"Since ancient times, the concubinage system was established so that a ruling lord could use his formal wives as a bridge to power and his concubines for the sake of relieving his emotional or physical stress.
Because of such a system, a ruling lord couldnât give the time his wives need and the love they should be given, and neither would they start expecting
Henceforth, I, Lu Zhen, as the Chancellor of Genesis Federation, hereby ban the system of concubinage on my land. If a ruling lord has existing concubines, he must marry all of them in an official ceremony and give them the status of a consort. They must be given all the rights that a formal wife should be given, including the right to bear his child and inheritance rights for their children.
Apart from the principal consort, all the remaining consorts would have an equal ranking regardless of their background and their time of marriage.
Love is something that cannot be forced. You can have a favorite woman in your life, but that doesnât give you the right to ignore your duties as a husband for your other spousesâproviding for the family, maintaining harmony within the household, protecting the family, respecting your wife, ensuring the continuation of the family line through every wife, and providing support for your childrenâs education.
Within 45 days of time frame, I want every noble lord to fulfill this decree. Those who fail to accomplish it would be subjected to punishment. And those who dare to send away or hurt their existing concubines in order to escape this decree would face appropriate charges and punishment."
As the decree was announced, with mixed feelings, everyone got up slowly, and when King Qi was about to do the same, Mark called him out, "Not you, Qi Tianchen. I have another decree for you."
King Qi went back to kneeling, and Mark announced, "I might have given you ample support on your conquest and took care of the final battle of the war, but it is your valiant efforts that conqueror the entire south of Leon Empire. Keeping its geographical location into consideration, I declare you, Qi Tianchen, King Qi of Golden Eagle Kingdom, as the King of the Northern Plains (Bei Yuan Zhi Wang). And this title would be inherited by your successors for as long as your Qi Dynasty stands."
"King of the Northern Plains..." "King of the Northern Plains" "King of the Northern Plains."
Cheers erupted from behind, the officials hailed him with his title.
As the cheers died, King kowtowed and thanked Mark. The latter continued, "Whatever region you occupied in your conquest before my 15 robots joined you and paved the way for you to the imperial palace, that would be yours to claim. You have full autonomy over the new territories, but do remember that they are your people now, not the people of Leon Empire. Their well-being is upon your shoulders. As for the war prisoners, once your battle with Shi Chong is over, release them and let them return to their homes in peace, but their equipment is the spoils of war. You can keep them and use them how you deem fit."
"This humble servant is profoundly grateful for Your Majestyâs boundless grace." King Qiâs loyalty toward Mark grew by the title given to him and his descendants.
But then again, why wouldnât it?
Eventually, the day when Shen Ling goes into labor arrives. Mark, Song Yue, and their 15-month-old son were all staying as guests at the palace.
As the time of the hour arrived, Song Yue accompanied Shen Ling with other women relatives of the family and maids, except for Shen Lingâs own mother who was exiled a couple of years ago.
Her screams started getting louder and Mark couldnât help but pace back and forth, outside the door in the hallway in worry. Little Lu Shan was just watching his dad. His eyes moved left and right.
As a piercing loud scream, followed by the babyâs cries, erupted from the room, Mark halted his footsteps and rushed to the door but stopped himself from opening it and stood outside in patience until Song Yue walked outside with the crying baby wrapped in robes.
As he took over the baby girl in his arms, her crying stopped, and curiously observed him as if she was acting earlier, exhibiting similar behavior as her brother, "ungyaa..." She waved her hands with all smiles, trying to reach his face.
Mark couldnât help but giggle as he neared his face to her. As she grabbed one of his cheeks and widened her mouth even more, Mark felt something tugging his pants. He glanced down at his son, who was looking at him. "Baba... I want to see sister." He raised his little hands, asking his dad.
"My little pumpkin..." Song Yue lifted him and let him see her face. "Oh... she is so tiny." His eyes lit up and his hands stretched toward her.
The baby girl also turned her attention to the baby boy on the left. As she looked at him, Lu Shan poked her cheek and giggled. The others around laughed together at the adorable scene. But just then, her expression changed to a look of surprise, and sparks of electricity emitted from her body, releasing a torrent of electric current into the surroundings.
"Aahhh..." Lu Shan yelped in surprise, involuntarily retracting his little hand with a bruise on the top of his index finger while the baby girl started crying for some reason, zapping her own father who was carrying her.
"Xiao Lu..." Song Yue also took a step away from Mark and looked at her sonâs finger in worry.
"Oh, look at my little thunderstorm! Did you just give Daddy a zap? Are you trying to teach me a lesson? Shh, shh, itâs okay, my tiny lightning bolt, no need to cry..." Bathing in the torrent of electricity the little baby was continuously releasing her for the first time, Mark cooed her, patting her body and trying to calm her, "Babaâs here; no oneâs mad. Weâre all safe. Youâre my powerful princess, but letâs save those zaps for when youâre older, okay? Shh... shh..."
Song Yue: "..."
Everyone: "..."