Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 246 Shh, she's asleep (2)

The current political situation in Ningguo is chaotic, with corrupt officials running rampant. Therefore, Liu Yisheng admires Lu Yuanzheng, an upright and incorruptible official who is not afraid of powerful figures, the most. But... is that really the case?
As soon as Lu Yuanzheng became the Prefect of Dongling, he immediately stepped on Prince Fu to rise to power, establishing himself as a stubborn and headstrong figure.

Frankly, riding horses freely in the Imperial City is hardly a big deal, and there's no need to be so relentless. Even after Prince Fu was brought to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, Lu Yuanzheng kept submitting memorials impeaching him, seemingly determined to get rid of him. But what good would it do in the end? Prince Fu would simply spend a few days enjoying good food and drink at the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, without facing any punishment. Was Lu Yuanzheng's relentless pursuit really meaningful?
Surely it can't be just about upholding the dignity of the law?

Song Yan's smile grew wider and wider as he tapped his knuckles lightly on the armrest, some guesses gradually forming in his mind.

Lu Yuanzheng is fixated on Prince Fu, and the royalists will surely impeach him. The reason given will likely be something like making a mountain out of a molehill or disrespecting the imperial authority.

The Yang family, Xilin Academy, and Bailu Academy also coveted the position of Prefect of the Imperial City. Although the mortality rate was high, the power was immense. If they could win over Lu Yuanzheng, many things would become much easier. When the royalists impeached him, they would likely defend Lu Yuanzheng by arguing that he was simply acting in accordance with the law and had not made any mistakes.

During his three years as the Prefect of Dongling, he resolved the cases of three dukes' sons, nine marquises' sons, and several descendants of ministers of the Six Ministries... It sounds impressive, but to put it bluntly, let alone three years, even if it were just one month, he would have dealt with more than that number of second-generation nobles.

Yang Ming committed numerous atrocities, including assaulting newlywed women, murder, and arson.

Is Lu Yuanzheng truly unaware of this?
If it weren't for Fang Jun's death and the Fang family's intervention, Yang Ming would have continued to live a carefree life for who knows how long.

But regardless, the image of him as upright, fearless of the powerful, loyal and honest has been established.

"Let me guess, would Prince Fu personally meet with Emperor Ninghe to say that Lu Yuanzheng is a loyal minister of the country, and that the country should not lose a pillar of the nation because of him? He should not only not be punished, but should be given an important position?" Song Yan suddenly said.

Liu Yisheng was taken aback: "That's true. It's said that it was a well-known story at the time."

Song Yan smiled, already having made up her mind.

With a list of ten people and three factions, choosing anyone would inevitably face strong opposition from the other two factions. Thus, Lu Yuanzheng became the only candidate.

Although they are not on our side, they are at least not on the other side's side either.

In this way, Lu Yuanzheng would naturally take control of the Ministry of Rites.

Prince Fu has always been portrayed as a carefree hermit, cultivating immortality and refining elixirs, and he has no son, so no one would ever think that Lu Yuanzheng is Prince Fu's man.

Sure enough, born into royalty and serving in the imperial court, how could one possibly be a simple character?

Song Yan stood up slowly and patted Liu Yisheng on the shoulder: "Continue to investigate the matters that need to be investigated. I will make arrangements for the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard? What are those?"

"The name I came up with for my future secret agent."

Although he wields great power, he can only walk in the dark, which is the meaning of "wearing fine clothes at night".

As expected of our lord, this name is truly masterful.

If Song Yan knew what Liu Yisheng was thinking, he probably wouldn't be able to help but laugh out loud: it's just that among the secret service agencies, the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, Eastern Depot, and Western Depot were just too famous, especially that phrase, "Imperial authority grants permission to execute first and report later," which was just too domineering. He just used it without thinking much about it.

After leaving the guest hall, Song Yan stretched his stiff arms and headed towards the back courtyard.

From the Wugulun tribe to Xinhou, it was at least a hundred kilometers, and they were traveling through cold winds and snow. Even Song Yan felt extremely tired.

I barely slept a wink the whole way.

The warhorses brought back have been handed over to Ma Han, and the stables and cavalry training grounds are being built as quickly as possible. However, due to the freezing weather, it will take some time before they are completed.

Song Yan wasn't sure either. The Jurchen royal court knew exactly how long it would take for the Wugulun tribe to be destroyed. Even if they couldn't find out for a long time, and couldn't get the supplies provided by Qian Yaozu, the Jurchen royal court would notice something was wrong and would definitely send someone to inquire.

Such a round trip would take at least five or six days. Knowing that the marriage envoy had been stopped, there would be no more free food, and the Wugulun tribe had been destroyed, the Jurchen Great Khan, with his explosive temper, might not be able to tolerate the provocation of the weak Han people in his eyes. From assembling the army to the arrival of the main force, it would take at least ten days.

