The weather had grown cold. Tonight at Prince Hui’s mansion, the main dish was a mutton soup hotpot.

The milky white broth bubbled away, steam rising and dispersing in all directions.

Yao Huang rarely had a poor appetite. Now that Chef Kong and Gao Niangzi were both working in Ming’an Hall’s kitchen, they competed with each dish to produce the best flavor possible. Yao Huang ate even more heartily, and in the gaps between taking bites, she asked Prince Hui about the meals at the Ministry of Works.

Zhao Sui replied, “Not as refined as at the mansion, but the taste is acceptable.”

On days with court assemblies, after dismissal the dining halls of each ministry provided steamed buns, congee, and side dishes. The midday meal consisted of two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and one soup as standard portions. From assistant administrators who were princes of first rank to second-rank ministers down to unranked clerks, everyone received the same dishes.

Yao Huang looked at Prince Hui’s still somewhat gaunt handsome face and said, “How can ‘acceptable’ be enough? The busier you are with duties, the better you need to eat. We can’t let Your Highness lose weight. How about this—from now on, when it’s close to noon, I’ll have someone deliver food from home to Your Highness? Our mansion is close to the palace anyway. We’ll wrap the food box tightly on the outside so it won’t get cold.”

Zhao Sui said, “…No need. I won’t go hungry.”

From the Three Departments to the Six Ministries, no officials had their families send meals. Zhao Sui appreciated the Princess Consort’s thoughtfulness, but he didn’t want to draw that kind of attention.

“All right then, Your Highness should eat more at dinner.”

Yao Huang stood up and ladled half a bowl of soup and half a bowl of mutton for Prince Hui, adding two chunks of white radish from their own vegetable garden that had absorbed the broth.

Watching Prince Hui eat methodically, Yao Huang ladled another bowl.

After Prince Hui finished this bowl, he immediately set down his chopsticks. “That’s enough.”

Yao Huang had also eaten her fill. After rinsing her mouth, she glanced outside at the darkening sky, then looked at Prince Hui. “Then Your Highness should rest early. I’ll head back now?”

Rising before dawn and working all day, sitting almost the entire time—Yao Huang guessed Prince Hui must want to lie down and sleep early.

Zhao Sui watched the Princess Consort stand up and put on her peach-red silk-faced jacket that had been draped over the chair back. “Mm.”

Yao Huang asked, “What time will Your Highness have breakfast tomorrow morning?”

Zhao Sui replied, “Beginning of the hour of Chen.”

Yao Huang smiled. “That’s fine. From now on, I’ll come over to eat with Your Highness every morning.”

Zhao Sui avoided the Princess Consort’s eyes that seemed filled with tender affection for everyone she looked at. “It’s up to you. If you don’t want to rise too early, don’t force yourself.”

Hearing this, Yao Huang circled behind the wheelchair, bent down and hugged Prince Hui briefly. “I’m not forcing myself at all. I like eating with Your Highness.”

Zhao Sui looked at the Princess Consort’s hands resting on his chest. Today she wore a red jade bracelet—the lustrous red suited her snow-white wrists even better than emerald green.

The next instant, the weight on his shoulders lifted. The Princess Consort withdrew her hands and left with a smile.

After sitting quietly for a moment, Zhao Sui had Qing Ai prepare water.

In the rear courtyard, after washing her feet, Yao Huang crawled into her bedding. Although the floor heating was burning in the room, several maids still tucked four hot water bottles into her bed to warm it beforehand.

Yao Huang found it too hot and pulled them all out one by one for the maids to take away.

Just as Qiu Chan was about to take away the last hot water bottle, Yao Huang had a thought. “The one for warming my arms—heat it up early tomorrow morning. I have a use for it.”

Qiu Chan acknowledged.

The next day, after having breakfast with Prince Hui, Yao Huang noticed that as Prince Hui was about to depart, neither Qing Ai nor Fei Quan had made any extra preparations. Looking at Prince Hui sitting in the hard rosewood wheelchair with no cushioning, Yao Huang shot a meaningful glance at A’Ji waiting outside.

A’Ji ran off hurriedly, then caught up with the prince and princess at the mansion’s second courtyard, clutching an object wrapped in a new silk-faced thin cushion.

Yao Huang had Qing Ai push the wheelchair while she took A’Ji’s item and continued seeing Prince Hui to the outer gate.

This time, Yao Huang boarded the carriage together with Prince Hui.

After Prince Hui was seated, Yao Huang unwrapped the cushion, revealing a round purple copper gilt hot water bottle inside.

“The weather is getting colder. Your Highness can hold this to warm your hands on the road. Before leaving the palace in the evening, have Fei Quan refill it with hot water so you can continue using it on the way back.”

