“Autumn Mountain Climbing.”

Upon reaching the shore, Zhao Sui wrapped the Crown Princess in a large towel, stuffed both their outer garments into the Crown Princess’s arms, then lifted her horizontally and walked along the path they’d come by toward the rear hall.

Yao Huang’s arms and legs were all wrapped in the towel—only her head and a pair of feet were exposed outside.

The summer night was warm. The two lamps along the roadside actually couldn’t illuminate much. As the Crown Prince gradually walked into the coverage range of one lamp, Yao Huang finally saw clearly the Crown Prince’s handsome face still bearing traces of water. She saw him looking ahead nonchalantly as if nothing had happened, saw his jade-white skin and steady breathing as if he carried nothing at all.

Yao Huang hazily recalled again last summer, when the Crown Prince still sat in a wheelchair. Back then, when the Crown Prince wanted to steal a kiss, he still had to find excuses to lure her from the water, still needed her to cast aside shyness and cooperate earnestly before he could accomplish anything with difficulty.

But now the Crown Prince who had stood up was tall and imposing—catching her and bullying her had both become more convenient.

Entering the rear hall, from courtyard to main hall to inner chamber—all was empty of people.

Zhao Sui tossed aside the two sets of outer garments on the Crown Princess’s body, placed the Crown Princess standing on the bed, then pulled away the towel wrapped around her.

The Crown Prince had not needed railings to walk for half a year now. The calluses on his palms had long since disappeared, leaving only two thin calluses from gripping his spear after resuming morning practice.

But the Crown Prince’s palms had recovered the heat a twenty-six-year-old young man should have. After he could stand up, after he gained the dignity of Crown Prince yet became increasingly infatuated with her, Yao Huang became increasingly unable to resist these hands of his.

She leaned weakly against the Crown Prince’s shoulder. The mist in her eyes grew heavier and her voice softer: “Does Your Highness truly want to take my life?”

Even though she already had Jun ge’er, she was only twenty years old this year. When the twenty-six-year-old Crown Prince’s martial prowess had recovered to its peak, at certain moments Yao Huang was truly afraid—just like sitting on a swing and swinging to the highest point, the thrill was real, but so were the excitement and panic.

Zhao Sui kissed the Crown Princess’s ear and said quietly: “No.”

He just liked hearing her cry.

The next evening, the Crown Prince came again to the Crown Prince’s residence outside the palace, because the Crown Princess had already found an excuse for him early on: tomorrow he would ride horses outside the city.

Having had his fill twice last night, tonight the married couple took Jun ge’er together to the secluded pool. At the Crown Prince’s reminder, Yao Huang changed into a set of clothing that didn’t expose arms, legs, or chest before entering the water. The Crown Prince held Jun ge’er and walked back and forth in the pool.

Yao Huang swam two laps herself, then suddenly came up behind the Crown Prince and embraced his waist from behind.

Zhao Sui cautiously lifted Jun ge’er with one hand while grasping the Crown Princess’s right hand, which might cause mischief at any moment, with the other.

Yao Huang complained quietly: “Not even a hug is allowed?”

Zhao Sui: “Tonight you can do as you please.”

His Highness the Crown Prince guarded strictly. Yao Huang had no choice but to abandon her intention to swiftly yank down his pants while the Crown Prince was off guard.

Since the Crown Prince’s ostensible reason for leaving the palace was to take the Crown Princess riding outside the city, this evening Zhao Sui only made the Crown Princess cry once. After holding her and cleaning up in the bathroom, they lay down in the inner chamber where ice containers had been placed and a subtle lake breeze blew.

The Crown Princess who had been attended to by the Crown Prince always slept especially sweetly. While sleeping, she suddenly heard a crisp thunder crack, startling her eyes open.

“It’s going to rain.”

Zhao Sui drew the Crown Princess into his embrace, gripping half her shoulder as he spoke.

The wind grew stronger, causing the gauze curtains to sway. With another thunder clap, Yao Huang worried a bit about Jun ge’er: “I wonder if he’ll be afraid of thunder.”

Zhao Sui listened intently for a moment but didn’t hear any crying sounds from Jun ge’er’s side room, surmising the little child slept soundly enough.

“I’ll go close the window.”

Yao Huang hummed acknowledgment and watched the Crown Prince walk out of the canopy bed in his neat inner garments, watched his tall figure stand still by the window.

Noticing the Crown Prince checked the water clock when he returned, after he sat back on the bed, Yao Huang asked: “What time is it?”

Zhao Sui: “Nearly the hour of the rabbit.”