Song Yan pursed his lips and looked in the direction of Pingyang City. This meant that he had to completely eliminate Qian Yaozu within twenty days in order to avoid being stabbed in the back when facing the Jurchens.

Time is a little tight.

Of course, the Jurchens might not retaliate immediately; it's possible they'll wait until spring. But in any case, he must be fully prepared. Thinking this, Song Yan sighed. It's just a matter of time. If he had three to five years to develop, he probably wouldn't be in such a precarious situation now.

Without realizing it, my gaze drifted south again. I wonder how Tianxuan is doing now?
How is my mother-in-law doing now?

Did the two younger sisters-in-law behave well?

Although we haven't been apart for very long, I already miss her a little.

Shaking his head, Song Yan suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind. In any case, he would get a good rest for the night and deal with everything else tomorrow.

Upon arriving at the inner courtyard, they found it deserted. Gu Banxia, ​​Yang Siyao, and the other maids, including Kong Chan, were nowhere to be seen; they had probably gone shopping, as the young maids always loved to play.

Upon her return, Hua Lianyue was immediately entangled by Luo Tianyi, who seemed eager to test his skills against her and see the true difference between them. Although there was only one level difference between a ninth-rank and a grandmaster, even the three of her sisters-in-law combined probably wouldn't be a match for Hua Lianyue; sparring with her would be nothing short of self-destruction.

Song Yan yawned as he sat inside the house, watching the two fight in the courtyard through the window.

Over the course of time, the sister-in-law has completely recovered her depleted internal energy, and her swordsmanship has also improved. With Song Yan's current strength as a fifth-grade martial artist, he can only see the sky full of sword light, like twinkling cold stars.

The hissing sounds continued incessantly, and the gleaming cold light almost completely enveloped Hua Lianyue. Even the snow that had not yet melted on the surrounding ground and rooftops was swept up by the sword energy, and for a moment, all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white, as if another heavy snow had blanketed the ground.

Hua Lian Yue's figure swayed gently, like a willow swaying in the wind. The countless sword lights could tear her body to shreds at any moment, but none of them could touch her. Not even a single snowflake landed on her shoulder.

As Song Yan watched, she felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she fell asleep without realizing it.

……

When I opened my eyes again, I was already lying in bed.

The clothes have been changed.

My dirty body has been washed, and the stiffness and discomfort from before are gone, making me feel very light.

He heard soft snoring beside him, along with an alluring fragrance. Turning his head, he saw Gu Banxia, ​​a few strands of her hair falling onto the tip of her nose, making him feel an urge to sneeze.

It must have been after Gu Banxia returned and saw him asleep that she helped him take off his clothes, cleaned him up, moved him to the bed, and changed him into a bathrobe. He was quite heavy, which was a bit difficult for a woman to handle.

Gu Banxia, ​​fast asleep, looked even more serene, one side of her face flushed red, with a trace of drool at the corner of her mouth. Her face was still gentle and tranquil, and for some reason, just seeing this face made Song Yan feel much more at ease.

With a smile, Song Yan reached out and brushed a few strands of hair away from Gu Banxia's face.

The window creaked.

Very small.

Imperceptible.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight, and I could clearly see out of the corner of my eye a figure sneaking into the room through the open window.

He glanced around twice, then walked towards the bed.

Just then, Song Yan turned his head away.

Their eyes met, and a familiar yet unfamiliar figure appeared before Song Yan. The person was tall and slender, wearing a black robe, with long hair tied up, and dressed as a scholar.

With rosy lips, white teeth, and delicate skin, she certainly had a beautiful appearance.

The man seemed taken aback by this scene and was startled, opening his mouth as if to make a sound.

"Shhh."

"She fell asleep."

"Don't wake her."

The man's throat twitched violently, and he swallowed the words that were about to come out, looking at Song Yan with a particularly strange expression.

Song Yan ignored the man and quietly moved off the bed from the side. She carefully covered Gu Banxia with the blanket again, then picked up the new clothes prepared on the table and put them on before heading out the door. As she passed the man in black, she gave him a wink, signaling him to come out with her.

His cheeks puffed out, as if he was somewhat unconvinced.

But since they had already been discovered, there was nothing they could do but obediently follow Song Yan out of the bedroom.

There is a small pavilion in the back courtyard, with a stone table and several stools inside.

Without tea, it's certainly not the time to concern ourselves with such trivial matters.

"You don't think that if you change into men's clothes, no one will be able to tell that you're a woman, do you?" Song Yan said slowly after sitting down.

(End of this chapter)