Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Yao Huang went to bed early and woke up early. At the crack of dawn, she summoned her maids to help her get ready.

Qiu Chan brought water, Lark tidied the vanity, while A Ji and Chun Yan tidied the bed.

Before her marriage, Yao Huang only had A Ji as her maid. When A Ji went to fetch water for washing her face, Yao Huang would dress herself and fold the quilt. She didn’t leave all the small tasks to A Ji. Now, with four maids, everything from putting on shoes and washing her face to combing her hair and skincare was taken care of by others.

For example, when it came to getting dressed, Lark would first massage her scalp and comb her hair several times before starting to style her hair. When applying facial cream, Yao Huang would just lean back in her chair, and Lark’s skilled hands would gently massage her forehead, cheeks, around the nose, chin, and neck several times, making Yao Huang so comfortable she nearly dozed off again.

A Ji watched, amazed: "There are so many techniques?"

Lark smiled: "This helps the facial cream absorb better."

Why do the royal concubines in the palace age so gracefully? Besides good food and drink, expensive facial creams and skillful maids also play a part.

"Not just facial cream, but also body cream, applied all over after bathing. Would you like to try it tonight?"

As the lady and her maid grew closer, Lark dared to say more.

What she mainly learned in the palace was hairstyling and massage. However, with so many talented people around Noble Consort Du, Lark only needed to showcase one skill. When the head maid who specialized in styling the concubine’s hair fell ill, Lark took over. If she were too capable, the head maids might not tolerate her.

Just hearing about it made Yao Huang feel her bones melt: "Yes, I’ll try it tonight."

The lady’s satisfaction with Lark was clear. A Ji had no thoughts, but Chun Yan, watching from afar, nervously curled her fingers.

After learning that Thrush had been punished by the prince, the three maids from the Yikun Palace were all worried about their future. Lark had actively shown her skills, Qiu Chan had handled fetching money from the accounts perfectly yesterday, only Chun Yan had yet to do anything significant for the lady.

Seeing that the lady was about to finish dressing and change clothes, Chun Yan finally mustered her courage and stepped forward: "My lady, as the weather warms up, I made two veiled bonnets for you yesterday, to shield you from the sun and dust. Would you like to try them?"

Chun Yan was skilled in embroidery. Yao Huang remembered seeing wealthy ladies on the street who liked to wear veiled bonnets and happily said: "Great, go and get them. I woke up early today and plan to go horseback riding outside the city first."

The morning is cool, perfect for horseback riding, and when it gets hotter, she would go shopping.

Chun Yan’s eyes immediately lit up. She ran out and came back quickly, holding a veiled bonnet in each hand, with two pieces of sheer white fabric draped over her arm.

Neither of the veiled bonnets had a high crown, only a wide brim with a hollow center, allowing it to be directly placed on the hair bun, making it less stuffy in summer. One bonnet was more luxurious, with a large pale yellow peony silk flower pinned to the brim and short tassels with small pearls hanging around the edge. The other bonnet had no tassels, and the full peony silk flower was replaced by a small peach blossom.

Chun Yan: "This simpler one is for when you go out incognito, and this one is for when you stroll in the garden within the estate."

The sheer white fabric hanging from the veiled bonnets only reached the neck. If the lady wanted to ride a horse, she could replace the short fabric with the long fabric that reached the waist, which Chun Yan had draped over her arm, to better block the dust kicked up by the horse’s hooves.

Yao Huang loved them and tried them both on. Since she was wearing fine cloth clothes, she chose the peach blossom veiled bonnet and had Chun Yan replace it with the long fabric.

After breakfast, she sent a maid to deliver a message to Zhang Yue, while she herself went to the bamboo courtyard.

The bamboo forest in the morning was also quiet, but it had a more vibrant energy compared to the evening. On the short stone path, Yao Huang found several thin bamboo shoots that had just turned into slender bamboo.

When she reached the door, Yao Huang gently knocked.

Fei Quan approached the door crack and suddenly saw a circle of sheer white fabric, which made his heart tighten.

The next moment, the visitor lifted half of the fabric, her eyes sparkling with stars: "It’s me."

Fei Quan quickly opened the door and slipped out to speak with the lady: "Do you wish to see the prince?"

Yao Huang: "Yes, I’m going out and wanted to say goodbye to the prince." She also wanted the prince to see her veiled bonnet, to let him know she was adopting the ways of a noble lady and not exposing herself every day.

Fei Quan: "Please wait a moment, my lady. I’ll go in and inform him."

This time, Yao Huang waited for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, and then Qing Ai pushed Prince Hui straight to the courtyard gate.

The two door panels slowly opened, and the princess turned at the sound and appeared before Zhao Sui, wearing a veiled hat, a peach-pink cross-collar blouse, and a light green split riding skirt underneath. The skirt was designed to split, and women often wore such skirts when riding horses.

After the wheelchair stopped, Qing Ai quickly stepped back to a distance.

Yao Huang deliberately kept a distance from Prince Hui and asked through the veil, "Can Your Highness recognize me like this?"

Zhao Sui saw a pair of hazy black eyes and her rosy lips, but her face remained unclear.

Understanding her intent, Zhao Sui shook his head.

Yao Huang walked forward, three steps away from him, leaning slightly to make it easier for him to see, "How about now?"

The veil swayed gently as she moved, and even when the princess stopped, it did not settle. Zhao Sui caught a fleeting glimpse of her red lips and smelled the faint fragrance of face cream from her.

He lowered his eyes and nodded.

Yao Huang smiled, pinned the front veil to the brim of her hat, and bent down to talk to him, "Has Your Highness had breakfast?"

Zhao Sui: "Just finished; there’s no need for this; stand straight and speak."

