The Ryukyu Islands were the first target because they guarded the massive production base beneath the Okinawa Trough; now that the positions were taken, holding the territory was the next challenge. Maintaining local order would be difficult without their own police force. Zhu Da’s troops were due to redeploy northward soon and couldn't remain to manage the residents, so Xiao Hui transferred fifty thousand mechs from the base, fitted them with transplanted skin, dressed them in police uniforms, and prepared them for street patrol.

The two fat men drove off in their Shenlong automobiles, and the women drove back to Haishen City themselves, presumably to move their luggage. It seemed this group truly intended to stay in Okinawa tonight. Fine by me; I wondered what sleeping out in the open air would feel like. Tonight, I was ready to try it.

The phone rang suddenly and urgently somewhere nearby. I scrambled up from the bed, wearing only my shorts, searching frantically. Su Xue’s voice came through, panicked: “Husband, something’s wrong! Qiqi suddenly fainted in the bedroom, hurry home.”

How could Li Qi faint? She had been swimming just fine a moment ago. I didn't have time to ask more questions; I grabbed my pants, shot into the air, and sped toward the Atlantic. By the time I was over Haishen City, I hadn't even bothered with the air defense identification code, which resulted in a barrage of missiles launching from beneath the sea. Startled, Xiao Yu quickly detonated the interceptors in a self-destruct, what a waste.

“What happened? She was fine just a moment ago?” Our home was right behind the Sun Palace Temple. I preferred jumping through windows; no need to even open a door to get inside.

Zhou Ni’s face was turning slightly purple from the shock. These women had always been in excellent health; one of them suddenly collapsing was genuinely terrifying. “We don’t know, Brother Zhao. Sister Qiqi said everyone should go back to their rooms to pack for Okinawa tonight. Afterwards, we all finished packing, but she never came out. Su Xue went into Sister Qiqi’s room to call her and found Sister Qiqi had fainted in the bedroom.”

I urged them, “Where’s Qingqing? Where is she? Quickly, have her examine Qiqi.”

Su Xue replied, “She’s in there. You go look. Sister Qingqing won’t let us in; even Auntie was kicked out. I’m afraid things are not great.”

Indeed, my mother was sitting in the living room, her face hard as stone. Lately, she had placed infinite hope in Li Qi, eagerly waiting for me to declare Li Qi the Empress of the Eastern Palace. I was speechless—did she think I was the Emperor?

Just as I was about to push the door open, Hua Qingqing stepped out instead. The other women crowded around her. Hua Qingqing said, “It’s nothing, nothing at all. Look how panicked you all are. Is there anything our family should fear? We should be celebrating!”

I slipped through the gap in the crowd and rushed into Li Qi’s room. Li Qi’s complexion was indeed pale; she was staring at the ceiling, muttering something under her breath. I leaped onto the bed and held her head. “Qiqi, what kind of trick are you playing? You scared me half to death.”

Li Qi reached out and hugged me back. “And you ask me what trick I’m playing? You should ask yourself. This is a disaster now.”

A disaster? I paused. Just then, my mother led the way into the room. It was awkward to embrace in front of her, so we quickly separated. My mother asked Hua Qingqing behind her, “Qingqing, what exactly happened? I’m worried sick.”

Hua Qingqing laughed. “Auntie, I have wonderful news for you—you’re finally going to be a grandmother!”

“Ah!” Everyone in the room gasped. This was no less impactful than detonating an atomic bomb.

Su Xue leaped up. “Oh! Sister Qiqi is pregnant! Heavens, this is the greatest fortune! The Zhao family finally has an heir! Hurry and notify the others to come home!”

I could hardly believe it. Had our two years of effort finally paid off? Li Qi lay on the bed, blushing, and nodded to confirm the event. Upon hearing that I was to become a father, my legs suddenly felt like they were cramping with nervousness. Losing my balance, I stumbled backward onto Cheng Susu. Startled, Susu quickly caught me, and my hands instinctively gripped her soft breasts, allowing me to regain my footing.

