Zhao's Daughter

" My name is Zhang Mingshu."

Ming Shu and the little maid supported the bride as they brought her to the main room of the inner courtyard. He had no idea what he was supposed to do next, and his heart was filled with unease.

Old Zhao had only finished renovating this room over the past few days. Ming Shu himself had never even lived in it.

Although it was crude, all the best materials in the Household had been dismantled and used here.

The little maid did not say a word either. All the way there, she had focused solely on taking care of her mistress.

The bride still had not spoken, but she and the little maid were in perfect understanding. At her hint, the little maid finally took a small green-jade bamboo ruler from behind her and handed it to Ming Shu.

"Son-in-law, please!"

Only then did Ming Shu react. He took the bamboo ruler and gently lifted the red veil.

The person before him was just a young girl.

Their eyes met.

Ming Shu was awkwardly at a loss for words.

The other girl only looked at him. In the end, she was the first to lower her eyes and nod.

"Lü E, go to the front and bring back something to eat."

"Yes, Miss." The little maid promptly left, giving the two of them some time alone.

The bride took the initiative and extended her small hand, leading Ming Shu to sit with her on the bed.

Ming Shu was flustered. "Why don't we take a walk?"

The moment Ming Shu sat down, he sprang back up.

The bride covered her mouth and giggled.

"My name is Zhao Siqi. My father is the Young Family Head of the Zhao Clan. His name is Zhao Wuxu."

"Before I came here, he told me a great deal about you."

"I'm only a concubine-born daughter of the Zhao Clan. You don't need to worry about differences in family status. Every year, our family sends many concubine-born sons and daughters to marry into other families. It's not as if every one of them goes there to become the Matriarch."

She could see the questions filling Ming Shu's heart, so she explained everything to him one thing at a time.

Before she came, not only had her father spoken with her at length, but her mother had also poured out her heart to her for an entire night.

For two people to spend the rest of their lives together, mutual trust was the most important thing.

"I may know more about you than you know about yourself."

The two of them strolled through the courtyard hand in hand.

"You carry the bloodlines of both the imperial family and the Zhang family. The late Emperor's grandmother was also the eldest legitimate daughter of the main branch of my Zhao Clan, so you could even be considered to carry the blood of the Zhao Clan."

Based on what Ming Shu had learned before, after a thousand years of intermarriage between the imperial family and the Three Great Families, their bloodlines had long since become deeply intertwined.

He was not surprised by this.

He gave a small nod.

"Why did you choose me?"

What Ming Shu actually wanted to know was what advantages she saw in him. What did he possess that made him worth investing her entire life in?

"I don't know what deal my father and the power behind you reached. At the time, when Father asked the several of us sisters, all we knew at first was that we were coming to the East Sea region and that there would be some danger."

"You were a young family head, and your family was extremely small. Later, Father spoke with each of us separately. When it was my turn, he asked what I expected of my future husband."

"I hoped he would be brave. He didn't need to be overly wise, but he couldn't be too stupid, at least. I've seen far too many fools within the family."

"My father promised me that you would be a suitable choice for me. He told me that you had hidden away in the Cold Palace for four years and were finally free now."

"He told me that you had drawn the attention of some great figure above, making you worth investing in. Your potential was enormous, your starting point extremely low, and while the risks were immense, that also meant the returns could be immense."

"He decided to invest alongside them. And his judgment would become my confidence and the foundation of my courage."

"Although I'm a concubine-born daughter of the clan, I've been very lucky. I have a father who is the Young Family Head and a mother who is neither servile nor overbearing."

"Even though she was only a concubine, my mother chose my father back then and became his maidservant. She helped him handle many affairs, both inside and outside the family, while always remaining hidden behind the scenes. Her guidance over the years also made me different from those brothers and sisters of mine."

"As I said just now, the concubine-born sons of the Zhao Clan are also sent off for political marriages. They marry into other families, and they may not necessarily be paired with someone from the other family's main branch. A concubine-born son paired with a concubine-born daughter is the proper arrangement. And if I didn't choose you, I would become one of them as well."

"My mother feels the same way I do: that you're worth betting on once, with my entire life. Will you disappoint me?"

As Ming Shu digested the information he had just received, he was somewhat dazed. The Young Family Head of one of the Three Great Families had not only personally taken an interest in him and used him in a deal, but had even sent one of his own daughters along with him.

Though he probably had quite a lot of daughters.

"Although you give me the impression of being very gentle, I don't want you to become an overly domineering mistress of this place. I'm sorry if I'm expressing myself poorly."

"It's fine. One of the most efficient ways to communicate is to be direct. Your directness and honesty have also earned my favor." Zhao Siqi said, "Do you know why I've been holding your hand so tightly?"

"I don't want us to develop a barrier between us from the very beginning. Any tiny suspicion can grow into a huge rift." She answered her own question. "I hope that, starting from merely not disliking you at first sight, I can gradually treat you with complete honesty and build trust with you."

"You can rest assured. From the moment I left home, Mother reminded me that I was no longer a daughter of the Zhao Clan. I needed to devote myself wholeheartedly to considering this new Household of ours."

"Otherwise, I would become one of those fools I mentioned, and meet the same fate."

"They simply can't distinguish where they truly belong. They have no sense of boundaries, yet possess some inexplicable sense of superiority for no reason. They think that just because they belong to the Zhao Clan, they can hold themselves above everyone else."

"They don't know how much effort and sacrifice our ancestors poured into giving the Zhao Clan its current power and status, or how many times they bled before finally gaining a firm foothold. Your imperial family has always been looking for ways to weaken the Three Great Families."

Ming Shu agreed with this point. That rule reducing inherited noble titles by one rank was obviously aimed at the Three Great Families.

Unfortunately, in the struggles that followed, after the Three Great Families joined forces, they had won by superior skill. Not only had they avoided being weakened, they had even taken the opportunity to seize more benefits from the other noble families.

The Great Jin Immortal Dynasty had reached where it was today because the struggles and schemes of its predecessors had all played their part, whether large or small.

"This place is still completely empty. Getting started will be very difficult." Ming Shu spoke somewhat awkwardly.

"I don't see it that way. I've come, so you're no longer empty-handed. I brought some people with me. You don't need to worry about them taking power from you; they'll all put you first."

"I'll introduce them to you later, and you can decide how to arrange them. Whatever decision you make, I'll support you with all my strength!"

"I'm thirteen this year. What about you?" Ming Shu still felt that their age difference was a major issue.

"I know. I'm a few months older, so we can be considered the same age. You don't need to be nervous. Mother taught me everything, so I'll teach you."