Chapter 64: The Old Prince Next Door 17

Su Huandan was stunned. Was it really because the four dishes and one soup were considered low class that this guy gave her private money and specifically told her to manage the household from now on?

In passing, he had also mentioned the kitchen expenses.

But was two thousand taels a month for kitchen expenses not a bit much?

She kept this matter in mind for later. Since she had already married into the family, she would eventually get to the bottom of these things.

After a simple lunch, the two went about their own business.

Prince Chen did not have much to do, so he went to the front courtyard study and summoned all the accountants and managers.

He instructed them one by one that from now on, all internal affairs of the manor would be managed by the Princess Consort. Regardless of whether they were old timers of the manor, they had to be obedient.

This was a warning, done specifically to make it easier for Su Huandan to manage the household later.

After the accountants and managers left the study, some were nervous, fearing Su Huandan would be difficult to get along with. Others were disdainful, thinking she was just a woman who had been widowed for years, never bothered with anything, and had lived under someone else’s roof since childhood. Even if she could manage the household, she would have to follow the old rules of the manor.

Most people were taking a wait and see approach.

They wanted to see what kind of mettle Su Huandan had.

Looking at it now, Prince Chen valued the Princess Consort highly. Based on that alone, they should just be obedient in the future. After all, wasn’t any way of getting through the day just as good as another?

Meanwhile, Su Huandan was organizing her dowry.

The Empress Dowager had not lied; she had provided Su Huandan with a generous dowry. On top of that, there were gifts from the Emperor and Empress, and Prince Chen had added quite a bit himself.

Su Huandan had truly gained a massive amount of private property without spending a single penny.

There were four farmsteads in the suburbs of the capital, and two large farmsteads in the Jiangnan region.

In addition, there were six shops within the capital and two residential courtyards, one large and one small.

Twenty thousand taels of gold and one hundred thousand taels of silver. These were real gold and silver, not gold or silver notes.

Jewelry and ornaments were sent in crate after crate, many of which were antiques.

There were also antique calligraphy and paintings, various decorative ornaments, and all kinds of furniture.

It could truly be called a “ten mile red dowry¹.”

These items had not been organized yet.

Everything had to be registered in the ledger and stored in the warehouse.

Xia Chan would be in charge of the warehouse keys from now on. Usually serving by her side, Xia Chan was also in charge of the jewelry and the silver chests containing the money.

After Nanny Cui helped finish organizing the dowry, she worked with Su Huandan to prepare for tomorrow’s banquet.

Weren’t there still two princesses from the late Emperor’s reign alive?

As juniors, they would come to pay their respects to Su Huandan, and Su Huandan had to prepare gifts for them.

She calculated the number of people and prepared meeting gifts that were appropriate and beyond reproach.

Then there was the menu for the banquet. By the time all of this was settled, it was almost time for dinner.

Su Huandan rose and took Nanny Cui and her own cook to the kitchen.

The people cooking in the Prince Chen Manor were all imperial chefs, so most of them were eunuchs.

The head eunuch was named Wang Fugui². He indeed looked very “Fugui” – prosperous – being fair and plump. Upon seeing Su Huandan, his heart skipped a beat. Other managers might look down on this Princess Consort, but Wang Fugui did not dare to underestimate her at all.

Someone who could develop so many recipes must be very proficient in matters of the kitchen.

But wasn’t she coming to inspect the kitchen a bit too soon?

It seemed the Prince hadn’t explicitly handed over the household management to the Princess Consort yet?

Su Huandan had not come for the power of management. She was thinking about how Prince Chen had given her a hundred thousand taels at lunch just to eat well and abundantly, so shouldn’t she make a trip here?

If she did not come, what would happen to the Spiritual Spring Water that Prince Chen needed most?

She ordered a few dishes she liked and then watched them cook. Finally, while inspecting the plating, Su Huandan added the Spiritual Spring Water. She added it to the dish Prince Chen liked most and then headed back with the food.

Prince Chen had been waiting for a long time. His eyes filled with smiles the moment he saw Su Huandan.

