Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Prince Hui's tone remained steady, and his expression showed no noticeable change, but Yao Huang knew he was unhappy.

Yao Huang also knew that the prince wasn’t against accompanying her but was reluctant to be seen in public in a wheelchair.

Yao Huang was prepared to be rejected multiple times, even dozens or hundreds. Starting is the hardest part. If the first step were easy, Prince Hui wouldn’t have secluded himself in the bamboo courtyard for so long, and Yao Huang wouldn’t have needed to pick an unfamiliar place and coax him there.

But Yao Huang couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine and go along with him, leaving the prince behind to go out alone, because if she complied this time, she would have no reason to invite him again next time. Since she was determined to take the prince out, Yao Huang had to defy his wishes, playing the role of a selfish princess who only wanted her husband’s company, ignoring his struggles.

The risk was that the prince might get angry and scold her for being thoughtless. Yao Huang would adapt according to the degree of his anger; at worst, they’d return in shame. Using the prince’s attraction to her and his youthful temper, Yao Huang could likely calm him down after returning to the capital. At that time, she would honestly be a considerate princess and not provoke him again.

With no fear of consequences, Yao Huang took the plunge.

She lowered her head, feigning a pitiful, scolded look.

Zhao Sui was seething, but his anger came from his legs, not the princess.

Seeing her wring her hands, too nervous to look at him or speak, and thinking of her joy and anticipation before leaving the capital, Zhao Sui did not want to spoil her enjoyment of the outing.

He spoke more gently: "On the night of our wedding, I told you I don’t like going out. Later, when you invited me to go horseback riding in the countryside, I repeated it, telling you not to consider me in your future plans for outings, so as not to disappoint your kindness every time. So when you asked me to go out, I spoke too harshly."

Yao Huang stared at her fingers and murmured, "I was wrong, the prince scolded me rightly, it’s all my bad memory."

Zhao Sui: "...I didn’t scold you, I..."

Yao Huang turned her face away, lifting a sleeve to wipe her eyes: "The prince can rest assured, I have remembered it all. I, I ate too much at noon, I’m not hungry at all now, the prince can eat by himself."

With a sob, Yao Huang stood and fled the room.

She ran, half her face hidden, clearly in tears, which stunned Fei Quan, who was standing in the yard waiting to serve. By the time he reacted, the princess had already gone to the backyard and was out of sight.

Fei Quan’s heart raced. The princess had been fine when she came, so why was she crying now?

He crept toward the main hall, too afraid to peek inside, only guessing that the prince must be in a bad mood now. So he stayed close, lest he not hear or be slow to respond if the prince called him, giving the prince a reason to vent his anger on him.

In the past six months, the prince had probably read too many Buddhist scriptures and had hardly lost his temper with them. But Fei Quan had not forgotten the period after the imperial physician declared that nothing could be done for the prince’s legs, when the prince had secretly smashed sets of tea bowls and porcelain. He had not forgotten the time when the prince, just starting to use the handrail, lost his balance and fell to the ground. When he and Qing Ai rushed in to help the prince up, they saw the prince’s hand veins bulging, his eyes downcast, telling them to get out, a figure of embarrassment.

Fifteen minutes later, the prince summoned him.

Fei Quan entered the hall with his head down, eyes fixed on the prince’s chest. He saw the prince still holding a Buddhist scripture, speaking in a calm tone: "The princess misunderstood that I don’t like her going out. So, go and ask Physician Liao if there are any good restaurants in the town. If there are, you and Qing Ai and A Ji can accompany the princess for a walk."

Zhao Sui thought, Qing Ai and Fei Quan were the two most useful eunuchs by his side. By having both accompany her out, she should understand that he was not at all angry with her.

Fei Quan nodded and asked, "Shall I first go to the kitchen to bring the prince’s dinner?"

Zhao Sui: "Yes."

Fei Quan went to the west courtyard, instructed Qing Ai to bring the prince’s meal, and took A Ji to comfort the princess. However, upon arrival, they found that the princess had bolted the door of the east room from the inside. No matter how much he tried to clarify and explain on behalf of the prince, almost wearing out his lips, she would not open the door or even respond to him, only occasionally letting out a few sobs.

