Yao Huang and Prince Hui simultaneously looked toward Master Deng.

Master Deng pointed to the large wheel and push-rim on the left side of the three-wheeled rosewood wheelchair he had just demonstrated, saying: “Although this push-rim makes it convenient to propel, being so close to the large wheel inside, the two wheels together are more than half a foot wide. This both hinders reaching over to push and makes the appearance look bloated and cumbersome. This commoner was thinking—could we use refined iron, black iron, steel, or bronze, brass, and other metal materials to forge the large wheels? Metal has strong load-bearing capacity, so using it could reduce the width of the large wheels. If installed on a rattan chair, the overall weight of the wheelchair shouldn’t increase too much either.”

Prince Hui seemed to be contemplating something. Yao Huang asked her confusion first: “Wheels made of metal—are they convenient to push?”

Master Deng had prepared for this. He retrieved two small wheelchairs, only about a foot tall, from a box set aside.

Both three-wheeled wheelchairs with push-rims were made of elm wood. One had wooden large wheels, while the other had the large wheels replaced with thin circles of brass.

Yao Huang stared at those two brass large wheels, finding them increasingly familiar: “These are modified from brass bracelets?”

The inside of the brass bracelets had many small holes where Master Deng had inserted small wooden rods, assembling them into the shape of large wheels.

Master Deng explained: “Yes, because civilian blacksmith shops don’t have molds for forging iron wheels that fit wheelchair dimensions. I worried that if we had them made on the spot, they might not have sufficiently refined smelting techniques. So I had this pair of brass bracelets made at a jewelry shop to test first and see whether this commoner’s idea is actually feasible.”

Yao Huang greatly admired Master Deng’s ingenuity. Without waiting for him to speak, she placed both small wheelchairs on the ground and pushed one with each hand. The brass-wheeled chair was indeed more effortless to push.

She placed the small wheelchairs on a long table, then pushed Prince Hui over so he could try them himself.

Master Deng continued: “Wooden wheels are light, but when encountering uneven terrain, the wheelchair shakes noticeably. Brass wheels bearing the same weight have less contact area with the ground, so the shaking isn’t as obvious.”

Looking at the two small wheelchairs on the long table, Yao Huang found the brass-wheeled one indeed looked more streamlined and comfortable. Most importantly, it was smoother and more effortless to push!

She asked Master Deng: “You mean civilian blacksmith shops can’t make the iron or brass wheels the Prince needs, so we’d have to go to the court’s weapons workshop?”

Master Deng replied: “Yes, and this commoner is merely a carpenter with insufficient understanding of metal materials. I can only provide blueprints—specifically which metal material is most suitable would still need to be determined by skilled blacksmith masters.”

Yao Huang looked toward Prince Hui, who had been silent for quite a while.

Zhao Sui said to Master Deng: “I will consider this matter. The wheelchairs delivered today are all excellent. After I’ve tried them, I’ll send word to you.”

Master Deng bowed in acknowledgment.

Yao Huang gave Steward Guo a look, having him take Master Deng to the accounting office to receive his reward money. This time, Master Deng was visibly thinner than at the end of May, showing how much thought and energy he had expended pondering the new wheelchairs.

After he left, Yao Huang crouched before the large wheel of a new wheelchair, examining its construction, then looking at how the large wheel connected to the push-rim at various points. Each component required specially crafted molds. Even if outside blacksmith shops could produce the molds, they could only purchase ordinary pig iron and crude copper at most. Moreover, could those civilian craftsmen who at most forged farm implements truly create wheels as refined as Master Deng’s level?

Prince Hui was a prince of the first rank—of course he should use the finest wheelchair.

Right—Master Deng hadn’t yet presented his blueprints!

Yao Huang quickly had Eunuch Cao go ask Master Deng for them.

Eunuch Cao looked toward the Prince. With the Prince’s meticulous attention to detail, not having Master Deng hand over the blueprints just now clearly meant he hadn’t considered the proposal to trouble the weapons workshop.

Behind the Princess Consort, Zhao Sui nodded slightly.

