There were many thresholds and stone steps in the palace, and Prince Hui’s side was rushing to have the office ready by the tenth of October. Yan Lun could only have the imperial carpenters and stonemasons under his command prepare their tools and materials in advance. Taking advantage of the noon hour when the emperor, empress, consorts, and officials from various offices were all resting, they began urgently modifying thresholds and stone steps.

The stone steps only needed to have sections on both sides leveled and connected into ramps. The white marble was processed in advance at workshops outside the palace, then brought in and adhered along the stone steps—this didn’t create much noise. But grinding those tall hardwood thresholds into sloped thresholds convenient for wheelchair passage—keeping the highest point of the threshold to fit against the bottom of the door while making both sides slope downward—involved cutting, sawing, and planing, with all kinds of ear-grating sounds that attracted some officials out.

“What’s being done here?”

The craftsmen only focused on their work and truly didn’t know why such modifications were being made. Yan Lun wasn’t there either—he had only sent a supervisor from the Ministry of Works to oversee.

The supervisor was equally uninformed. No matter who asked, he said he was following Minister Yan’s instructions.

But clever officials all understood that these were the imperial palace’s thresholds—any major or minor modification required the emperor’s orders before Yan Lun would dare begin work.

If the sloped thresholds weren’t obvious enough, when two even more conspicuous ramps appeared on the white marble steps in front of the great hall, combined with the fact that His Majesty had visited Prince Hui’s residence a few days prior, the civil and military officials’ hearts were like stones had been thrown into them, stirring up ripples in circles.

Just at this time, someone from the Ministry of Works spread news that thresholds throughout all the rooms and areas of the Ministry of Works were undergoing similar modifications.

Prince Kang had doubts in his heart, but these last few days of the month weren’t days when he should be paying respects to his mother consort. His mother consort had also instructed long ago not to seek her out on non-greeting days unless there were urgent matters, so Prince Kang continued calculating accounts at the Ministry of Revenue.

After finishing work at dusk, Prince Kang walked out. Passing by the Ministry of Rites, he happened to encounter his third brother Prince Qing, who had just emerged.

“Elder Brother.” Prince Qing greeted with a smile.

Prince Kang nodded, and the two brothers naturally walked together.

Ahead was a newly modified threshold. Although the top of the threshold was still as high as before, both sides were lower. When the brothers stepped across, they both felt somewhat strange.

Prince Qing said in a low voice, “Elder Brother has heard the news spreading through all the ministries, right?”

Prince Kang maintained silence to avoid having Third Brother dig a trap for him in his words.

Prince Qing knew Elder Brother guarded against him like a fox and stated his speculation openly first: “I also think Father Emperor is going to have Second Brother take up a position at the Ministry of Works.”

Only then did Prince Kang glance at him.

Prince Qing touched his nose. “Actually, it’s a good thing. Second Brother is so young—how can he keep idling at home? But why must Father Emperor modify all these thresholds? Wouldn’t it be quite convenient, like before, to have the gate-guarding palace servants lay wooden boards in advance when Second Brother comes? Now making them into this strange appearance instead makes all the civil and military officials, including Father Emperor himself, have to readjust.”

Not having one person accommodate the civil and military officials, but rather having the civil and military officials accommodate one person—what precious status would merit such treatment?

In Prince Qing’s opinion, only if the palace’s sole master himself became disabled would it be worth such major modifications to the palace gates.

Prince Qing felt Father Emperor shouldn’t have grown senile yet and wouldn’t inexplicably suddenly want to make Second Brother the crown prince. But the things Father Emperor had done really made people unable to help thinking in that direction.

Prince Kang also had such suspicions and exchanged a mutually knowing look with Prince Qing.

Prince Qing said, “Elder Brother has always been on good terms with Second Brother. Why don’t you go to Second Brother’s place and probe his thoughts?”

Prince Kang fell silent.

He knew it—when Third Brother voluntarily approached, it was never with good intentions!

Prince Kang’s square, long face, though not as handsome as his two brothers’, had an advantage—it always looked proper and upright no matter what. Like now, even though he was inwardly criticizing Third Brother, his face showed nothing at all.

“Your second brother has a mouth as tight as a gourd—he doesn’t like to talk unless necessary, and on such matters he won’t say an extra word. It would be better for Third Brother to ask Father Emperor directly. You’ve always enjoyed favor with Father Emperor—perhaps if you ask, Father Emperor will tell you.”

Prince Qing remained silent.

He really regretted it. He shouldn’t have deceived Elder Brother so many times when they were young. Deceiving him too early and without much benefit had instead made Elder Brother smarter—now he guarded against him and had learned to copy his tricks.