A Ji had no idea what had happened, thinking that her princess had truly suffered a great grievance, angrily questioning Fei Quan: "What exactly did the prince do? The princess has always been broad-minded, ordinary grievances couldn’t make her cry!"

Fei Quan finally understood that the matter was not as simple as the prince had said.

But even if the prince had truly angered the princess, after all, he was the prince. The prince arranging for him and Qing Ai to come over was already equivalent to coaxing the princess. If the princess continued to make a fuss, she might end up losing more than she gained.

Telling A Ji to be quiet, Fei Quan leaned close to the crack of the east room’s door and advised: "Princess, no one understands our prince better than I do. Since he was three or four years old, he has been particularly respectful. If the eldest prince or the third prince fancied something of his, the prince would directly give it up, preferring to suffer a loss himself rather than quarrel with anyone. Perhaps today the prince’s words were inappropriate and hurt the princess, but I assure you the prince did not mean to do so. Princess, think more about the prince’s kindness to you, don’t be sad?"

From inside the room came the princess’s reply: "Alright, I’m not sad, I’m just not hungry, and I’m sleepy. You all go and do what you need to do, take good care of the prince, and go to bed early after you’re done."

Fei Quan and A Ji stood silently...

A Ji nudged Fei Quan aside and stepped in to comfort her.

Yao Huang kept saying the same thing.

Qing Ai had already cleared Prince Hui's dinner, ready to escort Madam Gao out, but to his surprise, Madam Gao refused to step out of the east room.

When Qing Ai's coaxing didn't work either, the two attendants had to go ask Prince Hui what to do.

Zhao Sui sighed...

She’d been crying so long, her eyes were probably puffy, and even if she were consoled, she wouldn’t be in any state to go out.

Zhao Sui instructed Fei Quan: "Have the kitchen keep Madam’s dinner warm."

Fei Quan rushed off.

Zhao Sui had Qing Ai wheel him to the backyard.

"You two go ahead and eat," Zhao Sui arranged, estimating that he would also need some time to deal with the situation.

A Ji had no choice but to leave with Qing Ai. With Prince Hui stepping in to comfort her, he wouldn’t want them eavesdropping.

With everyone gone, Prince Hui sat alone in his wheelchair, staring at the closed door of the east room.

Prince Hui spoke in a calm tone: "Open up."

Yao Huang bit her lip, turned over, and said towards the door: "I’m not hungry, and I’ve stopped crying, Second Master. Please leave."

Zhao Sui: "Open the door."

Yao Huang: "I won’t open it. My eyes are all puffy—it’s hideous. I don’t want you to see me like this."

Zhao Sui: "This is the last time. If you don’t open it, I’ll have them break the door down."

Yao Huang: "Go ahead, break it! I’ll bang my head on the door for you to see. I’m already a mess—what’s one more bump?"

Zhao Sui: "..."

Yao Huang got out of bed, walked to the door, leaned against one side of the door panel, and said softly: "Alright, let’s stop arguing. I believe you didn’t mean to scold me, and I’ll have A Ji bring dinner later. But I can’t face you tonight, Second Master. Please don’t push me, okay?"

Zhao Sui: "...If we don’t share a room tonight, everyone will start gossiping."

Yao Huang chuckled to herself. Nonsense—he just hadn’t eaten enough at noon and wanted a few more rounds before her period started.

She fiddled with her skirt belt, twisting it a few times, then gave in: "Fine, Second Master. Come after it’s completely dark, and I won’t light any lamps."

Outside, Zhao Sui let out a breath. Talking during the day was tough, but holding her at night would really convince her.

.

Yao Huang hadn’t shed a tear—her eyes were fine. To keep up the act, she didn’t even let A Ji see her. After opening the door, she took the dinner in and immediately closed the door panel, and after finishing, she handed the tray out.

