On the tenth of the tenth month, Prince Hui had his day of rest. He spent the entire morning accompanying his princess consort, and in the afternoon when she took her nap, he quietly left with Qing Ai and his guards.

As her lower abdomen gradually showed her pregnancy, Yao Huang became more and more inclined to sleep. This nap lasted a full hour. In her drowsiness, she felt Prince Hui moving. Yao Huang opened her eyes and indeed saw Prince Hui sitting beside her, wearing a set of white silk undergarments.

The finest tribute silk shimmered with a pearl-like luster all over, making Prince Hui’s face appear like beautiful jade.

Yao Huang lazily stared at Prince Hui for a while before asking, “Why did Your Highness also sleep until this hour today?”

Prince Hui was not someone who loved sleep. Most of the time, he would lie down with her, then leave after two or three quarter-hours, staying in the front courtyard and coming over only after she woke up and finished dressing.

Zhao Sui didn’t explain and asked his princess consort, “Will you lie down a bit longer or get up now?”

Yao Huang wanted to get up. She’d take advantage of the remaining daylight to stroll in the garden. The days were getting colder and shorter. Yao Huang treasured good weather when she could bask in the sun.

Zhao Sui extended his left hand to support his princess consort’s shoulder, helping her sit up.

Yao Huang smiled, “I haven’t reached the point where it’s difficult to sit up yet.”

Prince Hui lowered his eyelids.

Yao Huang sat up properly and casually reached to pull back the quilt. With this movement, she felt something odd on her hand. Looking down, she saw an additional gold-set gemstone ring on her left index finger—a bright, dazzling, pure topaz that was actually even larger than the four Emperor Yongchang had bestowed upon her!

Yao Huang was stunned. She held her hand up before her face, looking at the gemstone, then at Prince Hui who still sat beside her with lowered eyes. She was so excited she lunged at him.

Zhao Sui quickly extended his hands to catch his princess consort securely!

Yao Huang was overjoyed and loved this topaz ring so much: “When did Your Highness buy it?”

Zhao Sui pressed her to sit steadily and explained, “Last time when I sent word to Guo Shu to renovate the deer park, I also had him watch for whether any of the capital’s major jewelry shops had gemstones of this quality for sale. After finding the gemstone, the jewelry shop still had to remake it into a ring with a style similar to those four. It was delayed until a few days ago before it was finished, and I only had time today to pick it up.”

Yao Huang said, “Your Highness should have told me earlier! If you didn’t have time, I did!”

Zhao Sui: “…”

Yao Huang directly got out of bed barefoot, retrieved from her jewelry cabinet the four gemstone rings she frequently took out to admire, and put them all on her left hand in one go. Then she sat at the bedside, gazing at them intently.

Zhao Sui moved to her side, first picking up his princess consort’s socks, then indicating for her to sit up so he could help her put them on.

Yao Huang spared him a glance and deliberately dodged the sock Prince Hui was putting on.

Zhao Sui firmly grasped his princess consort’s foot.

Yao Huang crawled and knelt behind Prince Hui, kissing along his neck all the way until Prince Hui closed his eyes and tilted his head back, then kissing his Adam’s apple.

When his princess consort’s hand was about to explore inside the collar of his undergarment, Zhao Sui covered that hand and said hoarsely, “Stop fooling around.”

Yao Huang nuzzled his face and said into Prince Hui’s ear, “I’ve already inquired about it. Sleeping together once in a while during these middle months is harmless.”

Not only was she satisfied with the gemstone ring Prince Hui gave her, Yao Huang truly craved it.

When Prince Hui was too greedy, she couldn’t handle it, but now after abstaining for several months straight, the more she shouldn’t be thinking about it, the more she wanted it.

Zhao Sui was silent.

He didn’t believe his princess consort would inquire with the two physicians at the mansion, so the only people she could have asked were her mother or Nanny Jin.

The elders’ words might have merit, but Zhao Sui trusted more the medical texts he had read. After a woman became pregnant, she should maintain a calm and peaceful state. Great sorrow, great joy, great shock, or great anger could all easily disturb the pregnancy.

Seeing gemstones only made his princess consort’s eyes light up. During that time, his princess consort would become flushed all over, crying and calling out incessantly.

“Lie down properly.”

When his princess consort’s hand became restless again, Prince Hui said helplessly.

