Wife, I Want to Eat Meat

Chapter 53

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w.a.n.g YunFeng had been an imperial censor for many years, he had personally notexperienced a lot of turmoil, but had seen a lot. This was the first time, the great waves has. .h.i.t him directly in theface, making his extremely grave and stern face even more icy cold, no onedared to be within three chiof him.

Xia LingMei vaguely felt this matter had been premeditated long ago, if it was severalyears ago, maybe she would have hurriedly go to the rear courts of the largeinfluential families to make discreet inquires for information and by way gaininfluence unofficially. However she hadn’t returned to Beiding City for long,even if she was a daughter of the Xia family, in the end she was w.a.n.g YunFeng’s wife, her words and actions represented the senior imperial censorofficial, she didn’t dare to act blindly without thinking, afraid she wouldaccidentally cause trouble for w.a.n.g Yun Feng.

Every daynow when w.a.n.g Yun Feng returned from imperial court he would return to hisstudy to deal with official doc.u.ments, seeing Xia Ling Mei worry he wouldthoroughly placate her.

“Matters ofthe imperial court rapidly changes substantially, the complaints have juststarted, we can’t just shoot ourselves in the foot in the confusion.”

Xia LingMei thought about it: “How about, I go back to my parents’ home and ask daddy?”

Thinkingw.a.n.g Yun Feng would agree, but he shook his head, again afraid Xia Ling Meiwould act on her own initiative and run to Xia family to ask for help,deliberating it he then spoke: “The old matriarch of the Xia family has threesons and two daughters, there are eleven children of direct line of descent inyour generation, around twenty daughters b.a.s.t.a.r.ds and born of a concubine.Setting them aside, just the eleven of you have eleven in-laws, then the peopleof your parents’ generation has five in-laws, in total sixteen in-laws. Everymember of these sixteen families’ members also have connections by marriage,each family, each household slowly weaving together as the privileged networkof the Dayan imperial court. The influential families help each other but alsoexploit each other, even the emperor didn’t dare to lightly make a move withoutauthority, he could only slowly plan. In these seven years, at least one familyof the influential families in Beiding city would reach their end, there hasbeen entire clans destroyed, executing the whole family unto the thirdgeneration, and there would be a family with a reverse of fortune moving intotheir place, there are even more people dismissed from office and graduallylose power.

The emperorlittle by little taking power gradually without them being aware, you think the

other influential families would be indifferent? Those clans executed unto thethird generation really aren’t in-laws with the Xia family? Each official beingcomplained about, their wife and children did not ask for help from otherinfluential families? But what was the ending?”

Xia LingMei suddenly shivered from head to toe, she was the daughter of an influentialfamily, naturally she knew the influential family’s way of life, so much sothat every year when she returns home, there were also childhood friends whohave looked for her by every possible means, ambiguously asking her, to makeher ask w.a.n.g Yun Feng for a personal favour, give their husband a way tosurvive.

w.a.n.g YunFeng is an imperial censor, moreover he is a blade in the emperor’s hand. Overthese years, to support the splendid path for the w.a.n.g family, w.a.n.g Yun Fenghad to unconditionally go by the emperor’s orders. Amongst the influentialfamilies executed unto the third generation, how many was due to the emperor’sprovocation, again how much blood was splattered onto w.a.n.g Yun Feng?

“If everyin-laws ask the Xia family for help, can the Xia family help them all? Couldevery influential family truly be entirely innocent, no one has taken advantageof their position, accepted bribes, illegal practices, disregard human life? Aninfluential family has so many children, can all of them be honourable,upright, modest and refined? Their family’s servants, guards even the privatesoldiers in their hands, all never abused their position and actedtyrannically? If there isn’t, why would I have been able to gain informationthat can be used against them, over several hundred crimes to take to court anddestroy families? These sort of families, how can the Xia family help, and inwhat way? The daughters of the Xia family, one has become the empress, one isthe Zhao princess, each of the other children are all tied to prestigiousfamilies, If they had a problem and went to the Xia family for help, in the endwould they be asking for glory and splendour or bring about disaster for theXia family?

You thinkthe empress to this day can rule the chambers of imperial concubines, basedcompletely because of the emperor’s favour?

It’sbecause the empress never involved herself in the politics of the court, andbecause of the Xia family’s power towards the emperor has always beendifferential, putting their own safety before matters of principle. When theemperor really wants to move against a family, the Xia family will only look onwithout lifting a finger, and not stand off against the emperor because ofin-laws. Compared to other influential families, the Xia family genuinely lapup the blood from the wound, not daring to act blindly without thinking.”