The conversation was unpleasant. The brothers each boarded their own carriages.

The next day, Emperor Yongchang summoned Prince Kang and Prince Qing to the Imperial Study and asked straight to the point, “Have you seen those new thresholds?”

Both brothers nodded.

Emperor Yongchang asked, “Do you know why I made such modifications?”

Prince Kang lowered his eyes, avoiding Father Emperor’s gaze. As a child, he had often been scolded for his studies, and Prince Kang had developed this habit. Whenever Father Emperor asked questions that weren’t so easy to answer, he instinctively wanted to avoid them.

Prince Qing smiled and said, “For Second Brother, right? It’s spread throughout the Ministry of Works that Second Brother might be going there to work.”

Emperor Yongchang glanced at his eldest son, who was like a shrinking quail, and said, “Yes, your second brother is widely learned with the talent of a top scholar or third-place scholar. Rather than have him stay at the prince’s residence with nothing to do, better to have him come out and serve the court. So tell me, why must I modify those thresholds and stone steps?”

This was easy to answer. Prince Kang dared to look up now and said, “To make it more convenient for Second Brother to come and go.”

Emperor Yongchang ignored him and looked directly at Third Son.

Prince Qing knew that Elder Brother’s answer just now hadn’t satisfied Father Emperor. After thinking briefly, he sighed lightly and said, “Father Emperor wants Second Brother to feel he’s the same as everyone else, right? The civil and military officials can enter and exit palace gates by simply stepping over thresholds. When it’s Second Brother’s turn, the gate-guarding palace servants have to set up boards in advance. Each time they set up boards, it reminds Second Brother that his legs are injured—it’s somewhat like rubbing salt in a wound. What if some palace servant isn’t paying attention and forgets to set up the boards? Second Brother would be even more embarrassed. Modified to the current way, Second Brother’s wheelchair can pass as smoothly as our legs. Second Brother no longer needs to mind the palace servants laying paths but instead feels grateful each time for Father Emperor’s fatherly love toward him.”

Prince Kang remained silent.

Why couldn’t he think of these things? Why could he only answer with ten or so words?

Emperor Yongchang nodded and said, “That’s only one reason. I want Sui’er to know even more that he has talent, and I’m happy for him to come out and work. He can work as long as he wants, as long as he’s able. They’re just a few thresholds. When he’s aged and can’t work anymore, the new emperor can issue one decree to have people repair the thresholds properly. How much effort could that cost?”

By using “Sui’er” instead of “your second brother,” he was telling Prince Kang that these words were also meant for him.

Prince Kang’s eyes reddened. Father Emperor truly was a loving father, and Second Brother deserved it too.

Before he could speak, Prince Qing quickly said, “What new emperor? Father Emperor will live ten thousand years. When Second Brother can’t work anymore, Father Emperor will still be in the prime of life.”

Emperor Yongchang fell silent.

Was this treating him like a foolish, muddled ruler who only loved hearing pleasant words, or cursing his second son as sickly and weak, unable to outlast even his old father?

In his heart, he was probably delighted by the words “new emperor,” yet he spoke such nonsense to flatter!

Emperor Yongchang snorted coldly. “I’m not a turtle—I don’t have such a long life. I only hope that the new emperor after me can take good care of his brother with disabled legs. Don’t wait until I’m gone to eagerly change the thresholds back, implying that his brother with disabled legs should hurry home to retire. That would not only hurt his brother’s heart but also make the civil and military officials and common people throughout the realm mock the imperial family’s brotherly discord!”

When the emperor father was angry, Prince Kang and Prince Qing quickly knelt down.

Emperor Yongchang said, “Go on, go peacefully to your duties.”

The two princes took their leave. After leaving the Imperial Study, bathed in the bright sunlight outside, the brothers once again exchanged glances.

Father Emperor hoped the “new emperor” would continue caring for Prince Hui. The implication was that Father Emperor would still select the crown prince from the two of them!

Having received this reassurance, Prince Kang and Prince Qing once again dismissed the disabled Prince Hui from their minds, with eyes only for each other.

Inside the Imperial Study, Emperor Yongchang leaned back in his chair, gazing dejectedly at the ceiling.

One honest and dull, one self-importantly clever. If not for worrying that these two, if they became suspicious, would go disturb Second Son, Emperor Yongchang really wouldn’t want to give them this reassurance.

Prince Kang and Prince Qing indeed didn’t come to disturb Prince Hui. The civil and military officials wouldn’t rashly visit Prince Hui, who had long declared he was closing his doors to guests. But at the end of the month, the craftsmen from Prince Hui’s residence who went to the palace to repair the room at the Ministry of Works walked a small circuit in the palace and the Ministry of Works. More than a dozen pairs of eyes all saw those strange thresholds. After finishing their work and returning to the prince’s residence, the lead craftsman reported this matter to Eunuch Cao.

