Prince Hui and the princess consort departed the capital on the ninth day of the sixth month.

There were four carriages in total. In the first carriage sat the “mother and son”: Gao Niangzi and Qing Ai.

The second carriage carried the taciturn Prince Hui’s “worthy nephew” who preferred solitude, along with his “younger cousin” Fei Quan, with whom he had a relatively good relationship. The third carriage carried Yao Huang and A’Ji, the “sisters-in-law.”

The last one was a flatbed cart specifically for hauling luggage and belongings, with wooden boards erected around the platform to block the view of passersby. Two horses were hitched to the front.

Besides the four carriage drivers, there were also four escort guards. Among these eight men, one was Li, another physician from the prince’s manor. The remaining seven were all guards, collectively disguised as carriage company masters hired by the Liao family. Once the group arrived in Lingshan Town, these eight would drive the carriages away. The team of guards who would truly remain in the town to secretly protect the prince and princess consort had already checked into the town’s inn ahead of time—otherwise, two groups arriving in the town simultaneously would seem too coincidental.

“Madam, why would Second Master rather have Fei Quan accompany him in the carriage than call for you?”

A’Ji couldn’t understand. If she were a man with a wife as beautiful as the princess consort to keep her company, even the longest journey would become interesting.

Yao Huang smiled and said: “Perhaps he just prefers quiet. If I were there, I definitely couldn’t resist talking to him.”

A’Ji: “…”

Lying on the north-side main seat in the carriage, Yao Huang patted her bent legs and said with satisfaction: “It’s even better that he’s not happy to have me accompany him. Being with you, I can lie however I want.”

A’Ji sat on the floor next to the main seat: “Come, let me massage your legs, Madam.”

Yao Huang: “Just rest yourself. In the past at home, you were as idle as me, but once we get to the town you’ll be as busy as Qiao Niang. You only have these two days on the road left to enjoy.”

A’Ji: “Don’t underestimate me, Madam. Whatever sister can do, I can do too. Besides, the reward money I’m getting is much more than what sister gets.”

The work in the town was indeed more than at the prince’s manor, but who in the entire manor wouldn’t want to show their face serving before the prince and princess consort?

Take Chef Kong for example—because Gao Niangzi got the opportunity to accompany them, he specially ran to Mingan Hall to recommend himself to the princess consort, saying he was familiar with the prince’s tastes, had great strength, and wasn’t afraid of the fatigue of cooking for several people, hoping the princess consort would consider him. Unfortunately, the princess consort had other reasons for choosing Gao Niangzi. Chef Kong could only obediently wait at the prince’s manor for the prince’s return to the capital, even with reddened eyes.

The carriage wheels rolled and rumbled along the compacted official road, stirring up clouds of yellowish dust. Fortunately, the weather was hot and windless, so the dust couldn’t rise very high.

A’Ji rolled up the bamboo blinds on both sides of the carriage windows, leaving only a layer of gauze curtains to prevent mosquitoes and insects.

Seeing the princess consort had fallen asleep, A’Ji also leaned in a corner to doze.

When they needed to relieve themselves along the way, A’Ji took out the brass chamber pots from the bamboo basket—one for each of the master and servant.

Just as Yao Huang was about to lift her skirt, she suddenly understood why Prince Hui had asked Fei Quan to share his carriage. Otherwise, when Prince Hui needed to relieve himself, wouldn’t she have to serve him?

For newlywed couples, when they became intimate they wished they could become one person. But Yao Huang really wasn’t prepared for this kind of service.

Clearly, Prince Hui also didn’t want her to witness that scene.

When finished, A’Ji fastened the lids of both brass chamber pots and put them back in the bamboo basket. The basket had cloth sewn around the outside, and once the lid on top was closed, it was completely airtight.

At noon, the four carriages stopped in the shade of some trees.

A’Ji first helped the princess consort down from the carriage, then Qing Ai and Fei Quan joined forces to help Prince Hui down.

After Yao Huang sat on the wooden stool across from Prince Hui, she saw Qing Ai taking away the bamboo baskets from two of the carriages, with Fei Quan following beside him carrying a bucket of water.

Yao Huang’s face inexplicably felt hot. Having truly embarked on this distant journey, she finally understood how many inconveniences there were along the way.

