by La Mi Tu
“Don’t…hehe, so itchy…don’t, I was joking…”
How could Feng Cang comply with Murong Qi Qi’s plea now. Now, his skills at taking off clothes were becoming better and better.
Feng Cang still couldn’t help but sigh. This woman was certainly sent by heaven to torture him.
A starving wolf throwing oneself at food; the consequences could be imagined. Even when it became night, Murong Qi Qi still didn’t appear. When Feng Cang came out, Wu Qing had already cooked and also prepared wine.
The two men didn’t bother with their relationship of master and servant and sat down. They ate big mouthfuls of meat and drank lots of wine.
Originally, Wu Qing didn’t know Feng Cang too well. Now, after seeing that he (FC) was also someone so straightforward, he (WQ) revealed a thin smile. It seemed that miss didn’t choose the wrong person.
After a few cups of wine, Wu Qing was tipsy and he also became more talkative.
“When miss first arrived, she was reluctant to speak. Every day, she would just follow sir Mozun to practice martial arts. She didn’t rest for a moment. At that time, miss was just ten years old, but in her eyes, she had the coldness and ruthlessness of an adult.”
“Sir Mozun loved miss very much. He always tried to tease her into speaking. However, no matter if he did a joker face or anything else, miss still had a cold expression. Her eyes were empty. Her gaze obviously fell on you, but there was no you in her eyes. It made people’s hearts ache for her. Only after two years did miss slowly begin to speak. Later, her personality also gradually became cheerful. When sir Mozun passed away, miss was already in charge of Moyu.”
Feng Cang never knew Murong Qi Qi had such a past. Just the thought of the appearance of the ten-year-old Murong Qi Qi who didn’t speak, made Feng Cang’s heart twitch from pain.
“Miss is our Moyu’s treasure. Before, when I heard that miss needed to marry you, I objected very much. In my eyes, miss is my little sister. I didn’t want her to suffer the slightest grievances. Once, I even thought about killing you…”
Wu Qing confessing his thoughts so honestly made Feng Cang admire this person in front of him. He was named Wu Qing (heartless), but he was someone who took friendship seriously.
“However, ever since miss began to stay with you, the smiles on her face became more and more cheerful by the day. Seeing miss’s happiness, we’re all also very happy. These few years, miss suffered much for Moyu. We, Moyu owe miss. So, in our eyes, miss’s happiness is more important than our lives!”
“I know.” Feng Cang understood the meaning of Wu Qing’s words. He also made a promise to Wu Qing and also to the Moyu he represented, “I will cherish her like how I cherish my eyes.”
Wu Qing stared at Feng Cang’s eyes and was silent for a long time. In the end, he nodded, “You better remember today’s promise. Miss takes relationships very seriously. If you betray miss, she’d certainly rather flee and wouldn’t touch you a bit. However, miss is like that, but we won’t let it go. If you hurt miss, even if there’s only one person left in Moyu, he/she would also kill you to take revenge for miss!”
After speaking, Wu Qing drank the cup of wine in one gulp and showed the bottom of the cup to Feng Cang. Feng Cang smiled and also drained his cup. The charm of men’s promise lied in what was left unsaid.
After that, Wu Qing and Feng Cang talked in detail about the recent happenings at the capital. Especially, the dark movements of the imperial family.
“I know you don’t want to bring miss into these whirlpools. It’s just, even if you hide, what needs to come would still come in the end. I hope that when you’re met with danger, you could be like how you said and protect our miss…Although, miss may not need your protection.”
When Wu Qing left, the sky was shining hazily. Looking at Wu Qing’s back, Feng Cang felt that this person was a real man. Besides, he was someone worthy of someone’s admiration. The things of the capital had come a bit too fast. So fast, that it was outside of his expectations. It was just, since it would come sooner or later, why couldn’t he catch it without a moment’s hesitation?!
“Cang, what’s the matter?” Murong Qi Qi who had just woken up appeared behind Feng Cang. Her hands hugged him from behind.
Feng Cang didn’t hide it from Murong Qi Qi. Instead, he told her the news that Wu Qing brought, “Qing Qing, what do you think we should do?”
