The departure of her cousins in the morning hadn’t made Yao Huang sad and tearful, but at night Prince Hui bullied her until she was crying and whimpering.

What was most infuriating was that Prince Hui’s hands were occupied supporting himself, so he had no way to stop her if Yao Huang wanted to flee. But Yao Huang couldn’t flee—how could she abandon her disabled husband at such a time? So it became a situation where she cursed him through her tears while obediently waiting for him, like sitting in a wooden boat unable to row herself, only able to let the boat carry her to shore at its own fast or slow pace.

Finally arriving, Yao Huang used her last strength to leave Prince Hui’s “boat,” then collapsed sideways at the foot of the bed. Not caring whether Prince Hui’s legs were near or far from her face, she closed her eyes, unwilling to even curl a fingertip.

Inside the curtains was pitch black. Zhao Sui knew the Princess Consort would need a long while to recover before she could move, so he also indulged himself by lying down.

As his breathing gradually steadied, Zhao Sui was first to sit up. He picked up a cloth and wiped his left leg where the Princess Consort had passed when leaving.

After putting on his inner garment, Zhao Sui transferred to the three-wheeled wheelchair beside the bed. He first went to the lavatory to clean himself up—water had already been prepared inside.

When he emerged, only the Princess Consort’s lazy breathing could still be heard from the bed. Zhao Sui came to the table and used a fire starter to light two lamps.

Glancing at the bed, Zhao Sui turned the wheelchair with his back to the Princess Consort and picked up the book on the table.

Another bucket of water sat beside the bed. This was a newly adjusted habit the couple had developed after Prince Hui obtained a self-propelling wheelchair. Although his legs were disabled, Prince Hui with his great strength and quick recovery would go to the lavatory to clean up, while the Princess Consort, though her legs were perfectly fine, would be left weak and powerless every time. She no longer needed to get out of bed and could clean up sitting at the bedside.

A full half hour later, Yao Huang finally put her inner garment back on properly, draped all the cloths carrying Prince Hui’s scent over the bucket rim, and lay down fresh and clean in the inner part of the bed.

Prince Hui could hear. He pushed the wheelchair to the bedside and lifted the wooden bucket with one hand to a step away. When the wheelchair caught up, he lifted it another step. Taking a bit more time, he carried the bucket out of the entire canopy bed frame.

Yao Huang silently watched from inside.

This wasn’t her bullying Prince Hui. Rather, one time she had fallen directly asleep, sleeping shallowly enough to be awakened by the sound of him carrying water. Opening her eyes, she saw Prince Hui carrying the bucket out. Yao Huang instinctively sat up, rubbing her eyes and saying she would carry it. Prince Hui said no need, just let her continue sleeping.

After multiple times, Yao Huang discovered Prince Hui actually seemed to quite enjoy doing these things. After all, he truly had the strength to carry water—it was just slower. Yao Huang let him have his way.

After extinguishing the lamps, Prince Hui returned to the bed.

Yao Huang nestled into his embrace. Thinking of what happened at dusk by the lake, she laughed aloud and pointed at Prince Hui’s chest: “Finally know what Your Highness looked like at that moment.”

Zhao Sui was speechless.

The next morning when Zhao Sui awoke, the Princess Consort was still sleeping soundly. Her eyes were slightly swollen from last night’s two bouts of crying. Her cheeks and lips remained fresh and tender as flower petals.

Zhao Sui looked a few more times before dressing and departing.

When Prince Hui disembarked from his carriage at the palace gates, he encountered Prince Qing who had arrived on horseback.

Prince Qing stood on the ground first, watching as Second Brother was steadily pushed down from the carriage by attendants. Prince Qing smiled: “Second Brother looks in good spirits today.”

Zhao Sui didn’t know whether he was making casual conversation or had noticed something. A glance counted as a greeting.

Prince Qing was merely stating facts. The Second Brother before him indeed looked more refreshed and clear-headed than a few days ago. Even when Yao Lin and his four brothers all made the examination list simultaneously, Second Brother hadn’t shown this complexion.

Prince Qing couldn’t guess the reason and didn’t waste time on the matter. In his eyes, the low-ranking military positions of Yao Lin and his four brothers were utterly insignificant. After all, on his side was a maternal grandfather who was Minister of Personnel, while on Elder Brother’s side was a father-in-law who was Duke Zhenguo. Second Brother’s wife’s clan couldn’t even compare to the maternal families of the secondary consorts in his and Elder Brother’s residences, though his two secondary consorts wouldn’t enter the residence until September.

The two brothers traveled together along a section of the palace avenue before separately heading to the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Works.

