While Wang Yun Feng rushed to the rear courtyard, Gu Lang happened to have just pad respects to the Zhao Princess. This wolf had an even better nose for hunting then a hound, if there was even the tiniest movement in the Wang residence he would immediately run over to butt in, not concealing in the slightest his wild wolf ambitions towards Xia Ling Mei.
Although the Zhao Princess status is respected, when she was younger she was rather famous for being foolish. This foolishness was to play the fool, with great intelligence appearing stupid.
Wolf Gu Lang mentioned his own outstanding achievements as a county magistrate, talking big with saliva splashing, the Zhao Princess opened her phoenix eyes, a face full of admiration: “So Lord Gu has passed sentence on so many murder cases, truly deserve praise for your courage.”
Wolf Gu Lang with false modesty: “You overpraise me.”
The Zhao Princess turned her head to ask Xia Ling Mei: “Tell me, a murder case takes place every day in a county town, does that not prove those within the county are a group of poor and extremely terrible and fierce people? These people had their cases solved by Lord Gu, is good if they were beheaded, if they haven’t been beheaded, then when the emperor gives amnesty every year they will be released from prison, would they not seek revenge against Lord Gu?”
Xia Ling Mei sat cross-legged on the couch, smiling but not smiling: “It’s nothing, Lord Gu is a nine live cat, he won’t die.”
The Zhao Princess pondered over it for a while, echoing her: “Indeed, I heard some people really like to cut open the chest and belly of corrupt officials, using their intestines to make a rope to hang the other person to death, letting the other organs to fester and die with a remaining grievance.”
Lord Gu gave a forced laugh: “This official is honest and clean, never be corrupt to accept a bribe, opening up the chest and belly this sort of thing…”
Xia Ling Mei gave him a sidelong glance: “Princess did not say you’re a corrupt official, what are you scared of?”
The Zhao Princess beamed: “Actually there are also some people who cut out the tongues and dig out the eyes of officials pretending to be righteous who use their powerful connections to intimidate people before stuffing their bottoms, afterwards hang their naked corpse on the city gate.”
Lord Gu urgently spoke: “This official’s words are seriously passionate and seriously just, I’ve never done anything in a friendly manner belying hypocritical intentions, ought to…”
Xia Ling Mei glanced at him: “The princess again did not say you are a two-faced person, why are you refuting so urgently?”
Lord Gu already started to wipe his sweat away, looking at the Zhao Princess he was prepared to speak again, immediately interrupted: “I wonder why the princess came here this time?”
The Zhao Princess rolled her eyes, pointing at Xia Ling Mei: “I’m here to help pick a husband for the older cousin.”
After she spoke, Wang Yun Feng had already come in at a fast pace, hearing these words his expression darkened, glancing at the Zhao Princess, not even paying respect, directly saying: “The princess does not have to worry about matters to do with Ling Mei.”
Xia Ling Mei hated the most to see the two of them together, her spring wind in her heart in a flash blew a winter snowfall, snorting she said: “You also don’t have the right to butt in on my business.”
Wang Yun Feng straightened his neck, subconsciously prepared to retort, his brain thought back to what the Imperial Consort had said about the Confucian moral injunctions for woman, he couldn’t say what he wanted to say but he also couldn’t swallow it down, his face red as he choked.
Xia Ling Mei only decided he was angry, not liking it even more: “The three of us are talking, why did you come here, are you being lazy and not going to the government office?”
Wang Yun Feng arranged his clothes, sitting opposite Gu Lang: “How is official matters more important than you, I’m not going today.”
Xia Ling Mei was a little startled, while her ears were trying to understand these words her face had already turned red, fingers trembling: “What nonsense are you saying?”
Gu Lang also laughed: “I also didn’t go. The matters at the government office can be dealt with at any time, to make clear to the princess my adoration for Lady Xia is actually my top priority.”
“Hahaha, these words are great.” Not knowing when two people also floated down from the roof top, the drunkard bore the brunt, holding a wine pot in his mouth as he cried out tumbling into the chair, leaning and swaying for a little while, cupping his hand in greeting:
“Not keep this from the princess, this crude person also am very fond of Lady Xia.”
