Chapter 27

Both Yao and Luo families had their eyes opened in the garden of Prince Hui’s Mansion. Once at the dining table, they were deeply impressed by the culinary skills of the mansion’s chefs.

Luo Yue said, “Sister, you’re living a fairy tale life! I’m tempted to become a maid by your side!”

Yao Lin asked, “Sister, can I come to the Prince’s Mansion to be a guard? I won’t ask for wages; just three meals a day will suffice!”

Yao Zhenhu was just about to suggest getting another barrel of wine when his mother-in-law, who was nearby, laughed and scolded, “Look at how useless you all are!”

Yao Zhenhu quickly shut his mouth.

Yao Huang could see that her father, uncles, and brothers were all eyeing the wine at today’s feast and said, “This is the tribute wine given by the Emperor to the Prince. There’s plenty every year, but the Prince usually doesn’t drink much. There are over a hundred barrels in the wine cellar. When it’s time for the Dragon Boat Festival, I’ll send two barrels to your family.”

For today, bringing a pile of gifts back from the Prince’s Mansion would make them seem like poor relatives seeking favors from wealthy relatives.

Her grandmother said, “What will you send? A bunch of rough men? Giving them tribute wine is a waste.”

The two aunts nodded in agreement.

Yao Huang didn’t insist any longer; she would just send the festival gifts over when the time came.

The library in the Prince’s Mansion was also located on the east side. The last courtyard was spacious and bright, with the servants responsible for managing the library regularly bringing out the books to air them out.

The Prince was generous. When Yao Huang took her four brothers there to pick out books, she had already invited Eunuch Cao over in advance. This was to have him witness that her brothers were all well-behaved and to remind her about any books that might be dear to the Prince or rare treasures.

“Eunuch, do you know which books might be useful for the martial examination?”

Yao Huang humbly sought advice.

Eunuch Cao, in his fifties and well-experienced after decades in the palace, had learned about the tri—annual literary and martial examinations. Moreover, he had a master who was forced to study hard since childhood and had developed a love for reading. Whatever the master read, Eunuch Cao had to understand as well to avoid being caught off guard during discussions.

Eunuch Cao led the five of them to a row of bookshelves, saying, “The literary examination for the martial arts mainly tests military strategy and tactics, such as ‘Sun Tzu’s Art of War,’ ‘Wu Zi’s Art of War,’ and ‘Six Secret Teachings.’ You four young masters must have read these in your martial arts studies, but the depth of understanding varies depending on the teacher. Here are versions annotated by renowned scholars, and the Prince sometimes adds his own notes when he feels inspired. This is it.”

The martial examination’s literary test on military strategy wasn’t merely about memorization; it assessed the candidates’ comprehension and flexible application of military strategies. The strategies involved the court’s defense and governance of border areas and regions plagued by banditry, which couldn’t be answered just by rote learning.

Zhao Sui read not just the works of previous scholars but also the examination papers of the top three scholars from previous literary and martial examinations.

Initially, it was Du Guifei, who wanted her son to succeed, who requested him to read them. Later, after Du Guifei had the Fourth Prince, she no longer focused on Zhao Sui’s studies. But Emperor Yongchang, who was pleasantly surprised by the Second Prince’s intelligence, continued to pay close attention. Knowing the Second Prince loved reading and had a wide range of interests, Emperor Yongchang had people continuously send books to him, and when originals couldn’t be sent, they would have copies made.

While other princes and princesses received gifts of gold and silver treasures from their father and mother, Zhao Sui only received books.

The library was very quiet. Yao Huang picked a military book from the shelf, but after reading a few lines, she felt a headache coming on. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in military strategy; the archaic language was too dense, and the wording was too brief, making it far less accessible than the romance novels.

Yao Huang put the book down and started picking randomly.

Suddenly, she found something stuck in one book. Flipping to that page, she discovered a piece of thin paper that was slightly smaller than the page, with little figures drawn on it. Some figures held flags, some held bows and arrows, while others were riding horses and beating drums.

Eunuch Cao happened to be nearby and said, “This is a military formation diagram. The Prince drew it when he was eight years old according to the formations described in the books.”

Yao Huang: “…”

He could draw such vivid figures at eight years old? The figures were engaged in such complex actions?

