Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 308 My sister-in-law might be angry (1)

The night was as black as lacquer, and the stars on the eaves were as numerous as millet grains!
Snow covered the wilderness, and heaven and earth seemed to freeze.

Only the charcoal emitted a faint crackling sound in the copper furnace.

Song Yan, who was about to take off her clothes and go to sleep, paused, then turned around and relit the candle on the table.

In those days, the oil used in oil lamps was mostly fish oil, beef tallow, or mutton tallow. The moment the flame flickered, a wisp of gray-black smoke could be seen drifting upwards.

There's also a strange smell; it doesn't smell very good.

Song Yan didn't complain. After all, this wasn't modern times, and there were no incandescent bulbs. Moreover, even oil lamps like these weren't something ordinary people could afford; they were more like a luxury item.

There was a pot of water on the table, so Song Yan poured himself a glass and drank it; it was a little cold.

However, this refreshing sensation also made Song Yan's mind clearer, and his weariness gradually faded away.

The lights were a bit brighter, and Song Yan looked up to see a slender figure standing in front of her, the flickering light illuminating a face that was sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

This is Qingluan, the captain of the seventh squad of the Imperial City Division, the "Human" rank.

The people that Emperor Ninghe assigned to Song Yan were meant to help him gather intelligence and collect information, which Song Yan saw as a way to monitor him.

I didn't feel dissatisfied.

Emperors are always suspicious; just don't be like Chongzhen.

To be honest, I can't quite remember what Qingluan looks like anymore. I just remember that she often dressed as a man and was quite handsome when she was dressed as a scholar or young master.

Furthermore, although Qingluan's body is slender, her pectoral muscles are quite exaggerated.

"Please sit down," Song Yan said, placing the teapot on the stove. At this time, most teapots were made of copper, so there was no need to worry about them getting burned.

The blue phoenix remained motionless.

The Imperial City Guards were all palace maids, and some were eunuchs.

The hierarchy was strict, and the rules were deeply ingrained in people's minds. Sitting down was out of the question; there was no reason for a servant to sit down in front of his master.

Song Yan didn't press the matter: "You haven't appeared for a long time since you left last time. I thought you wouldn't come back."

Qingluan did not answer, but stared intently at Song Yan.

That look left Song Yan speechless.

Okay, here comes a guy who doesn't understand jokes: "Never mind, when did you get back?"

"My master ordered Qingluan and the members of the Seventh Squad to investigate the matter of Prince Fu and the Eight Great Families of Jin. Currently, Qingluan and the members of the Seventh Squad have left the Imperial City Guard and cannot obtain support from it, so the intelligence gathering is a bit slow. A few days ago, after obtaining some information, Qingluan returned to Pingyang Prefecture and learned that my master had gone to Haixi, so she went to Xinhou County to wait." Qingluan finally spoke, her voice revealing a routine indifference.

After what happened last time, Qingluan had figured out how to deal with this new master... that is, not to let her emotions fluctuate in response to anything he said, otherwise she might be teased. Moreover, it was best not to provoke Song Yan, who was a ruthless killer.

Moreover, after a month apart, the killing intent emanating from him seemed to have intensified.

This trip to the Haixi Jurchens must have involved a lot of killings.

She had gone to the outskirts of the city and heard that this new master had a penchant for building mounds of human heads, and these heads were specially sent back by him. She hadn't counted them exactly, but just seeing the scene of heads piled up like mountains made her scalp tingle.

This is what it means to kill without blinking an eye.

Song Yan didn't mind Qingluan's indifference, as long as she could bring back intelligence. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Night Watchmen had been established, they were still in their infancy. Not only were their numbers too small, but their experience and ability in intelligence gathering were also severely lacking. In addition, the Prince of Fu was extremely mysterious, so they couldn't get any useful information out of him.

Even among the eight great families of Jin, the Embroidered Uniform Guard only managed to infiltrate one of them, with only one person, and he was just a low-ranking servant, making it difficult for him to obtain useful intelligence.

As for Qingluan's statement that she had completely broken away from the Imperial City Guard, Song Yan just laughed it off and didn't take it seriously: "What have you found out about Prince Fu? What is Prince Fu's wife's name?"

Clearly, Qingluan had already prepared her answer, and she did not hesitate when replying: "The Prince of Fu is just like the legend says. He enjoys traveling and sightseeing, and spends most of his time traveling around Ningguo, visiting famous mountains and rivers, visiting various Taoist temples, and seeking advice on cultivation and alchemy. There is nothing unusual about him."

"As for Princess Fu, her surname is Kong and her given name is Nianhan."

Is Kong Nianhan cold?

"Is Princess Fu related to the Kong family in Jin?"

Qingluan shook her head: "Princess Fu has no relation to the Kong family in Jin, but she is related to the Kong family in Lu."

Song Yan slowly raised her head, her brows furrowing.

The Kong family in Lu is the hometown of Confucius.

The Confucius Mansion and Confucius Cemetery, where the grand sacrificial ceremony for the most holy Duke Wen is held, are also located here.

