"Wife, I want to eat meat” 《娘子，我要吃肉》Chapter 51

At long last the sky lightened.

Wang Yun Feng sat in his study for one night, only when the warm sunlight shone through the windows did he then lift his head from contemplating.

Juan Shu who kept watch of him for the entire night was already extremely exhausted, seeing him leave he hurriedly asked: “Does the master want to have some breakfast with the mistress?”

Bathing today, I don’t need to go to court, Wang Yun Feng spoke as he walked towards the rear court. He was tired, where Xia Fen belonged was like a boulder suddenly pushing down on the pit of his stomach, making him unable to breath for a moment.

In the courtyard at early dawn, everywhere was quiet. The autumn leaves long ago decorated the ground, covered in dew, dying yet covering the life, feeling helpless.

Wang Yun Feng strolled to the main courtyard door, Xiu Yu just happened to open the courtyard door, seeing him she bowed: “Master, the mistress is still resting.”

Wang Yun Feng tilted his head to look inside quickly, only a few windows in the row was open, everywhere was peaceful and quiet, appearing oppressive and stifling. He softly and quietly stood outside the main bed, as if through the layers and layers of bed curtains, quietly and silently observe the person lying inside.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, he then lowered his head going to the side room, letting Bai Yan wait upon his bath and changing his clothes, after eating a few pieces of pastries alone he immediately instructed people to prepare for him to go out.

Xiu Yu was startled, cautiously and solemnly looking at his expression, apart from a hard, cold face there was nothing else, considering for a long time before saying quietly: “Mistress tossed about in bed finding it hard to sleep last night, she only fell asleep when the sky was almost bright. This servant…”

“There’s no harm.” Wang Yun Feng knew what Xiu Yu was afraid of, comfortingly: “When the mistress wakes up tell her, tell her I went to find Fen Er. Having been separated for so long, I ought to check on his schoolwork”

Xiu Yu paled, looking unexpectedly more morbid than Wang Yun Feng who hadn’t slept for a night, making an effort she followed behind him, seeing Wang Yun Feng out of the residence.

From the start Wang Yun Feng had appointed people to be by Xia Fen’s side, he knew his son should be at Bailu academy right now. As the children of distinguished families, most graduated as students from Bailu academy, their most carefree and without worries time was basically passed at the academy. Where they would have their first and most steady friendships, and the most confusing and most direct person they admire, what’s more there were the small-scale power circles bought by the younger generation of the imperial family. Bailu academy was like a shrunken version of the Dayan imperial court, inside it benefited those most direct, the weakest were crushed, and the truth hardest to discard.

Right now, the academy was more or less divided into three fractions, the most powerful fraction was the orthodox one led by the crown prince, the remaining two fractions were the eldest prince and the second prince making claims as equals. Three balances of forces, originally they were still able to maintain a balance on the surface. Who would have imagined, out of no where a person who didn’t understand anything would appear, Xia Fen, a wild leopard who only knew the fists was the greatest, beating up the group of young and old gentlemen who use their mouth not their fist caught unprepared.

The first day of Xia Fen’s studies, he had beaten up the second prince into a pig head,[1] the reason was simply because the second prince had sent people to test him, as a result with a single punch his incisor was knocked out by Xia Fen who wholeheartedly wanted to rule the academy as its ruler. His Highness the crown prince rejoicing in the misfortune of others under the guise of his brother’s welfare asked Xia Fen: “Do you know who you just beat up just now?”

Xia Fen waved his small arms: “Just now in total I beaten up thirty-seven people, who are you talking about?”

The crown prince looked at the plaintive whines of devastation on the ground, temporarily unable to find the second prince, scratching his head: “Yes, anyway it doesn’t matter who you offended, when you need help do not hesitate to find me.”

Xia Fen shot the other person a glance: “Who are you?”

With a completely boss like imposing manner the crown prince patted his shoulder: “I’m your cousin.”

He had thought Xia Fen would `announce his gratefulness` henceforth worship him and obey him endlessly, who would have known, just as he had spoken, the crown prince would face Xia Fen’s fist.

The young leopard fiercely stared in front of him: “I hate people acting like we’re close. Those who are brothers to me, have been beaten by me, who do you think you are!”

