On the tenth, the prince’s residence craftsmen made another trip to the Ministry of Works, moving all the various items Prince Hui would use inside and arranging them properly. After they finished work, the office would be ready for use.
The office had two locks in total. The key to the south door lock of the outer room was in Qing Ai’s custody—in the future, when Prince Hui came, he would open the door, and when Prince Hui left, he would lock it again. The key to the small door in the north wall of the inner rest area was in Fei Quan’s custody. Whether Prince Hui needed water for washing or cleaning the chamber pot, he would use this route, avoiding encounters with officials coming and going through the south courtyard.
With these two locks, plus Qing Ai and Fei Quan’s attendance, they could ensure that others couldn’t spy on the private matters in the inner room that Prince Hui didn’t want outsiders to know about.
On the same morning, Prince Hui also entered the palace sitting in the newly made four-wheeled rosewood wheelchair with large metal wheels.
Barring any accidents, from now on, Zhao Sui would sit in the new wheelchair with large metal wheels whether moving about inside or outside the residence. All the previous purely wooden wheelchairs had been stored in the prince’s residence warehouse as spares. Three-wheeled wheelchairs were suitable for indoor chambers. The rattan chair wasn’t dignified enough, so Zhao Sui kept it at the prince’s residence for private use, while the rosewood one had already been transported to the office by craftsmen to serve as Zhao Sui’s seat when handling official business and receiving officials.
Pushed by Qing Ai, Zhao Sui entered the palace through the Western Glory Gate. At this time, in the middle of Western Glory Gate’s tall threshold, both the inner and outer sides now had fixed ramps. The tops of the ramps were level with the threshold and wouldn’t obstruct the opening and closing of the palace gate.
The lightweight rosewood wheelchair, with its large metal wheels that rolled more smoothly and effortlessly, was controlled by Qing Ai’s strength so that the wheelchair only paused momentarily when mounting and leaving either end of the ramps. Other than that, there was no other inconvenience whatsoever.
Master and servant proceeded smoothly through multiple palace gates like this, climbing over several high and low white marble stone steps, easily and successfully arriving at Qianyuan Hall.
Approaching mid-October, the north wind blowing head-on had already turned cold. Emperor Yongchang sat in the Western Warm Pavilion, where the underfloor heating had already been lit. Watching Qing Ai walk in with Eunuch Wang, along with his son in the wheelchair, he noticed Qing Ai’s eyes were red-rimmed, and even his son’s handsome thin eyelids showed a trace of extremely faint crimson.
Emperor Yongchang suddenly didn’t dare look more closely. He feared his son was truly moved to tears and would make his own tears flow as well.
Emperor Yongchang waved his hand, telling Eunuch Wang and Qing Ai to withdraw. Then he left his seat and walked around to behind his son’s wheelchair, carefully examining the two rosewood-colored large metal wheels covered with a thin layer of dust, and asked with concern, “Is the new wheelchair working well?”
Zhao Sui turned his head to look at Father Emperor’s robe hem, showing respect. “It works well. Pushing it is more convenient and effortless than wooden wheels. For all those thresholds and steps in the palace, your son doesn’t know how to express his thanks to Father Emperor.”
Emperor Yongchang turned his son’s head back around with one motion. After a moment of calm, he smiled and said, “What’s there to thank? How much silver does it cost to modify a few thresholds? I give you brothers five thousand taels of nobility stipend every year and spend over ten thousand taels on betrothal gifts to marry wives for you, yet I’ve never seen any of you come thank me for that.”
Before his son could respond, Emperor Yongchang extended one finger and wiped it across his son’s large metal wheel. Looking at the dust on his fingertip, Emperor Yongchang shook his head and said, “What kind of work is the Weapons Workshop doing? This color of large wheel looks nice when displayed clean, but once it rolls on the ground, it gets dirty. Better use golden yellow wheels instead, paired with a golden nan wood chair body—that color is more dirt-resistant.”
The rosewood-colored metal wheels were more lustrous than rosewood but showed dust more easily.
“I’ll have the storehouse allocate you a batch of golden nan wood specifically. Use it when you should—don’t needlessly be modest with me.”
Zhao Sui said, “…Thank you, Father Emperor.”
Emperor Yongchang pushed his son to the game table. Knowing his son didn’t like to talk much, this time Emperor Yongchang had prepared a game board in advance.
Once they were playing, neither father nor son mentioned the thresholds along the way. Emperor Yongchang asked while facing the board, “Is the office repaired?”
