Chapter 26

After putting away the spear, Yao Huang washed off the sweat, and it was time for dinner.

Prince Hui had left after his morning activities and had spent the whole day in the Bamboo Courtyard as usual. Since he wasn’t coming over, Yao Huang was happy to relax.

After a good night’s sleep, she woke up refreshed. It was the 30th of the month, a day off for officials and students. Yao Huang had specially chosen this day to invite her family to the Prince’s Mansion to enjoy the gardens. There were late-blooming peonies and fully bloomed peonies in the garden, and the sun wasn’t as strong as in the height of summer.

She wrote a single—page “letter,” folded it, and asked Ah Ji to take a trip to the Bamboo Courtyard: “Knock on the door, slip the letter into the crack, and then wait on the path in the bamboo forest.”

Ah Ji looked at the letter the Princess Consort handed him and advised, “You should use an envelope. What if the Prince suspects that I’ve peeked at it?”

Yao Huang replied, “I didn’t write anything you shouldn’t see. Why waste an envelope?”

Ah Ji shook his head and took the folded letter to deliver it.

Fei Quan was still waiting by the south window of the gatehouse. Seeing it was Ah Ji, he took the letter and didn’t chase after him. He went directly to see the Prince.

Zhao Sui opened the letter: “Prince, I’ve told my father and the others to arrive at exactly the hour of the snake (8 am). A half-hour stroll through the garden before lunch is perfect. Don’t worry, Prince, I’ll keep them in check and make sure they don’t disturb you.”

“By the way, my father and the others enjoy alcohol. I’ve had someone get a barrel of strong wine from the Prince’s Mansion’s wine cellar. Is there any significance to this wine? If it’s not meant to be drunk casually, I’ll have someone put it back.”

Yao Huang had planned to ask about the wine last night but had completely forgotten about it in the “busyness.”

Zhao Sui put away the letter and told Qing Ai to grind the ink.

A little over a quarter of an hour later, Ah Ji, with a teasing expression, handed an envelope to the Princess Consort: “Look, how particular the Prince is.”

Yao Huang was even more curious about what Prince Hui had written, so she tore open the envelope and took out the letter. It contained only one sentence: “Imperial tribute wine; the Princess Consort is free to use it.”

Yao Huang: “…”

The Prince’s handwriting was beautiful, and his words were kind. However, Yao Huang didn’t dare to let her family members drink freely, making them look like poor relatives who hadn’t seen the world in eight hundred years. If word got out, it would be a total laughing stock.

The banquet was set up in the east wing of the Prince’s Mansion. There were two courtyards specifically for guests: the front one for male guests and the back one for female guests. But since it was her own family, there was no need to be so strict about the division.

Yao Huang strolled over. The main hall was spotlessly clean, beautiful peonies were in the vases, and there were four plates of various dried fruits. She could already imagine her family happily enjoying themselves.

As the appointed time approached, Yao Huang arrived at the front gate of the Prince’s Mansion in advance. Guo Shu, the steward, Eunuch Cao, and Mrs. Liu were all there, chatting quietly in front of the screen wall. When they heard the Princess Consort’s footsteps, they quickly rushed over to greet her.

Yao Huang curiously asked, “Why are you making such a big fuss?”

Eunuch Cao smiled, “Noble guests have arrived at the mansion today. This is our duty.”

The Prince had given instructions in advance to have them serve well.

Yao Huang blushed. Except for her father, who was a sixth-rank military official, her grandfather and two uncles were ordinary farmers. How could they be considered as noble guests?

But the three of them treating her family so seriously indicated their respect for her as the Princess Consort, which made Yao Huang quite happy.

At that moment, a servant who had been waiting outside ran in, “They’ve arrived, they’ve…”

Having accidentally encountered the Princess Consort, who had just not been there, the servant quickly suppressed his excitement.

