On the evening the Crown Prince’s household moved into the Eastern Palace, Emperor Yongchang hosted a family banquet in the Qianyuan Hall. Empress Zhou and the three consorts were all present, as were the Second Princess who would marry in the tenth month, and the Fourth Prince who was fifteen years old and had not yet been enfeoffed as a prince.

The Princes’ Quarters and Princesses’ Quarters were located behind the Eastern Palace, separated by two rows of palace buildings. Yao Huang had seen them two years ago when she pretended to be drunk and went to rest at the Eldest Princess’s residence. It was said that the young princes and princesses were separated from their birth mothers at age four to live in separate courtyards with their wet nurses and palace servants, making it convenient for them to attend the imperial academy together for their education.

When Yao Huang was a princess consort, she didn’t need to worry about where her young sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law lived in the palace. Now that she had moved into the Eastern Palace, she might run into the Second Princess or Fourth Prince if she went to the Imperial Garden in the future.

Don’t underestimate the Fourth Prince just because he was only fifteen—like his three elder brothers, he had inherited Emperor Yongchang’s tall stature and already stood a bit taller than Yao Huang. According to what the Second Princess had inadvertently revealed during casual conversation, the Fourth Prince also had chambermaid attendants arranged for him.

The imperial family had many rules and many taboos. Yao Huang had already planned that in the future, she would either go to the Imperial Garden when the Fourth Prince was studying and practicing martial arts at the academy, or push the Crown Prince along to the Imperial Garden together during his rest days—and only in the mornings when Emperor Yongchang rarely had leisure time. At other times, unless one of the imperial consorts invited her to stroll together, Yao Huang would stay obediently in the Eastern Palace. After all, there were two small gardens there, enough for her to stretch her muscles.

Knowing that Emperor Yongchang was fond of Jun’er, the couple brought Jun’er along as well, placing him in a baby carriage pushed by his wet nurse.

It had been a long time since there had been such a young child in the palace. As soon as Jun’er arrived, Empress Zhou and the three consorts all gathered around the carriage.

Empress Zhou: “Look at how Jun’er loves to smile—exactly like his mother consort.”

Consort Xian: “Yes, seeing him smile like this, my heart is melting.”

Consort Du didn’t like the Crown Prince at all, so naturally she wouldn’t like the Crown Prince’s son either. However, she had already been taught a lesson by Emperor Yongchang once, so she didn’t dare show this dislike anymore. She could only force out a smile, and what she said was more befitting her status as the Crown Prince’s adoptive mother: “Actually, when the Crown Prince was one or two years old, he also loved to smile. It’s not necessarily something he inherited from the Crown Prince Consort.”

After speaking, she looked at Emperor Yongchang with a loving mother’s tenderness, meaning for Emperor Yongchang to corroborate her words.

Emperor Yongchang couldn’t remember whether his second son liked to smile when he was one or two years old. He only remembered that the young second son, raised by the consort, had become very unsmiling.

Therefore, Emperor Yongchang ignored the consort’s gaze.

Consort Du immediately felt embarrassed.

Consort Rou stood behind her like a shadow, struggling to maintain her smile, not daring to say anything.

After the canal digging case, the Eldest Princess was demoted to commoner status, her son was reduced from prince to commandery prince, and her father Shen Shiyan, though not guilty, had requested resignation to retire and avoid suspicion. Perhaps it was because the Emperor considered her father’s decades of meritorious service to the court that he did not continue to punish her.

But how glorious Consort Rou had been before! Among the one empress and three consorts, she was the youngest, and she was favored by Emperor Yongchang the most times each month. Now her son’s future was ruined, she had lost face in the harem, and even Emperor Yongchang’s favor—a few times a month—was gone. At family banquets like today’s, her presence only provided amusement for others. She would have been better off staying in her own palace.

After the consorts finished praising Jun’er, Emperor Yongchang held Jun’er in his arms, poking his cheeks and pinching his little hands, smiling very affectionately.

Watching from the side, Yao Huang felt that Emperor Yongchang’s delight in his grandson was similar to how she doted on Jinbao. Sure enough, as soon as Jun’er drooled, Emperor Yongchang handed the little fellow to the wet nurse.

