Chapter 20

Considering Prince Hui’s usual preference for light and bland food, Yao Huang ordered ten skewers of savory roasted meat for him and had the vendor wrap them in two layers of oiled paper.

The weather was warm, and by the time they returned to the mansion, the outer layer of the oiled paper was still warm.

The main gate was too far from the Bamboo Courtyard, so to deliver the skewers to the prince as quickly as possible, Yao Huang had Zhang Yue go ahead to the stables to fetch her horse, Neon. As soon as she got out of the carriage, Yao Huang mounted the horse, holding the reins in one hand and cradling the oiled paper package in the other. The stone-paved paths, both large and small, were smooth and even, allowing Yao Huang to quickly reach the entrance of the Bamboo Courtyard.

Fei Quan, hearing the sound of hoofbeats, peeked through the crack in the gate. He saw a chestnut horse approaching on the quiet, dimly lit path flanked by green bamboo. On its back sat the princess consort, dressed in white and green, her face radiant like the full moon on Mid-Autumn Festival, illuminating the surroundings.

Fei Quan was momentarily stunned. It wasn’t until the princess consort, seemingly noticing him, tilted her head to look toward the crack in the gate that he snapped out of it. He quietly opened the gate and slipped out like an eel.

Yao Huang reined in her horse and gestured toward the courtyard with her chin. “Has the prince eaten yet?”

Fei Quan: “He finished a while ago.”

Yao Huang: “Has he gone to bed?”

Fei Quan: “Not yet. He might be reading.”

After Qing Ai brought out dinner, the prince would spend about half an hour digesting his meal. What he did during that time was unknown to them. Later, Physician Liao would come to massage the prince’s legs. Once the massage was over, the prince would clean himself and then retire for the night.

“Does the princess consort have something to attend to?”

“I brought some food for the prince. Should I give it to him directly, or is it alright to hand it to you?”

From Fei Quan’s cautious demeanor and the way he lowered his voice when responding, Yao Huang deduced that the prince disliked being disturbed. She began to suspect that she might not get to see him tonight.

Fei Quan glanced at the oiled paper package in the princess consort’s hand and replied thoughtfully, “Please wait a moment, Princess Consort. I’ll go inform the prince.”

Yao Huang nodded with a smile, thinking to herself how mysterious the Bamboo Courtyard was. Even she, the princess consort, had to wait outside and couldn’t even enter the courtyard.

In the rear courtyard, Zhao Sui sat on a rattan chair placed in the middle of the eastern railing, watching the warm glow of the setting sun dance on the tips of the bamboo grove opposite him.

Fei Quan called out for the prince from under the eaves of both the eastern and western rooms but received no response. Guessing that the prince was in the rear courtyard, he raised his voice slightly, “Your Highness, the princess consort requests an audience!”

Zhao Sui turned his gaze toward the back door of the main hall. After a pause, he said, “Let her in.”

Fei Quan pushed open the door, closed it behind him, and then made his way to the rear courtyard. Seeing that the prince was no longer in the sunlight, he said softly, “The princess consort has brought you some food. She rode Neon here, likely worried that the food would get cold. What should we do?”

Zhao Sui: “The wheelchair.”

Fei Quan called Qing Ai over, and together they lifted the heavy wheelchair and helped the prince into it.

Yao Huang stood by the roadside, observing the bamboo. After waiting for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Fei Quan returned to open the gate and invited her in with a smile.

Yao Huang couldn’t help but think of her mother’s loud voice. Whenever her father lingered too long at a neighbor’s house and her mother needed him, she would stand in the courtyard and shout, “Old Yao, come back!” Her voice would carry, and her father would rush home as fast as he could, obedient as could be.

The prince, however, was different. Even the princess consort had to go through such trouble just to see him.

As she walked to the courtyard gate, Yao Huang saw Prince Hui sitting at a stone table, a tea set laid out before him.

She glanced around. To the north were three main rooms, their doors tightly shut. The rooms to the east and west, whose purposes she didn’t know, were also closed.

The bamboo grove blocked much of the outside light, leaving the courtyard only slightly brighter than the bamboo-lined path outside. Combined with the lifeless, pale-faced master of the house and the two eunuchs who dared not breathe too loudly, Yao Huang, who had just left the bustling streets, felt as though she had stumbled into a scene from a ghost story.

