Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 272 Slander (2)

Tsk!
Song Yan clicked his tongue, unable to understand how Kong Xinghuai could have the nerve to say such a thing.

Half a percent? Who are you trying to embarrass?

When Zhang openly proposes a 70/30 split, that demonstrates true sincerity in cooperation.

From this perspective, although the Kong family is large and powerful, they are far inferior to the old fox Zhang Ci in terms of vision. If Song Yan hadn't never intended to do business with the Kong family, he probably would have been angry, since this half-price offer was practically an insult. However, Song Yan couldn't help but understand. The Zhang family has only been around for a hundred years, and the old master Zhang himself is over seventy years old. It's no exaggeration to say that the old master Zhang has lived through more than half of the Zhang family's hundred-year history, deeply understanding the difficulty of making money and the importance of opportunities.

But the Confucius family was different.

Everything the Kong family has has come too easily.

It was as if everything they possessed, whether wealth or status, was a matter of course.

In the eyes of these true scions of noble families, being able to cooperate with the Kong family is already an immense stroke of luck. Giving you half a percent of the profits is already a great favor. You should hurry up and kneel down to express your gratitude. How dare you have any other thoughts?

No matter how polite one may appear on the surface, their true nature will never change.

Thinking this, Song Yan slowly reached out and picked up the lid of the teacup, placing it inside the bowl with the lid facing up.

It seems they're about to see the guests off.

Kong Xinghuai frowned, his face gradually darkening. He hadn't expected this governor's appetite to be so much larger than he'd imagined. For the Kong family, willing to concede even half a percent of their profits was already a tremendous favor, yet he was still unsatisfied. Ultimately, he was someone who had risen from humble beginnings, lacking experience and vision. He simply didn't understand what a favor from the Kong family meant; it was something that couldn't be measured in silver or copper coins.

I used to admire Song Yan quite a bit, but now it seems he's nothing special.

Even Kong Lingyan couldn't help but show some disdain in his eyes.

Although he had already been seen off, the matter had not been settled, and Kong Xinghuai could not leave like this. He cleared his throat and pretended not to see the open teacup lid: "Lord Song, please believe me, my Kong family has come with sincerity. If you are not satisfied with the conditions we have offered, you may make any requests."

Song Yan's complexion improved slightly.

After a brief pause, Song Yan slowly said, "I'm not quite sure how much profit this trade route will bring to your Kong family, but that's all in the future. Compared to the future, I prefer things that I can see and touch right now."

So you mean you want real money?

Only Kong Xiyan frowned slightly, glanced at Song Yan, then at her second uncle and cousin, and ultimately said nothing. She was merely a commodity used by the Kong family in their transaction with Song Yan; in business matters, commodities have no right to speak.

Kong Xinghuai and Kong Lingyan exchanged a glance, both able to see the mockery in each other's eyes. In fact, before coming to Pingyang City, they had already made two preparations: money or profit sharing were both acceptable. However, considering Song Yan's murderous intent, profit sharing seemed more sincere. They hadn't expected Song Yan to be so shallow. He had no idea how lucrative this trade route truly was, only focusing on the immediate goods… They had overestimated him before; he wasn't much different from ordinary corrupt officials, except that his methods were more ruthless, nothing more.

Kong Xinghuai chuckled, reached into his robe, took out a sealed paper envelope, placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it in front of Song Yan: "Sir, why don't you take a look and see if you are satisfied with these local specialties?"

Song Yan raised an eyelid slightly, picked up the paper envelope, opened it, and inside were a series of silver notes.

One sheet for ten thousand taels.

There are twenty in total.

In addition, there was a blank sheet of paper with the secret codes for all the banknotes written on it.

Perhaps because he had been making so much money lately—this was two hundred thousand taels of silver, yet Song Yan actually felt it was too little.

"This is the Shen family's money exchange, which is accepted throughout the four kingdoms of the Central Plains. There are branches in the capital and major cities." Kong Xinghuai said with a smile, "If you don't believe me, you can send someone to check it out. Although it will take some time, we can wait."

Song Yan smiled gently and said, "No need. I still trust the Kong family's reputation. Don't worry, I'll take care of the pass. Just don't do it too many times a year, or it will be difficult for me to handle."

Kong Xinghuai was overjoyed; things were going even more smoothly than he had imagined. He was indeed a corrupt official.

"Of course, of course, there are at most four times a year, and this year is the last time. We will definitely not make things difficult for you, sir."

"However, there is one small request."

Having received the silver notes, Song Yan was in high spirits: "Whatever your request, just say it!"

"That is, we hope that you will not issue this pass to any family other than the Kong family." Seeing Song Yan frown, Kong Xinghuai hurriedly said, "We have heard that you prefer older women. My niece Xiyan is currently twenty-seven years old and still unmarried. If possible, we would like to keep her by your side to serve you tea and water."

Veins immediately bulged on Song Yan's forehead. He slammed his hand on the table and angrily shouted:

"defamation!"

"You are slandering me."

"Who told you that I like older women?"

Song Yan waved his hand vigorously, his face flushed red.

He was really angry.

