CH 142.1

Jin Wang Dotes on His Concubine Ch 142 Pt. 1

Translated by gingercat

Edited by gingercat

The spacious hall was brightly lit.

On the seat of honour sat Emperor Hongjing with a gloomy expression.

Consort Yong wept with tears streaming down her face. After seeing her behave like a fish in the water at social events and her ability to achieve success in one way or another, it was unusual to see her in such a state.

Yong Wang’s face was pale, and he knelt there with his head down.

Earlier, after Consort Yong rushed into the room, she slapped Yong Wang. Not only did she beat Yong Wang, but she also slapped Wang Shuying several times. After being slapped, the pair soon returned to their senses.

The scene was full of chaos. All the unrelated people were led away by Empress Wei. After the mad Consort Yong was finally pulled back, this pair of cowardly dog ​​man and woman also looked embarrassed.

Wang Shuying was barely recognizable, her face was all red and swollen. As for Yong Wang, his face had been scratched, and Consort Yong’s fingernail marks were especially prominent. Emperor Hongjing was furious, but the problem that needed to be solved still remained.

Jin Wang changed from his usual aloof appearance and insisted that the eunuch be tried. Who was the one that instructed him to jump around and bite indiscriminately? 

The eunuch wasn’t very old, he appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. He was so scared that his tears and snot flowed down his face together. At that time, Wang Defang was pressed under the body by Hui Wang, and her hair was everywhere, so he only saw a half of her face. Under these circumstances, it was easy to make a mistake.

But he didn’t dare to say any of these words. He simply knelt there and started to slap himself, saying that he was speaking nonsense. He begged His Highness Jin Wang and Side Consort Su to spare his life.

Yaoniang had always been a soft-hearted person, but she didn’t say a word this time. After the previous incident, she learned that being soft-hearted towards others was being cruel to herself. When she thought of what she would have suffered if Jin Wang hadn’t made arrangements in advance, her heart became as hard as a stone.

At this time, someone came in to report that the old master of the Wang Family was here.

Not long after, Elder Wang was led in.

He was already in his sixties, with a gray beard and thin cheeks. In the past, he had the appearance of a refined scribe, unlike an official, but a great Confucian scholar who did not hold office. At this time, his old face was dark and he carried the aura of desperation and despair.

“This old minister is ashamed!” said Elder Wang with his head lowered.

Facing such an old minister, and one that he had always relied on, Emperor Hongjing couldn’t bear to say any harsh words. He just sighed deeply and said, “This wicked son has acted rashly!”

“It was this old minister’s fault for not teaching his granddaughter well. This old minister will bring back those two rebellious things, and give Your Majesty a proper explanation.”

Normally, in relationships between men and women, especially when it is outside of marriage, it is the woman at the disadvantage. Yet now Elder Wang was saying the opposite. But whether his words were truly ironic or not, only Elder Wang and Emperor Hongjing would know. Now that such a thing happened, an explanation must be provided. Since Elder Wang couldn’t make Emperor Hongjing give an explanation, he could only say that he’d provide it himself.

To be honest, according to Elder Wang’s thoughts, it didn’t matter if he had one less disgraceful descendent. Now was not the time to be hesitant. He prided himself on being clean and avoiding nepotism. He also didn’t seek to build connections with influential people. Back then, when the Wang Family was unwilling to be involved in the struggle for succession and asked to withdraw from the marriage, some people started discussing in private how the Wang Family was acting inappropriately. To stop this rumour, yet also unwilling to get personally involved, he gritted his teeth and persuaded the old woman at home to marry his granddaughter off.

Civil servants cherished their feathers because they paid greater attention to morality and character. Civil servants perished in court whereas military officials died on the battlefield. While military officials took pride in sacrificing their lives and fighting for the country, civil servants took pride in helping the country by daring to fight against imperial power. When the emperor is not “clear-minded”, the civil servants wouldn’t hesitate to give their advice at the risk of their life. Dying for their beliefs was seen as the greatest honour.

Therefore, once the civil servants achieved a certain position, not everyone was willing to marry the imperial family.

In particular, the Wang Family, who boast of being clean and honest, had a reputation for being virtuous and unsullied, attracting the support of countless other “Qingliu” officials. The so-called “Qingliu” meant not flattering nor clinging onto the powerful, while daring to criticize imperial power. Any civil servant who didn’t call themselves “Qingliu” would be too embarrassed to enter the court as an official.

Now it was just great. Everything they had done before was now a slap in the face. The Wang Family, who had always prided themselves on being noble and clean, now resorted to betting with their daughters. Given the current restless situation, they simply chose to send a daughter to both sides. Without even needing to wait until tomorrow, Elder Wang could already imagine how low the Wang Family’s reputation will fall.

The entire Wang Family was about to be mocked and many liked to throw stones on those already down.

As long as Elder Wang thought of this, he’d feel dizzy and get the urge to faint on the spot. But he couldn’t faint. The situation wasn’t that desperate yet. Given his personality and shrewdness, how could he so easily faint?

He still had a way out, which was to bring his granddaughters back, and act as if this had never happened. But Emperor Hongjing clearly had other thoughts.

“It’s Zhen’s wicked sons who committed the wrongs, so they must be the ones responsible for it. Wang Aiqing, since these wicked sons of mine all have their side consort positions vacant, the young misses of the Wang Family can marry them as their side consorts. Your Wang Family’s good morals have lasted throughout the generations and you’re also an old official who’s worked for two dynasties. All in all, it’s a worthy match.”

Elder Wang was about to refuse but was stopped by Emperor Hongjing. “Could it be that beloved official actually looks down on the imperial Zhao Family? Or would beloved official rather break up couples and hurt his own grandchildren? Let’s settle it like this. It’s no longer early. Beloved official should take the children back. Zhen will send someone to your house tomorrow with the imperial edict.”

Emperor Hongjing waved his hand as a sign for him to leave.

At this point, Elder Wang could only force a smile as he thanked the emperor before leading the rest of Wang Family members away.

The Wang Family was destined to have a sleepless night. Neither Wang Defang nor her sister would be well-treated when they go back, but at least the Wang Family wouldn’t actively do anything to them. After all, Emperor Hongjing had said he’d be bestowing the decree the next day.

Emperor Hongjing walked away with a gloomy face, while Empress Wei led the sluggish Hui Wang away.