Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Prince Hui was indifferent, uninterested in entertaining guests. They had found out where the leather chair came from, and Prince Qing, sensing the mood, tactfully suggested they leave.

Yao Huang handed Prince Hui a small wooden-handled shovel, then smiled at the couple and said, "Since you're here, let me take you for some tea. Let your brother stay here and work on his snowman."

Prince Qing knew she was just being polite. "No need, stay here, sister-in-law," he replied.

Yao Huang then helped Zheng Yuanzhen to the shore, warmly inviting the couple to visit again when they had the chance.

Prince Qing and Zheng Yuanzhen walked for over fifteen minutes in the snowy weather before finally returning to their own carriage.

Only then did Zheng Yuanzhen’s faint smile fade, showing her displeasure. The carriage had a small hand warmer, which Prince Qing handed to her. He chuckled at her stern face, "You’re not mad I used you as an excuse, are you?"

"No, I just hate walking in the snow for so long," Zheng Yuanzhen replied, looking at her snow-covered boot soles.

"They didn’t mean to slight us," Prince Qing explained. "He’s in a wheelchair and can’t move around easily, and as the elder brother, it's not right to have him shuttle between the courtyards."

Zheng Yuanzhen murmured a faint "Hmm."

Prince Qing stared at her, then suddenly lifted her chin with a half-smile. "Or are you just jealous of her husband’s snowman skills?"

Zheng Yuanzhen was startled but hid it well. She slapped his hand away, glaring at him. "Stop talking nonsense. It’s just a thing. If I wanted one, I’d get craftsmen to make a better one."

"Craftsmen are one thing, but a husband’s carving shows love," Prince Qing replied. "I never expected him to be so good at pampering. When I heard about her background, I thought he’d given up."

Yao Huang may come from a humble background, but she’s beautiful and charming," Zheng Yuanzhen responded. "Not just him, don't you also like that type?"

Her jealous tone made Prince Qing drop his suspicions. He pulled her into his arms, pressing his face against hers. "There are many wildflowers, but you’re the peony, the national beauty. No one compares to you in my eyes."

Zheng Yuanzhen gave him a reproachful look.

From then on, the couple didn’t mention the events at Prince Hui’s residence again and went to Yaju Pavilion to look at the leather chairs.

Yao Huang realized that Prince Hui wasn’t just building a snowman but carving one. By the time it was almost lunchtime at Ming'an Hall, he had only completed ninety percent of the snowman's cloak, with even the corner of the cloak that seemed to be fluttering in the wind carved as realistically as a real cloak.

After Prince Hui finally put down the flat knife, Yao Huang quickly helped him put on his cloak, fastened the ties, and then sat down, first warming his icy hands in her embrace. "You're almost frozen. I told you to wear gloves, but you didn’t."

Only then did Zhao Sui belatedly feel the cold, wrapped in his consort’s warm hands.

Yao Huang pushed Prince Hui to the shore and then all the way to the backyard of Ming’an Hall, instructing the maids to prepare foot-washing water for him. As for the warming ginger soup, she had intermittently fed him two large bowls while on the ice.

Before the hot water arrived, Yao Huang had Prince Hui sit on the warm couch in the side room and brought out a quilt to cover him.

"I’m not cold," Zhao Sui said.

Yao Huang then pressed one of his legs, her hand trying to slip into his trouser leg.

He blocked her hand, looking down to explain, "The cold I feel in my hands is only about fifty or sixty percent of what my legs feel, so I really don't feel cold."

"But your legs still endured the full cold. Since I’m warming your hands, I should also warm your feet," Yao Huang replied.

Zhao Sui had no choice but to cooperate and cover his legs with the quilt.

A Ji brought in a basin of hot water, and Yao Huang moved a chair in front of the couch. After A Ji set down the basin, she left.

Yao Huang called for Prince Hui to move over and soak his feet.

Prince Hui remained motionless.

"Should I leave and let you soak your feet alone?" Yao Huang asked.

Prince Hui nodded.

Yao Huang thought to herself, Prince Hui seemed like the bashful royal man she had recently married, with an unusually thin skin.

After lunch, Zhao Sui told the princess to stay in Ming'an Hall while he took Qing Ai and Fei Quan to continue carving the remaining parts of the snowman, planning to show it to the princess once finished.

Yao Huang really didn't want to stand around for another half a day. Prince Hui was thoroughly enjoying the carving process, but she couldn't help feeling anxious just watching!

Once Prince Hui left, Yao Huang paused to think and asked Chun Yan to bring out the sewing basket, planning to give Prince Hui a gift in return when he presented her with the snowman.

The side room, warmed by the heated floor, felt snug and inviting. Yao Huang meticulously sewed, stitch by careful stitch, following the pattern she had practiced last time.

After sewing for over an hour, around two o'clock in the afternoon, Yao Huang finished her work and asked A Ji to take a look. A Ji exclaimed with delight, "This is the princess's finest embroidery yet!"

Yao Huang thought the same, especially with Master Chun Yan's guidance, who was proficient in twenty-four types of embroidery, including Shu embroidery and Su embroidery.

After tucking away the handkerchief and wrapping herself in her cloak, Yao Huang hurried to the back garden, clutching a small hand warmer, this time bringing Jinbao along.

Prince Hui was still hard at work, so Yao Huang stood by the shore and asked him how much longer it would take. After a brief pause, Prince Hui answered, "Two quarters of an hour."

Yao Huang then took Jinbao to frolic nearby.

