Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 285 I Only Have One Daughter (Thanks to Yong Su for being the Alliance Leader)

"My life belongs to the prince."

"If you ask me to kill him, I will take his head!"

Jiao Junze truthfully replied that he would remove it, but whether he could remove it was hard to say... After all, given what Song Yan had done, countless people in the entire Ning Kingdom wanted to kill him, and so far, no one had succeeded.

Either Song Yan is very powerful.

Either Song Yan has a very powerful backer.

In short, they are all formidable opponents.

Even the civil service group and the Yang family couldn't do it, so Jiao Junze didn't think he had the ability... Of course, expressing his stance in front of the prince was a must. Jiao Junze didn't deliberately try to appear completely loyal; doing things too much could arouse suspicion. He also understood that he was still very valuable to the prince.

As long as he has value, the prince will not let him lose his life casually.

It's fine as it is now.

As expected, the purple-robed prince stared at Jiao Junze for a long time, seemingly judging whether Jiao Junze's words were true. After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, indicating that Jiao Junze's reaction had passed the prince's test. "You said before that Song Yan was very scary." The prince changed the subject, not mentioning killing Song Yan again: "From what you said, Song Yan is indeed a rather special person, but to say that he frightens you is a bit too frivolous."

Jiao Junze smiled and said, "Killing people? I haven't killed as many as Song Yan, but I've still killed quite a few. It's just that it's not enough to scare me."

"What truly terrifies me is Song Yan's cunning."

"Scheming?" The purple-robed prince was somewhat puzzled. He hadn't been out for a long time and didn't know much about Song Yan. He only listened to Jiao Junze's words and simply thought that this might be a reckless man.

The saying goes, "Too much rigidity leads to breakage." Such a person, even if capable, is also prone to death.

"That's right, it's all about scheming."

“Song Yan said that this internal strife among the Jurchens is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Ningguo to eliminate potential threats on the border, but in my opinion, this opportunity may very well have been created by Song Yan.”

The prince in purple robes sat in a chair and casually picked up a book from the bookshelf. It was a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Sunlight shone from the side, falling on the cover and giving it an antique yellow hue.

"How to say?"

“More than a month ago, Song Yan intercepted Qian Yaozu’s envoy and impersonated him to enter Jurchen territory. He burned the Wugulun tribe to the ground, which is no secret. However, what others did not know was that after setting the fire and killing people, Song Yan immediately withdrew. The Wugulun tribe’s food and weapons were extremely valuable, but Song Yan did not touch a single thing.”

"To the east of the Wugulun tribe lies the Anchegu tribe, and to the northwest is the Funie tribe. These are the Jurchen tribes closest to Wugulun, and these two tribes have always had a strained relationship with Wanyan Guangzhi, which in turn leads to tensions with the Wugulun tribe. Song Yan leaving behind food and weapons was probably a trap he deliberately set. He knew that the Funie and Anchegu tribes would definitely take these things to survive the winter."

"In this way, the destruction of the Wugulun tribe can be conveniently attributed to Anchegu and Funie tribes."

"He even accurately guessed the difficulties Wanyan Guangzhi faced and his thoughts, predicting that Wanyan Guangzhi would definitely make an example of him. Now, the Jurchens are fighting amongst themselves, and Wanyan Guangzhi is going to take action against Anchegu. Everything is under Song Yan's control."

"Perhaps, Song Yan had already planned all of this when he saw the wedding envoy appear in Xinhou County."

Jiao Junze let out a heavy sigh: "Although I consider myself a decent general, and I am no less capable than others in leading troops into battle, I am not as good as Song Yan in analyzing the situation, understanding people's hearts, and designing a series of interconnected plans."

"If Song Yan wants to deal with me, even if my soldiers increase several times over, I'm afraid they are no match for Song Yan."

The prince in purple robes was somewhat taken aback, his finger hovering over the page he was holding, which even stopped in mid-air: "Plotting something more than a month ago and then having internal strife in the Jurchens more than a month later? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

As he spoke, he lowered his eyes: "Perhaps, it's all just a coincidence?"

"Coincidence?" Jiao Junze chuckled. "That's a ruthless man who manipulated the Japanese pirates with ease, someone the civil officials and the Yang family both wanted to deal with, but not only could they not solve the problem, they suffered continuous losses. At that level, every word he said and every action he took had a profound meaning. How could it be explained by mere coincidence?"

The prince in purple robes nodded and said, "That's true."

Having grown accustomed to intrigue and backstabbing, I always feel that nothing in this world is as simple as it seems.

“Like this time, extorting five million from the Kong family may seem like just greed, but there must be a deeper meaning behind it. Perhaps he also has the idea of ​​subduing the Kong family... However, as far as I know, Song Yan has no good feelings towards aristocratic families. Perhaps he is plotting something again. Maybe his target is not the Kong family at all, but the eight great families of Jin.”

The prince in purple raised an eyebrow: "The Eight Great Families of Jin? If they were united, they would be a force that even the Yang family would find troublesome. Isn't he afraid of losing his teeth?"

“If it were someone else, I wouldn’t believe it, but if it’s Song Yan, it’s really possible. I’ve investigated and analyzed everything Song Yan has done in detail. His greatest skill is striking in places that no one can imagine or think is impossible, and then killing them with one blow.”

"Even if he wants to cooperate with me this time, it's definitely not because of a lack of troops. After all, this guy is best at winning with fewer troops."

