Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 280 Your Son Is Dead (2)

The so-called scheming is actually very simple.

The woman in front of me, Ji Wanqiu, wasn't a very smart woman, at least not very smart, but she was very good at pleasing men. Even though her father had many women, some of whom had better figures and looks than Ji Wanqiu, none of them could shake Ji Wanqiu's position.

If she simply pretended not to notice and bumped into Ji Wanqiu, the enraged Ji Wanqiu would probably order the servants to take her away and lock her in a dark room.

The so-called "little dark room" was just a mud house.

There were no windows, and the room was completely enclosed on all sides. Once the door was closed, the entire room was pitch black.

Being locked up in that kind of place for four or five days at a time is absolutely cruel torture, it would drive you crazy... From childhood to adulthood, Kong Xiyan had been in that little dark room many times... She couldn't remember the exact number, but it must have been dozens of times. Now that she thinks about it, she's amazed that she didn't go crazy, her willpower is truly strong.

Of course, Ji Wanqiu might wonder why she returned and why her three sons were nowhere to be found. At that time, all she had to do was say something ambiguous to make Ji Wanqiu believe that her three sons were trading with the Jurchens and that she had failed in her arranged marriage.

Song Yan talked about it for three days straight.

If he doesn't receive a response from the Kong family for a long time, he'll likely feel slighted and ignored. Judging from Song Yan's murderous manner, he must have a very volatile temper. What would Song Yan do in his rage? Perhaps he'd kill Kong Lingchen and Kong Xinghuai, then lead his black-armored soldiers to raze the Kong family's mansion to the ground, carrying their heads? Even if he doesn't raze the Kong family, killing his father and Ji Wanqiu's three legitimate sons would be a great revenge, wouldn't it?
Kong Xiyan was using Song Yan in this way, but she didn't know what Song Yan would do after he found out the truth. Maybe he would brandish a steel knife and chop off her head?
Thinking of some terrifying scene, Kong Xiyan stuck out her tongue.

That man probably doesn't have any chivalrous feelings towards women, right?

The reason for this thought was probably due to Song Yan's unusual behavior... Kong Xiyan could tell that Song Yan wanted to destroy the Kong family, and had previously promised her that he would give her freedom after the Kong family was destroyed. However, after Luo Caiyi was rescued, Song Yan's reaction was somewhat beyond Kong Xiyan's expectations. Song Yan did not kill Kong Lingchen, nor did he kill Kong Xinghuai, but instead prepared to extort five million taels of silver from the Kong family.

She couldn't be sure whether Song Yan had other plans or was simply greedy for the Kong family's wealth... After all, that was five million taels of silver, and anyone would be tempted by that.

I was struggling internally.

Sigh... Well, since her mother died, Song Yan is probably the only person who has treated her well, right? Although her value is undoubtedly a factor, she still doesn't want to let him down. Shaking her head, Kong Xiyan strode towards the study, bowing respectfully to Ji Wanqiu as she passed: "Greetings, Stepmother."

Ji Wanqiu smiled and asked, "Xiyan, why are you back? How did things go in Pingyang City? You must have suffered a lot on your journey."

"By the way, where are your brothers? Have they come back too?"

Her face was gentle, and her bright eyes showed concern. In front of outsiders, Ji Wanqiu always appeared like this, and everyone who saw her would say that she was doing a really good job as the mistress. Thinking this, Kong Xiyan shook her head: "Something went wrong, and I have something important to discuss with my father."

With that, Kong Xiyan bypassed Ji Wanqiu and headed straight for the study.

This attitude made Ji Wanqiu's face turn cold, and a hint of anger flashed deep in her eyes.

Bitch.

How dare this bastard born of a lowly concubine be so arrogant in front of me? Has this wretched woman forgotten who the master of this Kong family mansion is after not locking her in the dark room for two years?
Gritting her teeth, Ji Wanqiu followed from behind.

Inside the room, Kong Xingye was holding a calligraphy brush in one hand and staring at the blank paper in front of him. The paper already had the outline of a green mountain. Although the painting was not yet finished, it already revealed a sense of grandeur.

Kong Xingye was not only the head of the Kong family, but also a well-known painter in Ningguo. Hearing the door open, he seemed to feel his thoughts interrupted, so he sighed with regret, frowned, put down his brush, and looked towards the door. When he saw Kong Xiyan, his expression became even more displeased.

This daughter is a jinx to her family.

