Chapter 12
With the
words spoken, not only was Gu Lang shocked, but even Xia Ling Mei was stunned.
For a split second, the house was so quiet a pin drop could be heard.
Gu Lang
with a trembling finger pointed at w.a.n.g Yun Feng, before pointing it at Xia
Ling Mei, stuttering incredulously: “You, you…” If they are a married couple,
why is Xia Ling Mei wearing the hair of a young woman? If they are a married
couple, how can you Lord w.a.n.g allow your own wife to wonder outside as she
wishes, and stay in another’s residence?
“Lord
w.a.n.g,” Xia Ling Mei gritted her teeth, “Is the feeling of being cuckold by your
wife so great?”
Gu Lang
sucked in a breath, before staring at w.a.n.g Yun Feng, running his eyes up and
down the man repeatedly, before his gaze fell on the gilded crown embedded with
precious gem on top of his hair. The early summer sun shone through the
openwork window frame, reflecting on that bright gem, now it was red, now it
was green.
If Lord
w.a.n.g was really being cuckold, then wouldn’t Gu Lang be… at this moment, Gu
Lang not only drew out a cold breath, but was covered in a cold sweat. Xia Ling
Mei you bad person, femme fatale, alluring woman who can’t be killed by lightning.
Lord w.a.n.g
was very satisfied with Gu Lang’s response. He wanted this sort of effect, no
man is allowed to think about his wife. Xia Ling Mei is w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s, this one
point is not questionable.
He had the
audacity to pat Xia Ling Mei on back of her hand: “Husband knows you’re still
angry at me for not cheris.h.i.+ng you enough.” Xia Ling Mei was stumped for words,
w.a.n.g Yun Feng was even more remorseful: “and ignored your feelings, I’ve also
misunderstood you a lot. We were still young then, arrogant, unable to tolerate
anything at all, therefore making you feel wronged. Right now, husband also
understands he’s wrong, and has seriously apologised to the in-laws,
furthermore promised to certainly respect and love you hereafter, not bully
you.”
Xia Ling
Mei was suspicious. He ought to have apologised to her parents, but when did he
promise her? How did she not know?
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng used his seriously injured hand to hold the hollow of her palm, with
unprecedented tenderness: “These days, you’ve beat me, you’ve scolded me,
however much anger between husband and wife ought to have disappeared.” He
raised his head fixing his gaze on her, “Flowers by the path are now in full
bloom, and I'm here expecting you to come back soon.”
This sort
of expression, Xia Ling Mei had only seen a long time ago.
At that
time, he was a kind and jaded young man. Standing under a blossoming peach tree
in spring, picking a budding peach flower, with a smile presenting it to a
young lady. His eyebrows coiled as he looked fondly on her, the tenderness of
the corner of his mouth infatuated Xia Ling Mei who had stood for a long time
in the distance. She vowed, she must have him.
But, after
three years of marriage, suffering numerous neglect and harm she had to
definitely admit, she could not get w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s heart, she could not seize
it.
Closing her
eyes, Xia Ling Mei waited for that cloud of smoke to dissipate, heart again
still.
Gu Lang just
saw Xia Ling Mei’s expression go from absent-minded to feverish again changing
to ice-cold, he secretly cried out no, before continuously stepping back two
steps, watching the iron fist Xia Ling Mei gently pull on the open lapel of
w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s jacket, eyes narrowed, like a lioness staring at her prey:
“Lord w.a.n.g, does ruining my reputation make you happy?”
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng did not open his mouth, Gu Lang gave a forced laugh out loud: “Exactly,
Lord w.a.n.g, you need to act with honesty. Lady Xia’s reputation cannot just be
ruined by someone.”
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng turned his head, giving a silent warning: shut up.
“Or, do you
feel fabricating my marriage, will be enough for me to remain unmarried for the
rest of my life, unable to marry?”
Gu Lang
gave a hearty laugh: “Exactly, exactly, Lady Xia is gentle and graceful, intelligent
and talented, well-mannered, kind-hearted, self-cultivated and virtuous, a man
with just a little taste won’t because of slander said by outsiders, easily
give up on her.”
Xia Ling Mei
turned around, considering the weight of the man in her hand: like this I’m
gentle and graceful?
Gu Lang subconsciously
placed both hands in front of him: “Since you are not husband and wife, then,
Lady Xia, are you willing to tell me what rank my father-in-law’s family is?
Where his official residence is? I really want to…”
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng could not help but shout loudly: “Get lost!”
