Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 597 Madam Cai, Luo Cheng's Ideal

"Someone else is coming..."

Having learned of his elder brother's whereabouts in the north and unexpectedly discovered the major event of the retreat from Chencang, Xiang Yan was naturally satisfied. Just as he was about to take his leave, Luo Cheng said something, and his gaze turned to the outer perimeter.

This is the downside of being weak; you're always a little slower to notice when someone comes than someone stronger. Xiang Yan thought to herself with a self-deprecating smile before looking up.

Two women approached from a distance, one after the other. The woman in front was probably in her early twenties, wearing a blue summer dress made of palace silk, adorned with many ornaments, walking briskly, and smiling. The woman behind wore ordinary summer silk, kept her head down, and seemed somewhat reserved in her movements.

"Sister Mingyue, when did you leave the palace?"

Upon seeing the woman's attire and demeanor, Xiang Yan knew she must be a close attendant who had lived in the Summer Palace for a long time, and quickly lowered his head.

"I came out during the day. Lu Dong was on duty then, and you haven't relieved him yet. Here's the palace pass. Let us through quickly. This is Madam Cai's distinguished guest, Su Xing'er. Hurry up!"

Mrs. Cai!
Upon hearing Mingyue utter those three words, Xiang Yan's heart stirred slightly. After a moment of thought, he realized who this Madam Cai was.

In March of this year, the lady, representing the Great Xia, signed a ceasefire agreement with Cai Qiu. One clause in the agreement stipulated that Cai Qiu would send a woman to marry the lord.

When this news first spread in Xia City, it immediately caused a huge uproar.

It's not that polygamy is wrong. In fact, as early as the first year of the Xia Dynasty, when the Xia Rites were first compiled, it was clearly stipulated in the section on rites that the Xia people allowed polygamy. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a source of pride for the Xia people if the later official Xia Chuan had openly married two wives at once.

Polygamy is not only permitted in the Great Xia Kingdom, but is tacitly accepted by almost all camps, because it is the most suitable system for human survival and reproduction, made in the extreme environment of the Ice Abyss.

Men were more responsible for exploration, hunting, and gathering in dangerous areas. This meant that the male mortality rate was several times higher than that of women. Therefore, barring some extreme special cases, in almost all camps, the number of women would inevitably exceed the number of men.

Without such a system, many women would lose their husbands and children, and their situation would be extremely tragic.

When the Great Xia was small, it could not only guarantee them a meal, but also occasionally distribute them with almost animal meat. However, as the Great Xia grew larger and its resource consumption increased dramatically, all that was left was a full meal. Without animal meat, a basic cultivation resource, it was as if they had no hope of turning their lives around, and living was like being a walking corpse.

In short, in an environment like the Ice Abyss, the practice of polygamy is inevitable.

However, on the other hand, although the Great Xia had clearly established the system of polygamy many years ago, and the official Xia Chuan set an example by his own actions, so others should have followed suit. But in reality, not many people in the Great Xia followed suit, and they were mostly concentrated in the middle and lower classes, with very few in the inner city.

The reason is simple: Lord Xia Hong has always had only one wife!
Even the reason why Xia Chuan, the Chief Clerk, married two wives was because the lord personally approved it. Moreover, Xia Chuan's two wives were sisters. His two wives, Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu, had a deep and affectionate relationship. There were never any bad rumors about the Chief Clerk's household, which was different from the situation of ordinary people.

Xia Hong's status in the hearts of the Xia people is self-evident. Almost all Xia people regard him as a benchmark and role model, especially the long-established Xia people in Hongmuling, Longyou, and the north bank of Xinghe River, who have worshipped Xia Hong as a god.

Lords only marry one wife, how dare we marry two?

This is due to the men, and it goes without saying that women are even more unwilling to share their husbands with others, especially the upper-class nobles. Although Daxia is wealthy, the resources allocated to each family are limited. Even if the husband's family business is large, once there are many children, the profits will naturally be divided and shared equally.

A mother's love makes her strong. Even if it's not for herself, but for the sake of her children, women in the upper class and privileged would not support their husbands taking multiple wives.

As a result, due to various factors, the vast majority of the high-ranking officials and nobles of the Great Xia Dynasty only married one wife, and this gradually became a trend. On the contrary, the lower and middle classes and even commoners would marry two, three, or even more wives.

Fortunately, with the resources of the Great Xia Dynasty, as long as an adult commoner is hardworking and diligent, it is not a problem to support a few more people. However, the shortage of family cultivation resources is inevitable.

Why did the lord only marry one wife?
There are many different opinions on the reasons. Women naturally think that Xia Hong is affectionate and hope that all the men of the Great Xia should learn from him. Men, on the other hand, generally believe that his wife, Li Xuanling, is jealous and very shrewd. The fact that the number of maids in the Xia Palace has remained at just over 20 for so many years is proof of this.

Most men are lustful, and the male leaders of the Great Xia Dynasty are no exception. Moreover, given their high positions, even if they don't have such intentions, countless women will still try to woo them. Over time, problems will inevitably arise.