“What we should do? Continue the honeymoon! The matters of the imperial family have nothing to do with us. Since second prince likes to toss around, then let them go make trouble for themselves. Sandpiper and clam war together and the fisherman catches both. Why don’t we watch quietly and be the outsiders?!”
Sandpiper and clam war together and the fisherman catches both: neighbors who can’t agree lose out to a third party
A few simple words from Murong Qi Qi let Feng Cang see the great wisdom of this woman. She was like the roundworm in his belly and saw the struggle of the imperial family clearly. Really, getting such a wife, what more could a husband ask?!
“Since Qing Qing said so, this husband could only follow the instruction of my wife! The scenery of this small town is so great. Let’s spend a few more days here!”
These two people made up their minds to be outsiders and watch a play. Inside the palace, empress dowager Dongfang Lan’s ears had been disturbed without end by the empress’s crying.
“Empress mother, Hong er was definitely set up by someone! What kind of person he usually is, could you not know?! Empress mother, it certainly must be that someone is jealous of us, this pair of mother and son. That’s why that person had set a trap. The purpose is to get Hong er’s position of crown prince!”
Li Bing’s eyes were red from crying. She was completely not in her usual dignified and decent state. Wanyan Hong had been imprisoned by Wanyan Lie. Wanyan Lie didn’t even allow her, the empress, to go see him. He also said that if she went to visit Wanyan Hong, he would strip her of her phoenix crown. That’s why, Li Bing went to vent her feelings at Dongfang Lan’s.
“It’s useless for you to cry here at aijia’s.6 The emperor saw this thing with his own eyes. It was not someone else who let him go there.” Dongfang Lan was also very angry at Wanyan Hong’s ugly act. It’s alright no matter what kind of women you like, but to actually do it with your own little sister…Ay, really a misfortune of the imperial family, ah!
“Empress mother, you need to help chenqie!7 Bao Zhu, that girl, insisted that it was Hong er who forced here. How could Hong er commit incest with his little sister?! From chenqie’s point of view, this thing must’ve been colluded by Bao Zhu with that one in Jingxin hall!”
Li Bing kept saying that Lin Ke Xin was the one behind it, making Dongfang Lan get a headache. Not a day or two goes by without these two women fighting each other in the palace. No matter what, wasn’t it just for the throne? Could it be that, that position was really so good?
“Aijia won’t meddle in this matter and also couldn’t meddle in it. Aijia is already old. It’s been so long that aijia doesn’t ask about these things…” Dongfang Lan gestured with her hand to let Qing Gu send the guest off.
“Empress mother, the emperor had always been filial and would certainly listen to you! Woo, woo, chenqie only has this one son Hong er. If something happens to him, chenqie also can’t live anymore!” Dongfang Lan refusing to help was in the expectations of Li Bing. However, she couldn’t accept that her son missed the position of crown prince so narrowly.
Now, Li Bing knelt in front of Dongfang Lan. While she kowtowed, she cried. She looked very pitiful. Probably, all mothers in the world would be like this. It was just, this matter was related to the throne. Dongfang Lan couldn’t help her.
Although Wanyan Hong was the crown prince, but his words and deeds didn’t have the posture of an emperor. If such a person became the emperor, the ones who would suffer would be the citizens. Dongfang Lan couldn’t disregard the country and its people because of her love for her grandson.
Dongfang Lan’s thoughts were the same as Wanyan Lie’s. After imprisoning Wanyan Hong for a few days, Wanyan Lie finally appeared in front of him. Seeing his son’s decadent face, Wanyan Lie hated the iron for not becoming steel.
Hated the iron for not becoming steel: to feel resentful towards somebody for failing to meet their expectations and impatient to see improvements
“Do you know that you’re wrong?”
“This subject son doesn’t know.” A bandage was wrapped around Wanyan Hong’s head. Although he was imprisoned, but his treatment had not been harsh. So, his complexion wasn’t that bad.
“You did such a thing to your little sister and you’re still not wrong?” Seeing Wanyan Hong’s indifferent expression, Wanyan Lie became very angry. Because of being stirred up, the veins of his hands were exposed. One by one, they became exceptionally obvious.
