When theyleft the wineshop, the lanterns were high up. The night market street wasbustling with activity, people came and went.
The emperordid not want to sit in a carriage, since he rarely came out for a wonder he wasreally impatient with all kinds of restrictions, and not caring at all aboutthe forbidden guards worries, he mounted a white horse, on the way also pullingthe crown prince up, placing him in front of his chest and carefully holdinghim.
Seeing thismovement of his w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s eyes became fierce, isn’t he his biologicalson! Sooner or later there will be a day when he, w.a.n.g Yun Feng will hold hisson in his arms, showing off how powerful he is.
The emperormoved his jaw side to side, lightly laughing: “To be honest it’s good that thatkid’s surname is not w.a.n.g, Xia family’s youngster, fighting and jostling withmy small dragon is playing between cousins, if he’s surname is something else,he wouldn’t have such a rare honour.” As he spoke, he also stroked the crownprince’s head: “If his surname is w.a.n.g, it’ll be hard for him to avoid thosewicked habits of you literature officials. Mind not honourable, person notsincere, and a highly skilled in martial arts favoured minister, can be a greatgeneral to guard home, defend the country, and can be a crafty scoundrelcausing upheaval to my laws and disciplines of imperial court and ruin thecountry. Imperial censor w.a.n.g, you want him to take that path?”
w.a.n.g YunFeng held his breath.
Theseprivate words of the emperor, to speak frankly it was pulling bargaining chipsfor the crown prince. The Xia family is the crown prince’s maternal family, theyoungsters of the Xia family were naturally going to be p.a.w.ns in the crownprince’s hand in the future. Literature officials were white, fifth rank officialswere black. Even though the Xia family had shadow guards, but those were usedto protect the family, not ants to be involved in harming the imperial power.
Xia familyhad numerous literature officials, there were very few with high positions, thiswas a self-preservation method of the influential families. The more peoplethere are in high positions, their minds will be polluted, it would threatenthe family’s cohesion. Even if it’s third rank and below officials, at mostthere would only be two, placed where they ought to be placed, not a step overthe bounds. Like a large tree, it might not be the tallest and biggest, but itwould be the most luxuriant, branches and leaves extended widely, receiving themost rain and dew. In the verdant and lush forest, your first glance won’t beat it, the second, the third time you will finally notice it.
Literatureofficials were leaves, military officials were the roots of the Xia familylarge tree. There are few roots, but thick and st.u.r.dy, firmly secured to theground deeply, the twisted roots and intertwined joints made it difficult forpeople to uproot. Every time they faced gales and showers, regardless of howmany green leaves are broken off, as long as the trunk doesn’t move, that treewill continue to survive as before. The fifth grandfather of the Xia family,Xia Xiang Min, was the Xia family’s most important tree trunk, a highest rankofficial great general was however not sitting in court, sent far away to bestationed at the seaside controlling one third of the naval military power, andsecure the foundation of the Xia family in Dayan.
Amongst theelders of the Xia family there were those of literature and those of military,however amongst the youngsters there were many outstanding literature children,those who excelled in martial arts were few. The adopted son of the thirdbranch of the family, Liu Ling Mo, was considered one, even younger were justmediocre.
The crownprince’s two older brothers had long ago grasped the crown prince’s weak spot,a long time ago they had roped in a lot of generals, what more the secondprince himself requested to train in the barracks, saying it was to help hisyounger brother the crown prince defend territory in the future, pretty wordspeople liked to hear, but the emperor didn’t necessarily believe it. Theemperor needed a child who wouldn’t threaten the crown prince’s position,capture military power for the crown prince. This sort of person can be nurtured,or can be plucked from the crown prince’s future officials. In honesty itwouldn’t work, then let the Xia family be the head of the literature officials,pick a military official from the opposing families of the Xia family to be hisequal, maintain the balance.
Who knew, alongthe way a wild leopard like Xia Fen appeared unexpectedly. Fearing nothing inheaven or earth, as he was young, his temper had still not been polished. Ifthe crown prince could tame this wild animal, Xia Fen would naturally bespurred on with all his strength for the crown prince, knock down all theobstructions for the crown prince. Xia Fen, was a wild beast crouching fiercelyby the crown prince’s leg. When it was necessary, the wild beast can be used tobite someone to death, when there was no need, killing the beast and eating itsmeat also doesn’t use much labour or resource.
The emperorthought in the long-term, w.a.n.g Yun Feng simply considered carefully Xia Fen’slife.
Those wordsof the emperor was already considered a kind threat, making w.a.n.g Yun Feng giveup give up Xia Fen’s status as the son of the first wife, paving agolden-bright and dazzling road for Xia Fen’s someday glory, splendour, wealthand rank, it was also fine for Xia Fen to become w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s son of thefirst or wife. Only, the emperor won’t allow him to become a chess piece inanother prince’s hand, threaten the t.i.tle of Emperor. If the w.a.n.g family hasany unwarranted thoughts, the emperor did not care to take the place of thecrown prince to flatten the unstable hindrances, let Xia Fen be the sacrificialvictim in place of the imperial power.
This wasequivalent to a blade covered in honey, across the front of w.a.n.g Yun Feng’sneck, asking him: do you want your son to recognise his ancestors andultimately die in the underworld, or want him to live peacefully his name inthe annals but without a single bit of connection to the w.a.n.g family?
w.a.n.g YunFeng really wanted to loudly announce: he is my w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s son!
However, athis very moment, w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s mouth opened and closed several times, swallowingthe two words “son” weighing like thousand pounds of gold into his stomach.
