Before returning to the capital, Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui out the door, planning to take another look at the landscape outside the temporary palace.
Just pregnant for about four months, her lower abdomen had only slightly swelled. Yao Huang felt almost no discomfort. Never mind slowly walking while pushing Prince Hui’s wheelchair—even if she ran, she could do it. She just feared Prince Hui couldn’t bear such a “shock.”
The autumn sun was warm, carrying a refreshingly cool breeze. As they walked, Yao Huang chatted with Prince Hui: “It’s been almost a month—the deer park at our mansion must have been built long ago, right?”
Prince Hui had hunted a doe with beautiful reddish-red fur, saying it could be brought back to keep. Yao Huang loved it very much but felt one deer would be lonely without a companion. So when she happened to encounter Emperor Yongchang while touring the Northern Garden, Yao Huang asked if he could bestow upon her another male deer from the Rare Beast Garden’s deer park. The emperor father-in-law who possessed all under heaven naturally agreed readily.
Next, Prince Hui drew a map of the prince’s mansion’s rear garden, personally selecting a piece of land for the deer park. He drew out all the modifications needed, then sent people back to the mansion to have the craftsmen renovate it.
Zhao Sui nodded.
Yao Huang said, “Later I’ll invite my mother, my maternal grandmother, and both my maternal aunts over to let them all see what deer look like.”
The deer and elephants kept in the Rare Beast Garden—after Yao Huang visited several times, the novelty wore off. But any one of them brought back to the capital would be a rare and exotic beast that could amaze the common people.
Zhao Sui nodded again.
As the husband and wife chatted, one speaking and one listening, the atmosphere was just right when Princess Fucheng’s figure suddenly appeared ahead. She wore magnificent robes and her head was full of pearls and jade ornaments, complementing the natural noble bearing she was born with.
Yao Huang smiled in greeting: “Are you going to visit Third Sister-in-law, Aunt?”
The couple hadn’t left the Eastern Residence yet, so Princess Fucheng coming this way was naturally for her biological daughter, Zheng Yuanzhen.
Princess Fucheng nodded slightly, her gaze lingering for a moment on Yao Huang’s rosy-cheeked face, then looking at her nephew in the wheelchair, she asked, “Where are you going?”
Yao Huang raised her chin toward outside the temporary palace: “To stroll by the lake.”
Princess Fucheng gently advised, “Be careful not to tire yourself.”
After these two brief exchanges of pleasantries, both parties brushed past each other.
After walking some distance, Princess Fucheng looked back. Yao Huang’s retreating figure still appeared light and graceful, and her gait was normal, unlike her own daughter’s cautious steps.
Envy still crept into Princess Fucheng’s eyes. She had three children—neither son had achieved much, but only her daughter had inherited her beauty and possessed exceptional talent. From childhood, she had been the finest among the noble ladies of the capital, doted upon by her imperial uncle like a princess.
Princess Fucheng cherished this daughter. She both hoped her daughter could become the empress mother in the future and enjoy the highest honor under heaven, and hoped her daughter would be healthy and have a life free of illness and disaster.
However, this pregnancy came at an inopportune time. First, Prince Qing was scolded and confined, then Prince Kang and Prince Hui strengthened their bond through Duke Zhenguo’s household. All these signs really made it impossible for their side to relax. With her mood poor, her daughter couldn’t eat or sleep well. Over there, Yao Huang was being nourished like a wealthy peony, while her daughter grew thinner by the day. As her birth mother, she could only feel heartache watching this, but Consort Rou and the emperor would probably wonder whether such a weak mother could even give birth to a healthy child.
Lost in thought, Princess Fucheng had already arrived at Songfeng Hall where her daughter and son-in-law lived.
The gatekeeper reported the news inside, and Prince Qing came out to welcome his mother-in-law.
He had taken his beating on the second day of the Grand Military Review. After recuperating for several days, the bruises on his face had faded, but the gloom between his brows and eyes was hard to conceal.
Thinking of Prince Qing’s high spirits before participating in the Grand Military Review, then thinking of his disheveled state after withdrawing and Prince Kang’s triumphant success, Princess Fucheng felt regret for the first time. Had she known it would come to this, she should have married her daughter to Prince Kang. Although Prince Kang was uglier and duller, at least he was honest and obedient and wouldn’t make her worry so much.
