The carriage stopped in front of Prince Hui’s manor, where Chief Steward Guo Shu was already waiting.

After the Prince and Princess had entered their home, Guo Shu said, “Your Highness, His Majesty has bestowed an ivory mat. Would you like to use it today, or wait a bit longer?”

The Emperor’s verbal decree was to send the ivory mat to Prince Hui’s manor, but he hadn’t specified whether it was a reward for the Prince or the Princess. Guo Shu didn’t know how to arrange it, so he cleverly worded his question to let the Prince decide.

Yao Huang quietly glanced at her Prince. Based on the situation before Emperor Yongchang issued the verbal decree, this ivory mat was meant for her, but the Emperor had deliberately left the decree ambiguous. Perhaps he actually wanted to give the ivory mat to his second son and was just using a pretext to avoid other children complaining about his unfairness as a father.

Furthermore, an ivory mat, an ivory mat—just hearing the name sounded cool and comfortable. The Prince didn’t care about gold or silver, but would he really be willing to give her such a practical treasure that even Princess Imperial and consorts coveted?

If it were Yao Huang, and her own father gave her a precious heat-relieving item, she would definitely use it herself, at most sharing it with her husband. She absolutely wouldn’t give it solely to her husband while she herself slept on a hot mat and suffered. By the same reasoning, if the Prince really had someone send the ivory mat to the Bamboo Courtyard, Yao Huang wouldn’t be disappointed. At most, she’d shamelessly ask the Prince to bring the ivory mat along when he came to Mingan Hall, so she could benefit from it a little.

“It’s a reward for the Princess Consort. Let the Princess Consort decide.”

Glancing at the incredulous Princess Consort, Zhao Sui signaled Qing Ai to push him toward the Bamboo Courtyard.

By the time Yao Huang remembered she should offer to decline politely, Prince Hui had already gone far away.

Guo Shu smiled and said, “Princess Consort, please rest first. I’ll have the ivory mat sent to you shortly.”

Yao Huang glanced at the hundred taels of gold A’Ji was holding, and returned to Mingan Hall in a daze.

She washed her face and changed into a new cross-collar nightgown just sent by the embroidery room. A so-called cross-collar nightgown was made by directly sewing cross-collar neckline and shoulder sleeves onto a chest-high long skirt. This way, the waist position didn’t need to be tied too tightly, and the cross-collar neckline could be opened wider. Although this exposed quite a bit of skin, nightgowns were only worn in the inner chamber, so there was no fear of outsiders seeing.

This one of Yao Huang’s had white sleeves on top and a very pale green long skirt below. The fabric was thin and light—just walking a few steps made the hem ripple like jade-green waves. It was truly beautiful, making even Yao Huang admire herself in the mirror for quite a while.

A’Ji said, “The Princess Consort’s face is flushed pink, like a flower bud emerging from lotus leaves, and your two ankles and feet below are like lotus roots.”

Yao Huang replied, “Nonsense. Can lotus roots be as white as me?”

A’Ji said, “…I meant peeled lotus roots.”

At this moment, two young maidservants sent by Guo Shu came carrying the imperially bestowed ivory mat. The three senior maidservants—Bai Ling and the others—had never touched such a fine item and feared there might be special protocols. After obtaining the Princess Consort’s consent, they only helped lift the curtain and let those two young maidservants carry the ivory mat into the inner chamber.

The ivory mat was placed in a nanmu wood long case, wrapped in a layer of brocade on the outside. After removing the brocade, the two young maidservants each held one end and slowly backed away to unfold it, finally revealing the true appearance of the ivory mat.

The entire ivory mat was eleven chi long and nine chi wide—just the right size to spread on Yao Huang’s bed.

The entire surface was ivory white, lustrous as jade, and felt smooth as silk to the touch. Reed mats and bamboo mats easily developed splinters, but ivory mats would never have this problem.

“Can it be used directly, or does it need to be wiped down?” Yao Huang asked.

One of the maidservants carrying the mat replied, “Your Highness, it was already wiped once before being sent from the palace. After Chief Steward Guo received it, he had us wipe it again according to the method the eunuch taught us. Your Highness can use it directly.”

