On the fifth day of the eighth month, after eating breakfast, Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui out the door, leaving the luggage from both courtyards for Qing Ai, A’Ji, and the others to pack.
The Prince’s Manor guards disguised as escort agency bodyguards had long been waiting on the street. Still using four horse carriages, they attracted neighbors from both sides of the street who either came close to watch the excitement or stood far off at their own doorways looking this way.
Yao Huang accompanied Prince Hui on one last walk along the riverbank embankment. Just like the first time they went out after arriving in town, when they encountered neighbors who greeted them, Yao Huang handled the pleasantries while Prince Hui simply sat quietly. But there were differences too—now Prince Hui’s complexion was as handsome as beautiful jade, no longer the pallor of before. Prince Hui’s expression was tranquil and serene, no longer lifeless.
Everyone was busy. Yao Huang had also brought Jinbao out. The little fellow sometimes scampered ahead, sometimes went to the shore to sniff around, then looked up to discover his master had walked far away and chased after them.
Ahead was the easternmost stone bridge. Yao Huang planned to cross the bridge, slowly make a circuit and return. Then it would be about time to board the carriages.
Who would have thought that Jinbao would actually run under the tree by the bridge, and then, just as Yao Huang and Prince Hui both looked over, lift a hind leg and start urinating.
Zhao Sui: “…”
Yao Huang looked down and saw on Prince Hui’s face the speechless expression she had become quite familiar with. She immediately laughed: “Has Your Highness never seen such an inelegant sight before?”
Zhao Sui glanced at the princess’s teasing, smiling eyes and simply looked elsewhere.
Yao Huang said by his ear: “What’s this? I’ve even seen seven or eight-year-old boys pull down their pants right on the street.”
In such an intimate position, when the princess was halfway through speaking, Zhao Sui thought the princess was going to say she had seen his. A silent fire ignited in his chest. After hearing the princess’s complete sentence, that fire quickly extinguished, unable to spread to his face or ears.
“Speak no impropriety.” After a long while, Zhao Sui reminded in a low voice.
Yao Huang: “It’s only you and me. Why must Your Highness be so proper?”
Zhao Sui fell silent.
Yao Huang tested: “Does Your Highness truly dislike hearing me say such things? Then I’ll definitely control my mouth in the future and never speak nonsense in front of Your Highness again.”
Zhao Sui made no response, but he knew that rivers and mountains might change but one’s nature was difficult to alter. The princess was a person who acted freely and followed her heart. Next time when she should speak, she would still speak. He would probably gradually grow accustomed to it.
Passing by the family that had given them Jinbao, both little siblings were outside. Yao Huang glanced at Jinbao and said to the siblings: “We’re moving away. Let’s take Jinbao inside to see its mother one more time.”
Common people’s families treasured their grain. At most, they would keep one dog to guard the house and courtyard, or one old dog and one puppy. If Jinbao stayed, it would only be given to someone else. So Yao Huang had discussed with Prince Hui, and they would bring Jinbao back to the Prince’s Manor together.
Jinbao still remembered its former master’s home and followed the siblings inside. After playing with the big dog inside for a while, it actually ran out on its own, as if worried that if it stayed too long, its new masters would leave without it.
Two or three quarters of an hour later, Yao Huang took one last look at the locked gate of the east courtyard, brought Jinbao along, and boarded a horse carriage with A’Ji.
Heaven was kind—the return journey was as smooth as when they came. Although there were still various unavoidable inconveniences, thinking of how Prince Hui could now calmly appear in his wheelchair on busy streets and alleys, Yao Huang felt these troubles were nothing at all.
On the seventh day of the eighth month, approaching noon, Prince Hui’s Manor’s four horse carriages finally entered the southern gate of the capital. After traveling another long stretch of road, the four carriages drove into the thresholdless Prince Hui’s Manor.
Yao Huang jumped down from the carriage, picked up the looking-around Jinbao and placed it on the ground, laughing: “Look, this is your real home. Go explore properly.”
Jinbao ran a circle around the spirit wall, then approached the doorway leading to the second courtyard, curiously yet cautiously peering inside.
