"Wife, I want to eat meat” 《娘子，我要吃肉》Chapter 58

Wang Yun Feng was very impatient, there were all kinds of problems with the disaster relief, it had already used up all his patience. Now all that was missing was a very small fuse, that could make him explode. The people beside him understood, so much so that even the accompanying Xia family physicians could also see he was silently enduring it, in due course altering his medical prescription, repeatedly warning Juan Shu to watch him drink it every day.

Once again he returned after patrolling the river bank, the sole of his shoes were covered in mud, the hem of his clothes were dripping wet from the rain, just entering the house, there was a puddle around him. He simply couldn’t manage, in fact he even took a seat, he dropped the umbrella on to the ground, the oily paper umbrella glowed chillingly under the candle light, it was like the frightened face of a child being swept away by the flood.

The local officials shirked their responsibilities, the granaries were locked, the influential families watched and waited, merchants seized the opportunity to exploit, also more and more victims were gathering here, everything was a heavy burden, burdening his shoulders. Unfortunately, he couldn’t resolve a single issue. He didn’t have any military power, unable to control the officials, every day in the office he would argue with those bloodsucking gadflies until his mouth and tongue were dry, they were not willing to open the granaries, only saying that before he arrived they had opened it already, helped the victims. Now since Lord Wang has arrived, all the responsibility naturally fell onto him.

Simply utter nonsense!

What local magistrate, what righteousness and honour, what loving the common people as one’s own children, they were vermin who attached themselves on the territory of Dayan eating flesh.

Those merchants colluded with the local authorities, seizing an opportunity to raise prices, let alone victims, even the people in cities and towns had to weigh the money in their purse buying provisions. This was still Zhuozhou, the towns on the edge of this, maybe even worse. Those medicines he bought were also gradually dwindling, the clothes and beddings were given out to the victims, and provisions…

The authorities were useless, merchants pursued profits, he could only attempt to use his connections with the influential families, first get through the most challenging difficulties then discuss everything later.

Juan Shu had just come in with a bowl of medicine, Wang Yun Feng had just left taking huge strides, Juan Shu cried out: “Master, even if you’re leaving at least change your clothes.”

Wang Yun Feng paused, again returning to the house, Juan Shu hurriedly took out a new set of clothes for him. Wang Yun Feng looked at it and shook his head: “Bring out the best set.”

Juan Shu rummaged through for the splendid satin dark patterned long gown for him to change into, and hung a small bag of fragrance, he himself put on a jade crest, and asked 

Juan Shu to find a generous gift, after everything was organised, Juan Shu presented the bowl of medicine. Wang Yun Feng looked at the jet-black liquid, closing his eyes, he drank it clean in one go.

Nowadays, he drank more medicine than tea, he already couldn’t taste the flavour. Luckily there were always physicians around to treat patients and decoct medicinal herbs, his medicinal ingredients were muddled with them, and allowed people unable to tell whether his health was good or bad.

Juan Shu didn’t dare to let him leave with great fanfare, allowing Xiao Bai to prepare a carriage, safely accompanying him into the city.

Xiao Bai personally drove the carriage, from time to time his eyes swept to and fro along the roofs. Juan Shu was no good at martial arts, naturally he didn’t notice the people hiding. Xiao Bai was the head of the shadow guards, for a moment he wasn’t sure whether the people following in the shadows were good or bad, he could only wait and not say anything.

The biggest influential family in Zhuzhou was the Hua family, even though their territory foundation was not equal to the Beiding city’s Wang family, but nevertheless they were indistinctly ranked first in Zhuozhou.

Wang Yun Feng entered carrying the heavy gift, Xiao Bai steered the carriage to one side, his entire person hidden in the darkness not lit by lanterns, like an obscured small shrimp, slyly snoring lazily.

