After accompanying the Emperor and Empress to chat in the Imperial Garden, the Crown Prince couple received an imperial decree to take Jun’er back to the Eastern Palace to rest.

Returning from afar, Yao Huang as usual first bathed to wash away the dust, then sat on the heated platform in the side chamber drying her hair while playing with Jun’er. She also summoned the wet nurse, Chun Yan, and Nanny Liu one after another to ask questions, learning about Jun’er’s situation during the time she and the Crown Prince weren’t in the capital, as well as the major and minor affairs inside and outside the Eastern Palace. When Nanny Liu mentioned that Princess Kang hadn’t given birth yet, Yao Huang breathed a sigh of relief—she had promised Chen Ying that she would visit once Chen Ying gave birth.

After asking about everything, the Crown Prince also came over, and Nanny Liu conveniently withdrew.

Yao Huang picked up Jun’er, and mother and son together looked toward the entrance. After the Crown Prince sat down, Yao Huang placed Jun’er between the couple.

Zhao Sui liked wearing jade pendants, and Jun’er liked grabbing his father’s jade pendant to stuff in his mouth, gnawing on it with relish. He didn’t need his father prince or mother consort to specially coax him.

Yao Huang smelled the familiar fragrance of massage medicinal oil on the Crown Prince and asked with concern: “We were delayed two days on the road—did it affect your training?”

Zhao Sui: “It’s fine.”

In the carriage there were ways to practice in the carriage, just not convenient to explain to the Crown Princess.

Yao Huang leaned on the Crown Prince’s shoulder and touched the Crown Prince’s leg: “It’s really strange. Before, I never thought about wanting Your Highness to hold me every day, but ever since Your Highness said that recently it’s not suitable to put pressure on your legs, it’s made me want to sit on you whenever I see Your Highness.”

Zhao Sui: “…”

Thinking of how the Crown Princess used to constantly sit on him in that intimate gesture, Zhao Sui could understand the Crown Princess’s impulse. Just as before he met the Crown Princess he had been pure-hearted and abstinent, but when the Crown Princess appeared before him every day…

Suppressing that untimely thought, Zhao Sui spread his legs apart somewhat, letting the Crown Princess sit in the middle.

Yao Huang carefully avoided Jun’er, smiling as she sat over, leaning back against the Crown Prince’s chest.

Zhao Sui had silk-covered cushions behind him. Holding the Crown Princess like this, before him was her fluffy soft hair, beside him the adorably innocent young child.

The family of three was comfortably enjoying this ease when a eunuch came from Qianyuan Hall, saying that His Highness the Crown Prince had done his duties well and the Emperor had rewards.

Since it was a reward for the Crown Prince, Yao Huang didn’t need to appear, which also saved her from having to style her hair on the spot.

Watching the Crown Prince push his three-wheeled wheelchair out the door, Yao Huang pinched Jun’er’s little chubby feet and muttered quietly: “Imperial Grandfather really—if he wanted to give rewards he could have done so in the Imperial Garden. Why make Father Prince go through the trouble of transferring between the platform and wheelchair twice more.”

Jun’er didn’t understand what Mother Consort was saying. If he could really understand, Yao Huang wouldn’t dare say it, lest someday the little imperial grandson let it slip in front of his imperial grandfather.

After waiting a while, the Crown Prince returned. Yao Huang looked toward the doorway, first seeing the Crown Prince’s legs resting on the front of the wheelchair, followed by a… exceptionally exquisite and precious jewelry box inlaid with a circle of gemstones placed on the Crown Prince’s legs.

The Crown Princess, who had been lazily leaning on the platform, immediately sat up straight, staring at the jewelry box and asking: “This, this is what Father Emperor rewarded Your Highness with?”

Zhao Sui: “Yes, that’s what the oral decree said.”

Yao Huang suppressed a laugh, glancing at the Crown Prince’s head: “When did Your Highness start liking to dress up?”

Zhao Sui met the Crown Princess’s eyes and said: “I don’t. I’ll have Qing Ai send it to the storeroom.”

Yao Huang directly moved to the edge of the platform, reaching out to grab the jewelry box: “Don’t rush. Let me first look for Your Highness to see what jewelry is inside—perhaps it’s jade hairpins or jade crowns for men.”

Zhao Sui pressed down on the Crown Princess’s fair and delicate hand, then helped place this rather weighty jewelry box on the platform.

