"Wife, I want to eat meat” 《娘子，我要吃肉》Chapter 53

Wang Yun Feng had been an imperial censor for many years, he had personally not experienced a lot of turmoil, but had seen a lot. This was the first time,  the great waves has hit him directly in the face, making his extremely grave and stern face even more icy cold, no one dared to be within three chi[1] of him.

Xia Ling Mei vaguely felt this matter had been premeditated long ago, if it was several years ago, maybe she would have hurriedly go to the rear courts of the large influential families to make discreet inquires for information and by way gain influence 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 Wang Yun Feng’s wife, her words and actions represented the senior imperial censor official, she didn’t dare to act blindly without thinking, afraid she would accidentally cause trouble for Wang Yun Feng.

Every day now when Wang Yun Feng returned from imperial court he would return to his study to deal with official documents, seeing Xia Ling Mei worry he would thoroughly placate her.

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

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

Thinking Wang Yun Feng would agree, but he shook his head, again afraid Xia Ling Mei would 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 three sons and two daughters, there are eleven children of direct line of descent in your generation, around twenty daughters bastards and born of a concubine. Setting them aside, just the eleven of you have eleven in-laws, then the people of your parents’ generation has five in-laws, in total sixteen in-laws. Every member of these sixteen families’ members also have connections by marriage, each family, each household slowly weaving together as the privileged network of the Dayan imperial court. The influential families help each other but also exploit each other, even the emperor didn’t dare to lightly make a move without authority, he could only slowly plan. In these seven years, at least one family of the influential families in Beiding city would reach their end, there has been entire clans destroyed, executing the whole family unto the third generation, and there would be a family with a reverse of fortune moving into their place, there are even more people dismissed from office and gradually lose power.

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

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

Xia Ling Mei suddenly shivered from head to toe, she was the daughter of an influential family, naturally she knew the influential family’s way of life, so much so that every year when she returns home, there were also childhood friends who have looked for her by every possible means, ambiguously asking her, to make her ask Wang Yun Feng for a personal favour, give their husband a way to survive.

Wang Yun Feng is an imperial censor, moreover he is a blade in the emperor’s hand. Over these years, to support the splendid path for the Wang family, Wang Yun Feng had to unconditionally go by the emperor’s orders. Amongst the influential families executed unto the third generation, how many was due to the emperor’s provocation, again how much blood was splattered onto Wang Yun Feng?

“If every in-laws ask the Xia family for help, can the Xia family help them all? Could every influential family truly be entirely innocent, no one has taken advantage of their position, accepted bribes, illegal practices, disregard human life? An influential family has so many children, can all of them be honourable, upright, modest and refined? Their family’s servants, guards even the private soldiers in their hands, all never abused their position and acted tyrannically? If there isn’t, why would I have been able to gain information that can be used against them, over several hundred crimes to take to court and destroy families? These sort of families, how can the Xia family help, and in what way? The daughters of the Xia family, one has become the empress, one is the Zhao princess, each of the other children are all tied to prestigious families, If they had a problem and went to the Xia family for help, in the end would they be asking for glory and splendour or bring about disaster for the Xia family?

You think the empress to this day can rule the chambers of imperial concubines, based completely because of the emperor’s favour?

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

Xia Ling Mei rigidly rolled her eyes: “You’re saying, this time, the emperor is prepared to behead the Wang family?”

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

“Then you…”

“I’m waiting for the emperor’s decision.” The emperor pushed down the memorial, he was ready to throw Wang Yun Feng to feed the numerous carnivorous influential families, temporarily obtaining peace between the imperial power and the influential families, nevertheless…

Wang Yun Feng 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 your safety.”

Safety, and not riches and glory?

Xia Ling Mei caught the gap in the Wang Yun Feng’s thinking. It wasn’t hard for her to imagine, 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 pleased with the joy of life and death?

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

Under what state of mind does this man time and time again push himself down the path of death?

She didn’t want to ask, she only tightly grabbed his sleeve, turning her gaze at the glaring sunlight coming through the window.

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

Two days passed, Xia Ling Mei took advantage of the time Wang Yun Feng was at court, entering the palace.

Just by chance, the imperial concubines of the palace had just come to pay their respects to the empress, outside the palace hall a crowd of women chattering together pleasantly very lively. Xia Ling Mei was the wife of a third rank official, seeing the senior concubines and imperial concubine she could only respectfully move to the side, formally greeting them. News spread around the imperial concubines’ chambers very quickly, a lof the family of the concubines also held some authority, having heard the bad luck with Wang Yun Feng, they couldn’t help raise their eyebrows and exhaled seeing the usually arrogant Xia Ling Mei ash-coloured face and respectful appearance. Furthermore, seeing Xia Ling Mei greeting they didn’t ask her to rise, each minding their own business they stood in their original place talking with other imperial concubines, they didn’t leave, but didn’t tell her to rise, Xia Ling Mei naturally could only kept her body bowed and head down.

