Yao Huang lay on the ground, able to hear the rustling sound of the Crown Prince’s legs dragging across the grass as he shifted himself closer.
That sound made her heart ache with such pain that even when the Crown Prince had seated himself beside her, Yao Huang still didn’t want to lift her head.
The autumn wind blew through the surrounding treetops, the swishing of swaying branches making the place even quieter. Not far away, the wild boar had stopped struggling after an arrow pierced its neck. In the distance, Zhang Yue and Wang Dong, who had been following, had quickly retreated far away after seeing the Crown Prince’s hand gesture once he had sat up.
Zhao Sui turned over the Crown Princess who was lying face down on the ground.
He could have directly pulled her into his embrace, but with the uncertainty about his legs, Zhao Sui didn’t dare act rashly for the time being.
Yao Huang hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to do this—the tears on her face were smeared askew as he turned her over. The Crown Prince didn’t want her to see his disheveled state, and Yao Huang felt the same way.
She quickly sat up, turning her back to the Crown Prince, using one hand to clutch her sleeve and wipe her face while the other hand pretended to rub her lower back: “Ah, it doesn’t seem to hurt that much…”
Before she could finish speaking, someone grasped her wrist.
Yao Huang turned her head and found the Crown Prince looking at her palm, scraped and bleeding from the gravel.
Yao Huang hurriedly said: “It’s nothing. When I was little and playing with the neighborhood children in the alley, I often fell down. This kind of scrape was practically a daily occurrence.”
As she spoke, Yao Huang turned around, glancing at the Crown Prince and then at Jingwu standing obediently a few steps away, puzzled: “How did Your Highness dismount?”
Zhao Sui: “…I fell.”
Yao Huang pretended not to have seen how he fell, anxiously wanting to check the Crown Prince for injuries.
Zhao Sui pressed down on the Crown Princess’s hands, pulling her sideways into his embrace, his left hand supporting the Crown Princess’s shoulder while his right arm held her.
The Crown Prince held her very tightly. Yao Huang’s face was pressed firmly against his chest. The Crown Prince appeared not to have been hurt badly in the fall. Yao Huang immediately thought of how she had nearly been sent flying by a wild boar, and after the lingering fear came anger. Buried in the Crown Prince’s embrace, she said through gritted teeth: “With great difficulty I showed off my skills in front of Your Highness, only to be chased by a wild boar the next moment—from heroic bearing to fleeing in panic. Your Highness will probably remember this for a lifetime.”
If it had been her brother in front of her like this, Yao Huang would always remember that scene. No matter how old she lived to be, whenever this matter came up she would have a good laugh.
Zhao Sui: “What if I do remember?”
More than the urgency and panic when his own life hung by a thread, Zhao Sui would indeed remember this for a lifetime.
Yao Huang pouted: “I want Your Highness’s memories of me to all be beautiful ones, not embarrassing ones.”
Zhao Sui: “…If it were Jun’er being chased, would you also overthink things like this?”
Yao Huang: “…At Jun’er’s current age, I’d definitely just be worried. But when he grows up and gets chased by a wild boar, as long as he’s not actually hurt, I’d still laugh at him.”
Zhao Sui: “…I won’t laugh at you over something like this.”
Yao Huang looked up, only now noticing that the Crown Prince’s face was still pale. Just now she’d been too busy fleeing for her life from under the wild boar’s snout to be afraid, but the Crown Prince watching from afar must have been frightened badly.
Yao Huang quickly hugged the Crown Prince again, laughing: “It’s fine, no real danger. I can even laugh about it myself. It would be even better if Your Highness hadn’t fallen because of me.”
It had happened too fast—Yao Huang hadn’t clearly seen exactly how the Crown Prince had dismounted. Perhaps he’d first moved one leg onto the horse’s back before making a jumping motion?
The brief image that had flashed by seemed quite nimble, though perhaps it was because the Crown Prince was handsome—he wouldn’t look awkward in any posture?
Yao Huang really couldn’t remember anymore. This wasn’t important anyway. She just remembered that scene of the Crown Prince kneeling and bracing himself on the ground, and she didn’t find that Crown Prince disheveled at all, because the Crown Prince had acted so recklessly in dismounting out of concern and anxiety for her.