Yao Huang walked toward Prince Hui’s wheelchair.
Zhao Sui said to Fei Quan: “Qing Ai will follow me to Ming’an Hall. You go tidy up Bamboo Courtyard.”
Fei Quan accepted the order and left.
The guards had returned ahead to pass word. The water room at Ming’an Hall had already heated water. Chef Kong, who had been idle for nearly two months, was already busy in Ming’an Hall’s kitchen early on, just waiting for His Highness and the princess to rest before sending up delicious delicacies.
Compared to the simple small courtyard in Lingshan Town, Ming’an Hall was far more comfortable. The three senior maids Bai Ling, Chun Yan, and Qiu Chan enthusiastically and attentively crowded around the princess into the west room’s bathhouse—some serving tea, some fanning, some helping change clothes. Why would A’Ji, equally weary from the carriage journey, need to both pack things and fetch water to serve?
Before long, Yao Huang was comfortably soaking in her large bathtub.
Bai Ling and the other two had just finished helping the princess wipe down and wash her hair. Their foreheads were sweating from the work. Now they stood in a row before the bathtub, staring fixedly at the princess they had been separated from for so long.
Yao Huang: “…We’ll see each other every day from now on. Why are you all staring at me like this?”
Chun Yan laughed: “When the princess isn’t here, we servants are idle all day with nothing to do. We were nearly bored to death.”
The Prince’s Manor had many rules. When the masters weren’t present, the servants couldn’t move about freely either. Except for going to the streets at the end of each month, the three of them could only wander between the maids’ quarters and Ming’an Hall’s back courtyard on ordinary days—far less comfortable than when the princess was present.
Yao Huang: “Then A’Ji must envy you all. She was cooking and washing clothes outside, and still had to look after the dog I newly adopted.”
The three maids looked at each other. None dared say the playful words “next time leave A’Ji to rest at the manor and take us out to work hard.”
Yao Huang told them to sit on stools and asked: “These two months, has anyone come to the manor?”
Chun Yan and Qiu Chan both looked toward Bai Ling.
Bai Ling said: “On the fifteenth of the sixth month, Consort Noble sent someone to invite the princess into the palace. Learning that Your Highness and the princess had gone out to escape the summer heat, they summoned this servant into the palace for questioning.”
Hearing this, Yao Huang told Chun Yan and Qiu Chan to withdraw for now.
As soon as the two left, Bai Ling knelt on the ground with a thump, saying nervously: “Princess, please see clearly—Her Ladyship asked this servant about the specific circumstances of how you and His Highness get along, and also asked about Hua Mei’s punishment. Hua Mei’s punishment was her own fault. This servant did not conceal it, but this servant never revealed anything that violated the manor’s rules to Her Ladyship. Please believe this servant, Princess.”
Yao Huang: “Stand up and speak. Don’t kneel when I haven’t told you to kneel.”
Bai Ling stood up anxiously and uneasily.
Yao Huang looked at her for a while and said: “I believe you. But if Her Ladyship couldn’t get anything from you, how could she let it rest?”
Bai Ling’s eyes reddened.
Yao Huang frowned: “Speak. How did she punish you?”
Bai Ling looked at her own arm and said tearfully: “Her Ladyship had someone pinch this servant several times.”
Slapping the face would leave marks. Pinching arms, waist, or legs—even if pinched black and blue, it could be hidden by clothing and wouldn’t lose Consort Noble’s dignity.
Yao Huang was quite familiar with Consort Du’s temperament by now. She said with pity: “I’m afraid it wasn’t just several times, but several dozen times?”
A palace maid sent out who refused to obey her—how could Consort Du easily calm her anger?
Bai Ling wiped her eyes, showing a relaxed expression as if a burden had been lifted: “The princess need not feel sorry for this servant. Having gone through this once, this servant has become a person who betrayed her master in Consort Noble’s eyes. Whatever punishment was due has been given. From now on, Consort Noble won’t trouble this servant anymore.”
This was the settlement of her past mistress-servant relationship with Consort Du. Yao Huang hadn’t been present at the time and couldn’t protect Bai Ling. Making a fuss afterward wouldn’t be worth it, as all the evidence was gone and Consort Du held the title of elder.