Yao Huang said, “Spread it on the bed.”

After it was laid out, Yao Huang dismissed the maidservants. She herself lay on the ivory mat and rolled around twice. It was indeed very comfortable, only slightly harder than brocade bedding. But it was too cool—it was only early fifth month, and although Yao Huang was someone who feared heat, even she felt it was still too early to use a cooling mat.

Yao Huang rolled up the ivory mat and temporarily placed it on the luohan bed, planning to show it to the Prince when he came over in the evening before putting it away.

Lying back on the bed, Yao Huang couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, her mind full of the newly acquired gold ingots and ivory mat.

A’Ji suddenly pushed open the door to the inner chamber and said excitedly, “Princess Consort, Chief Steward Guo has come again! He had people deliver five trays of gold ingots, saying it was by the Prince’s orders!”

Yao Huang sat up abruptly, “…He’s really giving them?”

A’Ji asked, “What did you say?”

Yao Huang replied, “Nothing, nothing. Bring them in and put them on the luohan bed first. I’ll organize them after I wake up.”

The four senior maidservants came in twice and left after placing the gold ingots.

Only then did Yao Huang get off the bed, move a chair to sit beside the luohan bed, and stare blankly at the ingots and ivory mat before her.

Perhaps the Prince, having grown up in wealth since childhood with the finest food, clothing, and necessities, didn’t value these things much, so he gave them to her as soon as he said he would.

But ultimately, it was because the Prince knew she loved wealth that he sent these things to make her happy. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he reward the gold and treasures to Qing Ai, Fei Quan, Eunuch Cao, and others? In terms of merit, she couldn’t compare to these longtime attendants by the Prince’s side.

Yao Huang loved wealth but had a conscience. The Prince treated her so well, so she should also treat the Prince very well.

Taking off her nightgown, Yao Huang changed into plain cotton clothing, and taking A’Ji along with guards Zhang Yue and Wang Dong, she went out.

Before leaving, Yao Huang said to Guo Shu, “I’m going out for a stroll. If the Prince doesn’t ask about it, you needn’t report it.”

Guo Shu replied, “Yes.”

Sitting in the outwardly unremarkable carriage, Yao Huang had the driver simply proceed along South Main Street while she and A’Ji each watched the shops on one side.

Yao Huang remembered that when she used to go out wandering, she seemed to have seen a shop selling wooden furniture and sundries somewhere on South Main Street that had wheelchairs.

Although few people in wheelchairs were seen on the capital’s streets, there were actually quite a few people in the capital with disabled legs. Yao Huang had personally witnessed someone break their leg in a polo match, heard with her own ears her brothers and cousins mention which classmate had accidentally fallen and could no longer walk properly, not to mention injured and disabled soldiers who had retired from past battlefields, including ordinary common people who couldn’t walk independently due to various accidents and illnesses.

It was just that most of these people, like Prince Hui, didn’t like going out when ill, which made wheelchairs seem like something rare.

It happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival, and business was thriving on South Main Street. Many common people living in the capital’s suburbs had specifically come to the capital to celebrate the festival and sell things.

With more pedestrians, carriages and horses moved slowly, but fortunately Yao Huang wasn’t in a hurry.

They had nearly traversed all of South Main Street when A’Ji suddenly called out, “Stop the carriage!”

The driver immediately stopped.

Yao Huang leaned over to A’Ji’s side and looked out, indeed seeing a shop specializing in selling wooden furniture like tables, chairs, and trunks. The storefront was small, but beyond the back door was a courtyard. As far as the eye could see, more wooden furniture was arranged under sheds in the courtyard.

The master and three servants entered the shop.

The shopkeeper was yawning. Small civilian shops like his selling large items couldn’t benefit from the Dragon Boat Festival. Only when relatively well-off families moved to new residences, replaced old items, or prepared betrothal gifts and dowries could he get big orders. Otherwise, he just did small retail business.

During this yawn, the shopkeeper squinted his eyes and quickly sized up the visitors. Seeing that the two sturdy men behind looked like guards, the shopkeeper immediately guessed that the beautiful young woman in front was either wealthy or noble.

