Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 311 You're Forcing Me to Kill (1)

The wind was quite strong on the roof, blowing loudly.

Song Yan sat quietly on the roof tile, her eyes peering through a small hole at the figures inside the guest room, and the voices of the three people talking clearly reached her ears.

Fan Youzhi was originally trying to instigate Sun Zheng and Wei Liangfang, attempting to bribe them and then use their power to facilitate the Fan family's smuggling activities. Song Yan didn't quite understand why the topic suddenly turned to Luo Tianyi, but now he knew he was very angry.

Cold eyes stared at Wei Liangfang through a small hole in the roof, as if he were looking at a dead man.

Luo Tianyi, standing beside him, seemed to be in a state of confusion. She glanced at Song Yan discreetly, and seeing Song Yan's cold expression, she pursed her lips and said, "I don't know him."

The voice is very soft.

Song Yan heard it very clearly and nodded slightly.

Inside the private room, Wei Liang looked somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't expected Fan Youzhi to have investigated his affairs so thoroughly, even knowing his little schemes with Luo Tianyi. He coughed and said, "Ahem, Mr. Fan, you're joking. She's a high and mighty princess, how could an insignificant official like me possibly covet her?"

Sitting opposite him was Fan Youzhi, whose name was much more normal than his cousins ​​Fan Youqian, Fan Youjin, and Fan Youcai. Although he was slightly plump, he was quite handsome. He just smiled and said, "A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman. Even Confucius said, 'Food and sex are human nature!'"

"It's perfectly normal to have feelings for a beautiful woman when you meet her. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Wei Liangfang and Sun Zheng both had strange expressions. After a few breaths, Wei Liangfang explained somewhat awkwardly, "Mr. Fan, the saying 'food and sex are human nature' is not from Confucius, but from Mencius. Confucius said that food and sex are the greatest desires of humankind, which is meant to illustrate the importance of the needs for survival and reproduction, but he did not directly equate them with sex."

Fan Youzhi slapped his forehead, looking embarrassed: "Oh dear, look at my brain. I've read half a book in my life, yet I still dared to show off in front of two talented people. I've really made a fool of myself. Please don't take offense."

Wei Liangfang and Sun Zheng shook their heads repeatedly, saying they dared not, but their expressions still carried a hint of smugness. Although the Fan family was wealthy, they were ultimately just merchants, not respectable enough to compare with scholars like themselves.

A sense of elation began to rise within me.

Fan Youzhi held the wine glass between his fingers, gently rubbing it, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "However, in my opinion, although Luo Tianyi is good-looking, he is ultimately not a good match for Brother Wei."

Wei Liangfang hurriedly waved his hand: "Brother Fan, be careful what you say, be careful what you say. The Second Miss is a member of the royal family, and we can't just make things up about her in private."

Fan Youzhi chuckled and said, "Don't worry, you two. I have people guarding the stairwell entrance. What we say today is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me. It will never reach a fourth person's ears."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Youzhi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his body shivered, and his expression became slightly strange. He glanced around but saw nothing unusual, so he said again, "Brother Wei just mentioned imperial relatives... Actually, Luo Tianyi can't be considered an imperial relative. Apart from Luo Tianxuan and Luo Tianshu, all the other children in the Princess's mansion are adopted and have no blood relation to the royal family. How can she be considered an imperial relative?"

"Moreover, Luo Tianyi dislikes needlework and prefers swordsmanship and spear fighting. She is quite vulgar. When Song Yan married into the Luo family, Luo Tianyi had to stand in for her sister during the wedding ceremony, thus losing her chastity. If Brother Wei were to marry such a woman, it would be a disgrace."

Luo Tianyi had been in Pingyang Prefecture for some time, but she rarely went out and rarely showed her face. Only officials like Wei Liangfang had the opportunity to see her when they went to the governor's mansion to report on their work. When Wei Liangfang first saw Luo Tianyi, he was amazed by her beauty. He couldn't imagine that there was such a beautiful woman in the world. Her aloof temperament was like that of Chang'e in the moon palace.

From that moment on, Wei Liang had an impulse to make this woman his wife.

However, the fact that Luo Tianyi had once stood in for her sister to perform the wedding ceremony with Song Yan made Wei Liangfang somewhat uncomfortable. Although it was only a ceremony and not the wedding night, it still felt like a thorn in his side. But considering Luo Tianyi's status and the help that Princess Luo Yuheng could bring to his career, Wei Liangfang decided to endure it.

Now that Fan Youzhi had brought it up, Wei Liangfang's expression suddenly darkened.

Fan Youzhi didn't care about any of that and laughed: "In my opinion, Brother Wei is so young, yet he has already become the Commandant of Pingyang Prefecture. Although it is only a seventh-rank official position, considering Brother Wei's age, his future is definitely limitless. If a woman like Luo Tianyi, who has lost her chastity, were to become his wife, it might become a stain on Brother Wei's reputation when he rises to prominence in the future."

