In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

It wasn't that he had a problem with Manager Feng, but rather that he was mindful of Huang Rong's feelings.

This marriage alliance between the Western Xia princess and the Princess of Yinchuan was an opportunity.

"Alright!"

Every bite and sip is governed by fate.

Regarding the matter of Western Xia, Zhang Xiaoshan ultimately felt somewhat 'indebted' to Western Xia, and it was good that he managed to protect one of their princesses.

"Then let's do it this way. Tomorrow, we'll send Mad Lion Iron Warrior to Western Xia to deliver the betrothal gifts!"

"Thank you so much, Father!"

Chapter 496 The Great Feast of the Nine Provinces

Given the Zhang family's wealth, Zhang Xiaoshan prepared two sets of betrothal gifts, one explicit and one implicit.

Openly, the glass jewels, gold and jade, brocade and celadon escorted by the Mad Lion Iron Warrior are all top-quality items, each worth a fortune if displayed outside.

Secretly, the treasures escorted by the Flying Guillotine consisted of tear gas, incendiary bombs, and grenades—one box of each.

At this time, the Western Xia and the Liao Dynasty were at war. With these divine weapons, defeating the Liao Dynasty would be more than enough.

However, afterwards, both the Western Xia and the Liao dynasties suffered severe damage.

Moving south or invading the Song Dynasty was no longer an option.

At the same time, the eight female servants also entered a normal state of cultivation.

A single burst of pure Yang energy could help them withstand the icy chill of the night; or a bowl of ten-gold-cost, perfectly nourishing soup, not too hot, would greatly benefit their cultivation.

Moreover, this is merely a normal transformation of cultivation.

Over the next three months, Ghost Street gradually reopened.

Princess Taiping transformed into the Queen Mother of the West and became the controller of the Heavenly Mystery Tower in Ghost Street.

In everyone's eyes, this should be one of the women around Zhang Xiaoshan.

As for who it is, that remains to be determined.

In addition to the 'Queen Mother of the West' who runs the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, there are usually two managers similar to the Queen of Ghost Street who are in charge of the transactions.

The shopkeeper on the first floor is Jin Xiangyu; the shopkeeper on the second floor is Jiangnan Yue.

Jiangnan Yue was transferred from Lin'an Prefecture by Zhang Xiaoshan because he saw that she was in a state of retirement, and that she was powerful enough to intimidate demons.

As for the business of the Red Mansion?

Recently, the number of beautiful female managers in the Zhang family has surged, so Zhang Xiaoshan dispatched the new Twelve Beauties to the Hong Mansion to serve as managers.

Hongfu is a place to eat, not a place to fight.

Therefore, it would be a waste to place Jiang Nanyue's unparalleled strength in the Red Mansion.

In addition, Princess Taiping's cultivation level is that of a Grandmaster, making her more than capable of suppressing Jiangnan Yue.

The three families on Ghost Street, besides the 'Queen Mother of the West', are the Demonic Sect's Fat Jia Anlong and the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny.

Fat Jia Anlong is one of the eight great masters of the Demonic Sect, possessing the highest level of mastery. He originally concealed his identity as a merchant.

Therefore, after the establishment of the Third Ghost Street, Anlong was naturally brought out into the public eye.

The Heavenly Child Granny is not the same as the other Heavenly Child Granny; she is Azi, who inherited all of the Heavenly Child Granny's skills.

After all, the real Tianshan Child Granny was destined to die within a hundred years. Moreover, she was heartbroken by the news of Wu Yazi's passing on his skills and passed on her skills to A Zi before following him in death.

A centenarian's heart is dead, like a lamp extinguished!

Ah Zi always remembered her promise from back then and wanted to find the Golden-Faced Buddha to fulfill it, eventually finding the Ghost Street in Lin'an Prefecture.

Zhang Xiaoshan is the Golden-Faced Buddha, so naturally Azi cannot be found.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan took the initiative to approach A Zi. After all, it was not easy to find a top expert, and A Zi was stationed in the Northwest Tianshan Mountains, where her position was extremely advantageous.

Snow lotus from Tianshan, bear gall, snake gall... Therefore, Azi agreed to become one of the three families on Ghost Street, on the condition that:

Three years later, Zhang Xiaoshan appeared before her in his true form!

The identity of the Golden-Faced Buddha is extremely mysterious, which even Azi is very curious about. If she wants to marry the Golden-Faced Buddha, she must first know his identity.

Similarly, to help A Zi improve her strength, Zhang Xiaoshan left behind a piece of ten-thousand-year-old cold jade to increase her cultivation speed.

The three ultimate martial arts manuals are: Nine Yin Manual, Mingyu Skill, and Shifting Flowers and Jade.

Even Azi exclaimed excitedly:

I won't marry anyone but him!

···

"Princess, we've arrived!"

Outside the capital city, Zhang Xiaoshan led a group of a hundred men to greet the Western Xia delegation.

This was merely a matter of entrusting the orphan to someone, so Zhang Xiaoshan didn't plan a grand celebration; a simple family dinner would suffice.

Besides, he wasn't taking a legal wife!

"arrive?"

Princess Yinchuan curiously lifted the curtain and saw a 'young man' of about twenty years old slowly approaching, surrounded by a group of servants.

"Son!"

To Princess Yinchuan's shock, she saw that the mad lion Tie Zhan, who had been escorting her all the way, actually bowed to the young man.

Princess Yinchuan naturally understood the meaning behind this gesture.

There is only one young master who can make a peerless expert bow down, and that is the person she is going to marry.

Even knowing that Zhang Xiaoshan possessed profound skills and maintained a youthful appearance, Princess Yinchuan still found it unbelievable.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan was tall, almost as tall as Tie Zhan, who was as big as a lion, only appearing somewhat slender.

