This wasn’t Emperor Yongchang’s first time becoming an imperial grandfather.
Emperor Yongchang also still remembered his happiness when eldest son’s side first reported the good news.
The ministers kept it deeply secret and dared not discuss it, but Emperor Yongchang knew in his heart that he probably had some issues regarding offspring. Otherwise, being strong and healthy, he wouldn’t have only gotten a total of six princes and two princesses by this age, with two of those princes having died young.
When eldest son married, Emperor Yongchang had worried about this, fearing eldest son would have as much difficulty with offspring as he did. Fortunately, three grandchildren were born in succession, allowing Emperor Yongchang to completely relax.
When it came to second son taking a wife, Emperor Yongchang felt both heartache and worry, because whether second son’s legs had affected his ability to have children—the imperial physicians dared not inquire, and Emperor Yongchang even less could ask. He thought that if second son truly couldn’t, and he asked, wouldn’t that be equivalent to rubbing salt in second son’s wound?
Emperor Yongchang didn’t dare ask second son, nor had he thought of having Empress Zhou ask second son’s wife, fearing second son’s wife would tell second son as soon as she returned to the manor, indirectly helping him rub in that salt.
Emperor Yongchang had held it in like this for over a year, held it in until today when the young couple directly sent him a great surprise!
Emperor Yongchang was more than happy—he was so happy he wanted to cry. So second son, aside from being unable to walk, was fine in all other respects. Neither household matters nor official duties would be delayed!
“Excellent! You’ve also benefited from Prince Hui’s good fortune. Did you receive a reward?”
Half the young eunuch’s shoulder was soaked with rain, yet his face was full of joy: “I did. To tell Your Majesty the truth, this slave has never seen Prince Hui smile so obviously before. He and the princess consort kept looking at each other—when the princess consort smiled, the prince smiled too, as if we servants weren’t even there.”
Emperor Yongchang imagined that scene and also smiled, stroking his beard: “Good. You’ve brought me joyful news, so I have a reward for you as well.”
With that, he had someone bring two five-tael gold ingots to reward the young eunuch.
After the young eunuch left, Emperor Yongchang walked to the window with his hands clasped behind his back. In the courtyard, rain poured down in sheets. Not long ago, Emperor Yongchang had been vexed that the rain came at an inopportune time, but now he felt this was auspicious rain. And that thunder before dawn—clearly it was second son’s dragon descendant greeting him.
In good spirits, Emperor Yongchang gave Eunuch Wang an instruction—he was going out.
Eunuch Wang quickly prepared His Majesty’s rain cloak, leather boots, umbrella, and a long brocade box that could fit inside a sleeve.
Emperor Yongchang donned his rain cloak and put on his leather boots, held the umbrella himself, and went out bringing only Eunuch Wang and two guards.
Yunshan Hall.
After the imperial physician left and they had rewarded the manor servants like Eunuch Cao who had accompanied them, Yao Huang sat with Prince Hui on the couch in the eastern side chamber of the rear courtyard.
Prince Hui leaned his back against the west wall while the princess consort reclined in his embrace.
The sound of rain splashing outside the window made the room seem even quieter. Yao Huang took Prince Hui’s hand and placed it on her still flat and soft lower abdomen, tilting her head back to look at him: “Though we guessed several days ago that I was definitely pregnant, hearing the definite word from the imperial physician today, I still find it amazing that there really is one.”
Being gazed at by the princess consort’s dark, wondering eyes, Prince Hui silently looked toward the window beside them.
He could understand the princess consort’s joy, because he felt the same joy. But why should the princess consort be surprised?
He gave, she received—it was perfectly natural.
Yao Huang: “…What is Your Highness thinking? Why aren’t you looking at me again?”
Zhao Sui looked back and held her: “I was thinking that if you could have conceived after returning to the capital, it would be better, sparing you the hardship of jolting on the road back to the city.”
Yao Huang smiled: “If Your Highness truly thought that way, after arriving at the North Garden you shouldn’t have slept with me. If we didn’t sleep together, I definitely wouldn’t have conceived while at the North Garden.”
