T/N: Surprise~~~ an extra chapter for you today. I know my translations can be quite...confusing(?), some bits are really hard to translate as there isn"t an exact English translation especially if they"re old Chinese words no longer in use.
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There werespikes on the long whip, the small needles even more shiny on the sandalwoodtable, making the people looking feel intimidated.
Liu Ling Mokept quiet as he sat behind the Zhao Princess, serving as a military adviser.
w.a.n.g Yun Feng calm as a wind raising his hem and arranging it to sit town, apair of unfeeling eyes swept to Gu Lang with treacherous thoughts. He didn’tworry at all about losing, it must be known these years he had been amusinghimself, his skill in playing mah-jong actually got better little by little,even better than his chess skills. Following this reasoning, even the usuallygrim faced w.a.n.g Yun Feng could not help look like he could cry, sighing as ifhe could write the history of the blood and tears of the long seven years.
Because, theold matriarch of the Xia family loved to play mah-jong. Subordinates followingthe example of their superiors, sons and daughters, daughter-in-law, son-in-lawand so on, when they had a break would gather around the old matriarch to playa few rounds, using various kinds of reasons to `offer tribute` to the old matriarch.Even on a normal day, occasionally when free the younger generations also wouldaccompany each of their mothers to play mah-jong with the old matriarch tomaintain good relations. These years,
w.a.n.g Yun Feng in order to gain the Xiafamily’s favourable impression, squandered a lot of his available time at themah-jong table. It has to be said, the Xia family were very cunning, must seekrepercussions, loves getting someone else to do their own dirty work. Xia Ling
Mei grievance, the Xia family wouldn’t make it openly public, the majority ofthem would choose to defeat w.a.n.g Yun Feng on the mah-jong table, make him joinin with an estimation of several thousand silver, losing and leaving severalthousand silver on returning home.
In thefirst year, w.a.n.g Yun Feng would lose under the sugar-coated artillery sh.e.l.ls ofthe younger generations of the Xia family with an ashen-face. Let alone money,even the hat on his head, jade ornaments on his body, jade beads on his shoeswere torn out by the young wolves of the Xia family as money to gamble with.Anything went with the younger generations, making you lose your money as wellas your self-respect, making you lose your self-respect and stil thought aboutyour appearance. Sometimes, when they were tipsy and merry w.a.n.g Yun Feng, wouldeven have his underwear swindled, if it wasn’t for the old housekeeper alwaysloyal and devoted in protecting him, Lord w.a.n.g’s remaining chast.i.ty may nothave been kept.
This madew.a.n.g Yun Feng experience extraordinary shame and humiliation, if you want yourenemy to respect you, first you needed to understand how to protect yourself.
He hadsuffered in silence, suffering patiently, but firmly resolved on revenge, he’dkill a deity if he met one and kill a devil if he met one, winning from hisunderwear up, on the way he killed the younger generation leaving not even atoe nail, energetically killing until he reached the elders of the Xia family’stable. He felt guilty about Xia Ling Mei, so in the face of laughter anddestruction from the people of his parents’ generation he practically did notin the least have the power to rebel. Those as clean as jade and loose yetfirm, virtuous and prestigious, fair and reasonable, people for the safety ofthe country, wholeheartedly loyal parents’ generation, when they were smilinghe felt he was being slapped in the face, when they were angry it felt like hewas being lashed, when it was serene perhaps it was a little bit like a knifesc.r.a.ping at your bones, w.a.n.g Yun Feng had arrived smug, and left dying.
By the timehe had he had trained himself to become invulnerable and hard-hearted withgreat difficulty, he had already been training at the Xia family’s mah-jongtable for six years.
On the seventh year, he finally climbed up to the old matriarch’smah-jong table.
The old matriarchwas extremely old, ears a little deaf, throat a wide, squinting with a pair ofmuddy eyes, asking him loudly: “You say you are my Xia family’s son-in-law?”Turning her head to ask the head of the Xia family, “Our Ling An when did wefind such a radish head to be a husband? So small, can he take care of our LingAn?”
w.a.n.g YunFeng talked and laughed as though nothing had happened: “It’s not Ling An, it’sLing Mei.”