Xia Fen like a monkey climbed up a tall tree, from high above he looked down at the entire Hua residence, wrinkling his nose. The greatest influential family in Zhuozhou had nothing on the Wang family, even more incomparable to the Xia family. He moved his arms in a swinging motion, tying his clothes up in his belt, curling like a cat he prepared to go in stealthily, his body rushed forward, neck tightening, he was already falling head first and tumbling.

The crown prince grabbed the back of his neck, smiling insincerely: “Small leopard, what are you going to do?”

Xia Fen stared at him, refusing to reply.

The crown prince beamed: “I know, you’re ready to do something bad, is that right? You’re not taking me, you have no loyalty.”

Xia Fen with one shove shook off the crown prince’s dragon claw, stamping his rear foot twice, like a wildcat in the middle of the night entering the official residence.

The crown prince grabbed air, angrily he shook his head: “I don’t know if younger cousin causes disaster, whether I as his older brother will be in trouble?”

An imperial bodyguard behind him melancholily replied: “Definitely.”

The crown prince pursed his mouth, exceedingly dissatisfied, pinching the other person’s bridge of the nose: “Why are you being so honest, could you not amuse me?”

That imperial bodyguard was very stumped, having heard what was said: “The mistress said, honesty is a person’s finest moral character, not allowed to change.”

The crown prince drew back the corners of his mouth, disinclined to talk nonsense with the imperial bodyguard, carefully distinguishing the different parts of the residence, a few take-offs and landings they entered in after Xia Fen. Behind him, naturally were three tails.

Xia Fen followed directly from the main entrance all the way to the hall where visitors were 

received, he had lived in the Xia residence for some time, he knew the hall for receiving visitors was at the front, with a target he went looking. At first he thought he would see Wang Yun Feng speaking with the master of the Hua family, but he saw a young lady covering her mouth, eyes filled with unstable emotions speaking with Wang Yun Feng.

Where’s the male master? Xia Fen looked everywhere once, inside the entire hall apart from Wang Yun Feng, the main servants and that young lady, the rest were two maids. Truly petty, it really couldn’t match up to the Wang residence a little bit. That time when he went with Wang Yun Feng to go greet the clan leader, in the front hall there were also two male servants standing by the door, even more were maids who presented tea. When the Wang clan leader saw Wang Yun Feng, she even specially called two uncles to accompany them, in accordance to the customs, where was it like this household, sending a woman out.

The crown prince laid on his back, sneering: “Your daddy is being played.”

Played?

The crown prince came over his shoulders even more, his whole body hanging off him, pointing at the young girl in the hall: “Regardless if it’s an influential family officials residence, or a common merchant’s family, there is no principle of sending a girl out to greet visitors, if the master isn’t at home, then the housekeeper would come out to receive a visitor. The Hua family sent a girl, that is to humiliate your daddy la.”

Xia Fen bent forward, biting his teeth and grumbling. His cheap father, how can he just so easily be humiliated by people!

The crown prince pushed down on his shoulders: “This is the outside, don’t randomly do something, when the moment comes it’ll cause trouble for your daddy.”

Xia Fen picked up a tile, originally he was prepared to throw it inside to smash against the young lady’s head, hearing the crown prince’s words he hesitated for quite a while before putting it down. These last few days he had stayed in the palace, he had already learned being impulsive was a bad day. He could bear it, humph!

The children who were companions to the princes and emperor’s descendants taught him one thing, that is: revenge is a dish best served cold! Those who make fun of his father, you just wait.

Fortunately, Wang Yun Feng was someone who picked up on things easily, taking the lack of presence of the master as an implicit refusal. He also didn’t say much, putting down the gift, in spite of the Hua young lady’s politeness, he turned his head and headed out.

Xia Fen watched his cheap father get into the carriage, and did not follow. He crouched on the wall above, waiting for that girl to turn into the rear court, entering the courtyard covered densely in lanterns, after speaking with an old man for a while she then left. He looked at that old man, again looking at that young lady, hesitating for a bit he still followed after that girl.