Yao Huang: "But I don’t want you to look up at me. Proper or not, being closer makes us feel more like a couple."

After saying that, she knelt on one knee beside the wheelchair, looking up at him, "This is also fine, anyway, I can’t let Your Highness strain your neck."

Zhao Sui: "...Let’s move to the stone table."

Yao Huang: "No need for the trouble; I’ll just chat with Your Highness briefly and then leave. The morning is cool, perfect for riding."

Zhao Sui glanced at her skirt, "Go, it’ll get hot later."

Yao Huang glanced at the tightly closed door of the main room, truly unable to understand how the prince could stand being cooped up inside all day. Even if the prince loved reading, keeping his face so pale couldn’t be good for his health. Doctors often judge a person’s health by their complexion. The prince’s legs are disabled, but he shouldn’t let the rest of his body suffer.

"Would Your Highness like to accompany me for a ride?"

Yao Huang cautiously invited, "Startling Mist is so spirited; as long as the prince’s legs are secured, a slow ride should be fine."

She knelt in front of him, Zhao Sui couldn’t lower his eyes, looking aside, "No, as I’ve said, I don’t like going out."

Yao Huang became nervous, "Is Your Highness angry with me?"

Zhao Sui tried to make his tone gentle, "No, I just don’t want you to think of me every time you have a plan for an outing. Let’s make it clear now, so I don’t have to disappoint you every time."

Yao Huang wasn’t as bold as Qing Ai and the others thought. Although she hoped the prince would get more sun, as long as the prince refused once, she would not dare to try again for the time being.

The relaxed atmosphere from before was gone, Zhao Sui called Qing Ai.

He was going in, Yao Huang had to walk alone on the bamboo path. Halfway through, she turned back and found the courtyard gate already closed.

Yao Huang patted a bamboo next to her in frustration, perhaps she shouldn’t have come this morning. The prince had already told her to come to him if there was something, otherwise, forget it.

Arriving at the front gate of the prince’s mansion, Zhang Yue and the guards were already ready. Eight guards each had a horse, and at the same time, they brought out eight fine horses from the prince’s stable. Yao Huang rode Startling Mist herself, let A Ji ride her Ni Guang, and the remaining six horses were given to six guards, letting them go in pairs through the east, west, and north gates of the capital, walking for an hour before returning to the mansion. Zhang Yue and Wang Dong continued to protect the princess.

The setup was too elaborate; even the steward, Guo Shu, came, and only breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the princess’s arrangement.

If the princess really took six empty horses out of the city herself, it would surely attract the attention of the people. If anyone recognized these as the horses of Prince Hui’s mansion, the people would lament that with the prince’s disability, even the horses in the mansion had become decorations, and such lamentations would not be pleasant for the prince.

Since he was here, Yao Huang specifically asked, "I don’t know how to take care of horses; would keeping them in the stable all day cause problems? Or do they need to be let out for a run from time to time?"

Even a lifeless object like a knife will rust if left unused for too long, let alone horses.

Guo Shu said, "Your Ladyship is right to be concerned. Usually, the grooms lead the horses around the outside of the stables twice a day, in the morning and evening, precisely to keep their muscles in good condition."

Yao Huang: "Is walking enough?"

Guo Shu: "...It’s definitely better to let them run around."

Yao Huang: "Alright then. From now on, when the Prince and I aren’t using the horses, have the guards take them outside the city for an hour every morning, except on rainy or snowy days."

Guo Shu: "Yes, Your Ladyship."

.

Once the horses had their run, Yao Huang instructed Wang Dong to lead them back to the palace. She then continued her shopping, buying the jewelry she’d had her eye on the day before and picked up a few rolls of silk and fine cloth. When she got hungry, she stopped at a restaurant to eat, and afterward, she picked up a few small things. She spent over an hour at a teahouse listening to a storyteller, and when the storyteller took a break, she jumped into the lively chatter among the tea guests.

The tea guests were always in the know, aware of all the latest gossip in the capital, from neighborhood scandals like a brother-in-law hitting on his sister-in-law to major incidents involving high-ranking officials’ relatives. When things got really juicy, even the storyteller would join in, listening with great interest.

As dusk fell, Yao Huang headed home, feeling completely content.

This time, she brought the Prince a large palm-leaf fan, commonly used by ordinary households. When Fei Quan peeked through the door crack, Yao Huang told him not to open the door but to simply slide the fan in sideways. She whispered, "Tell the Prince that I know he’s used to all kinds of luxurious items and it’s hard to impress him anymore, so I chose this palm-leaf fan for him. Sure, it’s cheap and not as fancy as a folding fan, but it’s the coolest to use in the summer, perfect for him to use casually at home."

Fei Quan: "Your Ladyship, please wait. I’ll ask the Prince to come out so you can present it to him personally..."

Yao Huang: "Don’t bother. The Prince is comfortable staying inside. Coming out to see me would just be a hassle."

She shoved the fan into Fei Quan’s hands and took off. She wanted to take a bath and try Lark’s full-body massage. Since the Prince didn’t like to be disturbed, she saw no need to spend extra effort to accompany him.

Fei Quan opened the door to chase after her, but Yao Huang was too fast. By the time he reached the bamboo grove, she was already out of sight.

With no other choice, Fei Quan had to carry the plain-looking fan, worth no more than five copper coins, to deliver the message.

Zhao Sui stared at the fan.

He had seen it before on the soldiers’ bunks during his inspections of the four major camps, and in the hands of commoners or vendors when he traveled in and out of the capital in the summer.

He took the fan and tried fanning himself. Indeed, it was easier to use and produced more wind than a folding fan.

But why didn’t she give it to him in person?