A woman who was willing to stay in the kitchen for an hour just so he could have a good meal was the right woman to marry.

“In the future, just send a servant to the kitchen. There is no need for you to go personally. The kitchen is full of smoke and soot, what if you get covered in it?” Prince Chen took Su Huandan’s hand. After she sat down, he thought to himself that the scent of food on the Princess Consort was much better than the nonsense incense those other women wore.

If you smelled too much incense, it became uncomfortable, but the smell of food at most just made you hungry.

Prince Chen ate extremely well at dinner and even overate. His appetite was not as large as Su Huandan’s. Su Huandan could really eat, and she did so without any affectation, making the food look delicious. Looking at her, how could Prince Chen not overeat?

Taking a walk after a meal was Su Huandan’s habit, and Prince Chen had it too. Previously, he walked alone to aid digestion, but now the Princess Consort was accompanying him.

That night, Prince Chen did nothing. He fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

Su Huandan looked at Prince Chen’s back and thought to herself that marrying a Prince was a new experience, and marrying a sickly one was also a new experience. This body of his, it really was… tsk tsk.

Early the next morning, when Su Huandan woke up, Prince Chen was still asleep.

Su Huandan did not wake him. After getting up, she began her preparations.

The kitchen had already started making tea and snacks, and preparations for lunch were underway. The flower hall had also been tidied up. Once the guests arrived, they would meet there.

The so called flower hall was a courtyard sandwiched between the front and back courtyards. It was built like a palace hall, a large open room with many indoor potted plants. When relatives came, they were usually entertained here.

By the time the guests arrived, Prince Chen had just finished washing up. He came to the flower hall and had a chair brought over. He wanted to sit at the doorway and see what kind of characters were coming.

It felt as if he was looking for trouble.

But when Gui Xi whispered to Su Huandan that the Eldest Princess had actually brought all three of her illegitimate sons, Su Huandan looked at Prince Chen’s face.

Prince Chen’s face had turned terrifyingly dark.

He pointed at the Eldest Princess and her group. “Someone, throw the Eldest Princess and those three bastards out. They are never allowed to set foot in this house again.”

The Eldest Princess’s face turned pale instantly, but she still stubbornly tilted her chin up. “Royal Uncle, what you are saying is completely unreasonable. There are no bastards here. These three are merely my adopted sons.”

“Why are you still talking? Hurry up and throw them out for me. Then, clean every inch of the ground they walked on. Since when can any filthy, stinking thing enter the Prince Chen Manor?” Prince Chen did not bother speaking to the Eldest Princess at all and simply had her kicked out.

The Eldest Princess shouted at Su Huandan even as she was being dragged away, “Is Princess Consort Chen just going to stand there and not stop them?”

It would have been better if she hadn’t mentioned Su Huandan. The moment she did, Prince Chen bolted upright from his chair. He snatched up an apple from a nearby tray and hurled it straight at the Eldest Princess’s face.

“Get out! As of today, this Prince no longer has a niece like you.” After driving the Eldest Princess and her three illegitimate children away, Prince Chen sighed and stepped forward to take the First Prince Consort³‘s hand in comfort. “You’ve had a hard time.”

The First Prince Consort remained silent.

It really had been hard. This royal family was truly dishonorable, marrying a harlot off to him and nearly ruining his entire life.

The Second Princess and her daughter had watched the entire spectacle, and they quickly reined in their own schemes. Both mother and daughter now fixed their gazes intently on Su Huandan.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. ten mile red dowry: A traditional Chinese idiom (shili hongzhuang) describing a wedding so grand that the line of porters carrying the bride’s dowry stretches for ten li (approx. 5km). It signifies extreme wealth and high social status. ↩
2. Fugui: A common name meaning ‘wealth and honor’ or ‘prosperous’. The text makes a pun on the head eunuch’s name, as his physical appearance (fair and plump) matches the literal meaning of the word. ↩
3. First Prince Consort: In this context, the term (fuma) refers to the husband of a Princess. Despite the English ‘Consort’ title, in the Chinese hierarchy, a fuma often had limited political power and was expected to endure the Princess’s behavior due to her royal blood. ↩