These words threw the other Xia family children standing around watching into chaos. Hey, hey, hey, loathsome kid, family members fighting behind close doors and losing means losing, is it worthwhile to air out the skeletons in our closet? Loathsome kid you will incur everyone’s anger! Worry we will join forces with outsiders to beat you up together!

The young crown prince was certainly arrogant, in the entire Dayan apart from his mother the empress and Xia Ling Mei, he even rarely faces his emperor father’s anger. Now, a young leopard who just started studying at the academy dare to raise his fists and strut around, [tongue clicking], does Xia Fen not want to live or does the crown prince look like he’s easy to bully?

The crown prince thought, conquering a gifted scholar, he must use his overflowing talents to make the other person gasp with admiration; to tame a martial artist, the best way was to beat him up until even his mother doesn’t recognise him, from then on only acknowledging alliance to the strongest crown prince.

Thus, the crown prince rolled out with difficulty his graceful stature to punch Xia Fen.

The result…he was helped up by the audience watching, they couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

Xia Fen’s first punch caused the rim of the crown prince’s eye to blacken, his second punch made the crown prince a pair of black eyes, becoming a panda.

The crown prince was ashamed to look at people, he didn’t dare to go back to the palace to see his mother empress. From the empress’s teachings, you can fight, but you can’t come crying if you lose. As such, the self-respecting His Highness the crown prince went hiding at the Xia residence, exchanging blows with Xia Fen every day. The two nearly grown up children, one was the crown prince personally taught by the court’s general, one was Xia Fen who had been disciplined and beaten by soldiers on the battlefields, neither was willing to easily concede, neither could let the other person off easily.

The way the Xia family teaches their young generation was also very weird. The youngsters competing with each other to practice martial arts was absolutely endorsed, so much so that it was encouraged. However, it was absolutely frowned upon if they lost and complained to the elders, they may even be `given a lesson` one after another by the elders. At the same time, fighting head on was completely allowed, but if knowing they were unable to win, secretly hindering and harming another for their own personal benefit, so much so that it damaged the family’s reputation then, if it’s discovered by the teachers from the clan who teaches at the academy, a light punishment would be despised and isolated by their peers, serious punishment expelling them from the clan.

But, what sort of person was the crown prince? From a young age he’s been listening to politics in court, often seeing the officials setting up each other, and had been held in the emperor’s arms seeing the countless secret accounting books of Dayan. Analysing over every dirty detail inside them, in his mind there was nothing he wouldn’t do, to the extent that he was one up from all the dirty things an `all’s fair in war` approach.

By no coincidence, Xia Fen was also a child who grew up crawling on the map of Dayan having been placed on it by General Xia. Compared with the crown prince on military tactics on paper, regarding the positioning of troops and striking to kill, Xia Fen absolutely learned by imitation. Each child respectively led a group of imperial bodyguards, fighting openly and manoeuvring covertly disturbing the Xia family that the whole residence could not be at peace.

From putting laxative into the other person’s food, to scattering pollen on the other person’s clothes, also from sowing dissension amongst the other person’s subordinates with iced artillery shells, all kinds of schemes emerged more and more, many suffering from diarrhoea until their legs turned weak, the imperial bodyguards’ oversensitive skin riddled by bee stings. Every day, there were subordinates of the two of them who deserted; every time they had a stand off, on the ground the two exchanged blows, if a canal wasn’t dug out, a deep mine was, the fire of war gradually spread to each resident in the courtyard. Some days, Xia Fen was nearly injured by a sudden roof tile dropping from his bedroom.

They made the Xia family courtyard unsuitable to live in, so they at last fought at the academy. The eldest prince attempted in vain to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, but he was pulled off his horse by the crown prince. The second prince tried to request leave of absence to recuperate, he was thrown right in the centre of the battlefield by Xia Fen. The decisive battle between the two of them became a general battle of the entire academy, finally, the crown prince’s military successes were presented to the emperor’s table.

The emperor was happy, feeling the child Xia Fen was extremely interesting, the most important thing was, Xia Fen had the ruthlessness and determination of a high-ranking military officer, so much so he didn’t stick to one pattern of military style. Xia Fen, is a madman for war! If used well, the expansion of Dayan’’s territory was an imminent matter. 

Thus, while Wang Yun Feng was rolling around in bed with Xia Ling Mei getting in touch with their feelings, the emperor read and re-read the war report on the two children, considering and considering, until he had the scenario with Wang Yun Feng yesterday.