Zhao Sui replied, “Yes. The room Father Emperor allocated to your son is spacious. Your son converted it into inner and outer rooms.”
Emperor Yongchang looked surprised. “That large? I only heard about it from Yan Lun—I haven’t seen it myself. But since it’s given to you, it’s yours. Modify it however you want.”
Father Emperor refused to admit it. Zhao Sui could only remain silent.
Emperor Yongchang asked, “Since it’s repaired, will you go tomorrow, or spend more time with your wife?”
Zhao Sui said, “…Your son wishes to come tomorrow.”
He had already spent half a year with the princess consort. Because he had too much leisure time, he had been diligent about bedroom matters day and night, even earning a misunderstanding from the princess consort that he was lustful. Starting work earlier would both allow him to apply what he had learned and let the princess consort recognize that he really wasn’t such a lustful prince.
Emperor Yongchang said, “Fine. Then come to tomorrow morning’s court assembly too. Including all future major and minor court assemblies—Yan Lun and those other officials in their sixties can get up for them. You’re so young—there’s no reason you should still be sleeping in.”
If the eldest and third sons had the qualification to attend court and listen to government, then the second son did too.
He, as Father Emperor, would first establish that Second Son could participate in court assemblies. In the future, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he would continue to regard and employ Second Son as a normal prince of first rank.
Zhao Sui held the game piece in his palm, glanced at Father Emperor’s hand across from him, and said, “Father Emperor, your son only wants to concentrate on doing well at the Ministry of Works. Court assemblies…”
Emperor Yongchang looked up, staring at his son. “You want to be lazy? I’ve already laid ramps on the steps in front of the great hall for you, yet you won’t come? Won’t those officials criticize me for wasting silver?”
Zhao Sui remained silent.
Emperor Yongchang continued, “Silver is still a small matter. Court assembly discussions relate to the entire Great Qi Dynasty’s governance, people’s livelihood, and military defense. As a prince of first rank of the Great Qi Dynasty, how can you stay uninvolved? I’m telling you plainly: when I’m on the throne, you must participate in court assemblies. When I’m gone, you still must participate. I’m counting on you to assist the new emperor, lest he be fooled by his ministers and ruin the revival that I and the late emperor labored two generations to establish.”
If Second Son’s legs weren’t disabled, he would be the future new emperor, and his brothers would all have to listen to him.
Second Son’s legs were disabled, and he had this temperament of not competing or fighting—he posed no threat to the new emperor. The new emperor could confidently and boldly rely heavily on Second Son.
When passing on the imperial throne in the future, Emperor Yongchang would instruct the new emperor he selected to make good use of Second Son. At this moment, he needed to establish in Second Son a loyal heart that would spare no effort to assist the new emperor without shirking responsibility, rather than hiding in the Ministry of Works his whole life as a hands-off prince who only worked behind the scenes without standing out, afraid of arousing his brothers’ jealousy of his talents, allowing the new emperor to stray down the wrong path.
Emperor Yongchang’s dragon eyes radiated威严 as he stared at his son in the wheelchair.
Zhao Sui met Father Emperor’s gaze for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said, “Father Emperor, rest assured. Your son has never thought of staying uninvolved.”
He just didn’t want to stand out too much and attract trouble. But when it truly came to matters concerning the realm and state that required him to speak, Zhao Sui would absolutely not evade.
After finishing the game, Zhao Sui left the palace, declining Father Emperor’s lunch invitation.
Yao Huang came to the front to receive Prince Hui. Learning that Prince Hui would start work tomorrow and had to get up at the first quarter of the hour of Yin to enter the palace and wait for the early morning court assembly, Yao Huang didn’t know whether to congratulate Prince Hui for achieving his wish and finally having work to do, or to feel sorry that he’d have to crawl out of warm bedding while it was still pitch dark so early in the morning.
Whether it was the previous rule of every fifth and tenth day, or Yao Huang’s newly proposed rule of sharing chambers every third, sixth, and ninth day, due to the princess consort’s boldness, the couple had never executed these rules too strictly. Today was the tenth—an awkward day when Prince Hui could either sleep with the princess consort according to the old rule or sleep alone in the front courtyard according to the new rule.
After dinner, Yao Huang considerately offered on her own initiative, “Since you must rise early tomorrow morning, I won’t cling to you tonight.”
Eliminating the journey from the rear courtyard back to the front courtyard, His Highness could sleep a tea period longer.
Prince Hui had wanted to clear his reputation of being “lustful” and was naturally willing to cooperate.
