Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Under the willow shade, a ten-foot square felt mat was spread out, with a redwood low table placed in the center, set with fruits and tea snacks.

Yao Huang took off her embroidered shoes and lay facing the lake. Opening her eyes, she saw the blue sky and the green lake; closing them, she could feel the scattered light filtering through the branches above. She was so comfortable that catching fish no longer mattered.

"Princess Consort, the prince is here!"

Hearing A Ji's soft reminder, Yao Huang sat up quickly and indeed saw the wheelchair slowly approaching from the opposite side.

Yao Huang quickly moved to the edge of the mat to put on her shoes.

A Ji put down the fishing rod and said nervously, "Princess Consort, should I head back to Ming'an Hall first?"

The prince didn't like having maidservants around to serve him. Every time the prince came to Ming'an Hall, A Ji and the others would keep their distance.

Yao Huang: "Go ahead."

Qing Ai guided the wheelchair around from the north, while A Ji left from the south.

According to the rules taught by Nanny Fang in the palace for serving the princes, Yao Huang should have gone to greet the prince. But the western sun was too harsh, and Yao Huang didn’t feel like putting on the veil hat again, so she stood under the tree shade, smiling as she watched the prince draw closer.

In Qing Ai's eyes, the princess consort wore a white blouse and a light yellow high-waisted long skirt. Although the sun was still high, a gentle breeze blew by the lake, making the princess consort's long skirt floating like smoke, its hem swaying slightly with the wind, like the soft and delicate petals of a peony.

Such a princess consort, without doing anything else, just standing there lit up people's hearts, and when the princess consort smiled, their hearts melted.

Knowing that the prince must be in a good mood at this moment, Qing Ai tried to say, "Your Highness, see how the princess consort smiles with joy when she sees you coming."

The prince ignored him.

Qing Ai was too accustomed to such silence and picked up his pace.

When the wheelchair came close, Yao Huang's gaze remained fixed on Prince Hui's face, moving with his movements, and she said with delight, "I didn’t think Your Highness would come on such a sunny day."

Zhao Sui looked at the fishing rod placed beside the chair: "How long have you been fishing? Caught anything?"

As Qing Ai’s footsteps faded away, Yao Huang sighed: "For about half an hour, and not a single fish caught. Your Highness, are there no big fish in this lake?"

The pond in the east garden had more than a dozen koi, but the lake here was large, and at a glance, there seemed to be no fish, only the occasional wild duck emerging from the water grass.

Zhao Sui: "There are. When the mansion was first opened, some mature fish and fry were stocked, but fishing requires patience."

Yao Huang: "Would Your Highness like me to join you for some fishing?"

Zhao Sui nodded.

Yao Huang pushed the wheelchair next to her chair, ensuring it was shaded before securing it, then helped him bait the hook. The bait was prepared by Eunuch Cao, a dough steamed with sugar and honey, which looked good and smelled sweet, even tempting Yao Huang’s appetite.

After baiting the hook, Zhao Sui cast the line himself. Once the float stabilized, he leaned back in his chair, very leisurely.

Yao Huang's fishing chair could also lean back, but only the backrest, leaving her shoulders and head exposed above the chair back.

The pearwood chair surface was hard, and Yao Huang felt uncomfortable after sitting for a short while. During her years of studying at home, she would always put a soft cushion on the chair, using a rush grass mat wrapped in coarse cloth in the summer, soft and breathable, and a cotton pad in the winter, which would stay warm after sitting for a long time.

"Your Highness, doesn’t the hard chair bother you?"

After enduring for a while, Yao Huang whispered.

Zhao Sui: "...I'm used to it."

The study halls for the princes in the palace were furnished with identical hard wooden desks and chairs. Literature lessons lasted half a day, and while the hardness was initially uncomfortable, no prince would ever mention it, nor would they bring their own cushions. This was how all scholars studied, continuing to sit on such hard chairs even after becoming officials by passing the imperial examinations.

Zhao Sui understood what Yao Huang meant—she was uncomfortable.

He could understand her discomfort. Her entire body, except for her bones, was soft. Such softness could hardly endure prolonged pressure from hard wood.

"Move the felt pad to the bank. You can sit on it to fish."

Yao Huang immediately went to arrange it. After moving the pad, she looked at the prince, who was seated in the wheelchair and towered over her, and invited, "Your Highness, why not come over here? You can lie down when you're tired."

Zhao Sui did not respond.

Realizing her oversight, Yao Huang quickly added, "I'll carry you over."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Sui agreed. At least when she carried him, she wouldn’t see his helplessness.

Yao Huang first set aside his fishing rod, then, as she had done before, carried the prince down from the wheelchair. She kicked off her embroidered shoes and stepped onto the pad, suddenly realizing the challenge. Previously, with Startling Mist, Fei Quan, and Qing Ai around, it had been easier. Now, she had to lower the prince onto the low pad, which made the process much harder.

After mentally going through a few positions, Yao Huang said to the lake, "Your Highness, I'll slowly squat down. Just hold onto my shoulders tightly."

Zhao Sui acknowledged with a hum, trying to move his feet, but his legs remained unresponsive, as if they didn’t belong to him.

Yao Huang wrapped her arms around his waist, her head lowered enough to see that his feet had already touched the pad, but they couldn’t bear any weight, so they didn’t lessen the burden on her. Her knees bent more, her waist lowered further, until she couldn’t hold on any longer. Her left calf suddenly knelt on the pad, and at the same time, Zhao Sui’s left hand pressed against the pad, helping her keep her balance.

When Yao Huang turned around, Zhao Sui was already propping up his upper body with both hands.