The old matriarchslapped the mah-jong table a few times: “Ling Mei is too young, she hasn’treached the marriageable age, you are too old.” Shaking her head about, “Itwon’t do, it won’t do.”
The cornerof w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s mouth twitched: “Old matriarch, Ling Mei has long ago
married into my w.a.n.g family, she is my w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s official wife.”
The oldmatriarch glanced at him, taking a `bei feng` and hitting her own son’sforehead:
“You scoundrel who sell your own daughter for glory, you actually gavemy little Ling Mei to the w.a.n.g family to be defiled by those old sinners. MyLing Mei, why were you born under an ill star! Why aren’t you hurrying to bringback Ling Mei. Even though I may be old, but I still have some right socialconnections, I want to bring back my Ling Mei to marry…”
“Oldmatriarch, Ling Mei has married me, not my father…”
“Ai `seventiao`, peng! What, you haven’t married Ling Mei? Fine, you are a good child. MyLing Mei won’t marry you.”
“Oldmatriarch…”
“Who’s old,I’m not old. I will not allow Ling Mei marry you dotard, my Ling Mei is HuaMulan, afterwards she’s going to be a female general, how can she marry adest.i.tute scholar without the strength to truss a chicken. Don’t move, hu!Quickly hand over your money, no one is allowed to renege on their debt,otherwise this old woman will make him come in immaculately dressed, leavewithout a strand of clothes. Money, money… w.a.n.g family’s old man, do youactually have any money? Oh, oh, you have money. Right, what did you just say?”
“…” w.a.n.gYun Feng was itching to scratch the walls. He wasn’t afraid of a fox likeadversary, he was afraid he would make a blunder and reincarnate as a loach.
This was anextremely suffering history filled with sadness and distress, in the shorts.p.a.ce of seven years from a small, weak, upright and plainspoken Brother w.a.n.g polishedinto a person people are scared of, ghosts are vexed by, a cold-bloodedmah-jong small deity.
Wordlessly giving a Liu Ling Mo a meaningful glance, amah-jong road like an undercurrent surging up violently, a foul wind and a rainof blood, colours of spring, filled the courtyard.
On thefirst round, Gu Lang who was still not clear of the situation was set up byw.a.n.g Yun Feng, with a `seven xiao dui`, wolf Gu Lang took off his outergarment.
Secondround, the Zhao Princess as she gave directions on the little princess’studies, she `peng, peng, hu`, wolf Gu Lang was a little dazzled, losing his thininner layer of clothing.
Thirdround, Xia Ling Mei stroking the kitten in her arms, calm and collected reacheda `da si xi`, Gu Lang in his very white middle layer, with a red face he tookof his trousers, shaking his head and gesturing with his hand he left thetable, letting Zhuang Sheng up.
ZhuangSheng was crafty-looking, eyes whirling around on everyone’s faces andgesturing to rotate, demanding to split up the three people’s secret signals.
How did heknow, the Zhao Princess has been in Beiding for many years, the people sheoften faced were the Imperial Consort and the Zhao Prince, and rarely actuallysaw the old matriarch, let alone w.a.n.g Yun Feng.
w.a.n.g YunFeng became seasoned in this at the Xia family, he had the least confidence inthe moral characters of the Xia family at the mah-jong table, naturally he alsodid not talk in riddles with Liu Ling Mo.
Xia LingMei method of playing was the same as her personality, she especially didn’tlike rules, tyrannical, rude and unreasonable, unconventionally gambit, it wassimply very hard for her to follow someone for mutual benefit.
After a fewrounds Zhuang Sheng, had taken off his clothes and put them on again, takingthem off and putting them on again, struggling to maintain his self-respect.
Thedrunkard…lost even his underwear, whimpering he sat in meditation, on his kneesa blanket covered up his embarra.s.sment. He still didn’t admit defeat, he mustmake a comeback, slapping the mah-jong onto the table like a plank, with hisentire ears red getting into the zone.
Xia LingMei was calm, secretly cursing w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s gamble luck, while uttering toLiu Ling Mo who was not having a good time: “I heard the old matriarch wants tofind you a good wife on behalf of you, do you have a woman you like?”
Right nowGu Lang who was fighting over clothes with Xiao Bai was stumped for words:
“Lord Liu is still a bachelor?”