Wang Yun Feng had limited connections, he only had a general idea about Xia Fen’s disturbances at the Xia family, he knew even less the matter between him and the crown prince at the academy. Because, the imperial bodyguards at Bailu academy were all forbidden guards from the imperial palace, directly under the control of the emperor, there were little opportunity for other people to interfere.

When he after ten years, once again entered Bailu academy, a place which towered over Dayan’s literary reputation for the past several hundred years, just recent experiencing a baptism of money struggles.

Lady Kang Jing, a senior member of the Imperial Academy, could no maintain her brazenness the first day Xia Fen joined, she has never seen such a gallant, fearless child. The old lady who has used the iron fist method to suppress numerous sons and daughters of the imperial family and influential families, was furious, then surprised, until admiration, in a split second she was ten years younger.

When she was drinking tea with the iron masked imperial censor Wang she couldn’t help praise: “That child will definitely be good fortune for my empire in the future.”

Wang Yun Feng face collapsed: “The child is stubborn and mischievous, allowing the lady to ridicule.”

Lady Kang Jing stared blankly: “Xia Fen is…”

Wang Yun Feng nodded, filled with remorse: “Fen Er has been super strong since young, different from ordinary people. Us husband and wife worry his wisdom isn’t all there, and receive harm from others, therefore we intentionally sent him to General Xia’s barracks, asking others to help guide him. Back then, afraid that he would be bullied by people, after deliberation it was decided for him to temporarily change his surname to Xia, just recently I asked him to return, in such a short time there hasn’t been the time to give him his proper name.”

Lady Kang Jing thought about it, her intellectual eyes held some optimism. She also wouldn’t go and deliberately doubt whether Wang Yun Feng’s words were true or false, these influential families have always had rumours and apart from them no one was clear about it, even if there were clear gaps in Wang Yun Feng’s words, she also wouldn’t get involved.

Immediately she only agreed saying: “In light of the child’s temper, he really is incapable of inheriting the Wang family’s mantle of imperial censor. To let nature take its cause, maybe there will be some other circumstances.” Taking care not to overdo it.

Wang Yun Feng originally only intended to tell the truth `Xia Fen is not a child of the Xia family, rather his surname is Wang`, and was not willing to say anymore.

Not long after, someone called Xia Fen in. Although this child hadn’t gotten rid of his unruliness, in the end he had been taught manners by Xia Ling Mei before. Sincerely giving his greetings, he turned to face Wang Yun Feng.

Wang Yun Feng with a cold expression asked him: “How are your studies?”

Xia Fen opened his large round eyes, subconsciously covering the small elephant in between his legs. In his memories, that day where he was made to stand still as punishment, the tickling from ants crawling over his small elephant still lingered, pursing his lips: “The teacher teaching is so boring, I don’t understand at all. Studying so many books, yet still unable to win against another person in an argument, why not just use the fists to decide the outcome.”

Wang Yun Feng stared at him, as if using all his effort to constrain his anger: “Fine, go home and immediately tell your mother, you use your fists to write characters.”

Xia Fen blinked. He didn’t mishear, Wang Yun Feng said `mother`, not `adoptive mother`, his instincts felt like there was a trap, but…

“Mother doesn’t want me.”

Wang Yun Feng hit the table with a [bang]: “What nonsense are you speaking. If she doesn’t want you, why did I come here?” With one finger pointing outside the door, “Go tidy up, after returning home I’ll get your mother to lecture you, see how much disgraceful things you’ve done recently.”

Xia Fen opened his mouth wide, unbelievably jumping up: “You’re prepared to punish me again.”

Wang Yun Feng laughed grimly: “If you have the guts try to run again, if you run this time, don’t think of coming home afterwards, don’t think of seeing your mother in your lifetime.”

The father and son were like firecrackers, measure for measure, totally oblivious to the thoughtful look of Lady Kang Jing to the side.

This Wang Yun Feng, he deserves to be a senior imperial censor officer, unconsciously revealing his abilities, there really wasn’t much anyone could do about it.

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[1] Swollen like a pig.

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T/N: Small elephant always brings a smile to my face hehe 

You should have noticed 2 chapters have been uploaded today (slightly surprised if you hadn't) I'm going to try and keep this up weekly >_<