Instinctively, Yao Huang moved to help move his legs, but Zhao Sui gestured her away. Using one hand to support himself and the other to move his legs forward, he eventually settled into a seated position.

Before Zhao Sui could use just his arm strength to move upright along the railing, he had first practiced how to sit steadily.

Yao Huang didn’t know this. She only saw the prince’s practiced movements, which radiated calm and composure.

Once Zhao Sui was settled, he glanced over and noticed her flushed face, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead. He asked, "Are you tired?"

Qing Ai and Fei Quan were likely guarding the entrance to the back garden, preventing any servants from accidentally intruding.

Yao Huang smiled, "A bit, but it’s worth it for the ease of talking."

Zhao Sui wanted to remind her that it’s better not to chat while fishing.

Yao Huang went to fetch the bait, the fish bucket, and their fishing rods. When placing the rods, hers leaned south, while Zhao Sui’s leaned north, so they wouldn’t interfere with each other.

Unable to stay silent for long, Yao Huang soon asked softly, "Did Your Highness often fish before?"

Zhao Sui replied, "While living in the palace, about two or three times a month."

Before the age of eighteen, he had lived in the palace. Although the palace was his home, it was filled with rules—more actions led to more mistakes, fewer actions to fewer mistakes. When not studying or practicing martial arts, Zhao Sui stayed in his courtyard reading or practicing calligraphy. After being enfeoffed and establishing his own residence, Zhao Sui worked during the day and, on his days off, neither socialized with officials nor visited friends, instead finding ways to pass the time in his own residence.

During those years, with many wars, he had only lived in the palace for less than three years, including the year after his legs were injured.

Yao Huang thought such frequency could already be considered a hobby: "Since Your Highness enjoys it, shall I accompany you more often?"

Fishing while letting the prince enjoy the sun—killing two birds with one stone.

Zhao Sui said, "It depends on whether you like it. Don’t force yourself."

Suddenly, Yao Huang’s float dipped. Just moments ago, she had found fishing dull, but now she was energized, swiftly lifting the rod and flinging a fish about the size of a palm out of the water.

Only after tossing the fish onto the shore did Yao Huang realize it was a small fish, suitable at most for making a soup to taste its freshness.

"Never mind, let’s toss it in the bucket for now. If we hook a bigger one later, we can let this one go."

Either way, landing the first fish gave Yao Huang a boost of energy.

"Why did you slip that note in this morning?" Zhao Sui asked, watching the float in the water.

Yao Huang glanced at him and explained, "I didn’t want to interrupt your reading or nap. It wasn’t a big deal, so I figured a note would do."

If he weren’t the prince, she’d have skipped the morning pleasantries and just headed out.

Zhao Sui: "You can jot down messages, and if you bring back any gifts, just hand them to me directly. I’d also like to hear about the places you’ve visited."

Yao Huang: "Alright, I’ll remember that."

It’s good to get things straight, so if there’s anything the prince doesn’t want her doing, she can adjust right away.

.

By evening, they’d reeled in eight fish altogether. Finally, Yao Huang hooked a big green fish, weighing in at over ten pounds. She wrestled along the riverbank, her face flushed from the effort, to haul the fish out of the water. As she unhooked it, water splashed all over her face and clothes, making her turn away and spit repeatedly.

While she was wiping her face, the fish thrashed and leapt toward the shore. Yao Huang lunged to grab it, but the fish leapt again and splashed back into the water, leaving her yelling in frustration!

Zhao Sui had been quietly observing her the whole time.

At the garden entrance, Qing Ai and Fei Quan jumped at the princess’s sudden scream. Qing Ai even took a step forward, but then the princess’s frustrated voice rang out from the lakeside: "I’ll remember that fish! I’m coming back tomorrow. If I don’t catch it, I’ll keep trying until I do, and then I’ll cook it up!"

Qing Ai: "..." (silent)

Seeing that neither the prince nor princess was in danger, the two eunuchs went back to their posts.

Back at the lake, Yao Huang, still fuming, returned to the mat. She glanced at the prince, calmly holding his fishing rod, then at her soaked clothes, and her dislike for the fish grew.

Zhao Sui: "Show me your hand."

Yao Huang, confused, held out her left hand.

Zhao Sui: "Both hands, please."

Her hands were damp, with red marks on her wrists from the fish’s tail. Zhao Sui checked her palms; they were smeared with grass and mud, but luckily, no cuts from the fish scales.

Zhao Sui pulled out a pristine white silk handkerchief.

Yao Huang quickly pulled her hand back: "I’ll just rinse it in the lake. No need to waste such a lovely handkerchief."

With that, she crouched by the lake, splashing water to clean her hands and wrists.

The lake water was cool and refreshing. Yao Huang’s heart, which had been boiling with frustration and disappointment, calmed down again. Looking at the golden shimmer in the center of the lake, Yao Huang turned back and smiled at Prince Hui: "Such a wonderful place, no wonder the fish here are so fat."

Zhao Sui responded with a faint smile.

Shaking the water off her hands, Yao Huang returned to the bucket and tossed out two small fish, arranging: "Six fish. The prince gets one, Fei Quan and Qing Ai get one, I get one, the four maids get one, and the remaining two will be served at noon the day after tomorrow to entertain my father and his family. What do you think, prince?"

Zhao Sui: "I can’t finish one. Why don’t we share?"

Yao Huang: "That works. My father and his family can eat a lot, two might not be enough for them."

Zhao Sui: "Leave the things here. Fei Quan and the others will take care of it."

Yao Huang then came to push the wheelchair.

Zhao Sui: "Let’s go to Ming’an Hall. You should change your clothes early to avoid catching a cold."