The Zhao Family Ancestral Hall

Zhao Mingzhu looked at the Crown Prince and said:

"Your Highness, my parents want us to get married as soon as possible."

"I could also elevate Zhou Wanwan to the status of a concubine, what do you think?"

The crown prince was silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, it's settled then."

Zhao Mingzhu was overjoyed, but she knew that if she didn't marry the Crown Prince now, she would never have such an opportunity again.

Once the Crown Prince returns to the palace, everything will be different.

The Crown Prince had also considered this. The women the Empress had chosen for him were all from her maternal family. Once he married one of them, he would become a complete puppet.

The Empress has been trying every means to kill him. If he goes back, he will surely die, so it's better to take a gamble.

The Zhao Family held significant military power on the border and enjoyed widespread popular support.

If he could gain the support of the Zhao Family, he would be able to establish himself in the capital.

The Zhao Family alone is not enough; he needs more support.

This was his real purpose for the trip; he needed to win over more people.

Because the Empress has many trump cards, even with the Emperor's favor, it's far from enough.

Zhao Mingzhu persuaded the Crown Prince and then went directly to the stone chamber.

Upon opening the stone chamber, one could see Zhou Wanwan lying comfortably inside.

Zhao Mingzhu nearly fainted. "So now I'm inviting you to my house to enjoy yourself, right?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at her and asked, "What does Sister Mingzhu want with me?"

Zhao Mingzhu took a deep breath and said:

"Zhou Wanwan, I've already spoken with the Crown Prince. I plan to marry him and become his Crown Princess."

As for you, I'll make you a concubine!

The wedding is in two days, you should get ready.

Zhou Wanwan looked at her and said, "What do you mean by that? You should get married, why are you dragging me into this? Are you afraid you won't be able to get married?"

Zhao Mingzhu said, "I'm just advising you not to be ungrateful. It's your good fortune that the Crown Prince has taken a liking to you."

Zhou Wanwan rolled her eyes and said, "I don't want this good fortune. Give it to whoever you want."

Zhao Mingzhu stomped her feet in anger. "You have no choice but to marry him. You're still young and don't understand anything. Once you marry the Crown Prince, you'll live a life of luxury."

Zhou Wanwan's lips twitched as she said:

What does the Crown Prince have? This Crown Prince is dirt poor; he can't even afford his medicine.

"If your Zhao Family wants to subsidize him, that's your business. Trying to drag me into it? No way!"

Zhao Mingzhu said angrily:

"I don't look down on you, yet you look down on the Crown Prince for being poor. With the support of my Zhao Family, he will rise to prominence sooner or later."

"It won't be so easy for you to marry him as a concubine then."

"Oh! I see. I'm not interested."

Zhao Mingzhu snorted coldly and said, "You have to marry him whether you like it or not."

After saying that, he left. Zhou Wanwan was speechless. "What kind of thinking is this person? Why does he insist on making me a concubine?"

The Old Scholar Tree outside said:

"That's how it is with these young ladies from aristocratic families; they get so badly lectured that their brains stop working properly."

Their mindset is that their husbands are everything, and whatever their husbands say goes.

Moreover, their core belief is that women must always consider their husbands' needs.

That's how it is in aristocratic families; it's quite normal for husbands to take concubines.

Taking a concubine not only facilitates the continuation of the family line, but also helps to solidify one's position.

Zhou Wanwan didn't want to get involved in these things; she ate well, drank well, and moved out well.

The Zhao Family is truly wealthy; their storeroom is overflowing with countless treasures, leaving even Zhou Wanwan stunned.

Rows of large sandalwood chests were neatly stacked, some with one half open.

Boxes of pure gold Yuanbao were piled up to the Manman, and pearls were packed in boxes, each one large and round.

A red coral, taller than a person, stands on a shelf, while the display cabinet is filled with icy jadeite, warm and lustrous Hotan jade, and many gemstone ornaments brought as tribute from abroad.

In the adjacent storeroom, stacks of brocade with gold embroidery, soft silk brocade, fox fur, and sable fur were piled up like mountains. These materials were used sparingly even in the imperial palace, yet here they were piled up in abundance.

The wooden shelves against the wall are filled with porcelain, including Ru ware and Chai ware.

There are also cabinet after cabinet of lost and rare ancient paintings and calligraphy works by famous artists from previous dynasties.

On the other side, wooden crates contained top-grade bird's nests, sea cucumbers, and precious old ginseng, while various rare medicinal herbs filled half the room.

Even the boxes used to store things were often made of mother-of-pearl or jade.

Zhou Wanwan couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of a prominent family, with such profound heritage."

The Old Scholar Tree said, "This is just the tip of the iceberg; the real treasures are hidden far away."

Zhou Wanwan asked curiously, "Is this just the tip of the iceberg? The Zhao Family is indeed not to be underestimated."

The Old Scholar Tree led Zhou Wanwan to the Zhao Family hall. Inside the hall was a secret room. The Old Scholar Tree said, "Go into the secret room and you'll see just how powerful the Zhao Family is."

Zhou Wanwan entered the secret room, which was truly a hidden world inside.

The walls were inlaid with many luminous beads, so the whole room was brightly lit without the need for oil lamps, and everywhere was sparkling with precious light.

In the very center stands a large red coral, taller than a person, with beautifully branched branches, even more magnificent than the one displayed in the palace!

Next to it stood a large screen carved from a single piece of ivory, covered with mythical beasts and landscapes, the patterns incredibly intricate.

There were also ivory ornaments and pen holders, all of which were exquisitely crafted.

Underneath the shelves were boxes upon boxes filled with large gold Yuanbao, their golden light so dazzling it was almost blinding.

The pearls weren't displayed one by one; they were packed in large boxes, each one big and round.

Rare gemstones such as cat's eye, rubies, and tourmalines were all packed into the jade box, which was piled Manman.

There is a large display cabinet specifically for displaying various kinds of jade.

Strings of jadeite bracelets and Hotan mutton fat jade bracelets were stacked together, the green ones were translucent and the white ones were warm and lustrous. All kinds of jade bi discs, jade pendants and jade hand-held pieces were piled up to the Manman.

There were also complete sets of women's headdresses, including a phoenix crown inlaid with rubies in pure gold, gold hairpins, pearl hairpins, earrings, headbands, and silver-gilt hairpins, one set after another.

These were all the finest jewelry worn by noblewomen from prominent families on their wedding day, Manman several large boxes.

Zhou Wanwan was dazzled. "So many? Good heavens, now I know why emperors loved confiscating property so much—this one family made a fortune!"

The trees lifted the ancestral hall up and then began to dig out everything underneath.

The trees bounced around, saying, "Wow! How wonderful! So many treasures! Let's take them all back!"

"Wanwan... Wanwan... Where are we moving these things back to? Should we move them to Yanmen Pass again?"

Zhou Wanwan thought for a moment and said, "Let's put them back in the underground palace at Yanmen Pass. The underground palace is indeed quite large, but it's empty, which is perfect for storing these things."

"Okay, okay, let's move these things back to the underground palace now. The underground palace has been dug up to be huge."

Many of our brothers were digging there, and they unearthed so much more land.

Zhou Wanwan smiled and said, "Then thank you for your hard work!"