Soon, Fei Quan and Qing Ai retreated to the corners of the courtyard, one to the south and the other to the north, like little ghosts helping a great demon block the path of the living.

Zhao Sui watched as his princess consort glanced left and right, her lively movements far exceeding those of Fei Quan and Qing Ai combined. Meanwhile, Zhao Sui took the opportunity to observe her from head to toe. In the past few days, she had dressed in luxurious attire, but now, in her simple and plain outfit, she exuded a beauty like a lotus emerging from water.

The twilight did not darken her face; instead, it cast a soft, mist-like glow around her.

Zhao Sui’s gaze returned to the stone table. It was only after marrying the princess consort that he realized there could be such a woman in the world. During the day, she shone like a pearl, and at night, under the candlelight, she glowed with a rosy hue. Everywhere his palm touched, her skin felt like smooth, soft jade, plump and delicate. Zhao Sui couldn’t tell whether it was his own lack of self-control or her overwhelming beauty that captivated him.

“Sit.”

The stone table had stools only on the east and west sides. Prince Hui sat to the north, while Yao Huang took the seat to the east, at least allowing her to catch a glimpse of the lingering sunset in the western sky when she looked up.

“Look, these are the roasted lamb skewers I brought for you.”

As Yao Huang unwrapped the oiled paper, she explained, “They’re from that stall on South Street. It’s said to have been there since my father was a child. It’s a famous old establishment in the capital. The lamb is freshly slaughtered daily, so it’s always fresh, and they use a secret family recipe for the marinade. Let me put it this way—every year on my birthday, I always go to Wangxian Tower for lunch and then have these skewers at dusk. That’s how good they are.”

Qing Ai, hiding in the shadows of the northern wing, grew anxious again. The prince hadn’t eaten anything heavy in a year, let alone street food. What if it upset his stomach?

What Zhao Sui faced, however, was the princess consort smiling as she held out a skewer to him.

Yao Huang took one for herself, took a bite, and nodded in satisfaction. “It’s still warm, and the flavor hasn’t changed much.”

Zhao Sui took the skewer and began eating.

The roasted lamb was a perfect mix of lean and fatty meat, with a crispy exterior and tender interior, a testament to the vendor’s skill with the fire.

After finishing one skewer, Zhao Sui was immediately handed a second one by Yao Huang.

Zhao Sui: “You eat too.”

Yao Huang smiled. “I’m already full from eating at Wangxian Tower. That skewer I just had was purely to satisfy a craving. Please, Your Highness, eat as much as you like. Don’t be fooled by the nine skewers I gave you—the amount of meat here is less than what’s in two buns. With your tall frame, if I weren’t unsure of your taste, I would’ve brought you twenty skewers! Once, someone treated my brother to these, and he ate fifty skewers in one go!”

Zhao Sui glanced at the princess consort’s outstretched hands and gave a faint smile, as if humoring her astonishment.

“Did you only visit South Street?”

“Yes, there are countless shops selling food, clothing, and daily necessities. Today, I only visited a few jewelry stores. I’ll go back tomorrow.”

Zhao Sui looked at the top of her head. “Did you buy any jewelry?”

Yao Huang: “I picked out two pieces for my mother—things she couldn’t bring herself to buy before. The ones I liked were too expensive, and I didn’t bring enough silver. I’ll go back tomorrow to buy them. Oh, the five pieces I’m interested in total a little over a hundred taels. Jewelry worth twenty or thirty taels should still be fitting for a princess consort, right?”

She didn’t want the prince to think she was spending too much on jewelry.

Zhao Sui: “As a main piece, it would be quite shabby. As an accessory, it’s slightly shabby.”

Yao Huang: “…”

Zhao Sui: “Next time you go out, you don’t need to bring silver. Pick out the most expensive jewelry and have the store deliver it directly to the mansion.”

Yao Huang: “…Wouldn’t that reveal my identity? I don’t want to be treated specially. Besides, I like the twenty or thirty tael pieces. As long as they look good, that’s enough for me. I think the expensive ones aren’t worth it.”

