Not counting the day Yao Huang married when he watched from afar among the guests as the bride’s back disappeared under her veil, Li Tingwang hadn’t seen Yao Huang for a whole year.
Today his mother brought him out to purchase New Year goods. Li Tingwang knew full well that as a noble princess consort, Yao Huang shouldn’t enjoy joining such bustling crowds like before, yet he still couldn’t help scanning the nearby crowds. After countless disappointments, he actually found Yao Huang’s figure.
At first glance, Li Tingwang only saw Yao Huang wearing a coral-colored brocade jacket. The winter sunlight was bleak, yet she smiled as bright as spring. Just as Li Tingwang couldn’t help wanting to rush over, he finally saw the wheelchair Yao Huang was pushing, which had almost been obscured by the nearby crowds, and saw Prince Hui sitting in the wheelchair with an indifferent expression and extraordinary bearing.
Prince Hui, the current emperor’s second son—even if he passed the martial examination and was promoted to a provincial governor, he would still have to kneel and respectfully greet this prince.
Because of reason, Li Tingwang controlled his feet, but he couldn’t control his eyes. He continued watching Yao Huang almost greedily, watching her smile as carefree and thoughtless as before, watching her rosy cheeks and high spirits, watching her finally discover him, and after a moment of shock, quickly avoid his gaze and pretend not to recognize him at all.
Li Tingwang’s heartbeat actually quickened.
Because Yao Huang had never shown him the shyness a young woman shows when seeing her beloved, Li Tingwang didn’t dare reveal his feelings to her, afraid of being mocked by her, afraid of being rejected. Yao Huang had always treated him like half an older brother—when they met, she would either smile or still be angry about their last quarrel. But just now Yao Huang actually didn’t dare look at him. Could it be she finally understood his feelings? Could it be she also…
His mother came looking for him, interrupting Li Tingwang’s thoughts. He could only do his utmost to conceal his day and night longing for Yao Huang before Prince Hui approached, respectfully performing his greeting.
Watching Yao Huang’s skirt hem disappear from view, and those two young servants carrying New Year goods also pass them by, Li Tingwang impatiently raised his head, hoping to get a few more looks at Yao Huang.
Wang Shi pulled her son into the alley ahead, scolding in a low voice: “Do you not want your life? Or do you not want to take the martial examination?”
Li Tingwang pressed his lips together.
Wang Shi held up her son’s hands—her only son’s hands—pleading: “Foolish boy, forget her. This is good for both you and her. If you keep pining for her and that person finds out, what will he think of Yao Huang, and how will he deal with you? Never mind that your father can intimidate everyone in our alley—what does he count for in front of that person? For your father’s sake and for your future, listen to your mother quickly and marry Commander Cui’s daughter soon!”
Li Tingwang laughed. The Cui family, the Cui family—if his mother hadn’t firmly opposed him marrying Yao Huang, he would have gone to the Yao family to propose marriage in the year Yao Huang came of age. If he had proposed early, where would there have been a chance for Yao Huang to enter the palace for selection!
“I won’t forget, and I won’t marry anyone else. You’d better give up on this hope.”
Pulling away his mother’s hands, Li Tingwang strode out of the alley. Taking one last look in the direction Yao Huang had left, Li Tingwang clenched his fists and finally departed in the opposite direction.
His mother had said one thing right—he couldn’t cause trouble for Yao Huang or implicate her in being mistreated by a prince who had lost both legs and whose moods were already unpredictable.
Pushing Prince Hui along the bustling South Street, Yao Huang’s good mood no longer existed. Her mind was full of Li Tingwang’s conspicuous figure gazing at her with deep affection. Yao Huang naturally didn’t care about Li Tingwang’s feelings, but she cared whether Prince Hui had seen that scene, cared whether Prince Hui had misunderstood her relationship with Li Tingwang because of it.
Yao Huang considered herself completely innocent regarding Li Tingwang with a clear conscience, but the imperial family’s requirements for a princess consort’s conduct were too strict. Yao Huang was very afraid Prince Hui would investigate her past, and Li Tingwang had been constantly running to her home since he was twelve or thirteen, always tagging along when she went out to play with her brother and cousins. She and Li Tingwang didn’t quarrel every day—there had been many times they laughed and talked and played together. In outsiders’ eyes, she and Li Tingwang might count as childhood friends?
