As spring drew nearer, the sunshine improved.

Yao Huang consistently insisted on taking a stroll through the back garden after breakfast and again at dusk. When she felt tired, she would sit on a long bench to rest, and once rested, she would continue.

The tree branches that had been dormant all winter gradually revealed a layer of blue-green. Winter jasmine and plum blossoms competed in full bloom, while the buds of peach blossoms and crabapple flowers were still small. Between the verdant peony leaves emerged egg-sized flower buds, while the nearby herbaceous peonies grew more slowly, their buds only quail-egg sized.

The cool breeze carried the refreshing fragrance of vegetation’s revival. The two deer in the deer park also began shedding their dull old coats, growing lustrous new ones.

Such a beautiful, vibrant spring garden—anywhere Yao Huang chose, she could admire for a long time. It was far more comfortable than being cooped up indoors.

Since the Princess Consort loved strolling, Prince Hui could only cooperate each time by sitting in the wheelchair.

Nanny Jin and the others pushed the spare wheelchair prepared for the Princess Consort while maintaining their distance behind.

In winter, Yao Huang had felt sorry they would suffer the cold. With spring’s arrival, Yao Huang no longer had this concern. Prince Hui was someone who loved quiet and didn’t like irrelevant people entering the back garden. Yao Huang felt that Nanny Jin and the others should also be happy to take this opportunity to stretch their muscles in this paradise-like garden.

On the twenty-sixth, after finishing breakfast, Yao Huang still pushed Prince Hui to tour the garden, strolling from east to north. Just as they reached the bamboo grove, Yao Huang’s lower abdomen suddenly tightened.

There had been several similar brief stabbing pains in the past few days. Yao Huang hadn’t paid them much mind and continued forward leisurely. Unexpectedly, this stabbing pain continued intermittently until they reached the foot of Cuiping Mountain on the north side.

Yao Huang’s heart leaped with joy. Was the little imperial egg she’d been carrying so long finally coming out?

Though this was Yao Huang’s first pregnancy, she had already heard countless experiences from her mother and Nanny Jin. She knew that from the start of the stabbing pain until actually giving birth required another two or three hours, sometimes even longer. So as long as her water hadn’t broken and as long as she could endure it, moving around more during the painful stage would actually help with the birth later.

When it didn’t hurt, Yao Huang walked normally. When the pain came, Yao Huang would stop. By the time Prince Hui turned back to look at her, that moment had already passed. Yao Huang would point at a nearby tree and ask: “What kind of tree is that again?”

Prince Hui suffered the disadvantage of sitting in a wheelchair where he had to turn his head to see the Princess Consort. He was deceived by the Princess Consort the entire way until she pushed him back to the front courtyard of Mingan Hall. The wheelchair suddenly slid forward a distance. Only then did Zhao Sui sharply realize something was wrong with the Princess Consort. He urgently rotated the small wheels to turn back and saw the Princess Consort reaching out to support herself against the door panel beside her, her brow furrowed in endurance.

Zhao Sui was about to approach the Princess Consort when her mother-in-law Luo Jinhua, who had long since moved in to live there, and Nanny Jin simultaneously ran over, supporting the Princess Consort from left and right.

Yao Huang endured this longer bout of stabbing pain and looked inside. Seeing that Prince Hui’s handsome face in the wheelchair had turned pale, Yao Huang smiled and said: “This time it’s definitely happening. I’ll go to the back courtyard and take my time. Your Highness can wait slowly in the front. So many people are here—I’m not afraid, so Your Highness needn’t worry blindly.”

Mother-in-law and Nanny Jin both looked eager to quickly help the Princess Consort to the back courtyard. Qing Ai also pushed over the spare rosewood wheelchair. Prince Hui, who after falling off a cliff half-dead could calmly find a hiding place, was now so nervous he couldn’t even say a few words to comfort the Princess Consort. He could only sit motionless, appearing quite calm as he nodded.

Whether truly calm or falsely calm, Yao Huang couldn’t spare him any attention now. She sat in the wheelchair and, accompanied by her mother and Nanny Jin, went to the back courtyard.

Qing Ai went to escort the Princess Consort. Fei Quan walked to the doorway intending to attend to His Highness, but looking up, he met what was on His Highness’s face…

Fei Quan timely withdrew to the side.

