Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 279 Kong Xiyan's Scheme (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The large red lanterns under the eaves swayed slightly, casting a hazy light that mingled with the stench of blood carried on the night wind, illuminating the man's silhouette. The bright moon was gradually swallowed by the clouds, making the lanterns' light grow ever brighter. At the entrance of the Wind Comes Inn, dozens of corpses had already been dragged away, leaving only clumps of crimson blood clinging to the ground, walls, and doors. Occasionally, there were bits of scalp and fingers left behind, creating an eerie and suffocating atmosphere.

Song Yan's personality wasn't purely volatile. Although he was furious when he first learned that Luo Caiyi had been kidnapped, his anger gradually subsided and his rationality returned after he killed the two young masters of the Kong family.

He realized that he had been used this time. Luo Caiyi, Kong Lingyun, and even Kong Lingyan and himself were all pawns in the other side's game.

The feeling of being manipulated made Song Yan somewhat uncomfortable.

Of course, he never regretted what he had done.

Kong Lingyan actually dared to send love letters to Luo Tianxuan, coveting my wife! If he doesn't die, who will? Kong Lingyun actually dared to kidnap Luo Caiyi! If we don't kill him, how can we face Luo Caiyi's sweet calls of "brother-in-law"?

However, Song Yan is not so easy to manipulate; one must be prepared to be bitten in return.

To retaliate, one must know the other party's identity.

Song Yan fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

What would happen if he hadn't controlled himself in time this time? In his rage, he might have killed Kong Lingchen and Kong Xinghuai together... No, it wouldn't be that simple. If the eldest son of the Kong family kidnapped the eldest princess's daughter, once this matter spread, the entire Kong family would have no chance of survival.

Although the eight powerful families of Jin are formidable, they still lag far behind a thousand-year-old family like the Yang family. Even if the eight families joined forces, they might be able to put up a fight against the Yang family, but that would be it. Individually, they would be no match. Emperor Ninghe has become somewhat more assertive than before, and while he might still be unable to defeat the Yang family, defeating the Kong family wouldn't be too difficult.

As for the eight great families of Jin, although they are of the same blood, it depends on the circumstances. If your Kong family is to be exterminated for kidnapping the daughter of the eldest princess, the other seven families certainly will not risk their families for such a despicable matter.

In other words, the Kong family is doomed.

Even if he led his soldiers to exterminate all members of the Kong family, others could at most say that he overstepped his bounds, but no other crimes could be pinned on him.

If such a thing were to actually happen, who would benefit?
Himself?

Perhaps slaughtering the Kong family and confiscating their assets would bring him a large sum of money, but for Song Yan now, money is no longer a particularly scarce resource. On the contrary, destroying the Kong family would completely push him to the opposite side of all the powerful clans. Even the Fang family might break ties with Song Yan, and there would be no room for reconciliation between him and the powerful clans. Of course, this doesn't mean that Song Yan has any goodwill towards the powerful clans; it's just that their influence is too great. Even with Song Yan's current status and position, if all the powerful clans joined forces against him, he would likely have little chance of survival.

Was it orchestrated by Emperor Ninghe and Luo Yuheng themselves?
Sacrificing a daughter and then using Song Yan to destroy the Kong family should be a very worthwhile deal from the emperor's perspective. Once Song Yan completely breaks with the aristocratic families, he can only rely on the imperial power.

Song Yan knew that there were many guards and maids in the Princess's residence, all of whom were from the Imperial City Guard. This could also explain why the two maids beside Luo Caiyi had disappeared.

However, as the image of Luo Yuheng appeared in his mind, Song Yan shook his head in the end. He didn't know much about Emperor Ninghe, but he knew Luo Yuheng. She wasn't the kind of woman who would sacrifice even her daughter to achieve her goals.

Luo Yuheng's affection for the many children of the Luo family is genuine.

Moreover, Emperor Ninghe has only just straightened his back a little, and the dragon throne is only slightly more comfortable to sit on than before. For Emperor Ninghe now, the most important thing is to stabilize his own position and the power in his hands. Directly breaking ties with the aristocratic families is actually not a good thing for Emperor Ninghe.

Even though Emperor Ninghe's status has risen, if the powerful clans unite, they still have the ability to pull him off the throne. The benefits he gains are completely disproportionate to the risks he has to bear.