Troubled as she was, Yao Huang pushed the wheelchair very steadily, timely avoiding every commoner who only looked upward and nearly bumped into Prince Hui.
Almost outside, there was a new candied hawthorn vendor nearby. The street vendors in the capital were rather particular, wrapping each candied hawthorn stick in a layer of oiled paper to keep off dust.
Yao Huang smiled and asked Prince Hui below: “Has Second Master ever eaten candied hawthorn?”
Prince Hui shook his head.
Yao Huang: “Then shall I go buy two sticks?”
Zhao Sui: “One stick is sufficient. I won’t eat it.”
After all, Yao Huang stood behind the wheelchair, so reading expressions wasn’t very convenient, but she still pushed Prince Hui over and had Fei Quan take out ten coins to buy one stick.
The carriage was waiting outside. Under the curious gazes of some passing commoners, Yao Huang and Qing Ai cooperated to push Prince Hui’s wheelchair into the carriage.
After the wheelchair was completely inside, Fei Quan closed the carriage door from the side.
Yao Huang had Prince Hui help hold the candied hawthorn while she squatted down as usual to secure the wheelchair first. After securing it, Yao Huang sat in the side seat. While reaching for the candied hawthorn, she smiled and examined Prince Hui’s handsome face, which showed no apparent change: “We’ve been shopping for over an hour. Is Your Highness tired?”
Zhao Sui could finally see the princess consort’s face properly.
However, at least half a quarter-hour had passed since they encountered the Li family mother and son—a long stretch of road, enough for the princess consort to adjust her emotions to face him.
Even so, Zhao Sui still detected inquiry in the princess consort’s smile.
So that Li Tingwang was indeed different to her. And if Zhao Sui remembered correctly, Yao Lin had casually mentioned that his marksmanship wasn’t as good as Li Tingwang’s. The princess consort had even said she watched Yao Lin and the others play many polo matches every year. With the two families’ elders in a superior-subordinate relationship, Zhao Sui could completely deduce that in those polo matches with Yao Lin that the princess consort watched, Li Tingwang was also present and played even better than Yao Lin.
A beautiful, outstanding young lady from a hundred-household family, and a handsome, tall young master with excellent martial skills from a thousand-household family.
“Not tired.” Zhao Sui looked toward the low cabinet containing tea utensils and said, “A bit thirsty.”
Yao Huang then had him continue holding the candied hawthorn while she squatted down to pour water for him.
At this moment, the princess consort was finally lower in height than Prince Hui. Zhao Sui looked at the princess consort’s profile as she concentrated on pouring water. Images continuously surfaced in his mind of Li Tingwang accompanying her to browse markets, ride horses, release river lanterns, have snowball fights, build snowmen—anything a pair of childhood friends would have the opportunity to do together.
A talented man and beautiful woman, well-matched in family background—if not for the sudden selection in the palace…
Yao Huang set down the teapot and slowly straightened up, bending at the waist to hand the tea bowl to Prince Hui.
Zhao Sui’s left hand gripped the bamboo stick of the candied hawthorn the princess consort had given him, his right hand took the tea bowl and slowly drank it all.
After drinking the water, Yao Huang sat properly in the side seat again, took back the candied hawthorn and removed the outer oiled paper, revealing the bright red hawthorn fruits inside coated with a thin layer of sugar ice—seven in total.
Yao Huang held the largest fruit at the top of the candied hawthorn stick before Prince Hui, smiling: “Your Highness, try it. It’s quite sweet.”
Zhao Sui looked at the candied hawthorn before him, thinking that Li Tingwang had probably bought this for her too. With Li Tingwang’s height, he could pick down the highest ring of candied hawthorns for her.
“You eat it yourself.” Zhao Sui turned his head away. He truly didn’t want to eat these street snacks that might drop crumbs and dirty his robes.
Yao Huang knew he was particular. In any case, she had already offered. If Prince Hui wouldn’t eat it, she’d eat it herself. She tore open the oiled paper stuck in a circle and spread it out, placing it under the candied hawthorn to catch any sugar ice that might fall.
