When Yao Huang descended from Prince Hui’s carriage, she saw a range of towering mountains to the south. Looking from a distance, they were still about twenty li away—that was Lingshan.

Lingshan was two and a half days’ carriage journey from the capital. The high officials and nobles of the capital basically didn’t have the leisure time to come to Lingshan to escape the summer heat. At most, young, martial-minded sons of meritorious families who hadn’t yet obtained official positions would ride horses here for short trips of two or three days, either climbing high to admire scenery or drawing bows to hunt.

But Lingshan was actually a famous mountain in the Central Plains region. It had both the glory of emperors coming here to tour and offer sacrifices, as well as Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian establishments—temples, monasteries, and academies built here. Therefore, people constantly came here drawn by its reputation. With many visitors, some small towns where common people gathered appeared around the foot of the mountain, opening wine shops, teahouses, and inns—all earning somewhat more than farming.

Lingshan’s most majestic and magnificent peaks worth viewing were mostly on the eastern and western flanks. The most famous temples, monasteries, and academies were basically all built on the eastern, southern, and western sides. The north side of Lingshan was actually the area where visitors set foot least. Yao Huang had specifically made very detailed inquiries with Chief Steward Guo, then chose Lingshan Town at the northern foot of Lingshan as their summer retreat location—first, because the north side was indeed cooler than the south, and second, because there were fewer visitors here, making it even more peaceful.

When the convoy was only two li away from Lingshan Town, Lingshan became like a giant tiger lying across the road. Carriages and horses would have to detour over a hundred li to continue south.

In the distance were mountains; nearby were gently undulating hills as well as continuous flat fields.

Yao Huang leaned by the window, enjoying the breeze stirred up by the carriage while appreciating the scenery with great interest.

After traveling a bit further, Yao Huang beckoned to a mounted guard behind them.

The plainclothes guard disguised as an escort immediately came forward and asked respectfully: “What are the princess consort’s instructions?”

Yao Huang looked at him with a smile: “What did you call me?”

The guard’s wheat-colored face suddenly flushed red: “This subordinate, no, this humble one misspoke. Please forgive me, Madam.”

Yao Huang: “We’re about to enter the town. Go give the reminder again and have everyone firmly remember their identities. If anyone calls someone wrong or acts unconvincingly later, I’ll dock their reward money here.”

Guard: “Yes, Madam.”

Yao Huang: “While you’re at it, have Qing Ai and Fei Quan come see me.”

The guard took the order and rode his horse to the front first.

Fei Quan, who was serving the prince on the second carriage, arrived first. He kept pace on foot with the carriage, craning his neck up toward the princess consort inside the window with an ingratiating smile: “You called for me?”

Yao Huang asked him with a beaming smile: “What did you call me?”

Fei Quan: “Princess Con—Second Sister-in-law?”

Yao Huang: “Who addresses their sister-in-law with a surname? Besides, my surname isn’t Wang.”

Sweat broke out on Fei Quan’s forehead: “Please spare me! Rest assured, when there are outsiders present, this servant will absolutely not call you wrong. But right now, forget it—how would this servant dare presumptuously claim to be the prince’s brother?”

Yao Huang: “Fine, you said it yourself. If you and Qing Ai dare call me wrong later, I’ll have Second Master replace you both!”

Fei Quan nodded repeatedly. Shortly after, his “eldest cousin” Qing Ai arrived with similar pleas and assurances.

A’Ji teased Qing Ai: “When I get off the carriage later, remember to come help me down.”

Qing Ai’s head spun. He made one final plea to the princess consort: “Could A’Ji pretend to be our younger sister instead?”

Yao Huang: “With our family’s circumstances, we’d be down and out in the county seat, but in a small town we count as well-off. With your proper appearance as Physician Liao’s eldest son, if A’Ji doesn’t become your wife, just wait for matchmakers to come calling to introduce you to even more young ladies!”

Qing Ai: “…”

Who could he blame? He could only blame himself for looking mature. If he also had Fei Quan’s youthful face, he wouldn’t have to pretend to be someone’s husband.

Outside Lingshan Town, the head of the household Physician Liao, along with his apprentices Zhang Yue and Wang Dong, had been waiting for a long time. If not for fear of arousing the common people’s suspicion, the three of them should have gone out ten li to welcome them. Even so, some nearby residents were still sitting at their doorsteps fanning themselves and curiously watching the three of them. Other passing residents would also stare at the town’s new physician for a while and exchange greetings.

“Old Liao!”