Thus, the
loyal Juan Shu rolled up his sleeves, one hand pressing down on Gu Lang’s head,
another hand holding his arms, with one foot kicking the other’s bottom, let
him leave appropriately.
“Ling Mei,
let me go.” w.a.n.g Yun Feng grabbed the wrist holding his own lapel, “Right now
I’m very angry, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“My
goodness, Lord w.a.n.g such a loud tone.” Just with that one sentence, Xia Ling
Mei wanted to beat him up again. He was amazing, he actually said he was very
angry.
“I’ve said
before, Gu Lang is not your husband.” He paused, “He also isn’t the person we
need to look for.”
“I don’t
know what you’re talking about.” Xia Ling Mei loosened her hand, w.a.n.g Yun Feng entire
body tumbled to the floor.
“The people
who wanted to kill me last night are not Gu Lang’s subordinates. Gu Lang is a
sixth ranked county magistrate, it’s not impossible for him to rise to fifth
rank with help, rather the Hua family’s connections. His and Hua family’s little
relations.h.i.+p, still means he cannot involve himself with the big matters of
court.” w.a.n.g Yun Feng took out a jade pendant. The dark green body, illuminated
under the sunlight, you can see the word `Gu` embossed in gold, a delicate
carving, a warm sleek jade.
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng whispered: “This was taken from the drunkard, you might find it familiar.”
Xia Ling
Mei this type of woman, from young she had touched more jades than she had ate
salt, without looking too carefully she could already tell where it came from:
“Beiding city’s Gu family.”, she pondered, expression changing: “Gu Sun Cui.
Didn’t she die?”
Gu Sun Cui,
inside the Dayan imperial city she was the second young mistress of the Gu
family who ranked as one of the influential families. She was clever and
quick-witted from childhood, educated in the four arts,all kinds of skills in
singing and dancing, when she was alive she was known with the current Imperial
consort Xia Ling Shu as `the pair of pearls in the imperial city`. A woman who
was so talented and good-looking, in the end because of her hatred for her
sister, she and the then oldest prince plotted a palace rebellion, ultimately
she was killed under the upheaval of swords.
Gu family
and Xia family, had a long-standing feud.
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng did not reply, only taking back that thing: “This matter is out of the
ordinary, don’t get involved in it. These days do not go anywhere, don’t take
half a step out of this residence.” He quickly changed to a serious tone, with
an unquestionable intensity. He thought about it, smiling again: “Last night
thank you for saving me.”
Xia Ling
Mei’s face paled, she snorted once, elbow suddenly striking the pit of w.a.n.g Yun
Feng’s stomach: “Rescuing you was only in pa.s.sing. If I knew today you would
tell Gu Lang nonsense, I should have waited until you were beaten to death by
those people before capturing them for questioning.”
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng laughed bitterly: “You really want me to die?”
“Yes.” Xia
Ling Mei said, directly ignoring the other person’s flash of pale expression,
“I’ve said before, I hate you.”
Even though
she spoke of hate, she knew the severity of the situation, without saying
anything again about leaving, and not going out to play, from this point on she
would stay at w.a.n.g residence.
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng was seriously injured, luckily she was willing to spend money on medicine,
over half a month she had shredded quite a bit. It was clear he could get out
of bed, he still stubbornly laid on his bed, every day he raised his head
expecting Xia Ling Mei to visit.
Xia Ling
Mei sounded tough, but her heart still worried about the condition of his
injuries, every day while she waited for a maid to make his medicine, she would
go inside without the slightest hesitation and scatter a large handful of lotus
seeds. Once she was not careful, with a shake of her hand, she had actually she
had poured half a bag of lotus seeds into the pot for decocting herbal
medicine, almost sealing up the mouth of that pot. The servants who knew what
happened every time saw w.a.n.g Yun Feng drink it all without a frown of his
eyebrows, they all wished they could throw up on his behalf.
That simply
wasn’t medicine, rather yellow lotus water.
When Xia
Ling Mei held the empty bowl, a beaming smile would show on her icy face,
patting the other person’s shoulder: “Not bad, you’re still the same Master
w.a.n.g who can eat bitter things.”
With this
praise, w.a.n.g Yun Feng wished he could continue to be ill day and night.
In this
half a month, Gu Lang reported to w.a.n.g residence almost every day.
