Why do men in ancient times have concubines What conditions can be met to have concubines

In ancient times, men could have three wives and four concubines, and the status of women was so low that they could be bought and sold as goods. At that time, the marriage system used polygamy, meaning that a man can marry more than one woman in the open, why did men in ancient times can take concubines and still be allowed to do so?

In the traditional concept of succession is a very important thing, the prosperity of the people is considered the key to the strength of a family, and there is a saying called the unfilial three without posterity for the big, said that there must be a male child to inherit the family business, that is, it is said here to have a posterior.

In ancient times, a man's concubinage can also illustrate his status and show off his ability. If a man has more than one wife, and each looks like a flower, it shows that the person is capable. Concubinage is also a kind of performance to support the facade, used to show their noble status.

Men also have concubines for their own selfish desires, ancient brothels such as this place, in fact, also shows this point. No matter how virtuous and beautiful the wife at home, some men will eat the bowl to see the pot, the outside world of flowers is very eager.

In ancient times, not all men will be concubines, poor people can not even get a wife, there are some rich and powerful will not necessarily be concubines, it is possible that the wife's mother's family status is very high, the husband does not dare to concubinage. There are also men who are afraid of their own wives, so they do not have concubines.

In addition to these, there were also monogamous couples in ancient times, take Emperor Wen of Sui, he and his wife were very sweet, even the emperor did not have other women.

If a man had a bit of money and his wife at home didn't object, it was a normal thing to have a concubine, but the concubine's status in the house was very low, not much higher than the average subordinate. The status of the concubine depends on how much the man of the house favors her.

If a concubine gives birth to a son, her status will be completely different, and she will not have to worry about not being able to rely on her in the future, even if she is old and weak. In the event that the wife is unable to bear children or does not have a son, it is possible for the concubine's son to inherit the family business in the future.