I am the snake demon!

The Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion, the ruler of the northern border.

The Prince of Zhenbei was a womanizer.

Bai Xuan already knew all of this when he arrived.

But when I actually arrived at the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, I was still shocked by the scene.

Before the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion stood a group of beautiful women, some plump and some slender, all with graceful figures and stunning beauty.

The leader was a beautiful woman with a plump figure and a beautiful face. She had a graceful and noble demeanor, and her appearance was five or six parts similar to Duan Baiyu and Xu Yuhua.

Bai Xuan concluded that this person was Duan Baifeng, the Princess Consort of Zhenbei.

Upon seeing his long-lost sister, Duan Baiyu immediately dismounted and went straight to greet her, saying, "Sister, why are you out here?"

"My sister and Shi'an have gone home. How can I, as their older sister, sit still? You've lost weight over the years," said Princess Zhenbei, holding Duan Baiyu's hand.

"Where? Shi'an has come to pay his respects to your aunt," Duan Baiyu greeted Bai Xuan.

"An'er greets Auntie."

Bai Xuan also dismounted early and bowed to the Princess Consort of Zhenbei.

"Well done, he is indeed a handsome man, resembling both my sister and the prince." Princess Zhenbei looked Bai Xuan up and down and exclaimed in admiration.

Upon hearing this, Duan Baiyu, Xu Yuhua, and Li Daoyan, who knew the inside story, all sighed in unison.

Bai Xuan, however, remained calm and smiled, saying, "Then you look just like your aunt."

"That's true." Upon hearing this, the Princess of Zhenbei smiled and pointed to a girl in white beside her, saying, "This is your second sister, Xu Yushuang."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan looked up. Even though he had seen many beauties these days, and had been constantly flirted with by a noble lady like Duan Fuxue, he couldn't help but be amazed by what he saw.

She was dressed in pure white, her long black hair cascading down to her waist. Her eyebrows were like willow leaves, her eyes like autumn water, her nose like a jade nose, and her lips like lotus blossoms. Her skin was as white as snow, like a snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains, something to be admired from afar but not to be touched. Yet, this aloof and serene aura stirred an irresistible desire in people to conquer her.

Bai Xuan sighed inwardly, thinking that the Prince of Zhenbei was born to be a father-in-law, with daughters who were all beautiful. However, he showed no sign of slowness on his face and said, "Greetings, Second Sister."

Xu Yushuang responded softly.

"This is your elder brother, Xu Yanheng, and his mother."

As she spoke, Princess Zhenbei introduced the people beside her to Bai Xuan.

Bai Xuan then turned his attention to the beautiful woman and the tall, thin young man beside the Princess of Zhenbei.

The woman was also beautiful. Although she was older, her skin was delicate and supple, as if you could squeeze water out of it. She had a more mature and alluring charm. Compared to the Princess of Zhenbei, she had less of the dignified grace but more of the coquettishness.

The man was eight feet tall, dressed in black robes as dark as ink, with a broad face, square mouth, straight nose, and prominent cheekbones. Although not as handsome as Bai Xuan, he was still quite dashing and possessed a heroic air.

Bai Xuan glanced at the two men, knowing that they were the prime suspects in the assassination attempt at Yuzhen Temple, but there was no evidence yet, so he couldn't just kill them. After all, they were related by marriage. He said, "Greetings, Auntie. Greetings, Brother."

"It's good that you're back. These years outside, I imagine you've never been as wealthy as you are in the Prince's mansion. I don't have much, and I don't know what you like, so I'm giving you 30,000 taels of silver. I hope you won't find it too much."

Xu Yanheng's mother chuckled and handed several silver notes to Bai Xuan.

Bai Xuan was slightly surprised upon seeing this, but then smiled and accepted the gift, saying, "Then thank you very much, Auntie!"

Xu Yanheng's mother, Xu Zhen.

The eldest daughter of the Xu family in Shanyang.

In terms of family background, the Xu family of Shanyang cannot compare to the Duan family of Wuwei.

After all, the Duan family of Wuwei was once one of the largest aristocratic families in Liangzhou. Although it declined for a time, its foundation remained, and now it is the largest aristocratic family in Liangzhou.

However, the Xu family of Shanyang is superior to the Duan family of Wuwei in one aspect.

That's money.

The Xu family of Shanyang had been merchants for generations and were extremely wealthy.

When the Prince of Zhenbei went on a campaign, he encountered difficulties. The Xu family of Shanyang spent all their wealth, contributing 30 million taels of silver and 3,000 private soldiers. In the end, the Prince of Zhenbei won a great victory, and Xu Zhen became the second concubine of the Prince's mansion.