Firstly, since none of the lords had married two wives, they dared not overstep their bounds; secondly, if their wives were powerful, then marrying two wives would be even more impossible. Thus, almost all of the top leaders of the Great Xia Dynasty, except for Xia Chuan who was handpicked, had only one wife. Even if they had a confidante, they would secretly keep her as a mistress and dare not bring her home.

The men had complained about this in private, and when they summarized it, they all used the phrase "the husband's authority is not strong" to describe themselves.

It was for this reason that the news of Lord Xia Hong's intention to marry two wives caused such a huge uproar in Xia City.

Men, especially those who kept mistresses, were overjoyed upon hearing the news, feeling that their spring had finally arrived; the women, on the other hand, were all lamenting and calling the lady foolish. Some of the more hot-tempered ones even started gossiping about the lord, saying that all men in the world were the same, and not a single one of them was any good.

Of course, despite the noise and rumors, not all Xia people, at least the core leadership of Great Xia are clear-headed on matters of right and wrong.

Matters between men and women are merely idle talk over tea and after meals. Cai Qiu's request for a marriage alliance with the Great Xia had deeper reasons, which they could all see.

Cai Qiu sought three reasons: first, to reassure himself and secure a ceasefire, lest the Great Xia renege on its promise; second, to lay a solid foundation for future formal contact between the two sides; and third, given the current situation among the four vassal states, with the war between Cai Qiu and Chen Cang still ongoing, and regardless of the outcome, Cai Qiu's severely weakened state was already predetermined, and its future status in Sichuan would inevitably be inferior to that of the other three vassal states. Therefore, it was essential to find an ally, and the Great Xia, located south of the Mo'ao River and somewhat distant and not yet as powerful, was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Therefore, no matter how the dispute between men and women escalated, the Xia people still unconditionally supported the marriage alliance. The lord seemed to be in seclusion, and it was his wife, Li Xuanling, who signed the agreement with Cai Qiu in early March.

Due to the urgency of the war, Cai Qiu only sent Cai Qiuhu, a minor official. Moreover, it is rumored that the whole process was extremely rushed. On the third day after the agreement was signed, Cai Qiu sent the bride to Guangning City.

Given the current climate of the Great Xia, the person who can marry into the lord's family must be no ordinary person. However, Xiang Yan had not found out her specific identity or name. He only knew that she was a noblewoman from the Caiqiu Fangbo lineage and had the title of Tianyin Princess. She was the Lady Cai that Mingyue was talking about at the moment.

Although the Great Xia Dynasty agreed to a marriage alliance with Cai Qiu, and even though Lady Cai was personally brought back by Lady Li Xuanling, the wedding was held unusually hastily and even haphazardly, lacking any of the grandeur expected of a lord's wedding. Some said it was a deliberate act by the Lady Li to suppress Lady Cai; others said the lord was in seclusion and not in the mood; still others said Princess Tianyin disliked crowds and had requested it herself. In short, the reasons were varied, and no one knew the truth.

After marrying into the family, Lady Cai rarely showed her face and lived a secluded life in the Summer Palace. Now, she has actually taken the initiative to summon people to the palace.

Su Xing'er!
Xiang Yan looked curiously at the girl behind Mingyue and found that she looked to be under twenty years old, but her strength was actually above his own. He couldn't help but feel a little defeated.

"Miss Su, is that you?"

Leaving aside Xiang Yan's inner thoughts, Luo Cheng, upon seeing Su Xing'er, became somewhat embarrassed and awkwardly greeted her with a cupped-hand salute.

Luo Cheng's embarrassment was not without reason!
At the beginning of the year in Guangning City, the lord asked him to take Su Xing'er and her three siblings back to Xia City. He also specifically instructed him to introduce the situation of the Great Xia territory to the four of them along the way and to help Su Xing'er settle down in Xia City.

At first, he didn't think much of it, but later he realized that the lord wanted to match him up with Su Xing'er. However, during their journey back to the city, the two of them didn't really click. In addition, in March, under the instigation of his uncle Zhao Hu, he quickly married Zhao Yuanwu, and their relationship naturally came to an end.

Luo Cheng's father, Luo Ming, was on a mission in a foreign vassal state. At home, there was only his father's second wife and two half-brothers. Thanks to the martial arts tournament at Beining Mountain in the seventh year of the Great Xia Dynasty, Luo Cheng unexpectedly established a good relationship with his uncle, Zhao Hu.

Uncle Zhao Hu had long harbored feelings for him and had always wanted to arrange a marriage between his daughter Zhao Yuanwu and him. Zhao Hu somehow learned about Su Xing'er's situation, and he seemed to look down on Su Xing'er's background, feeling that a woman from an outer vassal state with no proper background was not a good match. When he learned that the lord was arranging the marriage behind the scenes, he gritted his teeth and made the decision to have his daughter Zhao Yuanwu marry him as soon as possible.

