章 35: Daily Life of a Prince Consort

It did not take long for Yi Cheng Rui to instill his knowledge of noble etiquette into Wei Tian Ao. His friend was a quick study and didn't require too much practice. Granted, Yi Cheng Rui was less knowledgeable about the specifics of the royal family, but for that he relied on his younger brother.

"No no no, you cannot bow like that towards a second-class marquis!" Yi Qiang Li barked at Wei Tian Ao, who immediately stiffened. The two were in the middle of acting out different scenarios.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to bow at all..." There might be some bowing involved if the other party was a duke or perhaps someone Wei Tian Ao was familiar with, but in what situation would a future prince possibly bow to a second-class marquis?

"Precisely!"

"But you said--"

"It was a test to see if you would actually bow or not. You failed that test!" Yi Qiang Li shook his head, looking immensely disappointed.

"Younger brother, you are having entirely too much fun." Yi Cheng Rui smirked.

Yi Qiang Li's smile was as bright as the sun as he replied, "Indeed! I have not been out of the Second Princess's estate in a long time. Elder brother, you have no idea how boring it is being a prince consort!" He then realized that he overspoke and hastily added, "I-it might be boring, but Fang'er treats me very well! I don't dislike my position at all!"

The Fang'er he referred to, naturally, was Wei Yin Fang, the second princess to whom he was married. As a prince consort, Yi Qiang Li enjoyed the status of someone belonging to the royal family, but he could not take concubines and he could not hold any official position. It was equivalent to being a kept man. Most noble sons would balk at such a thing, so it was often difficult for princesses to get married without their father the emperor intervening.

"You excel at finding something to complain about no matter where you are, don't you?" Yi Cheng Rui shook his head, an amused smirk curling his lips.

"Eldest Brother, that's too much! I am a very positive person! ...I spoke too much. I merely wanted to thank the two of you for giving me something to do."

"What do you normally do every day?" Wei Tian Ao asked his new mentor. The thought of there being a position such as prince consort--where one would have status and wealth, but no real job or purpose--both baffled him and aroused his curiosity.

"Hmm... In the mornings, after breakfast, a few times a week the princess and I will head to the royal palace to pay our respects to the empress. After that, if we have any social engagements, we'll go together or separately to those. If not, I go back to the estate and paint pictures or walk around the garden. If I'm feeling particularly bored and have a lot of time on my hands, I can go hunting. Fang'er does love fox fur. I eat my noon meal at some point, then once the princess and I are both home, we have dinner together. That is really about it."

"That sounds pretty peaceful," Tian Ao thoughtfully said. Internally, he agreed that it sounded like a boring life. It didn't seem that a prince consort had much to aspire towards.

"It is. But peace gets dull." Yi Qiang Li let out an exaggerated sigh. "I certainly do not claim to be ambitious, but I don't get to attend morning court at all. My servants have to keep me apprised of everything that's going on."

"Oh? So should I have married royal sister-in-law instead so you could live more freely?" Yi Cheng Rui smirked.

Yi Qiang Li banged his fists against the table. "I would never have allowed it! Fang'er belongs to me!!" It was already known throughout the entire capital that Yi Qiang Li and Wei Yin Fang were deeply in love. Rumors were rumors, but this was a fact that Yi Cheng Rui had witnessed over and over every time he'd met his brother and sister-in-law. Their lovey-dovey acts would cause anyone's teeth to ache.

"Right. So stop complaining so much about how bored you are. You're supposed to be helping Tian Ao. The banquet's tomorrow." he reminded his brother.

"Right. Oh, have you chosen your clothes yet?" Wei Tian Ao shook his head. "That will be important. I'm sure Princess Rui has had clothes made for you, yes?"

"Oh. Err, I suppose so."

"Don't say 'err'! If you can't think of something to say, you may pause thoughtfully. Or perhaps say something to the effect of 'let me think'. But don't start with 'hmm' or 'umm' or 'err'." the prince consort huffed irritatedly. "It will make people think that you're uneducated."

"But I... I am uneducated." Wei Tian Ao winced. He was very knowledgeable about business and the merchant trade, but what did he know of politics or the four scholarly arts? Thus, he was as good as uneducated in these areas.

"Alright, but that doesn't mean you want everyone in Yinchuan to know about it!!" Yi Qiang Li snapped.

This roundabout logic only served to make Wei Tian Ao laugh. He realized, with some alarm, that it had already been a very long time since he'd laughed at anything. Wei Tian Ao shot Yi Qiang Li a look of deep gratitude. The second young master of the Yi family didn't understand it, but his elder brother did all too well. It relieved him to see his good friend in high spirits again.

The three of them continued their lively chatter. Yi Qiang Li ended up making Tian Ao try on a multitude of outfits before he was satisfied. Chen Guang, who was hovering outside the prince-shizi's living quarters, went to Princess Rui's courtyard to report.

"You say Tian Ao is sounding more lively these days?"

"Answering your grace, yes. I could not make out everything that they said, but it seemed that the two young masters from Duke Gui's household were chatting with him about the banquet."

"Tian Ao has been close to Yi Cheng Rui almost since he arrived in Yinchuan." Princess Rui frowned. Duke Gui was part of the Crown Prince's faction. Why would he be showing support to their son? After all, it was highly unlikely that Yi Cheng Rui had chosen to befriend Wei Tian Ao of his own accord. "Do you think this Duke Gui-shizi is trustworthy?"

"With all due respect, Princess..." Chen Guang paused, chewing on her thoughts before continuing. "Duke Gui-shizi is the young master's only friend here. Whether or not he's trustworthy, to separate them now..."

"If he is Tian Ao's only friend, why did Tian Ao not break out of his depressed state until that whelp from Duke Ning's place came over!?" Princess Rui knocked over a porcelain teacup in her sudden anger. It shattered against the ground, but Chen Guang didn't even flinch. She had served Princess Rui for many, many years. This little show of rage was nothing. "What good is a friend if they cannot share your sorrows with you?"

"There is much that you still do not understand about the young master. He and the Yan family's fifth young master are not particularly close, but perhaps that was simply the wake-up call he needed." Chen Guang coaxed the princess. "Besides, the young master doesn't have any official position or clout in politics. What would Duke Gui's household have to gain from such a friendship? What ulterior motives could this shizi have?"

This was true. Still, Princess Rui had trouble accepting that someone might befriend her son purely out of goodwill or desire for friendship. "Very well. Continue observing the situation for now."

"Yes, your grace."

"......See if you can retain the two for dinner."

This was why Chen Guang hardly feared her mistress. She had watched over this Princess Rui since the latter was a young girl. Chen Guang had long come to realize that Princess Rui was the type who spoke harshly, but had a soft underbelly. Even as she complained about the two young men from Duke Gui's estate, she would still treat them with respect and even try to keep them for dinner. Hiding her small smile, Chen Guang bowed before returning to Wei Tian Ao's place.