It's a unique kind of rare commodity that's worth hoarding.

However, the Xu family of Shanyang won their bet.

He leaped from the business world into politics and was treated with great respect.

Although the head of the Xu family was slightly lacking in ability, his official position was no less than that of Leng Shih-hu.

Thirty thousand taels was really not a large sum of money for Xu Zhen.

"Thank you for your trouble, little sister," Duan Baiyu said, looking at Xu Zhen.

"Of course, from now on, Shi'an will be in charge of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, and I will definitely obey my elder sister's every word," Xu Zhen said softly.

These words immediately caused a subtle change in the atmosphere.

Bai Xuan looked up at Xu Zhen and thought to himself, "So they're already trying to sow discord?"

"Sister is mistaken. Eldest sister is the rightful wife. She has been in charge of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion in the past and will continue to be so in the future. You and I will both listen to our elder sister," Duan Baiyu immediately retorted solemnly.

Xu Zhen's face immediately turned pale, and tears seemed to well up in her eyes. She said timidly, "It was my fault, sister. Please don't blame me."

After saying this, Xu Zhen turned to the Princess Consort of Zhenbei and said, "Please forgive my ignorance, elder sister."

Upon hearing this, Princess Zhenbei glanced at Xu Zhen indifferently, her eyes filled with disdain, and said, "It is a joyous occasion that my second sister and Shi'an have returned today, so I will not hold it against you. If there is a next time, you will have to kneel in the ancestral hall yourself."

"Yes," Xu Zhen replied repeatedly, but as she lowered her head, a hint of disdain quickly flashed in her eyes.

She was trying to sow discord; anyone present who wasn't a fool could see it and guess what she was thinking.

But what can we do?

She didn't try to hide it.

Xu Zhenlan is dead!

Duan Baifeng only has two daughters, who will eventually get married.

In the future, Xu Shi'an will be in charge of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion!

My sister's child didn't actually come out of my belly; there was a layer of skin between us.

Although she was still the principal wife, her nominal status was higher than Duan Baiyu's.

But if one's status determines the extent of power, then where does the saying "promotion in name only" come from?

Who doesn't know that Xu Shi'an will be the one to truly hold power in the future?

Therefore, as Xu Shi'an's biological mother, Duan Baiyu is the person with the most power in the inner quarters of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion!

As long as this fact remains unchanged, this thorn will exist!

She simply said it in public.

She didn't believe Duan Baifeng wouldn't mind.

If they were truly that close sisters, they wouldn't have gone ten years without visiting each other!

Bai Xuan watched in amazement, thinking to himself that the saying "three women make a drama" was indeed true.

However, judging from this, there's plenty of drama and gossip to watch at the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.

That's not bad. Although it's quiet in the mountains, eating melons is a human instinct.

The melons from these wealthy families are all very delicious.

Princess Zhenbei seemed completely unaffected and continued to introduce the other people to Bai Xuan.

The Prince of Zhenbei was born under the Greedy Wolf destiny, and was naturally amorous. He had many wives and concubines in his mansion, and his offspring were also quite numerous. Not counting those who were scattered outside, he had six sons and nine daughters in his mansion alone.

Besides Xu Yanheng, Xu Dingshan is the one person we need to pay extra attention to.

He himself is nothing special; he is only twelve years old this year, a half-grown child. However, his mother is the younger sister of Xu Chengfeng's wife, the current head of the Xu family.

Xu Chengfeng was the only other person of Zhenbei Wang's generation who was truly capable. In a society based on personal connections, when Zhenbei Wang attained power, those around him naturally benefited as well.

However, now was not the time to talk about these things. After exchanging pleasantries, Bai Xuan followed the others inside to see what true prosperity was all about.

Artificial hills and flowing water, pavilions and towers.

The corridor winds and turns, and the eaves soar high.

It is more in line with the principles of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams.

If one does not understand the mysteries of the formation, even with the strength of nine oxen and two tigers, one will be trapped here and unable to be free.

Bai Xuan was secretly surprised, thinking to himself that it was truly like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden; this Prince Zhenbei was indeed extraordinary.

It's just a pity that it will soon be buried deep in the yellow earth.

Bai Xuan's feelings were somewhat complicated, especially after seeing the coffin of the Prince of Zhenbei with the others.

Bai Xuan, in place of the deceased Xu Shi'an, performed the rites of a son and kowtowed to his ancestor.