novelSusiti Chapter 1362: Princes with Their Own Schemes
Chapter 1362: Princes with Their Own Schemes
The Prince Zhou Mansion threw a grand banquet for the elevation of the Concubine Wen, as grand as that of an Official Wife. Her dowry amounted to one hundred and eight crates, just twenty less than the one hundred and twenty-eight of an Official Wife. And that was just on the surface; who knows how much there was in secret.Prince Zhou was unaware of others’ reactions; he only knew he had secured the daughter of the Governor of Jiangnan, truly the best choice. The only regret was that his father, the Emperor, showed no reaction in the Imperial Palace.
Even the Song Minister’s Mansion only sent the Fifth Rank Song Zhiqing and his wife.
Prince Zhou felt somewhat displeased but was helpless; he still wanted to win over the Song Minister’s Mansion. If he could pull Song Zhiyuan into his camp, the other brothers would basically have no chance.
It’s a pity that Prime Minister Song is as slippery as an eel.
"Third Brother, congratulations." Prince Xiao, along with two other princes, came over with wine cups, feigning a smile, "Though it’s a joyous occasion, you should appease Li Da. I saw earlier that Li Da almost argued with the Wen family."
Prince Zhou sneered internally, thinking this was said out of sour grapes. Listen to this sour talk; it’s enough to sour a person to death.
"Big Brother’s heart is as wide as the sea, able to contain everything."
Prince Xiao’s face turned green.
This was a veiled reference to him minding too many things.
Prince Wu and Prince Yan stood aside with their wine cups, fake smiles plastered on their faces, treating it as a spectacle, but their envious eyes couldn’t be hidden.
Concubine Wen held a noble status and came with a rich dowry, and her family was powerful, which was naturally a huge asset to Prince Zhou. Especially now, when the Crown Prince had not been established, everyone was vying with all their efforts to compete.
Now Prince Zhou also acquired strong support in the form of Governor Min, which was a huge pressure on them.
Not to mention, Prince Zhou’s mother was the legitimate daughter of the Fan family. Although Prime Minister Fan was in mourning, he had many disciples and was still a significant influence.
In this way, Prince Yan had a few more advantageous gambles than Prince Wu. Consort Fan was the legitimate daughter of the Fan family, and his Princess was also the direct granddaughter of Prime Minister Fan.
Prince Yan remained calm and collected, but the thought of this depressed and frustrated Prince Wu.
His mother’s family was not influential, and he was raised under Consort Duan’s name, who had her biological own sixth prince. Naturally, any good resources were prioritized for the Sixth Prince rather than him, the so-called foster son.
His wife’s family also lacked reputation and status, with the only pride being the rich dowry they provided. The Princess was generous and willing to use dowry silver to gather ministers, but now, compared to Concubine Wen’s dowry, which was equivalent to that of an Official Wife, it was somewhat unimpressive.
Consort Zhou also had a substantial dowry, and now with the added strength from Concubine Wen’s dowry, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
Although Prince Wu wore a smile on his face, inwardly, he was crying like a creek; neither his maternal nor marital families could compare. His father the Emperor was also biased, not favoring him much. He was like a straw man, so what’s the point of competing?
He might as well hope for gracious imperial favor and start managing his fiefdom early, become a leisurely prince, and be a small overlord of his domain without the need to fight with his brothers.
The thought of this possibility warmed Prince Wu’s heart.
The brothers, each with their own intentions, exchanged barbed and ironic remarks, each with their own calculations.
Prince Zhou, basking in his brothers’ envy, felt so good that he seemed to walk with the wind, and took the opportunity to head to the new garden of Concubine Wen, the Coral Garden.