Only after being reborn did I realize that I was the white moonlight of a powerful minister.

There's never a shortage of interesting topics in the capital. For several days in a row, everyone talked about the He family and gradually forgot about Zhou Yu.

He has been keeping a low profile lately, causing many people to forget about him.

Only Ye Wanning kept an eye on him.

"Young lady, Hanlin Zhou knows about Madam Zhou's loan sharking." Fusheng came to report, feeling very guilty for not doing a good job of his master's instructions.

"The truth will eventually come out. Since it's only a matter of time, let's send someone to collect the money as soon as possible." Ye Wanning took a small sip of tea, a faint smile on her face. "Everyone has almost forgotten what Zhou Yu did. Tell them to make a big fuss about it, the bigger the better. Ideally, the whole city should know about it. I will give them a reward."

Fusheng said he understood. "I've also recently discovered that Zhou Hanlin and Minister Qian of the Ministry of Revenue are getting quite close."

"Lord Qian?" Ye Wanning thought about this person. He was a very slick person with real power and money. Did Zhou Yu want to become the son-in-law of the Qian family?

She remembered that the Qian family had two daughters of marriageable age, but perhaps Master Qian didn't think much of Zhou Yu?

After considering this, Ye Wanning instructed Fusheng to continue keeping an eye on Zhou Yu.

No sooner had Fusheng left than an imperial decree arrived, stating that all three daughters of the Ye family were on the shortlist and that they were not to discuss marriage during this period, otherwise it would be considered disobeying the imperial decree.

The Ye family was prepared and not too surprised, but the second wife and her husband were excited and brought gifts to the door.

On his deathbed, Old Master Ye divided the family property between his two sons. When Ye Wanning's parents were still alive, the second branch of the family would often come over. Later, the eldest branch of the family lost its leader, and the second branch couple could not be seen except on the first and fifteenth of each month when they paid their respects to the old lady.

As soon as Ye Xianrong entered, he congratulated Ye Mingde, "Mingde, you are so lucky! All three of your nieces are beautiful, and one of them will surely be chosen. It's a pity that your second uncle has no daughters; from now on, I can only share in your good fortune!"

Madam Li smiled and chimed in, "Is it because I'm not good enough, or is it because the eldest branch of the family is lucky to have encountered such a good opportunity? Hey, where are Wan Ning and the others? Why don't they come out to meet us? I brought them silk and jewelry. They're all going to be selected as imperial concubines. As their aunt, I don't have much ability, so this is just a small token of my appreciation."

Seeing his enthusiastic uncle and aunt, Ye Mingde frowned slightly, but Ye Mingyue chuckled and said, "My sisters didn't know that your uncle and aunt were coming. I sent someone to call them. Thank you for your kindness, uncle and aunt. We won't stand on ceremony."

Ye Mingde winked at his younger brother, indicating that their family didn't plan to have their sisters chosen, so it wasn't appropriate for them to receive gifts. Ye Mingyue, however, pretended not to notice. He thought it a fool not to take advantage of a good deal; his second uncle had often come to the eldest branch of the family to get benefits in the past. Fearing his elder brother would refuse his second uncle, he quickly instructed the servants to put the gifts away for his sisters.

When Ye Wanning and her two sisters arrived, Ye Mingyue immediately said, "Quickly thank your second uncle and aunt. They were worried that you didn't have enough clothes and jewelry, so they specially sent some new ones." As he spoke, he winked at his sisters.

Ye Wanning understood and thanked her second uncle and aunt.

"No need to be so polite. The future of our Ye family depends entirely on you three young ladies." Madam Li smiled broadly. It wasn't that she was being too happy, but rather that the three young ladies of the eldest branch were exceptionally beautiful, especially Ye Wanning. There was no girl in the capital more beautiful than Ye Wanning.

When it comes to choosing a principal wife, one has to consider family background, character, and so on. But it's different for a concubine. What man doesn't love a young and beautiful woman?

Therefore, as soon as Li heard the imperial decree, she brought her husband over without stopping. In the past, she was afraid that the eldest son's family would take advantage of her, but in the future, she would have to rely on the eldest son's family.

After seeing off the second couple, Ye Mingyue was the first to scoff, "Second Uncle and Second Aunt are such snobs. They used to avoid me on the street, afraid I'd ask them for money. But just now, they were so enthusiastic, as if their sisters were going to become the Crown Prince's consorts. They're so short-sighted. No wonder Second Uncle never got promoted in his entire life."

“Mingyue!” Ye Mingde reminded him, “He is still our second uncle, we can’t talk badly about him behind his back.”

Looking at his younger sisters, Ye Mingde said earnestly, "The preliminary selection is next month, so be prepared. I've contacted some of Father's former colleagues to see if I can pull some strings to get you eliminated as soon as possible."

