After Lu Ming left, the four women lay weakly on the bed.
Yang Lian spoke first, "Sisters, have you thought about the future? Now your husband is marrying a princess, and you also have a fiancée in Xiliang. We are all old women now, and we don't have many people left to rely on. We must unite, otherwise, if we are harassed in the future, we won't even have anyone to plead for us."
The power struggles within the imperial harem in ancient times were very serious, especially since Lu Ming was marrying a princess.
The principal wife could punish concubines like them.
For one thing, they couldn't bear to be made to do servants' tasks.
Being a maid in ancient times wasn't so easy. Washing the feet of a master with an athlete's foot, and if he had a lot of phlegm, they had to swallow it down with their mouths.
Just thinking about it was disgusting, but it was indeed a good opportunity to gain favor and rise in rank among the maids.
For these women, who were once principal wives but were now being used as playthings, this was the hardest thing to accept.
Therefore, Zhang was very sensible. From the moment Lu Ming raped her, she served him as her husband.
Precisely because of this, Lu Ming was relatively gentle with her, lacking his usual violent and impulsive nature, which allowed her to fully enjoy the pleasures of sex.
Sometimes, pleasing one's master is the most important thing.
The saying "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent" is just a misconception.
Women from large families, and even smaller ones, needed to possess certain skills. Those from military families knew how to use their influence and manage a household; they needed to be resourceful.
Famous families of civil officials, on the other hand, focused on literacy and learning arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. They wouldn't teach women legal texts.
These arts were useful for pleasing husbands during marriage alliances, providing common ground and fetching a good price.
Even high-class brothels didn't primarily offer sexual services; they focused on creating a romantic atmosphere. Lu Ming rarely went to, and didn't want to go to, such places; he had a natural aversion to them.
"Unity? How?" The first to ask wasn't anyone else, but Cao Shi, who had just arrived yesterday.
As Feng Fang's wife, she had climbed into Lu Ming's bed, delivered by her husband himself, making her quite embarrassed.
"Master has a very strong libido; one person can't handle it. So when serving him, why not bring the sisters along? It can share the burden and also win over Master's heart. Master quite likes us; we're much more interesting than young girls." Yang Lian seemed somewhat wanton; she wasn't like this before, but to survive, she had to change herself.
At her age, having to serve a young man, and the very man who killed her husband and son—the inner struggle was unimaginable.
But she didn't want to die; she wanted to live. Even if she were raped and impregnated by her enemy Lu Ming, she didn't care. As long as she could live, she was willing to do anything!
Mature women are mature women, especially those who are wives. Their experience in the power struggles of the inner court is undeniably extensive.
They can sense the slightest disturbance and know what's to come. They're all too adept at it. Having witnessed countless instances of concubines seizing power, they've naturally become skilled at it.
Before, it didn't matter much. Lu Ming was lustful, but without a wife, they weren't subject to supervision or restraint. Now that he has a wife, and a princess at that, things get complicated.
The princess herself isn't the key issue; the crucial factor is the dowry maids, called "tongfang yatou." During marital relations, these maids serve the couple. These maids are only servants in the presence of the husband and wife.
But in the eyes of the other servants, they are practically mistresses.
The more favored the mistress is, the greater her power and prestige.
And sometimes, the struggle isn't between one person, but between two teams!
A princess's marriage isn't simply a matter of one person coming alone; it involves a dowry and her tongfang yatou—these are the key elements.
Therefore, having long held the position of principal wife, Yang Lian immediately began planning for her future upon hearing of Lu Ming's impending marriage.
Being a concubine was far from simple. First, she couldn't enter the ancestral hall, leaving her without any official status.
Second, she would be subject to the principal wife's jurisdiction, and any children she bore might be adopted—such cases were commonplace.
No wonder Yang Lian spoke with embarrassment; she was already quite old, and her current focus was on surviving.
As for becoming the principal wife, she hadn't even considered it.
She didn't want to be the principal wife, and there was no possibility of becoming one.
Age was an insurmountable hurdle. If it was just for fun, casual sex, that was fine.
But becoming the principal wife would inevitably draw criticism.
Besides, she didn't feel qualified. After much thought, she felt that maintaining her power was more important.
"That's a good idea. We really need to unite. I don't think my husband really likes marriage; perhaps he's forced into it. Besides, if we work together, we might be able to keep his favor!" Yi Jin chimed in. She was the most senior of the women, and the first woman Lu Ming had slept with. Not counting the mother and daughter from Chang'an, she was indeed the first woman in Luoyang to be seduced.
While the other women were still discussing how to win Lu Ming's favor, he had already come to the living room to greet Zhang Yulan, casually leading her to another room.
As soon as they entered, Zhang Yulan leaned against Lu Ming's chest, her eyes filled with seductive allure, and reached out to grab his crotch.
As a widow who had been married before, she desperately craved a man's touch, especially Lu Ming's penis, which had left a deep impression on her.
His promising background only made her more infatuated.
She didn't necessarily have to be his wife; even being a mistress wouldn't be bad.
"Husband! Take me!"
"You little slut, you want to be fucked, don't you! Sit on top and move!" Lu Ming wasn't in a hurry to ask about Princess Wannian's situation; he wanted to properly train this slutty young woman first.
He didn't have much of an impression of Zhang Lu, but he knew Zhang Lu had a famous older sister, Zhang Yulan, a Taoist successor, who was undoubtedly of high status.
Plus, she had a mother with an ageless beauty, capable of captivating countless men—that was enough to prove her charm!
Like daughter, like mother; if the daughter was so beautiful, the mother couldn't be far behind.
Given permission, Zhang Yulan excitedly climbed onto Lu Ming, unbuttoned his clothes, and reached out to grasp the large penis that haunted her dreams. Her fingers caressed the glans, aiming it at her already wet vagina.
Her pert buttocks slowly lowered, and she let out a long breath, feeling the ultimate pleasure of being penetrated by his penis.