Zhao Sui: “Of course, you can wear them when you’re out in plain clothes. But if you attend banquets, people might assume you’re not living well as a princess consort.”

Yao Huang: “Let them assume what they want. I know I’m living well, and that’s what matters. I buy jewelry to make myself happy. As long as it makes me look better, it’s good jewelry. I don’t care what others think, unless you, Your Highness, also think that wearing twenty-tael jewelry would embarrass you.”

Zhao Sui twirled the skewer he had just picked up and looked at the princess consort. “Do you truly feel content in the prince’s mansion?”

Yao Huang answered without hesitation, “Of course.”

She didn’t have to serve her in-laws, and her taciturn, mobility-impaired husband only required her attention six days a month. With such leisure and two generous monthly allowances, if Yao Huang weren’t satisfied, it would be a betrayal of her conscience.

Zhao Sui could tell she was sincere. That’s why, even though she had complained bitterly last night when he treated her that way, she hadn’t held a grudge afterward.

The nine thin skewers, accompanied by the princess consort’s cheerful chatter, were slowly finished by Zhao Sui.

The light in the Bamboo Courtyard dimmed further. Yao Huang glanced at the tightly closed door of the main hall and tactfully asked, “Then, Your Highness, should I let you rest early? I’ll head back now.”

Before Zhao Sui could respond, there was a soft knock at the gate.

Yao Huang turned her head in confusion and saw Fei Quan emerge like a shadow from the darkness. He opened the gate just a crack, and before Yao Huang could see who was outside, he closed it again. Turning around, he reported, “It’s Chef Kong. He forgot something and asked me to check if it’s in the kitchen.”

Zhao Sui knew it was Physician Liao and instructed, “Escort the princess consort back to Ming’an Hall.”

Yao Huang: “No need to escort me. I’ll ride Neon back quickly.”

With a smile at her husband in the wheelchair, Yao Huang stood up and left. Outside the gate, aside from Neon, there was no one in sight.

As the sound of hoofbeats faded into the stone-paved path beyond the bamboo grove, Physician Liao, carrying his medical kit, peeked out from behind the courtyard wall. He exchanged a glance with Fei Quan, who seemed to be waiting for him, and then stepped out with relief.

Fei Quan whispered reproachfully, “Didn’t you see the princess consort’s horse?”

Physician Liao felt wronged. How was he supposed to recognize the princess consort’s horse? It was almost time for the prince’s massage, and he didn’t dare keep the prince waiting.

Fei Quan reminded him to be more alert next time and ushered him inside.

Zhao Sui was still sitting by the stone table.

Physician Liao noticed the oiled paper on the table and caught the enticing aroma of roasted meat.

Qing Ai expressed some concern: “The princess consort brought this back from South Street. Will it upset the prince’s stomach?”

Physician Liao thought to himself, *I’m not a worm in the prince’s stomach. How should I know?*

“As long as the meat is fresh and the ingredients are clean, it should be fine.”

Qing Ai: “The prince just finished eating. Should we start now, or wait another half-hour?”

Physician Liao bowed slightly. “It’s best to let him rest for a while.”

Throughout this exchange, Prince Hui remained silent.

—

Meanwhile, Yao Huang finished her bath and lay down on the bed, feeling every bone in her body sigh with contentment. Since her marriage, she had always shared the bed, but tonight, the large bed was finally hers alone.

Having been active all day, Yao Huang rolled around on the bed a few times before settling down. Soon after, she fell asleep.

Back in the Bamboo Courtyard, Physician Liao left with his medical kit. Zhao Sui, leaning on the railing, moved steadily but unhurriedly to the washstand. He untied his undergarments, removed his shorts, and picked up a towel from the bucket to wipe his body.

The room was so quiet that the only sounds were the rubbing of the towel against his skin and the occasional splash of water.

Once he was done, he put on the undergarments hanging nearby and, still leaning on the railing, made his way back. Though his movements appeared practiced, each shift of his body required immense effort, and any action that demanded such exertion was far from graceful.

He extinguished the lamp beside him and slid under the covers.

Outside, the frogs in the pond began croaking, joined by their counterparts in the lake to the west of the garden.

The roof above was pitch black, and Zhao Sui closed his eyes.