If the person behind this is neither Emperor Ninghe nor Luo Yuheng, then who is it?

Could it be the Yang family?
Impossible. Liaodong is not within the Yang family's sphere of influence; their reach cannot extend that far.

Could it be... the Prince of Fu?
Song Yan frowned.

Although Prince Fu has never shown his face until now, and Song Yan doesn't even know how old, tall, short, fat, or thin he is, if you really think about it carefully, it seems that Prince Fu's figure is behind many things.

What would happen if things really did go astray?
With the downfall of the Kong family, Song Yan is forced to become the target of public criticism once again. The fragile peace between Emperor Ninghe and the powerful clans will be completely shattered. The struggle between the two sides will be carried out without any reservations. The influence of the powerful clans is too great, and it is very likely that Emperor Ninghe will end up in a dismal state.

With numerous powerful clans and aristocratic families, choosing the next emperor from any one of them would inevitably provoke strong opposition from the others. Therefore, the next emperor would ultimately have to be chosen from the Luo family bloodline. Perhaps a descendant of Emperor Ninghe would be chosen… but in some respects, Prince Fu, who only enjoyed traveling, cultivating Taoism, and refining elixirs, had no interest in power, and hadn't even left behind a son, might also be a rather good choice.

Thinking this, Song Yan shook his head vigorously. This was just his superficial opinion; the matter was very complex, and he couldn't quite grasp it.

Unfortunately, speculation is just speculation, and it is not an easy task to determine the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes.

"Brother-in-law..."

Looking to her side, she saw that Luo Caiyi, who had been sleeping soundly, had woken up at some point. She had been drugged, but Luo Tianxuan had probably neutralized the drug with her internal energy. Her small body was gently twisting in Luo Tianxuan's arms, her eyes still sleepy, looking adorable.

Suppressing his frustration, Song Yan let out a breath, a slight smile appearing on his face, and extended his hand to Luo Caiyi: "Want to come into brother-in-law's arms?"

It's somewhat against the rules.

In this world, girls begin learning various etiquette and rules from a very young age. An eleven-year-old girl cannot easily interact with the opposite sex. Even holding hands with those old scholars might earn her a reputation for being immoral and shameless.

But it's clear that there aren't that many messy things in the Luo family.

Luo Caiyi nodded happily and stretched out her arms to Song Yan. Luo Tianxuan smiled and placed her little sister in Song Yan's arms. She was also very happy that her husband had a good relationship with his sisters.

I wonder if she'll start clamoring to marry her brother-in-law when she gets a little older?
Thinking of this, Luo Tianxuan couldn't help but smile gently. Her usually indifferent face suddenly became lively and bright, perhaps because she found it amusing.

She herself didn't really care anymore; if they could always be a family, that would be a blessing.

Luo Caiyi was unaware of her sister's thoughts. She simply rubbed her head against Song Yan's chest, like a cat finding a comfortable spot and snuggling in. Before long, a soft whimpering sound came from her arms.

Upon returning to the governor's mansion, Luo Yuheng was anxiously waiting at the entrance, with a helpless Yu Shuang beside him. Only when he saw Luo Caiyi in Song Yan's arms did Luo Yuheng let out a heavy sigh of relief, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant. His body swayed precariously, as if he were about to collapse to the ground. "It's alright, it's alright..."

Luo Yuheng kept repeating this, without asking for any details, probably because she believed that Song Yan could handle things well.

For the next few days, Song Yan mostly spent his time strolling around Pingyang Prefecture with the two young maids. Despite the fact that dozens of people had died, no one in the governor's mansion mentioned it, and Luo Caiyi was even unaware that she had been kidnapped in her sleep.

In another seven or eight days, the end of the year will be approaching.

As if they had completely emerged from the shadows of the previous months, Pingyang Prefecture was bustling and joyous, with a sense of new beginnings for the new year.

About thirty kilometers west of Pingyang City, there is a mountain with a temple on it. When the Jurchen cavalry appeared, the monks had disappeared, but now that the Jurchen threat has vanished, those bald heads have reappeared.

Around the end of the year, incense offerings are at their peak.

Luo Yuheng had heard from somewhere that this temple was extremely efficacious, so he dragged his family members to go and pray. Song Yan didn't believe in such things, but he couldn't bear to go against Luo Yuheng's wishes, so he went with them. In the main hall, they saw Luo Yuheng kneeling devoutly on a prayer mat, muttering incantations, seemingly praying for something.

