Chapter 323: One Loving Family

"Xiangyu, Zhen'e, Sanmei, Chagu — all of you stand properly now, in a row, and let Us have a good look. Ha ha ha!"

From the Yongchun Pavilion in the Dagong Quarter came the laughter of His Highness the Crown Prince, pleased beyond measure. On the second floor of Yongchun Pavilion, in a spacious bedchamber, four beauties — any one of whom would have counted as a loli even in a later age — were following Zhu Cilang's instructions and standing shoulder to shoulder in a line.

And His Highness the Crown Prince sat himself grandly on the edge of the bed, laughing so hard he could scarcely close his mouth. Counting the newly taken beauty Zheng Chagu, he now had four wives — and all of them junior ones. Not only junior wives, but young in years as well.

The eldest, Ning Xiangyu, would just be turning eighteen the next year; Fei Zhen'e would be seventeen after the New Year; the heavily pregnant Wu Sanmei was a few months younger than Fei Zhen'e and would also be seventeen after the New Year; and the tall, slender Zheng Chagu — certainly over one meter seventy — was the youngest, only fifteen after the New Year, and looked the most striking of all!

Probably because she had only just left her family, the girl who had been grinning foolishly a moment ago now had tears hanging on her face, and her somewhat alluring large eyes were misted over with moisture. Her reddened eyes made her delicate little face look rather pitiful.

Yet she still carried out Zhu Cilang's order to the letter, standing obediently beside Wu Sanmei and gazing hopefully at His Highness the Crown Prince. Ah, sent into the palace by her family at such a young age to serve the crown prince of a feudal state — how pitiful!

As the leader of a feudal state, however, Zhu Cilang only grew happier the more he looked. The four before him would each have been club-hostess material in a later age, and now they all belonged to him. Sometimes this feudal society was so reactionary that one could not help liking it!

By now Zhu Cilang had put away his smile, and he said to Huang Xiaobao, who was standing guard in the room: "Xiaobao, go and fetch the 'marriage contracts.'"

Marriage contracts?

The four little beauties listened in bewilderment. They were already the Crown Prince's concubines — what was there left to write down?

Huang Xiaobao answered and quickly took from a bookshelf in the room five identical copies of the "marriage contract," giving one to each of the four little beauties and one to Zhu Cilang.

This was in fact a "marriage agreement" — one could not call it "premarital," because they were already married.

Holding the marriage contract he had written in his own hand, Zhu Cilang said to the four beauties before him: "You are all Our women. Though you are concubines, We regard you as wedded wives. Therefore We have written these five identical copies of a marriage contract, to settle certain matters with you."

Now this was something new!

All four beauties stared eagerly at Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang smiled. "As the saying goes, harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things. We and the four of you together, loving one another — that is our little family. The realm is now troubled and unsettled, and We, as Crown Prince of the Great Ming, have taken up military governance and regency while Our Imperial Father is still in good health; criticism is unavoidable. Now We must also overhaul the land and commercial taxes of the southeast, and who knows how many people We will offend. What We can rely on, apart from a body of ministers who have shared Our hardships, is the four of you! Are you willing to be Our support?"

"I am willing."

"This concubine is willing."

"This slave-girl is willing."

"This slave is my young master's woman!"

Hearing the four little beauties' answers, Zhu Cilang nodded with satisfaction. "We knew you were willing, and that is why We drafted this marriage contract — to put the important matters down in black and white, so that the four of you will not fight one another to the death over rank and precedence and Our heir, and let outsiders take advantage!"

He paused, and his gentle gaze slowly swept over the four beauties — they were still young, and perhaps knew nothing yet of palace intrigue. But they were, after all, women of the palace, and Wu Sanmei and Zheng Chagu each had backers besides. If they truly began to fight, he, the Crown Prince, would have no peace.

"First, rank and precedence," Zhu Cilang said. "The four of you are now all selected attendants, all of equal standing, but this state of affairs cannot last for many years. So We shall make the matter clear today."

Zhu Cilang looked with deep affection at Wu Sanmei, already heavy with child. "In the future, if We are to establish a principal consort or an empress, it must be Sanmei! There will be no second.

Because Sanmei has been to the battlefield with Us! When we broke out of Beijing, Sanmei donned armor, mounted a horse, and rode ahead of Us to clear the way. When we killed Tartars at Dagu, Sanmei was at Our side as well! Xiangyu, Zhen'e, Chagu — do you accept this?"

"I accept! This concubine accepts Sister San." Zheng Chagu nodded vigorously, the first to speak up.

Once she accepted, Ning Xiangyu and Fei Zhen'e had nothing more to say. They had been with Zhu Cilang for some time and knew his attitude toward women — this Crown Prince looked first at the father-in-law, and only then at the little wife!

If the family was not a warlord clan, the richest house in the land, a Tartar prince regent, or the like, one had best not get one's hopes up.

"Good!" Zhu Cilang smiled at Chagu. A good girl indeed — Uncle likes you!

"Chagu," Zhu Cilang continued, "your rank in this household is second, next only to Sanmei. But the position of crown princess and empress will never be given to you! Our crown princess and empress can only be Sanmei!

Furthermore, Our successor must be a son of Sanmei. If Sanmei bears no son, then a concubine shall be chosen from the Wu family to bear one in her place!

But as for your son, Chagu, We will secure for him the throne of a kingdom."

Chagu did not understand, and blinked her large eyes: "But there cannot be two rulers in one state! There is only one Great Ming..."

"There is only one Great Ming, but the world holds more than one Ming state!" Zhu Cilang said. "We care nothing for so-called lands not to be conquered. We can promise you now that in the future We will conquer a great stretch of territory in the Southern Seas for our child to be king of!

The king of the Central Land will be born of Sanmei, and the king of the Southern Seas will be born of you. If you cannot bear one, then let the Zheng family send another concubine into the palace!"

Zheng Chagu nodded: "This slave-girl understands!"

"Xiangyu, Zhen'e," Zhu Cilang then said to Ning Xiangyu and Fei Zhen'e, "all these arrangements We have made are for the sake of the Great Ming's realm. The world is now in chaos, and if We are to gather up the broken mountains and rivers anew, We must unite the strength of all parties. Therefore marriage cannot follow the old ancestral precedents. But your standing is also different from that of ordinary consorts — you are, after all, Our wedded wives. Though in name you are to rank slightly below Sanmei and Chagu, what you enjoy and use will be exactly the same. Even if Sanmei becomes empress, she must still address the two of you as 'Elder Sister' — and the same goes for Chagu. Sanmei, Chagu, are you willing?"

"I am willing."

"This slave-girl is willing."

"Good!" Zhu Cilang picked up the "marriage contract" and gave it a light wave. "Everything We have just said is written in the marriage contract. If you have no objections, let us sign it together. From this moment on, the five of us are one loving family!"

(End of Chapter)