Although the Duke Yansheng did not hold an official position, he held an extremely prestigious position among scholars throughout the land. His mere status as a descendant of Confucius was enough to exert a great influence on scholars in the Central Plains. Forming a marriage alliance with the Duke Yansheng would be a great help to the Prince of Fu, making it much easier for him to do whatever he wanted.

Why did Prince Fu not only not announce the identity of his princess, but even deliberately conceal it? If it weren't for Qingluan's investigation, even Song Yan would not have known.

No wonder, the previous investigation into whether the Princess Consort of Fu was related to the Kong family in Jin yielded nothing; it turns out they weren't related at all. Song Yan pondered for a while before asking again, "There are rumors that the Kong family in Jin is a branch of the Duke Yansheng. Is that true?"

"It's fake. The only connection between the Kong family in Jin and the Kong family of the Duke of Yansheng is that they both have the surname Kong. Apart from that, they have no blood relation whatsoever."

"Is it simply that the Kong family of Jin wants to curry favor with the Duke Yansheng in order to make it easier to do business? So they deliberately spread rumors that the Kong family of Jin and the Kong family of the Duke Yansheng are related?"

“No.” Qingluan shook her head again: “According to the intelligence we have, it’s quite the opposite.”

Song Yan made a slightly strange sound in his throat: "Huh?"

"Why?"

Song Yan was indeed acting rather strangely.

Putting aside the shame of hereditary surrender, the lineage of the Duke Yansheng is undeniably the cradle of literary talent in the Central Plains, arguably the foremost family in the land. Although they hold no official positions in the court, most civil officials throughout the land give the Kong family members some respect. Why would such a family actively promote the connection between the Kong family of Jin and the lineage of the Duke Yansheng? Surely they're not after the money of the Kong family of Jin?

Surely not. Throughout history, the lineage of the Duke Yansheng has been exempt from taxes. Whether it was Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of the Wu Dynasty, or Emperor Taizu of the Ningguo Dynasty, they all bestowed great rewards upon the Kong family at the beginning of their reigns. The Kong family owned tens of thousands of acres of land. Although they could not compare to wealthy merchants, it was impossible for them to be short of money.

Qingluan seemed a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, Master, we don't yet know the specific purpose of the Duke Yansheng's lineage."

"Then continue the investigation."

"Yes!"

"Any news from the eight major Shanxi merchants?" Song Yan asked again.

The information on this matter seemed a bit complicated. After thinking for a moment, Qingluan spoke again: "The so-called Eight Great Merchants of Shanxi are simply because these eight merchants all came from Shanxi. However, their businesses have now spread throughout the entire Ningguo region."

"For example, the Fan and Kong families traded with the Jurchens, the Qiao, Chang, and Cao families had close ties with the Xiongnu, the Hou family frequently traveled between the Chu and Ning states, and the Qu and Kang families made peace with the Zhao state."

A black line appeared on Song Yan's forehead. Well, they were all traitors who betrayed their country, not one of them was left out.

"The Eight Great Families of Jin have existed for quite some time now. Haven't the emperors of all these years paid any attention to them?" Song Yan asked curiously.

Qingluan's expression was indifferent: "The Eight Great Families have powerful backers."

"Who?"

"Egret Academy".

"That's not surprising."

Song Yan nodded. It seemed that Bailu Academy had existed since the time of Emperor Taizu of Ningguo, and every year it sent a large number of scholars to the court. You could say that these scholars were not good people, but you have to admit that Bailu Academy's teaching level was indeed very high. It was able to suppress the Imperial Academy, Xilin Academy and other powerful families and noble scions in the imperial examination. That was its ability.

For over a hundred years, more than thirty top scholars have emerged, half of whom came from Bailu Academy.

Over the course of more than a hundred years, it has long since become a force capable of influencing the political situation in the imperial court.

With such a powerful backer, the eight great families of Jin could do business almost anywhere without any obstacles, until they encountered a hothead like Song Yan.

These merchants were clever; they all knew to support their own spokespeople in the imperial court.

The eight great families of Shanxi established Bailu Academy, while smaller merchants from other regions supported the establishment of Xilin Academy.

This time, the person appointed by the imperial court to replace him as the prefect of Pingyang was from Bailu Academy... Song Yan became even more determined not to let this person arrive in Pingyang Prefecture alive.

Given the temperament of the eight great families of Jin and Bailu Academy, once the technology of thunderclap bombs and steelmaking is discovered, it will probably spread throughout the Central Plains in no time. Perhaps even the Xiongnu on the northern grasslands will be able to use thunderclap bombs.

For these merchants, they are willing to sell anything as long as there is enough profit.

Song Yan then tapped the table: "Arrange for someone to investigate Sun Hao. I need to know his age, appearance, build, and the time and route he took to Pingyang Prefecture. If there is any news, notify me immediately."

Qingluan narrowed her eyes slightly: "Yes."

"One last message: it's time to clean up the officials in Pingyang City."

Song Yan frowned.

Qingluan smiled and said, "There's nothing I can do; the Fan family gave us just too much."

"Tomorrow evening, at Guyang Tower, the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner of Pingyang Prefecture and the Commandant of Guandu."

