Chapter 172

Chapter 172

The Crown Prince, now able to move his legs, still composed.

Though it was uncertain whether he would fully recover, his legs had indeed improved. Thus, Zhao Sui chose to share the news with his wife, Yao Huang, to bring her joy as well.

However, Zhao Sui would only demonstrate simple movements like sliding his legs or bending his knees in front of Yao Huang to prove he could move, unwilling to let her witness his walking exercises.

Having spent three years in a wheelchair, even with daily massages, the muscles in Zhao Sui’s legs were far weaker than those of an average person. He still lacked the strength to stand on his own. During his walking practice in the front courtyard, he mostly relied on his arms to support himself against the railings, focusing only on the motion of moving his legs forward—an exhausting and tingling effort. Even a short lap around the railing in the bedroom left him drenched in sweat.

Apart from Imperial Physician Liao, whose presence was indispensable for his treatment, Zhao Sui did not want anyone, especially Yao Huang, to see him in such a state.

Yet when the Crown Prince simply said that he would practice walking in the front courtyard, Yao Huang immediately understood his meaning.

She didn’t need to see it. Just hearing about his progress and knowing there was hope was enough to make her happy and satisfied.

When asked when he first realized his legs could move, Zhao Sui ran his fingers through Yao Huang’s long hair and, after a brief silence, replied, "When dismounting at the hunting grounds."

At that moment, his only thought had been to help Yao Huang as she dismounted. It wasn’t until his legs buckled and he knelt on the ground that he suddenly realized he had completed the entire motion—lifting his leg over the horse’s back and jumping down.

Yao Huang sat up excitedly at this. "No wonder your dismount looked so effortless and elegant! So you could already move then!"

Zhao Sui gazed into her eyes sparkling like stars and asked, "Didn’t you say you didn’t see it?"

Yao Huang: "...I only saw how dashing you looked dismounting. Then my back hurt, and I collapsed again, so I missed how you fell."

Zhao Sui lowered his eyes.

Yao Huang could tell the Crown Prince was still cheerful—and why wouldn’t he be? A small fall that miraculously healed legs paralyzed for three years would delight anyone.

"Speaking of which, we should give credit where it’s due to that wild boar. If it hadn’t charged out, I wouldn’t have been in danger, and if I hadn’t been in danger, Your Highness wouldn’t have been so desperate."

Zhao Sui chuckled. That was indeed the truth.

Yao Huang patted his arm, urging him to lie down, then called out to A Ji.

A Ji entered head lowered.

Yao Huang instructed, "Send someone to inform my brother. Tell him to clean the boar’s tusks and deliver them to me."

Even female wild boars had tusks, albeit tiny ones.

A Ji, puzzled, went to arrange for a palace attendant to handle it.

Zhao Sui: "What do you need the tusks for?"

Yao Huang smiled at him. "To keep as a memento. I think that boar was actually a lucky boar, so its tusks are good-luck charms too. We’ll preserve them as the Eastern Palace’s treasure."

Zhao Sui: "..."

On their last full day at the villa, Yao Huang left her siblings, in-laws, and the princesses and their consorts behind, pushing the Crown Prince out alone to enjoy the scenery. They returned at noon for a meal, after which she rested while Zhao Sui practiced walking and received massages in the front courtyard. Once Yao Huang woke, she took him out again, and after dinner, it was time for another walking and massage session.

Yao Huang waited patiently in the rear courtyard. It was nearly the first watch when Zhao Sui finally arrived. Exhausted and freshly bathed, his face was slightly flushed, leaving Yao Huang, sitting cross-legged on the bed, gawking openly.

Zhao Sui glanced at her before lowering his gaze, wheeling himself into the canopy bed and shifting onto it as he always had.

Lying face to face, Yao Huang gently squeezed his thigh and murmured, "How was today compared to yesterday?"

Zhao Sui took her hand and replied, "If yesterday was a ten in numbness, today was only nine."

During the day while sitting in the wheelchair, although he didn’t practice walking, he occasionally moved his legs slightly—shifting his feet left or right on the footrests, or lifting his knees when the Crown Princess wasn’t looking.

Such exercises, much like studying and martial arts training in his youth, required practice to perfect, and Zhao Sui had ample patience and perseverance.

Yao Huang exclaimed in delight, "Such progress in just one day..."

Zhao Sui replied, "Don’t celebrate too soon. Imperial Physician Liao said even if I fully recover, it may take half a year or longer before I can move freely."

Yao Huang nestled into his arms. "I’m just happy, not impatient at all."

Holding his delicate Crown Princess, Zhao Sui recalled the moment she had seen him fall in the hunting grounds the day before.

Though he still couldn’t stand, he could now steady himself on his knees without needing to lean on her back.

Imperial Physician Liao had also advised him to practice all possible leg movements.

So, the Crown Prince slowly turned the Crown Princess around.

The Crown Princess had been at the mercy of the *Bamboo Demon* many times before, always having to bear its weight while enduring its mischief. Now that the *Bamboo Demon* could support itself, she could finally focus solely on crying—and she cried on and off for ages...

On the afternoon of August 30th, after a two-and-a-half-day journey, the Crown Prince’s party returned safely to the capital.

The Crown Prince needed to report to Emperor Yongchang on the heavy gunpowder tests, while Yao Huang, though eager to see Yun Er, first went to pay respects to Empress Zhou. Unexpectedly, both found their destinations empty—the emperor, on his day off, had brought Empress Zhou to the imperial garden to spend time with their grandson Yun Er, who had been left in their care by his parents.

The couple reunited on their way to the garden, where Yao Huang took over the wheelchair and pushed the Crown Prince inside.

