gone, replaced by bouncy-looking yellowish-brown cowhide seats. The outer edges of the cowhide were cleverly stitched in, blending seamlessly with the entire wheelchair, completely devoid of the forced feeling of merely laying a cushion over a finished wooden chair.
Yao Huang first observed Prince Hui's wheelchair. She pressed her hand against it, and the cowhide surface yielded, forming the shape of her hand. When she released it, the depressed cowhide sprang right back up.
Yao Huang then felt beneath the seat, where a thin board had been laid to support the cowhide, which was about two fingers thick.
Master Deng explained, Inside the cowhide is a silk-covered cotton pad. The stitching is dense to ensure the cotton remains evenly distributed, so it will not lose its shape even after being used all winter.
Yao Huang asked, Why use cowhide?
Even her father, a Battalion Commander, owned two pairs of cowhide official boots. Should not Prince Hui's golden thread nanmu and red sandalwood chair frames be paired with more expensive animal pelts?
Master Deng replied, This commoner inquired with experts at the fur shops. Cowhide is the most sturdy and durable. Fox and mink furs, while precious, are not suitable for sitting on for long periods. I boldly guessed that His Highness might not want to frequently maintain the wheelchair just because of the animal skin.
Yao Huang nodded. Prince Hui indeed had such a temperament. It would be one thing if he were able-bodied, but for a disabled person to ruin an animal skin seat every so often, would people wonder if the fur was not sturdy enough, or if Prince Hui's buttocks were too hard, or perhaps he just sat for too long?
Yao Huang could attest that Prince Hui's buttocks were not that hard. Outsiders did not know that, but rather than giving people an excuse to gossip and mock him, it was better to simply use sturdy cowhide. Besides, the color looked quite complementary to the golden thread nanmu.
After inspecting Prince Hui's wheelchair, Yao Huang looked at the horseshoe-back armchair she had specially requested for her own use. It also had a golden thread nanmu frame, but both the seat and backrest were stretched with cowhide cushions, and a layer of smooth, delicate, and soft golden brocade was sewn over the cowhide.
Yao Huang sat down to try it out. The cowhide seat and backrest were bouncy, soft, and comfortable. Not only would it be warm to sit on in winter, but it would also be comfortable during spring, summer, and autumn.
Having tested it, Yao Huang smiled and said to Master Deng, The chairs this time are also excellent. Master Deng has put a lot of heart into them.
Master Deng did not dare to claim all the credit. To reply to the Princess Consort, this commoner merely decided how to alter the seats. The stitching for all three seats was completed by other master craftsmen at the shop, under the instruction of Proprietor Fu.
Yao Huang then turned her gaze toward Proprietor Fu.
Proprietor Fu, on the other hand, believed it was entirely due to the Princess Consort's ingenuity that they had the opportunity to create such comfortable and elegant armchairs.
After finishing his praises, Proprietor Fu bowed deeply and earnestly requested the Princess Consort's permission for his woodworking shop to sell the same style of leather chairs, offering to give her a share of the profits every year.
Yao Huang exchanged a glance with Eunuch Cao.
The Great Qi Dynasty prohibited officials from directly engaging in business to prevent them from abusing their power for personal gain. The same applied to imperial relatives, unless they were managing a specific industry on behalf of the imperial court.
For instance, the storefronts and unused residences belonging to Prince Hui's estate were merely leased out to merchants for rent.
If Yao Huang accepted the dividends from the Fu family's woodworking shop, she would be tied to their business. While it might not strictly break the rules, it would not sound good if word got out. Furthermore, if the woodworking shop were to do anything outside under Prince Hui's name, it would cause even more trouble for Yao Huang and Prince Hui.
Showing little interest, Yao Huang said, I do not like doing business, and besides, the idea for the leather chairs came from Eunuch Cao. Whether you can use it or not, you should discuss it with Eunuch Cao.
With that, Yao Huang left.
After playing with Jinbao in Ming'an Hall for a while, Eunuch Cao came over. He took an envelope from his breast pocket and handed it to the Princess Consort with a smile.
Yao Huang opened it. Inside were five banknotes, each worth one thousand taels of silver!
Eunuch Cao was one of their own, so Yao Huang did not hide her shock. This much?
Eunuch Cao explained, The Fu family's woodworking shop is the number one in the capital, with branches in major provincial and prefectural cities. As long as word gets out that even the Prince and Princess Consort love their leather chairs, the countless officials and wealthy merchants in and outside the capital will definitely go to their shop to place custom orders. Even if other shops can create exact replicas, the Fu family will still be the first choice for those who are particular about quality.
No matter how big the business, it had to be taken step by step. Sourcing wood and furs took time. For Proprietor Fu to offer five thousand taels all at once showed great sincerity.
Yao Huang certainly did not think it was too little. Five thousand taels! Although it was only equivalent to Prince Hui's annual noble stipend, her father would have to serve as a Battalion Commander for over eighty years to earn this amount!
