for so many years, he hasn’t successfully learned anything else, bucket-loads of sweet speech and honeyed words, fearlessly trapping the mistress inside the honeypot unable to get out.” Lifting his head to stare at a particular house beam, “Hei Zi, I’m not wrong am I?”

Hei Zi did not reply, his eyes stopped at the holes in the window. Next time, he absolutely had to remind the young master Xia, not to follow Lord w.a.n.g’s bad examples. Lord w.a.n.g overstepped the bounds to handle matters more and more, could it be that he had been hungry for so long?

Anyone could see Lord w.a.n.g’s mood was very good today, so good that people got a spring feeling, like a ma.s.s of flowers clearly lingering in the spring.

For several continuous days Lady Hua did not come to bask in the sunlight at Lord w.a.n.g’s residence, some people’s mood was good and some were bad. However, to w.a.n.g Yun Feng, this was a good thing. Xia Ling Mei was by his side, she dealt with the basic needs, even the usual food sent from Lady Hua pa.s.sed by her hands to be sent to give to the seriously injured patients. Xia Fen changed into his winter clothes, learning to write characters and study by w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s side every day, learning martial arts by Xia Ling Mei’s side, once in a while when he had free time he would go and play with the nearby children.

Xia Ling Mei told other people she was Xia Fen’s wet nurse, knowing the young master was here, she was sent by the mistress to specially care for the two masters Usually she rarely left the house, she was busy inside Lord w.a.n.g’s courtyard, not saying much and not doing much.

A few days pa.s.sed peacefully and quietly, w.a.n.g Yun Feng received an invitation from the master of the Hua family, inviting him to the residence for a drink.

w.a.n.g Yun Feng had been fighting with the influential families for so long, he was getting more and more bargaining chips in his hands, clutching hold the weak points of the officials, making the merchants have trade relations with the neighbouring provinces, extracting a portion of reliable merchants and victims together to return to their original places to begin reconstruction, then following the doc.u.ment imperial granting dynasty merchant qualifications, one by one things were arranged. The beneficial large flat bread could only be so big, the more people there were to eat it the quicker it was consumed, the influential families had people in trading, and had people as officials. Anyone could see, the imperial court was very dissatisfied with the calamities met by Zhuozhou all year round, sooner or later some of the officials will be disposed of. Rather than waiting for outsider officials to come and eat this flat bread, might as well choose between themselves, make w.a.n.g Yun Feng choose, in this way the family would only expand and strengthen more and more.

Originally the influential families were waiting, they didn’t think w.a.n.g Yun Feng, a very minor imperial censor, would actually grasp hold of information that can be used against all of Zhuozhou’s more than ten officials safely and soundly, they again started to rea.s.sess w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s level of trust in front of the emperor.

Enticing him, was overall better than offending him.

The Hua family focused their contemptuous feelings, no longer allowing Hua Bao Xia to go and upset the apple cart, rather it was Lord Hua who personally issued a gold ticket, it could be said it was giving w.a.n.g Yun Feng ample honour.

w.a.n.g Yun Feng had been to the Hua residence once and had not returned again, compared to that night’s desolation, today w.a.n.g Yun Feng still sitting in his carriage could see from outside the curtain to see a great deal of sedan chairs and horses stopped outside the gates of the Hua residence, it might be a.s.sumed a lot of influential families had gathered.

Now wherever Xia Fen went he was pulled along by w.a.n.g Yun Feng, like a little adult striding along the waves, twisting his little bottom he followed behind his cheap daddy. Having been taught by words and examples, in front of outsiders Xia Fen on the whole behaved a little like the children of the influential families, how to stand, how to sit, how to greet people, each one done to a certain manner, where was his tiny overlord personality.

w.a.n.g Yun Feng drank tea and talked with everyone in the front hall, Xia Fen was taken to the rear court to give the old Lady a kowtow.

Thinking about it, influential families were related by too many marriages, w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s son through many twists and turns could barely be related in some way to the Hua family. 

Using this layer of intimacy, Xia Fen had to give a kowtow to the older generation.

There weren’t many people in the Hua family, because a lot of their descendants were merchants, they were outside all year round. In the rear court a crowd of women chattered together pleasantly, too many too count, dressed up even more magnificent than the women of the Xia family. Xia Fen was pulled and pinched by this person and that person, he was soon dazed by the smell of fragrance.

Until someone made fun: “Lord w.a.n.g’s child is so cute, whoever becomes his mother would not be able to help love him dearly. Bao Xia, quickly come look, this child looks so much like an inviting wealth boy.”

Someone at the side laughed: “Older sister Bao Xia must have seen the young prince before, where are we still able to come and pick it up.”

“Precisely, I heard Lord w.a.n.g love this son extremely dearly, if the young prince calls you `mother`, maybe Lord w.a.n.g also…”

Hua Bao Xia from the side shyly said: “Nothing is set yet, sisters stop talking nonsense.”

“Aiya, don’t be shy, who doesn’t know these past few days you and Lord w.a.n.g already…”

[1] The character for vinegar can also mean jealousy.