This year’s winter seemed warmer than previous years. It wasn’t until the eighth day of the twelfth month, after a day of overcast skies, that snowflakes finally began drifting down from above.

The Crown Prince was still on duty at the Ministry of Works. Yao Huang napped in the inner chamber where the heated floor was burning. When she woke, the courtyard was already covered with a layer of white, and the windlessly falling snowflakes were as large as copper coins.

The wet nurse brought Jun’er over. The little fellow was wrapped in a cloak on the outside with thick silk-faced cotton clothing underneath. After unfastening his cloak and placing him on the platform, without Mother Consort beckoning, Jun’er used both hands and feet to crawl very skillfully toward Mother Consort, in a blink crawling into Mother Consort’s embrace.

Yao Huang thought of how on the first day of the month when Mother and sister-in-law entered the palace to pay respects and came to sit briefly at the Eastern Palace, Mother had seen Jun’er’s nimble energy and laughingly said he was exactly like her when she was small.

Yao Huang no longer remembered herself at several months old, but she also felt Jun’er’s lively manner resembled her. After all, the Crown Prince she knew was too quiet. It had nothing to do with his legs—according to what Eunuch Cao and Nanny Liu revealed in their words, the Second Prince had been of a quiet disposition since childhood. Apart from martial arts and equestrian classes, the Second Prince’s three favorite things had always been reading, practicing calligraphy, and painting.

Mother and son played on the platform for half an hour. After resting a moment, Yao Huang placed Jun’er in the pushcart newly made by Master Deng suitable for children around one year old, then set up a leather chair at the hall entrance. Mother and son sat side by side facing outside to admire the snow.

This was Jun’er’s first time seeing snow. There were too many snowflakes in the sky—the little fellow’s two eyes weren’t enough to take it all in. He’d chase one flake falling to the ground only to have more snowflakes race down.

Yao Huang walked under the eaves, reached out to catch a snowflake, then sat back beside Jun’er to show him.

Jun’er stared at this snowflake the whole time. When the snowflake completely melted into a drop of water, the surprise in Jun’er’s eyes was the same as when he watched the nighttime fireworks disappear.

Yao Huang was just looking at the little fellow’s novel and lively expression when Jun’er, leaning back in the pushcart, suddenly pointed outside and started laughing.

Yao Huang: “You want more snow, don’t you?”

Jun’er shook his head and continued pointing outside.

Only then did Yao Huang turn her head. Through a curtain of rustling falling snow, she saw the Crown Prince’s figure slowly pushing his wheelchair along the covered corridor on the right.

Yao Huang stood up delightedly. Just as she was about to go out to meet the Crown Prince partway, thinking of Jun’er who was equally happy to see Father Prince, Yao Huang lifted the little fellow out of the cart and walked forward along the covered corridor.

Before she could ask the Crown Prince why he had returned so early, the Crown Prince looked over mother and son’s clothing in succession and first asked: “Since you’re admiring the snow, why haven’t you put on cloaks?”

Yao Huang: “It’s not cold here at all. The doorway is even warmer. If Your Highness doesn’t believe me, feel?”

She held Jun’er with one hand and reached toward the Crown Prince with the other.

Jun’er looked down from Mother Consort’s embrace, as if curious about what Mother Consort and Father Prince were going to do.

Zhao Sui: “…”

Seeing this, Yao Huang deliberately blocked in front of the wheelchair, making it clear that if the Crown Prince didn’t touch her hand, she wouldn’t let him pass.

Zhao Sui had no choice but to briefly grasp the Crown Princess’s soft and warm little hand under Jun’er’s gaze.

Only then did Yao Huang stuff Jun’er to him. She pushed father and son to the hall entrance, rearranging the leather chair and pushcart so that the family of three were all squeezed at the doorway.

Zhao Sui voluntarily explained: “The snow is getting heavier. Father Emperor granted a favor—officials can leave duty one hour early, and tomorrow morning they can arrive one hour late.”

Yao Huang: “You can tell Father Emperor has been in very good spirits lately. Those ministers could rack their brains and still wouldn’t guess that this favor actually has Your Highness’s contribution in it.”