Yao Huang ran out of the gate. Glancing to the side, she saw five strong men riding five mules, surrounding two mules that seemed to be borrowed, entering the wide alley in front of the Prince’s Mansion. The five strong men were her father, Yao Zhenhu, her brother, Yao Lin, along with her three cousins.

Luo Kun and Luo Peng, her eldest and second cousins, were twins from her maternal uncle’s family. They were twenty—two years old. Luo Ze was eighteen and from her other maternal uncle’s family.

Upon seeing his sister, Yao Lin wanted to speed up, but Luo Kun, beside him, quietly stopped him, “Steady!”

They had traveled the long, ten—mile road from the town in the suburbs steadily. Losing composure at the Prince’s Mansion would be counterproductive.

Yao Lin had to continue slowly.

Finally, they arrived at the gate. The five men dismounted simultaneously and ceremoniously greeted the Princess Consort.

Yao Huang supported her father, “Alright, there are no outsiders here. No need to be so formal.”

She went to the first mule cart and helped her grandparents, who were wearing new fine clothes, out of the cart. They were both over sixty, with gray hair. And because their family’s life had improved over the past twenty years, they were both quite healthy. Her grandmother, in particular, had a rosy complexion, the most beautiful among her peers.

Luo Jinhua was also in this cart.

On the side of the second mule cart, the maternal uncles and aunts got down themselves, bringing Yao Huang’s only cousin, Luo Yue, also from her other maternal uncle’s family.

They had discussed it in advance, and everyone in both families, regardless of age or gender, were wearing brand new clothing—not luxurious, but sufficiently respectable.

Ignoring Yao Huang’s pleas, everyone insisted on greeting the Princess Consort.

Yao Huang quickly dismissed Guo Shu, Eunuch Cao, and Mrs. Liu. Once they left, her family members relaxed.

Sure enough, when they arrived at the banquet hall, after Ah Ji and Bailing’s group retreated to the courtyard, fifteen—year—old Luo Yue immediately rushed over and hugged Yao Huang’s arm, “Sister, the Prince’s Mansion is so big! From the gate to here, I think Grandfather’s legs are shaking!”

Grandfather’s face turned red, “Nonsense! I was nervous. If we were comparing strength, I would still be faster than your father in farming.”

The second uncle chuckled good—naturedly, not refuting the old man.

Grandmother said, “Yao Yao, I think this courtyard is quite beautiful. Why don’t we just stay here? We can leave after dinner. Let’s not go to the garden. My old bones can’t handle such a large garden.”

Luo Peng, the second cousin, said, “You still have old bones? The other day, when Mother came back from the market, she complained to Father that you were too energetic. Her feet were sore, almost unbearable.”

The eldest aunt: “…”

The second aunt helped to make up for it, “Sore or not, we’re happy. Other mothers-in-law wouldn’t keep buying things for their daughters-in-law.”

The two aunts were sisters from the same family and had married the Luo brothers. They had a wonderful relationship.

Grandmother said, “Alright, alright. This is the Prince’s Mansion. Stop talking nonsense and listen to Yao Yao’s arrangements.”

Yao Huang said, “My arrangement is to go to the garden. Those who feel too old can stay here. Those who can walk, come with me.”

After exchanging glances, everyone followed the Princess Consort.

Along the way, Yao Huang repeatedly assured them that the Prince was secluded in the Bamboo Courtyard and wouldn’t appear.. Unexpectedly, as she led the way through the moon gate leading to the back garden, she saw Prince Hui sitting in his wheelchair under the shade of a lush green tree.

It was too late to warn them. Her relatives rushed out one after another, and after looking around, they were all stunned by the sudden appearance of Prince Hui.

Yao Zhenhu, Luo Jinhua, and Yao Lin were relatively better. Her grandfather, who had been a farmer his whole life, stumbled. Fortunately, his two sons-in-law quickly supported him.

Zhao Sui smiled, slightly tilting his head. Qing Ai pushed the wheelchair towards them.

Luo Jinhua was the first to react and gestured for everyone to follow her in paying respects.

