Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 259 Ninghe Emperor Will Kill You (1)

Huang Tianyang is a thrill-seeker at heart. He enjoys the thrill of risking everything, even his life, for the chance to win or die.

His plan was very simple: first, negotiate with Song Yan. If the negotiation succeeded, both sides would be happy; if it failed, the presence of the guards surrounding the Huang family would indicate a fight to the death. Before the guards attacked, he would use the Huang family's strongest warrior to take Song Yan's life. Since the Zhang family head was also present, he could also use the opportunity to bring the Zhang family onto the Huang family's side.

At that time, if the combined strength of the Zhang and Huang families were used, they might not be a match for the government troops. Don't be fooled by the fact that the two families only have three thousand servants and guards. These servants and guards are different from the thugs and ruffians organized by Qian Yaozu. They have been trained by martial artists, and ordinary three or five people are no match for them.

Moreover, for months, the soldiers had been mistreated by Qian Yaozu and had not been able to eat their fill, so their bodies had become weak and frail; while the servants and guards, while not eating large amounts of meat and fish every meal, had never lacked white flour buns, and were all strong and healthy, which was a victory.

Most of the palace guards were cowardly and weak-willed, while the Huang family's servants were brave, fierce, and ruthless—this was the second advantage.

Song Yan had only just taken over the garrison and lacked loyalty, while the Huang family's servants were all carefully trained by him and were extremely loyal. This was a triple victory!

The moment Song Yan appeared, Huang Tianyang had already begun to deduce the outcome in his mind. He felt that he had a 50% chance of winning and was willing to take the plunge. However, this time, he lost the gamble.

The Huang family was not the Yang family after all; they didn't have a ninth-rank martial artist to back them up. An eighth-rank martial artist was already the strongest force the Huang family could rely on, but he never expected that Song Yan would actually have a ninth-rank martial artist protecting him... As for a grandmaster, Huang Tianyang hadn't even considered it.

The moment the eighth-rank martial artist's assassination attempt failed, he knew he had lost.

The Huang family is finished.

Shouts of battle and screams of agony filled the air.

Huang Tianyang sighed softly and sat back down in his chair. His expression was somewhat forlorn. He didn't scream uncontrollably or struggle desperately; instead, he appeared quite calm. However, the other members of the Huang family clearly didn't share this sentiment. They looked around in panic.

Outside the main hall lies the Huang family compound.

Many of the guards and black-armored soldiers have broken through the compound's defenses and are now wreaking havoc inside.

Some guards and servants prepared to rush into the main hall, hoping that if they could capture Song Yan alive, there would still be a chance to turn the situation around.

However, it was of no use.

One hundred black-armored soldiers stood guard at the gate, displaying an imposing presence that seemed to hold off ten thousand men. They were like a tall steel wall, and no matter how desperately the guards and servants tried to break through, they could not overcome the wall's blockade.

On the contrary, those black-armored warriors, once they raised their steel swords, immediately had their heads rolled to the ground.

The servants were, after all, just servants. Even if they had received guidance from martial arts masters, they had not learned military formations. Let alone facing the black-armored soldiers, even those seemingly weak garrison soldiers could easily reap a large number of lives with a single charge once they formed a military formation.

This was not a real battle at all; it was a one-sided massacre.

puff.

puff.

puff!

More and more corpses lay on the ground.

Blood covered the entire ground, and before anyone knew it, the ground was a muddy mess. Military boots pounded the ground, sending blood splattering everywhere. A steel blade cleaved the neck, severing a major blood vessel; the gushing blood spurted out like raindrops falling from the sky.

Gradually, the screams began to spread, no longer just in the front yard of the Huang family, but also in the back house and the bedroom.

Finally, in the guest hall, the Huang family's high-ranking members could no longer bear the fear in their hearts. A boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old knelt down on the ground with a thud: "General Song, Lord Song, please give the Huang family a way out. My father and my elder brother have offended you."

“We have always respected the general, and we are willing to pay one million taels of silver in compensation.”