This has clearly become a major problem for Kong Xingye.

Because Kong Xiyan is good-looking, she wants to marry into a family of equal social standing through an arranged marriage. However, most of the prospective husbands know that Kong Xiyan has a reputation for bringing bad luck to her family, so no matter how beautiful she is, they are unwilling to risk this misfortune.

She couldn't bear to marry an ordinary person; she felt it would be a waste of her beautiful face.

Because of this hesitation, she is now twenty-seven years old and still unmarried. This time, she was originally going to give her to the newly appointed governor of Pingyang City, which could be considered a waste of her talents. Who would have thought that Kong Xiyan would run back so quickly? So the marriage is probably off.

"Master, although your painting has been ruined, please don't blame Xiyan. Xiyan said she has something important to discuss with you," Ji Wanqiu said from behind, seemingly speaking up for Kong Xiyan, but actually confirming that Kong Xiyan was at fault. Kong Xiyan had experienced countless such tricks since childhood, and was intimately familiar with them. Kong Xingye's expression grew increasingly gloomy. The so-called important matter was probably the failed marriage alliance. For such a trivial matter, his hard-won inspiration had been ruined. Anger surfaced in Kong Xingye's eyes: "Speak! What is it?"

Kong Xiyan did not answer, but glanced at Ji Wanqiu: "My lady, could you please excuse yourself for a moment? These matters may not be appropriate for you."

Ji Wanqiu's fake smile was starting to crumble, and her hands clenched unconsciously. Good... really good. A bastard, now he actually dares to make me back off?

Has this gone too far?

She didn't get angry at Kong Xiyan. Instead, she looked at Kong Xingye with a wronged and tearful expression, which made Kong Xingye feel a pang of heartache... Then Kong Xingye stepped forward and slapped Kong Xiyan across the face.

Snapped.

That slap was very hard.

Five finger marks suddenly appeared on half of Kong Xiyan's face.

She no longer felt aggrieved as before, as if she had long been used to it; only her eyes grew colder and colder.

This is his father.

Was it merely because of her stepmother's aggrieved expression? Yes, it had always been like this. Whenever Ji Wanqiu showed such an expression, someone in the Kong family would suffer misfortune. A slap was already considered lucky; at least compared to those concubines who were beaten to death, she was still alive.

Sometimes, Kong Xiyan even suspected that Ji Wanqiu had cultivated some kind of seductive art, or was simply a fox spirit reincarnated. Otherwise, how could she have bewitched Kong Xingye so completely? Why did she still have a slight expectation in her heart even now... She should have already faced reality when her mother was tortured to death.

"You worthless brat, how dare you speak to your mother like that? How could I have such an unfilial daughter? What are you standing there for?" Kong Xingye cursed again.

"Alright." Kong Xiyan pursed her lips and turned to look at Ji Wanqiu. She clearly saw a hint of smugness on Ji Wanqiu's face: "My lady, your eldest son has had his arm cut off."

crunch.

Ji Wanqiu's smugness vanished, replaced by stiffness and anger.

For some reason, Kong Xiyan felt inexplicably pleased by the changes in Ji Wanqiu's facial expressions.

A few breaths later, Ji Wanqiu suddenly screamed, took a step forward, and grabbed Kong Xiyan's shoulder with great force. Her long, sharp nails almost dug into Kong Xiyan's arm. She no longer cared about maintaining her image in front of Kong Xingye and shrieked, "You bitch, what did you say? What happened to Chen'er?"

Kong Xiyan struggled slightly, freeing her arm from Ji Wanqiu's grasp, and sneered, "Kong Lingchen insulted Song Yan, the governor of Pingyang, in Pingyang City, and Song Yan cut off his arm."

Ji Wanqiu shuddered slightly, then seemed to suddenly remember something: "Where's Yan'er? Where's Yun'er? How are they?"

Kong Xiyan's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile: "Your Majesty, your second son, Kong Lingyan, took a fancy to the wife of the Prefect of Pingyang. He actually sent a love letter to the Princess's daughter, Princess Ning'an, in the dead of night, and then that love letter fell into the hands of Song Yan, the Prefect of Pingyang." "Your second son is dead."

boom!
Click.

It was as if a thunderbolt had fallen from the sky.

Another piece of bad news.

Kong Xingye shuddered violently, and Ji Wanqiu's face turned deathly pale, her body swaying violently as if she were about to faint.