The ancients were indeed somewhat superstitious... Perhaps people didn't actually believe in these things, and often just sought psychological comfort.

Even a grandmaster like Luo Tianxuan is not immune to such things... As for what Luo Tianxuan seeks, it is probably something like having offspring.

She really wanted to have a child.

What Song Yan truly didn't expect was Luo Tianyi... In Song Yan's mind, this sister-in-law had always been a cool and edgy woman, the kind who was fearless and heroic. But even as a heroine, she became unusually docile in this religious place.

Even the two little maids, Luo Qingyi and Luo Caiyi, were praying there in a seemingly serious manner.

Song Yan was a little curious, so she asked them one by one, but unfortunately, she couldn't get any answers other than the secrets.

In his spare time, Song Yan also found some wooden planks and made a few sleds. They were a bit crude, but they were toys that Luo Caiyi and Luo Qingyi had never seen before. They found a low hillside and tried to ski, falling into snowdrifts time and time again, but their laughter was also joyful.

Time always flies by, and before they knew it, three days had passed. In Dingzhou Prefecture, Kong Xiyan had returned to the Kong family's old residence.

Looking up at the ancient mansion before her, she saw a place that, to others, would appear quite elegant and tasteful. But to Kong Xiyan, the entire residence was shrouded in gloom and oppression, like a giant birdcage; just looking at it sent chills down her spine. Especially the two gilded characters, "Kong Mansion"... shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight, they even seemed to sting her eyes.

This time, however, the fear in her heart was not as intense as before, because she knew that the birdcage could no longer bind her as it had before.

Sooner or later, she will personally take action and completely destroy this birdcage.

Taking a deep breath, Kong Xiyan strode towards the gate of the Kong family mansion. A gatekeeper leaned against a pillar, yawning. The midday sun always made people drowsy, and he opened his eyes groggily upon hearing footsteps. Seeing that it was Kong Xiyan, he curled his lip in disdain and stretched out an arm to block Kong Xiyan's way: "Where's the visiting card?"

He naturally recognized Kong Xiyan's identity.

However, as a concubine's daughter whose mother had long since died, she was helpless and alone in the Confucius Mansion. Even if she made things difficult for him, no one would care. Moreover, he was the mistress's person, and she loathed this daughter who had been living off the Confucius Mansion and was still unmarried at the age of twenty-seven.

There are servants who abuse their power everywhere.

Perhaps due to his constant fawning and obsequiousness, his mentality had become somewhat morbid and twisted. Having the opportunity to bully an unfavored master provided him with a sense of solace. Moreover, he hadn't done anything wrong, merely making things slightly difficult for her; it was far better than the constant beatings and scoldings from the mistress's maids. However, to the gatekeeper's surprise, Kong Xiyan seemed different today. Her face no longer held any trace of timidity; she pushed him aside and entered the mansion.

She lowered her head and hurried toward the study.

Kong Xiyan knew that at this time, her father Kong Xingye and stepmother Ji Wanqiu were mostly in the study, one writing poetry and painting, the other grinding ink and serving tea. They were truly a perfect couple, envied by all.

Just then, the door creaked open.

A figure appeared in front of Kong Xiyan.

She was a petite yet voluptuous woman, dressed in a magnificent long gown, with a noble air about her.

Ji Wanqiu.

The matriarch of the Kong family.

She was also Kong Xiyan's legal mother.

Although she is over forty years old, thanks to her good daily skincare, time has not left too many marks on her face; her narrow cheeks are still delicate and tender.

During the many years he lived in the Confucius Mansion, he was often tormented by Ji Wanqiu.

Thinking back on what had happened, Kong Xiyan subconsciously clenched her fingers, and all sorts of thoughts rushed into her mind. She had an impulse to scheme against Ji Wanqiu.

With this plan, Kong Xiyan was confident that she could get rid of Ji Wanqiu's last son, Kong Lingchen.

By then, Ji Wanqiu will only have the title of mistress, but she won't even have a legitimate son. Her position as mistress may not be secure.

But all this scheming was ultimately about using Song Yan.

Kong Xiyan couldn't be sure whether doing this was a blessing or a curse.

(End of this chapter)