This is clearly a pre-arranged plan, to ensure that Luo Cheng has no choice but to marry Su Xing'er once the lord gives the order.

Luo Cheng knew perfectly well that Su Xing'er had no interest in him at all, and that his uncle's actions were unnecessary. The key issue was that the matter was handled too hastily, with the marriage being so rushed that anyone with eyes could see it.

Su Xing'er laughed at herself quite a bit back then.

Seeing each other again after more than two months, Luo Cheng was naturally a little embarrassed.

Su Xing'er was quite open-minded. Upon seeing Luo Cheng, her initial anxiety about entering the Summer Palace immediately eased, and she smiled and said, "What a coincidence, Brother Luo."

The main gate of the Summer Palace was guarded by the Imperial Guards, with ten battalions rotating daily. Coincidentally, she encountered Luo Cheng's third battalion on duty as she entered the palace today. It was indeed a coincidence.

Luo Cheng was still a little flustered. He nodded and cupped his hands in greeting, quickly checked both women, and then gestured for them to go inside.

"Lord Luo, I shall take my leave now!"

Seeing that both women had gone inside, Xiang Yan finally had a chance to ask for her leave.

"Alright, Brother Xiang, take care!"

Luo Cheng nodded, and after watching Xiang Yan leave, he shook his head slightly.

It's highly unlikely that we'll have much to do with Xiang Yan, who's a businessman and official. However, his elder brother, Xiang Liang, is a different story. Judging from his role in organizing the Caiqiu uprising in Changqing Valley at the beginning of the year, it's clear that his courage, intelligence, and skills are all beyond ordinary people. Although his aptitude is a bit lacking, with only a superior combat physique, he cultivates very diligently and his current strength is quite good. He's someone worth befriending.

"Being a close attendant to the Summer Palace only looks glamorous on the surface. The lord and his wife don't need our protection. Even if they take us with them when they go out, it's only for the sake of the itinerary. The main opportunities are with the two princes. The key is that the two princes are not yet adults and have no chance to go out. So it's useless for them to make contributions."

Moreover, could anyone who dares to confront the two princes be an ordinary person? With such an opportunity presented, whether they can seize it is another question. If handled poorly, the result could be the same as the Tiger Breeding Forest case at the end of last year—not only would they fail to gain merit, but they would also bear enormous responsibility…”

Luo Cheng sighed slightly. Because of the case of the Tiger Forest, the Director ordered them to make up for their mistakes with their merits. Therefore, although the Dragon Guards performed well on the Northern Expedition battlefield, their merits and demerits canceled each other out, and the military merits they could accumulate were negligible.

At the beginning of the year, when rewards were distributed based on merit, out of the thousand Dragon Guards, only Commander-in-Chief Tie Xinchuan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yuan Bai, and Battalion Commander Zhou Yalong were granted titles. The remaining eight commanders, including him, and other ordinary Dragon Guards, let alone being granted titles, had very few who had accumulated more than 200 military merits.

"Madam wouldn't keep the two princes locked up in the Summer Palace forever. Things should get better after they come of age, so the Dragon Guard will most likely continue to expand in the next few years. At that time, some of them should be assigned to take care of the two princes' travel. My opportunity should be here!"

Looking at the high palace walls, Luo Cheng's expression was slightly melancholy. This splendor in the eyes of outsiders was not what he wanted.

Not to mention going to the battlefield to expand the territory of Great Xia, since such opportunities don't come all the time, but slaying monsters on the snowy plains, fighting cold beasts in the dense forests, galloping freely across the vast territory of Great Xia, and even seeing just how big the land beyond Great Xia's borders really is...

These are what he truly pursues!
"After my father established the clan, he did not establish a separate ancestral shrine. Instead, he directly merged the clans with Luo Yuan and Luo Sizheng, recognizing Luo Sizheng as the main clan and leading the branch clan himself. Later, he remarried and had two younger brothers, Luo Yun and Luo Ping. It seems that he wanted the Luo clan to continue to flourish in the Great Xia. Judging from the increase in his contribution value in the logistics department, he is obviously working harder and harder in the outer vassal states. The key is that he has transferred all his contribution value to my name. He is planning to place all his hopes on me..."

Luo Cheng sighed slightly. His father's expectations and his own pursuits had clearly formed an irreconcilable contradiction.

"Actually, with Luo An here, there's no need for me at all. Let's wait until Father returns and then have a more in-depth discussion with him..."

Luo An is currently the commander of the Third Battalion of the Dragon Guard. Not only is he younger than him, but his basic strength is 54, which is above him. Although they are both in the top talent group of the new generation of Great Xia, it has to be said that he is still inferior to Luo An.

Currently, Luo Yuan, the standard-bearer and head of the hunting department of the Luo clan, is Luo An's father and the next generation's leader of the Luo clan. In terms of both status and qualifications, Luo An is much more suitable than him.

"I don't know if my father will listen to me, sigh..."

(End of this chapter)