Just as he finished speaking, a sudden crackling sound of dense raindrops hitting the window came from outside—it was directly a torrential downpour.

Yao Huang sighed casually: “It hasn’t rained in so long. This will probably rain all day. We definitely won’t be able to ride horses today.”

Zhao Sui: “You really want to ride horses?”

Yao Huang smiled secretly. During the scorching heat, without rain it would be unbearably hot—she didn’t want to ride horses at this time. It was nothing more than finding an excuse to stay outside the palace an extra night.

Zhao Sui pretended not to see the Crown Princess’s smile. He reached out to draw the Crown Princess over and had her lie on top of him.

Yao Huang: “…”

She wanted to climb down, but the Crown Prince pressed her down with one hand so she couldn’t struggle free.

Yao Huang immediately changed to playing dead while lying on his chest: “So sleepy, can’t even keep my eyes open.”

Zhao Sui: “You sounded quite energetic just now.”

Yao Huang: “Still don’t want to move.”

The Crown Prince naturally also had methods that didn’t require the Crown Princess to exert effort. He held her and rolled half a turn to the side.

The continuous sound of rain covered the Crown Princess’s crying and scolding, so the Crown Prince also became emboldened.

By daybreak, the Crown Prince tucked in the covers for the Crown Princess who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, then went to the front hall to eat. He then brought Jun ge’er over. Holding Jun ge’er, he sat on a long bench in the covered corridor to appreciate the rain and teach Jun ge’er, who could already speak simple long sentences, to recite poetry.

Jun ge’er followed Father Prince in reciting two poems, then missed Mother Consort.

Zhao Sui: “Mother Consort is practicing calligraphy. We can’t disturb her right now.”

Upon hearing this, Jun ge’er said: “I want to practice calligraphy too.”

Zhao Sui then carried the little one to the study.

Jun ge’er was far from the age to learn holding a brush. Zhao Sui spread a sheet of rice paper on the desk, arranged several colors of paint, and let Jun ge’er scribble randomly.

After Jun ge’er had painted a sheet of rice paper into a chaotic mess, Zhao Sui steadied the little one’s shoulder with one hand and took over the brush with the other, trying to transform several sections of Jun ge’er’s “artwork” into appreciable scenery.

When Yao Huang, who had slept nearly two hours longer than the Crown Prince, woke up, she saw the painting father and son had completed together on the table in the inner chamber. The painting contained artificial mountains, lake water, and shrubs, with windows, corridors, and pavilions. Searching and examining, Yao Huang also saw a child crouching by a rock and a golden-yellow dog’s tail emerging from behind the rock.

The Crown Prince had inscribed the year, month, and day on the painting, with the title “Lazy Sleep.”

Yao Huang: “…”

Excellent! This painting was clearly done by father and son. Of the family of three, two were awake—who else could the lazy sleeper be?

On the ninth month’s Double Ninth Festival, it was appropriate to climb high and gaze far, but Yao Huang didn’t join the Double Ninth festivities.

Mid-month, Emperor Yongchang brought the Crown Prince, Prince Kang, and the Fourth Prince to inspect the military at the four great capital encampments. The Third Prince, Prince Qing, remained confined for reflection.

The military inspection began on the sixteenth—one encampment per day. After Emperor Yongchang, the Crown Prince, and the Fourth Prince returned to the palace from the north encampment at noon on the nineteenth, they could rest.

The Crown Prince and Fourth Prince first respectfully escorted Father Emperor back to Qianyuan Hall.

Walking along, Emperor Yongchang turned back to ask the Crown Prince: “Aren’t you going to Mount Li? When do you depart?”

Tomorrow was a rest day. The Crown Prince had already requested permission long ago to take the Crown Princess to the Mount Li villa for a brief stay of one night after finishing the military inspection today, then climb high to admire the mountain scenery the next day before returning.

Climbing high, climbing mountains—for the second son, this was an opportunity lost for four years and only now regained. Emperor Yongchang naturally wanted to satisfy his son’s travel interests.

Zhao Sui said: “We’ll leave after eating lunch.”

Emperor Yongchang: “Taking Jun ge’er?”

Zhao Sui: “No, it’s over forty li. Your son plans to ride horses there and back with the Crown Princess.”

Emperor Yongchang was just about to nod when the sixteen-year-old Fourth Prince asked expectantly: “Father Emperor, I also want to tour with Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law. May I?”

As a prince who had grown up obediently in the palace to age sixteen and loved fun, the Fourth Prince was desperate to be enfeoffed and establish his own residence. Unfortunately, he hadn’t reached the required age yet—he could only seize every opportunity to leave the palace!