But alas, the marriage was long settled, and her daughter was carrying Prince Qing’s child. Neither mother nor daughter had any way out.
“I’m going to keep Yuanzhen company and talk. You may go rest.”
Princess Fucheng spoke rather amicably.
Prince Qing also had no interest in the pregnancy care and other matters the mother and daughter would discuss, so after escorting his mother-in-law to Zheng Yuanzhen’s side, he left.
Zheng Yuanzhen was leaning against the head of the bed, her thin face looking almost devoid of flesh.
Princess Fucheng had just seen the radiant Yao Huang, and facing such a daughter, her heart ached as if pricked by needles.
“We’re returning to the capital tomorrow. How can your mother feel at ease with you like this?” Princess Fucheng compassionately grasped her daughter’s equally thin hand.
Zheng Yuanzhen lowered her eyelids, not wanting to speak.
All the people she usually associated with knew she had had a verbal engagement with Prince Hui, and that she married Prince Qing instead after Prince Hui’s legs were crippled. They all knew she chose Prince Qing in order to advance further in the future. It was just that out of consideration for her and Prince Qing’s status, those people all tacitly understood without saying it.
And the result? Prince Qing was getting farther and farther from that position. Those people were probably all waiting to see her become a laughingstock, weren’t they?
At home was Prince Qing’s face that she increasingly didn’t want to see, and outside were hidden cold mockery and ridicule. How could Zheng Yuanzhen be happy?
Princess Fucheng understood her daughter’s affliction very clearly. She moved closer to her daughter and said in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid. Next summer, Prince Kang won’t be able to laugh anymore.”
Zheng Yuanzhen finally raised her eyes.
Princess Fucheng continued, “When Prince Kang wasn’t given external assignments, we couldn’t find opportunities to deal with him. Now the emperor has sent him to inspect the Fengyan Canal—it sounds like a very simple assignment, right? So next spring and summer when they need to divert water for irrigation, your mother will pick a time to arrange for people to destroy a section of the canal. When the memorial is submitted, the emperor will be furious and will certainly punish Prince Kang for the crime of poor canal supervision. Involving thousands of mu of farmland and tens of thousands of people’s food supply, Prince Kang’s offense will only be more serious than the thousand garrison troops Prince Qing lost. When Prince Kang is punished, that will be Prince Qing’s opportunity to rise again.”
Zheng Yuanzhen’s heart trembled. Compared to the benefits if this succeeded, she was more afraid of the consequences if it was exposed: “Destroying the canal—won’t that cause flooding? If there are too many casualties and the emperor investigates thoroughly and discovers you did it…”
Princess Fucheng patted her hand: “Don’t worry. Your mother will have people select an appropriate section of canal. Only when the Yellow River breaches does it cause flooding. Destroying a section of canal during water diversion will only flood nearby farmland; there won’t even be civilian casualties. For water disasters caused by canal breaches, the blame all falls on those who built the canal. Even Prince Kang’s guilt is by association—no matter how they investigate, they can’t trace it back to your mother.”
“As for the local people, they didn’t spend their silver to build the canal. Before the canal was built, they survived droughts and poor harvests. Ruining one season’s crops absolutely won’t kill anyone. Moreover, after the water recedes, they can still plant another season’s crops and will still fill their bellies at autumn harvest. You need not worry about them.”
This reasonable and well-founded speech gradually calmed Zheng Yuanzhen’s anxious and uneasy heart.
Princess Fucheng said, “Your mother will handle the external matters cleanly. As for you, you must quickly ease your mind, eat more to nourish your body, and next year give the emperor a sturdy little imperial grandson. When Prince Kang angers the emperor, you and Prince Qing will present him with a joyous event. He will naturally favor you more. As for the six months in between, Prince Qing just needs to dutifully serve in the Ministry of Rites—not seeking merit but avoiding mistakes.”
Zheng Yuanzhen thought for a moment and said, “But Prince Hui’s relationship with Prince Kang…”
Princess Fucheng replied, “It’s just an arranged marriage. When the emperor values Prince Kang, naturally he hopes Prince Kang can take good care of Prince Hui in the future. Once the emperor is disgusted with Prince Kang, Prince Hui himself will want to keep his distance from Prince Kang. The so-called strengthened bond will become empty. As for you, you can take advantage of the children on both sides being about the same age to proactively increase your interactions with Yao Shi.”