My mother’s face was flushed with excitement over the good news. Everything she had wished for was coming true, as if Heaven itself were arranging events according to her desires. Not only would the Zhao family have an heir, but the first to succeed was Li Qi, the one she favored—someone of noble birth whose child was guaranteed to be exceptional.

“This is major, this is major! We must immediately inform his father,” my mother muttered, pacing twice before getting two sentences out. Xiao Chuchu offered, “I’ll go find Uncle.”

After a brief flurry of panic, the entire extended Zhao family crowded into Li Qi’s room. Zhao Fang had nowhere else to go and climbed onto Li Qi’s bed, gently stroking her belly through the covers. “Sister Qiqi, you’re amazing. Why aren’t we seeing any movement for us? Wait, pregnancy isn’t strenuous labor—why did you faint? That seems a bit weak.”

Hua Qingqing explained, “Qiqi has been working too hard lately, and she just took a bath, exhausting herself. The drastic shift in climate from traveling thousands of kilometers back and forth has overwhelmed her system since she just became pregnant, so she fainted.”

My mother suddenly took off her shoes and pulled me over to spank my rear. “You little brat! You bring wives home to cherish, not to be your slaves working day and night! Look at you, pushing all your children out there, busy with this and that every day. If anything happens to my grandchild, I will beat you to death.”

My father was also furious. By his age, he reasoned, children should already be running around everywhere. With a house full of wives, not a single one had delivered an heir. Now that one finally had, she needed to be designated a national treasure and kept safe, certainly not running around doing chores.

“Wife, move aside and let me do the beating!” My father felt his strength might provide better catharsis.

Fang Yanmeng and Yi Xiaorou knew well that Father was merciless when enforcing family rules; he had disciplined me once before when I secretly quit my job at Hua’s Pharmaceutical Group. They rushed forward to restrain him. “Uncle, what are you doing? What if you hurt the father of the child?”

Li Qi struggled to sit up. “Auntie, Uncle, please, don’t be angry. Zhao Qian didn’t force me to do anything; I willingly work for him. I am happy to do it. If he tried to stop me, I’d be upset.”

My mother and father dropped their shoes and rushed to comfort Li Qi. “Lie down, lie down, you absolutely cannot move. We’ll cook you a special meal tonight to replenish your strength.”

Li Qi said, “Auntie, please don’t blame Zhao Qian. Besides, don’t we have famous doctors and experts in the family? What are you afraid of? Sister Qingqing, right?”

My mother’s expression darkened. “Still calling me Auntie? You’ve all been living together for ages. Are you waiting until the baby turns one to change how you address me? Since we aren’t in the country now, no one dares interfere with your affairs. I think, on this joyous day, we should settle these titles.”

I pinched the hands of Zhao Fang and Fang Yanmeng beside me. The two girls led the chorus: “Mom, Dad…”

My parents beamed with joy. “Yes, all of you need to work hard! Learn from Qiqi. Now, go, go, everyone out so Qiqi can rest properly. Qingqing, come with me. Auntie—no, Mom wants to ask you for some advice on knowledge.”

I slipped under the covers with Li Qi and placed a hand on her belly. “Qiqi, are you really pregnant? I still can’t quite believe it. Am I really going to be a father?”

Li Qi rested her face against my chest. “I can’t quite believe it either. After all, everyone enjoys your love fairly every night. But could Sister Qingqing’s diagnosis be wrong? Husband, I’m so lucky. But I won’t let the favor spoil me; you have to treat me even better from now on, okay?”

I laughed. “Of course I’ll treat you better; you’re going to be a mother. No wonder you felt like throwing up while swimming in Okinawa just now—it was because you were pregnant.”

Li Qi tugged my ear. “Remember, you are forbidden from talking nonsense in front of our son, and absolutely no more intimate acts with me. I’m afraid I’ll teach our son badly, making him as lewd as you, and that would be a huge problem.”

I protested, “No way. He doesn’t understand anything yet. Besides, I am a truly classical man. Just make sure our son doesn’t turn out as perverse as you.”

Li Qi refused to accept that and tugged my ear harder. “Who are you calling perverse?”

“Me, me, alright? Is that better?”