Emperor Yongchang: “…”

He looked toward the Crown Prince as if watching a show.

Zhao Sui said to the Fourth Prince: “This time I already promised to take your Second Sister-in-law on this tour. Fourth Brother, if you’re interested in climbing mountains, at month’s end if I’m not busy, I’ll accompany you another time.”

Fourth Prince: “This time is fine too! Second Brother can focus on accompanying Second Sister-in-law. When we reach Mount Li, I’ll play with the guards myself, then travel back with Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law.”

Zhao Sui: “That’s not proper. If you accompany me out of the palace, I must be responsible for your safety.”

Fourth Prince: “I’m already sixteen—I guarantee I won’t cause trouble!”

Zhao Sui: “Even if you’re twenty-six, as long as you accompany me out of the palace, I must watch over you.”

The Fourth Prince looked helplessly toward Father Emperor.

Emperor Yongchang asked him: “Do you know how high Mount Li’s main peak is?”

Fourth Prince: “Over four hundred zhang.”

Emperor Yongchang: “Mm. The Prospect Hill in the imperial garden is six zhang high. Climb up from the east side and down from the west—that counts as one trip. If you can complete seventy trips by month’s end, I’ll let you leave the palace. If you can’t complete them, don’t think about going anywhere.”

Fourth Prince: “…”

Emperor Yongchang forcefully pinched his youngest son’s flabby arm, snorted coldly, and left.

After seeing off Father Emperor, Zhao Sui returned to the Eastern Palace without mentioning the Fourth Prince’s nonsense to the Crown Princess at all.

After eating lunch and resting for half an hour at midday, Yao Huang changed into a riding outfit. She and the Crown Prince separately mounted Ni Guang and Jingwu and galloped at full speed toward Mount Li.

Both were excellent horses capable of covering a thousand li. Without needing to gallop desperately, after half an hour they easily arrived at the foot of Mount Li.

Emperor Yongchang had selected a mountain here to build a villa. He hadn’t made a big announcement about this matter, but this mountain had only his one villa. No matter which other noble from the capital coveted buying land here, the government office wouldn’t approve it. Over time, clever people naturally knew to whom this villa belonged.

For this visit by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to stay at the villa, half of the eight hundred personal guards under the Crown Prince’s command were responsible for surrounding and guarding the mountain, while the other half were dispersed along the Crown Prince’s route out of the palace and at various sections of Mount Li’s main peak the next day, strictly guarding against assassin ambushes.

Yao Huang only knew guards were secretly protecting the married couple—she didn’t know there would be so many. She admired the scenery for half an afternoon at the villa bestowed by Emperor Yongchang, slept obediently and well with the Crown Prince that night, and early the next morning the married couple enthusiastically went to climb the mountain.

On Mount Li’s main peak, over four hundred zhang high, Yao Huang competed with the Crown Prince in running ahead. She climbed all the way to around three hundred zhang before she began panting heavily.

Zhao Sui: “Shall I carry you on my back?”

Yao Huang shook her head: “The mountain path is steep. Even if Your Highness walks steadily, I’d still be afraid.”

Moreover, if among those guards there were Emperor Yongchang’s informants and he learned she was treating the Crown Prince like a beast of burden, would Emperor Yongchang be pleased?

After resting a while, the married couple continued climbing upward.

When they finally reached the summit, it was already mid-morning. The autumn sun shone warmly on their faces, and a cool breeze gently blew past the Crown Princess’s flushed, perspiring cheeks.

Seven or eight other climbers were at the summit—perhaps among them were one or two of the Crown Prince’s secret guards.

Zhao Sui led the Crown Princess to walk behind a cliff rock and took out a handkerchief to wipe her perspiration.

Yao Huang said quietly: “This way it won’t be improper?”

The Crown Prince acted as if he hadn’t heard.

Yao Huang had him stand there while she looked out from behind the cliff rock. When this wave of climbers had all descended and the summit emptied out, Yao Huang immediately pulled the Crown Prince out, then nimbly jumped onto his back.

The Crown Prince, who steadily carried the Crown Princess on his back, smiled silently.

Yao Huang steadied herself with one hand on the Crown Prince’s shoulder and raised the other to her mouth. Facing the vast, expansive mountain below, she shouted the Crown Prince’s name loudly.

As she shouted here, wave after wave of echoes came from the distance, as if the surrounding lower peaks were all congratulating the Crown Prince on today’s summit ascent.