There are four major aristocratic families in the south of the Yangtze River, namely the Murong family in Suzhou, the Cao family in Changzhou, the Baili family in Wuxi, and the Bai family in Suzhou.
Each of the four families has its own strengths, and each has a century-old legacy. Their descendants are prosperous and talents emerge in large numbers.
The Cao family has always respected literature and has been an official for generations. Now the head of the family, Cao Wenyuan, is the crown prince and tutor and a bachelor of Jixian Academy.
After the Murong family was proficient in martial arts and became a famous gatekeeper, the head of the family, Murong Haowei, was appointed as the general of the left guard, commanding 50,000 troops and horses to guard the Jingmen Fortress in Jiangling Prefecture.
The Baili family was a merchant, known as the Baili granary. Most of the silk, salt and grain in the south of the Yangtze River were in the hands of the Baili merchant family. Their financial resources should not be underestimated.
The glory of the Bai family comes from women. Most of the women born in the Bai family are extremely beautiful. The former imperial concubine, the Xian concubine, the current imperial concubine Li, and the gorgeous concubine all came from the Bai family. Moreover, the Bai family has extremely strict requirements for girls. From the age of four, they must practice the Four Arts, be familiar with the Three Psalms, the Four Histories and the Five Classics, and be proficient in female celebrities. This shows that it is no accident that the Bai family has a place in the harem.
At the time of the triennial general election, among the girls of the Bai family, the fourteen-year-old Bai Yuzhu has the most outstanding appearance. She is the second daughter of Bai Chenxuan, the eldest head of the Bai family, and her eldest sister is Bai Yumei, the concubine Li who was much favored after entering the palace three years ago.
Each branch of the Bai family also selected five beautiful girls, and together with the eldest daughter Bai Yuzhu, they will go to Lin'an, the capital, at the end of the month.
Bai Chenxuan has six daughters and two sons. In addition to the eldest daughter Yuzhu and the second daughter Yumei, there are also three daughters, Bai Yulan, who is ten years old, Bai Yuqin, who is eight years old, Bai Yushu, who is five years old, and Bai Yuhua, who was just born.
The story begins with the four major Jiangnan families...