Shortly after her monthly courses ended in mid-May, the couple had followed the imperial procession in leaving the capital. They had abstained throughout the journey—this child was definitely conceived after arriving at the North Garden.
Prince Hui covered the princess consort’s eyes that were laughing at him.
But the princess consort’s lips were still smiling: “Your Highness can’t even bear a few days—now you’ll have to abstain for several months. What will Your Highness do?”
Although the princess consort couldn’t see, Prince Hui still said seriously: “When you’re available, sleeping together is marital harmony. Now that you’re not available, I won’t think about those things either.”
Yao Huang: “Eldest brother has a secondary consort, third brother has a bed warmer and a secondary consort about to enter the household. If Your Highness doesn’t want to wrong yourself, you can also…”
Zhao Sui’s hand moved down to cover the princess consort’s mouth: “I don’t need that.”
Yao Huang glared at him with her eyes and said unclearly: “This is what Your Highness said. If one day you really dare to misbehave behind my back, don’t blame me for getting angry with you.”
Back when they had just married and neither knew the other’s temperament, Yao Huang would never have dared or been willing to oppose Prince Hui choosing secondary consorts or taking bed warmers. Now that she knew how good Prince Hui was, at a time when she was extremely satisfied with Prince Hui, if Prince Hui dared to upset her, Yao Huang would dare to never let him enter her room again.
Zhao Sui: “Focus on nurturing the pregnancy. Don’t let your thoughts run wild.”
Yao Huang: “Isn’t it because Your Highness is usually too… that way? If you were pure-hearted and restrained, I wouldn’t have wild thoughts.”
Zhao Sui looked at the window again. Before the grand wedding, he had indeed been pure-hearted and restrained.
Yao Huang saw his guilty conscience and, knowing Prince Hui was thin-skinned, considerately changed the topic: “Can I write a letter to my mother? Let them share in the happiness too.”
Zhao Sui: “You can. After you’ve written it, I’ll have someone send it out.”
Yao Huang immediately sat up from Prince Hui’s embrace. Zhao Sui supported her in time and instructed: “From now on, do everything more slowly. Don’t make such big movements.”
Yao Huang: “Don’t worry. On the night of the thirteenth, Your Highness kept pounding at the door for almost half an hour and the child is fine—me twisting my waist or lifting my leg outside is nothing.”
Zhao Sui: “…”
Yao Huang turned her head and saw that Prince Hui had turned away again. Smiling, she put on her shoes and went outside to have A’Ji prepare writing materials.
She had just written the opening when Qing Ai came running from the covered walkway, saying His Majesty had arrived.
Zhao Sui immediately moved to the four-wheeled wheelchair. After he was seated, Yao Huang came in to push him out.
Emperor Yongchang stood at his son’s front courtyard entrance, removed his rain cloak beaded with raindrops, took off the leather boots covering his soft-soled shoes, and entered feeling fresh and comfortable.
There was no seat of honor on the north side of the long table. Emperor Yongchang directly sat at the side seat on the east side of the long table.
“Why does Father Emperor always like to come without warning? Every time it makes me and the prince fail in courtesy.”
Pushing Prince Hui around into the hall, Yao Huang glanced inside, met Emperor Yongchang’s gaze, and complained with a smile.
Emperor Yongchang: “If I warned you every time, every time I’d make you come out early and respectfully greet me for ages. You’d be hoping I’d visit less.”
Yao Huang: “Not at all. When Father Emperor comes to see us, I’m as happy as if I’d welcomed the God of Wealth.”
Emperor Yongchang: “…”
Yao Huang stopped Prince Hui’s wheelchair on the left side of the long table, letting father and son face each other. She moved a guest chair to the side, then looked inquiringly at Emperor Yongchang.
Emperor Yongchang waved his hand: “Sit. We can’t have you getting tired now, can we?”
Yao Huang’s face finally reddened as she lowered her head shyly.
Emperor Yongchang looked at his own second son, observed him for a moment, then said doubtfully: “The person who came to pass the message earlier said you were smiling as brilliantly as the princess consort. Why can’t I see it now? Were you only happy for that brief moment?”
