Prince Hui had long coveted the Yongwang Mansion, a prize he had long desired to possess. With his wolfish ambition, he selected four men from among his sons and grandsons.

Naturally, besides him, who in the imperial clan didn't want to be the heir of Prince Yong? So, they were all scrambling to get into Prince Yong's residence.

Zhao Shu was originally quite idle, but she didn't expect that so many people would come to visit her all of a sudden. The doorman was so busy receiving gifts that his hands were sore. People who had never visited her before were now as enthusiastic as a madam.

However, Zhao Shu was very accommodating and received them all. But with so many people, it was inevitable that they would bump into each other. For example, Zhao Shu got up very early today and had just finished breakfast when she received six members of the imperial clan and their wives. These women were all excellent conversationalists.

However, driven by self-interest, sometimes conversations can escalate into fights.

"I say, Third Sister-in-law, don't you even look at what kind of person your son is? He has no literary talent and no moral character. How is he qualified to be the heir of the Prince of Yong's mansion?" The person who spoke had never appeared in front of Zhao Shu before. In fact, Zhao Shu couldn't even figure out which family she belonged to after her long self-introduction.

However, the other side was not happy and immediately retorted, "Sister-in-law said my sixth son is no good, then how good is your youngest son? He spends all day eating, drinking, gambling and whoring. What can he do besides cockfighting and dog walking?"

"It is precisely because you are good at cockfighting and dog walking that you should come to the Prince Yong's mansion as his heir. Your Highness, do you have a taste for this? Isn't that right, Ah Jun?"

Look at these people, but I can understand. Smart people know they shouldn't mess with Zhao Shu; only fools would barge in.

Remember the absurd things Prince Yong did back then? Tsk tsk, little did people know that a person should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation. Zhao Shu is not angry; this kind of person is the most useful.

She smiled and said, "Auntie is absolutely right. Life is short, so we should enjoy ourselves while we can. That's why I'm thinking of finding a brother to keep Father company."

"Ah Jun, Ah Jun, our fifth son is the best at it, especially his pair of crickets, they're known as the undefeated champions," said another person whose identity was unknown.

Zhao Shu nodded, a satisfied look on her face, and then sighed.

"Why is Ah Jun sighing?" They still dared not offend Zhao Shu, after all, Zhao Shu was the only descendant of Prince Yong. If they did not serve her well, Prince Yong would give all his property to this daughter, which would be bad, especially since Zhao Shu also owned something as valuable as Jiangying Garden.

Therefore, Zhao Shu is someone I must please.

Zhao Shu hesitated, looking as if she didn't know whether she should speak or not.

"Ah Jun, tell your aunt, and your aunt will stand up for you!" The matriarch struck a pose as if she were about to charge into battle.

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Zhao Shu stammered, "Aunties, as you all know, Uncle Huiwang... he probably won't agree to our Yongwang Mansion choosing its own heir. I've heard that his cousins ​​are all very prestigious, you..."

It goes without saying that such petty gains are common knowledge; those who have worked their way up in the inner quarters of the household understand the implication perfectly. The women of the clan exchanged glances, and a tacit understanding was formed between them.

"Don't worry, Ah Jun. Your aunt promises you that since you don't like the young master of the Prince Hui's mansion, your aunt has a way to deal with it."

"Yes, yes, Ah Jun, don't worry, Auntie will take care of it."

Several people eagerly offered to help, but Zhao Shu pretended to be embarrassed, saying, "How could I possibly accept that?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Your mother passed away early, and your aunt treats you like her own daughter. If your aunt doesn't care for you when something happens, who will?"

"Yes, yes, yes." The others echoed, acting as if Zhao Shu were their own daughter.

Zhao Shu nodded shyly, sniffling with gratitude, "Thank you so much, Auntie. Then I'll have to trouble you all."

"Alright, alright, Ah Jun is so sensible. Here, we'll go back first, and you can wait for our good news at the manor."

The women of the clan had a tacit understanding. They fought each other to the death, but they were not as powerful as Prince Hui and Prince Jin. They could only survive by sticking together. Therefore, when facing a powerful figure like Prince Hui, their first priority was to unite and cooperate, and then divide the spoils.

After seeing off the wives of the clan, Zhao Shu closed her doors to guests and continued her carefree days of playing cards at home.

Now that the reduction of the princely power has been basically successful, apart from Prince Jing in Xiliang, only Prince Yong, Prince Hui, and Prince Jin remain unharmed. Logically speaking, if adoption were to be carried out, someone should be chosen from Prince Jin's household, since they are brothers from the same father, and Prince Hui would be the next choice.

However, Prince Hui was in charge of the Imperial Clan Court. If he acted out of personal favoritism, Prince Jin would not dare to oppose him. Therefore, Prince Hui had a high chance of winning this election for the adoption of an heir. The children and grandchildren he had chosen were also very outstanding. To be honest, it was not impossible for them to be adopted into Prince Yong's household.

However, the day after the women of the clan left the Prince Yong's mansion, scandals about the four candidates spread throughout the streets and alleys. They were accused of homosexuality, keeping mistresses, disregarding human life, and harboring ulterior motives for the Prince Yong's mansion's property and titles. They spread the most offensive rumors possible.

This incident allowed Sun Yun and Zhao Shu to earn a considerable amount of money.

King Hui was furious, but he was also afraid that the law would not punish the masses and there was no evidence.

Emperor Mingde also heard these rumors. He paid no attention to anything else but the one about the ulterior motives of those who coveted the Yong Prince's property and title. After thinking about it, he personally selected a few from among his sons and grandsons.

Most of them were sons of the princes. Following the principle of keeping the wealth within the family, he summoned Zhao Shu to the palace on a chosen day to cultivate relationships with his nephews/brothers.

Three people were chosen: one was Zhao Xiu's son, one was Zhao Bi's son, and one was Emperor Mingde's son born late in life. His mother was a concubine of very low status. All three were born out of wedlock and were easy to control.

Zhao Shu did not refuse and obediently entered the palace. Then she played with her nephews and brothers, teaching them to play cards, cricket fighting, and swindling, making the concubines in the palace complain endlessly.

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