She blinked

and blinked again, suddenly bursting into laughter, she held his head tightly,

the two people relying on each other for support, intertwined, slowly two

became one.

That night,

w.a.n.g Yun Feng unexpectedly appeared weak and suffering like the night blooming

cactus shows once, with daybreak it could not be seen again.

Early

morning, when it was still not time for w.a.n.g Yun Feng to go to court, the

housekeeper hurriedly ran over, saying: “Last night faint footsteps outside the

main entrance was heard, the gatekeeper opened the door to see if there was

anyone. Xiao Bai sent people to guard the main entrance, afterwards this was

picked up.”

Strong male

servants were sent to carry in several baskets, inside were an a.s.sortment of

quilts, there were old clothes, there were even more medicinal ingredients,

furthermore herbal medicines with mud attached.

Dew still

clinging onto Xiao Bai’s clothes, he reported along with the old housekeeper:

“Last night people came one after the other, some of the clothes were from

merchants, many were from young servants, there were even inhabitants of the

city, old and young, they placed the things at the door then left.”

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng was eating breakfast, Xia Ling Mei was ladling congee for him by his side.

It was autumn, the weather was gradually turning colder, if he didn’t eat

breakfast and went to court, w.a.n.g Yun Feng would get dizzy on the way both cold

and hungry. Before the old housekeeper had to patiently persuade him to eat,

after Xia Ling Mei came to the w.a.n.g residence, she took the initiative to

replace the old housekeeper, every day she stared at w.a.n.g Yun Feng having a

meal, he couldn’t have a meal less.

If there

was an emergency in the evening, the old housekeeper would still come to report

at this time of the day, to give w.a.n.g Yun Feng an overview.

The two

physicians from the Xia family also woke early, perhaps from hearing the

various conversations of the servants, they came out to take a look, then came

to see w.a.n.g Yun Feng, in one of the physicians hands he was also holding herbal

medicine, in great delight he said: “These herbal medicines are hard to come

by, it can prevent dysentery, fever and other pressing illnesses, it’s best to

dry them in the sun and bring to the stricken region. Can Lord w.a.n.g possibly

send a few strong men from the residence, to come with this old man to the

mountains to pick medicine?”

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng asked them: “Could it be these medicinal herbs are not available at the

shops?”

The old

housekeeper urgently said: “There is, but the court is organising the disaster

relief, the majority of them have been acquired by the court these past few

days, the common people cannot buy much.”

The doctor

also said: “Precisely, there are many medicines to treat illnesses and blights,

but it cannot withstand the unrestrained purchases by the court every few days,

the usual big pharmacies basically sell to the court, the small pharmacies

cannot prepare much. Beiding city is surrounded by mountains on three sides,

apart from the imperial horse enclosure, the influential families’ villas,

there are still many mountainous forests ordinary people can go to pick

medicinal herbs. There are always not much of this sort of medicinal herbs,

it’s best if we privately prepare some to bring with us.”

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng looked at those baskets of medicinal ingredients and clothing, only saying

quite a while later: “Medicinal ingredients are necessary, housekeeper you

choose some strong robust men to go pick herbs together with the physicians in

the mountains. And in addition send some young servants to the p.a.w.n shops and

ready-made clothes stores to buy some old clothing and bedding and other

things, bundle them together, ask the armed escorts to send those to the

stricken region in advance.”

The old

housekeeper immediately complied, Xia Ling Mei once again took money from the

accountant to give to people, thinking about it, she herself went out with a

further several hundred silvers, making the old housekeeper go with her to arrange

to buy things for the disaster relief.

At first

she thought this was a matter only for the w.a.n.g family, who knew by morning,

the 

Xia family again sent people to deliver several carts of medicinal

ingredients, quilts and clothing. This was still not enough, the physicians who

they originally couldn’t get to come, unexpectedly several more appeared at the

Xia residence, there were even young physicians with their bundle who set out

immediately.