Gao Niangzi and A’Ji carried iron pots, flour, and vegetables to another spot to cook, while several guards were responsible for gathering firewood and building a cooking stove.

Yao Huang looked around east and west, then said in a low voice to Prince Hui: “It’s all because of me that Second Master has to endure such hardship.”

Zhao Sui: “It’s alright. We should be able to reach the town by lunchtime the day after tomorrow.”

Yao Huang: “Was Second Master sitting or lying down in the carriage?”

Zhao Sui: “We’ll rest during the afternoon.”

The implication was that he had been sitting the entire morning.

Yao Huang looked at the rattan wheelchair Prince Hui was currently sitting in, with its ordinary-height back support. Just sitting like this for half a day—the thought alone made her uncomfortable.

She stood up and walked behind Prince Hui to massage his shoulders.

As soon as her hands touched him, Prince Hui removed them, his voice slightly low: “There are many people and many eyes. Mind the propriety.”

Yao Huang glanced at those guards who didn’t dare look in their direction at all and retorted: “What propriety? You’re my husband. Me helping you massage your shoulders shows that I care about you. This is called being gentle and considerate. How does this violate propriety?”

Having said this, she placed her hands on him again.

Zhao Sui: “…You are the princess consort. You don’t need to do this.”

The princess consort had the dignity of a princess consort. He didn’t want the subordinates to see her being so attentive—it would be very easy for people to look down on her.

Yao Huang: “Where’s the princess consort? I’m just the nephew’s wife in Physician Liao’s family. I wouldn’t dare dream of being a princess consort.”

Zhao Sui: “…”

Not only did Yao Huang massage his shoulders, she also moved to the front of Prince Hui, wanting to pull his hands to stretch his arms for him.

Zhao Sui clenched both hands into fists, remaining motionless as a mountain.

Yao Huang: “…Reading books until your brain has gone wooden, only knowing about propriety and rules. If you’re capable, remember all these rules and regulations tonight too.”

Zhao Sui: “…”

Lunch consisted of vegetable pancakes and cucumber egg drop soup. The hot weather made it difficult to bring fresh meat, so they simply ate more simply these two days.

Gao Niangzi, who had entered the prince’s manor to be responsible for the princess consort’s meals, had culinary skills no less than Chef Kong’s. The simple vegetable pancakes were fried until the skin was golden and the inside tender, and the filling was both fragrant and fresh. The slightly salty cucumber egg drop soup was even more refreshing and thirst-quenching in the summer heat.

After eating their fill and drinking their share, they rested on the spot for half an hour, then continued on their journey after the hottest part of the afternoon had passed.

The route had all been scouted in advance by Zhang Yue and the others. When the sky was about to darken, the group arrived at the edge of a shallow stream more than two zhang wide.

As usual, the prince and princess consort rested while others each had their assigned tasks.

Yao Huang watched as the seven guards skillfully set up three tents.

Zhao Sui: “I’ll stay with Qing Ai and Fei Quan, you’ll stay with A’Ji and Gao Niangzi, and the other one is for Physician Li and the guards.”

Yao Huang cooperatively nodded. At night they would need to heat water for washing and such—it was indeed more convenient for the couple to stay separately.

After dinner, Qing Ai and Fei Quan each carried two buckets of water into the prince’s and princess consort’s tents. Yao Huang bid farewell to Prince Hui. As she was walking away, she heard Prince Hui’s low-voiced instruction: “Shadows will be cast on the tent. Finish grooming before lighting the lamp.”

Yao Huang: “…”

Washing her hair and wiping her body in the dark, thinking of Prince Hui’s many rules, Yao Huang didn’t go out again. She went into the inner tent herself and listened to Gao Niangzi and A’Ji cleaning themselves together.

The guards’ tents were far away. Prince Hui’s tent next door was close enough, but no matter how much Yao Huang held her breath and concentrated, she couldn’t hear any sound from Prince Hui—only the footsteps of Qing Ai and Fei Quan going in and out.

After washing, A’Ji slipped inside. As had been agreed, tonight A’Ji would sleep inside accompanying the princess consort.

Having bounced around in the carriage all day with aching back and waist, the master and servant lay down and didn’t chat idly anymore, quickly falling asleep.