Liu Ling Mobashfully scratched the back of his head: “I just turned twenty this year, gettingmarried is something the old matriarch mentioned last year, a.s.suming acandidate should be decide.”
Xia LingMei said: “You yourself, how could you have met peaceful and harmonious womenwhile at the academy of cla.s.sical learning? If you have, can you tell the oldmatriarch in advance, even though you have an outsider’s surname, in the endyou are still a child of the Xia family, you cannot be wronged.”
Liu Ling Mowas as shy as before, wanting to nod and shake his head: “It will be fine foreverything to be decided by the old matriarch.”
Xia LingMei looked at the Zhao Princess, coldly saying: “Has he always been like this?Without the slightest viewpoint, overcautious about everything, afraid ofgetting into trouble? No matter what he is still the master of the Liu family,marriage is a big thing and if you can’t make a decision, what would youaccomplish?”
The ZhaoPrincess knew she was not happy, but did not bicker, only saying: “Those in ourkind of influential family, it might not be smooth sailing for those who canmake decisions, everything might as well follow fate. Some people when they’reyoung are affectionate and true, after marriage it isn’t definite; some peopleare timid and overcautious when young, after marriage on the contrary amcapable to develop everlasting feelings. Some married couples are harmonious,two string instruments that play in perfect harmony that everyone envy; somemarried couple are close when young, but cannot last to old age. Going so farto say, even if it’s an influential family, at the forefront its packed withdescendants, in an instant maybe the population will fade.” She turned her backslightly to the table, as if to point out: “Talking about something closer, somepeople might be the patriarch the year before, but after a year of completeharmony, they are without company, locked in stalemate, in a solitarymarriage.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng kneaded the mah-jong tightly with his fingers; Zhuang Sheng sharp eyesglided along the faces of all the Xia family, noiselessly switching themah-jong tile in his hand; Gu Lang, he was still tussling with Xiao Bai, hedidn’t understand anything, why can’t he put on his clothes even though he’sleft the mah-jong table. Being slightly naked, would have a serious impact onhis brilliant image in the eyes of so many beautiful women.
“All alongLing Mo is my younger brother, no matter what happens he always has a home toreturn to, at home there will be brothers and sisters with open arms welcomingall his weaknesses. He’s not like some people, having lost both their parents,and have no brothers from the same family to lean on, cousins are ruthless,there are clearly no one in the residence who cares for him. No one to enquireabout his well-being, no one to worry about his hardships and distress atcourt, no one to care about whether or not he’s been betrayed by his closerelatives, denounced by his family, framed by common people.”
“That’sright, even being childless, this personal matter, has been made as a reason toattack him. Everyone is saying he is overanxious about fame and profit, and hasmade many chancellors be dismissed from their offices, people curse him, theHeavens reproach him. Childless, the wrath of Heaven, it’s his suffering decreedby fate.”
Fei Dao’sflapping sound came closer from afar, the Zhao Princess cold sarcasm alsogradually ended.
Xia LingMei blinked, finding it hard to wake herself from that baseless dispute in thedaytime. She never thought after she left the w.a.n.g family, w.a.n.g Yun Feng wouldlive such a life, she subconsciously suggested to herself, without her w.a.n.g YunFeng would be even better.
Without hermonopolising and intense desires, he could go and find his beloved Xia Ling Woanytime, anywhere; without her shadowing him incessantly, he could boundlesslylong for their past youth during the endless nights, long for the girl hesecretly liked; without her persistent hope for her husband to be somethinghe’s not, he could proudly face his colleagues, not submitted to humiliationwith her scheming behind his back.
Fei Dao finallylanded on the window ledge, pecking the back of her hand, lifting up its claw, gettingXia Ling Mei to untie the message.
Today thesecret message was not the usual blue colour, rather it was a slightly greygreen.
Opening up the paper, the tender but reserved calligraphic style jumpedinto her eyes.
Childless.
Xia LingMei laughed bitterly, how can the great Senior imperial censor be childlessbecause of people’s cursing!
Candlefire, the paper in the flame gradually turned into ash, that truth followed theowner’s mind, it would never be known by others.
Xia LingMei knew, in this world, someone who hated w.a.n.g Yun Feng even more than her.
Hate him,some people need a target in order to get strong.