The emperor

allowed w.a.n.g Yun Feng to have complete responsibility for the disaster relief,

the things w.a.n.g Yun Feng was to take with him were naturally the court’s goods,

with no connection to the w.a.n.g family. The influential families sent things to

the w.a.n.g residence, only to do their bit to help the court’s disaster relief,

not involving the influential families’ reputations. w.a.n.g Yun Feng only made

Juan Shu make a record of everything, before setting out he presented it all to

the emperor, whatever rewards were up to the emperor, unrelated to the w.a.n.g

family. Juan Shu’s table had just been moved to the hall, the influential

families acting at once on hearing the news, one after another sent their

servants to buy medicines and other such things, if they were unable to buy it

they also overturned trunks and boxes from their storerooms to bring out quite

a lot, everything being sent to the w.a.n.g residence.

This was

too different from the completely deserted scene from yesterday, in a moment it

deeply moved Xia Ling Mei. Apart from the influential families and officials,

what was even more moving was the compa.s.sion of the ordinary people. The w.a.n.g

residence’s man entrance was immediately blocked by the influential families,

the side entrance and rear entrance were mainly things given by the ordinary

people. There were husbands and wives donating in the spirit of cooperation,

there were sons supporting the old leaning on walking sticks to deliver goods,

even young children holding sugar-coated fruits on a stick came, saying it was

for the children of stricken region to eat. Each and every one with an ordinary

appearance, each a single trifle thing, each one a piece kindness unasked for,

shocking those who walked by, and moved the people. On the second day, people

from the outskirt of the city also entered the city, directly to the w.a.n.g

residence, some brought money other brought silver, even more brought medicine

and rations and so on.

The palace

halved the disaster relief’s expenses, the imperial concubines also one by one sold

their ornaments and other such things in exchange for money for the cause,

Bailu academy encouraged its students to voluntarily contribute, directly

sending it to the stricken region. The doorway of the Ministry of Revenue, more

or less every day there were officials coming to donate money.

After three

days, w.a.n.g Yun Feng set out on his journey carrying the compa.s.sion of numerous

people inside and outside of Beiding city, one after the other the goods the

court prepared also set off, at the same time countless ordinary people

accompanied them on its route, they also wanted to use their own strength to

help the victims of disaster.

Xia Ling

Mei stood at the entrance, watching w.a.n.g Yun Feng leave without even turning

his head, the north wind blew, his back looked lonely and desolate.

Turning to

look at the absolutely empty residence, if felt like the hustle and bustle of

the last three days never existed. The w.a.n.g residence, was forever proud and

aloof, cold and desolate, with the departure of its master it became even more

gloomy.

She

soullessly watched the servants sweep up the dust acc.u.mulated over the three

days, from the front hall to the rear court, every servant showed a lonely

expression, reflecting the appearance of the dead autumn leaves, noiselessly

speaking of the end of its glory.

Bai Yan came

out of the side hall, seeing her he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Xia Ling Mei was puzzled: “Why

didn’t you go with the master?”

Bai Yan

paid his respects, lowly saying: “The master repeatedly urged me to stay here

to keep watch.”

“What about

Xiao Bai?”

“Naturally

he’s gone with the master.”

Xia Ling

Mei smiled gently, it simply didn’t reach her eyes: “Hei Zi ought to have said

he was bored.”

Bai Yan was

silent, as if he was thinking of something. Xia Ling Mei didn’t ask again, she

had wanted to go to the palace to see Xia Fen. The empress had sent someone to

say, the crown prince had gone out travelling with Xia Fen.

The way the

empress taught the crown prince was extremely strange, apart from letting the

crown prince study at Bailu academy, every few days he would send him to visit

the cla.s.s of an ordinary school, once in a while out of the city to find a

highly skilled in martial arts hermit to learn from and compare military

skills. These aside, the emperor and empress stipulated he must take a look at

each of his imperial uncle’s annexed territory every year, on route with only

the restricted imperial guards secretly following, on appearance apart from his

companion and three imperial bodyguards there were no one else. No matter what

difficulties he faced on the road he must resolve it himself, he wasn’t allowed

to find an official, and must not reveal his ident.i.ty.

The crown

prince was seven years old, this was the second time he went somewhere far away

this year.

Xia Ling

Mei did not think the empress would allow Xia Fen to go with him, thinking

about it, it was planned in advance, that’s why Xia Fen was taken into the

palace these past few days.

Thinking of

Xia Fen’s fearless character, Xia Ling Mei was even more worried, sending

people to the Xia residence for news of Kong Xian and Wu Sheng, the two of them

had actually left a few days ago to the border station to carry out their

mission.