“Hahahaha!” Being talked to like that by his father, made Wanyan Hong laugh out loud. He cried from laughing. He reached out to wipe his tears. His eyes stared at the man in front of him wearing a dragon robe.
“Emperor father, troubling you to look clearly. Where does that woman look like Bao Zhu? She just wore a human skin mask. Hahaha!”
Wanyan Hong’s words made Wanyan Lie shocked. He nodded, and Jing De immediately went to the room next door. Just a while later, Jing De came over with a human skin mask and handed it over to Wanyan Lie.
“Did you see, emperor father?! This is a human skin mask! Although this subject son really wanted to learn to commit incest like emperor father, but this subject son doesn’t have a number one beauty of the world as little sister, ah!”
* * *
Er: term of endearment
Wangfu: residence of the prince of first rank
Wang/wangye: prince of first rank
Jianghu: world of martial arts
Guye: son-in-law, used by the servants of the female family
Aijia: I, used by an empress dowager
Chenqie: this subject wife/ I, used by the wives of the imperial family
Chapter 139: The Fight For The Crown Prince’s Position (1)
* * *
“What did you say? Say it once again!” Wanyan Hong’s words deeply irritated Wanyan Lie. He had never imagined that his crown prince would say such a thing.
“Emperor father, could it be that this subject son didn’t say it clearly enough? Even if this subject son committed incest, it’s inherited from you, emperor father, ah…”
‘Pa…’
Wanyan Hong didn’t finish speaking when Wanyan Lie raised his hand and fiercely gave him a slap. Sensing the taste of blood in his mouth, Wanyan Hong laughed. He rubbed his mouth. The way Wanyan Hong looked at Wanyan Lie became even more provocative.
“Is this subject son not right? Who did those dirty activities while holding little aunt’s undergarments? Who hid so many women who looked like little aunt in Long Autumn palace? Who was the one who planned the thing at Yandang mountain…This subject doesn’t have to say all this. In your heart, you should be the clearest!”
“Bastard!”
Wanyan Lie was furious, but he didn’t expect that after Wanyan Hong heard ‘bastard’, he would laugh even more happily, “Emperor father, you’re right! A man who drooled over his own little sister is indeed a bastard!”
Wanyan Hong’s words let Jing De, who’s standing at a side, pinch a sweat for this crown prince. The thoughts emperor had about princess Ming Yue had always been his (WL) most taboo thing. Now, it’s not good. Crown prince had directly put everything out in the open. Wasn’t this slapping Wanyan Lie’s face?!
The thing men in the world loved most was their face; let alone a country’s ruler!
Who was princess Ming Yue? Speaking more beautifully, she’s the cinnabar mole of the emperor’s chest. Since you knew everything, you should’ve honestly kept it a secret. You should’ve clenched your teeth, not say anything and continue to be a crown prince. That’s the most intelligent approach. Now, Wanyan Hong had put everything out in the open; wasn’t this obviously to irritate the emperor?!
After hearing Wanyan Hong’s words, Wanyan Lie’s expression gradually turned calm. In the end, his expression turned into frost.
“Jing De, draft the imperial decree. The crown prince doesn’t have virtue, is stubborn and obstreperous and disappointed zhen’s1expectations. After repeatedly considering, zhen has decided to depose the crown prince, bestowing him the title of Bei Jing wang,2 imprisoning him at Southern Park and he could never come out during his entire life…”
Jing De was just a slave. Although in his heart, he felt that this punishment was somewhat heavy, but he knew the emperor’s temper. Not to say that the crown prince’s words and deeds were really out of place, but even if Wanyan Hong had popular sentiment and prestige, he had made the feelings Wanyan Lie had for Wanyan Ming Yue become a big matter; that was the same as bringing about his own destruction.
Being deposed was within Wanyan Hong’s expectations. When he heard that sentence ‘imprisoning at the Southern Park’, Wanyan Hong laughed out loud. Lifelong imprisonment? Limit his freedom? It’s better to kill him!
“Emperor father, when memories (dreams) haunt you at midnight, would you feel guilt in your heart? Yandang mountain, Bei Zhou’s two hundred thousand young men, only because of your own desire, all lost their lives. Two hundred thousand families ruined and orphaned; two hundred thousand lonely souls. Emperor father, would you feel a twinge of guilt? Would you feel worried that those people would come demand your life? This is the ruler who they’d vowed loyalty and devotion to, ah! This is their emperor!”
