“I like holding you like this, and I haven’t held you enough yet.”

Yao Huang had been a mischievous girl since childhood. When other girls in Longevity Lane sat in their courtyards playing grass-pulling games, she was following her brother climbing over walls.

She loved climbing trees. She would climb the two persimmon trees in her maternal grandfather’s courtyard several times every year.

Yao Huang also loved swinging very high on swings—perhaps she just enjoyed the thrill of being at great heights.

Therefore, Yao Huang also very much enjoyed being lifted high by her father. However, as she gradually grew up, even though they were as close as father and daughter, it was no longer appropriate to do such lifting gestures. Her father would not take the initiative to lift her, and as a grown young lady, Yao Huang would not cling to her father or brother asking them to lift her. The only one convenient to play with her like this again was her future husband.

By chance and coincidence, Yao Huang married a husband with leg ailments. Three years ago, the moment Emperor Yongchang’s marriage decree came down, Yao Huang completely abandoned the thought of playing around with her husband like this.

But today, her disabled husband had completely recovered his legs and lifted and held her up with ease.

Confirming the Crown Prince truly was not forcing himself at all, Yao Huang excitedly cupped the Crown Prince’s face and kissed him several times left and right.

Zhao Sui closed his eyes. Only when the Crown Princess’s soft lips stopped falling did he open them again, then crashed into the Crown Princess’s bright, star-like smiling eyes.

Just then, Jun’er’s tender voice calling “Open!” came from the peony bushes ahead—he had discovered another blooming bud.

The Crown Prince, who always observed propriety, remembered the child and immediately wanted to put the Crown Princess down.

Yao Huang leaned against his shoulder, also clamping her legs tighter, acting shamelessly. “I like being held like this, and I haven’t held you enough yet.”

Zhao Sui glanced at Jun’er, who was already staring at Father Prince and Mother Consort, and said in a low voice, “We’ll talk about it when we return to the room. What kind of decorum is it for Jun’er to see this?”

Yao Huang: “Let him see. He’s only one year old, not ten.”

Zhao Sui: “At one year old, he can already remember things.”

He remembered some scenes from around his own first birthday—for instance, Consort Du’s smile when Father Emperor came, and Consort Du’s cold eyes when she looked at him after Father Emperor left.

The Crown Prince naturally did not give examples. Yao Huang did not quite believe it, but she also worried the Crown Prince could not support her for so long all at once, so she cooperatively jumped back to the ground.

The couple walked to Jun’er’s side. The little fellow was enthusiastically looking for flower buds, but Yao Huang’s gaze kept glancing sideways from time to time.

The more she did this, the harder it was for Zhao Sui to remain composed. He asked helplessly, “Still not used to it?”

Although the couple had not seen each other much during the day this past month, whenever they did meet, he was basically standing. By rights, the Crown Princess should have gotten used to it long ago.

Yao Huang: “Yes, I didn’t know Your Highness had recovered so well before. I always felt that even when Your Highness was standing, he could be looked at but not touched.”

Like exquisite porcelain placed on a curio cabinet—looks beautiful, but push it with your hand and it’s in danger of falling to the ground and shattering.

Zhao Sui: “…”

Yao Huang smiled and linked her arm through his, pressing close.

Zhao Sui glanced at Jun’er, whose heart was entirely devoted to the peony bushes, and did not emphasize propriety again.

After a moment of silence, Yao Huang surveyed this spring garden that was awakening, saying reluctantly, “Now that Your Highness is completely well, should we return to the palace?”

Zhao Sui: “Mm, I just submitted a memorial to Father Emperor, stating we’ll return to the palace tomorrow morning.”

In two more days, Jun’er would celebrate his first birthday. Celebrating in the palace could both make Father Emperor happy and would be better for Jun’er.

Yao Huang said in surprise, “Why not today?”

She had thought the Crown Prince would be eager to return to the palace to show Emperor Yongchang his completely recovered appearance. After all, last month when bidding farewell at the palace gate, the Crown Prince’s eyes had been reddened by Emperor Yongchang’s words.

Zhao Sui did not explain, only grasping the Crown Princess’s hand.

After accompanying Jun’er on a leisurely stroll through the garden for an hour, Zhao Sui had the wet nurse take Jun’er to Mingan Hall to look after him first. He continued to tour the garden with the Crown Princess.

