Although Yao Huang and Prince Hui lived in the rear palace of the traveling palace, neither of them had the authority to invite officials or female guests inside.

After the afternoon rest, Yao Huang went to Empress Zhou’s quarters and asked Empress Zhou to help her summon Li Fuwei. “Father Emperor bestowed such a good marriage for my brother. My father and mother don’t even know the news yet. I must express their fondness for Miss Li on their behalf, and also put in a good word for my brother in front of Miss Li.”

Empress Zhou smiled. “The Li family are all military generals. Your brother has also learned excellent martial skills and is quite handsome. Fuwei will like him.”

The Grand Princess said, “Whether Fuwei likes Young Master Yao or not I dare not say, but Fuwei will definitely like Second Sister-in-law.”

As a princess consort, Yao Huang had attended far too many banquets and had also heard of Li Fuwei, this tigress from a military family. Just from the perspective of wielding swords and spears and hunting on horseback, she and Li Fuwei could indeed find common ground to chat about. However, Yao Huang learned martial arts purely because watching her brothers spar made her itch to try, and she hunted for recreation. This couldn’t compare to Li Fuwei’s aspiration to one day go to the battlefield to protect the country.

Moreover, Li Fuwei didn’t just practice martial arts—she also diligently studied military strategy and tactics. Reportedly, her talents were not inferior to her two brothers.

While drinking tea and chatting, the palace attendant Empress Zhou had sent out returned, accompanied by Li Fuwei wearing a white upper garment with blue trim and a lake-blue long skirt that reached her waist. Her expression was calm without seeming aloof, possessing the refined beauty of an orchid in an empty valley.

After performing the courtesies and chatting briefly, Empress Zhou let the three young people go tour the gardens on their own.

The Grand Princess helped Yao Huang and Li Fuwei become acquainted, then found an excuse to gracefully withdraw as well.

During their brief interaction, Yao Huang discovered that Li Fuwei was indeed a person of few words, as the Grand Princess had revealed. She would answer when asked something, but if not questioned, Li Fuwei wouldn’t make an effort to find topics to chat about just because her companion was a princess or princess consort.

This made it difficult for Yao Huang to immediately delve into deeper conversation.

After walking for a while, Yao Huang suddenly raised her hand to her forehead, her brows slightly furrowed.

Li Fuwei knew that Princess Hui was pregnant. To be safe, she supported the princess consort’s shoulder. “Is the princess consort feeling unwell somewhere?”

Yao Huang lowered her hand and saw that Li Fuwei’s calm eyes finally held a trace of nervousness and concern.

She smiled gently. “I’m fine. I just have a headache not knowing how to broach this with you.”

Li Fuwei: “…”

The princess consort was very beautiful, and when she smiled, she was even more radiantly captivating.

Especially those round, bright, lustrous dark eyes—even while confessing to her mischievous ploy, they made one unable to bear being annoyed with her.

Confirming the princess consort was fine, Li Fuwei released her hand and said, “If the princess consort has something to say, please speak freely.”

Yao Huang sighed. “Yesterday when His Majesty bestowed the marriage, it was tremendous good fortune for my brother, but I fear you might feel wronged. After all, you come from a duke’s mansion, while my brother is only…”

Li Fuwei interrupted, “The princess consort worries too much. I never envisioned marrying a husband of equal status to mine. Yesterday at the hunting grounds when His Majesty asked my opinion, I only considered your brother’s appearance, temperament, and abilities. I didn’t pay attention to anything else.”

Yao Huang’s heart stirred. Looking at her, she asked, “So when you agreed to the bestowed marriage, was it because you didn’t want to go against His Majesty’s wishes, or because you were relatively satisfied with my brother’s appearance, temperament, and abilities?”

Li Fuwei lowered her eyes. “Both.”

Yao Huang smiled. “My brother’s appearance is indeed acceptable. His martial skills can’t compare to military family children like yours, but among ordinary military officials, he’s still quite good. However, his temperament might not be so pleasing to you. To say nothing of other things, just take that red fox—everyone else knew not to touch it, but he only had his mind on the hundred taels of reward silver. He’s thoughtless and reckless. Even my mother scolds him for being stupid.”

