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 w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s eyes became fierce, isn’t he his biological

son! Sooner or later there will be a day when he, w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g, 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 w.a.n.g, 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 w.a.n.g, you want him to take that path?”

w.a.n.g 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 p.a.w.ns 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 st.u.r.dy, 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, w.a.n.g Yun Feng simply considered carefully Xia Fen’s

life.

Those words

of the emperor was already considered a kind threat, making w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g 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 t.i.tle of Emperor. If the w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g family?

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng really wanted to loudly announce: he is my w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s son!

However, at

his very moment, w.a.n.g 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.

w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g Yun Feng. It was

the first time she had seen him like this, as if, he aged ten years in a split

second.

w.a.n.g 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.

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng was no longer the son of an influential family who has never undergone

trials and hards.h.i.+ps, 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 inst.i.tutions 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.” w.a.n.g 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

w.a.n.g Yun Feng was a completely filial son, his parents’ orders were the compa.s.s

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

w.a.n.g 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 rea.s.sess, 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.”

w.a.n.g Yun Feng interrupted her, unhesitatingly said: “If my w.a.n.g 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 s.h.i.+vered in his arms. She knew the things w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g, 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…

w.a.n.g 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 s.n.a.t.c.h 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 a.s.sume responsibility for everything.

This time,

Xia Ling Mei decided to let go of her burden, wholeheartedly trust w.a.n.g Yun

Feng.

****************************************************************************

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