Zhao Sui quickly said, “They’re all family, so there’s no need for such formalities.”

But her relatives didn’t listen to the Prince and insisted on bowing.

Yao Huang didn’t like this scene. Walking to the wheelchair, she whispered, “Why did you come out, Prince? You didn’t give us any warning, you left us unprepared.”

The familiar tone, with a hint of complaint, made her grandmother and Luo Jinhua quickly exchange a glance. Then, the seemingly unapproachable Prince said, “It’s not proper to neglect the elders on their first visit.”

He was willing to humble himself, and Yao Huang smiled, moving closer to the wheelchair to introduce her grandparents to him.

Zhao Sui chatted briefly with her grandfather, asking about his health and how much land the family owned.

The grandfather answered hesitantly.

Turning to her grandmother, Zhao Sui glanced at Yao Huang and said, “The Princess Consort resembles you more.”

Her grandmother, more perceptive than her grandfather, held back a laugh and replied, “The Prince has sharp eyes; the neighbors used to say the same when the Princess Consort was a child.”

Yao Huang’s eyes inherited a bit of her father’s slightly phoenix-like shape, giving her a sharp and clever appearance. In contrast, her granddaughter’s eyes were rounder and more innocent looking, which made her seem easy to deceive. In reality, she was no less clever than her mother; this just made it easier for her to trick others.

Yao Huang’s two uncles and aunts merely nodded at Zhao Sui, not calling for anyone or saying much. Then it was time for her three cousins.

Zhao Sui looked over each one and asked the eldest, Luo Kun, “Are you studying or practicing martial arts?”

Luo Kun, bearing the steadiness of the eldest grandson, replied respectfully yet calmly, “Replying to the Prince, all three of us have benefited from our uncle’s influence. We have practiced martial arts since childhood and have both been admitted to the martial academy in the mansion.”

The court had set up literary and martial academies in the capital, provincial capitals, and county towns. There were two martial academies in the capital: one in the west of the city, which only accepted royal relatives, nobility, and martial offspring from officials’ families; and the other in the east, which, like those in various provinces, allowed any commoner who passed the entrance examination to study military strategies and martial arts.

Zhao Sui asked, “For the martial examination next year, do you have confidence?”

Luo Kun replied, “I dare not boast, but I will do my utmost.”

Zhao Sui nodded and said to Yao Huang, “After visiting the garden, take your four brothers to the library. Any books they believe will help them with the martial examination can be borrowed. They can return them after reading, or they can pick a few first and borrow more after finishing.”

Luo Kun’s eyes lit up, and he knelt on one knee, saying, “Thank you, Prince!”

Yao Lin and the others quickly knelt down to pay their respects.

Zhao Sui told them to rise and said to Yao Huang, “I have matters to attend to, so I won’t be joining you for the lunch banquet.”

Yao Huang looked at him with gratitude for his generous offer to lend books.

Once Qing Ai pushed the wheelchair out of sight, her aunt exclaimed excitedly, “The Prince has such a kind temperament; it’s not at all what I imagined.”

Her grandmother glanced at Yao Zhenhu and reminisced, “Isn’t that right? I still remember when my good son—in—aw first came to our home; he still carried a bit of an official air.”

Yao Zhenhu protested, “Impossible! Don’t wrong me!”

After a long moment of silence, her grandfather suddenly slapped his thigh, “Wait a minute, we originally had fifty mu of land. When Jinhua married, we gave her five mu as a dowry, so now we only have forty—five mu left. Did I just mislead the Prince?”

Yao Huang: “…”

Luo Jinhua teased, “You still remember the accounts from eight hundred years ago? Are you hoping I’ll return those five mu of ancestral land to you?”

Yao Zhenhu replied, “If you’ll return it, I didn’t marry you for that. You were the one who worried about losing face in our family and insisted on asking your father for land.”

Yao Huang pulled her cousin’s hand and pointed ahead, “Let’s go explore without worrying about them.”