Since it was the twentieth, that evening the Prince Hui couple’s dinner table once again had an additional dish—fragrant rich chicken soup with chicken-head ginseng.

When they’d eaten most of the meal, Yao Huang ladled herself a bowl of soup. She didn’t really want to give Prince Hui any, but thinking of how after each time Prince Hui’s breathing was just as chaotic as hers, and all that energy he exerted repeatedly, Yao Huang first glared at Prince Hui, then ladled soup into a bowl and placed it before him.

At this moment, Yao Huang discovered the wonderful utility of Prince Hui’s deathly aura—as long as he lowered his eyelids and responded with silence, others couldn’t tell whether he felt any shame or remorse for bullying the princess consort at night.

After bathing separately, as the sky was darkening, Fei Quan pushed Prince Hui to the back courtyard.

Yao Huang received him into the room. Once on the bed, she changed from her daytime resentment or fear when they were alone, and actively leaned against Prince Hui’s shoulder.

Prince Hui’s breathing grew slightly heavier as he raised his hand to rest on the princess consort’s waist.

Yao Huang didn’t dodge, asking him in a soft voice: “Second Master, you see we’re living so close now, eating three meals a day together. Could we suspend that rule about every fifth and tenth day? I’m not saying sleep together every night—alternating one night together, one night apart would work too. Like yesterday, I really can’t take it. I’d rather spread it out over several nights.”

Zhao Sui’s palm pressed against the silk material on the princess consort’s body. After a moment of silence, he said: “I rise early. I’d disturb you.”

If he could walk on his own, he could dress while maintaining quiet. But he had to call Fei Quan in, and the wheelchair rolling made obvious sounds.

Furthermore, Zhao Sui couldn’t guarantee he could sleep through until dawn every night. If he needed to use the chamber pot at night…

In such situations, Zhao Sui didn’t even want Qing Ai and Fei Quan by his side, let alone the princess consort.

Yao Huang: “I sleep deeply. As long as Second Master covers me with the quilt when you leave, I won’t wake up. Besides, what’s waking for a little while compared to sleeping well in the middle of the night only to suddenly be woken by you several times, each time lasting several quarters of an hour?”

Zhao Sui didn’t answer. He first turned the princess consort over.

When the princess consort was crying and pleading again, Zhao Sui said in her ear: “At night we’ll still follow every fifth and tenth day. In the afternoon, I’ll come keep you company during your rest.”

Yao Huang asked with difficulty: “Every day?”

Zhao Sui: “Yes.”

Yao Huang: “…”

She was asking, not begging! She wanted to explain, but Prince Hui no longer gave her the opportunity to speak smoothly.

Having slept early and well last night, when Prince Hui was about to leave in the early morning, Yao Huang woke. Opening her eyes, she saw Prince Hui sitting toward the foot of the bed, covering her lower body with the quilt.

Yao Huang liked to stick her feet out when sleeping, especially during spring, summer and autumn—in summer she often exposed an entire leg.

Not wanting to startle her, Prince Hui couldn’t just grab the quilt and shake it carelessly. He could only draw closer and lift and cover gently.

Because Yao Huang remained motionless, Prince Hui hadn’t yet discovered she was awake. He still had his back to her, those gentle and careful movements unexpectedly making Yao Huang think of her mother in the capital.

She closed her eyes again, listening to Prince Hui move himself to the wheelchair, listening to him slowly and with difficulty push the wicker chair’s large wheels to roll a few steps away, then briefly shake the bell twice.

Fei Quan came quickly and wheeled Prince Hui away.

The room grew quiet. Yao Huang hugged the quilt and turned over.

Last night when the prince established the rule about every fifth and tenth day, saying he didn’t want to disturb her sleep, Yao Huang had only thought she didn’t care. This morning she realized that if the prince stayed overnight in the back courtyard every night, then to preserve the princess consort’s dignity and propriety before Fei Quan and Qing Ai, the prince would have to cover her with the quilt every morning and carefully support himself from the head to the foot of the bed.

