w.a.n.g 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 s.h.i.+rked 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 w.a.n.g 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, w.a.n.g Yun Feng had just left taking

huge strides, Juan Shu cried out: “Master, even if you’re leaving at least

change your clothes.”

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng paused, again returning to the house, Juan Shu hurriedly took out a new

set of clothes for him. w.a.n.g 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. w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g family, but nevertheless

they were indistinctly ranked first in Zhuozhou.

w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g 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 distinguis.h.i.+ng 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 w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g Yun Feng.

Where’s the

male master? Xia Fen looked everywhere once, inside the entire hall apart from

w.a.n.g Yun Feng, the main servants and that young lady, the rest were two maids.

Truly petty, it really couldn’t match up to the w.a.n.g residence a little bit.

That time when he went with w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g clan leader saw w.a.n.g 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,

w.a.n.g 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 hara.s.sing

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 rea.s.sured, 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 w.a.n.g 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.

w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s

wrinkled forehead for some time. Quietly he took off his outer garments,

curling his body up, he pressed himself into w.a.n.g 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, w.a.n.g 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 w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s arms,

again carefully placing the quilt.

A night

without dreams.

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

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