Zhao Sui didn’t need the Crown Princess’s comfort. He helped her sit up properly, then lifted the Crown Princess’s hands to help her clean the fine gravel embedded in her palms.
There was water and emergency medicine on the horse. Zhao Sui called out to Jingwu, who walked over on his own and knelt down beside his master.
Zhao Sui took down the water bag to help the Crown Princess rinse her hands, then applied medicine for her.
Yao Huang: “Does Your Highness have any injuries? Let me tend to them for you too.”
Zhao Sui shook his head. His palms had taken the brunt of the impact when he braced himself on the ground, but his palms were calloused and the skin hadn’t broken.
“Shall we go out and wait for them first?” Zhao Sui asked. The Crown Princess had injured her hands and shouldn’t draw the bow anymore.
Yao Huang nodded, looking at the wild boar and roe deer on the ground—together they were worth eight points, which shouldn’t leave them at the bottom.
To leave they needed to mount the horse. Zhao Sui patted Jingwu’s back and lowered his eyes: “Turn around. I’ll try mounting by myself.”
If he were in his wheelchair, he would definitely need help, but now that he was sitting on the ground, he could completely manage by first lying his upper body across Jingwu’s back, then moving his legs.
Yao Huang cooperatively walked behind a tree.
In the profound silence, Zhao Sui first shifted himself beside the saddle, but he didn’t immediately climb onto Jingwu’s back. Instead, he tried to bend his right leg. Before the leg moved, a tingling, slightly numb discomfort came first, but this kind of discomfort was something Zhao Sui had sought in vain for three years. So he only felt joy, enduring this tingling sensation as he successfully bent his right knee, his right foot pressing solidly on the ground.
With the right knee raised, next came the left knee. The location wasn’t suitable, so Zhao Sui didn’t attempt more, instead managing to change to a kneeling position while supporting himself against Jingwu, then slowly coordinating hands and legs to mount the horse’s back.
When Jingwu stood upright again, Zhao Sui tried to press his feet firmly into the stirrups.
Still very numb, but the stirrups did indeed sway back and forth in small movements with the force of his feet.
Zhao Sui stroked Jingwu’s back a dozen times before calling the Crown Princess to come out.
An hour later, the autumn hunt ended.
The Eldest Princess and Yu Shen had hunted one roe deer and one pheasant. The Six Arts of the gentleman included archery. As a civil jinshi scholar, Yu Shen’s archery simply couldn’t compare with those who specialized in the military examinations, but his aim was actually decent. Plus with so many prey in the hunting grounds, when a roe deer had evaded the pursuit of Yao Lin and others and run directly in front of the Eldest Princess and her husband, it gave Yu Shen a perfect opportunity to perform.
The Second Princess and Fan Ruochuan had hunted one roe deer, two pheasants, and three rabbits.
Li Fuwei had gone out relatively late and hunted two roe deer, seven rabbits, and eight pheasants.
Yao Lin had come out last and hunted one roe deer, five rabbits, and six pheasants.
The Second Princess exclaimed: “You two as a couple added together actually have thirty-five points?”
Wild boar was five points, roe deer three points, and pheasants and rabbits were one point each.
Li Fuwei looked toward Yao Lin.
Yao Lin was somewhat embarrassed but still explained: “We’re counting separately. She’s first, I’m second.”
Li Fuwei looked toward the wild boar on the Crown Prince couple’s side and praised: “I searched several rounds and couldn’t find this wild boar. To think it was hunted by His Highness and Her Highness, and killed with one strike—what excellent archery.”
Yao Huang smiled: “His Highness shot it. I shot the roe deer.”
Yao Lin: “Then why didn’t you hunt a while longer?”
Yao Huang glared at him: “Guessing that you and sister-in-law were competing for first place, we hunted less to leave more prey for you to score points with.”
After the joking, the group returned to the traveling palace, agreeing to hold a banquet together that evening.
Yunshan Hall.
Zhao Sui waited until the Crown Princess had fallen asleep during her afternoon nap before coming to the front courtyard, summoning Imperial Physician Liao who had accompanied them to examine his legs in the inner chamber.