The days were getting shorter. Yao Huang returned to the rear courtyard wrapped in the descending night. After washing up, she told Chun Yan, who was keeping vigil tonight, “Wake me at the first quarter of the hour of Yin tomorrow morning.”
Yao Huang couldn’t manage to wake up early to see Prince Hui off every time he went to court, but the first time was special—she was willing to work hard this once.
Without His Highness there and with the sky dark, there was no entertainment. Before the hour of Xu, Yao Huang was already lying in bed asleep.
Probably because her mind was occupied with seeing His Highness off, the next day Yao Huang actually woke up before Chun Yan came to call her. Outside the window was pitch black, with a bracing cold breeze blowing. Yao Huang didn’t arrange her hair or adorn herself. She dressed in her outer garments, wrapped herself in a long cloak that reached her ankles, and pulled the hood tightly, leaving only half her face exposed.
She sat on the couch by the window in the side room and had Chun Yan listen for movement from the front. When Prince Hui had finished washing up and was about to depart, only then did Yao Huang run over in small steps, successfully intercepting him before he left Ming’an Hall.
Qing Ai pushed the wheelchair, and Fei Quan carried a lantern walking ahead. Where the lantern’s light couldn’t reach remained pitch black.
When the princess consort ran closer, the master and two servants could finally make out the princess consort’s figure hidden from head to toe.
Qing Ai turned the wheelchair around.
Zhao Sui looked at the princess consort who stopped before him, listening to her slightly labored breathing, and asked, “Why did you get up?” He hadn’t expected the princess consort to see him off.
Yao Huang smiled and said, “To see you off, of course. Just this once—don’t overthink it. I can’t get up every day.”
Zhao Sui remained silent.
The early morning court was important. Yao Huang took over the wheelchair and pushed Prince Hui outward. With Qing Ai and Fei Quan beside them, the couple didn’t say much. In the dim light, there were only three sets of footsteps, mixed with the faint sound of the rosewood wheelchair’s large metal wheels crushing the stone path.
Master Deng was already rushing to make the golden nan wood wheelchair, but it wasn’t finished yet. The more exquisite the wheelchair, the more effort it required.
Watching Prince Hui being pushed onto the carriage, Yao Huang looked up and smiled at him. Before the carriage departed, she ran back inside the prince’s residence.
Zhao Sui could hear the princess consort’s footsteps and imagined her removing her cloak and burrowing into the warm bedding. Zhao Sui called forward, “Let’s depart.”
The Duan Gate of the Imperial City was already open. Civil and military officials were successively walking inside.
Prince Hui’s arrival was neither early nor late. The light from the lanterns carried by palace servants was dim—from a distance, no one could recognize anyone. Only Prince Hui’s wheelchair was most conspicuous.
“We pay respects to Prince Hui.”
“No need for formalities.”
Accompanied by several officials, Qing Ai pushed Prince Hui to the area outside the great hall, at the base of the high white marble steps.
Prince Kang was always among the first officials to arrive. In the pitch dark and biting cold, officials who rose early were all drowsy—no one wanted to make small talk.
Prince Kang stood at the very front. Not until someone behind him called out “We pay respects to Prince Hui” did Prince Kang suddenly turn around.
Seeing Second Brother clearly, Prince Kang was both shocked and delighted. He strode over, skillfully shooing away Qing Ai and taking over the wheelchair. “Wait outside. From now on at court assemblies, I’ll push your master in and out.”
Qing Ai thought to himself: You’d better remember that. Don’t leave our prince all alone inside when court is dismissed.
A quarter hour before the hour of Mao, all officials had arrived. Palace servants opened the great hall’s main doors, and the officials walked up the high white marble steps in an orderly fashion according to the court assembly’s standing positions.
On the left side, Prince Kang pushed Prince Hui walking at the very front, with Prince Qing following closely behind.
Because all three princes took the ramp, the civil officials behind them had no choice but to follow. Seeing this, the military officials on the right hurriedly also changed to the ramp on the right side.
Light brilliant as daylight spilled out from within the great hall. Only then did the officials in the front row truly see Prince Hui’s new wheelchair clearly. Those two rosewood-colored large metal wheels, even covered with a layer of dust, still flashed with brilliant light, just like Prince Hui’s flawless jade-like profile in the lamplight.
In the early winter of the thirtieth year of Yongchang’s reign, the second imperial son, Prince Hui, who due to disabled legs had secluded himself for over a year, ascended to court once more.