Xia LingMei rigidly rolled her eyes: “You’re saying, this time, the emperor is preparedto behead the w.a.n.g family?”

“It’s theother influential families finally unwilling to be a taciturn sheep anymore,they want to spiritedly rebel against the emperor with a irreconcilableadversaries. To bear the brunt, naturally it’s me.”

“Then you…”

“I’mwaiting for the emperor’s decision.” The emperor pushed down the memorial, hewas ready to throw w.a.n.g Yun Feng to feed the numerous carnivorous influentialfamilies, temporarily obtaining peace between the imperial power and theinfluential families, nevertheless…

w.a.n.g YunFeng held Xia Ling Mei’s hand, his thumb slowly rubbing the hollow of her palm,pacifying her: “Don’t worry, I’m your husband, naturally I can protect yoursafety.”

Safety, andnot riches and glory?

Xia LingMei caught the gap in the w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s thinking. It wasn’t hard for her toimagine, if she hadn’t gone to the Gu family, if she didn’t meet Zhuang Sheng,would he still stubbornly throw his own body into the fire, feeling pleasedwith the joy of life and death?

Is it, froma very long time ago, w.a.n.g Yun Feng had decided to follow a solitary path andlive out his lifetime? That’s why he was happy to be a blade in the emperor’shand, each time without hesitation stab into the influential families’ hearts,and not concerned whether he lives or dies.

Under whatstate of mind does this man time and time again push himself down the path ofdeath?

She didn’twant to ask, she only tightly grabbed his sleeve, turning her gaze at theglaring sunlight coming through the window.

It wasalready October, why was the sun still so intense.

Two dayspa.s.sed, Xia Ling Mei took advantage of the time w.a.n.g Yun Feng was at court,entering the palace.

Just bychance, the imperial concubines of the palace had just come to pay theirrespects to the empress, outside the palace hall a crowd of women chatteringtogether pleasantly very lively. Xia Ling Mei was the wife of a third rankofficial, seeing the senior concubines and imperial concubine she could onlyrespectfully move to the side, formally greeting them. News spread around theimperial concubines’ chambers very quickly, a lof the family of the concubinesalso held some authority, having heard the bad luck with w.a.n.g Yun Feng, theycouldn’t help raise their eyebrows and exhaled seeing the usually arrogant XiaLing Mei ash-coloured face and respectful appearance. Furthermore, seeing XiaLing Mei greeting they didn’t ask her to rise, each minding their own businessthey stood in their original place talking with other imperial concubines, theydidn’t leave, but didn’t tell her to rise, Xia Ling Mei naturally could onlykept her body bowed and head down.

Words hurtpeople, Xia Ling Mei only felt those knives brush across her face one by one,extremely painful. If it was like this in the imperial concubines’ chambers,w.a.n.g Yun Feng at court every day, how much ridicule does he have to face?However he didn’t say a word of his suffering, so calm as if he was a copperwall, iron bastion, apart from Xia Ling Mei and his child, no one could hurthim anymore.

Xia LingMei was prideful, if it was before no one would dare to disregard her, but now,her status was that of the imperial censor w.a.n.g’s family member, a wife is asn.o.ble as her husband, in this exploitative imperial concubines’ chamber she hadto take it even if there was ridiculing beating down on her.

Until, theempress’ personal palace maid summoned Xia Ling Mei for an audience, only thendid numerous imperial concubines suddenly startled looking over at Xia LingMei, falsely setting aside their relations.

Xia LingMei straightened, inadvertently sweeping her eyes over the imperial concubineswho had just been telling lies, the corner of her mouth kept a trace ofarrogance as she smiled, smiling too greatly it actually made it look morecold, shivering they already come to recall this woman’s other status; Xia LingMei was indeed the empress’ older cousin.

OffendingXia Ling Mei, no one knew whether that scheming deeply cold like an icebergempress would stick up for her sister. In an instant, several concubinesalready paled, escaping in alarm and unease.

“We thoughtyou ought to come.” The empress saw her, her first words contained a deepermeaning.

Xia LingMei stared blankly, forcing a smile: “Is it possible that Fen Er really is inthe palace?”