Eunuch Cao reminisced about that scene, his eyes filled with fondness, “Actually, the Prince was tired from reading, and he didn’t want to slack off, so he drew little figures to pass the time. Otherwise, if it was just a military formation diagram, he could have labeled it with words, circles, and lines.”

Yao Huang became interested and searched for more books that might have hidden treasures, but unfortunately, she couldn’t find another paper with little figures.

Eunuch Cao asked, “Would you like to see the Prince’s drawings, Princess Consort?”

Yao Huang said, “Are there any?”

Eunuch Cao replied, “Right this way, please.”

They passed through several rooms, and Eunuch Cao led her to a room specifically for storing paintings. Besides a few hanging on the walls, most of the paintings were rolled up and stored on easels or in tubes.

“These are all the Prince’s paintings. He started learning to paint at the age of four, and whenever he produced a masterpiece, I would collect it. After he established his mansion, they were all moved here.”

Yao Huang thought about her own life at four; she was still playing in the mud.

The scrolls were arranged in chronological order according to the Prince’s age when he painted them, from four to twenty years old. Each year, there were two or three to four or five paintings. After he turned twenty, the situation in the north became tense, and he went to the battlefield. Afterward, his legs were injured, so he probably didn’t have the mood to paint anymore.

Yao Huang opened one of the Prince’s paintings from when he was four. It depicted a section of a corridor with a palace lantern hanging on it.

Eunuch Cao, fearing that the Princess Consort might look down on the Prince’s immature painting skills when he was young, explained, “Actually, the Prince didn’t want to keep these practice pieces. It was I who liked them, so I secretly kept a few. Our Prince has a kind temperament. After he established his mansion, seeing me bringing these paintings here, he didn’t get angry at me overstepping.”

Yao Huang didn’t have the ability to comment on painting skills. She hadn’t learned painting because the paints were too expensive, and her mother hadn’t considered saving up to cultivate her into a multi-talented daughter.

But she felt that this painting of the palace lantern was very good; it was just a single palace lantern, looking lonely.

She continued looking at the paintings.

Prince Hui mostly painted still lifes, with occasional butterflies on flowers or birds on treetops. It wasn’t until he was eighteen that a magnificent painting of a battlefield charge appeared—spirited warhorses with hooves off the ground, soldiers raising their spears high, a grayish-blue sky in the distance, and wild grass bent by the wind nearby.

Through this painting, Yao Huang felt like she saw a Prince Hui full of enthusiasm when he first went to war.

His second and last painting at eighteen depicted a scene of heavy snowfall—under the eaves of a corridor, a young eunuch stood on a stool, pasting Spring Festival couplets, and another stood by to help smooth out the unstuck red scrolls.

Yao Huang smiled, “Are those Qing Ai and Fei Quan?”

Although only their side profiles were shown and blurred by the falling snow, one could still recognize Qing Ai and Fei Quan.

Eunuch Cao said, “Yes, this is the only painting the Prince ever did of people around him. But look how well he painted; Fei Quan was a little chubby back then. That double chin is exactly like the real person!”

Yao Huang subconsciously mimicked Fei Quan’s slightly bowed head in the painting and touched her own chin.

Eunuch Cao: “……The Princess Consort is naturally beautiful. You’re beautiful from every angle, without a single flaw.”

Yao Huang laughed, “You’re very good at flattering people.”

Yao Lin’s four brothers chose four books on military strategy and eight examination papers from previous martial examinations. They agreed to have Yao Lin return them by the end of July.

Yao Huang reminded them, “Keep this to yourselves, don’t tell outsiders, especially your classmates at the martial academy.”

Yao Huang believed that prominent families could also collect annotated military works. But the copies of previous martial examination papers were probably only available in the Prince Kang and Prince Qing’s mansions. Her brothers had this opportunity, making them more likely to succeed in the martial examination, but it would also make them targets of envy.

With her steady eldest cousin watching over her cousins, Yao Huang was not worried. As for her own foolish brother, she would let her mother manage him.

Yao Lin was hurt by his sister’s warning, “I’m not that stupid; I won’t even tell Li Tingwang.”