The swing that the Crown Princess could only sit on and sway by herself before—Zhao Sui stood beside it and swung the rope for her. Emerald Screen Mountain, which previously required the Crown Princess to push him in his wheelchair up—Zhao Sui walked those long, winding stairs again with the Crown Princess. The fishing that previously required the Crown Princess to carry him down from the wheelchair and place him on a felt cushion—Zhao Sui now sat on the fishing chair himself, then held the Crown Princess in his embrace while accompanying her fishing.

Having done so many things, Yao Huang understood. The Crown Prince wanted to take advantage of today to do once all the things he had wanted to accompany her in doing before.

They spent the entire day in the back garden. Only at dusk did the couple return to Mingan Hall.

After eating dinner, the wet nurse carried Jun’er away to sleep in the side room. Zhao Sui glanced at the Crown Princess and said, “I’ll go bathe in the front.”

Yao Huang’s face grew hot from the Crown Prince’s gaze that seemed to contain deep meaning. She lowered her eyes and asked, “Do you still need massage?”

The disabled Prince Hui or Crown Prince would insist on bathing separately from her. After the various companionship during the day, Yao Huang had thought the Crown Prince would also accompany her bathing together tonight.

Zhao Sui: “No need, I’m used to it.”

Having said this, the Crown Prince quickly left.

The Crown Prince with his long legs, once recovered, could avoid the Crown Princess even faster when being reserved, making Yao Huang both embarrassed and annoyed—as if she absolutely had to grab him to bathe together.

Not long after the Crown Prince left, A’Ji and several senior maids tidied up the bathing room in the western chamber and invited the Crown Princess to bathe.

After Yao Huang came over, she discovered a set of bright red undergarments hanging on the red sandalwood clothing rack beside her.

Yao Huang: “…”

She liked red, but bright red undergarments were not plentiful—only those few sets from the newlywed period were this vivid.

A’Ji smiled. “Fei Quan sent them this afternoon, saying it was His Highness’s intention.”

Yao Huang touched the water-smooth, silky texture of the red silk undergarments and finally understood why the Crown Prince had gone to the front courtyard. What reserve? What the Crown Prince’s mind was dwelling on was clearly bolder than hers. She was only thinking about bathing together—the Crown Prince was thinking about having another wedding night!

After the Crown Princess finished washing and her hair was wrung out so it no longer dripped water, A’Ji and the others tactfully withdrew to a place where they absolutely could not be seen even when the Crown Prince arrived.

Yao Huang sat on the platform in the secondary chamber. A lamp was placed on the low table, its light warm and gentle.

Yao Huang combed through her hair strand by strand in the lamplight. She had combed until her hair was almost dry and drowsiness had quietly crept over her, yet there was not even a shadow of the “groom.”

Yao Huang bit her lip, put down the comb, blew out the lamp, and went to the inner chamber herself.

The inner chamber was festively red throughout—while she had been sitting in the bath barrel, Bai Ling had quickly changed to red curtains. The Crown Prince’s face was still thin-skinned after all—he had not been shameless enough to openly send two wedding candles, plainly telling the maids he wanted to be a groom again.

Yao Huang sat before the vanity table. While recalling the wedding night three years ago with Prince Hui that could definitely be called unique, she picked out a ruby gold hairpin to put up her long hair.

The mirror reflected the bright eyes, vermillion lips, snowy skin, and flower-like beauty of the twenty-year-old Crown Princess. Yao Huang turned her head to examine carefully. No matter how she looked, she felt there was no difference between tonight’s her and the her of three years ago. Even if there was, it was that she had become more beautiful and had less of the trepidation and fear of being an unmarried girl about what was about to happen tonight.

Just as she was admiring herself, footsteps sounded outside.

Yao Huang’s heart tightened. She quickly left the vanity table to sit at the bedside.

Her freshly combed hair definitely could not be laid down. Sitting upright like this seemed a bit foolish. The footsteps drew nearer and nearer. Yao Huang grew nervous and, possessed by some strange impulse, pulled down half the red curtain to drape over her head.

Only after covering herself did Yao Huang discover the gauze curtain was too transparent. She could still see outside clearly and clearly, so then—

Before she could pull down the red curtain, the Crown Prince came in.

