Chapter 62: The Old Prince Next Door 15

A Princess Consort who was perfect in every way was not an easy find, was she?

“Don’t worry about that. Among the civil and military officials of the court, there are only a few worthy of this Prince offering a toast.” How could offering toasts be more important than the joys of the marriage bed?

Prince Chen had recently felt his little brother rising to the occasion again. It was a rare occurrence; it had been years since there was any movement down there. At a time like this, who would bother thinking about the wedding banquet?

With a body like his, wasn’t having a child the top priority?

After the veil-lifting and the rest of the procedures were finished, Prince Chen hurriedly dismissed the ceremonial matron¹. Su Huandan rose from the bed.

“They made me eat six poached eggs early this morning, and now I’m starving. Did you eat tonight? Want to have a bite together?” Su Huandan sat before the dressing table. Behind her, the maids of the Prince Chen Mansion were helping her remove her heavy headpiece and jewelry.

Prince Chen: …

Ah, so she actually wanted to eat first?

Sigh, it must be said that encountering a Princess Consort with this kind of personality was a bit of a headache even for a Prince like him.

Their statuses were unequal, yes, but a husband and wife were still a husband and wife. There was no fun in a couple interacting like master and servant, but seeing his Princess Consort so comfortable and at ease made a Prince like him, who had been pampered since childhood, feel a bit awkward.

“Then let us eat a little,” Prince Chen said, and someone immediately rushed to the kitchen.

By the time Su Huandan finished removing her makeup and took a hot bath, Prince Chen’s emotions had settled. Sitting at the table and watching the dishes being served one after another, he wondered to himself: Is this what married life is supposed to be like?

The Princess Consort, now dressed in casual home attire, walked out of the washroom. Her eyes lit up when she saw the food on the table, showing not a hint of affectation.

“Sit, they just brought it out. It’s all from your dietary plan. Try it and see how the mansion’s chef compares. I don’t think it’s as good as the food at your house,” Prince Chen said as he picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of fish in Su Huandan’s bowl.

It was West Lake Vinegar Fish². Prince Chen had picked out the choice, boneless meat from the belly and given it to her.

Su Huandan didn’t stand on ceremony; she was famished.

In these ancient weddings, one really had to start dressing in the middle of the night. Then came the tedious journey from outside the city into the city, and finally to the Prince Chen Mansion. After the whole process, the wedding ceremony itself didn’t take place until dusk.

Ancient weddings on the groom’s side only began in the evening, and Su Huandan had finally experienced it firsthand.

She ate the fish in one bite, her cheeks bulging. Her eating manner wasn’t ugly, but Prince Chen had never seen a woman eat like that.

“You really don’t put on an act in front of me,” Prince Chen remarked, finding it quite novel. A woman like Su Huandan was truly a rare sight.

“Why put on an act between husband and wife? What is there to pretend? Aren’t you eating? Aren’t you hungry after enduring the whole day?” Su Huandan looked at Prince Chen curiously.

To say he was fair-skinned with red lips would be a lie; his complexion still had a sickly pallor, and he was so thin he had almost lost his shape.

If Prince Chen could gain some weight and reach a normal build, he would definitely be a handsome man. His long, narrow phoenix eyes were exceptionally sharp.

His features were deep and handsome, and his thin lips gave off a truly cold and detached feeling, yet he was still good-looking.

Prince Chen possessed an air of nobility, but his overbearing aura suppressed it.

Now, only that domineering aura remained visible.

Su Huandan wasn’t sure if this was what royal grace looked like; he was the only living Prince and member of the imperial family she had ever seen.

As she ate, she also placed food in Prince Chen’s bowl. “This is delicious and easy to digest at night. Have some.”

“This shredded chicken is quite flavorful, but you should eat less of it. I’m afraid you won’t digest it well tonight and won’t sleep comfortably.”

By the end of the meal, Su Huandan was eighty percent full and set down her chopsticks. Prince Chen, however, had overeaten. A bite of this, two bites of that; seeing how heartily Su Huandan ate, he hadn’t stopped his own chopsticks until he was stuffed.

He was really… bloated!

Seeing Prince Chen secretly rubbing his stomach, Su Huandan stood up and pointed to the table for the maids at the door. “Clear this away.”

Then she walked over to Prince Chen and pulled him up. “Let’s go out and walk a few laps. I ate a bit too much.”

Just as she said that, Prince Chen let out a loud burp!

Prince Chen: …

Su Huandan wanted to laugh but held it in, pointing outside. “Shall we just walk around the courtyard? I saw it when I arrived; your courtyard is very large.”