“Is everything settled at the Eastern Palace?” After playing with his grandson, Emperor Yongchang showed concern for his son.

Zhao Sui’s expression was respectful: “Yes, thank you for your concern, Father Emperor.”

Emperor Yongchang looked at his more talkative daughter-in-law: “Are you settling in comfortably?”

Yao Huang smiled and said: “Not quite comfortable—everything is brand new, the furnishings large and small are each more rare and precious than the last, and it’s close to Father Emperor’s Qianyuan Hall. The imperial majesty is so overwhelming that I don’t even dare laugh too loudly, afraid of disturbing Father Emperor while he handles state affairs.”

Every sentence spoke of discomfort, but every sentence also praised the Eastern Palace.

Emperor Yongchang regularly dealt with extremely proper people. Even if they weren’t proper in private, they would adopt a thoroughly respectful attitude in his presence. Having heard too much of that watertight formal talk, he loved listening to his second son’s wife’s light and cheerful tone full of homely warmth. So he also responded with a smile: “Close is close, but not as close as you think. Unless you laugh louder than the drums.”

Yao Huang’s face grew warm: “This daughter-in-law doesn’t have such a loud voice.”

Zhao Sui silently lowered his eyes.

When the evening banquet ended, night had already fallen outside. The couple Yao Huang and Zhao Sui, the Second Princess, and the Fourth Prince all had to pass through an inner palace gate on the east side of Qianyuan Hall’s wall. The wet nurse had already pushed Jun’er back to the Eastern Palace ahead of them.

The Second Princess was very talkative, while the Fourth Prince had intentions of currying favor with his second brother the Crown Prince. The siblings chattered one after another, and not just the Crown Prince—even Yao Huang found it somewhat uncomfortable.

Finally, after passing through the palace gate, the couple Yao Huang and Zhao Sui had to go south while the siblings had to go north. At last they separated.

Returning to the Eastern Palace, Yao Huang was surprised to see Imperial Physician Liao waiting in the first courtyard.

The Eastern Palace belonged to the inner court. Of the two head chefs from the prince’s residence, Gao Niangzi could move into the Eastern Palace to manage its small kitchen, but Chef Kong could not. Zhao Sui also had no intention of using his private authority to recommend Chef Kong to the Imperial Kitchen, and Emperor Yongchang wouldn’t think of his son’s chef problem. However, Emperor Yongchang knew his son had two regularly consulted physicians. Since it concerned his son’s legs, Emperor Yongchang directly promoted Physician Liao and Physician Li to imperial physicians, allowing them to continue wholeheartedly caring for the three former masters of the Eastern Palace.

Zhao Sui said to the Crown Prince Consort: “You go to the rear hall first. I’ll explain to you shortly.”

In the prince’s residence, he could summon Physician Liao to perform massage therapy without the princess consort discovering anything suspicious. After moving into the Eastern Palace, the courtyards were smaller and Physician Liao would encounter many more palace servants along the way. Rather than have the Crown Prince Consort hear someday from outside sources that Imperial Physician Liao visited the Eastern Palace two or three times daily and worry that he had some hidden illness, it was better to explain clearly to her tonight.

Yao Huang’s heart was in turmoil for a moment, but the Crown Prince’s health had been fine these past few days, so she didn’t guess at anything too terrible.

After bathing and changing clothes, she waited for three quarters of an hour before the Crown Prince arrived.

Yao Huang hadn’t deliberately come out to greet him in a long time, but tonight she came out early to meet him, personally pushing the Crown Prince into the inner chamber.

Sitting on the Eastern Palace’s new bed, Yao Huang looked the Crown Prince up and down, asking with concern: “Tell me, where do you feel unwell?”

Zhao Sui lowered his eyes, placing his right hand on his right leg, which was covered by the quilt despite wearing inner trousers. He simply explained to the Crown Prince Consort what massage therapy was and why he needed to persist with it daily.

Yao Huang was truly hearing about this for the first time. So people with disabled legs would have their legs become thinner and thinner if they didn’t persist with massage therapy.

Leaning against the Crown Prince’s shoulder, Yao Huang pointed to his left leg hidden under the quilt and asked: “May I squeeze it?”