Seeing with his own eyes that His Highness the Crown Prince could simply bend his knees and move his legs, Imperial Physician Liao wept with joy, because he had the most contact with the Crown Prince’s crippled legs. For a physician, nothing was more gratifying than a patient who had lost all hope showing signs of recovery.
After calming down, Imperial Physician Liao pressed along the Crown Prince’s legs from top to bottom all the way to his feet, confirming that the Crown Prince had clear sensation wherever he pressed, no longer the remaining forty or fifty percent from before. Imperial Physician Liao wiped his eyes again, his eyes reddening as he said: “This humble subject’s medical skills are shallow. Previously I had no way to cure Your Highness’s legs, and now I cannot explain why Your Highness’s legs have recovered. Perhaps it is because Your Highness has persevered for over three years in using the support bars to exercise your legs—like seeds buried deep underground accumulating strength, finally today you’ve gathered enough power for the vitality in your legs to break through the earth.”
Zhao Sui: “You mean my legs can recover to move freely as they did before the injury?”
Imperial Physician Liao’s joy diminished slightly as he pondered: “Please forgive this humble subject for not daring to make assertions. Before serving Your Highness, this humble subject treated over thirty patients whose legs were crippled, and including what this humble subject heard from other physicians, there are indeed some cases where people with paralyzed legs could fully recover after treatment, but most paralyzed patients can only achieve varying degrees of improvement through massage and diligent exercise. As for what degree Your Highness can ultimately recover to, Your Highness must continue with massage and exercise, then slowly observe the progress.”
Zhao Sui fell silent.
Imperial Physician Liao encouraged him: “Your Highness need not be dejected by this humble subject’s words. Your Highness’s legs have been dormant for over three years. Now that there is a turn for the better, recovery to any degree is a joyous matter. Moreover, Your Highness is blessed by heaven—complete recovery is also possible. You must simply exercise progressively and never rush things.”
Zhao Sui understood and asked more about whether his legs could bear weight during recovery, such as letting the little prince sit on them.
Imperial Physician Liao: “Well, the little prince doesn’t know his own strength when stepping. The coming period is precisely the recovery observation period for Your Highness’s legs. It would be best to avoid bearing weight and pressure.”
Zhao Sui understood. Finally, with Imperial Physician Liao’s assistance, he supported himself on the bars set up in the inner chamber and slowly coordinated his legs to walk one round trip.
Imperial Physician Liao’s meaning was that before each massage session, the Crown Prince should first practice walking one circuit. If there was clear improvement, they would extend the walking practice time.
Before Yao Huang’s nap, the Crown Prince had stayed by her side. When she woke up, the Crown Prince was still there, wearing his inner robe and leaning against the headboard, holding a book in his hands.
Yao Huang flipped the cover—it was actually a medical text about the body’s acupuncture points.
She asked curiously: “Why are you reading medical texts again?”
Zhao Sui didn’t answer.
Yao Huang was still looking at him when suddenly the Crown Prince’s left leg in the bedding unexpectedly pressed against her legs, which were folded together on their side.
An action that would be utterly normal for other couples shocked Yao Huang, who looked incredulously at the Crown Prince’s hands visible outside the covers.
In the past, for the Crown Prince’s legs to touch her, either the Crown Prince would turn his body and his legs would turn with him uncontrollably pressing against her, or the Crown Prince would use his hands to lift and place his legs on her. But now…
Just then, the Crown Prince’s leg moved away again.
Yao Huang sat up abruptly, pulling back the quilt covering them both, staring intently at the Crown Prince’s two long legs clothed in his inner trousers.
Zhao Sui: “…”
Knowing what the Crown Princess was anticipating, Zhao Sui set down his book, pressed the Crown Princess to lie down, and then—when she couldn’t see but knew both his hands were holding her—slowly placed his right leg over the Crown Princess’s leg, then slid it down along her leg to rest beside it.
Yao Huang was so happy her vision blurred: “I’m not dreaming, am I?”
Zhao Sui kissed her eyes and asked: “Have you dreamed of me doing this?”
Yao Huang shook her head. She was someone who rarely dreamed, and even when she occasionally dreamed of her husband, it was just like during the day—her husband sitting in his wheelchair, or else lying in bed with her.
Zhao Sui: “Then it’s not a dream.”