Words hurt people, 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, Wang 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 copper wall, iron bastion, apart from Xia Ling Mei and his child, no one could hurt him anymore.

Xia Ling Mei was prideful, if it was before no one would dare to disregard her, but now, her status was that of the imperial censor Wang’s family member, a wife is as noble as her husband, in this exploitative imperial concubines’ chamber she had to take it even if there was ridiculing beating down on her.

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

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

Offending Xia Ling Mei, no one knew whether that scheming deeply cold like an iceberg empress would stick up for her sister. In an instant, several concubines already paled, escaping in alarm and unease.

“We thought you ought to come.” The empress saw her, her first words contained a deeper meaning.

Xia Ling Mei stared blankly, forcing a smile: “Is it possible that Fen Er really is in the palace?”

The empress granted her to sit, after getting someone to present tea she then spoke smiling: “Haven’t you husband and wife already turned the entire Beiding city upside down, not outside, naturally he could only be in the palace.” She held a mouthful of tea, half lifting her eyes to glance at her: “Is it possible you came to find us for another reason?”

Xia Ling Mei naturally couldn’t say she had come for Wang Yun Feng, compared to Wang Yun Feng’s official position, Xia Ling Mei was even more worried about Xia Fen’s safety. Since the empress said he was in the palace, she then carefully inquired.

“Actually it was also a coincident. These days the crown prince has been working hard on his martial arts, seeking the martial arts teacher in the palace for advice every day, over time I naturally found something fishy. As a crown prince, the emperor was most strict with his civil and military teaching. But with his status, who dared to easily offend him? His studies are not bad, he can boast his five points into eight points. All he learns is the way of a monarch, making speeches like reciting poetry in a majestic manner, he is naturally more intimidating 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 academy would no matter what put his grade up.

The martial arts he learns is to command, lead the upper, middle and lower army to control the situation, organising and battle formations were are easy to learn, his dedication to martial arts has also been very slow. Practising martial arts in the palace, no one dare to actually put their heart in it, at the academy even though he’s a student he’s still the crown prince, ordinary people at most beat him once, lose twice. Originally the emperor was also reluctantly satisfied with this, but recently the crown prince has been demanding more and more of his own martial arts, somewhat vaguely having an attitude of going mad for martial arts. So when the emperor saw him, he said one sentence `experts are amongst the people`, as a result choosing a teacher from among the people, reportedly it was someone when the previous King during his travels met in a life or death situation. The crown prince benefited from a few days, then after studying every day he went to find that person to practice martial arts, two days ago he came across the runaway Fen Er.”

“Then Fen Er right now…”

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

Xia Ling Mei released a breath she held. The places His Highness the crown prince went were naturally heavily-guarded, so no wonder the shadow guards of the Wang family could not find him anywhere. She had thought of directly asking for that training place’s address to immediately take Xia Fen home, but once she thought of the unease between her son and 

Wang Yun Feng she was somewhat worried. And the empress having said this, naturally wasn’t just to put her at ease.

Just as expected, not long after the empress asked about the origins of his martial arts aside. Xia Ling Mei felt there was no reason to hide this, after all the empress’ 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 to understand Xia Fen’s temper, she couldn’t help sneering: “You husband and wife really pamper Fen Er too much.”

Xia Ling Mei eyebrows jumped slightly, and was somewhat angry: “We pamper Fen Er, isn’t it the same as the empress pampering the crown prince!”

“That is different.” The empress said, “at least, the crown prince is someone qualified to be the heir to the throne, and not an ignorant child who doesn’t know anything and lack responsibility. Regarding the crown prince, the emperor taught him the way of a ruler, and we taught him to act for people, the state and the family, even the way to act for the nation. And the crown prince’s tutors taught him benevolence and righteousness, etiquette, wisdom and trust, devoted to filial piety and fraternal duty, honour and shame, each cannot do without the other. To nurture him into an heir fit for the throne, the emperor personally destroyed his naivete, and we also willingly pushed him off the precipice, make him understand the cruelty of people, sending him to Bailu academy, was to make him understand even more ` however strong you are, there is always someone stronger`.”

The empress turned to look at Xia Ling Mei, wisdom and farsightedness blossomed in her pair of clear, cold eyes: “Your Fen Er, is a very good lesson for the crown prince. We ought to praise Lord Wang for having such an outstanding son, but at the same time, the emperor and I feel very disappointed in Xia Fen. Because you husband and wife unconditionally spoil him, already destroying a very good sapling.

Xia Fen, will become someone with no father, no monarch, show no respect to their elders, an egotistical person unable to be grateful.”

Xia Ling Mei suddenly shot up, she practically stared at the empress in rage, directly calling the empress by her taboo name: “Xia Ling Shu, you have no right to judge my son!”

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[1] A Chinese foot.

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T/N: Mama bear has her claws out