The soundof the white horse hoofs became distant, the invisible pressure the people onits back brought also gradually dissipated.
w.a.n.g YunFeng was motionless, quite a while later he suddenly became aware, both eyeslacking spirit, only feeling his arms and legs were paralysed, his back wassticky a huge patch of sweat soaking through.
Hiscomplexion was pale, just now he tried to lift his foot and take a step hisentire body nearly fell over.
It hurts!
A personcould be in this much pain, every pore, every vein, every muscle, even theinternal organs were completely out of control turning and twisting, making himvomit a mouthful of blood.
He proppedhimself up on the doorway of the wine shop, simply unable to move. In his fieldof vision he could only see people unrelated walking to and fro, not a singleperson inquired about his pain.
Xia LingMei was waiting at home frightened out of his mind for w.a.n.g Yun Feng. It wasthe first time she had seen him like this, as if, he aged ten years in a splitsecond.
w.a.n.g YunFeng lifted his eyelids, only seeing clearly the person opposite quite a whileafter, forcing a smile, he reached out tightly holding her. Holding her sotightly, that the person’s bones were going to snap. Xia Ling Mei simply didnot know who he met after he had gone out, what had happened, but seeing hisdepressed and silence appearance, she could not speak her chest filled withwords of an explanation.
w.a.n.g YunFeng was no longer the son of an influential family who has never undergonetrials and hardships, on his muddleheaded journey home he had already ponderedover all the questions, his mind had made a decision. Only, he couldn’t say it,his inst.i.tutions told him Xia Ling Mei would be deeply hurt.
Back thenshe must have exhausted her mind planning Xia Fen’s future. That strong anddecisive temper of hers, how could she be happy for someone else to decide XiaFen’s entire life. But, she alone could not resist too much, unable to shake upthe entire Xia family’s decision.
“If youstill believe me like before, then don’t meddle with Xia Fen’s affairs. She isour eldest son, I won’t allow him to wander outside to suffer any grievance,and won’t let outsiders plan his whole life.” w.a.n.g Yun Feng paused, holding herhands urgently: “I will protect him, cherish him, indulge him in everything, Iwon’t let him take the path I have taken.”
The pastw.a.n.g Yun Feng was a completely filial son, his parents’ orders were the compa.s.sof all his actions, if it pointed him east he would never head west. Thisallowed him to gain a good reputation, but also sacrificed his yearning for hisown family. His family arranged for him a smooth road to be an official,arrange the most suitable wife for him, even to the extent that they mouldedhis character with exceeding strength, the cast was of the cultured and refinedw.a.n.g Yun Feng from seven years ago. However, it was also his parents meddlingand imposition, which made him lose the person he loved the most, make himwander further and further away from the marriage partner proposed by hisfamily, until he once again caught up with Xia Ling Mei, saw Xia Fen.
The firsttwenty years of his life as a puppet made him rea.s.sess, he understood hisinvoluntary pain, therefore, he was clinging to the need for Xia Fen torecognise his ancestors, he needed to give his son the best things, the mostfreedom, let his son be able to plan his own life without constraint.
“But, XiaFen he will bring you…”
“He won’t.”w.a.n.g Yun Feng interrupted her, unhesitatingly said: “If my w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s sondoes anything wrong, it is right for his biological father to take responsibilityfor him, I have no regrets.”
When hesaid these words, he suddenly felt the pressure on his shoulders loosen: “Youare his mother, whatever he’s done wrong you also are responsible. You arejustified to hit him, scold him, lecture him, you can punish him from havingdinner, punish him to kneel in the ancestral hall, even bring him with youtogether to offer an apology to people, these are considered things all thethings you ought to do as his biological mother.
You are hismother, not adoptive mother.
You oughtto let him call you loudly `mother` in a public place with numerous people, andnot secretly hide in your arms complaining; you ought to when he succeeds inhis studies, be the first to receive his kowtow, strictly admonish him to notbe content and complacent, and not watch the son you painfully gave birth togive thanks to an insignificant outsider, watching someone else teaching yourson is clearly upsetting and you need to force yourself to endure it. If hetakes a wife, you need to sit in the main hall drinking his tea, take care ofthe rear court for him. No matter how capable his wife is, however overbearingthe wife’s family is, you can overtly request she stands by your side to laydown the rules, no need to worry your son will fall out with you.
You willbecause of him raise your eyebrows and blow off steam with your sisters, beproud of him, share all his suffering, become his backbone so he can face withany difficulties and deprivations in life. All and everything, are the thingsyou ought to do as a biological mother, it’s your responsibility…”
Xia LingMei shivered in his arms. She knew the things w.a.n.g Yun Feng said, she had alsothought of them, so much that she wept in the dark before.
Son andadopted son, the difference was more than just a word, rather a kind ofresponsibility.
As long asXia Fen’s surname is w.a.n.g, she could guide him without any misgivings, no needto worry that one day after facing someone’s instigation, not reluctant at allhe would turn and leave. And the reason he left was only because, she Xia LingMei was only an `adoptive mother`, and not `mother`. She had no right to decidehis all, no right to say everything was for him…
w.a.n.g YunFeng held tightly his silently crying wife in his arms. He knew why she wept,before she had no one behind her supporting her she pressed forward, no onetruly considered her thoughts as a biological mother, and no one could prop upher sky when she was afraid and helpless, telling her: You’re not wrong!
Xia LingMei, she wanted to tell Xia Fen so much: you only have me as your sole mother,no one can s.n.a.t.c.h you away.
At thattime, she didn’t dare to say it; now, finally someone told her, go enjoy theresponsibilities of being a mother, I’ll a.s.sume responsibility for everything.
This time,Xia Ling Mei decided to let go of her burden, wholeheartedly trust w.a.n.g YunFeng.
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T/N: The family is back together yay that whole calling her mother thing brought tears to my eyes.