Zhao Sui pushed himself into the side room.

The birthing room had long been prepared, with everything needed ready in four sets of spares. The two physicians were highly skilled in medicine. Nanny Jin was a female physician who had delivered babies dozens of times for noble and official families and had delivered for Empress Zhou three times. Mother-in-law Luo Jinhua could provide the Princess Consort with the companionship she most needed.

At this moment, he was the one the Princess Consort needed least. If he went, he would only add chaos and increase everyone’s burden.

Not knowing how long he had sat there, Zhao Sui called Fei Quan over and told him to also stand guard in the back courtyard, reporting any progress with the Princess Consort.

After Fei Quan left, Zhao Sui entered the inner chamber and gripped the support rails.

These legs had been crippled three years ago from the fall. Zhao Sui had hoped countless times for recovery and been disappointed countless times. He had long given up hope. But every so often—whether sitting in the wheelchair being pushed by Qing Ai along the palace roads, or listening to the Princess Consort laugh and chat about everyday matters, or lying beside the Princess Consort listening to her long, steady breathing—Zhao Sui would still have fantasies, fantasizing about how good it would be if his legs weren’t crippled.

If they weren’t crippled, when touring the garden with the Princess Consort, he wouldn’t need to bring so many people. He could let the Princess Consort hold his arm as they walked, instead of the Princess Consort pushing his wheelchair.

If they weren’t crippled, when the Princess Consort was in pain, she could lean on him instead of supporting herself alone against a door panel while he could only sit in the wheelchair and watch.

Zhao Sui lowered his head, looking at his legs hanging powerlessly below the support rails.

Every desire over these past two years was not as intense as this moment—intensely desiring that he could walk, desiring that he could stand and watch over the Princess Consort, instead of sitting in a wheelchair requiring others to worry about attending to him.

He tried once more to move his legs.

But those legs remained, just like the countless times before, completely motionless.

The kitchen prepared lunch. Zhao Sui had no appetite and had Fei Quan push him beneath the window of the east wing room in the back courtyard that served as the birthing room.

“Mother, when you gave birth, did it hurt this much too?”

“No. Mother gave birth while sleeping, didn’t feel anything at all. When I woke up, your brother was beside me, happily calling me Mother.”

Zhao Sui then heard the Princess Consort’s laughter tinged with pain again.

“Why is it so slow? Can I not give birth first?”

“If you don’t give birth now, then wouldn’t the suffering of the past two hours have been for nothing?”

Zhao Sui lowered his eyes.

“Mother, go tell A’Ji to bring all the paintings His Highness drew for me. You all won’t let me talk to conserve my strength, so I need to find something to do.”

“What can you do with paintings?”

“Look at them. His Highness painted me like an immortal fairy. When I see the fairy, I forget the pain.”

“No wonder when I gave birth to you it was easier than giving birth to your brother. Turns out he was a silly egg and you’re an immortal fairy.”

Joking aside, Luo Jinhua still called for A’Ji.

A’Ji quickly brought two rosewood scroll tubes, each containing five scroll paintings. Luo Jinhua continued holding her daughter’s hand while A’Ji unrolled the scrolls one by one for the Princess Consort to see.

Luo Jinhua said in surprise: “Before, you praised His Highness to the skies and I didn’t quite believe it. Turns out he really paints this well.”

Yao Huang both hurt and laughed.

Seeing the painting of Yao Huang standing in the doorway washing her feet with rainwater, Luo Jinhua laughed: “Why paint stinky feet? His Highness really doesn’t mind you.”

Yao Huang: “…”

Seeing the painting of Yao Huang making dumplings on New Year’s Eve two years ago, Luo Jinhua looked at her daughter in the painting, then at her son-in-law in the painting, and said enviously: “In my next life, I want to marry someone who can read and paint too.”

A’Ji stirred things up: “His Highness is accomplished in both civil and martial arts. After Madam returns, she can also have Master start learning to paint. Perhaps Master is also talented in both civil and martial arts.”

Luo Jinhua: “Counting on him? Might as well count on Jinbao learning to paint.”

Yao Huang laughed again.

Nanny Jin suddenly said: “All right, it’s time. Now no one is allowed to make the Princess Consort laugh anymore. Everyone listen to me!”