Xia Ling

Mei couldn’t stay still, simply running to her parents’ home, looking for her

father for information. Learning that there were also Xia family’s shadow

guards by the crown prince’s side, then did she relax a little.

Those days

without husband or child, some of the other branches of the w.a.n.g family

gradually came to visit, the strangest thing was that Wu s.h.i.+’s son w.a.n.g Yun

coming to the residence was extremely baffling.

That Wu s.h.i.+

was also a very strange woman, after causing a disturbance for w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s

main residence for half a month, was sent to the second branch by that calamity

Xia Ling Mei. Who knew, after one month had pa.s.sed, although Wu s.h.i.+ did not

prove her ident.i.ty, but had gain a part of the second master’s property, buying

a house in the city, although it wasn’t big, it was just right to live in with

her son, and hiring a gatekeeper, a cook, a maid to wait upon them, their lives

were comfortable.

The second

master of the w.a.n.g family was not like w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s father. The oldest w.a.n.g

master was naturally a ruthless minor government official, when he was alive,

he was most strict with w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s teaching, every word and action were

measured and calculated, and brought about w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s gentle temper. Such

intense parents, the son could only obey and endure, not daring to take a step

wrong, and because of the eldest master’s excessive honesty, he offended a lot

of people, w.a.n.g Yun Feng did not have good relations with people at Bailu

academy, often bullied by people in secret. At that time Xia Ling Mei was truly

a lioness, sticking up for him, teaching the other children a lesson for him,

the more Xia Ling Mei helped him, the further away he got. The second master on

the other hand, because he wasn’t of the main branch, was jealous of w.a.n.g Yun

Feng’s father from a young age, envious by nature abandoning all restraint,

taking countless wives and concubines, Wu s.h.i.+ hooked on to the weak spot of the

second branch, stubbornly turning something non-existence into the truth,

anyway the second master was also old, how was he to remember the son born of a

mistress from his youth. The old mistress of the second branch in order to keep

the peace, sent Wu s.h.i.+ packing with some money.

That w.a.n.g

Yun then simply admitted his surname was w.a.n.g, with a supporter, he

straightened his spine and caused trouble in the city. But did not take things

too far, only eating the young maid his mother had bought, that young maid was

only thirteen years old, after being a.s.saulted by w.a.n.g Yun she also did not

dare to tell anyone. Every day w.a.n.g Yun went to his mother for money to go to

amuse himself with prost.i.tutes, not long after he gained a licentious

reputation. However he wasn’t afraid, he pulled out his father’s cheap

reputation, able to deceive one or two stupid people.

Ever since

w.a.n.g Yun Feng left, that w.a.n.g Yun on a certain day on hearing the Lady w.a.n.g’s

name it again set off some thoughts in his head. That day, he sneakily looked

up hopefully to fulfil w.a.n.g Yun’s ideal dream, as he was rus.h.i.+ng headlong into

that young maid’s body he couldn’t help think of Xia Ling Mei’s beautiful body,

he truly couldn’t help it and every few days would go to the w.a.n.g residence to

try to gain her friends.h.i.+p.

Xia Ling

Mei did not like him, every time he would be stopped by the gatekeeper. On a

certain night, that w.a.n.g Yun actually climbed up the wall, just by chance met

by Bai Yan, he was immediately kicked, crippling w.a.n.g Yun’s ability to have

offspring. Again worried the other person would ruin Xia Ling Mei’s reputation,

he immediately gave some money to the government office, throwing him into jail

on the crimes of theft, locking him up.

Luckily

that w.a.n.g Yun only secretly thought of Xia Ling Mei, he didn’t dare to say

anything, so while Wu s.h.i.+ was searching the city, she did not think it had

anything to do with Xia Ling Mei.

Xia Ling

Mei stayed at the residence by herself, nothing really major happened,

occasionally she would go out and meet with the other women of the influential

families, pulling chrysanthemums, taste a few cups of teas, gossip for a bit

then have nothing more to do. Because w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s been demoted, some wives

of officials did not like her even more. She didn’t get angry, only a.s.sociating

herself with the usual wives, most of the time she only went when she heard

there was a sister from the Xia family there.

Little by

little, for the most part she actually a.s.sociated with the Xia family.

Every time

she returned home, she would see Bai Yan standing in the front hall, staring at

her trembling with a pale face.

“I thought

the mistress will do the same as seven years before, again leave and not come

back.”