Yao Huang discovered that Prince Hui occasionally said one thing while meaning another. Just like how he had praised her performance before Emperor Yongchang in the carriage, he had actually held a grudge about her mentioning how the people of Lingshan had looked down on him. The evidence was today’s afternoon rest—Prince Hui had “rested” with unusual vigor, rubbing the ivory mat against the inner side of the bed board until its edge curled up two or three inches high, though it would soon be of no use.

Yao Huang sobbed and cursed between sniffles: “I should’ve just let you stay cooped up in your study until you were truly depleted, then let’s see how you’d torment me!”

Prince Hui remained unmoved.

Yao Huang thought of a new tactic and turned to yell outside: “Come quickly and see…”

Before she could finish saying what to see, Prince Hui covered her mouth.

However, provoked by the princess consort, Prince Hui had no choice but to release her early.

After committing his misdeeds, Prince Hui didn’t even rest in the afternoon before going to the Bamboo Courtyard. Yao Huang wrapped herself in the quilt and slept until dusk. Upon waking, she received two Mid-Autumn Festival gift lists sent by Chief Steward Guo Shu—one for the princess consort’s natal family on Longevity Lane, and one for the princess consort’s grandfather’s family in the suburbs.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was a major holiday, so the festival gifts were prepared even more lavishly than those for the Dragon Boat Festival—ginseng, bird’s nest, wine, tea, chicken, duck, fish, meat, silk, satin, rouge, and face powder.

Thinking of the effort—both mental and physical—she had expended for Prince Hui, Yao Huang accepted both gift lists on behalf of her family without any guilt.

In the evening, Prince Hui returned to Mingan Hall from the Bamboo Courtyard.

Yao Huang lowered her head and twisted her fingers.

Prince Hui had two faces—one in bed and one out of it. Yao Huang felt she was the same. Before she married into the prince’s residence, though she couldn’t be called a dignified young lady, she had never said or done anything shameful. Those bold words she’d spoken that made her feel particularly embarrassed when recalled afterward were truly all coaxed out of her by Prince Hui!

After silently finishing dinner, Yao Huang grew more and more unable to swallow this grievance. She circled behind Prince Hui’s wheelchair and poked his shoulder: “It’s all your fault.”

Zhao Sui looked toward the door, not quite certain what the princess consort was blaming him for.

Yao Huang: “If you were truly even a bit depleted, I wouldn’t have spoken such wild words without choosing my words carefully.”

Zhao Sui: “…Mm.”

Yao Huang: “As punishment, you’ll rest alone during tomorrow’s afternoon nap.”

Zhao Sui nodded.

The princess consort felt satisfied and ran out the door with a red face.

On the morning of the tenth, Zhao Sui supported himself at the railing in the Bamboo Courtyard for two quarter-hours. After massage and bathing, he returned to Mingan Hall.

When Yao Huang received the news and looked at the water clock, it had just passed the hour of chen. If she set out for Longevity Lane now, she could stay at home for half an hour longer than she had previously planned.

She went to the front courtyard to see Prince Hui and asked tentatively: “Has Your Highness finished reading?”

Zhao Sui: “The journey to Longevity Lane is long—best to set out early.”

Yao Huang was delighted and couldn’t wait to call Fei Quan to pass word to the front courtyard to prepare the carriage and load the gifts.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, common people were all visiting relatives and friends to exchange festival gifts. Wealthy families sent more, ordinary households sent less—what mattered was observing the occasion.

When the carriage from Prince Hui’s residence turned into Longevity Lane, the common people waiting outside all craned their necks.

Yao Huang hid behind the window curtain and peeked out. Suddenly she beckoned to Prince Hui and widened the curtain gap for him to look outside: “That one wearing a blue short jacket with the round head—see him?”

His Highness Prince Hui, who had maintained proper sitting posture throughout, had no choice but to tilt his head. Following the curtain corner lifted by the princess consort, he saw a young man wearing a blue short jacket in front of a household diagonally ahead. Of medium height, not fat, but his head was indeed quite round.

Because the princess consort had lifted the curtain high, the other party also saw him, his eyes widening in shock before fearfully lowering his head.