When Fei Quan came to get her, Yao Huang eagerly dashed over and found that Prince Hui hadn't used bamboo leaves or agates. Instead, he had used small knives to carve the hair bun and facial features, and the snowman was a spitting image of her, even standing as tall as she did. The surrounding discarded snow blocks had been cleaned up, leaving only this cloaked snow princess standing quietly before her and Prince Hui.

Yao Huang couldn't resist circling the snowman repeatedly.

Qing Ai and Fei Quan had already left, and the setting sun was hidden behind clouds, yet the white snow emitted a natural glow.

Yao Huang flung herself into Prince Hui's arms and earnestly told him, "This is the most beautiful snowman I've ever seen. I can't stand the thought of it melting when it gets warm."

Zhao Sui smiled, "I'll carve another one next year."

Satisfied, Yao Huang raised her left hand, asking Prince Hui to reach into her sleeve.

Zhao Sui checked the shore to make sure Qing Ai and Fei Quan weren't watching, then reached into the princess's sleeve and quickly pulled out a handkerchief.

The pale green silk had a bamboo branch embroidered in the lower left corner, along with two black swallows, one large and one small, one still and one in motion.

Zhao Sui stared at the two black swallows for a long time.

Yao Huang whispered, urging him, "How is it?"

Zhao Sui pointed to the black swallow flying outside the bamboo branch and said, "It's wonderful, the most beautiful handkerchief I've ever seen."

Yao Huang flushed at Prince Hui's compliment and turned her head to look at the snowman, changing the subject, "Ah, while it's still light, I'll make a snowman prince. Otherwise, tonight there'll only be a lonely snow princess standing here with no companion."

She took off her cloak and handed it to Prince Hui, telling him to sit still. Yao Huang quickly used the leftover snow pushed to the side to create a sturdy, rough snowman body, then rolled a round snowman head from a distance and placed it on top. She inserted the bamboo leaf eyebrows, black agate eyes, and red agate lips prepared by Fei Quan, clapped her hands, and declared it done!

Zhao Sui: "..."

If the snow princess could move, she would surely be frightened by such an ugly snow prince?

Yao Huang didn't care what Prince Hui thought, humming a tune as she pushed him away. Jinbao barked twice at the large snowman made by the princess and trotted after his masters.

After dinner, night had already fallen.

As usual, Zhao Sui had a massage and bath in the front yard before heading to the backyard.

There was a court meeting the next day, so Zhao Sui didn’t plan to do anything tonight. These days, he slept with the princess every night, but he wasn’t about to make her cry every time.

But after the princess turned off the light and got into bed, she hugged him, her arms gentle, her head resting on his waist, while her feet playfully reached out to tease his.

Zhao Sui asked, "...What’s this about?"

Yao Huang chuckled, "I’m checking if flowers have sprouted on your feet—why else would you keep them hidden from me?"

...

He couldn’t control his legs and feet, so he couldn’t escape her playful toes. She used her feet like hands, scraping and rubbing the soles and tops of his feet, occasionally poking her toes between his.

Though Zhao Sui’s legs and feet had only about half their sensation left, the princess’s teasing still got to him.

After a while, Zhao Sui grabbed the princess under her arms, lifted her up, and pushed her into the corner. With one hand, he held her feet, and with the other, he pulled up the quilt to cover her exposed upper body.

Embarrassed, Yao Huang kicked her legs, trying to free herself from Prince Hui’s grip. "Your Highness, isn’t this a bit much?"

Prince Hui stayed silent, mimicking the playful movements she’d made with her feet.

Prince Hui’s calloused palms tickled her, making her squirm and kick as she softly pleaded for him to stop.

When a faint sheen of sweat appeared on the princess’s ankles, Zhao Sui pulled her back into his embrace.

The princess had already melted into a warm, pliant bundle.

Emperor Yongchang received a leather chair from his son Prince Hui, tried it, and liked it so much that he handed it to the palace craftsmen for refinement, ensuring the final product befitted his imperial status.

The imperial craftsmen focused solely on crafting comfortable leather chairs for the emperor and his consorts, leaving Proprietor Fu’s Elegant Residence Pavilion unaffected. But after Prince Qing and his wife ordered a set from the Elegant Residence Pavilion, and Proprietor Fu spread the word, leather chairs became the must-have item for the capital’s elite within just over half a month.

Top-tier noblewomen like Grand Princess Fucheng supplied their own fox fur, marten fur, and tribute silk for the Elegant Residence Pavilion to craft chairs, while lesser officials’ wives, late to the trend, settled for chairs made of sheepskin, pigskin, or rabbit skin.

At the end of November, Li Tingwang came home from the martial arts school to find a peculiar yet surprisingly comfortable sheepskin chair.

With the martial arts imperial examination set for next spring, young men like Li Tingwang and Yao Lin were hard at work studying and training. Leather chairs weren’t exactly a hot topic, so Li Tingwang hadn’t heard a word about them.

His mother, Mrs. Wang, glanced at her son’s face, which had finally slimmed down after half a year, and vaguely said, "I’m not sure. I saw one at someone’s house and decided to get a set."

Li Tingwang didn’t think much of it, lowering his head to press the sheepskin chair surface a couple of times. Pressing and pressing, his heart ached.

If Yao Huang were still in Longevity Lane, he would definitely send her such a chair to make her happy. If Yao Huang were still in Longevity Lane, he would definitely tell her that he would propose to her family after he passed the martial arts imperial examination. She had no idea just how much he cared for her.