Yao Huang’s face turned completely red from these two simple words. Prince Hui really was something—if he was tempted, he could just turn around and embrace her directly. He still had to solemnly make arrangements.

She lay down shyly, her back to Prince Hui.

Zhao Sui turned her to face him.

Yao Huang closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around Prince Hui’s neck, and slowly ended up grasping his hair.

After just a few soft moans, Prince Hui sat up and pulled the quilt all the way up to cover his princess consort’s head.

Yao Huang: “…”

She pulled down the quilt and looked over in disbelief.

Prince Hui was already sitting at the bedside, his back to her, saying, “I’ll return to the front courtyard first. Come find me when you’re ready.”

Having said that, he hoisted himself onto the wheelchair and lowered the bed curtain, blocking his princess consort’s view.

If Yao Huang was truly angry, she could have easily blocked Prince Hui’s wheelchair and dragged him back to continue. After all, no matter how fast he pushed the wheelchair, it couldn’t match her feet.

But how could Yao Huang bear to be annoyed with him over this?

She only craved it occasionally, but Prince Hui probably craved it every single night when he lay down beside her, didn’t he?

Clearly wanting it even more than she did, yet willing to endure it.

On the nineteenth of the tenth month, Prince Kang sent a memorial through the four-hundred-li express relay. In the memorial, he said he had used three days to inspect every main canal and branch of the Fengyan Canal. The entire canal was solid and sturdy. Afterward, opening the sluice gates to divert water for trial irrigation continued for three more days. Not a single section of canal was damaged or leaked, not a single branch canal’s water flow was obstructed. Some minor flaws were promptly handled by Di Xian and the local people, showing that officials and people were united in anticipating next year’s irrigation and harvest.

Emperor Yongchang was greatly pleased and issued a decree for Prince Kang and Di Xian to return to the capital together to receive their rewards.

This was a joyous occasion beneficial to both the nation and the people. In the evening when Zhao Sui returned to the prince’s mansion, he also told his princess consort about it.

Yao Huang smiled and said, “Your Highness doesn’t care to claim credit before Father Emperor, so let me divide up the credit for this matter. Without the Di father and son, there would be no Fengyan new canal today. The Di father and son hold first-class merit. However, without Your Highness recommending Di Xian, who knows when he could have realized his ambitions? The common people near the new canal would have continued suffering and going hungry, so Your Highness also shares first-class merit.”

Zhao Sui listened silently. He only wanted to make his princess consort happy, not to come to her to seek praise.

His princess consort continued, “But having just Your Highness’s recommendation wouldn’t work either. Father Emperor also had to be wise and willing to adopt this advice, willing to take silver from the national treasury to build the canal. So Father Emperor shares first-class merit with you all.”

Including those common people who received meager wages yet worked from dawn to dusk, laboring hard to build the canal—they all deserved a share of the credit.

Zhao Sui smiled and raised his soup in place of wine to toast his princess consort, who had distributed the credit most fairly.

His princess consort was pregnant, so tea was also unsuitable to drink. Fortunately, there were two nourishing soups on the table prepared by Chef Kong and Gao Niangzi.

Seeing that Prince Kang was about to return and receive praise, Prince Qing felt very uncomfortable. Returning to the prince’s mansion, he had wanted to complain to Zheng Yuanzhen about Father Emperor’s unfair treatment, but seeing that Zheng Yuanzhen’s appetite was still good, and looking at the face she had worked so hard to fill out again, Prince Qing feared ruining her mood and appetite, so he could only suppress these words.

Because Zheng Yuanzhen was pregnant, after the meal Prince Qing went to his bedchamber servant Wei Shi.

The two newly married secondary consorts were both beauties and both official’s daughters, always emphasizing proper conduct. Moreover, having just entered the household, Prince Qing wasn’t yet familiar with them. If he rashly complained to them about Father Emperor, the two secondary consorts would certainly be too frightened to respond, or might even learn from Zheng Yuanzhen and conversely advise him to respect Father Emperor. Wouldn’t Prince Qing just be asking for disappointment?

Wei Shi was different. She was of lowly palace maid origin, hadn’t read many books, and only knew to treat him like heaven.