With this teasing, Zhao Sui’s face also flushed slightly red, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
Emperor Yongchang was gratified by his son’s heartfelt joy and instructed: “You two are still young, and this is the first pregnancy. Better to be overly careful than careless. Especially you—you absolutely must not ride horses or gallop up and down anymore.”
That last sentence was naturally directed at Yao Huang. Recalling now how his daughter-in-law had ridden horses down mountain slopes and sat on wooden boards sliding down slopes in her wild behavior, Emperor Yongchang felt waves of retrospective fear.
Yao Huang lowered her head and muttered quietly: “I didn’t know at that time. From now on I definitely won’t ride horses.”
The North Garden was so large with so many fun places—she still had plenty of amusements to seek out.
Emperor Yongchang paused, then pulled a long box from his sleeve, placed it on the long table, pushed it toward the couple across from him, and said in a casual tone: “I know you like to play, but nurturing the pregnancy is important. Consider this compensation for the boredom of pregnancy confinement. When you’re unhappy, take it out and look at it.”
Yao Huang then knew the box was for her. She picked it up and opened it to see that the not-very-large box actually contained four gold rings. The rings were set with longan-sized gemstones—from far to near: ruby, amethyst, sapphire, emerald!
Yao Huang was now a discerning person and knew that Prince Hui’s annual stipend might not be enough to buy all four of these tribute-quality gemstones!
Reluctantly moving her gaze from the box, Yao Huang looked at Emperor Yongchang with eyes even more affectionate than looking at her own father: “Father Emperor, you’ve truly become my God of Wealth!”
Emperor Yongchang: “…Less of your smooth talk. Take it to the back and play. I’m going to play chess with second son.”
Yao Huang was already unable to contain her excitement. She readily agreed, grabbed the box, and ran outside.
Zhao Sui’s eyebrows jumped. Just as he was about to speak, Emperor Yongchang called out first: “What are you running for? Slow down!”
Emperor Yongchang accompanied his son for three games of chess before leaving. Although second son didn’t like to talk much, second son played chess well. Even winning one and losing two, Emperor Yongchang was thoroughly satisfied.
Father Emperor didn’t let him see him off, so Zhao Sui could only sit at the hall entrance watching Father Emperor leave.
After the front gate closed again, Zhao Sui returned to the rear courtyard and saw the princess consort sitting by the window, wearing one gemstone ring on each of her right hand’s four fingers, looking at them in rapture.
Zhao Sui pushed the wheelchair to the princess consort’s side. He had stopped for quite a while before the princess consort glanced at him and said plaintively: “Father Emperor is so generous as a father-in-law, yet Your Highness hasn’t given me a gift?”
Zhao Sui: “…I’ll buy you one when we return to the capital.”
Yao Huang wiggled her empty little finger: “I want a ring with a gemstone about as large as these four, in a new color.”
Zhao Sui: “As long as the jewelry shops in the capital have it, I’ll definitely buy it for you.”
Yao Huang was satisfied. As she switched the rings to her left hand, she suddenly said curiously: “Why would Father Emperor bring a box of rings when coming to the traveling palace?”
The imperial consorts wore them for adornment and to display nobility. These four were clearly for women—Emperor Yongchang’s thick fingers couldn’t wear them.
Zhao Sui: “Perhaps he prepared them for Mother Empress and the others.”
Empress Zhou, Consort Xian, Consort Rou, and Princess Imperial Fucheng—exactly one for each person.
Yao Huang: “…I hope Father Emperor didn’t leak the news beforehand, or I’ll be hated by people.”
Even if the imperial consorts had other gemstone jewelry, who would mind having more of such gemstones?
Zhao Sui: “Father Emperor will definitely send people back to the palace to select other gifts to make up for theirs. Your pregnancy pulse was beyond his expectation, yet he wanted to reward you today, so he could only requisition them temporarily.”
Yao Huang embraced Prince Hui’s neck with her ring-adorned hand and sighed: “At the root of it, it’s still because Father Emperor likes Your Highness that he would give me such exceptional rewards for carrying your child.”
Zhao Sui lowered his eyes.
First there was the princess consort, then there was the child.
First there was the princess consort, then there was his return before Father Emperor, being given a certain degree of favoritism by Father Emperor.
Therefore, everything the princess consort has received is what she deserves.