Wang Yun Feng raised his eyebrows, his line of sight switched from Gu Lang to the drunkard, before arriving on Zhuang Sheng who had his back to the light coming through the doorway.
He had already noticed this person’s appearance seemed like a gentle and cultivated man, too similar, the other person resembled himself many years ago. He again turned his head, sure enough he saw Xia Ling Mei’s sight had also fallen on Zhuang Sheng.
The Zhao Princess smiled: “Is it possible that this man also seeks to marry my older cousin?”
Zhuang Sheng slowly walked over stepping on sunshine, after bowing in greeting he then spoke: “Asking for marriage is second, the actually I genuinely want to get familiar with the princess.”
Xia Ling Mei treated Zhuang Sheng with the least amount of attention, merely warning the others: “Half of what this person says cannot be trusted.”
“Hey, yes, I love to speak ironically. It’s fake that I said I don’t want to ask for marriage, I want to gain Lady Xia’s adoration is however true.”
Xia Ling Mei did not feel like paying attention to him.
“Princess you don’t know, Lady Xia and I can’t speak more than three words to each other before we start fighting, if we say five words she would chase to kill me to the ends of the earth, supposing that I act recklessly and said five words, she would follow me in life and death.” Zhuang Sheng moved a chair, stubbornly cramming himself in front of Gu Lang and face to face with Xia Ling Mei: “There’s a common saying `to hit is to be intimate, to scold is to love`, both of us has fought, you’ve scolded me, we’ve already had a close physical relationship…”
“Hey!”
“Even though I’m a person of the Jianghu, but I’m still an upright man, I definitely will take any responsibilities I should bear to the end…”
“Who wants you to take responsibility!”
“Then you take responsibility for me. You’ve held my hand before, you’ve attacked my chest before, you’ve touched my waist before, you’ve also kicked my legs before, even my face…”
A tea cup flew at him aimed at his head: “What irresponsible remarks are you making!”
Zhuang Sheng arranged himself prettily, catching the tea cup, pouring tea in, covering it with a cup lid, overjoyed at the unexpected good news: “Right now I even have a token of love…”
With a `swish`, not knowing where the whip came from it headed towards the tea cup token
of love, Zhuang Sheng in succession bounced up and down: “Aiya, princess quickly look,
Lady Xia is ashamed into anger.”
Everyone flew into a rage: “Zhuang ---- Sheng!”
The Zhao Princess grinned from ear to ear: “Older sister, it seems to me this master Zhuang is an old cockroach which cannot be beaten to death, if you choose him you certainly will have marital harmony, turning into an immortal couple that everyone envies.”
Everyone turned pale with fright: “Princess, it’s unacceptable!”
Gu Lang took a step forward: “Actually, Lady Xia has already made a pledge to marry this official, I won’t marry anyone but you.”
Everyone couldn’t take it anymore: “Wolf Gu, you immoral and despicable person!”
The drunkard holding a wine pot, belched: “You are all mere trifle, you need to know, Lady Xia and I had already shared a room in the wine cellar, sleeping on the same couch.”
Everyone seethed in anger: “Shut up, drink your wine!”
Wang Yun Feng was already shaking from head to foot, passing through the crowd, during the chaos he seized Xia Ling Mei’s arm. The other person was already so angry her mind was muddled, face full of red clouds, eyes still locked onto the jumping Zhuang Sheng, long whip hitting the floor with a banging noise.
“Ling Mei.”
She glowered at him: “What are you doing, you also want to be beaten.”
Wang Yun Feng pursed his lips, both hands fastened, dragging her into his arms, under the all their stares, kissing her on the lips.
The two people seemed to stand between heaven and earth, just looking at the woman’s skirt slowly hanging down to the ground, hair sparkling and shining under the sun, that bright red coral whip was still angry, again ashamed, trembling and rippling over, again when the other person was taking in a breath it rippled out, for a moment, it was silent.
The Zhao Princess looked over with wide eyes, a flash passed through Zhuang Sheng’s eyes, in Gu Lang’s hazy expression there was still malice, the drunkard…was already drunkenly unconscious.
