Chapter 213: Noble Ladies
Prince Donghai had married and moved out of the Cui residence into his own manor. Though spacious, it paled in comparison to the Cui manor and had fewer servants. He told Han Ruzi who came to congratulate him, “The Cui family thinks I can’t live without them. I’ll show them I can do just fine on my own.”
His bitter words, combined with the strong wine, made his stomach churn.
Few guests came to offer congratulations. The hasty wedding preparations during these unusual times meant many people feigned ignorance and refused to attend. The banquet felt cold and sparse, with several dozen guests mostly from long-declined noble families scattered across a dozen tables, stiffly sitting before tables of fine food and wine, barely daring to move. The scene was worlds apart from the Champion Marquis’s lively wedding celebration just days ago.
Even so, Prince Donghai refused to invite lower-status guests to his table, with only Han Ruzi sitting as his companion.
“The Cui family is busy preparing gifts for the new bride, too occupied to deal with me,” Prince Donghai said, staring at the empty hall and taking another drink. He had already dismissed the servants and was pouring his own wine.
The “new bride” he mentioned wasn’t his own wife, but rather the Cui daughter who married the Champion Marquis. “Heh, you know what? The Cui family is so proud, but Shujun hasn’t even received her title as a marquis’s wife yet. Right now she’s… just a commoner, haha.”
The palace hadn’t approved the petitions, and both the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs had a backlog of conferment documents. Not only the Champion Marquis’s wife, but Prince Donghai’s new bride from the Tan family also couldn’t receive the title of “Princess Consort” for the time being.
“The Champion Marquis must have planned this. I just found out he’s been a marquis for over a year but never applied for his previous wife’s title. Even then he must have felt the Tan family’s daughter wasn’t good enough for him,” Prince Donghai hiccupped, his eyes slightly red. “This guy is ambitious. Even if he becomes emperor, the Cui family will end up with nothing.”
Several guests came to bid farewell. Prince Donghai impatiently waved them away, not bothering with pleasantries.