Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 242 How could she allow others to humiliate her husband? (1)

Upon hearing the word "husband," Luo Tianxuan was worried that her husband had done something to anger her mother, so she naturally wanted to offer some words of comfort. Given her mother's doting on her husband, even if he caused a great disaster, nothing serious would really happen; she would probably just lose her temper and give him a scolding.

But upon hearing the last sentence, Luo Tianxuan's expression changed.

A terrifying aura belonging to a ninth-rank martial artist instantly filled the room, causing the tables and chairs to tremble and the curtains to sway.

Even his once clear and quiet eyes were now covered in frost, cold and piercing, and the urge to kill was almost written all over his face.

Perhaps because she had lived alone for too long, Luo Tianxuan was very quiet and had an excellent temper. However, even dragons have their scales, and touching them will surely enrage them.

For Yu Luotianxuan, her Achilles' heel is... Song Yan.

How could she allow others to humiliate her husband?

Without saying another word, Luo Tianxuan turned and left, his aura growing stronger and stronger. The internal energy he exuded almost turned into sharp steel needles, and even Yu Shuang, who followed from behind, felt a slight stinging pain in her eyes.

Gudong.

Her long neck writhed, and Yu Shuang's face was filled with horror.

This... is a sign that I'm about to break through to the Grandmaster level.

From a young age, Yu Shuang was the junior sister praised by everyone in the sect. At the age of seventeen, she had already broken through to the ninth-grade martial artist realm, a talent that surpassed all her senior brothers and sisters.

But becoming a grandmaster is a hurdle.

Breaking through to the Grandmaster level requires more than just accumulating internal strength; it also necessitates an understanding of the fundamental principles of heaven and earth, and even more so, a fleeting and elusive opportunity. Yu Shuang felt that her internal strength was already sufficient, and her understanding of the fundamental principles of heaven and earth was quite thorough, but that opportunity remained elusive from beginning to end.

Now, in my thirties, I still don't know where that opportunity lies.

But who could have imagined that the realm that had confined her for more than a decade would now show signs of a breakthrough in Luo Tianxuan?

who am I?
Where am i?

What happened?
For a moment, only these three thoughts remained in Yu Shuang's mind.

……

Xinhou County.

The county government office, the reception hall.

When Liu Yisheng arrived, there were already three more figures there.

A quick glance was enough to tell who these three people were.

The leader was dressed in a dark blue official robe and should be the so-called Pingyang Sima. He didn't look very old, only about thirty years old. To have risen so quickly, he must either be extremely talented and have made great contributions, or he must have someone behind him.

Based on the intelligence gathered in advance, it is most likely the latter.

Shi Zirui.

Students of Xilin Academy.

After Qian Yaozu became the prefect of Pingyang, in order to consolidate his control over the city, he used his connections to replace all the officials, big and small, in Pingyang with his classmates from Xilin Academy. As for the original officials, they might have accidentally committed crimes and been imprisoned, or they might have been beheaded by bandits. Who knows? In any case, the positions were vacant.

Don't assume that all scholars are gentlemen and refined gentlemen.

When a scholar's heart turns black, even the six most notorious villains of Ningguo would have to admit defeat.

The two people below Shi Zirui were dressed as stewards, and they should be from the Zhang and Huang families.

After a quick glance, Liu Yisheng made up his mind, grinned, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shi Zirui: "So it is Lord Sima who has arrived. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please forgive me."

Shi Zirui glanced at Liu Yisheng, clearly not taking him seriously. The intelligence indicated that Song Yan was only a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, which didn't match the man in front of him. He immediately made a mental note of Song Yan. He was a dignified prefectural magistrate, yet the county magistrate dared not personally greet him in this dilapidated county town... This alone was enough to convince Song Yan to his death.

Is the eldest princess behind him?

so what?

Don't they know whose territory Pingyang is now? The emperor is far away, and people in Pingyang don't really respect imperial authority much. "And who are you?"

"My name is Liu Yisheng, the magistrate's advisor."

Shi Zirui scoffed, "Tell your magistrate to come see me."

Liu Yisheng chuckled, showing no sign of panic. He was joking; there were three hundred black-armored soldiers lying in ambush inside and outside the guest hall.