This is Huang Zhengcai's younger brother, and also Huang Tianyang's illegitimate son, ranking second in his family.

His masterpiece was informing Huang Zhengcai that his father was being humiliated by Song Yan.

He originally intended to embarrass his elder brother in front of their father and cause some trouble, but he never expected it to turn out this way. It must have been the piece of silver that hit Song Yan that angered him. Damn it, if he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have tried to scheme against his elder brother.

To show his sincerity, Zhang Ci offered one million taels of silver and three hundred thousand shi of grain, yet the Huang family still couldn't bear to part with that money and grain. Song Yan shook his head, glanced at Luo Tianyang, and Luo Tianyang immediately stepped forward, his axe slashing down.

puff.

The body and head are in different places.

Luo Tianyang grinned, and the remaining members of the Huang family followed suit.

The stench of blood filled the living room. Looking at the headless corpses, Zhang Gong's throat went dry. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to leave himself and the Zhang family a way to survive. If he had fought to the bitter end like Huang Tianyang, the Zhang family's situation would probably not be much better now.

As for Huang Tianyang, he remained quietly seated in his chair. Even as the other members of the Huang family died, his expression didn't change at all. Only when his eldest son, Huang Zhengcai, was killed by Luo Tianyang did a trace of sorrow flicker in his eyes. His eldest son, though lacking in ability, somewhat mentally unstable, and even a bit morbid in personality—he had probably tortured more than ten women to death—was truly devoted to his father.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Before I knew it, it was completely bright outside.

The screams finally ceased.

The first rays of morning sunlight shone on the Huang family's courtyard, and the crimson ground seemed to be shrouded in a hazy golden light.

Huang Tianyang let out a breath and finally stood up. He had endured immense mental pressure; his legs nearly gave way as soon as he stood, and he almost collapsed, but he managed to stay upright. No matter what, he was the head of the Huang family, and even in death, he could not bring shame upon the Huang family.

He picked up the eldest son's head and held it in his arms, then slowly walked out of the guest hall. The black-armored soldiers simply surrounded him; without the general's order, they would not make a move.

Among the severed limbs and dismembered body, Huang Tianyang found a curved knife.

Holding Huang Zhengcai's head in one hand and slowly raising the curved blade in the other, holding it horizontally in front of his neck, he pursed his lips and suddenly tightened his grip.

With a hiss, the blade sliced ​​across his neck.

His throat was cut open.

Fresh blood gushed out from the wound.

Pfft!
Huang Tianyang's body convulsed on the ground for about two or three minutes before finally going still after one last struggle.

……

Inside Pingyang City.

Disaster relief efforts are ongoing.

The flames in the soup kitchen almost never stopped.

Perhaps because they were pregnant, or perhaps because they had something to look forward to, the people of Pingyang City seemed much more energetic than before.

His complexion was still sallow, but occasionally a smile could still be seen.

The soldiers also worked all night, carrying bags of grain to the soup kitchens and boxes to the governor's mansion.

The massacre of the Huang family couldn't be kept secret any longer. Within hours, everyone in Pingyang City knew. It was the Huang family, after all; so many people had died. This magistrate was practically a demon sent from heaven. However, the people of Pingyang City knew the Huang family's true character. Though they had a reputation for benevolence, if they were truly benevolent, why would they resort to such shameless means to seize their land?
How many people died for those lands?

How many good girls has that foolish son of Master Huang ruined?
People like that should have died long ago.

Therefore, they were not afraid of Song Yan. On the contrary, in their hearts, Song Yan was the upright and just magistrate, a bodhisattva who saved them from suffering.

The sun was almost overhead, and the fire in the porridge distribution area was still burning. However, the people who had gathered at the various porridge distribution points gradually dispersed and began to converge towards the vegetable market.

Caishikou was the execution ground.

They'd heard that the governor was going to be dragged to the execution ground and beheaded today. It was a hot topic of conversation, something they rarely saw, so they naturally wanted to join the spectacle. That Qian Yaozu was utterly wicked, even worse than the Huang family… They hoped the beheading would last an hour.

