Chapter 7 The Young Marshals' Wives

  Chengdu in the sweltering summer, extremely sultry. Places with lush trees and shade naturally became popular destinations for people to escape the heat. However, for the family quarters of the Western Sichuan Military Headquarters, it wasn't that troublesome. High-ranking officials of the Western Sichuan Military all had a separate villa here, complete with a large courtyard. The location of the entire family quarters was excellent, backing onto Ba Huatang and only one kilometer away from the Patrol Commandant's Office.

  In the small courtyard of General Xiong Wu's residence, a family of three sat under a large tree in the yard to enjoy the coolness. Although the sunlight was extremely scorching, after passing through the layered obstruction of green leaves, only irregular patches of light were left on the ground, and all the heat had dissipated. People sitting under the tree felt not even a bit of sweltering heat.

  Xiong Wu, Mrs. Xiong and their daughter Xiong Menghan were sitting around a stone table drinking tea and chatting. However, Xiong Wu's face didn't look too good, while Mrs. Xiong had a joyful expression on her face. As for Xiong Menghan, she was expressionless, and it was unclear what she was thinking about.

  "Daughter, say something! Are you going to marry or not? You have to give a clear answer! Father knows that letting you marry Rui Ze is really unfair to you. But you also need to understand father's difficulties! The general has already personally proposed the marriage, how can I disagree?" Xiong Wu's face was full of helplessness.

  "Can't you speak up! Meng Huan is going to marry the young general! The future great general of the three provinces of Chuanxi. How can it be considered a sacrifice, on the contrary, we are overreaching ourselves. Meng Huan! After marrying him, you must take good care of your husband and children!" Mrs. Xiong started nagging, she seemed to have already immersed herself in the joy of becoming relatives with the great general of Chuanxi's three provinces.

  "Women are just long-haired and short-sighted, if you can't speak properly then don't speak at all!" Xiong Wuhu scolded with a stern face.

  "How can I not speak? Is it that Young Master is not worthy of our daughter?" Mrs. Xiong was displeased, in her opinion, this was a perfect match! Her daughter would naturally have to hurry up and marry him. Although this time Young Master was marrying three women at once, her own daughter was ranked first, that was the main wife. Of course, if she wanted to defeat the other two competitors, she would still need to work harder. Mrs. Xiong had already thought of how to properly teach her daughter in the next few days, so that she could completely capture a man's heart.

  "Alright, Dad, Mom! Stop arguing!" Xiong Menghan put down the book in his hand and said somewhat impatiently.

  The quarreling Xiong Wu and his wife suddenly stopped.

  "Daughter, tell me the truth. If you don't want to marry him, I'll go talk to General Bai right away. Even if it means giving up my position as Chief of Staff, I won't let you suffer!" Xiong Wu said solemnly.

  "Alright, Father, I don't feel wronged at all. Women will eventually get married anyway. Although Yu Ze is a bit weak-willed, he's still a rare good man. Marrying him makes me very satisfied!" Xiong Menghan said. However, on her face, there wasn't a hint of a happy expression.

  "Good, good! My daughter thinks that way, it's just right. From now on, you'll be Young Master's wife. When Yuze becomes the Great General, you'll be the Great General's wife!" Mrs. Xiong said excitedly. It's worth noting that the Great General Wang Xiao Ke only has one son, Wang Yuze, so in the future, the position of Great General will naturally belong to Wang Yuze. And as Wang Yuze's mother-in-law, her status in Western Sichuan will also rise naturally.

  The official residence of the Governor of Sichuan Province is much more luxurious than that of General Hu's. Yang Hua, the Governor of Sichuan Province, was born in 1839 and is only forty-one years old this year. In his youth, he mixed with the Gowned Brothers (a folk organization in Sichuan). After Wang Xiao started a rebellion, he joined Wang Xiao's camp. After Wang Xiao became the Inspector General of Western Sichuan, Yang Hua abandoned his military career to enter politics, starting from Deputy Mayor of Deyang City, then becoming Mayor of Deyang City, Mayor of Chengdu City, Vice Governor of Sichuan Province, and finally Governor of Sichuan Province. In the political arena of Western Sichuan, Yang Hua is also a giant figure.