After intimacy, Prince Qing held Wei Shi while venting the gloom in his heart: “If Father Emperor had Elder Brother build the canal and Elder Brother did it well and claimed the credit, I would accept it. But Di Xian already built the canal, and he just went to inspect it and gained credit for nothing. It’s obviously Father Emperor being biased, deliberately giving me difficult assignments. When I complete them, he still picks on my mistakes. With Elder Brother, he gives him easy ones.”

Wei Shi frowned, “Yes, the emperor is so biased. Your Highness is talented in both civil and military matters and handsome in appearance. You’re clearly superior to First Imperial Brother in every way.”

Prince Qing’s face was rigid. It was precisely because he excelled over Elder Brother in every way that he couldn’t accept it.

Wei Shi looked at him and asked, “Does Your Highness have any good way to turn the situation around?”

Prince Qing didn’t. After returning to the capital, Father Emperor still had him serve in the Ministry of Rites. What could the Ministry of Rites do?

Wei Shi said, “If it’s difficult for Your Highness to establish merit here, if First Imperial Brother commits a major error over there, it would still show that Your Highness is better than him.”

Prince Qing smiled bitterly, “Elder Brother has no other strengths, but when handling assignments he’s methodical. Even with the Ministry of Revenue’s account books, he wouldn’t miscalculate a single number.”

Wei Shi suggested, “What about the people around First Imperial Brother? If his followers make mistakes, it can also be pinned on him.”

Prince Qing replied, “Difficult. Duke Zhenguo’s household is a family of famous generals whom Father Emperor values highly. His two secondary consorts’ maternal families are both scholarly households. Even if there are some problems, they’re all insignificant. If there were anything I could exploit, I would have used it long ago.”

Wei Shi rolled her eyes and whispered, “Then how about targeting the canal First Imperial Brother just finished inspecting? Secretly dig a hole…”

Prince Qing pushed her away forcefully and said sternly, “What a venomous woman! You even dare to think of such a thing that destroys one’s conscience!”

Wei Shi immediately knelt on the floor to beg forgiveness, slapping her own face with both hands repeatedly.

Prince Qing left in a huff. Early the next morning, he had someone take Wei Shi away to be dealt with. He only liked beautiful women but didn’t dare keep such a venomous snake by his side.

However, Wei Shi’s poisonous scheme had stirred Prince Qing’s heart a bit. Unable to decide on his own, he went to visit his maternal grandfather, Minister of Personnel Shen Shiyan.

The Minister of Personnel had high rank and many duties. Over sixty years old, Shen Shiyan rarely had days off. This morning he spent time with his grandchildren, and after finishing, he was just about to recline in his rocking chair to bask in the sun when he heard Prince Qing had come. Shen Shiyan’s brows furrowed.

Shortly after, grandfather and grandson met in the study.

Prince Qing hesitantly and extremely quietly mentioned Wei Shi’s plan.

Shen Shiyan’s face turned white. He pointed to the crossbeam above the study and said, “If Your Highness intends to execute this risky scheme, this old minister will take his entire family of several dozen people to hang ourselves from the beams tonight, to avoid having this old minister dragged before the Meridian Gate to be beheaded next year when Your Highness’s affair is exposed, being publicly disgraced.”

Prince Qing asked, “…Is it really that serious?”

Shen Shiyan replied, “Because right now, the only one hoping for First Imperial Brother to be embarrassed is you! If First Imperial Brother’s assignment goes smoothly, that’s fine. But once something happens, the first person the emperor will suspect is also you! Do you think the canal is so easy to destroy? A small breach—once the water stops flowing upstream, inspecting the breach would easily reveal it was human sabotage. A large breach would require Yellow River levee-breaking scale to wash away the breach and destroy the evidence. Your Highness, think about it—in Jingzhou you lost a thousand troops and the emperor was already greatly angered. If you dare to destroy the canal and cause tens of thousands of common people to suffer disaster, even if the emperor can’t find evidence, he will find other charges to severely punish you!”

Prince Qing broke out in a cold sweat.

Shen Shiyan waved him away: “Once Your Highness has calmed down, please leave quickly. Don’t come again in the future either. This old minister has lived to this age with difficulty and doesn’t want to fall under charges in his old age.”

He hoped his maternal grandson could advance further, but with a wise ruler on the throne, his grandson had only one righteous path: to display talent and establish merit.

Prince Kang had no great talent either, but Prince Kang was upright and steady, suitable to be a ruler who maintains stability. As for his grandson…

Shen Shiyan was too lazy to mention it again.