Chapter 93

Chapter 93: My Princess (New) Ten days later. Ruan Shaodong held a grand banquet for Chu Tang. The banquet was held at a European-style manor that Ruan Shaodong had recently purchased, scheduled for seven in the evening. Chu Tang got up at eight in the morning to begin preparations. At the last Jiang family gathering, Elder Mrs. Jiang had remarked that an Eastern girl should wear a qipao. Chu Tang had initially planned to have a custom qipao made at the finest shop in Jiangcheng, but upon recalling that the banquet hall was designed in the medieval European Rococo style, she abandoned that idea. The gown for this banquet was a light blue European Rococo off-the-shoulder dress, modeled after the blue Rococo gown worn by Queen Marie in the 1956 film Marie Antoinette. The dress incorporated extensive petticoats and crinolines, giving the skirt an extremely wide and magnificent shape. The bodice required a stiff corset underneath to cinch the waist and lift the bust, showcasing perfect curves. The gown itself was crafted from luxurious silk, adorned with intricate decorations—an abundance of lace, pearls, and gemstones—opulent and dignified. To complement the gown, the stylist fitted Chu Tang with a platinum blonde wig, styled into an European updo. The top half of the wig was swept back and pinned up, while the lower half was curled into European ringlets cascading on either side, finished with hair ornaments in the same shade as the dress. For makeup, the stylist fitted Chu Tang with light blue contact lenses, making her appear blonde-haired and blue-eyed, perfectly suited to the Rococo gown. Chu Tang's skin was fair, requiring no heavy makeup—just a light layer of foundation and a soft lip color rendered her as beautiful as an angel descended to earth. The manor was located in the western suburbs, roughly an hour's drive from Chu Tang's current apartment. At five in the afternoon, Jiang Shixu arrived at the stylist's studio to pick up Chu Tang and froze in place, stunned. Chu Tang turned and gave him a gentle smile. "You're here." Jiang Shixu was also dressed in European formal attire today, his hair slightly curled in a European style, lending him an even more aristocratic air. Chu Tang sat before the vanity mirror, gazing at her reflection. Jiang Shixu walked over, bent in a courteous bow, and extended his hand to her. "Little princess." Chu Tang reached out and lightly placed her hand in his. Jiang Shixu pressed a reverent kiss to the back of Chu Tang's hand and said in fluent English, "My princess, please allow me to take you away." Chu Tang smiled in return and answered him in English as well, "Of course." ... An hour later, the Cullinan finally arrived at the western suburbs manor. The car drove along a wide asphalt road, flanked by tall plane trees on both sides. Their leaves had fallen in winter, and the bare, withered branches carved the overcast sky into mottled fragments. From a distance, a towering, magnificent castle came into view—the main structure of the manor. This manor was European in style, even larger than the Su family's, covering over two hundred mu of land. The main building was a grand castle, with several European villas scattered elegantly throughout the grounds. The landscaping featured evergreen plants that remained lush even in winter. The gardens were expansive, filled with rare flowers and exotic plants. The manor also boasted a helipad, artificial lake, swimming pool, cinema, tennis courts, gymnasium, and equestrian grounds—complete with comprehensive amenities. In his youth, Ruan Shaodong had studied abroad in Europe and traveled extensively through countries large and small across the continent. Ruan Shaodong also spoke flawless London-accented English. In formal attire, every gesture exuded the bearing of British aristocracy. He had a particular fondness for medieval Western European architecture, and this manor was one he had recently purchased as a dowry for Ruan Chu Tang. The paperwork had just been completed, and tonight marked its first opening to host guests. Luxury cars streamed continuously into the manor. At the entrance, rows of uniformed guards stood on either side, checking invitations and verifying the identities of arriving guests. When the Cullinan reached the gate, the guards waved it straight through. They had long been instructed to memorize the license plates of the frequently used vehicles from the Jiang and Ruan families—among them, Jiang Shixu's Cullinan. The car drove unimpeded through the manor, finally coming to a stop before the main castle. All other guests' vehicles were directed to the underground parking lot; only the cars of the Ruan, Jiang, and Su families were permitted to park in the open space before the castle gates. The driver brought the car to a smooth stop. Jiang Shixu opened the door, and the manor's steward, who had already come out to greet them, stood to the side with a respectfully bowed back. Jiang Shixu extended his hand to Chu Tang, and she took it as she stepped out of the car. The castle's grand doors stood wide open, a red carpet extending from outside all the way in, its end nowhere in sight. On either side of the red carpet, dozens of servants lined up in two rows, all in uniform, bowing and chanting in unison: "Good evening, Miss! Good evening, Young Master Jiang!" Chu Tang took Jiang Shixu's arm and walked slowly up the red carpet into the castle. The banquet hall on the first floor was designed after the ballroom of Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace—resplendent and ornately decorated. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the center of the ceiling, which was adorned with Renaissance frescoes. Stepping into the hall felt like entering a medieval European royal palace. This banquet hall was, if anything, even larger than Schönbrunn's. The music played softly from the orchestra in the hall, while guests chatted and laughed, toasting one another with clinking glasses. The moment Chu Tang and Jiang Shixu appeared, they drew everyone's attention. The crowd instinctively parted to make way, and Chu Tang and Jiang Shixu walked hand in hand into the banquet hall amid looks of admiration and envy, elegant and noble like a prince and princess of royalty. To please Elder Mrs. Jiang, Xu Jingxuan had worn a cheongsam again today, which clashed with the style of the banquet hall. But no one had ever stipulated that formal attire had to match the banquet's theme, so she hadn't originally thought much of it. Yet now, seeing Ruan Chutang and Jiang Shixu looking like a princess and prince, Xu Jingxuan was so jealous she gnashed her teeth. The moment they appeared, they were the protagonists, and all the other meticulously dressed guests were overshadowed—including Xu Jingxuan. Xu Jingxuan, holding onto Elder Mrs. Jiang's arm, watched Ruan Chutang and Jiang Shixu conversing with others and said in a sarcastic tone, "Grandma, look at what Ruan Chutang is wearing. Last time you already told her her attire was inappropriate and that she should wear a cheongsam, but today she's dressed even more outrageously—she even dyed her hair platinum blonde. Isn't she just a fake foreign devil? Is she deliberately trying to spite you?" Elder Mrs. Jiang was conservative in her thinking and old-fashioned in her ways. In her childhood era, imperialism was a mountain pressing down on the people, and the belief she had been raised with was that foreign devils were the number one enemy. Although times had long changed, and the present was different from the past—with cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries growing increasingly frequent and globalization being the trend of the times—the old lady's outdated views were deeply ingrained, and she still harbored deep prejudice against foreign culture. The moment Xu Jingxuan said this, Elder Mrs. Jiang's anger flared. She glared at Ruan Chutang, who was chatting and laughing with others not far away, disgust flashing in her eyes. "She knows I don't like it, yet she deliberately dresses like that and parades in front of me. She's even led Shixu astray. Her hair is done up looking neither human nor ghost. A woman like that being my grandson's wife is a disgrace to the Jiang family!" "That's right, Grandma. Brother has never worn this kind of formal attire before. It must be Ruan Chutang who forced him to." Elder Mrs. Jiang's gaze darkened. "I even apologized to Shixu last time, saying that what I did at the family banquet was wrong. A woman like her shouldn't be indulged. What I did at the family banquet wasn't harsh enough."