Only then did Eunuch Cao leave. He soon returned, saying Master Deng had placed the blueprints inside that box.

Yao Huang went to the box where indeed a thick stack of drawing papers lay. On top was a detailed diagram of a complete metal large wheel, noting dimensions like wheel height and width. Following were specific breakdown diagrams of every minute detail, including the internal slender gear strips of the large wheel and the corresponding inner and outer diameters of the gear holes—densely packed, making Yao Huang’s eyes hurt just looking at them.

She handed the stack of blueprints to Prince Hui in their original order.

After Zhao Sui briefly reviewed them, he said: “You should go back first. I’m going to the bamboo courtyard to test these new chairs.”

Yao Huang cooperatively returned to Ming’an Hall. After confirming that Eunuch Cao and several young eunuchs had pushed all five wheelchairs to the bamboo courtyard and returned, Yao Huang had A’Ji summon Eunuch Cao over for a private inquiry: “Does the weapons workshop only handle forging weapons?”

Apart from the Six Ministries, Yao Huang wasn’t very clear about the responsibilities of other court offices.

Eunuch Cao explained: “The weapons workshop is primarily responsible for forging military equipment, but it also handles making miscellaneous iron implements for the palace, like scissors, candlesticks, and so on.”

Yao Huang asked: “So that means if the blacksmith masters at the weapons workshop had Master Deng’s blueprints, with some time and effort they could definitely manufacture the wheelchair’s large wheels?”

Eunuch Cao met the Princess Consort’s gaze for a moment, then sighed: “They could, but I fear the Prince doesn’t want to make this request of the weapons workshop.”

The weapons workshop belonged to the court, to the imperial family. With the Prince’s status, if he wanted a few handy weapons forged or wheelchairs made, he need only send someone with his waist token and the matter would be settled—the weapons workshop absolutely wouldn’t dare refuse or neglect it. But their Prince was one who accepted whatever the Emperor bestowed without asking for more. Aside from voluntarily requesting to go to battle, from childhood to now, the Prince had never once proactively asked the Emperor for anything, including ordering about any palace servants not assigned to him.

If the wheelchair absolutely required metal wheels, the Prince might make an exception. But the Prince already had so many styles of mobility wheelchairs that Eunuch Cao surmised the Prince probably didn’t want to occupy the weapons workshop blacksmith masters’ efforts or use the court’s precious ores mined from various places for personal benefit.

Yao Huang understood—Prince Hui was a complete fool!

If the weapons workshop could make batch after batch of scissors and candlesticks for the palace, how was forging two wheels for Prince Hui any kind of personal benefit? It wasn’t as if his legs were perfectly fine and he wanted two useless wheels to play with—his legs were disabled! Disabled defending Great Qi’s territories and people, disabled relieving Emperor Yongchang’s worries. If Emperor Yongchang was willing to use metal materials to make candlesticks and scissors, would he really begrudge a drop in the ocean of metal to make wheels for his war-hero disabled son?

At the bamboo courtyard.

Zhao Sui was alone in the back garden where there was sufficient open space.

He first tried the four-wheeled rattan chair with push-rims. Of the three new four-wheeled chairs, this was the lightest. Pushing it required effort similar to the rattan chair he’d used before, except the push-rims kept his hands clean.

He didn’t need to try the other two four-wheeled chairs. Zhao Sui transferred himself onto the rosewood three-wheeled wheelchair. Applying the same force with both hands, the wheelchair indeed traveled farther than when he’d pushed the four-wheeled rosewood wheelchair.

He transferred again to the three-wheeled rattan chair. This required even less effort, allowing him to push himself in one go from the south end of the back garden to the north end—a full fifty or sixty steps.

After resting briefly, Zhao Sui pushed himself back to the starting position. By now, a layer of sweat had formed on his back, but his heart felt light.

With this three-wheeled rattan chair, when the mood struck, he could stroll through the gardens himself. Though he still needed to rest after traveling a distance, at least in the back garden he could go wherever he wanted without Qing Ai or Fei Quan following. Even if he lingered somewhere too long, he wouldn’t have to worry whether those beside him were willing to accompany him so tediously.