  At this moment, Yang Hua was a bit worried. Wang Xiao personally proposed to Wang Yuze on his behalf, and he couldn't refuse, but being tied to Wang Yuze's chariot like this made him somewhat unwilling. After all, he also had ambitions in his heart. But once he became Wang Yuze's father-in-law, he wouldn't dare to compete with his son-in-law for position, would he?

  "It seems that I can only follow the general's intention, and hope that Yuze can make a good fight, unify the country, and become the prime minister of the government. It's not bad!" Yang Hua muttered to himself. After considering for a long time, he still decided to accept this fact. Although he had already become one of the giants on the side of the Sichuan government, he had been away from the army for many years and his influence in the military had been weakened to the lowest point. If he wanted to seize power, without the support of the army, it was completely impossible. Moreover, Wang Yuze married the daughter of Xiong Wu as his wife, plus Wang Xiao's prestige, most of the troops would support Wang Yuze. Therefore, if he wanted to compete with Wang Yuze for position, it was basically impossible. Rather than losing everything in the end, it's better to know when to stop. Being a man is about knowing when to be content!

  Unlike He Xiangming, Yang Hua's daughter Yang Shilan was very happy to marry Wang Yuezhe. Growing up in an official family, she knew the benefits of power at the age of 17 and understood that marrying the future ruler of Sichuan would bring her a high status. However, she still resented Wang Yuezhe for taking three wives at once, and she couldn't become the first one.

  The American cruise ship, Princess Number, is a large cruise ship with a displacement of over 20,000 tons, traveling between San Francisco and Shanghai. It's an extremely luxurious cruise ship that only the wealthy and influential can afford to buy tickets for. However, for Zhou Rongxuan, the chairman of Xihua Group, a $200 ticket was just a small matter. Although all the shares of Xihua Group belong to Wang Xiao, as the group's president, he also owns 5% of the shares. Don't underestimate this 5% stake, considering Xihua Group's massive industry, this 5% stake is worth tens of millions of dollars.

  Xihua Group spans multiple industries, including shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles, and apparel, making it a super-large company even in the United States at that time.

  At this moment, Zhou Rongxuan, the president of Xihua Group, hurried back to China with his wife, daughter and two sons. The reason for returning home was naturally to send his daughter back to marry Wang Shaojun. As for Wang Xiao's proposal, Zhou Rongxuan was overjoyed. In his poverty-stricken days, if it weren't for Wang Xiao's financial support and help, how could he have achieved what he has today? All along, he had been diligently managing Xihua Group's vast industry for Wang Xiao, in order to repay the kindness Wang Xiao had shown him. Now that Wang Yuezhe was going to marry his daughter, Zhou Rongxuan couldn't be more delighted.

  "Dad, I don't want to go back to China and I don't want to get married. I'm only 16! I don't want to marry a complete stranger that I've never even seen before!" A slender girl in a white dress was shaking Zhou Rongxuan's hand vigorously.

  This girl is Zhou Rongxuan's daughter, Zhou Dai, who will become Wang Yuezhe's third wife. However, she, who grew up in the United States from a young age, yearns for freedom and passionate love, so she naturally has strong objections to this arranged marriage. But her coquettishness is of no use at all. Despite being extremely fond of his daughter, Zhou Rongxuan is very firm on this matter.

  Despite his great success in business, Zhou Rongxuan still has deep-rooted traditional ideas. For his daughter, he has always been very strict, never allowing her to stay out overnight, let alone talk about having a boyfriend. Every day, she goes to and from school with a dedicated driver and bodyguard. Originally, Zhou Rui thought that when she grew up, Zhou Rongxuan would not be so strict in controlling her. But she did not expect that at the age of 16, just after entering high school, she would be sent back to marry a stranger.

  "I've said it many times before, there's no room for negotiation on this matter. You must marry Yu Ze!" Zhou Rongxuan said stubbornly.