"Wife, I want to eat meat” 《娘子，我要吃肉》Chapter 50

When they left the wineshop, the lanterns were high up. The night market street was bustling with activity, people came and went.

The emperor did not want to sit in a carriage, since he rarely came out for a wonder he was really impatient with all kinds of restrictions, and not caring at all about the forbidden guards worries, he mounted a white horse, on the way also pulling the crown prince up, placing him in front of his chest and carefully holding him.

Seeing this movement of his Wang Yun Feng’s eyes became fierce, isn’t he his biological son! Sooner or later there will be a day when he, Wang Yun Feng will hold his son in his arms, showing off how powerful he is.

The emperor moved his jaw side to side, lightly laughing: “To be honest it’s good that that kid’s surname is not Wang, Xia family’s youngster, fighting and jostling with my 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 crown prince’s head: “If his surname is Wang, it’ll be hard for him to avoid those wicked habits of you literature officials. Mind not honourable, person not sincere, and a highly skilled in martial arts favoured minister, can be a great general to guard home, defend the country, and can be a crafty scoundrel causing upheaval to my laws and disciplines of imperial court and ruin the country. Imperial censor Wang, you want him to take that path?”

Wang Yun Feng held his breath.

These private words of the emperor, to speak frankly it was pulling bargaining chips for the crown prince. The Xia family is the crown prince’s maternal family, the youngsters of the Xia family were naturally going to be pawns in the crown prince’s hand in the future. Literature officials were white, fifth rank officials were black. Even though the Xia family had shadow guards, but those were used to protect the family, not ants to be involved in harming the imperial power.

Xia family had numerous literature officials, there were very few with high positions, this was a self-preservation method of the influential families. The more people there are in high positions, their minds will be polluted, it would threaten the family’s cohesion. Even if it’s third rank and below officials, at most there would only be two, placed where they ought to be placed, not a step over the bounds. Like a large tree, it might not be the tallest and biggest, but it would be the most luxuriant, branches and leaves extended widely, receiving the most rain and dew. In the verdant and lush forest, your first glance won’t be at it, the second, the third time you will finally notice it.

Literature officials were leaves, military officials were the roots of the Xia family large tree. There are few roots, but thick and sturdy, firmly secured to the ground deeply, the twisted roots and intertwined joints made it difficult for people to uproot. Every time they faced gales and showers, regardless of how many green leaves are broken off, as long as the trunk doesn’t move, that tree will 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 rank official great general was however not sitting in court, sent far away to be stationed at the seaside controlling one third of the naval military power, and secure the foundation of the Xia family in Dayan.

Amongst the elders 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 third branch of the family, Liu Ling Mo, was considered one, even younger were just mediocre.

The crown prince’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 second prince himself requested to train in the barracks, saying it was to help his younger brother the crown prince defend territory in the future, pretty words people liked to hear, but the emperor didn’t necessarily believe it. The emperor 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 it wouldn’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 his equal, maintain the balance.

Who knew, along the way a wild leopard like Xia Fen appeared unexpectedly. Fearing nothing in heaven or earth, as he was young, his temper had still not been polished. If the crown prince could tame this wild animal, Xia Fen would naturally be spurred on with all his strength for the crown prince, knock down all the obstructions for the crown prince. Xia Fen, was a wild beast crouching fiercely by the crown prince’s leg. When it was necessary, the wild beast can be used to bite someone to death, when there was no need, killing the beast and eating its meat also doesn’t use much labour or resource.

The emperor thought in the long-term, Wang Yun Feng simply considered carefully Xia Fen’s life.

Those words of the emperor was already considered a kind threat, making Wang Yun Feng give up give up Xia Fen’s status as the son of the first wife, paving a golden-bright and dazzling road for Xia Fen’s someday glory, splendour, wealth and rank, it was also fine for Xia Fen to become Wang Yun Feng’s son of the first or wife. Only, the emperor won’t allow him to become a chess piece in another prince’s hand, threaten the title of Emperor. If the Wang family has any unwarranted thoughts, the emperor did not care to take the place of the crown prince to flatten the unstable hindrances, let Xia Fen be the sacrificial victim in place of the imperial power.

This was equivalent to a blade covered in honey, across the front of Wang Yun Feng’s neck, asking him: do you want your son to recognise his ancestors and ultimately die in the underworld, or want him to live peacefully his name in the annals but without a single bit of connection to the Wang family?

Wang Yun Feng really wanted to loudly announce: he is my Wang Yun Feng’s son!

However, at his very moment, Wang Yun Feng’s mouth opened and closed several times, swallowing the two words “son” weighing like thousand pounds of gold into his stomach.

The sound of the white horse hoofs became distant, the invisible pressure the people on its back brought also gradually dissipated.

Wang Yun Feng was motionless, quite a while later he suddenly became aware, both eyes lacking spirit, only feeling his arms and legs were paralysed, his back was sticky a huge patch of sweat soaking through.

His complexion was pale, just now he tried to lift his foot and take a step his entire body nearly fell over.