The imperial physicians all spoke very cautiously. If the masters had difficult or complicated ailments, even if the imperial physicians had complete confidence in curing them, they wouldn’t speak too definitively, fearing that if something went wrong somewhere and they failed to cure the masters, punishment would descend. Imperial Physician Liao who treated the Crown Prince’s legs was the same. But just three days ago, Imperial Physician Liao had suddenly given a definite answer, saying the Crown Prince’s legs would definitely recover to move as freely as before the injury.

Yao Huang had been puzzled why Imperial Physician Liao suddenly had such confidence. The Crown Prince had explained a whole bunch of medical principles. Yao Huang listened in confusion—in any case, having good news was enough.

Zhao Sui: “It may not be related to me. Auspicious snow heralds a prosperous year. Father Emperor has been hoping for this snow all winter.”

Yao Huang knew he didn’t like taking credit, so she only cast him a reproachful glance.

Zhao Sui chatted with the Crown Princess for a bit, looked outside and said: “While there’s still daylight, I’ll go to the deer park.”

Yao Huang immediately felt distressed: “You have to go even in such heavy snow?”

Zhao Sui: “It’s just heavy snow—it’s not cold. Fei Quan has already gone to wipe the accumulated snow from the support bars. I’ll be careful. It’s fine.”

Yao Huang couldn’t dissuade His Highness the Crown Prince who was eager to exercise his legs. She could only go inside to fetch a box of hand cream just bestowed by the palace this winter, pulled over the Crown Prince’s hands that could only face away from her, and personally applied it for him. When her fingertips rubbed over the thick calluses on the Crown Prince’s palms, Yao Huang looked up. The Crown Prince opposite her primly turned his face away.

Yao Huang said quietly: “When the Crown Prince can walk, these calluses will gradually disappear. I must touch them more while they’re still here.”

Zhao Sui: “…Watch your words.”

Jun’er was right there listening.

Yao Huang immediately tossed the Crown Prince’s hand away.

Zhao Sui reached his hand over again. Jun’er’s pushcart had its back to them—the little fellow couldn’t see what Father Prince and Mother Consort were doing behind the cart.

After applying the cream, the Crown Prince pushed his wheelchair himself to the moon gate in the rear courtyard that led to the deer park. Qing Ai was already waiting there. Before leaving, Zhao Sui looked toward the hall. He met the Crown Princess’s worried eyes that very much disapproved of him exercising in the snow yet could do nothing about it.

Zhao Sui withdrew his gaze and indicated to Qing Ai they could go.

The deer park side was completely quiet. Qing Ai pushed the wheelchair to the entrance of the support bars then withdrew with Fei Quan outside the park, closing the wooden door from outside.

Zhao Sui looked at the hardwood support bars that, although just wiped once, already had a thin layer of new snow on them. Supporting himself on the wheelchair with both hands, he slowly stood up.

When fully standing, Zhao Sui still didn’t touch the support bars within easy reach, but slowly walked forward.

After walking about ten steps, Zhao Sui grasped the support bars to rest his legs using his arms’ strength. After the tingling in his legs passed, he continued walking forward.

The deer park converted from a side courtyard looked spacious but wasn’t actually large. The time it took to brew a pot of tea was enough for the Crown Princess to leisurely walk two circuits. The Crown Prince, stopping and starting, actually used two quarter-hours.

When he reached the support bar exit on the left side of the deer park’s main entrance, Zhao Sui rested for an extra moment, then completely walked out of the support bars’ range, step by step coming to the wheelchair stopped at the support bar entrance opposite, turning the wheelchair around, then slowly sitting on it.

After practicing one circuit, his sitting motion was somewhat heavy. When he lifted his feet onto the footrests, both legs were still trembling uncontrollably.

Zhao Sui let these two legs tremble, closing his eyes and leaning back into the wheelchair.

In such a relaxed posture, the Crown Prince’s head tilted slightly back, and snowflakes fell piece by piece onto the Crown Prince’s clear and handsome face flushed with color.

On the rear courtyard side, Yao Huang had the wet nurse take Jun’er away. She herself sat at the hall entrance, staring blankly at the moon gate through which the Crown Prince had left, watching snowflakes fall inside and outside the gate piling up all over the ground, leaving only a strip of stone pavement under the wall above the moon gate that remained free of accumulated snow.

The sky gradually darkened. The snow’s glow made the surroundings seem colder.

Just as A’Ji was about to go to the inner chamber to fetch a cloak for the Crown Princess, the sound of a wheelchair crushing through accumulated snow came from the moon gate side, startling A’Ji into quickly withdrawing.