Zhao Sui nodded.

Yao Huang gently squeezed a few times. Compared to the Crown Prince’s strong arms, this leg felt rather thin when touched, but it was only not strong enough—it shouldn’t be much different from ordinary people who lacked exercise.

After a while, Yao Huang buried her face in the Crown Prince’s shoulder and asked very quietly: “Does it hurt during the massage?”

Zhao Sui could hear that the Crown Prince Consort was about to cry again.

He rubbed her loose long hair and said: “It doesn’t hurt. I can even say it’s comfortable.”

The Crown Prince Consort wouldn’t raise her head, probably not believing him.

Zhao Sui thought for a moment and said: “Lie down properly. I’ll give you a massage once.”

Long illness makes one knowledgeable about medicine. He received massage therapy from Physician Liao three times daily—after starting his official duties, the midday session was handled by Fei Quan—so naturally he was very familiar with every step of the technique.

Yao Huang lay down without hesitation. She wanted to personally experience all of the Crown Prince’s inconveniences so she could take better care of him in the future!

Seeing the Crown Prince Consort like this, Zhao Sui first moved to the wheelchair, then had the Crown Prince Consort lie down at the edge of the bed.

Yao Huang continued to cooperate!

Zhao Sui looked at the white silk inner trousers on the Crown Prince Consort’s legs. Silk was slippery and not suitable for wearing during massage.

To prevent the Crown Prince Consort from misunderstanding, Zhao Sui explained seriously.

Yao Huang’s face reddened, and a more absurd thought popped into her head: “You…”

Zhao Sui: “I wear a pair of short pants to here.”

He gestured on the Crown Prince Consort’s leg.

Yao Huang understood, saying awkwardly: “I don’t have such short pants.”

After speaking, she sat up and rolled her loose pant legs all the way above her knees, then lay back down, closing her eyes and saying: “Let’s just make do with this.”

Zhao Sui didn’t insist.

He began pressing from above the Crown Prince Consort’s right knee.

The Crown Prince had grown a refined and jade-like face, yet his palms were covered with calluses. As soon as he touched the Crown Prince Consort’s delicate skin, her whole body trembled.

Yao Huang gripped the brocade bedding with both hands, her tone firm: “Your Highness, use your strength freely. Don’t worry about hurting me.”

It couldn’t be this simple—how could such light pressure be effective?

Zhao Sui didn’t want the Crown Prince Consort to misunderstand that Imperial Physician Liao’s massage would make him flush like she was now, so he used thirty percent of his strength.

The Crown Prince Consort cried out immediately.

Zhao Sui: “…”

He thought the Crown Prince Consort would blame him, but instead he met eyes full of heartache, as if he too would be made to suffer this much pain by Imperial Physician Liao.

Zhao Sui: “…I told you, my legs now only have about fifty percent of normal sensation. The force you feel, for me, is only half.”

Yao Huang nodded, telling him to continue.

Zhao Sui returned to his initial gentle pressure. What Yao Huang most wanted to know was the entire massage process; whether it hurt was only secondary.

Just kneading the leg was indeed fine. Before long, the Crown Prince lifted her leg.

Yao Huang suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Zhao Sui recalled the process for a moment, then explained to her which muscles and tendons in the leg this position could work.

Yao Huang couldn’t see the Crown Prince. Just listening to his proper voice while feeling the various leg muscles being stretched with a somewhat sore yet very comfortable sensation, she truly understood the significance of massage therapy for the Crown Prince.

When the right leg massage ended, Zhao Sui asked the Crown Prince Consort, who had long since opened her eyes to observe his movements: “Do you still want to try the left leg? The technique is the same.”

Yao Huang: “Since it’s the same, let’s skip it. Your Highness, come up quickly.”

Zhao Sui didn’t move. He turned the Crown Prince Consort’s legs, forcing her to cooperatively change to lying prone at the edge of the bed.

The bamboo sprite really liked this position.

Yao Huang was so embarrassed she pressed her forehead against the back of her hands: “…The lamps haven’t been extinguished yet.”

Zhao Sui didn’t respond.

As long as the Crown Prince Consort couldn’t see him, it didn’t matter whether the lamps were extinguished or not.