It hurts!

A person could be in this much pain, every pore, every vein, every muscle, even the internal organs were completely out of control turning and twisting, making him vomit a mouthful of blood.

He propped himself up on the doorway of the wine shop, simply unable to move. In his field of vision he could only see people unrelated walking to and fro, not a single person inquired about his pain.

Xia Ling Mei was waiting at home frightened out of his mind for Wang Yun Feng. It was the first time she had seen him like this, as if, he aged ten years in a split second.

Wang Yun Feng lifted his eyelids, only seeing clearly the person opposite quite a while after, forcing a smile, he reached out tightly holding her. Holding her so tightly, that the person’s bones were going to snap. Xia Ling Mei simply did not know who he met after he had gone out, what had happened, but seeing his depressed and silence appearance, she could not speak her chest filled with words of an explanation.

Wang Yun Feng was no longer the son of an influential family who has never undergone trials and hardships, on his muddleheaded journey home he had already pondered over all the questions, his mind had made a decision. Only, he couldn’t say it, his institutions told him Xia Ling Mei would be deeply hurt.

Back then she must have exhausted her mind planning Xia Fen’s future. That strong and decisive temper of hers, how could she be happy for someone else to decide Xia Fen’s entire life. But, she alone could not resist too much, unable to shake up the entire Xia family’s decision.

“If you still believe me like before, then don’t meddle with Xia Fen’s affairs. She is our eldest son, I won’t allow him to wander outside to suffer any grievance, and won’t let outsiders plan his whole life.” Wang Yun Feng paused, holding her hands urgently: “I will protect him, cherish him, indulge him in everything, I won’t let him take the path I have taken.”

The past Wang Yun Feng was a completely filial son, his parents’ orders were the compass of all his actions, if it pointed him east he would never head west. This allowed him to gain a good reputation, but also sacrificed his yearning for his own 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 moulded his character with exceeding strength, the cast was of the cultured and refined Wang Yun Feng from seven years ago. However, it was also his parents meddling and imposition, which made him lose the person he loved the most, make him wander further and further away from the marriage partner proposed by his family, until he once again caught up with Xia Ling Mei, saw Xia Fen.

The first twenty years of his life as a puppet made him reassess, he understood his involuntary pain, therefore, he was clinging to the need for Xia Fen to recognise his ancestors, he needed to give his son the best things, the most freedom, let his son be able to plan his own life without constraint.

“But, Xia Fen he will bring you…”

“He won’t.” Wang Yun Feng interrupted her, unhesitatingly said: “If my Wang Yun Feng’s son does anything wrong, it is right for his biological father to take responsibility for him, I have no regrets.”

When he said these words, he suddenly felt the pressure on his shoulders loosen: “You are his mother, whatever he’s done wrong you also are responsible. You are justified to hit him, scold him, lecture him, you can punish him from having dinner, punish him to kneel in the ancestral hall, even bring him with you together to offer an apology to people, these are considered things all the things you ought to do as his biological mother.

You are his mother, not adoptive mother.

You ought to let him call you loudly `mother` in a public place with numerous people, and not secretly hide in your arms complaining; you ought to when he succeeds in his studies, be the first to receive his kowtow, strictly admonish him to not be content and complacent, and not watch the son you painfully gave birth to give thanks to an insignificant outsider, watching someone else teaching your son is clearly upsetting and you need to force yourself to endure it. If he takes a wife, you need to sit in the main hall drinking his tea, take care of the rear court for him. No matter how capable his wife is, however overbearing the wife’s family is, you can overtly request she stands by your side to lay down the rules, no need to worry your son will fall out with you.

You will because of him raise your eyebrows and blow off steam with your sisters, be proud of him, share all his suffering, become his backbone so he can face with any difficulties and deprivations in life. All and everything, are the things you ought to do as a biological mother, it’s your responsibility…”

Xia Ling Mei shivered in his arms. She knew the things Wang Yun Feng said, she had also thought of them, so much that she wept in the dark before.

Son and adopted son, the difference was more than just a word, rather a kind of responsibility.

As long as Xia Fen’s surname is Wang, she could guide him without any misgivings, no need to worry that one day after facing someone’s instigation, not reluctant at all he would turn and leave. And the reason he left was only because, she Xia Ling Mei was only an `adoptive mother`, and not `mother`. She had no right to decide his all, no right to say everything was for him…

Wang Yun Feng 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 one truly considered her thoughts as a biological mother, and no one could prop up her sky when she was afraid and helpless, telling her: You’re not wrong!

Xia Ling Mei, she wanted to tell Xia Fen so much: you only have me as your sole mother, no one can snatch you away.

At that time, she didn’t dare to say it; now, finally someone told her, go enjoy the responsibilities of being a mother, I’ll assume responsibility for everything.

This time, Xia Ling Mei decided to let go of her burden, wholeheartedly trust Wang Yun Feng.

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T/N: The family is back together yay that whole calling her mother thing brought tears to my eyes.