Zhao Sui lifted a corner of the window curtain, but his ears were full of the sounds of the princess consort eating the candied hawthorn. From the corner of his eye, he happened to see the princess consort open her red lips and bite into the equally red hawthorn fruit.
Yao Huang noticed Prince Hui’s spying, glanced at Prince Hui’s Adam’s apple which seemed to have rolled once, and understood. Holding the candied hawthorn in one hand and supporting the oiled paper with the other, she used her eyes to signal Prince Hui to move his arm resting on his knee, then sat down on it without ceremony.
“Come on, have a taste.” Yao Huang held the fourth hawthorn fruit she was about to eat to Prince Hui’s mouth.
Zhao Sui leaned back, still refusing.
Yao Huang closed her eyes and smiled: “I won’t watch Your Highness eat. That should work, right?”
Zhao Sui: “…”
The princess consort with closed eyes urged him: “Hurry up. I want the first candied hawthorn Your Highness eats in this lifetime to be one I fed you.”
Zhao Sui pressed his lips together and lowered his head toward the princess consort’s hand.
The hawthorn fruit was round and plump. Zhao Sui didn’t want to learn from the princess consort’s method of first biting onto a fruit and sliding it to the top of the stick, then swallowing the whole fruit into his mouth, making his cheeks bulge. After hesitating a moment, he watched the princess consort’s closed eyes while biting one side of the hawthorn fruit, trying to bite off just a piece.
Yao Huang heard the sound of the sugar ice coating breaking. She opened her eyes and saw Prince Hui like someone stealing food, quickly taking the bitten piece into his mouth, then immediately sitting up straight, lowering his eyes and not moving, as if there were nothing in his mouth.
Yao Huang said in a small voice: “Your Highness doing this makes me seem so crude.”
Zhao Sui: “…”
The next moment, the princess consort smiled. Deliberately watching him, she opened her mouth and bit the large half of the hawthorn fruit he’d left, very boldly taking it completely into her mouth, eating without considering herself crude at all.
Zhao Sui turned his head away.
Yao Huang said with surprise: “Your Highness is blushing!”
Zhao Sui maintained his turned-away posture. After swallowing the small amount of hawthorn pulp in his mouth, he glanced at the princess consort and reminded: “The one you ate was the one I didn’t finish.”
Yao Huang blinked: “So what?”
Zhao Sui looked at her and asked: “Don’t tell me you’ve also eaten someone else’s leftover half before?”
Yao Huang didn’t like hearing this. She glared at him: “Though my father is only a hundred-household, he’s not so poor he can’t afford to buy me a whole stick of candied hawthorn. Your Highness, don’t look down on people too much.”
Zhao Sui: “…That’s not what I meant.”
Yao Huang: “Then what did you mean?”
Prince Hui lowered his eyelids and stopped talking.
Yao Huang recalled his blushing just now and his emphasis on halves and wholes, and understood. She smiled: “Your Highness wants to ask whether I’ve shared eating a candied hawthorn fruit with another man, right?”
Zhao Sui: “No, I know you wouldn’t.”
Just now he had misspoken—he shouldn’t have had such suspicions about the princess consort.
Yao Huang huffed: “I haven’t eaten one before. I wouldn’t even eat things my mother ate half of. But if it were a sweetheart I liked, I wouldn’t mind sharing a hawthorn fruit with him at all.”
Prince Hui’s lowered eyelashes moved slightly.
Yao Huang stared at those two rows of eyelashes: “What a pity. My sweetheart disdains me. He would even mind if I kissed him once, let alone eating something with my saliva.”
Prince Hui suddenly raised his eyes.
Yao Huang inexplicably blushed, shaking the candied hawthorn with only three fruits left: “I mean a tiny bit of saliva on the fruit.” It wasn’t about asking Prince Hui for a kiss.
Zhao Sui: “I didn’t mind.”
Yao Huang didn’t believe him. She lowered her head and bit off half, holding the remaining half before Prince Hui.
Prince Hui did something that surprised Yao Huang.
He grasped with one hand the hand with which she held the bamboo stick, pressed both sides of the half hawthorn fruit with his other hand, removed the hawthorn fruit from the stick, and then placed it in his mouth.
Yao Huang: “…”