From the first carriage, Gao Niangzi poked her head out from the carriage window with a beaming smile and praised Physician Liao with great satisfaction: “Before when you said you’d found a small town, I wasn’t happy about it. I didn’t expect the scenery here to be so beautiful—clear mountains and beautiful waters! Hey, where’s our new house? Is it far from here? I’ve been sitting in this carriage for over half a month—I’m truly sick of it!”

Qing Ai pushed open the carriage door and called out quietly and properly, “Father.”

Physician Liao, who indeed had a son this age, acted as naturally as Gao Niangzi. Stroking his beard, he asked: “How was the journey? How is your second brother’s health?”

Qing Ai wore a worried expression: “Still the same—doesn’t like to talk or show his face, just stays shut in the carriage all day.”

Physician Liao sighed and hopped onto the carriage shaft, pointing ahead: “Let’s go. We’ll talk more when we get home.”

The main road in and out of the small town was paved with stone slabs. Two days ago there had been a rain that washed the road surface clean. Yao Huang peeked out through the curtain gap and saw residents all along the way craning their necks to size up the convoy. Those who already knew Physician Liao asked if his family members had arrived. Physician Liao said yes and introduced his cheerful wife and steady eldest son for them to meet.

A’Ji leaned close to the princess consort and speculated: “These people must have already thoroughly inquired with Physician Liao about our family’s situation.”

Yao Huang: “Of course. Physician Liao bought two large residences all at once in the most expensive area of town. Who in a small place wouldn’t be curious?”

A residential compound with two courtyards was a large house in the town that only wealthy people could afford to live in. When Physician Liao arrived, he happened upon a family selling their property due to lack of money for life-saving medicine. Physician Liao bought this family’s house, then spent a high price persuading the neighbors to sell their house too. The old furniture was sold cheaply to others, then he wrote letters having “the family back home” send good wooden items from the old residence in advance. Inside and out, everything that needed repair was repaired and everything that needed replacement was replaced, so the prince and princess consort traveling incognito could live comfortably.

Following the north-south main street to the second alley entrance, a small river running east-west appeared ahead. After crossing the bridge and walking east along the south bank for two households, they arrived.

The four carriages stopped one after another.

Qing Ai was forced to help his wife “A’Ji” down. Zhang Yue and Fei Quan worked together to push Prince Hui down from the carriage. By this time Yao Huang had already descended and saw a row of neighbors standing on the south bank moving closer to get a good look at them. Many households had also come out on the north bank—men, women, old and young alike.

Yao Huang openly let them look, then walked behind her Second Master and pushed his wheelchair into the eastern courtyard belonging to the couple.

Physician Liao, Gao Niangzi, Qing Ai, Fei Quan, and A’Ji directed Zhang Yue, Wang Dong, and the escort guards helping with the move to carry the luggage packed in trunks and cases piece by piece into the two residences. Some enthusiastic neighbors wanted to come help but were unceremoniously driven away by the “escorts”: “We’ve been paid for this job. We’ve been vigilantly on guard the whole way. If something goes missing at this point, will you compensate when they demand it from us or from you?”

Neighbors: “…”

All the trunks and cases were carried into the courtyards. The escorts and four carriages completed their mission and withdrew. Gao Niangzi stood at the door and waved to the residents on both banks: “We just moved here and need to tidy up first. We’ll greet the neighbors properly once we’re settled!”

Having said this, she and A’Ji closed the gates of each courtyard, naturally blocking everyone’s view.

Immediately after, except for the prince and princess consort who were idle, Gao Niangzi heated water in the western courtyard kitchen to prepare lunch while the remaining few all came to help in the eastern courtyard first.

Zhang Yue and Wang Dong were responsible for moving the prince’s luggage trunks and cases to the front courtyard. Inside, Qing Ai made beds, hung bed curtains, organized clothes chests, and arranged porcelain and tea sets. Physician Liao and Fei Quan were responsible for moving the princess consort’s luggage trunks and cases to the back courtyard, where A’Ji did the same work inside.

The eastern side room of the front courtyard had been made into a reception hall. Yao Huang and Prince Hui waited there.

Having sat in the carriage the whole way, Yao Huang now just wanted to stand. She pushed Prince Hui around the hall first, touching the spotlessly clean redwood table, then looking at the floor where several new stone tiles had obviously been replaced, and finally addressing the spot where the threshold had been removed and repaired: “Second Master’s people are all so capable—one physician and two guards could handle buying a residence so properly.”