Three months earlier, Zheng Yuanzhen wouldn’t have accepted her mother’s suggestion—lowering herself to curry favor with Yao Huang. But these three months, she had truly suffered enough from her dejection. Rather than let Prince Qing miss the position of crown prince and become a laughingstock herself, she would rather befriend Yao Huang to increase Prince Qing’s chances of winning the succession.
Seeing hope again, Zheng Yuanzhen’s mood improved, and her appetite returned accordingly. Blushing, she said, “Mother, I seem to be a bit hungry…”
Princess Fucheng quickly had the maids prepare food, and meanwhile reminded her daughter, “The fewer people who know about destroying the canal, the better. If it weren’t to ease your mind, your mother wouldn’t even tell you. Just act as if you don’t know, and don’t reveal it to Prince Qing either.”
Zheng Yuanzhen understood.
The imperial entourage had taken six days to travel from the capital to the Northern Garden temporary palace, and now the return journey also took six days.
At the end of the ninth month, Yao Huang and Prince Hui finally returned to their own prince’s mansion.
As soon as she got out of the carriage, Yao Huang saw Physician Liao and Physician Li waiting in front together with Chief Steward Guo Shu.
She looked at Prince Hui questioningly.
Zhao Sui said, “The journey was bumpy. Let’s first check that all is well.”
Yao Huang thought to herself that she was the one who was pregnant, yet Prince Hui worried far more than she did.
Shortly after, under Prince Hui’s observation, the two physicians each took the princess consort’s pulse. After finishing, both smiled and said the princess consort’s pulse was steady and strong.
Prince Hui gave each of them a reward.
After the physicians left, Yao Huang lightly tapped Prince Hui’s overthinking head and went to the rear courtyard to bathe.
A steady pulse was a steady pulse, but sitting in a carriage the whole way and sleeping in tents for several nights was still taxing. After washing, Yao Huang comfortably reclined on the heated platform in the side room, all her long hair swept to the front of her body, letting the warm sunlight streaming through the window shine on it thoroughly.
When Zhao Sui came over, he saw his princess consort bathing entirely in sunlight, her eyes closed contentedly.
She glanced at him, then closed them again.
Zhao Sui then propped himself up onto the platform, slowly but steadily moving to his princess consort’s side.
Only then did Yao Huang lean into his embrace, touching Prince Hui’s hair bound meticulously in a topknot, and asked, “It’s not even completely dry yet. Isn’t it uncomfortable binding it up so early?”
Zhao Sui replied, “It’s alright.”
Yao Huang smiled, moved to kneel behind Prince Hui, pulled out the white jade hairpin securing his hair, then picked up the ivory comb placed nearby to help him comb through it.
Zhao Sui, fearing he would tire his princess consort’s arms, said, “I’ll do it myself?”
Yao Huang thought for a moment and said, “Alright.”
She tucked the comb into Prince Hui’s hand and sat beside him, waiting to see how he would comb it.
Zhao Sui: “…”
His hand holding the comb suddenly couldn’t lift up.
Yao Huang could tell at a glance what he was being reserved about, and she most loved seeing Prince Hui with this reserved appearance.
Kneeling onto Prince Hui’s lap, Yao Huang wrapped her arms around Prince Hui’s neck and drew closer bit by bit.
Zhao Sui’s breathing tightened slightly. He wanted to stop his princess consort but feared he might misunderstand her intentions, so he could only lower his eyes until his princess consort’s lips actually pressed against his.
Prince Hui restrainedly pressed his princess consort’s shoulders and drew his head back, saying in a low voice, “Now is not appropriate.”
Blood and energy surging could endanger the pregnancy.
His princess consort’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She glared at him and hummed quietly, “It’s been over three months. Your Highness has ways to find pleasure, but I can’t even kiss you once?”
Zhao Sui: “…”
Yao Huang could feel his reaction and deliberately twisted left and right.
Zhao Sui immediately pressed her into his embrace, and only after his princess consort settled down did he lift her chin.
They hadn’t been able to sleep together for six days. Prince Hui also missed his princess consort very much.