Chief Steward Guo Shu mainly handled the prince’s residence’s external affairs, such as social relations with imperial relatives and officials, as well as the shops, properties, and estates under the prince’s residence’s name. Most of the internal affairs of the prince’s residence were still managed by Eunuch Cao and Nanny Liu.

For such a major matter, Eunuch Cao naturally had to report to His Highness and the princess consort.

After Eunuch Cao withdrew, Yao Huang said in a low voice, “I used to think Father Emperor was rather careless. This time he’s finally been thoughtful for once.”

Zhao Sui rebuked, not very heavily, “Father Emperor has the world in his heart. You cannot harbor any resentment toward Father Emperor because of me.”

Yao Huang huffed.

When she first married Prince Hui, Yao Huang had indeed felt Emperor Yongchang wasn’t a good father. What good father could do something as disgusting as taking the woman who broke off the engagement with his second son and marrying her to his third son as a daughter-in-law?

After she became more familiar with both Prince Hui and Emperor Yongchang, Yao Huang discovered that Emperor Yongchang didn’t fail to care about his second son with disabled legs. He simply wasn’t thoughtful enough. Combined with Prince Hui’s temperament of not competing, not fighting, not making a fuss, and being unwilling to curry favor with his own father, Emperor Yongchang felt his son only had one difficulty he was powerless to help with—his “disability.”

Like this time requesting a position, Yao Huang had considered a private office and washroom for Prince Hui. The thresholds were something Emperor Yongchang himself proposed, fully demonstrating that the emperor father truly understood how to care for Prince Hui.

On the eighth of October, when the palace thresholds and steps as well as Prince Hui’s office at the Ministry of Works were just finishing up, Master Deng and Ji Zhun, the Director of the Weapons Workshop, brought four new wheelchairs to Prince Hui’s residence.

Yao Huang had been eagerly anticipating the new wheelchairs with large metal wheels. She pushed Prince Hui’s wheelchair very quickly, only slowing down with a pretense of composure when Prince Hui spoke up.

All four new wheelchairs were displayed in the hall. All featured large metal wheels and fine wooden push wheels. Among them were one rattan and one rosewood three-wheeled wheelchair each, and one rattan and one rosewood four-wheeled wheelchair each.

The large metal wheels on the rattan wheelchair were golden yellow, only two fingers wide, with a similar color to the outer golden nan wood push wheels that were one circle smaller and only one finger wide and didn’t touch the ground. Both wheels harmonized with the color of the rattan chair, forming a unified whole.

The large metal wheels on the rosewood wheelchair were purple-black, complementing the rosewood fine wheels and rosewood chair body beautifully.

Besides the familiar rattan and rosewood, Yao Huang couldn’t identify any of the materials used. She relied entirely on Ji Zhun’s explanations beside her, detailing which metals were used in the two beautifully colored large wheels.

Master Deng pointed to the four-wheeled rattan chair and said, “All four-wheelers are for external use. If self-propulsion isn’t considered, this chair body would be more suitable with golden nan wood. It’s just that time was rushed—this commoner hasn’t yet had time to craft the chair body.”

Zhao Sui said, “No matter. For external-use wheelchairs, just make the rosewood ones.”

Yao Huang stood behind Prince Hui and winked at Master Deng. The prince’s residence didn’t lack silver—they wanted both rosewood and golden nan wood. Wheelchairs were to Prince Hui like clothing—sitting in the same color all the time would become tiresome.

Prince Hui was going to test the wheelchairs. Yao Huang and the others withdrew first. Before long, Prince Hui, sitting in the old wheelchair, expressed that he was very satisfied with this batch of new wheelchairs. He told the Weapons Workshop to only manufacture these two types of large metal wheels currently in use as spares in the future, without needing to devise new designs.

Ji Zhun and Master Deng could finally unload the burden that had weighed on them for two months. When they left, they each received a generous reward.

Once the outsiders left, Yao Huang selected the lightest rattan three-wheeled wheelchair and sat in it right in front of Prince Hui. She pushed herself in a small half-circle around the main hall. The push wheels crafted from golden nan wood felt truly comfortable to the touch!

“How does Your Highness find it?”

“I can move freely indoors.”

In other words, when he worked at his office in the Ministry of Works, from retrieving documents to going to the rest area to relieve himself and wash his hands, he wouldn’t need Qing Ai or Fei Quan to attend to him.