Yao Huang impatiently opened it and found seven pieces of gold-inlaid gemstone jewelry arranged on the silk lining inside. Placed in the very center was a palm-sized flower-shaped frontlet with three layers of petals from inside to outside, each petal inlaid with a gemstone.

Before Yao Huang had finished counting the outer ring, she heard the Crown Prince beside her say: “It’s said to be a set of twenty-one pieces of gemstone headdress.”

Twenty-one pieces?

Yao Huang was shocked, then realized this jewelry box was actually layered. Supporting the first layer with both hands, she tried it and indeed could lift it up, revealing the second layer with seven different pieces of jewelry also arranged on its surface. Lifting this layer again, inside was another layer!

With no outsiders present, Yao Huang spread out all twenty-one pieces of gemstone jewelry on the platform in one go, then counted the gemstones one by one. After counting over a hundred, the Crown Prince suddenly handed over a handkerchief.

Yao Huang incredulously touched the corner of her mouth—she wasn’t drooling.

Zhao Sui: “Your speech is unclear. It should happen soon.”

Yao Huang irritably swatted at him. Just as she was about to continue counting, she forgot where she had counted to!

The Crown Prince was still laughing at her beside her, angering Yao Huang into swatting him again. She didn’t care for the Crown Prince’s help—at worst she’d count from the beginning again.

Not counting those on the box, there were altogether two hundred eighteen gemstones, some as large as pigeon eggs and some the size of peanuts. Including those around the box’s body, there could be eighteen more!

Yao Huang held the box and asked the Crown Prince: “Aren’t gemstones very precious? How is it that Father Emperor’s gemstone jewelry seems endless?”

That gemstone peony hairpin from last time had already made Yao Huang vaguely worry whether she alone would exhaust Emperor Yongchang’s gemstones. But today Emperor Yongchang had directly opened her eyes again with a whole box of gemstone jewelry!

Zhao Sui explained: “They’re precious because gemstone mines are very rare, but once a gemstone mine is discovered it belongs to the court. Commoners are forbidden from private mining, so every year the gemstone mines send a batch of gemstones to the capital. Father Emperor allocates a portion to the Wensi Academy to be made into gemstone-inlaid jewelry or objects. The finished products are then bestowed by Father Emperor on the imperial family or court officials.”

Yao Huang understood: “So Father Emperor still has a pile of gemstones, and I don’t need to worry about eating Father Emperor into poverty?”

Zhao Sui laughed despite himself.

The Crown Princess suddenly leaned over and kissed him on the face: “It must be that Your Highness credited me with the merit of your legs recovering, so Father Emperor rewarded me.”

Zhao Sui was just about to lower his eyes when he saw that Jun’er had at some point propped himself up on his stomach, his bright black and white phoenix eyes staring unblinkingly at them.

Zhao Sui: “…Put it away. Don’t let Jun’er play with the gemstones.”

Jun’er couldn’t bite through jade pendants, but these small gemstones embedded in jewelry might be gnawed off and swallowed by Jun’er.

Yao Huang then picked up Jun’er, holding him with one hand while using the other to put the gemstone jewelry back in the jewelry box. First she taught Jun’er to count from one to twenty-one, then fastened the jewelry box’s lid and patted it: “See? Just now Imperial Grandfather called Father Prince away precisely to reward Father Prince with these treasures. So Imperial Grandfather is the best grandfather under heaven. When Jun’er grows up, he must properly show filial piety to Imperial Grandfather.”

Jun’er imitated Mother Consort and patted the lid.

That night, the Crown Prince instructed the Crown Princess on proper conduct after a long absence: “In the future, you must not commit improper acts in front of Jun’er.”

Yao Huang: “Fine. In the future I’ll admire those gemstones behind his back.”

She was a girl raised in a small household with limited horizons. Being captivated by these rarely seen gold, silver, and precious jewels was human nature. Jun’er was a little prince from the imperial family’s golden nest—he should learn the noble bearing of the Crown Prince and Eldest Princess, the kind that wouldn’t deign to pick up gold cakes falling from heaven. Of course, learning the bearing was enough—he absolutely mustn’t actually treat his own gold cakes as nothing and foolishly throw them away.

Zhao Sui: “…Not just that.”

Yao Huang looked blank: “What other improper acts did I commit?”

Zhao Sui looked at the Crown Princess’s lips, moist like rubies in the lamplight.

Yao Huang: “…He’s only six months old. How would he understand these things? Your Highness can rest assured—when he does understand, I guarantee I won’t take liberties with you even once, whether in front of others or behind their backs, completely eliminating the future trouble of making Your Highness lose face.”