Yao Huang also witnessed this scene. She lowered the curtain and huffed as she complained to Prince Hui: “That’s him. When we were young, he always called me ‘Ah Huang.’ Even after growing up, he often mocked me for being fat behind my father’s and brother’s backs. Lucky for him I’m broad-minded and didn’t want to bother with him, otherwise if I’d just let my father or brother punch him once, he’d have to lie in bed for several days.”

Mainly she was more worried that her father or brother might hit too hard and the person would go to the authorities to file a complaint.

Zhao Sui looked at the princess consort’s beautiful face that glowed luminously even in the carriage, unable to understand how any man could mock her.

The princess consort moved close to the curtain gap again, watching for a while before sighing.

Zhao Sui: “Why the sigh?”

Yao Huang looked at him: “I’m feeling regretful. If Your Highness’s status were just a bit lower—say, if you were a marquis’s son—I’d pull you in front of the neighbors for a tour to make those who usually dare to gossip about me thoroughly envy and be jealous of me. But you’re a prince. If I really pulled you out, everyone on the street would have to kneel and pay respects. That would make me look too much like a bully, and I can’t do that.”

Before Zhao Sui’s eyes floated the fearful expression of that blue-jacketed young man just now, and then he thought of the neighbors on both sides of Lingshan Town.

Once he had thought that when he appeared before people in a wheelchair, those people would either sympathize and regret, or coldly mock, or see him as a freak.

Only after being pushed onto the street by the princess consort did Zhao Sui discover that very few people cared about his legs. Apart from curiosity about how he had injured them, the neighbors were more concerned with his appearance and wealth, or envied or were jealous of his financial resources, painting skills, and the fact that he had married a beautiful wife. As for strangers passing by, they were all busy with their own affairs—their gazes didn’t linger on him for long.

If he revealed his identity, how would these common people react?

They still wouldn’t sympathize, because he would still be the incomparably noble Prince Hui in their eyes, a prince they must respect and fear lest they bring trouble upon themselves. The way common people had revered and feared him before age twenty-two would continue afterward, including the dukes, marquises, and nobles, civil and military officials that the princess consort mentioned—they would all continue to maintain the proper etiquette a subject should show when meeting a prince.

Zhao Sui wasn’t taking pride in his princely status. He simply suddenly understood that apart from himself, apart from the few people close to him who would pity him and the few who would gloat over his misfortune, everyone else didn’t care at all whether his legs were truly crippled or not. They only cared whether the wealth, talent, and power he possessed would affect them—like the female stall owner at the fabric shop who was extremely ingratiating, or Squire Qi who asked him for paintings; like the noisy scholar’s mother who resented him for stealing her son’s limelight, while the neighbors who had offended the princess consort feared his retaliation.

Ancestors treasured their worn brooms; today he merely pitied his own crippled legs.

“I’ve heard Longevity Lane has a Longevity Stone?” After a long silence, Zhao Sui asked the princess consort.

Yao Huang was preparing to exit the carriage when she heard this and looked over in surprise: “Your Highness even knows about this?”

Zhao Sui: “In my youth I studied maps of the entire capital. Some street and lane names had annotations explaining their origins.”

Yao Huang once again witnessed Prince Hui’s vast knowledge and strong memory. He really did look at things and remember them, unlike her who only had deep impressions of interesting or improper things.

Then Yao Huang felt somewhat embarrassed and explained: “What Longevity Stone? It’s just that the lane once produced an old longevity star. There used to be a stone in front of his house—the very common kind of flat stone that village households use as a stool. The old longevity star liked to sit on that stone and chat with people. After he passed away, that stone gained the gimmick of being the ‘Longevity Stone’ and was moved by the neighborhood head to the lane entrance as a showpiece. If I’d known Your Highness was interested, I would have pointed it out when we turned in just now.”

Zhao Sui: “No rush.”

They arrived at the Yao residence. Yao Zhenhu, Luo Jinhua, and Yao Lin—all three—had long been waiting respectfully at the door.

As Yao Huang and Qing Ai worked together to help Prince Hui down from the carriage, the family of three all got a clear look at the prince in the wheelchair. Yao Zhenhu was both surprised and envious—how cool must it have been at Lingshan for them to have nurtured his prince son-in-law’s complexion so well? The capital summer was truly deadly hot; his wife didn’t even want to sleep in the same quilt with him!

