The Wife is First

Ch94 - Morning Court

“You…” Mu Hanzhang was so angry that he couldn’t speak. Even if they were husband and wife, it was too much in broad daylight.

Jing Shao was so fond of his embarrassed and annoyed expression that he couldn’t help kissing those lips pressed tightly together, and he said in a hoarse voice, “Jun Qing, don’t go to court today.”

“How is that possible? There is a crucial court meeting today.” Mu Hanzhang pushed him away and tied the jade belt of his court uniform seriously.

Jing Shao hugged his arm and waited for him to fasten it. When Mu Hanzhang took a puzzled look at the suddenly quiet Wang Ye, Jing Shao suddenly lifted him up and threw him onto the bed. 

“Wu… What are you doing?” Mu Hanzhang was startled and struggled to get up.

“Jun Qing, I think since you were conferred as a marquis, you have gradually forgotten your duties.” Jing Shao straddled his narrow and powerful waist, and the jade belt of his court uniform was stuck to Mu Hanzhang’s thigh, creating a fresh coolness.

“Don’t be fussy. I’ll be late like this.” Mu Hanzhang was in a bit of a hurry. Today was when the critical decision of who would be sent to Huainan would be decided. He had to go to court.

“You see, you really forgot,” Jing Shao said angrily, and began to undo the layers of gorgeous court clothes one after another. The exquisite clothes were layered, and Jing Shao was just like a child taking apart a toy. The more he undid, the more excited he got.

“Rascal, we can’t, ah…” Mu Hanzhang struggled to get up, but the difference between his strength and Jing Shao’s made it so that he was very quickly suppressed by His Royal Highness Cheng Wang.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

When Jing Shao entered, he said solemnly, “Remember, you are first and foremost the Cheng Wang Fei, and the Marquis Wenyuan second. So, satisfying your husband’s requests comes before going to court.”

“You… wu…” Mu Hanzhang clenched the sheets under his body.

— 

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When Emperor Hong Zheng was dressed neatly, the empress tactfully mentioned that Jing Yu had already been waiting outside for a long time.

“In what way do you think you are better than Jing Shao?” Emperor Hong Zheng took a look at the fourth prince’s clothes, wet with dew. There was a trace of coldness in his eyes.

“Third elder brother leads military operations with extraordinary skill; Erchen is ashamed of being inferior,” Jing Yu knelt on the ground and said humbly. 

“You have some self-awareness.” Emperor Hong Zheng snorted.

The fourth prince choked for a moment. That had been a humbling statement, but who would have thought that imperial father would agree with his words. Although he felt unsatisfied in his heart, he didn’t dare show it. His mother had won an opportunity for him this time; he had to give a good reason. Jing Yu took a deep breath, calmed down and said, “Although Erchen is not as skilled as third imperial brother, Erchen will be an adult soon, and wants to make meritorious contributions like my elder brothers.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, experience can naturally only be learned on the battlefield,” the empress echoed in support.

“Learned?” Emperor Hong Zheng slammed down the cup used for cleaning one’s mouth in the morning on the table. “What kind of place is Jiangnan? Is it just a practice ground for Jing Yu?” 

“Imperial father, please quell your anger!” The fourth prince kowtowed. Knowing that Emperor Hong Zheng could not be convinced with this reason, he gritted his teeth and could only throw caution to the wind and say, “Erchen has something to report!”

Emperor Hong Zheng motioned for him to go on, and the fourth prince told him what he knew about Jing Shao’s meeting with the Huainan King, which was a mix of truths and lies. “If third brother really has something going on with the Huainan King… and elder brother is sent this time, I’m afraid…”

Emperor Hong Zheng looked at him quietly for a moment. “The two of them met, but what did you see with your own eyes?”

“This, when Erchen took people to go, the place was already empty.” The fourth prince didn’t have enough evidence. Everything had been told to him by Zhao Jiulin, and he didn’t dare say too much. “Erchen just obtained the information.” 

“Who gave you the information?” Emperor Hong Zheng stared fixedly at the fourth prince with sharp eyes. “Zhen didn’t know that there are people in court who will give you news yet don’t report it to me.”

“This…” The fourth prince suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He had only been focused on blackening Jing Shao’s name and had forgotten that his father hated the princes colluding with his courtiers. He grit his teeth, prayed for luck and said, “It was Zhao Jiulin, the Assistant Minister of Rites. He was born in Jiangnan. When he went to the capital to take the civil service exam, the Huainan King gave him the money for travel expenses, so on the surface, he is loyal to the Huainan King. Erchen just ran into Zhao Jiulin on the street. He said that it seemed he had seen the Huainan King go into the peach orchard in the south of the city, and… and Cheng Wang’s carriage was also there.” Then, he didn’t dare look up, and only stared at the complicated pattern of the carpet under his knees.

Emperor Hong Zheng was silent. He tapped the table with two fingers, making loud thumps. Suddenly, he swept the cup off the table and said, “What’s the use of those who betray their own patron?!”

Not only the fourth prince, but the empress was also scared as she dropped to a half-crouch and didn’t dare make a sound. 

—

Jing Shao slowed his movements and said to the miserable Duo Fu outside, “Go to the palace and report that Marquis Wenyuan isn’t well today and can’t go to court.”

“No… en…” Before Mu Hanzhang could finish his words, the person on top of him looked at him and deliberately rubbed fiercely against his sensitive place, causing him to be unable to get another word out. He was afraid that the people outside the door would hear him, so he could only bite his lower lip to stop his voice from coming out.

Duo Fu hurriedly agreed, and quickly drove away the maids who had been waiting to serve them by helping them freshen up and eat breakfast, before he hurriedly went to do as ordered. 

The focus of today’s morning court was still the matter of the Huainan fiefdom. There had already been a lot of arguments about who to send.

Jing Chen had been silent since the beginning, and didn’t say a word. The eldest prince had just recovered a little; standing there, he still looked a little sick. It seemed Emperor Hong Zheng also didn’t intend to call his other two sons by name to speak. This went on up until the courtiers who were strongly recommending the fourth prince were giving all kinds of excuses for why the fourth prince should be allowed to go; only then did the emperor slowly say, “Permission granted.”

After a moment’s silence in court, everyone reacted. The fourth prince Jing Yu restrained his joy and bowed respectfully. “Erchen will spare no effort to subdue Huainan for imperial father!”

People with a good eye could see that the fourth prince had seen the flat terrain of Jiangnan, which was easy to attack and difficult to defend, and wanted to use this easy opportunity to earn a Wang title. However, Cheng Wang, who had worked hard to make great achievements, was still forbidden to step out of his residence, and the fourth prince had taken advantage of this. They couldn’t help but feel sympathy. A few courtiers who were familiar with Mu Hanzhang wanted to comfort him, yet they found that on such an important occasion, Marquis Wenyuan was actually absent. 

Marquis Wenyuan, who had been forced to strip out of his court clothes by his Wang Ye, and was ultimately unable to go to court, unexpectedly was able to avoid everyone’s sympathy or ridicule.

The fourth prince was to set off on a campaign to Jiangnan; the overall situation had been decided. The empress was finally relieved, and was very kind to those imperial concubines who were usually not so pleasing to the eye. The fourth prince was even more high-spirited; he spent the next few days energetically preparing to set off, and his residence also bustled with noise and excitement.

In contrast, the house of the Cheng Wang and Marquis Wenyuan was cold and cheerless.