"Moreover, he pointed out from the very beginning that I have someone backing me."

"So, Song Yan isn't seeking cooperation with me, but rather with the person behind me, which is... Your Highness."

Jiao Junze let out a heavy sigh: "I think Song Yan already knows of your existence, Your Highness."

"This credit is practically free to me. I think Song Yan's purpose is to establish a good relationship with Your Highness."

"Perhaps there are other purposes, but that's beyond my comprehension."

The prince in purple robes let out a soft sigh.

He was a sixteen-year-old kid. He didn't believe that Song Yan was so scheming before, but after Jiao Junze's analysis, he found it to be damn reasonable.

He rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Are all kids these days so prodigious?"

He was a prince who, in the eyes of ordinary people, spent his days traveling, cultivating immortality, and refining elixirs, neglecting his duties. He himself did not understand what was so important about him that Song Yan should value.

Could it be that Song Yan saw through everything he was planning? If so, then Song Yan is not just a prodigy, he is a prodigy among prodigies.

"So, according to you, how should we deal with Song Yan?"

Jiao Junze pondered for a moment: "It would be best to win him over. If we have to eliminate him, we must be absolutely certain. We must be prepared with two, three, or even dozens of options. Once we make a move, we must kill him with one blow. We must not give Song Yan a chance to live, otherwise it will be a nightmare of endless revenge."

The prince in purple robes thought for a moment. Given his current situation, taking action would be somewhat troublesome, so he could only try to win him over.
"So what does he like?"

"money."

"another."

The prince in purple robes waved his hand without hesitation, saying that asking for money was impossible, not even a single coin.

"woman."

This is alright.

"Preferably a woman older than him..."

The prince in purple robes blinked. Sure enough, talented people in this world often have rather unusual hobbies... For example, some people like jade feet.

But he only has one daughter.

……

It snowed lightly for several days in a row, so Song Yan stayed at home for two days.

Occasionally, one could see Gu Banxia, ​​Kong Chan, and other maids, as well as Yang Siyao and Bu Yu, hurrying around the governor's mansion, with snowflakes falling on their shoulders and hair.

It's almost the end of the year.

Ultimately, it's quite a busy time.

The pavilions and terraces of Langyuan Garden are covered in snow.

They walked out from the snow, wearing long dresses that were either snow-white, pale red, or emerald green. Even though they were dressed quite warmly, their graceful figures were still evident.

These days, the ladies of the court are the real ladies. They are quite different from those rich and generous livestreamers on Douyin who wear what look like ancient costumes but want to show off their chests and legs. The exposed skin of those women seems to be covered with the words "Give me money."

The women in the courtyard seemed to have stepped out of a traditional Chinese ink painting. They were busy at work, and every now and then a clear laugh could be heard. When they took a break, they would gently pat their clothes, and snowflakes would fall softly.

At this moment, Song Yan, who understood the profound meaning behind every word and action of Jiao Junze, sat down on the ground under the eaves.

With his back against the wall, he stood with two mischievous little girls beside him.
"That Laozi actually threw Sun Wukong into the alchemy furnace and burned him. What a villain."

"But isn't Laozi a very powerful deity in heaven? How come he couldn't do anything to a monkey and even had his golden pill eaten by the monkey? Is he afraid of Sun Wukong's master, the Grape Ancestor...?"

Then came the clear voices of two little girls, telling the story of Journey to the West, which had progressed from Sun Wukong immobilizing the seven fairies to Laozi throwing Sun Wukong into his alchemy furnace. The two little girls were quite disappointed that Sun Wukong only cared about eating peaches after immobilizing the seven fairies, feeling that such behavior was really beneath the dignity of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Seeing the two little girls' expressions, Song Yan smiled and said, "What do you know? Sun Wukong did kick over the alchemy furnace and eat the golden pills... but how many he ate was entirely up to Laozi. If he said a thousand, then it was a thousand; if he said ten thousand, then it was ten thousand..."

Luo Caiyi clapped her hands excitedly: "I understand. Laozi is an official in heaven. He has to listen to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor is like an emperor. If the Jade Emperor tells him to refine pills, he has to refine pills. If he doesn't refine enough pills, he will be punished. It's also possible that he doesn't want to give the Jade Emperor the golden pills he has worked so hard to refine, so he says that Sun Wukong ate them."

"That way, he can hide the golden elixir and still report back to the Jade Emperor. I understand, I understand. I occasionally hear some of the Luo family's managers say that this is called balancing the accounts."

puff.

Not far away, a cool and beautiful girl holding a sword in her arms couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Like a snow lotus in bloom, it is exceptionally beautiful.

Luo Tianxuan, standing beside her, glared at her husband with annoyance, as if blaming him for corrupting the child.

Song Yan felt deeply wronged by such slander. How could he have taught them this? These two little girls clearly figured it out on their own.

Before we knew it, night had fallen, and one by one, the lights of torches lit up from the winding courtyard. The deep red glow swayed gently in the night breeze, giving the darkness a touch of antiquity.

Song Yan stretched and turned to look at Luo Tianxuan: "Wife!"

"Ok?"

"I'm going out tonight."

Luo Tianxuan gently bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth, without asking Song Yan what she was going to do: "How long?"

"If things go quickly, it will take seven or eight days; if things go slowly, it will take ten days or more." Song Yan tilted his head. "I should be able to come back before the Lantern Festival."

"Safe travels."

"Yes, I will!"

(End of this chapter)