“Your Highness…,” Seeing that Wanyan Hong was clearly looking for death, Jing De couldn’t help but open his mouth, but he was stopped by Wanyan Lie, “Let him continue. Zhen would like to listen clearly and hear what he has to say!”
“Hahaha!” Seeing Wanyan Lie standing in front of him and still pretending to be upright, Wanyan Hong laughed out loud once again. Tears fell down from his laughter.
“Emperor father, you dote so much on Feng clan’s siblings. If they knew that you were the murderer of their parents, you say, would Feng Cang’s sword give you mercy because of the love you showed him for so many years? And Feng Qi Qi, she looks so much like little aunt; you really don’t have any thoughts about her?”
“Zhen is not as dirty as you think.” Wanyan Lie had never thought about getting Murong Qi Qi. No matter how distorted his heart was, he could still distinguish the difference between little sister and niece.
“This subject son thought dirty?”
Wanyan Hong stopped laughing. His mouth pulled a sarcastic smile, “Indeed, this subject son is very dirty. However, this subject son was also made by you. Isn’t it that this subject son inherited some things from you…”
“Enough!”
Wanyan Lie narrowed his eyes. His expression was as deep as never before. “Zhen admits, zhen likes my own imperial little sister and because of this, did many wrong things. However, zhen had never regretted it! Besides, zhen’s mistake is not for you to indulge yourself and the excuse for you to repeatedly make mistakes! Hong er,3 you let zhen be so disappointed…”
Leaving this sentence, Wanyan Lie and Jing De left. Looking at the closed door, Wanyan Hong laughed. While laughing, tears fell down the corners of his eyes.
Emperor father, did you know?! Once, this subject son adored you so much! Bei Zhou became strong under your lead. You were like a hero and was this subject son’s idol. This subject son wished to be like you so much. This subject son wished to put Bei Zhou’s banner through the whole mainland and let the mainland become Wanyan family’s world…
Until, this subject son eavesdropped on you and got to know your deep secret. Your tall image in this subject son collapsed instantly.
Emperor father, it was not that this subject son di
dn’t want to be a good crown prince. It was just, this subject son was unable, unable to accept such a father like you…
Naturally, Wanyan Lie didn’t understand Wanyan Hong’s thoughts. Now, he was thinking how he could solve this thing in the fastest and cleanest way.
It was a good thing that Feng Cang and Murong Qi Qi weren’t in the capital. He didn’t want any rumors to spread to the ears of these two people. In front of them, at least in front of Murong Qi Qi, he needed to play a good role. What he owed Ming Yue, he would compensate to her daughter.
“Emperor, what to do with those two women?” Jing De followed behind Wanyan Lie. His reminder made Wanyan Lie remember about those two women.
“Were their identities investigated?”
The moment Wanyan Lie asked, Jing De knew he was talking about Murong Xin Lian and Murong Qing Lian’s identities. Immediately, he narrated systematically and in full detail, the result of the investigation to the emperor.
“Murong family’s daughters?”
Hearing the word ‘Murong’, Wanyan Lie’s eyes were lit with two fires. If it wasn’t because Li Qiu Shui’s conspiracy had been exposed, he may have never known that there was still a daughter of Wanyan Ming Yue alive in this world. He also wouldn’t have let Murong Qi Qi suffer so much at Murong household!
The hatred Wanyan Lie had for Li Qiu Shui extended to Murong household.
Earlier, when Murong Qi Qi had come for a marriage alliance, he let people inquire everything about Murong household. Not favored third miss and often bullied by people. At that moment, Wanyan Lie didn’t know Murong Qi Qi’s identity. Now that it had been determined that this third miss was Ming Yue’s daughter, how could he tolerate his niece being bullied by others?!
“Who is the person who pretended to be Bao Zhu?”
“It’s Murong Xin Lian. She’s the second miss.”
“Pull out her tongue, cut off her limbs and throw her out to be the army’s prostitute! If she doesn’t do one hundred people a day, don’t give her any food!”