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Protect Our Clan Leader-Chapter 908 - 35 Hmph! Emperor’s Strategy! As if nobody else knows how to play the game (Vote for monthly ticket)_3
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The gatekeepers and guards of the Zhao Clan couldn’t be just anyone. They held a considerable status. Many members from lower-ranked prominent families would have to go through them to present their visiting cards when seeking favor from the Zhao Clan.
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Even if a Purple Abode Realm Old Ancestor came in person, they would have to be polite with the gatekeepers and discreetly slip them a red envelope, which showed how lucrative the position of the Zhao Clan’s gatekeepers was.
As usual, on this day.
Those from Kang Province, Dragon City, and visitors eager to curry favor with the Zhao Clan were an endless stream. Among them, a small portion were from minor Level Six or Seven families within Dragon City, while a majority were from various county towns outside Shangjing City.
There would never be a shortage of people in this world looking to ride on the coattails of the powerful and influential. The entrance of the Zhao Clan was always bustling with activity, a sight to behold every day.
Suddenly.
A guard’s voice could be heard from afar, "Miss Yijing is returning to the mansion to visit her family."
As the words fell, those lazy and laid-back gatekeepers of An Duke’s Mansion, who carried themselves like lords, immediately sprang into action. They swept the ground, sprinkled water, and rolled out a brand-new red carpet. In just a short moment, they had completed all the preparations for the legitimate daughter’s return home.
In the distance, an opulent carriage was slowly approaching.
Each of the four horses pulling the carriage was a pure Level Three Bai Yu Snow Horse without a single stray hair. The carriage itself was made of high-quality Ten Thousand Years Spirit Pine Wood, emanating a faint scent of pine that served to calmly focus the mind while also being exceedingly lightweight and sturdy.
Combined with the talisman arrays carved onto the carriage, it could even withstand a strike from a Purple Abode Realm Cultivator!
Four teams of eight guards each flanked the carriage from the front, back, left, and right.
The captains of these guard teams all possessed Sky Human Realm Cultivation. Walking beside the carriage was an old nanny dressed in palace attire.
This old nanny didn’t look very remarkable, but only a true powerhouse could sense the terrifying and formidable aura she emitted, which indicated she was at the very least at the advanced stage of the Sky Human Realm.
Such a procession was extremely rare even in the affluent Dragon City.
Therefore, some visiting members from other prominent families couldn’t help but inquire in low voices, "Goodness, isn’t that the Azure Dragon Emblem of the Imperial Household on the carriage? Which influential Commandery Prince’s Commandery Prince Consort could this Miss Yijing be, to have such a grand entourage?"
The number of Commandery Princes in Da Qian was not small, most of whom were concentrated in Dragon City. However, not every Commandery Prince was famous, influential, or wealthy.
Some declining branches of the Imperial Household only had a Commandery Prince or two left to maintain their dignity, with talent dwindling within their families and relying solely on subsidies from the Imperial treasury just to keep up appearances.
Such Commandery Princes wouldn’t even think about putting on airs. When they encountered rich and powerful princes like the Heng Commandery Prince, their knees might go weak and they wouldn’t dare say extra words.
As the out-of-town prominent families asked their questions, the local families who had come to seek benefits suddenly found a sense of superiority, "Whose Commandery Prince Consort? Hehe, of course, she’s the Kang Commandery Prince’s Consort, the Quasi Emperor’s Son.
Miss Yijing is the current legitimate daughter of the Zhao Clan, and her marriage to the Kang Commandery Prince represents a union of two powerful forces."
"In my opinion, the Zhao Clan is simply powerful! Once the Kang Commandery Prince ascends to the position of the Great Emperor, who in the entirety of Da Qian could compare to the Zhao Clan?"
As many hushed conversations took place, Zhao Yijing was escorted by the gatekeepers and guards into An Duke’s Mansion.
Not much later.
Zhao Yijing met with the current Family Head of the Zhao Clan, Zhao Chengwen, in his study.
"Jing’er pays respect to the Old Ancestor."
Yijing, dressed in resplendent attire, bowed respectfully and spoke in a reverent tone.
"Jing’er, there’s no need for such formalities." From a distance, Zhao Chengwen gestured airily and said with a smile, "You have been personally conferred the title of Second Class Commandery Prince Consort by His Majesty himself. You hold a prestigious position, which is incomparable to ordinary Commandery Prince Consorts."
Zhao Chengwen was a seasoned Purple Abode Realm Cultivator who had served as the Family Head of Zhao Clan for two to three hundred years. He was now over five hundred and forty years old. Even for a Purple Abode Realm Cultivator, he was entering the middle and later stages of life.
His temples were already graying, giving the appearance of a man around fifty years old in mortal terms.
The Zhao Clan had already started training the next heir to take over as Family Head. In just a few more decades, once the successor reached the Purple Abode Realm, Zhao Chengwen would retire to the position of Clan Elder.
"Old Ancestor, even if I become the Empress, I am still your Jing’er," Zhao Yijing said in a soft and clear voice. After performing a full salute, she took her seat at the guest’s position.
Zhao Yijing was born a Sky Pride of the Zhao Clan and had reached the peak of Level Six of the Sky Human Realm before the age of two hundred. Her appearance remained as youthful as ever, but her demeanor grew even more noble and majestic, exquisitely extraordinary.
However, she was not in a hurry to advance to the Purple Abode Realm because the Imperial Household had rules. Once the Kang Commandery Prince formally succeeded as the Crown Prince, she, as his primary wife, would have the right to use the wealth accumulated in the imperial treasury to enhance her Bloodline by one more level in the Sky Human Realm and become a Great Heavenly Proud.
This consideration was for the future Empress. Generally, the Crown Prince would ascend to the throne between the ages of four hundred and six hundred, whereas Purple Abode Realm Cultivators often only lived to be over seven hundred years old, with few surpassing eight hundred.
It certainly wouldn’t do for the Crown Prince to ascend as the Great Emperor only for his official wife to have already passed away or become an elderly woman unfit to be seen. Thus, if the Crown Prince’s Consort was not already a Great Heavenly Proud, the Imperial Household would spare no expense to help her become one.
This way, she could at least accompany the Great Emperor for more than a thousand years, assisting him in managing the inner palace.
As a result, the position of the Crown Prince is also an extremely important opportunity for the Crown Prince’s Consort, one that will never come again if missed.