The crown prince and his tails watched his movements, he couldn’t help recite poetry: “A ragged fringe is a floating-heart, awake, asleep I search for her! The small leopard, so perverted already at such a young age, unacceptable!”

Xia Fen picked up a small pebble throwing it at the crown prince. This sort of concealed weapon, the crown prince already did not care about it.

The curtain of night became somewhat darker, Xia Fen crouched in the darkness motionless, a torrential rain gradually built up, falling on his small figure in a layer of mist, looking like a hazy rising moon. The crown prince crouching in a tree not too far away yawned, rubbing his eyes: “He still hasn’t moved?”

The honest imperial bodyguard had just unfolded his clothes to shelter the top of the crown prince’s head, his entire body becoming a support pole, he lowered his head to look at where Xia Fen was. Not long after, mud and rocks rolled under Xia Fen’s feet.

“He moved.”

The crown prince leapt forward, first he threw himself to grab Xia Fen, softly telling him: “Don’t go over the top, some people will suspect your daddy.”

Xia Fen indignantly threw off his hands, the crown prince grabbed his wrist, firmly staring at him. Xia Fen pinched his lips, the top and bottom of his lips incessantly twisting, finally his expression turned sour: “Got it, I won’t beat her, and won’t kill her.”

The crown prince had long ago seen through Xia Fen’s cunning plot: “You can’t pull down her trousers.”

“Zhe, she’s a woman, I don’t have an interest in touching her.”

The crown prince stroked his chin. Oh, actually he had a little interest in harassing young ladies, zeze, in this world there is only the emperor father who can understand the crown prince’s love of beauty?

The crown prince in the end was not reassured, he secretly lifted open the roof, peeking at the scene below.

Sure enough Xia Fen didn’t go and tear off the other person’s clothes, he only hit that girl’s sleep acupuncture point, then tied up her legs, hanging her upside down from the roof beam, afterwards… Xia Fen extended his chubby claws smearing it a few times inside the rouge case, then pressed those bright red claws on the girl’s face, deliberately making that good-looking face into a witch’s.

The crown prince’s claw couldn’t help throwing himself forward to touch that young lady’s delicate, soft small hands, then knead her slender neck, hugging the other person’s small waist, oh, oh, oh…

He was the older brother, he has to restrain himself, he couldn’t lead his younger brother astray, otherwise when he returned to the palace he would be punished.

Squandering half the night, the two small children at long last was tired from playing. The crown prince was coaxed to rest at the tavern by the imperial bodyguards, Xia Fen was very excited, shaking off everyone he ran off to where the victims gathered.

A lantern still burned in Wang Yun Feng’s room, Xiao Bai who was keeping watch in the dark glanced at the place where Xia Fen was crouching, hesitating for a while before he settled.

Juan Shu already fell asleep leaning against the doorway, the painful cries of the ailing victims gradually quietened, apart from the sound of water drops dripping onto the greenish black slates, everything was extremely quiet.

Wang Yun Feng rubbed his sleepy eyes, after shaking Juan Shu awake, he himself went to his own bedroom, collapsing on his bed in a short time he was already in a befuddled sleep.

Xia Fen came in through the window, standing by the bed he watched Wang Yun Feng’s wrinkled forehead for some time. Quietly he took off his outer garments, curling his body up, he pressed himself into Wang Yun Feng’s arms, in a daze he also fell asleep.

His cheap father was different from other people, no matter what he wouldn’t sell him for money! No matter how vicious he was towards his cheap father, Wang Yun Feng would not abandon him; even if, he didn’t call him `daddy`, he would still tolerate all his mistakes…

The candle-light in the room finally stopped burning, Xiao Bai softly and quietly entered, shaking open the bedding, stuffing Xia Fen into Wang Yun Feng’s arms, again carefully placing the quilt.

A night without dreams.

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T/N: The prince has been so corrupted by the emperor haha finally XF realises how great his father actually is