The elegance and charm of the Southern Dynasties are fully displayed!

Compared to a political marriage to a rough man or a short-lived emperor, Princess Yinchuan breathed a sigh of relief.

At least this isn't the type she dislikes.

"I have met Her Royal Highness the Princess!"

Zhang Xiaoshan met those bright, star-like eyes and bowed respectfully.

However, Princess Yinchuan shyly lowered the curtain, and after a long while, a clear and melodious cry rang out:

"Qinglu greets you, young master!"

Inside the sedan chair, the two maids, seeing the shyness in Princess Yinchuan's lowered head, understood that the marriage was a done deal.

At least Princess Yinchuan's reaction was definitely not one of dislike.

Moreover, Li Qinglu only brought two maids with her when she came to the Central Plains this time. As for warriors and such...

With the war in Western Xia now in a tense situation, even Helian Tieshu did not come to escort her, so naturally the Zhang family brought back Princess Yinchuan's dowry.

After all, the Zhang family had a team of guards protecting their merchant guild, and secretly there were also members of the Blood Droplets, a peerless master, and another master at the peak of their cultivation. Once the King of Western Xia knew this, he had no reason to worry about Princess Yinchuan's safety.

···

In front of the welcoming building!

Princess Yinchuan stepped out of her sedan chair and stared in disbelief at the enormous restaurant with its walls made of glazed tiles.

She had heard of the Zhang family's extravagance before, including stories of "walls made of glazed tiles and floors paved with celadon," but the scene before her eyes still shocked her imagination.

Even their tallest Buddhist pagoda in Western Xia pales in comparison to this grand restaurant.

What's more, the walls are made of glazed tiles and the floor is paved with celadon.

"Princess, please!"

Looking at Zhang Xiaoshan, who was as gentle and refined as a gentleman, Li Qinglu's beautiful face couldn't help but blush.

Sure enough, her grandmother hadn't lied to her; apart from his womanizing ways, this Zhang family man was perfect in every way.

Having grown up in the palace, surrounded by hundreds of concubines of the Western Xia king, why would she care about such things?

Ultimately, if she hadn't found a husband she was satisfied with, she might have been sacrificed and married off instead of being entrusted with the care of her child.

It may seem like a marriage of convenience, but the Zhang family's status and power are still significant factors.

After truly understanding the situation, Li Qinglu realized that the Zhang family was not someone that the Western Xia royal family could afford to offend.

Otherwise, a squad of Blood Droplets could easily have slaughtered the royal family.

This is a world of high martial arts, where everything is based on strength!

Before unparalleled masters and grandmasters, the proud status of the royal family is no different from that of ordinary landlords.

Stepping into the hall with its 'celadon floor', one sees a frame covered by a red cloth in the center.

As Princess Yinchuan stepped into the hall, the staff immediately removed the red cloth.

This was the order given by the head manager. As the silk red cloth slid off, a huge sketch portrait was revealed inside, with the texture of a photograph. It was actually the 'wedding photo' of Princess Yinchuan and Zhang Xiaoshan.

There's also a note above—"Holding your hand, growing old together!"

Faced with such a huge surprise, Li Qinglu stared in disbelief at the 'wedding photo' before her.

Compared to the luxury and grandeur of the restaurant, the surprise of the wedding photos undoubtedly touched her heart more deeply, filling her with emotion and warmth.

This is true romance!

Even the regrets and dissatisfaction in my heart have completely vanished, leaving only endless love.

It wasn't just Fang who captivated Princess Yinchuan in an instant; many guests in the hall stared in disbelief at the 'wedding portrait' that resembled a real person.

Those who know Zhang Xiaoshan are even more surprised that he has 'married' again.

The wedding was conducted discreetly, but it was clearly a scheme to take a concubine.

However, this gesture was still extremely grand.

The wedding photos were widely publicized, and everyone speculated about Li Qinglu's identity. Only the royal family or some top aristocratic families got the news.

They all felt the Zhang family's power, and even the King of Western Xia had to bow his head in helplessness.

Otherwise, how could they possibly apologize to the Zhang family through a marriage alliance?

The very top floor!

At this time, only members of the Zhang family were present; even the royal family had not been invited.

Zhang Yuan, Huang Rong, Shopkeeper Feng, and little Zhang Sheng were just having a family reunion dinner.

As for Master Mingchen and Murong Jiu, they had no official status, not even as concubines, and therefore were not considered respectable, as was the rule of etiquette.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan didn't dare bring them all, otherwise Princess Yinchuan might be scared away.

On the huge round table in the middle, a new "Manchu Han Imperial Feast" was served.

However, it wasn't named 'Manchu Han Imperial Feast', since the Manchu Han Imperial Feast was developed and assembled under the rule of the Qing Dynasty.

This is a banquet that brings together the finest elements from Zhangjia Restaurant – the Great Harmony Banquet of the Nine Provinces!

It signifies a prosperous and harmonious world.

There are no milk teas or other grassland specialties. In addition to the ten major tea varieties, there are thirty-six main dishes, thirty-six stir-fried dishes, and thirty-six candied fruits and cold dishes.

And each dish has a classic quote associated with it.

Even Princess Yinchuan was shocked when she learned the name of the dish, which was part of the Zhang family's grand celebration.

Especially the luxurious cuisine, which far surpasses even the grand banquets of the Western Xia Dynasty, is utterly insignificant.

They even knew the significance of this grand wedding, and with the Zhang family's newly launched "Nine Provinces Great Harmony Banquet," it was bound to shake the entire nation from this day forward.

After all, the scale of a true grand feast has varied in the past.

The Zhang family's launch of the Great Harmony Banquet of the Nine Provinces is an attempt to challenge the status of "Imperial Banquets".

And it was a meaningful feast!