There was no court assembly today, but on Emperor Yongchang’s desk still sat two tall stacks of memorials waiting for his review. And these were after the Central Secretariat had helped organize and pre-review them. Those he found appropriate, he just needed to check. Those inappropriate required his personal annotation.

Reviewing one after another, Emperor Yongchang casually picked up another sheet and saw written on the cover: “Memorial from County Magistrate Xu Dongyang of Lingshan County, Capital Region.”

Emperor Yongchang’s brow rose slightly. He recalled that last year Second Son had gone to Lingshan to escape the summer heat, and at that time Lingshan had also had a homicide case.

Emperor Yongchang opened the memorial and was even more surprised to discover that what Xu Dongyang discussed was actually the Lingshan specialty yellow essence that Second Son and his wife had brought back for him.

This Xu Dongyang reported that last autumn he had cleared four plots of land in Lingshan to experimentally plant yellow essence. This spring when vegetation on the mountain turned green again, those yellow essence plants Xu Dongyang had experimentally planted all survived. Those that should sprout sprouted, those that should grow new root nodes grew new root nodes—their growth was no different from the wild ones on the mountain. Therefore, Xu Dongyang believed clearing land in Lingshan to plant yellow essence was feasible. He requested court approval and an allocation of twenty thousand taels of silver to Lingshan County for encouraging agriculture and land clearing, and purchasing yellow essence rhizomes.

On the memorial was the Left Prime Minister’s annotation: Submit to Ministry of Works for verification. If verified, approve.

Emperor Yongchang had someone summon the Left Prime Minister and asked him: “When was this Xu Dongyang transferred to Lingshan County?”

The Left Prime Minister was immediately grateful that because Xu Dongyang’s memorial matter was so novel and peculiar, he had specifically checked Xu Dongyang’s previous performance evaluations. He replied: “In response to Your Majesty, Xu Dongyang was a second-tier jinshi from year twenty-five. He was appointed County Magistrate of Daming County in Jizhou. After his three-year term ended, he was transferred to Lingshan County the year before last.”

Emperor Yongchang asked, “How have his performance evaluations been these years?”

The Left Prime Minister replied, “All excellent. He’s done many practical things for the common people, including building bridges and paving roads, overturning wrongful convictions…”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongchang immediately couldn’t be certain. This Xu Dongyang appeared to be an official capable of thinking up the strategy of clearing land to plant yellow essence himself. But he hadn’t thought of it in the first year after his transfer—only after Second Son went there to escape the summer heat did he think of it. And his own Second Son had that personality of doing things quietly…

After dismissing the Left Prime Minister, Emperor Yongchang summoned Yan Lun and had him read Xu Dongyang’s memorial.

Yan Lun carefully read it twice and pondered: “If it truly can be cultivated, it really is a good method to enrich the people. It doesn’t occupy farmland and doesn’t require cutting down trees, thus preserving Lingshan’s famous mountain scenery.”

Emperor Yongchang said, “I’m just puzzled. Lingshan County office is over twenty li from Lingshan town, with an entire Lingshan mountain in between. Xu Dongyang is usually busy with official duties. Rest days are only one day. Instead of going to the southern main peak of Lingshan to climb high and appreciate scenery, how would he think to take a detour to Lingshan’s northern peak to investigate where yellow essence grows?”

If only Xu Dongyang’s experimental yellow essence planting site had been located on Lingshan’s southern slope, Emperor Yongchang wouldn’t have suspected anything.

Yan Lun asked, “Your Majesty means Xu Dongyang’s memorial account is false?”

Emperor Yongchang looked at him: “You may not know that from June to August last year, Prince Hui was continuously escaping the summer heat in Lingshan town. When he returned, he even brought me nine-preparation yellow essence they made themselves.”

Yan Lun was speechless.

Emperor Yongchang said, “Find a way to sound out Prince Hui.”

Yan Lun replied, “…Yes.”

Tucking the memorial into his sleeve, after Yan Lun returned to the Ministry of Works he continued handling matters at hand as if nothing had happened. Only at noon did he carry his own food box to Prince Hui’s office.

With the Minister present, Qing Ai and Fei Quan went to the dining hall to eat.

Yan Lun ate while chatting with Prince Hui. Nearly finished eating, Yan Lun suddenly took out Xu Dongyang’s memorial, placed it before Prince Hui, and smiled mysteriously.

Zhao Sui asked, “…What is this?”

Yan Lun said, “The matter of planting yellow essence—why does Your Highness play dumb? Xu Dongyang doesn’t want to take undue credit. He gave sufficient hints in the memorial. His Majesty already saw that Your Highness instructed him. Don’t believe me? See for yourself, Your Highness?”

Zhao Sui frowned slightly. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, then reached for the memorial.

Before grasping it, Yan Lun suddenly snatched back the memorial and ran away laughing.