Many people in Pingyang City thought the same thing.

In the governor's mansion.

Song Yan yawned.

After working all night, even Song Yan felt a little tired.

Right in front of him were Qian Yaozu's family members.

He had one wife, three concubines, and all the other women he had taken from Qian Yaozu were returned to him. In addition, he had four sons and three daughters.

A long chain bound everyone together, led by a black-armored warrior, with two hundred black-armored warriors on either side, guarding them. Although they didn't think there was any possibility of these people escaping, it was still better to be cautious.

Last night, they kept telling themselves that Song Yan wouldn't dare to go too far, and that they might be sent to Dongling and handed over to the imperial court for trial. Their father was a graduate of Xilin Academy, with countless colleagues among him. Even if they couldn't save their father's life, they at least still had a chance to survive.

They kept repeating the same content, and they almost believed it to be true.

Only when they were about to be taken to the execution ground did they finally realize that they were really going to die.

The despair that surged up in that instant almost broke them. The two young masters collapsed to the ground, unable to move, while the two young ladies, who reeked of a foul odor, had lost control of their bladders.

When Song Yan saw this scene, he couldn't help but be speechless.

He had also investigated Qian Yaozu's family members. Not to mention the four young masters, even the one wife and three concubines and the three young ladies had blood on their hands.

Why be so afraid when you've already killed people yourself?

I don't understand.

Qian Yaozu is last.

In just one day, she looked much more haggard, with sunken eyes, probably because she didn't sleep well last night. There were dark circles around her eyes, and her once smooth skin had inexplicably developed many wrinkles.

Even his hair turned white overnight.

This was the most important prisoner, and Song Yan treated him with great respect, personally escorting him away.

He staggered, looking as if he might fall at any moment. On the street, the people automatically dispersed to both sides, their bloodshot eyes all fixed on Qian Yaozu.

"brute……"

"Give me back my daughter's life."

"My dear wife, my dear wife, it's all your fault, you bastard..."

"Waaaaah, my poor son! You beat him to death just for that last bit of grain."

“My son died in battle in Xinhou County. He wasn’t a deserter. You scum, you even embezzled that little bit of compensation money…”

"You beast, you deserve to be torn to pieces."

As they walked, curses and insults rose and fell like a tsunami. If Pingyang City weren't so short of supplies, they probably would have been pelted with rotten vegetable leaves, swill, and rotten eggs.

"kill him."

"kill him."

"kill him."

In the end, the curses and insults turned into a unified howl, like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing, like bursts of thunder.

If it weren't for the soldiers lining up in two rows on the street to stop the people from going berserk, many would probably have rushed up and torn a piece of flesh off Qian Yaozu.

Perhaps, only in this way can they vent their hatred for Qian Yaozu.

Song Yan's expression was strange. He looked at the common people and then at Qian Yaozu: "You really are quite popular."

Qian Yaozu scoffed, glanced at the people on both sides, and then remained silent, his previously hunched body straightening up again.

A hint of pride even appeared on his face.

He was a scholar and a high-ranking official.

Even if he were about to die, he must not lose the dignity of a scholar, nor allow these lowly people to laugh at him. Then, he slowly turned his head to look at Song Yan, and whether it was Song Yan's imagination or not, he even saw a hint of mockery on Qian Yaozu's face.

Okay, you read that right.

This guy is definitely mocking himself.

"Song Yan... how long do you think you can stay in the limelight?"

"You expect the people from Xilin Academy to avenge you?" Song Yan raised an eyebrow.

"No, they won't. They'd probably love to distance themselves from me."

"I'm going to die."

"But you are the same."

Song Yan stretched and asked, "What do you mean?"

A strange smile suddenly appeared on Qian Yaozu's face, a smile that even made Song Yan feel inexplicably sinister.

"Believe me... Emperor Ninghe will not let you go."

"You are a knife in Emperor Ninghe's hand. When Emperor Ninghe uses you as a knife to kill all the enemies, that will be your death day."

(End of this chapter)