On cold winter days, someone like Qing Ai who pushed the wheelchair and walked around could at least keep his limbs warm through movement. Someone like His Highness who remained motionless was prone to cold hands and feet.

Zhao Sui looked at the purple copper round flask that the Princess Consort insisted on pressing into his hands—it was as large as a soup bowl.

Such things were occasionally carried by imperial consorts when going out in winter to warm their hands. When he was very young, Nanny Liu had also tucked them into his bedding, but ever since Zhao Sui began martial training and was no longer afraid of the cold, explicitly refusing to use hot water bottles, such items never appeared around him again.

Seeing Prince Hui remain motionless, Yao Huang grasped his left hand away from the hot water bottle and said softly, “See? Your Highness’s hands are so cold.”

It wasn’t obvious in summer, but once autumn and winter arrived, Prince Hui’s hands were indeed not as warm as the Princess Consort’s.

Yao Huang pulled both his hands to encircle the hot water bottle and smiled. “Just use it in the carriage. No one else can see. And that cushion—after I leave, Your Highness can tuck it under your bottom.”

Zhao Sui was speechless.

Yao Huang left the carriage with a smile.

Prince Hui glanced at the thin cushion the Princess Consort had deliberately left on the side seat. Holding the purple copper flask in one hand, he pulled open the low cabinet beside him with the other and stored away the cushion he would absolutely never use.

Once Prince Hui took up his duties, Yao Huang decided to strictly observe the new rule of only wheeling Prince Hui to the rear courtyard on the third, sixth, and ninth days as well as holidays, lest she accidentally delay Prince Hui’s early rising.

Therefore, for two consecutive nights, Yao Huang only accompanied Prince Hui for dinner. On the evening of the thirteenth, when the day was right, Yao Huang’s monthly courses came instead. She could only awkwardly remind Prince Hui after dinner: “Perhaps… Your Highness should still sleep in the front for these few nights? Otherwise it will waste extra time in the morning.”

When Prince Hui stayed in the rear courtyard, he had to ring the bell to summon Qing Ai into the room to push the wheelchair after waking up in the morning, then return to the front courtyard where Fei Quan would prepare water. If Prince Hui stayed in the front, when he woke and changed clothes, Fei Quan could prepare everything simultaneously.

Moreover, in spring, summer, and autumn, Prince Hui could travel between the two courtyards in his undergarments at night and early morning. In winter this cold, making him dress heavily to come over, then have Prince Hui secretly remove his trousers and continue wearing only undergarments with just a cloak, his ankles would still be exposed outside. What if they got frozen?

In summary, Yao Huang was thinking entirely of Prince Hui’s welfare.

Zhao Sui perceived the change in the Princess Consort. Previously, she had thought entirely about how to make him happy. Now it had become about how to help him perform his duties well.

So, was the Princess Consort simply prioritizing proper matters, or was she afraid he was so lustful that he would demand her manual service even during her monthly courses?

The Princess Consort was bold yet delicate. She often took the initiative to stir his fires, but couldn’t persist long before pleading to stop.

“All right.”

To correct his improper impression in the Princess Consort’s eyes, Prince Hui agreed.

With this agreement, the couple continued sleeping separately until the nineteenth of October.

Both the prince and princess knew what this was about, but Qing Ai and Fei Quan, who served closely at Ming’an Hall, as well as A’Ji and the other maids, were completely unaware.

Qing Ai and Fei Quan thought that His Highness, departing early and returning late, buried in Ministry of Works records all day, wasn’t going to the Princess Consort’s quarters to ensure sufficient sleep. Although this might neglect the Princess Consort, His Highness had been diligent since childhood. As long as His Highness explained clearly to the Princess Consort, she would surely understand.

The four senior maids like A’Ji didn’t know His Highness as well and were more worried that now that His Highness had duties, he no longer valued the Princess Consort. After all, previously even when the Princess Consort had her monthly courses, His Highness would still frequently come to accompany her.

Bai Ling, Chun Yan, and Qiu Chan only dared speculate wildly in their hearts. A’Ji, after all, had the bond of growing up together with the Princess Consort. While the Princess Consort was walking Jinbao in the rear garden, A’Ji muttered worriedly, “Does Your Highness truly enjoy his duties that much?”

Yao Huang asked suspiciously, “Why say that so suddenly?”

A’Ji pouted. “His Highness hasn’t come to the rear courtyard in so long.”

Yao Huang said, “…I’m not convenient right now, so I deliberately didn’t let him come. Now that he has duties, of course duties take priority. It’s not like before.”

A’Ji pressed, “What about today?”

Yao Huang found herself unable to answer easily.

Today was the last day of her monthly courses. Her body was basically clean, with just a tiny lingering trace. Previously, she could pull Prince Hui to rest at noon, so whenever her courses came, the couple could calmly wait the full seven days before doing that.