The empressgranted her to sit, after getting someone to present tea she then spokesmiling: “Haven’t you husband and wife already turned the entire Beiding cityupside down, not outside, naturally he could only be in the palace.” She held amouthful of tea, half lifting her eyes to glance at her: “Is it possible youcame to find us for another reason?”

Xia LingMei naturally couldn’t say she had come for w.a.n.g Yun Feng, compared to w.a.n.g YunFeng’s official position, Xia Ling Mei was even more worried about Xia Fen’ssafety. Since the empress said he was in the palace, she then carefullyinquired.

“Actuallyit was also a coincident. These days the crown prince has been working hard onhis martial arts, seeking the martial arts teacher in the palace for adviceevery day, over time I naturally found something fishy. As a crown prince, theemperor was most strict with his civil and military teaching. But with hisstatus, who dared to easily offend him? His studies are not bad, he can boasthis five points into eight points. All he learns is the way of a monarch, makingspeeches like reciting poetry in a majestic manner, he is naturally moreintimidating than the ordinary students at the academy, if not number one,inevitably he would be ranked top ten. Even if not, the teachers at the academywould no matter what put his grade up.

The martialarts he learns is to command, lead the upper, middle and lower army to controlthe situation, organising and battle formations were are easy to learn, hisdedication to martial arts has also been very slow. Practising martial arts inthe palace, no one dare to actually put their heart in it, at the academy eventhough he’s a student he’s still the crown prince, ordinary people at most beathim once, lose twice. Originally the emperor was also reluctantly satisfiedwith this, but recently the crown prince has been demanding more and more ofhis own martial arts, somewhat vaguely having an att.i.tude of going mad formartial arts. So when the emperor saw him, he said one sentence `experts areamongst the people`, as a result choosing a teacher from among the people, reportedlyit was someone when the previous King during his travels met in a life or deathsituation. The crown prince benefited from a few days, then after studyingevery day he went to find that person to practice martial arts, two days ago hecame across the runaway Fen Er.”

“Then FenEr right now…”

“During theday he’s gone to that person’s training place to practice martial arts, in theevening after practising with the crown prince he again enters the palace withthe crown prince to rest.”

Xia LingMei released a breath she held. The places His Highness the crown prince wentwere naturally heavily-guarded, so no wonder the shadow guards of the w.a.n.gfamily could not find him anywhere. She had thought of directly asking for thattraining place’s address to immediately take Xia Fen home, but once she thoughtof the unease between her son and

w.a.n.g Yun Feng she was somewhat worried. Andthe empress having said this, naturally wasn’t just to put her at ease.

Just asexpected, not long after the empress asked about the origins of his martialarts aside. Xia Ling Mei felt there was no reason to hide this, after all theempress’ surname was also Xia, asking her she naturally respected this mother.While the two of them asked and answered each other, the empress also came tounderstand Xia Fen’s temper, she couldn’t help sneering: “You husband and wifereally pamper Fen Er too much.”

Xia LingMei eyebrows jumped slightly, and was somewhat angry: “We pamper Fen Er, isn’tit the same as the empress pampering the crown prince!”

“That isdifferent.” The empress said, “at least, the crown prince is someone qualifiedto be the heir to the throne, and not an ignorant child who doesn’t knowanything and lack responsibility. Regarding the crown prince, the emperortaught him the way of a ruler, and we taught him to act for people, the stateand the family, even the way to act for the nation. And the crown prince’stutors taught him benevolence and righteousness, etiquette, wisdom and trust,devoted to filial piety and fraternal duty, honour and shame, each cannot dowithout the other. To nurture him into an heir fit for the throne, the emperorpersonally destroyed his naivete, and we also willingly pushed him off theprecipice, make him understand the cruelty of people, sending him to Bailuacademy, was to make him understand even more ` however strong you are, there is always someonestronger`.”

The empressturned to look at Xia Ling Mei, wisdom and farsightedness blossomed in her pairof clear, cold eyes: “Your Fen Er, is a very good lesson for the crown prince.We ought to praise Lord w.a.n.g for having such an outstanding son, but at thesame time, the emperor and I feel very disappointed in Xia Fen. Because youhusband and wife unconditionally spoil him, already destroying a very goodsapling.

Xia Fen, willbecome someone with no father, no monarch, show no respect to their elders, anegotistical person unable to be grateful.”

Xia LingMei suddenly shot up, she practically stared at the empress in rage, directlycalling the empress by her taboo name: “Xia Ling Shu, you have no right tojudge my son!”

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