Creak. The door opened, and Su Xue peeked in cautiously. “You two, please don’t be so saccharine in broad daylight. Sister Qiqi, I came to ask you for advice.”

“What?” Li Qi asked, confused.

Su Xue said, “I want to learn how you managed to get pregnant with the baby.”

Li Qi burst out laughing. “What experience do I have? Don’t you all sleep with husband the same way? Maybe it was just the right time in my cycle, and I managed to grab the lead. Sister Qingqing said all our constitutions meet the requirements, so you all will get pregnant too.”

Su Xue sat down beside us. “That’s not true. I’ve had several times during the danger period where nothing happened even after husband finished inside me. There must be another trick. I heard you particularly enjoy it when husband mistreats you—could that be related? Next time, could husband beat me up first?”

I said to Su Xue, “Stop talking nonsense. Look how embarrassed Qiqi is; she’s going to be a mother now.”

Su Xue pouted. “I knew you’d favor her.”

Li Qi exclaimed, “Ah, he does favor me! Every time, he doesn’t stop until my skin is split open. Tonight, let husband mistreat you and see what it’s like.”

The three of us bantered for a moment before more people started sneaking in to ask for advice. I couldn't stand it anymore and slipped out of Li Qi’s room. My mother was busying herself in the kitchen, and I knew she was concerned about her grandchild. Father was sitting in the living room humming happily; truly, our family lacked nothing except a child. Now, the Giver of Sons was finally arriving, so naturally, everyone was delighted.

Yi Xiaorou and the others hid in a room and beckoned to me. I quietly slipped inside. All the senior figures were there, including the undisputed First Sister, Zhao Fen. Originally, everyone had hoped First Sister Zhao Fen would be the first to conceive, but such things couldn't be decided by us. After such a struggle to secure one, there was no longer any point in debating who came first.

“Zhao Qian,” Yi Xiaorou spoke first. “Our Zhao family finally has good news, and we are all very happy. You need to start considering Qiqi’s work going forward.”

Hua Qingqing added, “Yes, Husband. A woman’s physical reserves are greatly depleted during pregnancy, and she shouldn’t overtax her mind. I suggest we sisters divide the responsibilities for the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister positions. Fortunately, Tai Hao is in a growth stage and doesn't have too many complicated affairs, or the family would truly suffer without Qiqi managing things.”

I agreed. “Exactly. We should all meet tonight to discuss this matter… I think we should invite Tang Han and the others over from the Great Dragon Kingdom. They have rich work experience and can certainly help alleviate Qiqi’s worries.”

Xiao Chuchu and Zhao Fen concurred. “We agree. Politically, we are all amateurs; those veterans are certainly more suitable.”

“Alright, I’ll contact them later. Qingqing, since you are a doctor, I want to entrust Qiqi to your care from now on. I hope you will look after her well out of respect for me.”

Hua Qingqing got angry. “What are you saying, Husband? Qiqi’s child is our child. We all agreed—the whole family will be the child’s mother. Do you think we’ll be jealous? You simply don’t understand the bond between us sisters.”

I glanced suggestively at Yi Xiaorou and Hua Qingqing. “I understand, I understand. If you are all going to be the child’s mother, I am relieved. My son will certainly be very happy, having so many mothers to nurse him.”

Bang! Several women tapped my head. “Nursing is Qiqi’s job. We won’t let your son take advantage of us! However, we do have an available wet nurse right here in the house… Hehe, where is Nana? Hurry and call her over for the discussion.”

The women laughed and ran out, Yi Xiaorou and Cheng Susu trailing behind. I noticed they looked a little downcast. They were the oldest among the Zhao women; by rights, they should have been mothers already. I went over and took both their hands. “Wives, don’t worry. You will both be mothers soon. Qingqing guaranteed it; don’t you trust what she says?”

The two leaned into my embrace, one on each side. “Husband, we’re sorry…”

“Silly girls, you are more important to me than a child, understand?…”

The two murmured softly, and I kicked the door shut, pulling them both onto the bed behind me. Two pairs of full breasts immediately pressed against me. To celebrate the Zhao family finally having an heir, tonight I would go on a rampage…