Supporting oneself—for people with healthy limbs it was very simple, but the prince had to support himself for a stretch, then move his legs before continuing.

So the prince must have also established every fifth and tenth day because he wanted to avoid some inconveniences to himself. Otherwise, given his enthusiasm for that activity, why constrain himself?

So was covering the quilt the only inconvenience?

Sometimes after finishing, Yao Huang would go to the privy to relieve herself. Might the prince also have had such needs where he had to relieve himself to feel comfortable?

But the prince had never used the privy on her side. Was it because he didn’t want the princess consort to push him in?

Right—other men all stood to relieve themselves. How did the prince manage?

These were all trivial matters that occurred daily. Either Yao Huang didn’t think of them, but today an opening suddenly appeared, and all sorts of inconveniences on the prince’s side related to his disability came pouring out all at once.

Yao Huang stared blankly at the distant window.

She could understand the prince’s concerns. If it were her with crippled legs, she could accept normal intimacy with her husband but absolutely couldn’t bear having a newly-wed husband lift her onto the chamber pot. Perhaps at the stage of being an old married couple this would be fine, but she was still young and thin-skinned. The prince was young and noble, they’d only been married two months—he could bear it even less.

Fei Quan had said the prince didn’t like them going to his bathhouse or privy. So both places must have equipment installed that allowed the prince to independently complete bathing and relieving himself.

Rather than depending on attendants for every little detail like a cripple, the prince definitely preferred living in a place where he could take care of himself.

The bamboo courtyard was such a place. To fulfill her wish to escape the summer heat, the prince had Physician Liao and others modify the front courtyard into such a place as well.

Yao Huang thought that actually her side could also be modified like the front courtyard.

But the prince didn’t want the princess consort to know these things, didn’t want her pondering how he bathed or relieved himself. What Yao Huang should do was remain ignorant and incurious. In a few more years, when the couple was more familiar, when the prince could be more open before her, he would speak up himself.

After breakfast, Yao Huang smiled and asked Prince Hui: “Does Second Master truly want to tan yourself darker?”

Zhao Sui looked at the princess consort and said: “Tan to the degree where you don’t need to worry about the kitchen making me tonic soup every day.”

Yao Huang gave him a reproachful look: “Perfect. I don’t want you tanned to that wheat-yellow skin color like my father and brother either. Second Master is so handsome—I prefer you with a face like jade.”

His current paleness was ghostly white. In crowds, when he sat alone in a dim inner room or bamboo grove, at first glance he could frighten people.

Glancing outside, Yao Huang suggested: “Then let’s take advantage of the morning and evening when the sunlight isn’t so fierce—I’ll accompany Second Master out for half an hour each time? We can walk by the river, walk at the foot of the nearby mountain, sunning ourselves while enjoying Spirit Mountain’s scenery. That way we won’t have wasted all the bumpy hardship of our journey here.”

Zhao Sui agreed.

He could also sun himself in the courtyard, but rather than sitting idly for half an hour in such a small courtyard space, he might as well go out with the princess consort.

The thought had just settled when the princess consort suddenly leaned closer, her dark lustrous eyes smiling at him: “These two morning and evening outings count as me accompanying Second Master out, but they can’t count toward those six or seven times you promised me earlier. When I really want to wander around, half an hour won’t be enough.”

Zhao Sui shifted his gaze away and said: “Fine. But it’s still early now. Come find me at the fifth quarter of the hour of the Dragon.”

Yao Huang understood. The town’s residents rose early—this was precisely when many people were out doing things or squatting by the river washing clothes. Even if Prince Hui went out to sun himself, he preferred more quiet.

Yao Huang took Jinbao to the west courtyard and had Qing Ai call Zhang Yue over. She asked in a low voice: “Has the matter been handled?”

Women like Madam Zhu also existed in Longevity Lane—not exactly evil, just taking out their own dissatisfaction by being harsh to those less fortunate. If Yao Huang weren’t a princess consort, she could completely retort across the wall with a few words that would leave Madam Zhu speechless. But she couldn’t let the prince hear Madam Zhu’s cold mockery, and even less did she want the prince to see her engaging in such undignified verbal disputes. Fortunately, she had people she could use.