Yao Huang only had time to glimpse red robes before hurriedly lowering her eyelashes.

Zhao Sui had actually finished preparing early. He came late because he could not make up his mind whether or not to bring that pair of wedding candles. Not bringing them would lose some of the ceremony of making up for the wedding night. Bringing them, he feared the Crown Princess would laugh at him.

Hesitating and wavering, in the end Zhao Sui still brought them, already prepared to be scrutinized and then teased by the Crown Princess. He had not expected to see a Crown Princess wearing a red veil.

Realizing the Crown Princess was also very much looking forward to this “consummation,” Zhao Sui relaxed. With his back to the Crown Princess, he walked to the long table by the south window, arranged two lacquered gold candlesticks, inserted two wedding candles, and lit them with a fire striker.

With the wedding candles present, all other lights could be extinguished. When the inner chamber’s lighting dimmed, Zhao Sui sat beside the Crown Princess.

He looked toward the Crown Princess beneath that thin gauze.

The Crown Princess’s face was red, her lips even redder.

Yao Huang saw the Crown Prince’s hands resting on his knees. His slender fingers moved several times but showed no intention of lifting.

Yao Huang, whose face had long been red with embarrassment, could not help glaring over. “Why don’t you hurry and lift it for me?”

A real veil would be one thing, but what was the point of wearing a red curtain on her head?

Zhao Sui lowered his eyes and helped her lift it.

Yao Huang breathed a sigh of relief. Discovering the Crown Prince did not dare look at her again, Yao Huang found it both amusing and novel. Looking at the Crown Prince’s handsome face, she asked, “I remember the night I just married over, Your Highness dared to look at me. Now Jun’er is already here—how has Your Highness’s face grown even thinner?”

Zhao Sui: “That night you did not dare look at me.”

Naturally, the seventeen-year-old Yao Huang did not dare look directly at a completely unfamiliar prince. The twenty-year-old Yao Huang dared even to order the Crown Prince around, but she could be her seventeen-year-old self again.

“Fine, then let’s start over again.”

Yao Huang lowered her head, placing her hands awkwardly in her lap, no longer daring to raise her eyes.

After waiting a while with no movement from the groom across from her, Yao Huang felt aggrieved and asked in a small voice, “Does Your Highness not like me?”

Zhao Sui: “No.”

Yao Huang: “Then why won’t you acknowledge me?”

Zhao Sui: “It’s getting late. Let’s sleep.”

He could make up a wedding night for the Crown Princess that better conformed to what she had expected before marriage, but he could not truly act as if the two of them had only just met.

The Crown Princess still in character nodded and shyly closed her eyes.

Zhao Sui thought, on the wedding night, the husband should indeed undress his wife, right?

He raised his hand. The moment he touched the Crown Princess’s collar, the Crown Princess shyly turned to the side.

Zhao Sui’s breathing grew heavier. With one hand he drew the Crown Princess into his embrace, while the other hand moved skillfully.

When the couple fell onto the bed, the Crown Prince directly used his knee to push open the Crown Princess’s knees.

Yao Huang clung to his neck, her eyes like water gazing at him. “Your Highness, be gentle. I’m afraid.”

The seventeen-year-old her had also been flustered and afraid. Only because she had to take care of her disabled husband did she cast aside a new bride’s reserve and throw herself wholeheartedly into cooperating with Prince Hui in every way.

Zhao Sui remembered. He remembered every moment of tension and embarrassment beneath her seemingly bold exterior that night.

“Call me Prince.”

Zhao Sui wanted to hear her call him by the old title for one more night.

Yao Huang began calling him Prince.

Perhaps the shyness in those first few calls of “Prince” was still pretend, but by the end when the Crown Princess was crying and pleading, those calls of “Prince” overlapped with that string of “Princes” from three years ago. The seventeen-year-old Princess Hui could not withstand Prince Hui, who had disabled legs but considerately restrained himself somewhat because of her youth. Now, the twenty-year-old Crown Princess still could not withstand the Crown Prince, who was no longer disabled and would no longer restrain himself in the slightest.

This was probably a wedding night longer than any experienced by any other newlywed couple—so long that Yao Huang truly became afraid of the Crown Prince.

Fortunately, the Prince Hui she had just married was disabled. If Prince Hui had not been disabled, Yao Huang feared she herself would become disabled.