"Miss, the people from the Prince’s mansion are already waiting."

A maidservant whispered a reminder. For them, as servants, marrying into the Prince’s mansion with Mi Zhen was like rising from the ashes.

They didn’t care about the overall situation; they only knew that a prince was undoubtedly high and powerful.

"Yes, let’s go."

Mi Zhen took a deep breath, calming herself.

She knew that after marrying into the Prince’s mansion, she wouldn’t be able to help the Mi family for a while.

A newcomer must be dutiful and follow the rules. Only after she had established herself could she help the Mi family. Now, trying to help would not only be impossible but would also harm her.

After Mi Zhen left, Mi Fang looked at her brother Mi Zhu, shook her head, and sighed, "Brother, you should really consider my words. She sees things more clearly than I do. If she weren’t a woman, she probably would have achieved even more than me. Actually, our lord isn’t heartless. As long as you don’t return to Xuzhou, once Tao Qian is defeated, there will naturally be no master-servant relationship. At that time, I can introduce you, and the great undertaking can be accomplished!"

"That’s all we can do now. Dispose of the family’s possessions in Xuzhou quickly. Give what you can’t sell to the Chen and Cao families in exchange for their help to move everything to Chang’an."

After making his decision, Mi Zhu began to allocate resources. He was determined to either not do it at all or to see it through to the end, absolutely no wavering, just full commitment.

Meanwhile, at the Qin Prince’s Mansion.

Tan Chun had originally planned to go out for a walk, to visit the Yan Cui Nunnery. Her grandmother, Grandmother Jia, was now heavily pregnant...

And at her age, pregnancy was already quite difficult. Recently, Grandmother Jia’s emotions were quite unstable. Not only had she been raped by Lu Ming, but she had also conceived a child. She felt ashamed and anxious, afraid of being ridiculed and worried about not being able to give birth.

Caught in this dilemma, Lu Ming didn’t come to comfort her. A woman like Grandmother Jia, given some time to calm down, would naturally come to her senses.

"Your Highness, the Mi family’s daughter has arrived."

A maidservant announced, beaming. Tan Chun had become a princess.

As a maidservant, her status had naturally risen accordingly.

If she could bear Lu Ming a son or daughter, she wouldn’t have to serve others anymore and could be a part-time mistress.

"Hmm, take me to see her."

Tan Chun understood that the Mi family was a merchant family, which would be helpful to her husband’s business.

Perhaps her husband was the only one who could help a merchant become an official. However, the ways of merchants, once they entered officialdom, would likely bring unspeakable changes.

Whether merchants, driven by profit, would betray their husbands for their own gain was an unknown.

She had mentioned this to Lu Ming, who said he was aware of it, but would use the merchants to prevent them from gaining too much power.

If any signs of trouble appeared, he would find something to suppress them.

Money was useless; power was essential.

He could ensure Zhang Chun’s loyalty, so any reshuffling of the subordinates wouldn’t affect stability.

Shortly afterward, Tan Chun arrived at the inner palace behind the garden.

Most of the family members lived in the palace, while a few lived outside.

They could stay wherever they wanted, as long as they reported to the Queen.

This was out of respect, etiquette, and to avoid being unable to find anyone in case of trouble.

Therefore, the environment here was very quiet and secluded. Tan Chun entered her room.

Just then, they saw Mi Zhen making the bed with her maids. "The Princess Consort has arrived."

Mi Zhen, seeing this, quickly knelt and bowed with her maids. "This humble woman greets Your Highness."

"Hehe."

Tan Chun went over and helped Mi Zhen up, making her kneel before lifting her up. This was a subtle way of intimidating her, letting her know who was superior and who was inferior.

Even among princesses, there was an order of entry.

She wasn’t entirely alone. The three Jia sisters—Yuan Chun, Tan Chun, and Xi Chun—had all been taken into Lu Ming’s harem.

Among them were other women from the Jia family: Shi Xiangyun, who had been raised by the Shi family since childhood; Li Wan, the wife of Jia Zhu’s adopted son; Zhao Yiniang, Jia Zheng’s concubine; and even Lady Wang and the others, not to mention them.

The Jia family women, united, wielded considerable influence.

And Tan Chun, handpicked by Lu Ming to be in charge of the Three Departments, held a position only below the three principal wives, yet wielded considerable power.

This gave her a great deal of confidence.

After all, she wasn’t particularly outstanding or advantageous in the Jia family. Now that she was married, she was even more formidable than the fiery Wang Xifeng of the past—how could she not be proud!

"Now that you’re in, you’re family. Stay for a few days, and I’ll ask Prince Qin when he’ll be available. The banquet is booked for half a month from now, an auspicious day. If there’s anything you don’t understand, Sister Mi, feel free to ask me; I’ll help you. By the way, just call me Tan Chun; no need to be so formal."

Tan Chun said with a smile; she was truly not a smiling tiger.

Because the inner palace was managed by Wang Yi, and by the Queen.

She was merely a princess consort, and not even the principal wife, so she didn’t care how many women entered.

Maintaining her own status and power was enough; any more women would only be used as breeding tools.

Mi Zhen dared not actually call Tan Chun by her name. Regardless of whether Tan Chun minded or not, she couldn’t call her that.

Otherwise, things would get messy, and it would be troublesome to face retaliation.

"Thank you, sister. I’ll listen to you. I’ll do whatever you say. I hope you can guide me. I’d be extremely grateful."

"Hehe, you’re being too serious. Let me show you around. The Prince’s mansion is quite large; it’s easy to get lost in some places."

Tan Chun said with a smile, taking Mi Zhen’s hand and leading her out.

She saw that Mi Zhen was sensible, so there was no need to scold her.

The Mi family was a prominent family in Xuzhou, but this was Chang’an; they couldn’t compare to the Jia family.

The Prince of Qin’s mansion encompassed the former Jia family estate, as well as a portion of the mountains and forests, all within the mansion grounds.

It really was quite large.

The two arrived at the pavilion in the middle of the lake, where a beautiful woman in white was playing the zither, and two other beautiful women were enjoying tea beside her.

Lotus blossoms floated on the lake, and many fish swam below.

This place looked peaceful and serene, like a paradise.

"This place is near the hot spring mountain, so the lake never freezes. Those are Yuan Chun and Xi Chun. The one playing the zither is Miao Yu, the abbess of Mao Cui Nunnery. She is Prince Qin’s mistress, not yet registered, and she is pregnant with his child. Sister, as long as you serve Prince Qin well, he won’t restrict your freedom; you can even go for a stroll in the streets."

Tan Chun explained as she walked towards the pavilion in the middle of the lake. The three sisters serving Lu Ming together was commonplace.