Zhang Yue said shamefully: “Yesterday He Wenbin didn’t go out. We had no opportunity to act.”

Yao Huang didn’t have the patience to wait. What if Madam Zhu suddenly had an outburst that hurt the prince’s feelings and made him unwilling to go out again?

She’d put in so much effort—it couldn’t be ruined by one mean-spirited neighbor’s mouth.

She said to Zhang Yue: “At the hour of the Dragon, I’ll accompany the prince out for half an hour. While we’re not here, you and Wang Dong go directly to the He family. Oh, can you break through a wooden board with one punch?”

Zhang Yue maintained his steady expression: “Yes.”

Yao Huang: “Good. Once there, call out both Madam Zhu and He Wenbin. No need for chitchat—each of you break one board to show Madam Zhu, then point at He Wenbin’s leg and warn her to watch her mouth. Once she’s witnessed your prowess, she’ll definitely restrain herself.”

Since it concerned the prince, Zhang Yue had to be cautious: “What if Madam Zhu becomes angry from humiliation, and rather than being afraid, makes a big fuss of this matter…”

Yao Huang: “Ah, you went to the clinic early yesterday and didn’t hear Madam Zhu curse Second Master as a cripple.”

Zhang Yue was immediately filled with killing intent!

Yao Huang: “Right, that expression, that aura—with that, if she still dares make a fuss, I’ll have to respect her as a heroine among women.”

Zhang Yue: “…”

At the agreed time, Yao Huang came to take Prince Hui out. They headed east facing the sunlight. When they passed the last stone bridge and were about to go downhill, Yao Huang looked back and saw Zhang Yue’s figure peeking out to observe this side.

Time was limited. Zhang Yue and Wang Dong flashed out and came to Scholar He’s door.

The main gate was actually ajar.

Since they were there to threaten anyway, why be polite? Zhang Yue directly pushed open the door. After Wang Dong also entered, he closed it behind them.

Madam Zhu was wiping the tables and chairs in the main hall. Her husband was a scholar, her son a provincial graduate—they often had guests, so everything had to be kept spotlessly clean.

He Wenbin was reading in the east wing study. When his mother’s surprised and somewhat panicked voice came from outside saying “What are you here for?”, He Wenbin instinctively set down his book and walked out quickly. Emerging, he saw two burly men dressed in common cloth each pull out a finger-thick piece of new hardwood board from behind their clothing. They swept murderous, sinister gazes over him, then simultaneously struck.

Bang, bang—two sounds. The two hardwood boards instantly broke in half.

He Wenbin’s face paled. Madam Zhu’s legs went soft, trembling like chaff in a sieve.

Zhang Yue pointed at He Wenbin and said to Madam Zhu: “We two brothers only recovered our lives thanks to the Liao family taking us in. You spoke words to humiliate and mock Second Master, which is mocking our life-saving benefactor. Yesterday, considering it was your first offense, we didn’t hold it against you. If there’s a next time, we’ll directly kill your entire family then turn ourselves in to the authorities, leaving no future troubles for the Liao family.”

The local bullies in small towns, when threatening people, glared with furrowed brows. Zhang Yue and Wang Dong from start to finish merely maintained cold expressions. Even those words from Zhang Yue were spoken in a suppressed voice, flat and calm.

Yet precisely this made people believe he was serious. Madam Zhu seemed to already see the flash of blades in the dead of night when these two would scale the wall and slaughter all four members of her family!

She used her last bit of strength to run to her son’s side, knelt on the ground and begged: “Spare our lives, good sirs! It’s all my fault. I spoke carelessly and said the wrong things. Rest assured, I guarantee I’ll never again show any disrespect toward the Liao family. Truly, I swear to heaven!”

Zhang Yue merely tossed the broken board pieces before this mother and son, then left shoulder to shoulder with Wang Dong.