Zhao Sui made no comment.

After viewing the hall, Yao Huang pushed him to the western side room across the way used as a study. For this trip, Prince Hui had brought two trunks of books and one trunk of the four treasures of the study—truly like a scholar.

The main house was still in disarray. Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui turning into the side corridor leading to the back courtyard. Passing through the open wooden door, Yao Huang suddenly felt her eyes light up.

In the eastern part of the back courtyard’s garden was actually planted a magnolia tree as thick as an adult’s waist. The magnolia was long past its flowering season, but its branches and leaves were lush and verdant, spreading like a canopy. In the tree’s shade sat a rattan chair and a round stone table—just right for cooling off here.

The eastern side room of the back courtyard had been made into a kitchen and storage room. The western side room had been made into a study and warm chamber, also without thresholds.

Yao Huang called over Physician Liao, who had just finished moving a trunk: “It seems like this house hasn’t been extensively renovated?”

Physician Liao: “Correct. The previous owners were a couple who enjoyed refinement and weren’t local people. They were suspected of coming here to cultivate themselves. They lived here for seven or eight years. When I proposed I was willing to pay a high price to buy the house and we negotiated the price, they agreed, so they probably had long had thoughts of moving elsewhere.”

Yao Huang thought to herself that bringing Prince Hui here was also a kind of self-cultivation. Clearly there were many people in this world who found it difficult to untie their emotional knots when trapped in one place.

After everything was moved, Physician Liao and Qing Ai left the princess consort’s courtyard.

The water on Gao Niangzi’s side was heated. She came over to ask whether the prince and princess consort wanted to bathe now.

Of the three upper rooms on Yao Huang’s side, the western room had been made into a bathroom with a cypress wood tub suitable for two people bathing together.

Yao Huang knew everyone in the group was very tired, and both she and the prince needed to bathe. If they bathed separately, they’d have to carry water back and forth several more times.

She told Gao Niangzi to continue cooking in the kitchen. Yao Huang glanced at Prince Hui sitting motionless in his wheelchair, her face heating up. She asked in a small voice: “How about Second Master and I use one tub?”

They could wipe themselves with cloths outside first, then soak in the tub together to relieve fatigue after they were clean.

Zhao Sui glanced at her and asked: “Your monthly courses haven’t come?”

Yao Huang: “…No, I don’t know why it hurt for a moment then. Maybe it’s coming soon.”

Prince Hui seemed to consider this for a moment before agreeing to bathe together.

Yao Huang had A’Ji go tell Qing Ai to bring water.

Zhao Sui surveyed this bathroom that hadn’t been tidied up yet. When A’Ji returned, he instructed: “Set up the screen.”

Prince Hui was very particular. He had even brought two four-panel screens from the prince’s manor. For anything used in inner rooms that outsiders couldn’t see, the couple still used the same set from the prince’s manor—one could say plain on the outside, luxurious within.

The couple waited in the eastern room first. After A’Ji set up the screen and Qing Ai had also mixed the warm water, Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui over.

The bathtub was half-filled with warm water. Outside were two buckets also filled with warm water, as well as three sitting stools.

Qing Ai was very familiar with the prince’s bathing method. He directly placed a sitting stool, a bucket of warm water, and a clothes rack hung with clean cloths and garments on the other side of the screen.

Zhao Sui indicated for the princess consort to push the rattan wheelchair to this side of the screen, then said: “I can wash myself. You go about your business. Don’t come over unless instructed.”

Yao Huang looked at the wheelchair, then at that large bathtub, understanding why the prince no longer wanted to soak in the bath.

Perhaps in the front courtyard Qing Ai and Fei Quan could lift the prince into the bathtub, but Yao Huang alone truly couldn’t manage it. Carrying a large man on her back was different from lifting him.

“Then, Your Highness bathe first. I’ll go outside and have some tea.”

If not soaking in the bath, why would Yao Huang sacrifice her dignity to undress in front of the prince in broad daylight?

She retreated quickly, closing the door from outside in a flash.

After waiting a while, Prince Hui called for her.

Pushing open the door, Yao Huang saw Prince Hui wearing white silk inner robes sitting on the narrow couch by the south window. The narrow couch should have been set there to facilitate the master’s dressing.

Yao Huang stepped inside. Just as she was about to push Prince Hui’s wheelchair, she heard him say: “Close the door. Drop the bolt.”

A boom sounded in her mind. Yao Huang looked up in disbelief.

Prince Hui looked back at her with a non-negotiable gaze.