Wei Liangfang felt that what Fan Youzhi said made a lot of sense.

Although society is more open now, there is a growing trend of conservatism among intellectuals.

Wei Liangfang couldn't help but fantasize. If, years later, he became a high-ranking official, or even a Grand Secretary, the Grand Secretary, or the Grand Chancellor, and people mentioned his wife with the comment, "Your wife has been married to another man," that would be terrible. After all, he was an extremely outstanding scholar. If it weren't for those shameless scoundrels from Xilin Academy who had suppressed him, he would probably have already risen rapidly through the ranks, and becoming a marquis or prime minister would be just around the corner. Thinking about it this way, perhaps Luo Tianyi, a fake member of the imperial family, was truly unworthy of his status.

Although Brother Fan is a businessman, he has a keen eye and can see his talent and future. That Princess is also short-sighted. Such a talented person was only assigned to a position like Guanduwei, which is dispensable to Pingyang Prefecture. You should know that his initial goal was a high position like Sima or Zhizhou.

Wei Liangfang picked up his wine glass and took another big gulp. He pursed his lips, wondering if it was just his imagination, but the room seemed to be getting colder and colder. After finishing the entire pot of wine, his face was flushed, and his head was spinning. He shook his head vigorously before turning to Fan Youzhi: "Brother Fan, I think what you said makes a lot of sense. But I wonder, in your opinion, what should I choose?"

Seeing Wei Liangfang's appearance, Sun Zheng, the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner beside him, frowned. This fool has really made his brain stupid from studying. People just praised him a few times, and he thinks he's someone important. He doesn't even know his own worth. He barely passed the imperial examinations three times in a row and only managed to become a Xiucai. Does he really think he can become a marquis or prime minister?

She even started looking down on Luo Tianyi. Perhaps that second young lady has no idea who you are.

Fan Youzhi shrugged slightly, picked up a piece of rabbit meat and stuffed it into his mouth: "Luo Qingyi, Luo Caiyi... although they are a bit young, it's not like there aren't any girls who got married at such a young age."

Damn it, what a beast!

My two little sisters-in-law will only be eleven years old after the New Year.

On the rooftop, Song Yan's face had turned ashen.

Wei Liangfang was also somewhat taken aback, but thinking about Luo Caiyi, although Luo Qingyi was still young, she was very beautiful, and when she grew up, she might not be inferior to Luo Tianyi.

"Brother Wei, do you really think that Song Yan's current status, his position as Earl and Prefect of Pingyang, is entirely due to his own abilities? To put it bluntly, it's because the Eldest Princess is supporting this son-in-law. Without the Eldest Princess's support, even if Song Yan had great abilities, he would never have risen to prominence and would have remained a peasant for life."

Wei Liangfang nodded emphatically. To be honest, he looked down on and was extremely jealous of Song Yan. In Wei Liangfang's opinion, Song Yan had just gotten lucky and latched onto Luo Yuheng's coattails, which led to his meteoric rise to fame.

Is he said to be a good military commander?
Who would believe that? How could a son of a concubine, imprisoned in the Duke's mansion since childhood, possibly lead troops? It must be someone arranged by Luo Yuheng to assist him, and in the end, Song Yan's name would be attached to the story.

He's said to be able to write poetry?
Did a few of these poems actually survive?

But who can guarantee that he really wrote it?

It's also possible that Luo Yuheng paid someone to write it in order to make his son-in-law famous.

Why should an uneducated illegitimate son have such a good opportunity? Why should he, after studying hard for more than ten years, only be a seventh-rank military officer?

Whenever Wei Liang thought of these things, he felt so jealous he wanted to go crazy.

As for his position as Commandant Guan, it was only after Song Yan dealt with more than a hundred officials in Pingyang City that he was able to take the position, but Wei Liangfang selectively forgot about it.

Sun Zheng continued eating slowly, without saying a word. Unlike Wei Liangfang, who was foolish enough to be swayed by a few flattering words, he wanted something more substantial.

Seeing Wei Liang's expression, Fan Youzhi continued, "If Brother Wei marries Luo Caiyi or Luo Qingyi, I think the Princess will also provide you with support, and in the future, you may not be as good as Song Yan."

"But she is the eldest princess."

"His Majesty's own sister, Brother Wei, wishes to marry the daughter of the Eldest Princess. How much do you think the betrothal gifts should be prepared?"

"I've heard that when Song Yan married into the Luo family, the princess gave him a dowry worth over 100,000 taels of silver."

"Brother Wei, can you come up with this money?"

Wei Liang's face suddenly stiffened. In this day and age, it's impossible to afford to go to school without some family wealth.