Thinking of Prince Hui who had abstained for a full ten days, Yao Huang decided to let him decide.

In the evening, Prince Hui returned shrouded in nightfall.

Not having slept together for so long, only eating simple meals for about a quarter-hour morning and evening, and now seeing Prince Hui in his imposing python robe, Yao Huang actually felt several degrees of renewed unfamiliarity. When dinner ended and it was time to discuss where to sleep, Yao Huang’s face grew flushed for the first time in ages. But Prince Hui wasn’t one to speak up, so Yao Huang could only ask shyly with her head lowered: “Tonight… will Your Highness come to the rear courtyard?”

Zhao Sui glanced at the Princess Consort, his words carrying a trace of doubt: “The eighth day already?”

He didn’t believe he would have miscounted the days.

Yao Huang’s face reddened further as she quietly explained, “No, but…”

Prince Hui didn’t let her finish: “Your health is important. Rest well. Let’s wait until the twenty-third.”

Yao Huang was speechless.

Even if they slept separately tonight, tomorrow was a rest day! The Prince Hui who previously was so hungry for it could actually endure until the twenty-third?

Yao Huang couldn’t understand, but Prince Hui was completely serious. Combined with the recent unfamiliarity between them, Yao Huang didn’t feel comfortable asking more.

On the rest day, after breakfast, Prince Hui actually went straight to the Bamboo Courtyard.

Yao Huang bit her lip and simply returned to her maternal home, having her brother accompany her shopping. She bought herself a pile of things but only selected a handkerchief embroidered with a cluster of green bamboo that cost merely one tael of silver to perfunctorily give to Prince Hui.

She didn’t return to the mansion until dusk. Seeing Prince Hui in the front courtyard reception hall, Yao Huang smiled. “I thought Your Highness would even eat dinner at the Bamboo Courtyard.”

Zhao Sui looked at the Princess Consort. “Why do you say that?”

Yao Huang stood in the doorway, her face turned to the side. “It’s rare to have a day off. Your Highness ran to the Bamboo Courtyard so early in the morning—you must have missed those bamboo plants. Of course you’d need to spend an extra evening with them.”

After a moment of silence, Zhao Sui asked, “Where did you go after leaving early this morning?”

Yao Huang smiled. “I haven’t seen my brother in so long. I missed him too, so I took advantage of his day off from military school to have him accompany me shopping all day.”

Prince Hui made an ambiguous sound of acknowledgment.

Yao Huang walked in and unfurled the bamboo-embroidered handkerchief she’d carefully selected on the long table before Prince Hui. “Here, the moment I saw this bamboo, I knew Your Highness would surely like it.”

Prince Hui, who had seen fine things since childhood, looked at this handkerchief whose material even sons of distinguished families couldn’t present with pride, then at the needlework on it that likewise couldn’t be called exquisite. He was quite certain the Princess Consort was displeased about him going to the Bamboo Courtyard.

He grasped the Princess Consort’s wrist, pulled her down to sit on his lap, and looking at her face turned away and her slightly pouting lips, reminded her: “You were the one who first pushed me away. I thought you didn’t want to see me often.”

Yao Huang glared at him. “When did I push you away?”

Zhao Sui looked at the half-visible red jade bracelet on her wrist. “The thirteenth, the sixteenth. Two nights.”

Yao Huang protested, “…That was because my monthly courses came. Last night I clearly asked Your Highness to come to the rear courtyard, but you yourself didn’t want to go.”

Zhao Sui said, “Your health is important.”

Yao Huang demanded, “What about today?”

Zhao Sui continued looking at that section of bracelet. “At noon, I returned as agreed for the meal. You weren’t here.”

Yao Huang retorted, “Who told you to leave so quickly this morning, as if you didn’t want to look at me even once? See? Your Highness won’t even look at me now!”

Zhao Sui was speechless.

Yao Huang tried to pull away his arm to get down. Zhao Sui tightened his hold on the Princess Consort’s waist, letting her hands push his shoulders however they wished, letting her toes press against the floor.

The four-wheeled rosewood wheelchair wasn’t secured. The large wheels rolled smoothly back and forth on the north side of the long table in chaotic circles.

Yao Huang knew Prince Hui was thin-skinned and deliberately pushed toward the hall entrance.

When the distance closed, Prince Hui still restrained her without releasing.

Yao Huang couldn’t actually go outside. Through gritted teeth, she demanded, “What exactly do you want?”

Zhao Sui looked at the Princess Consort’s embroidered shoes stepping on his feet. “You were the first to break the agreement.”

He was harder than dried corn kernels. Yao Huang understood. “Fine. I broke the rules and shortchanged Your Highness three nights. Tonight I’ll make it up to you. Will that do?”

Prince Hui didn’t say whether it would do or not, but he released his hands.