Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1851: Lady Cai, Luo Cheng's Ideals

“Someone else has arrived…”

Upon hearing news that his elder brother was in the north and unexpectedly learning about the withdrawal of troops from Chen Cang, Xiang Yan was quite satisfied and was about to bid farewell when Luo Cheng spoke, shifting his gaze towards the outer area.

This is the downside of lacking strength; those coming are noticed slower by those with greater strength. Xiang Yan mocked himself internally before finally looking up.

Two women walked over from afar, one leading the other. The woman in front was probably in her early twenties, dressed in a summer skirt made of blue palace silk, adorned with various accessories, her steps brisk and with a smile on her face; the woman behind wore ordinary clothing made of summer silk, head bowed, her movements seeming somewhat restrained.

“Ming Yue sister, when did you leave the palace?”

Seeing the outfit and demeanor of the woman in front, Xiang Yan knew immediately she was a longtime close attendant in the Xia Palace, and quickly lowered his head.

“I left during the day when Lu Dong was on duty. You haven’t swapped with him yet. This is the palace card, let us through for inspection quickly. This lady is Lady Cai’s esteemed guest, named Su Xing’er, hurry up!”

Lady Cai!

Upon hearing the mention of these three words from Ming Yue, Xiang Yan felt a slight stir in his heart and after a moment of thought, remembered who Lady Cai was.

In March this year, the lady represented Great Xia in signing a ceasefire agreement with Cai Qiu. The agreement included a clause where Cai Qiu would send a woman for matrimonial alliance with the lord.

When this news spread in Xia City, it instantly caused quite a stir.

It’s not that polygamy isn’t viable; in fact, it was clearly stipulated early in the founding year of Great Xia when Xia Li compiled the rites, the chapter on ritual explicitly stated that the Xia people are allowed polygamy, otherwise Minister Xia Chuan wouldn’t have made a spectacle by openly marrying two wives at once.

Polygamy is not exclusive to Great Xia; it is tacitly approved by nearly all camps. This system was made for survival and reproduction in the extreme conditions of Ice Abyss.

Men mostly undertake exploration, hunting, and even venture into dangerous areas for gathering tasks, predestining a far higher mortality rate for men than women. Excluding some extreme cases, it is almost certain that the female population outnumbers males in nearly all camps.

If such a system is not implemented, many women who lost their husbands and children would be in exceptionally dire straits.

When Great Xia was smaller, not only could it assure them a meal, but sometimes even dole out something close to beast meat, but as Great Xia expanded, resource consumption skyrocketed, leaving only a full meal, and without beast meat, a basic cultivation resource, there’s virtually no hope of rising, living as a zombie.

In short, such an environment in Ice Abyss necessitates the practice of polygamy.

However, there’s another perspective: even though Great Xia explicated the polygamy system years ago and Minister Xia Chuan set a personal example, others ought to follow suit, but in reality, few in Great Xia emulate him, mostly in the lower and middle strata; very few in the Inner City.

The reason is straightforward: Lord Xia Hong steadfastly has only one wife!

Even Minister Xia Chuan married two women because the lord personally approved of it, and Xia Chuan’s two wives are sisters, Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu; the bond between them is strong, and there were no adverse rumors about the minister’s household, unlike the commons.

There’s no need to elaborate on Xia Hong’s status in the Xia people’s hearts. Nearly all Xia people regard him as a benchmark and model, especially those from Redwood Ridge and Longyou, and the old Xia people on the north bank of Xing River over the past decade, hold Xia Hong in reverence akin to a deity.

The lord only married one wife; how could we dare marry multiple?

This pertains to the men’s perspective, as for women, it’s even less questionable, no woman is willing to share her husband, especially amongst the upper echelons. Though Great Xia is affluent, resources are limited when distributed to each family, and if children increase below, the family estate, however large, will naturally be divided.

As mothers, they show courage, not just for themselves, but for their children; women in the elite classes wouldn’t support their husbands taking additional wives.

Thus, amidst various interferences, the majority of Great Xia’s elite only marry one wife, morphing into a custom, contrastingly those in the lower classes and even commoners often marry two, three, or multiple wives.

Thankfully, with Great Xia’s current resources, a diligent adult commoner can support multiple people without much trouble, but the strain on cultivation resources within the family is unavoidable.

Why did the lord only marry one lady?

The reasons vary; women naturally assume that Xia Hong is deeply affectionate, hoping Great Xia’s men will learn well; men generally believe that Lady Li Xuanling is jealous and strong-handed, evidenced by the consistent headcount of Xia Palace maidens, hovering around 20.

Most men are lustful and males in Great Xia’s upper echelons are no different, and due to their positions, even without this inclination, endless numbers would come forth, over time, trouble is inevitable.

Yet firstly due to the lord not taking a second wife, there’s reluctance to surpass him; secondly, when faced with a domineering housewife, taking a second wife becomes impossible, thus in Great Xia’s pinnacle elite, aside from the appointed Xia Chuan, almost all have one wife, and even if there are intimate confidantes, they mostly cultivate secret affairs, not daring to bring them home.

Privately, men haven’t refrained from grumbling over this matter, summarizing with the consensus of four words: “husband’s authority is lacking” to describe themselves.