After giving the final information, Qingluan retreated silently, disappearing from the house with a gust of night wind.

call!
Song Yan knew that officials could embezzle and be corrupt, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Hey, I clearly didn't want to kill anyone.

Song Yan pursed her lips, walked over and closed the window. She had reminded Qingluan last time that she could use the door, but it seemed she hadn't listened.

After stretching his arms, Song Yan lay down on the bed. Although he had received a lot of information tonight, his excitement only lasted for a short time. What about Prince Fu, Sun Hao, and corrupt officials? There would be plenty of time to deal with them later. Right now, the most important thing for him was... to sleep.

He was really exhausted.

I slept very, very soundly.

When I opened my eyes the next day, it was already noon.

He stretched, his bones cracking, and he felt completely relaxed. When Song Yan opened the door, he saw Nakhtoya in the next room. Nakhtoya had changed into a Han Chinese woman's ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

In winter, when people wear thicker clothes, their fit figures can appear slightly bulky.

Nakhtoya seemed somewhat unaccustomed to Han Chinese clothing, as the buttons on her chest were a little crooked.

At this moment, she was holding a toothbrush in one hand and a ceramic cup in the other, with tooth powder in front of her. Her eyes were blank. Although she had listened to Song Yan's advice yesterday and asked Xue Ying for these things, she still didn't know how to use them.

Toothbrushes and tooth powder were extremely rare items for the Jurchen people.

After all, this kind of thing hasn't been widely adopted even in the Central Plains. It's only affordable for officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants. The vast majority of ordinary people still use things like willow twigs and coarse salt to clean their teeth.

The Jurchens were the same; they mostly used twigs or thatch to clean their mouths. Toothbrushes and tooth powder were not like strong liquor or cast iron, and they were expensive to produce. Therefore, few Jurchen tribes traded toothbrushes. Even Nakhtoya, as a princess, was seeing one for the first time.

She was clearly a fit and beautiful mature woman, but her current dazed look was kind of cute. Song Yan smiled and walked over with her toothbrush. Hearing the footsteps and seeing Song Yan, Nakhtoya panicked a little, and her cheeks turned slightly red, perhaps because she was a little embarrassed.

Song Yan didn't say anything, but simply put down the toothbrush, picked up the belt that was placed next to him, and reached it towards Nakhtoya's waist.

Such an action was somewhat reckless.

Nakhtoya panicked and tried to dodge, but ultimately remained stiff and motionless, watching helplessly as Song Yan wrapped the strange, long piece of cloth around her waist and tied a knot. Her previously slightly plump figure immediately revealed a slender waist, making her chest and hips appear even more curvaceous.

Then he moved his fingers up and fastened the crooked buttons on Nakhtoya's chest one by one. He then took two steps back and looked at Nakhtoya's current appearance. The red dress was quite bright and suited Nakhtoya's temperament. He nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad. You look much better now."

Then, ignoring Nakhtoya's slightly flushed cheeks, he picked up his toothbrush, filled a cup with water, wet it, and began brushing his mouth.

Nakhtoya puffed out her cheeks and silently imitated Song Yan's actions, dipping her teeth in tooth powder. The rough animal hair scraped against her gums and mouth, which was a little uncomfortable, but it was still much better than the tree branches.

Although the people of the Central Plains were physically weak, their inventions were truly unmatched by the Jurchens.

The Jurchens' favorite pastimes were mostly drinking and eating meat, and when they had nothing to do, they would gather in groups of three or five to wrestle. They had neither the inclination nor the energy to invent these little things.

After rinsing her mouth like Song Yan did, Nakhtoya felt much lighter in her mouth.

"We're heading back to Pingyang Prefecture today, you should come with me," Song Yan said after washing up.

Today is the eighth day of the lunar month.

I need to report to Dongling before the Lantern Festival, and I must set off no later than tomorrow.

Nakhtoya panicked. Although her father had over seventy women, Nakhtoya knew that these women were not of equal status. Her mother, her father's first wife, held absolute authority among them.

She even frequently witnessed her mother punishing her father for other women.

I wonder what kind of woman Song Yan's wife is, and whether she will be whipped?
Song Yan was quite normal and not worried at all. He could tell that Luo Tianxuan never cared that he had other women. It wasn't that she didn't love him. He also found it hard to describe the feeling. It was as if... as long as he took a fancy to something, no matter what it was or even a woman, Luo Tianxuan would do everything she could to send it to him.

And then there's Luo Yuheng. After all, she's been calling her "Mother" for so long, so it's necessary to inform her about this.

Of course, Song Yan wouldn't take advantage of Luo Tianxuan's tolerance to act recklessly.

The only thing I'm worried about is my sister-in-law, Luo Tianyi... Although this matter probably has nothing to do with Luo Tianyi at all, he gets angry when there are too many women around him.

Thinking back to when Yang Siyao, Kong Xiyan, and even Fang Hai wanted to arrange a marriage, Luo Tianyi's extremely cold expression and aloof gaze kept everyone at arm's length.

A thought suddenly popped into Song Yan's mind:
Could it be that Luo Tianyi has feelings for her brother-in-law?
(End of this chapter)