Though he was a prince, Zhao Sui didn’t want those serving him to endure unnecessary torment, didn’t want them one day to harbor resentment they dared not voice for serving such a peculiar-tempered master.

After bathing, Zhao Sui returned to Ming’an Hall before lunch.

Yao Huang came smiling to greet him: “How were they?”

Zhao Sui replied: “Have Master Deng make two more each of the three-wheeled rosewood and rattan chairs with push-rims as backups. For four-wheeled ones, continue using the previous light model.”

His self-propelled wheelchair speed was far slower than when others pushed him. When going out, rather than waste time, he might as well continue letting his attendants do it.

Yao Huang said: “Just hearing the Prince describe it, I can’t feel the difference. This afternoon I’ll go to the bamboo courtyard to try them.”

The Princess Consort had long since used a wheelchair for mobility. Zhao Sui naturally had no objection.

At dusk, Yao Huang came to the bamboo courtyard where both three-wheeled wheelchairs were displayed in the front courtyard.

Yao Huang sat in the lightest three-wheeled rattan chair, grasped the push-rims on both sides, and pushed forward forcefully.

Using about seventy percent of her strength, the rattan chair finally moved. When her arms became too sore to push anymore, Yao Huang looked back and found she was only five or six steps from her starting position.

Yao Huang looked toward Prince Hui, who sat nearby observing: “How far can the Prince manage?”

Zhao Sui answered: “About thirty steps.” This was a fairly comfortable distance that wouldn’t make him sweat.

Yao Huang: “…”

After admiring Prince Hui’s arm strength, Yao Huang said with longing: “If the Prince can push this far with wooden wheels, if they were really changed to the metal wheels Master Deng mentioned, wouldn’t the Prince be able to push fifty or sixty steps or even farther?”

Zhao Sui replied: “This one is already sufficient for my indoor use. There’s no need to develop a new one.”

Yao Huang looked somewhat disdainfully at the large wheel and push-rim of the rattan chair positioned like a fat person and a thin person standing side by side, muttering: “This doesn’t look good. The Prince is so handsome and elegant—you should naturally be paired with a wheelchair as pleasing to the eye as you are.”

Zhao Sui lowered his gaze, avoiding the Princess Consort’s intent stare: “For indoor use, like the cushions you wove, comfort is what matters.”

Yao Huang paused, genuinely unhappy now: “Fine! When I said my weaving wasn’t good-looking, that was false modesty. So the Prince really does find my cushions ugly.”

Zhao Sui: “…”

Yao Huang called Qing Ai out from where he was hiding in the corner and pointed at the main building of the bamboo courtyard: “The Prince finds the cushions I gave him hideously unbearable to look at. Go fetch them and throw them in the kitchen to burn!”

After hearing this, Qing Ai only wanted to kneel before the Princess Consort.

Zhao Sui signaled him to withdraw and placated the Princess Consort: “I misspoke. I’ve never seen other cushions, so I mistook your modest words for truth.”

Yao Huang still looked at him resentfully.

Zhao Sui extended his hand toward her.

He was currently sitting in that household light rosewood wheelchair, sturdy enough. As Yao Huang placed her hand on Prince Hui’s, she skillfully settled onto his lap, leaning against his shoulder and asking softly: “Does the Prince truly not find them ugly?”

Prince Hui, who mistakenly thought he still needed to coax her further, felt relieved: “Mm.”

Yao Huang smiled, then turned and pointed at those two new wheelchairs with push-rims in the distance, saying: “But I find those two ugly. I want the Prince to have a wheelchair with metal large wheels. If gold weren’t too soft, I’d want to forge wheels of pure gold for you. Iron and copper and such are all beneath the Prince’s station.”

Zhao Sui countered: “I’ll only use them in the bamboo courtyard. I guarantee you won’t see them.”

Yao Huang insisted: “That won’t do either. I can imagine the Prince sitting on them. The Prince has ten parts handsomeness, but sitting on those, it suddenly drops to only seven parts. Why should that be? I want the Prince to always be perfectly handsome at ten parts.”

The perfectly handsome Prince Hui: “…”