She said to Bai Ling: “You can rest assured too. As long as you’re loyal to me, even if she troubles you again in the future, she’ll have to get past me first.”
Bai Ling smiled through her tears. Back when the princess dealt with Hua Mei, she already knew the princess was no soft persimmon. So she believed the princess could protect her.
The bath ended. Her hair not yet dry, Yao Huang went to the front courtyard with her long hair loose.
In the main hall, Prince Hui had changed into a jade-green satin summer robe, wearing a white jade hairpin on his head. Below him, he now sat in the rosewood wheelchair used at home. Imperial nobility emanated from him.
Noticing his gaze first fell on her loose, wet hair, Yao Huang felt inexplicably nervous. Surely this person wasn’t going to criticize her for improper deportment?
Once nervous, her gaze showed timidity first and her steps slowed. Just moments ago when she first turned the corner, she had been as carefree as in town.
Zhao Sui lowered his eyes and took a longan-sized green grape from the fruit plate before him. His original intent was to use this everyday action to dispel the princess’s concerns, but the instant he picked up the green grape, he suddenly remembered the daytime impropriety he and the princess had committed under the grape arbor.
His movement paused slightly. Zhao Sui nonchalantly placed the grape in his mouth.
Yao Huang’s attention was indeed diverted. Looking at the plate of green grapes and plate of purple grapes on the table, she said with delight: “Are these grapes grown in our own garden?”
Zhao Sui: “These days are when they’re just starting to ripen. Chef Kong picked two clusters selectively.”
Yao Huang had already sat at his right, picked a purple grape and put it in her mouth. Sweet and sour, better than any she’d eaten before. Then Yao Huang remembered—when Manor Steward Guo Shu had brought people to transplant the grapevines, he mentioned these two vines came from the imperial estate in the capital suburbs that specially supplied vegetables and fruits to the palace.
The sons and daughters of the imperial family might not necessarily have the best appearances or talents in the world, but what imperial family members ate, wore, and used was basically the best in the world.
Such delicious grapes—if only she didn’t have to spit out the seeds, it would be even better.
When only two slippery little seeds remained in her mouth, Yao Huang glanced at Prince Hui and brought out the noblewoman’s deportment she’d learned in the palace. First she opened a silk handkerchief to cover half her face, then gently spit the grape seeds into the empty plate beside her specifically for seeds.
Zhao Sui: “…”
If the princess hadn’t been stealing glances at him while spitting seeds, the deportment would have looked better.
Taking advantage of the moment when the princess lowered her eyes, Prince Hui raised his hand to catch the grape seeds from his mouth and placed them on another empty plate.
Yao Huang put down the handkerchief and discovered the seeds on Prince Hui’s side. Surprised, she said: “When did Your Highness spit them?”
The key question was how he spit them! She had wanted to see what kind of posture the dignified and upright Prince Hui used!
Zhao Sui didn’t answer. He picked up a purple grape and, with hands that had held brushes and wielded weapons, clumsily but carefully peeled the skin and removed the seeds, then placed the flesh on the fruit plate before the princess.
Yao Huang was just about to use her hand to take it when she saw the grape juice flowing from the flesh onto the plate. She laughed and said to Prince Hui, who was about to peel a second grape: “Your Highness, look—your hand is already stained with juice. Why not just feed it directly into my mouth? Save me from having to wipe my hands.”
Zhao Sui: “…”
A moment later, he picked up the flesh that had been split in half from removing the seed, still connected on one side, and placed it into the red lips the princess opened toward him.
Yao Huang ate seven or eight in succession. Her stomach was hungry. So when Prince Hui fed her another grape flesh, Yao Huang accepted the grape while grasping Prince Hui’s wrist.
Zhao Sui met the gaze the princess cast over. Immediately after, the princess’s face moved forward, well-intentioned yet lacking in deportment, helping him clean the grape juice from his fingertips.
Prince Hui closed his eyes and heard the princess declare righteously: “I can’t very well let Your Highness serve me for nothing.”