However, Wei Liangfang was not from a wealthy family. If he had such a background, he wouldn't have been suppressed by Xilin Academy. He came from a moderately wealthy family. He had no problem studying, but he was far from qualified to marry the daughter of the eldest princess.

Tens of thousands of taels of silver?
That was a number that Wei Liangfang wouldn't even dare to dream of.

These people always like to beat around the bush when they talk about things, and after so much time, they finally got back to the point. Seeing Wei Liangfang's expression, Fan Youzhi's smile deepened. He reached into his pocket, pulled out two silver notes, placed them on the table, and pushed them in front of the two men. The notes were worth ten thousand taels of silver.

Wei Liangfang's breathing suddenly became rapid, and even Sun Zheng next to him narrowed his eyes into slits. He had no interest in women. As long as he held a high enough official position, he could have any woman he wanted.
He prefers things that are substantial.

And banknotes are such things.

As expected of the Fan family, they readily offered 20,000 taels of silver; they are indeed wealthy.

"I'm not afraid to tell you both that the trade route with the Jurchens is extremely profitable," Fan Youzhi said with a smile. "If you two are willing to do me a favor, my Fan family is willing to give you a reward of ten thousand taels of silver for each trade trip. What do you two think?"

Wei Liangfang and Sun Zheng both felt their saliva secretion increasing and their throats moving.

Ten thousand at a time.

If he came more than ten times a year, wouldn't he be able to gather enough betrothal gifts to marry Luo Qingyi and Luo Caiyi? He might even be able to take Luo Tianyi as a concubine at the same time, since Luo Tianyi is indeed very beautiful.

Swallowing hard, Wei Liangfang finally couldn't resist and slowly reached out to grab the silver note that belonged to him.

Although Sun Zheng was also greedy for the money, after all, although he was not fond of women, he still had the desire to climb the social ladder. To climb the ladder, political achievements alone were not enough; one also needed money to pull strings at all levels. However, compared to Wei Liangfang, he had more self-control and struggled to look away from the banknotes: "Mr. Fan, I'll say it again: Song Yan is still alive and will be returning to Pingyang soon. As long as he is in Pingyang, I will not stamp that document."

The news of Song Yan's return had already spread far and wide through the mouths of the patrolling soldiers, and Sun Zheng had also heard about it. The image of Qian Yaozu being groomed sent chills down Sun Zheng's spine; he would absolutely never do such a thing under Song Yan's nose.

“He’s about to leave; as the prefect, he must return to the capital to report on his duties,” Fan Youzhi said.

Wei Liang was getting anxious and kept giving Sun Zheng meaningful glances. If Sun Zheng disagreed, the deal would fall through, and he might have to return the ten thousand taels. But Sun Zheng ignored him: "But he will come back."

"Don't worry, he won't be coming back." Fan Youzhi's lips curled into a smile: "The court has already arranged a new prefect of Pingyang, who is on his way and should arrive in Pingyang Prefecture in a few days."

"I'm not afraid to tell you both that this newly arrived governor of Dingzhou is also a close friend of my Fan family."

call.

Sun Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat at ease. He knew that Fan Youzhi wouldn't joke about such a thing, and a smile finally appeared on his face. He slowly stretched out his hand, which he had been forcibly controlling: "If that's the case, then that would be for the best. But I'm a little curious, since the new governor is about to arrive, why is Mr. Fan in such a hurry?"

Fan Youzhi chuckled and said, "I'm not afraid to let you two know that the Fan family has always maintained contact with the Jurchens. According to the intelligence we have, Song Yan burned down the royal court and destroyed a large amount of grain. The Jurchens are currently facing a food shortage."

“Our business partners have made it clear that if we can ship the grain over at this time, they are willing to triple the previous price.”

Fan Youzhi sighed, his face full of sorrow and compassion: "It's not that I'm greedy for this little bit of money!"

“The Jurchens are human too. Song Yan’s indiscriminate slaughter may seem satisfying, but it is too cruel. The southward raids were not the Jurchens’ original intention. They just wanted some food. What’s wrong with that?”

"Heaven cherishes life; we can't just stand by and watch them starve to death, can we?"

Fan Youzhi and Sun Zheng then bowed in unison and said, "Good!"

When he withdrew his hand, he also took back the silver notes on the table.

At this point, the deal was done.

Just then... boom...

A loud bang came from overhead.

The next instant, broken tiles, along with fine dust, fell from above.

Inside the guest room, the three who had just completed their deal, before they could even wipe the smiles off their faces, instinctively looked up and met a pair of cold, indifferent eyes:

"Sun Zheng".

"Wei Liangfang".

Why force me to kill someone?

In an instant, Sun Zheng and Wei Liangfang felt a chill run through their bodies, and their faces turned ashen.

It’s over.

It's all over!
(End of this chapter)