Panic?
Don't panic.

His eyes were already narrowed to slits as he pondered whether he should smash the teacup, then have three hundred black-armored soldiers rush in and chop the prefectural governor to pieces.

In this way, Pingyang City and Xinhou County will be locked in a life-or-death struggle.

With 4,000 heavily armored soldiers under his command, capturing Pingyang City shouldn't be a problem, given the city's lack of a proper garrison. Most importantly, Ning Kingdom currently lacks a capable army. Even if his lord controls a province, the court will likely have no choice but to accept it. With Pingyang as a base, his lord can truly develop his power gradually, and he can finally begin to embroider his imperial robes.

However, Liu Yisheng quickly suppressed his impulse. Although the situation in Ningguo was chaotic, all sides hadn't completely broken off relations yet. Making a rookie at this time would be disastrous, and it also contradicted his strategy of building strong defenses, stockpiling grain, and delaying the declaration of kingship. The matter of embroidering the dragon robe could only be put on hold for now. Thinking this, Liu Yisheng's smile remained unchanged: "I'm very sorry, Lord Sima, the county magistrate is out inspecting the people's conditions and is not currently in Xinhou County. If there's anything you need, please feel free to tell me."

Shi Zirui's face was gloomy.

To understand the people's sentiments?

Are you kidding me? In this freezing weather, who would have the time to go outside?

However, it wasn't easy to refute him right away, since understanding the people's plight was an excuse that officials loved to use. Taking a deep breath, Shi Zirui said coldly, "Since that's the case, then you'd better remember this: the governor has ordered that Xinhou County prepare 10,000 shi of grain and send it to Pingyang within three days."

One shi (石) is calculated as one hundred jin (斤), which is one million jin (斤) of grain.

What a ridiculously greedy thing to do!

It was known long ago that Qian Yaozu might try to raise the tribute for the Jurchens by targeting Xinhou County, but no one expected him to ask for such a huge sum, without even considering the risk of choking.

Seeing Liu Yisheng's expression gradually turn cold, Shi Zirui grinned and said, "Remember, you need to see the grain in three days. If it's overdue or the quantity is insufficient, you'll lose your heads."

A shadow of gloom flashed in Liu Yisheng's eyes. He shifted his gaze to the other two men: "May I ask what business you two have with my magistrate?"

The tall, thin old man was named Huang Xingwen. He was the half-brother of the Huang family head in Pingyang Prefecture and held a certain position in the family. He was carrying a box in his arms. Upon hearing Liu Yisheng's words, he opened the box and took out a thick stack of house deeds.

Although Liu Yisheng had doubts, he still took it. After glancing at it briefly, his expression changed drastically, and anger surged in his eyes.

Looking at Liu Yisheng's appearance, a smug glint flashed in Huang Xingwen's eyes.

The Zhang and Huang families don't care about your background. Once you arrive in Pingyang Prefecture, you'd better be respectful, whether you're a dragon or a tiger. A mere newly appointed county magistrate has been here for so long and has never paid a visit to the Zhang and Huang families, nor has he paid a visit to the governor's office.

Who gave you the courage?

This was a three-way collaboration to teach the newly arrived magistrate a small lesson, letting him know who the real boss was.

"As you can see, sir, this is the property deed. All the residences and shops in Xinhou County belong to my Huang family. Nowadays, some troublemakers are living in my Huang family's houses and using my Huang family's shops to do business. I urge the county magistrate to uphold justice and drive these troublemakers out." Huang Xingwen said with a smile.

A smile that hides a dagger—that's pretty much it.

Liu Yisheng let out a deep breath and glanced at the house deed in his hand... The scarlet seal of the governor on it was so glaring.

That's truly a shameless tactic.

Anyone could tell that these property deeds are problematic, yet you can't find any fault with them.

If Song Yan were to actually use these house deeds to drive the people of Xinhou County out, the little reputation he had painstakingly built up would instantly become utterly infamous.

Liu Yisheng pursed his lips and looked at the last person, Zhang Hao from the Zhang family!

Zhang Hao chuckled and opened a box, which also contained deeds, but not house deeds, but... land deeds.

Land deeds for all farmland surrounding Xinhou County.

(End of this chapter)