Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 148 The Deal with the Yang Family (1)

Not only Yang Hezhi, the eighth son, but also the other old men, except for Yang Hexing, shared the same view.

Having been defeated by Song Yan twice in a row, they admitted that he was indeed a very capable young man. Even for a behemoth like the Yang family, which had many young descendants, some of whom were outstanding in literature, some were proficient in martial arts, and some were adept at business... However, if they were to deal with these tens of thousands of disaster victims, probably none of them could do as perfectly as Song Yan, not even Yang Siqi, on whom the Yang family had placed high hopes.

But such perfection comes at the cost of self-sacrifice.

No matter how many disaster victims Princess Chang's mansion can ultimately save, or how much popular support Luo Yuheng can gain, the fact that Song Yan slaughtered thousands of his own country's disaster victims in broad daylight is undeniable.

This was Song Yan's death warrant.

With just a little encouragement from the shadows, Song Yan's life could be taken in an instant.

Seeing the expressions on his other brothers' faces, Yang Hexing suddenly felt a little tired. He sighed helplessly, "Is that what you all think?"

"Hey, you still don't understand."

“You think this is just Song Yan’s business, but it is actually a deal between Song Yan and our Yang family.”

transaction?

The other elders began to ponder seriously. Some frowned, while others suddenly showed an expression of sudden realization, as if they understood something.

"What do you mean?" Yang Hexin was a martial artist, and this kind of scheming was not his forte. After thinking about it for a long time without any clue, he asked directly.

"He's quite the cunning lad." Yang Hexiao also let out a sigh, his eyes filled with envy. It was such a pity that such a talented person couldn't be used by the Yang family. "Thirteenth Brother, do you still remember the woman recorded in Zhang Yan's secret letter, Bu Yu?"

Yang Hexin nodded: "The youngest of the Six Evils is just a seventh-rank martial artist, what's the problem?"

“A seventh-rank martial artist’s strength is indeed insignificant, but if her employer who assassinates the princess is a member of the Yang family, things will become very troublesome,” Yang Hexiao shook his head and explained.

They were hired by the Yang family... Yang Hexin thought to himself, feeling increasingly confused. Why could he recognize every single word these people said, but when they put them together in a sentence, he couldn't understand them?
“Evidence…they have no evidence. Even if they capture Bu Yu, I don’t believe that a minister would be so stupid as to leave behind clues that directly point to him.” After thinking it over carefully, Yang Hexin still retorted, “He has served as Minister of Rites for so many years, he can’t be so incompetent as to lack even this much ability.”

Yang Hexing glanced at Yang Hexin with some approval. For the thirteenth brother to think of this was already a great improvement. As if to encourage the thirteenth brother, Yang Hexing took the initiative to explain: "Thirteenth brother, you must understand that the moment Bu Yu was captured alive, Song Yan's spearhead was no longer necessarily the minister of the state, but could be directed at anyone he wanted to get rid of."

"As for evidence, to be honest, we have as much as we need."

"The incident with the Japanese pirates..."

"Even if Yang Siye and his younger generation are incompetent, how could they have left behind letters communicating with the Japanese pirates?"

Yang Hexin finally understood: "Fourth Brother means they will fabricate evidence, this..."

"If a minister can even commit assassination, what's the big deal if the other side fabricates some evidence?" Yang Hexing sighed, his face showing some disappointment, disappointment at the incompetence of his younger generation.

The younger generation of the Yang family generally have a somewhat arrogant and disdainful attitude, with a sense of superiority that they believe the Yang family can do things that others cannot.

This is a very wrong and fatal idea.

If it were just a minor matter, the other party might give in out of respect for the Yang family.

But when you push someone to the edge of a cliff, when their life is hanging by a thread, who cares about the Yang family or not? If you won't let me live, I certainly won't let you live either. At that point, you'll use any dirty tricks you can think of.

"Therefore, I have always emphasized that we should not break the rules." Yang Hexing said in his usual unhurried tone, "All our games and struggles must be conducted within the rules."

The so-called rules are to avoid using methods such as assassination and to not exterminate the entire population.

"In some people's eyes, this is the pity of the powerful for the weak." "But in some ways, it is also a protection for the powerful. At least this rule has made those people lose the courage to fight to the death."

"Once the rules are broken, once the Yang family's enemies all choose to fight to the death, believe me, even the Yang family will not be able to withstand such an impact. Even if the Yang family survives, its strength and influence will be greatly diminished, and the Yang family will be replaced by a new force."

Yang Hexing's voice echoed in the council hall.

The elders remained silent, their faces solemn, even showing a sense of dread and fear. They realized that not only the younger generation in their families, but also they themselves were often affected by arrogance.

This influence was subtle and gradual, growing stronger and larger with the Yang family's power. If it weren't for the fourth brother's wake-up call this time, they might have unknowingly strayed into utter ruin.

“Like this time, what was Guochen thinking? I’m afraid he was thinking, ‘So what if I kill you? Do you think you’d dare to break ties with the Yang family?’” Yang Hexing scoffed, “Most people probably wouldn’t dare, but a madman would.”

"A madman is scary, but a madman with reason is even scarier."

“Song Yan had long since gained control of Bu Yu, but despite the rumors of the Yang family colluding with the six villains, no evidence has ever surfaced, and the rumors have been kept within a certain scope.”

"Why?" Yang Hexing narrowed his eyes slightly: "This is because Song Yan wants to see the Yang family's attitude."

"If the Yang family really uses the deaths of the disaster victims to attack him and try to kill him, then believe me, countless pieces of evidence will appear in Songzhou that very day, and then spread in all directions like a flood."

"This evidence may point to Guochen, or even Hetong, or anyone who could cause significant damage to the Yang family."

The faces of the elders grew increasingly grim, and the scene was deathly silent and oppressive. After a long while, Yang Heli slowly spoke: "But even so, Song Yan cannot damage the foundation of the Yang family."

“That’s right.” Yang Hexing nodded. “But Song Yan doesn’t need to do that. He just needs to throw out the evidence and ignite the fire.”

"The rest will naturally be handled by the Yang family's rivals."

As the Yang family's power expands, it will inevitably offend many people.

The Fang family, the Cui family? The Wang family, the Lu family?
Emperor Ninghe?
Many nobles?

By then, everyone will probably want to tear a piece of flesh off the Yang family.

Even though the Yang family will not collapse, the shift in power has at least rendered their ten years of hard work futile.

Once the situation changes, the future becomes uncertain, and the Yang family's centuries-old plans may fall apart entirely.

Yang Hexing picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and tasted a slightly bitter flavor: "So, Song Yan has never been afraid of killing disaster victims. At worst, it's a fight to the death. He's an illegitimate son of a Duke's mansion and a live-in son-in-law of a Princess's mansion. If he can take down some of the core members of the Yang family, do you think he's making a profit or a loss?"

"If Song Yan went mad before his death and used his gratitude to blackmail Zhen Guanxi into indiscriminately slaughtering the Yang family, how much damage do you think a martial artist at least at the ninth rank would cause to the Yang family?"

Everyone was silent.

Only the thirteenth brother, Yang Hexin, frowned more and more deeply. He looked at Yang Hexing with a strange expression, then at his other brothers around him, and hesitated to speak.

"Say what you want to say."

Yang Hexin cleared his throat: "Brothers, after listening to your analysis, do you think there might be a possibility..."

"Song Yan didn't actually think that much about it?"

(End of this chapter)