Just as the Lei Family and the Meng Family were the reigning powers of Ji Prefecture, ostensibly evenly matched and deeply rooted. It was not as though there were no other noble and meritorious houses; there were quite a few marquisates and earldoms, but compared to those two families, they fell far short.
Likewise, in Yanzhou, the Tan Family was the absolute overlord—provided Divine Saber Hall was excluded.
Thus, one could imagine just how shocked and shaken everyone present was upon hearing this news.
One Meng Family and one Lei Family were enough to keep Ji Prefecture firmly in hand.
By marrying into the Tan Family—whose third generation had only one daughter, or rather, ostensibly only one daughter—Meng Zhao could also draw upon the Tan Family's power and extend his reach into Yanzhou.
That was an exceedingly momentous matter. After all, Beitang Shu had nominally served as Governor-General of Ji Prefecture and Liang Prefecture, yet he had remained circling around Ji Prefecture all along. Even his splendor had only been superficial; in truth, the Lei Family and Meng Family had jointly hollowed out his authority.
Meng Zhao could now be said to hold two-thirds of the Northern Lands, with only Liang Prefecture left untouched.
Of course, everyone was now wondering whether Meng Zhao truly had made no moves in Liang Prefecture, or whether he simply had not told them.
Take this marriage alliance, for instance. Neither the Meng Family nor the Tan Family had let any word slip. Perhaps there had been rumors in Yanzhou, but they had not yet reached this place.
Then in Liang Prefecture, might Meng Zhao also have been concealing something from them—something he had not stated outright, but that truly existed?
Thinking further, apart from the north, might Meng Zhao have made arrangements elsewhere as