The imperial garden was fragrant with osmanthus, and along the paths were rows of rare chrysanthemum varieties, some in full bloom and others budding. Despite the cooling season, a few butterflies still flitted among the flowers.

As they walked, they spotted Empress Zhou sipping tea in a pavilion, while the emperor played chase with butterflies outside, holding Yun Er.

The sound of the wheelchair caught Yun Er’s attention. The little one squirmed excitedly in their direction, recognized his long-absent parents, and twisted in his grandfather’s arms.

The emperor chuckled and patted his grandson’s bottom. "After all the time I’ve spent with you these past days, you still abandon me the moment you see your parents."

Yao Huang stopped the wheelchair beside the emperor, taking Yun Er with a smile. "I’m back. We’ve troubled Your Majesties these days. May I take Yun Er (the little one) and leave you our son (the big one)?"

Zhao Sui: "..."

The emperor glanced at his stone-faced son and snorted. "Our son isn’t as charming as Yun Er."

Yao Huang teased, "But our son has learned much from Your Majesty and can share your burdens."

The emperor, truly impressed by the heavy gunpowder’s potential, instructed his daughter-in-law to take Yun Er to the pavilion to greet Empress Zhou. He then pushed his son to a bench, facing the wheelchair toward it before reclining on the bench. After ten days apart, the emperor wanted to look his son over.

Zhao Sui lowered his eyes respectfully.

"Report," the emperor commanded.

When it came to official matters, the Crown Prince became more talkative, detailing each test with precision and no wasted words.

The emperor nodded repeatedly, gazing at the sky. "For mining and quarrying, the current heavy gunpowder is sufficient. We just need to improve storage and transportation safety. But turning it into a battlefield weapon requires more thought. This is pivotal to Qi’s destiny—you’ll continue overseeing it. I don’t trust anyone else."

The Crown Prince had battlefield experience, understood military needs, and was discreet enough to safeguard secrets.

Zhao Sui acknowledged with a nod.

With the official matters concluded, Emperor Yongchang began inquiring about how his sons, daughters-in-law, daughters, and sons-in-law had enjoyed their time at the imperial hunting grounds.

Zhao Sui recounted how the eldest princess had personally shot a rabbit, how the Second Princess had killed a roe deer that Fan Ruochuan had first wounded in the thigh, and also the hunting rivalry between Yao Lin and Li Fuwei. Some of these stories had been told to him by the Crown Princess, while others Zhao Sui had witnessed himself.

The Crown Prince recounted these events matter-of-factly, but Emperor Yongchang grasped one thing clearly: the Crown Princess had truly put effort into teaching the two princesses archery and had succeeded in training them to hit their targets.

Emperor Yongchang: "You’ve only spoken of others—didn’t you and your wife shoot anything?"

Zhao Sui lowered his gaze and replied, "The Crown Princess hunted a roe deer, and your son shot a wild boar."

Emperor Yongchang: "...When I organized the hunting competition, you didn’t even enter the mountains, just waited outside like a sitting duck. But when accompanying your wife, you dared to ride and shoot?"

Zhao Sui: "When your son entered the mountains, he only planned to accompany the Crown Princess on horseback and had no intention of hunting. Later..."

Upon hearing that his daughter-in-law had nearly been injured by a wild boar, Emperor Yongchang frowned and glanced toward the pavilion. "Wild boars are fiercer than wolves when provoked. Even if it was only a young sow, your wife took too big a risk. Since this happened while she was with you, what if the four women encountered such danger during their own hunt..."

Thinking of his two delicate princesses, Emperor Yongchang grew increasingly convinced that his second son’s wife ought to tone down her daring.

Zhao Sui did not explain that the Crown Princess and the others had guards following them during their hunt. Instead, he continued recounting how, in his haste to assist the Crown Princess, his legs had suddenly regained movement.

Back when Emperor Yongchang first received the battlefield report that his second son had fallen off a cliff and his fate was unknown, he had merely closed his eyes and sat alone for a long time. But now, upon suddenly learning that his son’s legs could move, Emperor Yongchang stood up in excitement, his eyes flickering between his son and his legs, stammering, "R-really? They can move?"

Zhao Sui placed his hands on the armrests and slowly lifted his right foot off the footrest.

Seeing it with his own eyes, Emperor Yongchang abruptly turned away, unable to lift his hand in time as tears streamed down his face.

Zhao Sui stared at the jade belt around his father’s waist and said quietly, "They can move, but whether they will fully recover remains to be seen. Don’t get your hopes up too much, Father."

Emperor Yongchang wiped his tears with one hand while waving the other dismissively. "Any progress is a blessing."

Zhao Sui: "Before there are definitive results, your son would like to keep this a secret to avoid gossip in court and beyond."

Emperor Yongchang nodded with his back turned. "Smart thinking. Whatever you need, just ask—I’ll arrange it for you."

Zhao Sui: "Imperial Physician Liao will continue assisting your son in his recovery. As for practical supports, your son wishes to add a sturdy handrail around the deer garden in the Eastern Palace to support himself while practicing walking."

The inner quarters were too cramped, and any construction in the deer garden required his father’s approval.

Emperor Yongchang, somewhat calmer now, tucked away his handkerchief and turned back, his eyes softening. "That’s a trivial matter. You may arrange it as you see fit."

Finally, Zhao Sui requested that his father not hold the Crown Princess accountable for her small mistake of letting the boar loose.

Emperor Yongchang chuckled at his son’s protective devotion to his wife.

Hold her accountable?

His second son’s wife was nothing short of his lucky charm—and a blessing to the whole royal family at that. The only question on his mind was how best to reward her!