Li Fuwei asked, “…He hunted the red fox for the reward silver?”

Yao Huang replied, “Yes. What else did you think it was for?”

Li Fuwei looked to the side.

Yao Huang thought of Emperor Yongchang’s words of praise for her brother, then looked at Li Fuwei’s expression. She didn’t regret exposing her brother’s shortcomings, because this kind of foolishness could be hidden for a day but not for a month. She only felt sympathy for Li Fuwei. “What to do—discovering my brother isn’t as admirably courageous as you thought, do you regret accepting?”

Li Fuwei paused and asked, “Is he usually greedy for money as well?”

Yao Huang said, “If liking silver counts as being greedy, then both my brother and I are quite greedy. After all, my father only earns five taels in monthly salary. My mother usually manages the household by carefully budgeting. Suddenly giving us an opportunity to earn reward silver through hunting and make the whole family happy—I can still consider the ways of the world in official circles, but my brother doesn’t have that kind of mind. However, my brother is very upright. He definitely won’t covet silver he shouldn’t.”

Hearing the princess consort reveal her father’s salary, Li Fuwei truly realized the difference between her own family and the Yao family’s circumstances.

So although Yao Lin hunting the red fox had nothing to do with admirable courage, it was by no means driven by greed for profit.

“If that’s the case, I won’t regret it.”

Yao Huang continued listing her brother’s temperamental shortcomings—such as being careless, blunt and impulsive, unable to read situations, and clumsy with words and unable to sweet-talk people.

She thoroughly criticized her brother now, so that later when Li Fuwei married into the family, she would more easily discover her brother’s good points. After all, she’d already been prepared for his shortcomings in advance.

Li Fuwei listened silently. Because the princess consort was working so hard to disparage her own brother, Li Fuwei’s heart stirred. Looking at the princess consort, she asked, “Are the prince and princess consort or your brother harboring concerns about this marriage and want me to back out?”

Yesterday when Father and her brothers returned from their audience with the Emperor, they had called her over to instruct her, saying His Majesty had no intention of punishing the family—he simply disliked their involvement in the succession struggle.

As for which prince Emperor Yongchang would ultimately choose, Father instructed them not to presumptuously speculate, but simply to do their own duties well from now on.

The Li family had accepted this. Perhaps Prince Hui didn’t want to be drawn in, or perhaps Yao Lin didn’t want to marry a woman like her?

Hearing that she’d misunderstood, Yao Huang quickly clarified. “No, no. I just don’t want you to have too high expectations of my brother’s temperament, lest the higher your expectations, the greater your disappointment. My brother also said he’ll try hard to be good to you. He’s only afraid you’ll despise him for his low family status, lack of learning, and insufficient intelligence.”

Li Fuwei said, “Then he need not worry. I don’t value these things.”

After meeting Li Fuwei, Yao Huang thanked Empress Zhou and returned to Yunshan Hall.

Prince Hui was in the study. Hearing footsteps, he looked up to meet the brilliant smile on his princess consort’s face as she lifted the curtain.

Zhao Sui put down his book and moved the wheelchair back a bit to make it easier for his princess consort to go around the desk and sit on his lap.

“Relieved now?” Holding his princess consort, Zhao Sui asked.

Yao Huang replied, “Yes. Miss Li is clearly someone who doesn’t care about status or empty titles. Without concerns about identity and family background, it just depends on whether my brother himself can win her heart. Oh, when you see my brother later, tell him this…”

The princess consort’s instruction was a long, lengthy speech.

Zhao Sui said, “…I’m setting up a table by the lake with no outsiders. You can come along.”

What his princess consort was saying sounded good, but Zhao Sui couldn’t imagine repeating it word-for-word to Yao Lin.

Yao Huang asked, “That works too. Setting up a table by the lake—what will we eat?”

Female guests could still enter the rear palace, but an outside male like her brother wouldn’t be appropriate. For their family’s happy occasion, it wasn’t worth alarming Emperor Yongchang.

Prince Hui couldn’t possibly go to her brother’s barracks lodging. The lakeside was indeed a good place.

Zhao Sui said, “Roast meat. It’s convenient.”