Seeing the two of them, Kong Xiyan felt an indescribable excitement, a kind of excitement she had never experienced before, which even made her tremble. She couldn't help but want to convey another piece of good news to them:

"As for your third son, Kong Lingyun, he kidnapped Princess Luo Yuheng's youngest daughter..."

"Also dead."

Ji Wanqiu's body trembled violently. Her eyes were wide open, as if her eyeballs had popped out of their sockets. She opened her mouth forcefully, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, everything went black, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

That kind of stimulation seems a bit too much.

Her petite body twitched on the ground.

Looking at Kong Xingye beside her, Kong Xiyan became even more excited, her expression almost uncontrollable, her face twitching uncontrollably: "Don't think I'm lying, Kong Xinghuai and Kong Lingchen are still alive, and have been taken into Song Yan's custody. Song Yan sent me back just to give you a message."

"Five million taels of silver to buy the lives of Kong Lingchen and Kong Xinghuai. If we're lucky, the governor might even forget something."

"Father, you should really think it over."

"My daughter has traveled a long way and is quite tired. She will go and rest now... By the way, the governor has only given you three days."

Leaving behind a single sentence and ignoring Kong Xingye's face contorting in shock, Kong Xiyan turned and left the study. Outside, the sun shone on her face, and Kong Xiyan felt an indescribable sense of comfort and ease throughout her body, as if all the resentment that had been building up for so long was finally released.

This is what it means to have clear thinking.

Recalling the expressions on their faces when they heard the news of Kong Lingyan and Kong Lingyun's deaths, Kong Xiyan couldn't close her mouth.

More than a decade ago, when her mother died in front of her, Ji Wanqiu seemed to have the same expression, right?

The couple finally had the chance to experience this flavor.

With her arms outstretched, Kong Xiyan stretched her waist forcefully, facing north, her gaze seemingly able to transcend the barriers of space, to see that face that was not yet very familiar.

This can be considered revenge, right?

Suddenly, she smiled. Just seeing those expressions on Kong Xingye and Ji Wanqiu's faces was enough. From this day forward, my life belongs to you, young master. Whatever you wish to know, I will give my life for you.

After a long while, Kong Xiyan's eyelids slowly drooped. She returned to her small courtyard, raised her hands in front of the mirror on the dressing table, and tried to adjust the expression on her face until she looked furious before stopping.

She knew that her father was an extremely cold-hearted person.

He will soon reappear before him.

……

In the study room.

Kong Xingye was swaying precariously.

He was breathing heavily.

Of her three sons, two died and one was crippled.

Such news was so sudden that Kong Xingye found it hard to believe it was true.

His expression kept changing. He didn't think Kong Xiyan would deceive him. If what Kong Xiyan said was true... Sending love letters to Song Yan's wife could only be considered a personal grudge. The real trouble was kidnapping Luo Yuheng's youngest daughter. Although she hadn't been granted an honorific title yet, she was practically a princess.

Kidnapping a princess would be enough to bring the Kong family to their doom.

He naturally knew about the eldest princess's situation; her two younger daughters were twins, only eleven or twelve years old, just the right age for Yun'er to like.

Damn...

This is indeed something Kong Lingyun might be capable of doing.

Ji Wanqiu was still lying on the ground, motionless, still unconscious.

Gritting his teeth, Kong Xingye walked out of the study, no longer caring about Ji Wanqiu on the ground... In fact, if Kong Lingyun really did such a despicable thing, then this woman should not be allowed to live!
……

Pingyang City!
An elderly figure was walking briskly through the crowded street. Despite the bleak weather, his wrinkled face was flushed.

As the New Year approaches, the city is becoming increasingly lively. The streets are already packed with crowds, making it impossible for horse-drawn carriages to pass.

The old man, disregarding everything else, forced his way through the crowd, his withered fingers pushing aside those blocking his way. Occasionally, someone with a bad temper would turn around, ready to curse, but upon seeing the old man in his seventies, the words he was about to utter would immediately be swallowed back.

There was nothing that could be done. Given this man's age, if he were to utter a single curse, he would likely receive at least dozens of lashes at the yamen.

Some acquaintances recognized the old man's identity.

Isn't that the head of the Zhang family, Old Master Zhang Ci?

What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?
Judging from that direction, it seems they're heading towards the governor's mansion!

Mr. Zhang was breathing heavily, and the piece of paper in his hand was already soaked with sweat.

Something happened at the skeletal structure of the car!
(End of this chapter)