First thing
in the morning w.a.n.g Yun Feng had just woken up, when Xia Ling Mei had just
changed her clothes to practice martial arts, Gu Lang came knocking on the
door, with glory praising Lady Xia’s valiant and outstanding disposition; at
noon, Xia Ling Mei’s lunch had just been placed on the table, Gu Lang without
shame would freeload food; at dusk, Lord Gu leaving the government office would
run in the direction of the w.a.n.g residence, telling
Xia Ling Mei about his
endless pining for her, endless tender sentiments. Causing w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s
condition to deteriorate a bit, the doctor only said he was too irritated.
Bai Yan
explained to Juan Shu: “Irritation, as they say is jealousy. Our master is
actually a jealous husband.”
Juan Shu
nodded: “Jealousy is unacceptable, he will be a divorced man.”
Hei Zi
sitting on the roof snorted: “Your master has long ago been divorced by the
lady.”
Bai Zi
wrapped like a dumpling was jumping around in the courtyard, pointing at Hei
Zi: “You dare to be jealous, I’ll divorce you.”
Hei Zi:
“Get lost!”
Juan Shu
hugged Bai Yan: “Brother Hei is really vicious.”
Bai Yan
returned Juan Shu’s hug: “Don’t worry, even if you’re more vicious to me I
won’t divorce you .”
Hei Zi: All
of you get lost (#‵′)凸
Everyday
w.a.n.g residence had to receive numerous officials expressing sympathy, ow
ranking officials could be not seen, those officials with real power and those
with family ties to the influential families in Beiding could not be blocked,
even more those gifts were seemed to be transported to w.a.n.g residence like
running water.
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng is an imperial censor, what he feared the most was being framed. Everyday
when he met someone, he had to listen to Juan Shu read the gift list, if it was
above quota he openly returned it, putting out the image of a clean-living and
honest official. Secretly showing filial piety, not a bit was out of place in
the books. w.a.n.g Yun Feng intended to make Xia Ling Mei take control of the rear
court again, dragging on his illness to make her handle this and other
reciprocities, however Xia Ling Mei had long been prepared. Every day apart
from seeing Gu Lang at certain times, she actually spent the rest of her time
drinking with a monk.
This monk
wasn’t some random person, it was precisely that drunkard who had taken w.a.n.g
Yun Feng that day.
The
drunkard and Xia Ling Mei had no discord, no concord, their exchanges were very
happy, he had taken out that piece of jade. Amongst the three of them, he had a
sort of reputation in the Jianghu, known as `alcoholic`, he didn’t like not
having alcohol, if he did drink he must get drunk, when he’s drunk he sleeps,
and when he slept his eyes are wide open.
Xia Ling
Mei had wandered for many years, she really understood how to deal with people
from the Jianghu, not long after she was like a brother to that drunkard. The
drunkard was also direct, telling her everything he knew, on the day he had
left the dark prisons he had asked for a doctor to treat his toe, and had
washed, shaved his beard, having finished he had asked someone to buy a monk’s
gown, with a head brighter than a night pearl he sat in the back garden
drinking with Xia Ling Mei.
He didn’t
buy the alcohol, Xia Ling Mei even more would not go to buy it, the both of
them had together stolen it from w.a.n.g residence’s wine cellar, no one knew.
Those who did didn’t dare to speak about it, such as Hei Zi ╮
(╯ ▽ ╰) ╭.
w.a.n.g Yun
Feng asked Xia Ling Mei for help, if she wasn’t ignoring the sweet words of Gu
Lang, she was drunk in the bushes fighting over wine with the drunkard, she was
very busy, aiya, she was too busy.
Maybe, the
heavens feel Lord w.a.n.g wasn’t unfortunate enough, he was, while he was `bedridden
with a serious illness`, another unexpected guest arrived at w.a.n.g residence.
“Two tong.”
“North
wind.”
“Seven
tiao.”
“Aiya, I’ve
made a mistake.” This unexpected guest smiled deviously, “everyone, in
accordance with our agreement, the loser must promise the winner one thing.”
Xia Ling
Mei jeered as she picked up a mah-jong tile: “Speak, as long as you don’t ask
this lady to sell herself.”
The
drunkard: “Don’t make this old man give up drinking.”
Hei Zi: “I
won’t sleep with Bai Zi.”
The
unexpected guest suddenly slapped the table: “Tonight we’ll all go be flower
thieves!”
This person was exactly the person who used to be w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s
partner, the famous flower thief ---- Zhuang Sheng, Hero Zhuang
At this
moment, with the sun down supporting himself with crutches, tears were
streaming down his face in the bottom of w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s heart, he wished he
could say: Ling Mei, come and pick my flower. Of course, on the surface, he was
as dignified as before, a strangers beware zombie face.