Damn it. Has this bad reputation spread too fast? Now even the Kong family in Jin knows about it? If this continues for a few more years, I'm afraid not only the four kingdoms of the Central Plains, but also the Jurchen and Xiongnu will know that Earl Song Yan is a pervert who likes to use small horses to pull large carts?
His reputation...

Song Yan's strong reaction surprised Kong Xinghuai and Kong Lingyan. Could it be that Song Yan really doesn't like women older than him?
impossible.

His legal wife, Luo Tianxuan, was three years older than him. Gu Banxia, ​​whose status was equivalent to that of a concubine, was nine years older, and Yang Siyao was six years older... The information they obtained seemed to be correct no matter how they looked at it, so why was Song Yan so angry? Inadvertently, they saw Luo Tianxuan beside him, and Kong Xinghuai and Kong Lingyan felt that they had discovered the truth... Yes, Song Yan himself must be happy, but with his wife beside him, he couldn't show it too obviously. After all, he was just a son-in-law who had married into the family. Even if the Luo family indulged him a lot, they couldn't go too far.

Thinking this way, the two decided to focus their efforts on Luo Tianxuan. During their previous conversations with her, they sensed that she didn't seem particularly concerned about Song Yan taking a concubine. They speculated that perhaps Luo Tianxuan didn't have much affection for Song Yan, and having another woman would prevent him from bothering her. After all, Luo Tianxuan was a princess, a member of the royal family with impeccable lineage. Even if Song Yan had saved her life through a marriage of convenience, she probably wouldn't have looked down on him.

If Luo Tianxuan agrees, Song Yan should not refuse.

However, given Song Yan's furious state, it was no longer appropriate to continue discussing this matter. Therefore, we could only wait until tomorrow. It seemed that we would have to stay in Pingyang City for another two days.

With that in mind, Kong Xinghuai and Kong Lingyan got up to say goodbye.

Kong Xiyan also stood up and silently glanced at Song Yan, her eyes showing a slight struggle. This woman, who hadn't uttered a word from beginning to end except for the greeting, parted her cherry lips slightly and let out a voice as beautiful as a nightingale's:
"Your Excellency, may I have a few words with you in private?"

A brief silence fell over the room after he said this.

Clearly, Kong Xiyan's words were somewhat inappropriate. On the one hand, Kong's second uncle and the second son of the legitimate wife were still alive. Although she was the eldest daughter of a concubine, she had no right to make decisions or even to speak on almost anything.

On the other hand, Luo Tianxuan was also present. For someone to speak privately with another woman's husband in front of Luo Tianxuan, the legal wife, was somewhat presumptuous, no matter how you looked at it.

……

At the same time, a figure quietly appeared near the governor's mansion.

She wore a strange, metallic mask that obscured her true appearance. Dressed in black night clothes, she blended almost entirely into the darkness, making her almost imperceptible unless one looked closely. Only upon closer inspection could one discern a graceful silhouette, and her alluring figure revealed her to be a woman.

A pair of slightly lewd and insane eyes stared at the mansion in front of him. According to the information he had gathered along the way, the two little girls should have returned here in the end.

Unexpectedly, the person the Third Young Master had his eye on was someone from the Governor's Mansion.

This is a bit troublesome.

Although the Kong family was incredibly wealthy and had many officials closely associated with them who could speak with authority in the imperial court, this was, after all, Pingyang.

This is Song Yan's territory.

Currently, the Kong family is still seeking cooperation with Song Yan.

Without being able to ascertain the exact relationship between the two little girls and Song Yan, taking action rashly could lead to unpredictable consequences.

If the two little girls' relationship with Song Yan is merely average, even if discovered, they could probably be suppressed by spending some money. However, if their relationship is close, once the matter is exposed, the two sides might go from being allies to mortal enemies, which would be extremely bad for the Kong family's plans.

The best option now would be to return to the inn, inform the Third Young Master of the situation, and let him decide everything... Just thinking about the Third Young Master's personality, the woman already knew the answer.

It's simply a matter of making the trip again; there's no other possibility.

The Third Young Master has always been fearless.

Anyone he sets his sights on, even if they are from other families among the eight great families of Jin, he dares to take action against them.

The Third Young Master probably wouldn't take a mere prefect who had climbed up from the bottom seriously.

She pursed her lips, then extinguished the last vestige of hesitation in her mind. As a servant of her master, her master's orders were absolute. However, this was, after all, the governor's mansion. Song Yan had survived several assassination attempts unscathed, so he must have been protected by experts. Moreover, the governor's mansion was patrolled by a large number of soldiers clad in black armor, making it a place not easily entered or exited.

Thinking of this, the woman slowly closed her eyes.

Immediately, her breath began to disappear at a visible speed.

heartbeat.

Breathe.

It was as if everything disappeared at that moment.

To hide.

This is the martial art she has cultivated. It is not very destructive or fast, but it can reduce her own presence to a minimum. Even if a powerful person is much stronger than her, it is difficult for them to detect her presence.

She was like a ghost, walking in the darkness.

Once the breath had completely disappeared, the woman finally took a step, and her feet touched the ground without making a sound.

(End of this chapter)