The shopkeeper wondered why a wealthy person would come to his small shop with ordinary materials, while smiling and coming forward, “What would Madam like to look at? Cupboards or trunks?”

Yao Huang had already swept her eyes over all the wooden furniture displayed in the shop and asked directly, “Do you have wheelchairs?”

The shopkeeper replied, “Yes, yes, yes. Not many people usually buy these, so they’re all kept in the back courtyard. Madam, this way please.”

Arriving at the back courtyard, Yao Huang saw two dusty wheelchairs in one shed. Two stacks of wooden basins were piled on the chair seats, with chopstick holders and other small items stuffed in the gaps between basins.

The shopkeeper didn’t have high hopes for this sale. Seeing the beautiful female customer frown, he became even lazier about cleaning up and simply introduced, “They’re both made of elm wood, sturdy and durable. With good maintenance, they can be sat in for decades. If Madam likes them, I’ll immediately move them out and wipe them spotlessly clean for you.”

Yao Huang walked around the two wheelchairs for more than half a circle. They were identical—two small wheels in front and two large wheels in back. From the seat surface upward, they were about as wide as a normal grand tutor’s chair. The chair back had two push handles extending from both ends, and a narrow footrest extended from the front of the chair.

This was a wheelchair for ordinary families to use—sturdy, lightweight, and durable. Sitting in it definitely wouldn’t be as comfortable as Prince Hui’s, which could also recline for sleeping. There wasn’t any effort spent carving decorative patterns anywhere on the chair body.

Yao Huang asked the shopkeeper to clean one, as she wanted to try it.

Hearing there was a deal, the shopkeeper hurried to get two cloths and wiped it thoroughly from top to bottom, front to back, several times.

Yao Huang sat in the wheelchair, extended both hands from the sides of the chair frame to grasp the two large wheels, and tried pushing forward. Unfortunately, even turning her face red from exertion, she couldn’t make the wheelchair move at all.

The shopkeeper said, “…Does Madam want to push it herself? That won’t work. This wheelchair alone weighs over thirty jin, plus Madam’s body weight…”

Noticing a guard glaring at him, the shopkeeper quickly said, “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that, no matter how heavy the person sitting on it is, it’s difficult for them to move themselves using just their hands, unless their feet can touch the ground to help exert force.”

Some people in wheelchairs could only not walk, but their legs and feet could still exert some force. Half-stepping, half-pushing, they could move themselves, but over time it was exhausting, and they still needed others to help.

Yao Huang had Zhang Yue and Wang Dong each try. Both had strong arm strength, and deliberately without using leg strength to help, they managed to make the chair move forward a few steps, but even so they both broke out in sweat.

Yao Huang asked, “Could you make a wheelchair that can push itself?”

The shopkeeper smiled bitterly, “If there really was such a good method, it would have been made long ago.”

Yao Huang also felt she had asked a foolish question. However, ordinary carpenters might not have thought of it or hadn’t spent much time pondering this. She could ask Master Deng to discuss it, and if Master Deng couldn’t do it, there were still the manor’s carpenters. As long as the manor offered a reward, those skilled craftsmen wouldn’t lack dedication.

“How much?”

“Not expensive, one tael for one.”

Yao Huang smiled at the shopkeeper. She had money now, but she wouldn’t let herself be taken for a fool.

The shopkeeper’s heart trembled at her smile, knowing this was a shrewd one. He quickly changed his tune, “If Madam sincerely wants to buy, just give five qian of silver. Look at this elm wood material—it’s all old elm wood. At this price, this small shop is only earning a little labor cost.”

Yao Huang didn’t bargain further, “I’ll take both.”

Two wheelchairs—Yao Huang kept one in front to wait until after the Dragon Boat Festival to invite Master Deng over to discuss how to improve it. She had the senior maidservants thoroughly wipe down the other one again, then when it cooled down in the evening, she personally pushed it to the Bamboo Courtyard.

Fei Quan carefully examined the new gift the Princess Consort had brought, then went with mixed feelings to invite the Prince.

Soon, Prince Hui, sitting in the magnificent grand wheelchair that Master Deng had expended countless efforts to craft, personally witnessed the simple wheelchair in the Princess Consort’s hands.