You must not do this
You must not do this
Scholar-Officials (士大夫).
Needless to say, this absolutely does not mean "Four Principal Wives (四大婦)."
The original meaning was a general term for the daifu and shi, the lower ranks within the hierarchical class system of the imperial clan and nobility that ran "Son of Heaven—Feudal Lords—Daifu—Shi."
A word that has absolutely nothing to do with taking wives and concubines.
But...
The fact that men who held wealth and power kept multiple women was, up until the modern era, simply regarded as perfectly normal.
Even in the modern day, despite legal restrictions, similar practices continue in covert forms like adultery.
At any rate, under such a backdrop,
records of prominent warlords in the actual Three Kingdoms possessing multiple wives and concubines were widespread.
Never mind Cao Cao, the undisputed boss of this scene.
Liu Bei also had several wives. The Romance even records that, at one point, Liu Bei installed both Lady Mi and Lady Gan as principal wives.
And on the Korean Peninsula, that famously virile... I mean, Wang Geon had six principal wives,
and in Joseon, King Seonggye's clan, though Scholar-Official in status, kept two principal wives—a head wife and a local wife.
The establishment of strict monogamy with concubinage—one principal wife per man—on the Korean Peninsula actually came with King Taejong "Kill" Bang-won.
China, on the other hand, permitted simultaneous multiple wives and concubines right up until entering the modern era.
From that perspective, the "Four Principal Wives" quip Empress Dowager He was wielding now was, strictly speaking, not factually incorrect in this slightly twisted Three Kingdoms era.
A law of the Later Han stated that a Scholar-Official who was not the emperor could keep up to four principal wives.
There was no particular restriction on concubines, but the maximum number of principal wives was set at four, at any rate.
And what about the emperor?
Obviously, as emperor, she could have four principal wives, ten—whatever she pleased.
Of course, even so, there were not many people who even knew about this law, and as for anyone who actually filled all those slots... to my knowledge, there was none.
Normally, one principal wife,
two at most, and the rest brought in as concubines and replaced when the situation called for it—that was the common approach. Unless someone actually intended to incite a catfight, there was no need to install four principal wives as mistresses of the house.
However...
Setting such conventional thinking aside.
Right now, as Her Majesty the Empress Dowager brought up this largely dead-letter legal subject before my very eyes, something ominous began to stir within me.
"Forgive me... what are you suddenly talking about?"
"Did I not say it? At this moment, General Yuan, you are the pillar of this state. The duty of a pillar is precisely to support the building so that it does not collapse. Yet, given the present circumstances of this Han Dynasty, it will not be easy for you to sustain this heavy burden with your strength alone."
The Empress Dowager fixed a lingering, heavy gaze upon me.
Then, bearing a deep smile upon her lips, she continued.
"And... the simplest and most certain way to make it secure is, naturally, marriage. To solidify your standing by creating a family you can truly rely upon."
"Are you... speaking of... a political marriage?"
As an unwelcome topic surfaced, my expression hardened for an instant.
Just as when I had previously refused Diaochan, I had a strong aversion to political marriages.
Marriage is, by all proper standards, something that must fundamentally rest upon the affection between a man and a woman.
A relationship formed for cold reasons like politics or power was, in my view, unacceptable.
"I understand Your Majesty's intention. However, I have no wish to take a wife for such a reason."
"What did you say?"
"Did not Emperor Gaozu of Han herself declare it? That any relationship between a man and a woman requires a heart of yearning and affection. That a bond formed for private gain without such a heart is an impure one. I have resolved to live my life bearing these words of Emperor Gaozu of Han deeply engraved upon my heart."
"Ah..."
For a moment, Empress Dowager He wore a blank expression at my words.
Since I had conveyed my refusal by invoking none other than Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang herself,
I assumed this would constitute a sufficiently polite expression of intent, and so I quietly lifted my teacup and drank.
But then...
"Are you saying... that if a heart of yearning and affection exists, you will accept?"
"... Excuse me?"
"Did you not say you would live your life bearing Emperor Gaozu of Han's words upon your heart? Emperor Gaozu of Han also spoke thus: no force is as powerful or as deep as a heart of adoration. A man of virtue, therefore, ought to be capable of embracing such hearts with all his might."
"Th-That... that is... that may be true, however."
In reality, Liu Bang was the first female emperor to practice polyandry.
That she indulged in passionate love affairs with multiple men was a historically acknowledged fact.
And so, in that moment when I found myself unable to devise an appropriate reply,
—Slip.
"!... Your... Your Majesty?..."
Empress Dowager He carefully seized my hand.
"If you, too, are a man of virtue... should you not, as is proper, be able to embrace such a woman's heart? General Dong's heart, as well... and this heart of mine, besides."
"Pardon?"
A sensation both warm and soft... yet at the same time, a chill that made my skin crawl.
Unable to muster the will to pull my hand away, I spoke with a trembling voice.
"Your... Your Majesty? This... this you must not d—"
"What reason is there that I must not? When I... am so ardently yearning for you, like this."
"!"
In the Original Timeline, one might cite chastity or some such justification, but this world was a place considerably tolerant of widow remarriage.
