With proper planning, even the enemy could be put to use.
Camille said, "Captain Bai, what's your next plan? Do you want to take advantage of this opportunity to seize Western Liang? I have an idea. You might as well hear me out."
Bai Xiaowen nodded. "Go ahead."
Camille said:
"You and Ma Yunlu are about the same age, and Miss Ma Yunlu is Ma Teng's beloved daughter and Ma Chao's cherished younger sister.
"If you could marry Ma Yunlu, you'd become related by marriage to the Western Liang Army. Then you could send Ma Chao to attack the other warlords. Any territory he conquered would be yours, and if he lost, you could take over Western Liang while you were at it!"
Camille's large eyes flickered alluringly. "What do you think? Isn't it a brilliant idea? I thought about it for a long time."
Bai Xiaowen shook his head. "In my identity as Yuan Xi, I already have a legal wife, Zhen Mi. The Zhen Clan's financial support is extremely important, so I can't give it up. As for the Ma Clan, they might not be willing to let their daughter become a concubine."
Camille asked in puzzlement, "Weren't ancient Chinese men allowed to have three wives and four concubines? Since you have three wife slots, why can't you make Ma Yunlu your equal wife?"
Bai Xiaowen smiled:
"You know only one side of ancient Chinese culture, not the other. The Spring and Autumn Annals said, 'A feudal lord may have only one primary wife.' Even the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords couldn't marry two wives. Ancient China followed a system of one husband, one wife, and multiple concubines.
"Those so-called 'three wives' were merely a joke made during the Spring and Autumn period when the ruler