Quite a while later, with a cry in the air, the long whip once again came to life, viciously knocking into the direction of the daredevil of a man in front of her: “Wang Yun Feng, go die!”
Wang Yun Feng Imperial Censor who was ready to risk life and limb, unwaveringly remembered in the pain of his flesh; he must endure the beating and scolding of his wife! He endured. Once again brother Wang’s skin was torn open and carried back to the main courtyard by Bai Zi, Hei Zi was bouncing around after them, and rejoicing in the other’s misfortune: “Really is the death of peony flower, even as a ghost he’s distinguished and accomplished!”
Wang Yun Feng groaned. In order to make his rivals in love back out, what was a whipping. What’s more, Xia Ling Mei’s tofu was also worth a whipping, he was lucky.
Of course, when he was rolling around on his bed in pain unable to sleep that night, he still couldn’t bear but to ponder whether or not it was right for him to use such a trick. After all, that trick of kissing a girl, was a specialty of a certain perverted emperor. Wang Yun Feng was not a sex-crazed emperor, Xia Ling Mei was also not a poised and luxurious cold hearted Imperial Consort.
During that night, the usually solemn Wang Imperial Censor woke up to find his lips had split, recovering from his erotic dream, his bedding had to be changed. He himself took the bedding and nightwear which needed to be changed in his own arms, embarrassed, he finally pushed Juan Shu who slept on the floor by the door out, swapping the two people’s bedding and other things. In the end, he was still not relieved, again in the presence of a white faced owl, he stripped Juan Shu who was sleeping like the dead, putting his own clothes on Juan Shu, clapping his hands, with big strides he ran to the courtyard destroying the evidence of Juan Shu’s night clothes, then did he go and bask in the moonlight.
He did not dare to sleep, if he had traces of an erotic dream again, where could he find another scapegoat?
How unexpected, tonight he moonlight was very attractive, he wasn’t the only person appreciating beauty in the dark of the courtyard, there was the Zhao Princess by the pond.
Wang Yun Feng was debating in his heart, whether to go and call out to her.
The Zhao Princess smiling from ear to ear under the moonlight had a faint white halo around her, as if she was a flower in the mist, not very distinct: “Is there something Lord
Wang wanted to say to me?”
Wang Yun Feng sucked in a deep breath, the dewy fresh air at night followed through his nose into the bottom of his heart, invigorating his whole body. He took three steps closer, only looking at her, he made a solemn vow: “I will protect Ling Mei.”
The Zhao Princess understood: “I believe you. If I’m talking about who cares about cousin’s life the most, apart from you, no one dares to be first. In the end, because cousin helped us two sisters, that’s why she has caught the attention of the Gu family. Right now the enemy is hidden, we are in the open, cousin also doesn’t know the reason, it’s inevitably will go wrong.”
“I don’t want her to get involved in the matters of the court. That year, I should have as the head of the family taken her place in entering the palace to rescue people, and not let her by herself enter into a risky situation…when all is said and done, at that time I had made too many mistakes, I ought to protect her for the rest of her life.”
“Cousin doesn’t know how to deal with kindness?”
Wang Yun Feng looked at the pond sometimes light sometimes dark, the hands behind his back clenched tightly into fists, murmuring: “That’s because I imagined my love was reciprocated back then.”
When he said those words, he said it directly to Zhao Princess’ face, from afar, they looked like lovers’ part, but still long for one another appearing to confide in each other.
Under the yellow light, some tenderness and love emitted into the air.
Xia Ling Mei sat on the rooftop, looking from a distance at the two people facing each other, only feeling a chill through her whole body. Zhuang Sheng who sat by her leaned on the roof ridge, secretly using qinggong to move the wine cup in front of her, saying indifferently: “If you want to completely forget someone, the best method is to use someone else to completely replace him.”
“Lady Xia, everything I said in front of the Zhao Princess today, is all true.”
“You me, a lioness with an old cockroach, you won’t be able to find a perfect match like us in this world any more. Opportunity knocks but once, lioness, just take me this old cockroach.”