Yao Huang loved roast meat, but eating only meat was easy to get tired of. She had Eunuch Cao go to the imperial kitchen and ordered three cold dishes and refreshing fruits to cut the greasiness.

Just as dusk was approaching, the couple set out. Unexpectedly, when leaving the traveling palace, they ran into Emperor Yongchang returning on horseback, accompanied by several dukes and marquises, including Duke of Zhenguo Li Qian.

Emperor Yongchang glanced at the food box in A’Ji’s hands and the wine jar Fei Quan was carrying, and said in surprise, “You’re going to eat outside?”

Was his second son in such a good mood that he even wanted to drink?

Zhao Sui explained, “This morning, your son informed Yao Lin of the princess consort’s good news. Yao Lin was beside himself with joy and wished to share a few cups with your son in celebration.”

Emperor Yongchang smiled and looked at the Duke of Zhenguo.

He knew that this morning his second daughter-in-law had summoned Yao Lin, and had also heard that when Yao Lin left, he was so happy he galloped off like a wild horse. Emperor Yongchang had thought it was about the bestowed marriage, but it turned out to be about the joy of becoming an uncle.

Li Qian smiled in agreement, gaining another measure of understanding about his future son-in-law’s depth of character.

Emperor Yongchang didn’t delay the young couple further and went straight in.

By the lakeside, Yao Lin was already waiting. Seeing that the prince and brother-in-law had truly prepared wine, he became even more delighted.

The imperial kitchen had sent a master chef to roast half a freshly slaughtered yellow sheep for Prince Hui and the princess consort. The accompanying guard Zhang Yue helped on the side.

The bonfire for roasting the sheep was some distance from the table. Yao Huang took the opportunity to tell her brother what Li Fuwei had said.

Yao Lin replied, “Good. As long as she doesn’t despise me, I’ll definitely yield to her as much as possible on my end. I won’t actively invite her disdain.”

As he spoke, Yao Lin glanced at the prince and brother-in-law sitting beside his sister, silently sipping tea.

His sister had married an imperial prince, while he was marrying a duke’s mansion’s precious daughter. Their situations were quite similar.

His sister had won Prince Hui’s heart through gentleness and attentiveness. He would also work hard to use gentleness and attentiveness to coax Miss Li into not despising him.

Zhao Sui: “…”

After finishing this simple meal, the setting sun was at its peak, spreading a sheet of shimmering light across the lake surface.

The imperial kitchen’s master chef packed up and took his leave. Yao Lin also departed, full and satisfied.

Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui along the lakeshore toward the traveling palace.

The setting sun shone from behind, lengthening the shadows of the couple and Prince Hui’s wheelchair beneath him.

Zhao Sui recalled what his princess consort had said to Yao Lin this morning, recalled the look Yao Lin had just given him, and asked his princess consort, “In the early days of our marriage, did I often give you cold looks?”

Yao Huang replied, “No. Why would you suddenly say that?”

Prince Hui didn’t answer.

Yao Huang said, “…Because my brother is marrying a woman from a high-ranking family, you thought of our situation back then?”

Prince Hui tacitly agreed.

Yao Huang said as she walked, “With your status, you don’t need to actively give me cold looks. As long as you kept a stern face, I had to guess whether you were unhappy, guess why you were unhappy. It had nothing to do with you—I had to make sure I didn’t offend you. But that was only at the beginning. Later, after becoming familiar with you and knowing you’re the most good-tempered person, I’ve long since stopped being so afraid of you.”

Zhao Sui thought of his princess consort who could only wait outside the bamboo courtyard for him to open the door, thought of his princess consort who hid alone in her room crying because he refused to go out.

“During that time, I made you suffer.” He said, looking at his princess consort’s shadow.

The wheelchair suddenly stopped. His princess consort came around to his front.

Zhao Sui looked up.

His princess consort bent down and smiled at him. “If you had been unkind to me, or weren’t likable at all, I would definitely have felt wronged. But having married such a particularly good and particularly handsome prince, I don’t feel wronged in the slightest.”

The particularly handsome Prince Hui once again had his head turned aside by his princess consort’s gaze.