Yao Huang also walked away, going all the way into the inner chamber. She loosened her long hair, grabbed a comb to quickly smooth it through, then burrowed into the bedding to feign sleep.

Qing Ai pushed the Crown Prince past the window, only feeling it was too quiet inside—no Crown Princess’s laughter, no little prince’s babbling child talk either.

Pushing the Crown Prince into the hall, Qing Ai put away the cloak the Crown Prince had removed and respectfully withdrew.

No one was in the side chamber. Zhao Sui pushed all the way into the inner chamber and saw the Crown Princess lying on the canopy bed with her back to him. Zhao Sui pushed to the washing stand, washing his hands with the water prepared in the basin while asking: “It’s almost time to eat. Why have you gone to sleep?”

Yao Huang: “The doorway was cold. Here is warm.”

Zhao Sui smiled, dampened a towel and wiped his face once. After wiping, he looked at the fine wooden push wheels on both sides of the wheelchair, wiped them in a circle with the towel, then pushed the wheelchair into the canopy bed.

Removing the outer robe and boots and socks he had already changed once in the front courtyard upon returning, Zhao Sui sat on the bed, lifted the Crown Princess’s quilt and lay down.

His hand reached over, directly grasping the Crown Princess’s hand.

Yao Huang actually felt warmth, the kind of dry warmth that radiated from the palms after building a snowman.

Yao Huang turned over. Without looking at the Crown Prince, she only slipped her hand inside his inner robe. Everywhere it passed was also dry and warm.

Zhao Sui was very good at restraint. When practicing walking just now, he hadn’t let himself become tired to the point of sweating.

After the Crown Princess finished checking, Zhao Sui went to check how cold or how hot the Crown Princess’s body was.

The calluses on the Crown Prince’s palms were practically grown specifically to bully the Crown Princess. Without even using force, Yao Huang burned up in the Crown Prince’s embrace.

Outside the window there was still some light. The inner chamber door wasn’t closed. The two layers of curtains on the canopy bed also weren’t lowered.

But as long as the Crown Prince was there, not a single one of those maids and nannies serving the Crown Princess in the rear courtyard dared presume to enter.

The Crown Prince knelt on the bed, pinning the Crown Princess between himself and the headboard. For the first time Yao Huang faced the Crown Prince in this posture. Feeling the Crown Prince’s gaze roaming back and forth over her body, Yao Huang shyly went to cover the Crown Prince’s eyes.

Zhao Sui used his left hand to grasp the Crown Princess’s hands. With his legs now usable, his methods of restraining the Crown Princess would only increase.

When the sweat covering her entire body settled, it was completely dark outside the window.

Yao Huang, held tightly in the Crown Prince’s embrace and covered with an extra layer of quilt, suddenly felt very thirsty. She pushed at the Crown Prince, telling him to go pour water.

Zhao Sui first turned the Crown Princess over, then sat up and put on his inner robe and trousers piece by piece.

After dressing, Zhao Sui sat on the wheelchair.

Only then did Yao Huang turn back over, watching the Crown Prince skillfully push the three-wheeled wheelchair to the table, watching him lift the teapot to pour water, watching him hold the tea bowl in one hand, then turn his head to look toward the bed.

Yao Huang impatiently urged him: “Hurry up, I’m dying of thirst.”

Before, the Crown Prince would always place the teapot and tea bowl on the wheelchair and push them directly over. Why was he dawdling now?

The Crown Princess, parched with thirst, was truly complaining, but with her flushed cheeks, even her reproachful manner was extremely beautiful and alluring.

How could he most quickly deliver the tea to the Crown Princess’s mouth?

Zhao Sui left the wheelchair and stood up.

Yao Huang: “…”

She looked incredulously at the Crown Prince who was clearly very familiar yet had suddenly become much taller, holding tea in one hand while walking toward her slowly but with each step steady. When this Crown Prince stopped standing beside the bed, Yao Huang had already changed from her lazy posture sprawled at the bed’s edge to raising her head high.

The Crown Prince sat down with a normal expression, holding the tea bowl in one hand while supporting the Crown Princess’s shoulder with the other, bringing the tea bowl before her.

Yao Huang drank stiffly, the corner of her eye unable to resist stealing glances backward.

Was this person really still her disabled husband?