Chapter 908: Chapter 35: Hmph! Emperor’s Heart Skill! As If No One Else Knows How to Play This Game

The gatekeepers and gate guards of the Zhao Family are not positions that just anyone can hold. Their status is quite high. Many youths from low-grade noble families who come to visit the Zhao Family, seeking favors, must submit their greeting cards through them.

Even if a Purple Mansion Realm ancestor visits personally, they must be courteous to the gatekeepers and discreetly slip them a red envelope, which shows how much they can gain from their position.

This day was no different from the usual.

People seeking kinship, visits, or flattery to the Zhao Family came in an endless stream. Among them, a small portion came from the sixth and seventh-grade small clans within Gui Long City, while a large portion came from various major commandery cities outside the Upper Capital City.

In this world, there are never a shortage of those who seek to climb the social ladder. The gateway of the Zhao Family is always bustling and lively every day.

Suddenly.

A shout came from a gate guard in the distance: "Miss Yijing is returning home for a family visit."

At these words, the gatekeepers from the Duke Protector of the Nation’s Mansion, who were lazily acting like masters, suddenly became spirited, sweeping, sprinkling water, and laying down a brand-new red carpet. In just a moment, they were ready to welcome the return of the young miss of the direct lineage. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

In the distance, a luxurious carriage slowly approached.

The carriage was pulled by four purely bred Tier Three White Jade Snow Horses, without any blemish. The carriage was made from superior Ten Thousand Years Spirit Pine Wood, emitting a faint pine scent, capable of calming and focusing the mind. It was extraordinarily light yet sturdy and, combined with the talisman array engraved on it, could barely withstand a blow from a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator!

In front, behind, and on either side of the carriage, there was a company of eight guards.

Among them, the four guard captains all possessed cultivation in the Celestial Human Realm. Beside the carriage, there was an old nanny dressed in palace attire strolling along.

This old nanny seemed inconspicuous, but only true experts could discern the terrifying and powerful aura emanating from her, which was at least at the late stage of the Celestial Human Realm.

Such a display was incredibly rare even in Gui Long City, where nobles gathered.

Thus, some visitors from outside families couldn’t help but whisper, "My goodness, isn’t that the Royal Family’s Azure Dragon Badge on the carriage? Which Prince’s Princess Consort is this Miss Yijing from? Such a grand display!"

The number of all the princes in Daqian added up to quite a few, most of whom were concentrated in Gui Long City. But not every prince was renowned and extremely wealthy.

Some declining branches of the Royal Family only had a prince struggling to maintain face, and their families were also declining in talent, relying on the Royal Family’s resources to maintain their dignity.

These princes wouldn’t even dare to put on airs. When faced with powerful and affluent princes like Prince Heng, one might find their legs trembling and dare not speak too much.

With inquiries from outside families, representatives from local families who came to curry favor immediately found a sense of superiority: "Which family’s Princess Consort? Haha, of course, it is the Princess Consort from Prince Kang’s family, the Quasi-crown prince. Miss Yijing is the young miss of the direct lineage of the Zhao Family, and her marriage to Prince Kang is a strong alliance."

"I say, the Zhao Family is indeed strong! When Prince Kang ascends to the position of Great Emperor, looking across all of Daqian, which family could compare to the Zhao Family?"

Amidst low whispers, Zhao Yijing, surrounded by the gate guards, entered the Mansion of the Duke Protector of the Nation.

After a moment.

Zhao Yijing met with the current Patriarch of the Zhao Family, Zhao Chengwen, in the study.

"Jing’Er pays respects to Ancestor."

In her gorgeous clothing, Zhao Yijing respectfully offered greetings.

"Jing’Er, no need for formalities." Zhao Chengwen made a virtual gesture from a distance, smiling and saying, "You are the Princess Consort of Second Grade, personally enfeoffed by Your Majesty, your status is noble, incomparable to ordinary princess consorts."

Zhao Chengwen was a veteran cultivator in the Purple Mansion Realm and had been serving as the Patriarch of the Zhao Family for two to three hundred years. Now his age had reached over five hundred forty years. Even a cultivator in the Purple Mansion Realm was entering a middle-aged status.

Currently, his temples were slightly graying, akin to an ordinary person at around fifty years old.

The Zhao Family had already begun the cultivation of the next generation heir apparent for the patriarch position. In just a few more decades, once they ascend to the Purple Mansion Realm, Zhao Chengwen would retire to a secondary role as a clan elder.

"Ancestor, no matter what, I will remain your Yijing even if I become Empress." Zhao Yijing’s sweet, clear voice expressed her sentiment as she completed her courtesy before taking a seat in the guest position.

Emerging as the Celestial Pride of the Zhao Family, Zhao Yijing, now under two hundred years old, had reached the peak of the sixth layer of the Celestial Human Realm, her appearance still maintained at her youthful state, yet her demeanor was exceedingly regal, with an extraordinary aura.

However, she was not in haste to advance to the Purple Mansion Realm, simply because the Royal Family had ancestral rules; once Prince Kang officially inherited the crown as Emperor’s Son, as the spouse of the Emperor’s Son, she would be qualified to utilize the millennia-worth of accumulations in the royal treasury to enhance her bloodline to the first tier while in the Celestial Human Realm, becoming a Great Celestial Pride.

This is for the sake of the Empress position in the future for the Great Emperor. Generally, the Emperor’s Son would succeed between the ages of four hundred to six hundred, whereas cultivators in the Purple Mansion usually could only live to over seven hundred years, rarely exceeding eight hundred years.

It wouldn’t do for an Emperor’s Son to become the Great Emperor while his original wife either dies of old age or becomes an unsightly old woman, would it?

Thus, if the Princess Consort of the Emperor’s Son was not a Great Celestial Pride, the Royal Family would spare no expense to find a way to make her a Great Celestial Pride. In this way, she could at least accompany the Great Emperor for more than a thousand years, assisting in managing the inner palace.

Therefore, the status of the Emperor’s Son is also an extremely important opportunity for the Princess Consort, an opportunity that, once missed, would never come again.