Yao Huang and Luo Kun controlled their expressions, as if Yao Lin had only mentioned his best childhood friend. Luo Peng and Luo Ze, however, became a little nervous because they knew that Li Tingwang liked their cousin, very much so. In the six months since their cousin became a candidate for the palace selection, Li Tingwang had lost almost twenty pounds.

Yao Huang didn’t look at Eunuch Cao, but she confidently mentioned Li Tingwang, “Brother and Li Tingwang are as close as brothers, and he’s very sincere towards my brother. If his literary studies are poor, it wouldn’t hurt to lend him some books. But Li Tingwang always gets into the top three in the minor examinations. He doesn’t need Brother’s help. It’s better to avoid this to prevent his petty mother from finding out and going to complain to our mother.”

Yao Lin nodded. He wouldn’t give Li’s mother the chance to badmouth their mother.

After seeing off her family, it was the hottest time of the afternoon. Knowing that the Prince would come to Ming’an Hall in the evening, Yao Huang didn’t go to the Bamboo Courtyard to thank him specially.

After a nap, Yao Huang calculated the time and went to the Bamboo Courtyard half an hour before dinner. She gently knocked on the door.

Fei Quan came to open the door. Seeing it was the Princess Consort through the crack, he immediately felt anxious for himself and the Prince, knowing that the Princess would have to wait again.

Yao Huang was in a good mood, glanced at Fei Quan’s chin, and told him to go and inform the Prince.

No one expected her to come at this time. Qing Ai and Fei Quan first moved the wheelchair to the study and then had Qing Ai push the Prince to the courtyard gate.

As soon as the door opened, facing Prince Hui’s inquiring gaze, Yao Huang smiled, “It’s cooler now, and I want to stroll through the garden with you. We can go directly to Ming’an Hall afterward. Are you free, Prince?”

Zhao Sui nodded.

Yao Huang took over the wheelchair and skillfully pushed him out of the Bamboo Courtyard.

Facing west, the setting sun shone brightly on Prince Hui’s pale face. Yao Huang tilted her head and teased, “Prince, you spend all day reading, making you whiter than me.”

Zhao Sui: “…”

Yao Huang said, “By the way, my brothers borrowed many books. I want to thank you on their behalf.”

Zhao Sui replied, “Those books are just gathering dust; it’s better if someone reads them.”

Yao Huang said, “I also saw your paintings. You’re amazing, you could paint so well when you were a child.”

Zhao Sui replied, “……Just casual drawings to pass the time. I’m just fond of my own work.”

Yao Huang said, “I’m genuinely praising you. Prince, don’t be humble. I saw the painting you made of Qing Ai and Fei Quan, and I’m thinking of asking you to paint me. Your masterpiece can be passed down for thousands of years. Let future generations see my beauty and know that although the Hui Princess Consort’s family wasn’t prominent, her looks were worthy of you.”

The smile in Zhao Sui’s eyes deepened. His Princess Consort really didn’t like humility.

After she finished speaking, Zhao Sui replied, “Alright, choose a time.”

Yao Huang said, “You’ll paint me? Then tomorrow, while it’s still cool in the morning!”

Zhao Sui agreed.

Yao Huang then looked around the garden, choosing several spots for painting. As they left the garden, she was still pondering, “Prince, which spot do you think is best?”

Zhao Sui replied, “If you like, you can paint in each spot.”

Yao Huang asked, “How long will that take?”

Zhao Sui replied, “No need to rush. The garden has different scenery in each season. Some scenery might be more suitable for other seasons.”

Yao Huang said, “I see. I don’t really understand. Prince, please let me know; just tell me when to paint.”

Zhao Sui noted it down.

That night, after getting into bed, Yao Huang snuggled up next to Prince Hui, who was lying down, propping her chin on her hand and smiling at his handsome face.

Zhao Sui asked, “What are you smiling about?”

Yao Huang said, “I’m smiling because my Prince is not only handsome and kind but also proficient in military strategy and skilled in painting.”

If he were just an ordinary prince, average-looking, short-tempered, and disabled, Yao Huang would probably strongly resist the night’s activities.

But now…

Yao Huang proactively leaned over and kissed his neck, as he liked.

Prince Hui’s arms immediately tensed.