Fei Quan hid in the courtyard. When he saw A Ji carrying the tray out, he crept closer, inspected it, sighed, and reported to Prince Hui: "Second Master, Madam only ate half a bowl of rice, barely touched the dishes, and only drank half a bowl of soup."

Prince Hui hadn’t eaten much for dinner, and Madam Gao was already concerned. Seeing Madam leave so much food, she’d surely turn into another Chef Kong.

Zhao Sui knew that Madam's words about not crying or complaining were just an act, and she was still upset about his "scolding."

After the massage, when it was completely dark, Qing Ai pushed His Highness Prince Hui to the backyard again.

All three rooms were dark, and A Ji stood in the courtyard until the princess came out of the east room and pushed the prince in. They both finally relaxed.

In the east room, Prince Hui stayed quiet, and Yao Huang also said nothing. Both got into bed.

Prince Hui lay flat for a while, but the princess beside him kept her back to him, not reaching out to hug him like she used to.

To solve the problem, he had to address it directly. Zhao Sui moved over, turned to his side, and embraced his princess from behind.

Yao Huang tried to move away, but Zhao Sui held her waist tightly, not allowing her to leave. The struggle and the princess's figure inevitably aroused the prince's desire.

Because the princess refused to cooperate, Prince Hui had to use some extra effort to persuade her to go along reluctantly.

"If I were angry with you, I wouldn't do this," Prince Hui finally found the opportunity to console the princess with words.

Yao Huang leaned over and bit his arm that was supporting his body.

At this point, nothing more needed to be said. Prince Hui comforted the princess until late at night before finally stopping.

They had a basin of cold water and a bucket of hot water ready. The hot water had now turned lukewarm, but Yao Huang still refused to light the lamp. They cleaned themselves in the dark.

Just when Prince Hui thought the princess had been completely comforted and could sleep peacefully, he heard quiet sobs from beside him.

Zhao Sui moved over again, reaching out to touch the princess's face that was turned away from him, feeling her tears.

Zhao Sui held her tightly, "Are you still upset?"

Yao Huang sniffled, "I am upset. Earlier, the prince promised to accompany me here to escape the summer heat. I truly believed the prince cared for me deeply, that he was willing to endure the hardships of the journey for me. But after arriving here, I realized that the prince only likes my body. The trip was just to keep me happy so I’d serve you."

Zhao Sui, "Nonsense. If it were only for that, even without coming here to escape the heat, would you dare to ignore me in the palace?"

Yao Huang, "Of course not. It’s just because we’re newlyweds, and I have some charm, so the prince is willing to pamper me a bit more. In a couple of years, when the prince gets over this novelty, he’ll treat me much worse."

Zhao Sui began to feel a headache, wiping her tears while saying, "I'm not that kind of person. You're in a bad mood today, I’m not going to argue with you."

Yao Huang pushed his hand away and moved to the innermost side, "How are you not? Besides in bed, when has the prince ever been affectionate with me? I've only been married to you for a little over a month, and you're unwilling to accompany me out for a stroll. As time goes by, I might not even get to see the prince even if I go to the bamboo courtyard to seek an audience."

"Yes, the prince has given me gold ingots, given me an ivory mat, and it seems like he treats me well. But am I supposed to live my life obsessed with gold and an ivory mat? What I value most is the prince. If the prince is unwilling to accompany me, it means you don't like me at all. Then I feel guilty taking the prince’s gifts of gold and jewelry!"

Only then did Zhao Sui realize that what she was upset about was not the tone he used to refuse to go out in the evening, but the fact that he refused to accompany her out.

He refused because of his leg disability, because he didn't want to be watched and pitied by others.

But Zhao Sui couldn't say this to the princess or anyone else, as it was something they should be able to perceive themselves.

However, the princess had always been carefree, so it was understandable that she didn't consider his difficulties.

Zhao Sui could only continue to emphasize, "I don't like going out."

Yao Huang, "I don't like the prince’s... size either, but I've endured it and gradually gotten used to it. Can't the prince change his preferences for me?"

Zhao Sui, "..."