Chapter 61: The Old Prince Next Door 14

After that, she learned how to organize sacrificial rites and various banquets. Without learning, she wouldn’t have known just how many intricacies were involved.

Being part of the royal family, they didn’t have much else, but they certainly had a hell of a lot of sacrifices. The birth and death anniversaries of past emperors and empresses alone added up to quite a few. Beyond those, there were sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, and the twenty-four solar terms¹. There was always an opportunity to organize a ritual.

If the Empress liked to flaunt her status and power, she would lead the royal women in organizing these sacrifices together. In that case, Su Huandan could reduce the number of times she had to perform them at home. If the Empress kept a low profile, then the royal women would have to conduct the sacrifices in their own households.

That said, as a royal daughter-in-law, just try forgetting a single sacrifice.

Those censors at the Censorate, who were so idle they were practically growing mold, were just waiting to catch such a slip-up to pad their quotas.

However, regarding the matter of sacrifices, the household had an ancestral hall. She just had to have the kitchen prepare the offerings in advance, go to the hall before breakfast to kneel, light a stick of incense, and pour a cup of clear wine. It didn’t actually take much time; most of the work was done by the servants.

As for banquets, the differences were even greater. For instance, the flower-viewing parties that every household loved to host throughout the four seasons weren’t actually for looking at flowers. They were the matchmaking banquets of the ancient world.

These gatherings needed to be somewhat open, with young men and women eating and playing together. It was essential to invite many elder ladies, who would sit on high platforms in the garden and keep an eye on everyone.

These elderly noblewomen served as witnesses to ensure that the young people attending the flower-viewing banquet did nothing improper.

Therefore, the difficulty of hosting a successful flower-viewing banquet was never about guests causing trouble. As long as your servants were well-arranged, others wouldn’t have the chance to make a scene. Rather, how many noblewomen you could invite depended entirely on your personal popularity.

Prince Chen’s elder sister, despite being a Grand Princess, couldn’t manage to host a flower-viewing banquet. It was because she had a foul temper and had offended many people. When she invited other noblewomen, even if they were scared to death of her status as Grand Princess, they would rather make themselves sick than accept the invitation.

Tsk, tsk. So, a flower-viewing banquet was indeed a reflection of one’s popularity and status.

As for other banquets, the Prince’s Mansion hosted many, but only the birthday banquets for Prince Chen and Su Huandan were considered major events, and they weren’t difficult to manage.

Once she had gone through all the skills a mistress of a household, especially a royal mistress, should learn, Su Huandan felt she had mastered them. Then, the wedding date arrived.

The day before the wedding, Su Huandan was sent to a royal villa outside the capital to wait for the ceremony.

Her personal belongings were also sent over, and the deed to the small house where she had lived for over half a year was sent back to the Duke of Yi Household.

Once Eunuch Gui Xi left, the Duke of Yi was consumed by an uncontrollable rage and smashed porcelain all over the floor.

The Duchess of Yi had known since Su Huandan refused to see her or let her through the door several times when she wanted to discuss the dowry that Su Huandan had no intention of having any further involvement with the Duke’s household.

Unfortunately, she had said this several times, but the Duke didn’t believe her.

And now?

Even a small, worthless house like that, she didn’t want it. Not only did she not want it, but she also sent the Duke’s household a hundred thousand taels in silver notes, saying it was to thank the Duke of Yi Household for their care in raising her all these years…

What did that mean?

It meant that after those hundred thousand taels, Su Huandan had nothing more to do with the Duke of Yi Household.

Did the Duke of Yi Household lack this money?

No.

Could they refuse?

No.

Because the one delivering the money was Gui Xi, and standing behind Gui Xi was a dignified old governess. This governess was a manager from Fengci Palace who constantly attended to the Empress Dowager. Her appearance meant this was the Empress Dowager’s will.

The Duke of Yi was also an idiot. In such a matter, what would it have hurt to refuse? The Empress Dowager and Prince Chen only dared to use their status to pressure him, but if he had stubbornly refused to bow his head, then Prince Chen and the Empress Dowager would have had to hold their noses and acknowledge the Duke of Yi Household as relatives.

Even if the relationship wasn’t good, if something major happened in the future and they went to beg, Prince Chen wouldn’t have ignored them.

What a pity. A great opportunity, and the Duke of Yi failed to grasp it again. After seeing Gui Xi and the old governess, he had been unable to react. Tsk, tsk. Married to such a useless man, she could only look forward to her status as the Duchess and her son’s future.

This man was unreliable!

After the people left, he began another round of impotent rage. Bah, what a piece of work.

In a sedan chair carried by twenty-four bearers, Su Huandan sat inside, listening to the commotion outside. They said Prince Chen had actually come in person to receive the bride?

Su Huandan only knew that Prince Chen was severely ill; she hadn’t seen him. Although she had been adding diluted Spiritual Spring Water to his food, to be honest, she hadn’t even used a single drop of the diluted water in a month.

Su Huandan truly felt it would be difficult for this man’s body to even leave the house, yet listen to the people’s chatter outside.

They said Prince Chen didn’t look like a sick man at all, riding a white horse to receive the bride.

Some also said Prince Chen was exceptionally handsome, like a god descended to the mortal realm.

So, what exactly was the situation with Prince Chen?

Could those “seasoned” meals have nurtured his body back to health?

If that were true, Su Huandan felt that her “big shot” son would be arriving soon.

The twenty-four bearer sedan chair wasn’t very steady; there was still a slight swaying sensation. Three shifts of bearers took turns carrying it from outside the city to Prince Chen’s Mansion inside the city.

The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress were all waiting at Prince Chen’s Mansion.

Initially, the Empress Dowager had suggested holding the wedding in the palace.

Prince Chen had refused. His nephew, the Emperor, had his own sons, so he didn’t need that particular honor.

It didn’t hold much meaning.

When the sedan chair reached the main gate of Prince Chen’s Mansion, red carpets were laid out. There was the stepping over the brazier² and the bowing to Heaven and Earth³. Inside the mansion, there wasn’t much noise; instead, it was very solemn.

The master of ceremonies chanted the blessings loudly. Step by step, after all the tedious wedding rituals were completed, Su Huandan was sent into the bridal chamber.

Prince Chen returned with her.

The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress also returned to the palace. As for the other guests who were there for the banquet, a few ceremonial officials were enough to attend to them.

Reasonably, the royal princes should have hosted, but among the adult members of the royal family, there was only the Emperor and Prince Chen.

If the Emperor were to host the guests for dinner, it would be a miracle if the guests could actually swallow their food.

As for Prince Chen?

Hah, with Prince Chen’s health, after being busy all day, riding a horse out of the city and then riding back to receive the bride, plus those tedious wedding steps, the fact that he hadn’t collapsed made everyone think he was experiencing a final burst of lucidity⁴ before the end.

Who would dare force Prince Chen to stay and drink at the banquet?

The ritual officials were more than enough for that.

Besides, Gui Xi was there, along with Prince Chen’s retainers. That was plenty.

“So, you just came back?” The bridal veil had not even been lifted yet, but the conversation between the two was so familiar that the expressions of the four ritual matrons⁵ shifted.

If these two hadn’t lived together before, there was no way they could speak to each other like such an old married couple.

Su Huandan was speechless.

She was truly being wronged here. They really had never spoken before, and they hadn’t even exchanged so much as a small note.

Prince Chen, however, looked amazed. See? If this wasn’t a match made in heaven, how could they be so perfectly in sync?

Marrying this Princess Consort was a wonderful decision!

Translator’s Notes