It was indeed large, like a small park. The courtyard was filled with gardens, rockeries, and exotic stones, constructed in a square and orderly fashion that looked both majestic and full of life.

Prince Chen raised an eyebrow. “This is your courtyard too. Only the two of us will live here from now on. I’ve had the side courtyards repainted. In the future, if we have a son, he’ll live in the East Side Courtyard, and a daughter will live in the West Side Courtyard. Once they turn ten, they’ll move out of the Main Courtyard to live on their own.”

He couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning children. Was he someone who simply loved children?

No, Su Huandan felt that “loving children” wasn’t enough to describe Prince Chen’s longing. This was a fear of having no heirs, a dread of having no one to offer sacrifices³ for him after he died.

The two wandered for nearly an hour before returning. By then, Prince Chen didn’t feel quite so bloated.

Entering the room, he looked at Su Huandan’s profile and smiled. This was quite nice.

Next came the matter Prince Chen desired most.

Prince Chen felt his masculine prowess was in full swing and felt very satisfied afterward.

Su Huandan: …

He had only managed about twenty thrusts. This man’s physical condition was truly lacking.

She wondered when her “Great Boss” son would arrive.

Upon hearing the heavy breathing beside her, Su Huandan also drifted off into a daze and fell asleep.

Early the next morning—well, it wasn’t even morning, it was the middle of the night again—she was woken up.

They had to go to the Imperial Palace to give thanks.

They had to visit the Empress Dowager⁴ and the Empress.

When they arrived at the Empress Dowager’s quarters, the older woman looked at Su Huandan’s slightly bewitching and beautiful features and frowned. This appearance was far too radiant. Among all the concubines in the palace, not a single one could compare in beauty to Princess Consort Chen.

She was Princess Consort Chen, after all. If she had entered her son’s harem…

Tsk, it was unthinkable. It was better for the Su girl to remain her sister-in-law.

Given Prince Chen’s health, having too many women wouldn’t do. Now that he had a Princess Consort, he should focus all his energy on her.

As for the women she, the Empress Dowager, had previously sent to the Prince Chen Mansion?

She would have them all removed in a couple of days so they wouldn’t stay there and be an eyesore.

The Empress Dowager was very kind toward Su Huandan, and she was also a bit curious that the girl didn’t seem at all afraid of her. Her etiquette was flawless, and her quiet, well-behaved manner was quite endearing.

As for her appearance, the Empress Dowager thought to herself that even in her old age, she still enjoyed looking at beautiful women. In the past, she had loved looking at the beauties in the late Emperor’s harem, finding them quite pleasing to the eye.

However, she did not like having such seductive types in her own son’s harem, fearing they would ruin his health.

Su Huandan thought, “…”

Well, aren’t you just a wonderful mother!

While visiting the Empress Dowager, Su Huandan also met the Empress.

The other concubines had wanted to come, but the Empress Dowager refused to let them. In her eyes, a wife was a wife and a concubine was a concubine. In a gathering meant for legal wives, no matter how noble a concubine might be, they simply were not allowed to attend.

At noon, the Emperor and Prince Chen arrived at Fengzao Palace together. They all had lunch, after which the princes paid their respects to Su Huandan as their Great-Aunt⁵. Following that, it was time to head home.

But don’t think that was the end of it. Tomorrow, they had to visit Prince Chen’s eldest sister’s home. That was where the real battle would begin!

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Translator’s Notes

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1. ceremonial matron: Known as ‘Xiniang’, these were older women hired to coordinate wedding rituals, guide the couple through ceremonies, and offer auspicious blessings. They often managed the ‘bed-settling’ and veil-lifting procedures. ↩
2. West Lake Vinegar Fish: A famous traditional dish from Hangzhou (Xihu Cuyu). It is known for its delicate sweet and sour flavor and requires high-quality grass carp. In literature, serving the tender belly meat is a sign of deep affection or care. ↩
3. offer sacrifices: Refers to ancestral worship. In traditional Chinese culture, having a male heir was essential so that someone would continue to offer food and incense to the deceased’s spirit, preventing them from becoming a ‘hungry ghost’. ↩
4. Empress Dowager: The mother of the current Emperor. She usually holds the highest social authority among the women in the palace and often acts as the matriarch of the entire imperial clan. ↩
5. Great-Aunt: Because Prince Chen is the Emperor’s brother (and thus the princes’ uncle), his wife Su Huandan becomes their ‘Shenniang’ or ‘Shumu’. The translation ‘Great-Aunt’ reflects her generational seniority over the Emperor’s sons. ↩