On the tenth day they were still on the road. Yao Huang deliberately reduced the number of times she drank water and didn’t eat much for the three meals of the day. Although there were people to serve her, such inconvenient matters were best minimized.

In the evening they still made camp by the water. The closer to Lingshan, the fewer people there were around. Before their eyes, this wide river meandered between two ranges of low hills, with no end visible in the distance. A round, red sun hung low on the horizon, sinking inch by inch. The afterglow illuminated the long river into a floating ribbon of radiant light.

This was magnificent scenery that Yao Huang hadn’t seen in over ten years of wandering around the capital and its suburbs.

She pushed Prince Hui’s wheelchair toward the setting sun, going west against the river current. The flat bank closely adjacent to the river was full of pebbles. On the side of the riverbank closer to the low hills, the terrain was slightly higher, with the pebbles replaced by land covered with wild grass. That wild grass only reached Yao Huang’s ankles in height and was easily pressed down by the wheelchair’s wheels, creating a relatively smooth path.

Yao Huang looked down and teased: “Second Master’s face has been illuminated all red.”

Zhao Sui raised his eyes. The princess consort’s face was also rosy.

Yao Huang didn’t walk too far. She stopped at one spot and sat herself on a large rock nearby. Looking at the prince, then at the sunset scenery, she smiled and said: “Although traveling is very inconvenient and exhausting, just seeing tonight’s scene alone makes me feel this trip was worthwhile.”

Zhao Sui gazed at the distant river.

He had rushed to battlefields twice and had seen scenery even more magnificent and vast than this scene along the way.

However, tonight’s sunset was indeed also worth appreciating.

A sigh reached his ears from the princess consort. Zhao Sui turned his head and looked at her, asking: “Why are you sighing?”

Yao Huang pointed at the river water right before their eyes: “Near my maternal grandmother’s town there’s also a small river. Whenever we went to stay there briefly in summer, my brother and male cousins would all go soak in the river and dive underwater. Actually I really wanted to go too, but how could young ladies go swimming in the water? Even standing on the bank to watch would be laughed at by those people.”

Zhao Sui: “…You can’t do it here either.”

Yao Huang glanced at him resentfully: “I knew you’d say that, which is why I sighed. This water has been warmed by the sun all day—going in to soak now would be just the right temperature.”

Zhao Sui looked to the side.

If it were only the two of them, he wouldn’t mind letting his princess consort fulfill her wish. But with so many guards following, even if he could order them to stay in their tents and not come out, that order would still make them speculate whether the prince and princess consort were going to do something.

“Let’s go back,” Zhao Sui said.

Yao Huang: “What’s the rush? I want to stay with you a while longer. These past two days except for meal times, we couldn’t even see each other’s faces in the carriages.”

Zhao Sui: “…We don’t see each other every day at the prince’s manor either.”

Yao Huang: “That’s different. At the prince’s manor, I know Your Highness has no worries about food or clothing. When you want to read you can read. When tired, you have a comfortable wheelchair to lean on and even more so a spacious large bed to lie on. But now on the road, the carriage seats are narrow, and the new wheelchair isn’t comfortable to lean against either. Just thinking that it’s all because of me that Your Highness has to endure this suffering for nothing makes me feel terrible all over.”

Zhao Sui: “…We’ll arrive tomorrow.”

Yao Huang: “Tomorrow is tomorrow. Right now I just want you to keep me company a while longer.”

Facing the princess consort’s passionate and persistent gaze, Prince Hui once again chose silence.

Accompanied by the sound of flowing water, Yao Huang had a good night’s sleep. When she woke again, thinking that by noon they would reach Lingshan Town, where she could eat meat heartily and sit in a bathtub to bathe thoroughly and to her heart’s content, Yao Huang felt refreshed and invigorated.

After simply finishing breakfast, just as Yao Huang was about to walk toward her own carriage, Fei Quan suddenly ran over and said with a smile: “Madam, Second Master requests your presence in his carriage.”

Yao Huang: “…”

Fei Quan was after all a eunuch by Prince Hui’s side who had practiced reading expressions for over ten years. He immediately saw what the princess consort was concerned about and said with his head lowered: “Madam, please be assured. Second Master said to have me go exchange back with Madam after one hour.”

Only then did Yao Huang feel relieved. One hour—both she and the prince could hold it in!