Even the Empress Dowager, the wife of the deceased emperor, may freely remarry if she so wishes.
Looking at me, thus struck speechless, Empress Dowager He smiled deeply and spoke.
"Of course, I am not suggesting we do anything immediately. I am well aware that the preeminent place in your heart belongs to General Dong. Still... at least remember this. There are, you see, a great many women around you whom you must embrace. Myself... and certain others, as well."
"... Y-... Yes? What else do you..."
"Heu-heut... you may discover that part slowly. The only thing I wish to say is that you should leave plenty of room at your side. I have no intention of deeply interfering in another woman's love affairs."
"... Gulp."
Her Majesty had left behind something distinctly unsettling.
At the unsettling smile contained within it, an odd sense of anxiety began to creep over me.
*
Ji Ling and Xu Rong had accompanied Yuan Shu upon the Empress Dowager's sudden summons.
The pretext of attending to their everyday duties was not entirely absent, but in truth, a peculiar feminine intuition of their own had been at play here.
'That woman who calls herself the Empress Dowager or whatever... the atmosphere has been a little strange since the Great Hall earlier, hasn't it...'
'That gaze of hers... it's rather difficult to simply let it pass...'
The result was that two people had attached themselves with a touch of forcible insistence.
And now, before their eyes, they saw Sun Jian pressed flat against the closed door of the Empress Dowager's Hall.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"General Sun Jian, what is the meaning of..."
"Shh! Everyone be quiet, don't make noise, if you're curious, come closer."
Sun Jian gestured cautiously.
At this moment, only the three of them were here; the other soldiers and court ladies had all been sent out beyond the outer wall.
Ostensibly, this was done so that important conversation would not leak out... but
by this point, even Ji Ling and Xu Rong could grasp the original purpose.
And so, the two of them, their curiosity already piqued, pressed themselves right beside Sun Jian.
Whereupon, low voices reached their ears.
They easily recognized it as the conversation between Yuan Shu and Empress Dowager He.
"Um... excuse me. Is this permissible? No matter what, this is the speech of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager..."
"Hey, Xu Rong, keep it quiet. I can't hear properly."
"Worry not, we are merely 'escorting' Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, after all."
"Mmmnnh..."
Though she felt uncomfortable at Sun Jian's words, Xu Rong offered no further objection.
And so the General of the Vanguard, the General of the Right, and the General of the Guards—who together held the military power of Han—pressed flat against the door like lizards stuck to a wall, concentrating every nerve on the conversation issuing from within.
And then...
"... Four, she said..."
"Mmn..."
"Heu-heut..."
The fact they had learned from the Empress Dowager's lips was that if Yuan Shu simply set his heart to it, he could maintain four principal wives plus multiple concubines.
At this, Sun Jian, who had already heard part of the story, wore a meaningful expression, as did Ji Ling and Xu Rong.
They had known about concubines to some extent, but the matter of four principal wives could not fail to capture their keen interest.
Truthfully, each of them had been inwardly steeling herself to give up, faced with the overwhelming presence that was Dong Zhuo.
Yet the conversation just now was sufficient to ignite their flagging motivation anew.
'The situation is completely different when there's one spot versus four...'
'Moreover, even if it's not strictly a principal wife's position, if there are four wives...'
'Adding concubines would certainly become much more feasible.'
So perceiving that a hurdle so high it had seemed insurmountable had now been lowered to a level worth aiming for,
deep smiles began to spread across the lips of the three generals.
*
"Take care on your way. I shall await good tidings."
"Hmm... yes, I thank Your Majesty. Then, I shall take my leave..."
With a lingering sense of unease, I stepped out of the Empress Dowager's Hall.
As expected, there were the three people always waiting for me as usual...?
"... Hmm..."
"..."
"Heu-heut..."
"...? What's this, did something happen?"
"Ah... no! N-... nothing at all..."
"Nothing happened."
"Yes, truly... nothing happened. Truly, I tell you. Heu-heut..."
The three of them were, for some reason, radiating a strange atmosphere.
Feeling a strange puzzlement at that, I simply addressed them.
"If there's nothing else, let's head back. We'll have that drink as planned."
"Uh... huh? Yeah... we should... do that. A drink."
And so, with Ji Ling at their head, the three of them followed me in a somewhat hesitant manner.
Though something felt increasingly off,
my mood was already unsettled, so without paying deeper attention to that, I simply left the Imperial Palace and headed home, unaware of the gleam in the eyes of the three people watching me.
Just then...
"Gen... General! So this is where you were!"
"Huh? Chen Gong?"
Chen Gong came running urgently this way.
Watching her dash over, spectacles slightly askew and dripping with sweat, I sensed an ominous atmosphere of a different order from what had just passed.
"What is it? Why are you in such a rush..."
"A great calamity has occurred. First, please look at this."
Chen Gong urgently thrust a rolled scroll before me.
Made of extremely high-quality material, it bore a faintly familiar look to me as well.
And, the moment I confirmed its contents.
"... Zhang Rang... that son of a bitch..."
An oath toward that bastard automatically erupted from my lips.