The Crown Princess said this with a smile, then pushed the Crown Prince away and turned over to lie down.

Zhao Sui pulled her back and kissed her side neck.

Yao Huang hummed: “Jun’er doesn’t like watching improper things, and I don’t like doing improper things. Please exercise self-restraint, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince ignored this and directly pulled down half of the Crown Princess’s inner robe.

Very soon, craftsmen from the Crown Prince’s former residence brought the hardwood support bars dismantled from the bamboo courtyard at Prince Hui’s residence into the Eastern Palace.

It wasn’t that the Crown Prince was frugal and reluctant to use new ones, but rather that these old hardwood bars had already been worn smooth by the Crown Prince’s years of gripping them. Using new ones would actually more easily injure the Crown Prince’s palms.

These craftsmen were all experienced hands and installed the bars securely in just half a day’s work.

To ensure the Crown Prince had sufficient time to exercise his legs even while on duty, Emperor Yongchang specially permitted the Crown Prince to rest an extra half hour at noon each day. After all, he was now solely managing the gunpowder workshop’s research into gunpowder weapons and could control the daily progress of official business himself.

So Zhao Sui, after finishing his morning duties, would directly return to the Eastern Palace to dine with the Crown Princess, then use the extra half hour for leg exercises and massage.

On the sixth day of the ninth month, joyous news came from Prince Kang’s residence—the princess consort had given birth. Mother and daughter were both safe.

After informing Empress Zhou, Yao Huang left the palace. The eunuch with rewards arranged by Consort Xian accompanied her.

Chen Ying, who had already napped for a while, showed a soft and weak smile toward the Crown Princess at the bedside: “Coming on the third-day washing ceremony would be the same. Why such hurry?”

Yao Huang said quietly: “I’m only too happy to have more reasons to leave the palace and walk around. It’s not that I came especially to see you.”

Chen Ying smiled even more deeply.

Yao Huang asked her if she had been afraid while giving birth.

Chen Ying shook her head: “I was too busy hurting. Before giving birth I did have wild thoughts, but once I thought about how there was still a Crown Princess in the palace thinking of me, I wasn’t afraid anymore.”

Even Consort Xian had praised Yao Huang as a blessed person, and Yao Huang’s journey had indeed been deeply fortunate. Chen Ying thought that a close friend of a blessed person should also be blessed, right? Otherwise, if something happened to her, wouldn’t this blessed person Yao Huang be heartbroken?

Yao Huang laughed straight through: “Whether it makes sense or not, if it could set your mind at ease then it was correct!”

After visiting Chen Ying, Yao Huang should return to the palace. Prince Kang led the little heir to see off the Crown Princess, his younger sister-in-law.

Yao Huang had nothing much to chat about with Prince Kang. In the evening she asked the Crown Prince: “About your legs—has Your Highness told Elder Brother?”

If he didn’t tell, when in the future the Crown Prince suddenly appeared standing before Prince Kang, Prince Kang might be happy, but wouldn’t he think upon reflection that Second Brother had concealed this for so long and not treated him as a good brother?

Zhao Sui: “If he enters the palace tomorrow, I’ll invite him to the Eastern Palace for lunch.”

These past few days Prince Kang’s thoughts had all been on Princess Kang, so he hadn’t troubled his elder brother with his own matters.

The next day Prince Kang indeed entered the palace for duty. After all, this wasn’t his first time being a father, and both Chen Ying and their daughter were in good health—he didn’t need to worry too much.

After a busy morning, at noon he was brought to the Eastern Palace by Second Brother. Prince Kang still thought Second Brother was being overly polite: “That’s already my fourth at home. There’s no need for you to specially invite me to a meal for this. When Jun’er was born, I as elder brother didn’t think to invite you for drinks.”

Zhao Sui smiled, supporting himself on the table with both hands and slowly standing up. Then freeing his right hand, he picked up the wine pot and poured wine for his elder brother with slight trembling.

Prince Kang’s narrow eyes widened.

Zhao Sui sat back in the wheelchair, only saying he had accidentally discovered his legs could move while hunting at the Northern Park, and incidentally hoping Prince Kang would keep it secret for him temporarily.

Prince Kang said with reddened eyes: “Good. Today you’re treating me, but when Second Brother has completely recovered, Elder Brother will host a banquet specially to celebrate for you!”