Because of this, Ye Mingde's dark circles under his eyes became even more pronounced.

As the eldest brother, he was like a father to his younger siblings. After their parents passed away, he had to take care of everything for them.

Ye Wanning didn't want her older brother to be too anxious, so she went over to comfort him, "Don't think too much, brother. I'm here, and I'll take good care of the younger sisters."

"Sigh." Looking at his younger sister, Ye Mingde couldn't help but sigh. It was precisely because his younger sister was so dazzling that he was most worried. But he couldn't say this aloud; he could only take it one step at a time.

The Emperor is advanced in years, but in good health. Apart from the deceased deposed Crown Prince, there are seven princes still alive. The Seventh Prince is twenty years old this year, the same age as the Crown Prince, but his marriage is already arranged. He is betrothed to the eldest daughter of Xie Bohuai's elder brother. The Emperor dotes on him and arranged his marriage early on to the Xie family, which is the most prestigious family in the country.

This selection of consorts is mainly for the four imperial grandsons. Everyone knows that the princesses already have their own choices for the principal wife, and the selection is only for the secondary consorts and concubines.

The Ye family understood this as well. They had no desire to marry into wealth or status, and they didn't want their daughter, whom they had raised with such care, to become someone else's concubine.

Ye Mingde didn't hold a high official position, but he had traveled with his father and grandfather since childhood and had heard a lot about many things, though he hadn't experienced them himself. Even if one was lucky enough to enter the Crown Prince's household, the one who would eventually rise to the throne might not necessarily be the Crown Prince.

Such words are too blasphemous; even if it were the Lin family, Ye Mingde would not say them.

None of the princes were easy to deal with. This year, there was a flood in the south, and Prince Hui captured the Crown Prince's men and wouldn't let them go.

The court appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, everyone was vying for power. However, discussing these matters with his younger siblings would be futile, so he decided to bear it all alone.

The Ye family's place was relatively peaceful, but the other families were not.

At this moment, Xie Bohuai sat crookedly watching the other two families argue.

Old Master Xie had no intention of participating in the struggle for the throne, but the Emperor bestowed a marriage between his eldest daughter and the seventh prince, which the Xie family could not refuse. Fortunately, the seventh prince was far superior to the other princes, making his chances of winning the throne slim.

Seeing that the eldest son's wife had someone to rely on, the second son's wife had a change of heart and secretly contacted Prince Hui, wanting to marry her daughter to Prince Hui's son.

Prince Hui was Princess Zhaoyun's father. He had mentioned to Old Master Xie several times that he wanted to arrange a marriage between their children, but Old Master Xie couldn't make the decision for Xie Bohuai. Seeing that Xie Bohuai's approach was blocked, and with the Xie family's second branch showing goodwill, Prince Hui began to consider other options.

They're all surnamed Xie, and the old man isn't even dead yet, but the eldest and second sons are already trying to form their own factions.

The eldest son's wife accused the second son's wife of having ulterior motives. The second son's wife said it was unfair, since it wasn't their initiative, but Prince Hui's intention. They couldn't afford to offend Prince Hui.

The argument between the two sides grew increasingly heated, giving Master Xie a headache. He smashed his teacup and yelled, "Enough! None of you are hiding your true intentions. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. I'm not dead yet, and you already want to be in charge?"

The Xie family members hurriedly said they wouldn't dare, but Xie Bohuai looked indifferent, stood up and said quietly, "Since it's none of my business, I'll be leaving now."

"Wait a minute!" Old Master Xie took a deep breath. He knew what the eldest and second wives were thinking. They couldn't be resolved in a short time, so he sent them back to reflect on their mistakes, leaving only Xie Bohuai behind.

The door was closed, and Xie Bohuai stood behind it.

"As you can see, your two older brothers are short-sighted. The Xie family will have to rely on you in the future." Old Master Xie's tolerance for Xie Bohuai stemmed from his high hopes for him.

"I wouldn't dare, I'm just a son of a concubine." Xie Bohuai narrowed his eyes.

Xie Bohuai had heard the term "illegitimate son" since he was a child.

His aunt was a commoner who had fled famine. The old man took a liking to her beauty and forcibly married her. Madam Xie was jealous and domineering, and not one to tolerate others. He and his aunt were mistreated every day.

When Xie Bohuai was five years old, he was so hungry that he stole two steamed buns from the kitchen. He and his aunt were hung up and beaten by Madam Xie.

He watched his concubine be beaten to death with his own eyes, and the old man only frowned slightly, without uttering a single word of blame to Madam Xie.

From that day on, Xie Bohuai knew very well that he wanted to be a superior person. No matter what means he used or what people said, he wanted everyone in the Xie family to be afraid of him as their first reaction.