A’Ji quickly gathered the paintings and withdrew.

Outside the window, Zhao Sui gripped the wheelchair armrests tightly.

Inside, Nanny Jin urged the Princess Consort to push with each cry, and Prince Hui’s hands gripping the wheelchair pushed along with her.

Not knowing how much time passed, when Nanny Jin finally told the Princess Consort to stop pushing, Prince Hui also instinctively released the wheelchair.

After a flurry of orderly footsteps, a loud infant’s cry came from inside, as if dissatisfied that after waking from sleep, why had the place changed to somewhere unfamiliar?

Zhao Sui heard his mother-in-law’s voice: “What did she have?”

Nanny Jin smiled: “It’s a young master.”

At this moment, Zhao Sui finally heard the Princess Consort’s voice again—somewhat hoarse, yet very spirited: “How many catties?”

Prince Hui then breathed a sigh of relief.

People couldn’t immediately enter the birthing room. After confirming the Princess Consort was safe, Zhao Sui had Fei Quan push him back to the front courtyard to wash and change clothes. The clothes he’d just worn had collected dust in the garden and were soaked with sweat. They weren’t suitable for wearing to see the Princess Consort. The Princess Consort’s body was weak right now and needed to stay away from illness and impure air.

After tidying himself completely and having Qing Ai and Fei Quan wipe down the three-wheeled wheelchair from top to bottom before entering the birthing room, Zhao Sui went in by himself.

Luo Jinhua and Nanny Jin had withdrawn earlier. The birthing room was brightly lit. The Princess Consort lay on the bed with changed bedding, lying on her side looking at the swaddled bundle beside her.

Hearing a sound, the Princess Consort looked up. Seeing it was him, the Princess Consort smiled. In her bright, clear dark eyes was satisfaction and joy like having obtained a new gem.

As if the sky had cleared after rain, all previous tension and fear had been completely driven away by sunshine.

Zhao Sui slowly pushed the wheelchair to the bedside, first concerned about the Princess Consort: “Lying like this, is it uncomfortable?”

Yao Huang: “Your Highness always asks such silly questions. If it were really uncomfortable, could I be lying like this?”

She wasn’t a fool.

As she spoke, she also turned the swaddled bundle around, making it convenient for Prince Hui to see the child.

Zhao Sui lowered his eyes and saw an infant with rosy red cheeks—such a small head and body that just looking made one worry whether he could grow up safely.

Yao Huang smiled to herself: “My mother said when my brother was born he was six and a half catties, I was six catties eight taels, and this child is also six catties eight. Among small children, he’s considered quite robust.”

The trace of worry Zhao Sui had just developed was comforted away by the Princess Consort.

Yao Huang changed to lying flat and stretched out one hand to beckon Prince Hui.

Zhao Sui grasped the Princess Consort’s hand.

Yao Huang was truly very happy: “Finally finished giving birth. For his sake, I haven’t been able to enjoy myself properly for more than half a year. Now it’s good—I’m light and free. Once I finish my confinement month, I want to go outside the city for a spring outing, go see our family’s new house, spend an entire day shopping on South Street, go drink at the weddings of First Princess and Second Princess…”

Just listing the things she wanted to do, the Princess Consort spoke a long string.

Zhao Sui: “All right. I’ll accompany you in whatever you want to do.”

Yao Huang’s far-flying thoughts immediately returned to Prince Hui. Looking at Prince Hui’s handsome face that had become somewhat haggard recently, Yao Huang’s face warmed slightly as she muttered quietly: “Your Highness should first take care of yourself properly.”

Zhao Sui: “…”

In the palace, when Emperor Yongchang received the happy news sent from Second Son’s manor, he was strolling in the imperial garden to clear his mind.

Learning that Second Son’s wife had also safely delivered mother and child, Emperor Yongchang was greatly pleased. He took Eunuch Wang to the Emperor’s private treasury and personally selected a reward each for Second Son’s wife and his fourth little imperial grandson.

Emperor Yongchang wasn’t afraid of Eldest Son and Third Son knowing about his favoritism when bestowing rewards.

Second Son was simply stronger than them, and Second Son’s wife also pleased him more than the other daughters-in-law. After all, having been a father-in-law for so many years, Emperor Yongchang had only ever received special local products as filial gifts from Second Son’s wife!