Luo Jinhua only felt happy. The better her son-in-law’s complexion, the more promising her daughter’s days ahead.

After exchanging greetings, everyone entered the main hall. Wooden planks had been laid before the main gate and hall entrance of the Yao residence, allowing the new wheelchair to pass through easily.

With Yao Huang taking the lead, Yao Zhenhu was the first to relax and curiously asked his daughter about conditions in Lingshan Town.

Luo Jinhua personally went to the kitchen to wash the grapes her daughter had brought—a whole heavy basket of them! If they relied only on their own family to eat them all, wouldn’t their teeth be soured to death!

It was still early before mealtime. Zhao Sui said to Yao Lin: “I wish to observe this lane’s Longevity Stone. Would Lingyun guide me there?”

Yao Lin looked completely bewildered. What Longevity Stone?

Yao Huang: “The stone at the lane entrance.”

Yao Lin was about to say what was there to observe about that broken stone when he received his mother’s meaningful look. Yao Lin immediately stood up: “Alright, I’ll take Your Highness there.”

Yao Huang was quite surprised that Prince Hui would designate her rough and careless brother as his companion, and also worried that her brother wouldn’t serve well as host. She inquired: “Shall I go along as well?”

Zhao Sui: “You should spend more time with your mother-in-law.”

Yao Zhenhu: “That’s right, Yao Yao stay home. Your brother and I will accompany the prince for a walk. Nothing to worry about—the neighborhood head heard the prince was coming today and had all the households tie up their dogs early. We guarantee no one will disturb His Highness.”

Yao Huang: “…”

Watching her broad-backed and bear-shouldered father and brother escort Prince Hui out the door, one on the left and one on the right, Yao Huang suddenly felt an uneasy sensation—as if Emperor Yongchang had entrusted his precious treasure to her, and she had in turn entrusted it to her father and brother.

Luo Jinhua smiled and pushed her daughter into the east room: “Don’t worry, Eunuch Qing Ai is there. Your father and the others won’t offend the prince. Now quickly tell Mother—how did the prince regain his spirit?”

Yao Huang didn’t mention her long-term plan, only spoke of the crucial battle where she had “acted coquettishly and made a fuss” to induce Prince Hui to agree to accompany her out.

Luo Jinhua sighed: “It’s still because the prince has you in his heart. Otherwise, even if you went on a hunger strike it would be useless.”

Yao Huang: “It’s still because I’m capable—able to make the prince have me in his heart.”

Luo Jinhua: “…”

On Longevity Lane, a crowd of neighbors who had been craning their necks toward the Yao family’s door suddenly saw Prince Hui in his wheelchair come out again. Those close to their homes immediately ran back, while those too far to run simply stood rooted to the spot. When they saw someone kneel to greet the prince, these people all dropped to their knees with a whoosh.

Yao Zhenhu was stunned.

Zhao Sui said: “I’m merely taking a casual walk. Father-in-law, please tell them they’re excused from the courtesy.”

Yao Zhenhu, accompanying his prince son-in-law outside for the first time, also came to his senses from this scene. He stepped forward two paces, gathered his breath, and his tiger-like roaring voice boomed throughout the entire lane: “The prince is going to observe the Longevity Stone at the lane entrance and excuses you from courtesy! Hurry up and rise, everyone! Go about your business!”

Upon hearing this, the kneeling neighbors hurriedly stood up and scattered clean away in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Zhao Sui decided that in the future he should still accompany the princess consort out in disguise.

Qing Ai pushed the wheelchair as the four of them walked toward the lane entrance in silent footsteps, and there they saw that truly very ordinary “Longevity Stone.”

Yao Lin, who had been unable to find anything to say all along, thought of an old matter and pointed at the Longevity Stone: “The year I first went to study at the Military Academy, I normally lived there and only came home on rest days. Then every evening before rest days, my sister would sit here waiting for me. After many times, she even renamed the stone—called it the ‘Waiting-for-Brother Stone.'”

Having said this, Yao Lin saw his prince brother-in-law smile slightly.

Yao Lin looked excitedly toward his father.

Yao Zhenhu snorted—his daughter had never sat here waiting for him!