Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 312 Then Kill Him and Let His Head Roll (7,000 words)
It’s over.

It's all over.

The moment Wei Liangfang saw Song Yan, his body trembled instantly, his face turned deathly pale, and his wide eyes were filled with lingering fear. That face was all too familiar. Back when the executions were carried out at Caishikou in Pingyang City, Song Yan had coldly watched as 132 officials and their families were beheaded, and had watched helplessly as iron claws were used to clean Qian Yaozu's body.

Each time she washes herself, she brings down strips of half-cooked meat.

Every time he washed and groomed, it triggered Qian Yaozu's near-mad screams.

Even the most brutal tortures in the eighteen levels of hell are no more severe than this.

Wei Liangfang was surrounded by a huge crowd, with countless people watching the execution. A large portion of them fled because they could not bear the visual and mental torment, and some even lay on the ground and vomited uncontrollably.

Song Yan, on the other hand, remained indifferent throughout, showing almost no emotion whatsoever.

Since then, almost all officials in Pingyang City have developed a deep-seated fear of Song Yan.

As long as Song Yan is in Pingyang City, no one will dare to do anything wrong.

It was during this time that Song Yan left Pingyang City, and only then did they dare to meet with the Fan family. Who would have thought that Song Yan would actually return at this time?

Even more unexpectedly, Song Yan appeared on the rooftop.

Looking at the hole in the roof, it's likely that Song Yan overheard their entire conversation.

The mere thought of that torture made both of them feel like their scalps were about to explode, and they even felt an urge to cry out loud, especially Sun Zheng, who at this moment wished he could chop off his own hands. Despite enduring so much for so long and thinking so much, he still managed to reach out and grab that silver note that was like a death sentence.

Why couldn't he withstand the test?
Previously, Wei Liangfang, who had dreamed of marrying Luo Qingyi and Luo Caiyi, and even looked down on Luo Tianyi and planned to make Luo Tianyi his concubine, suddenly felt his legs go weak and knelt on the ground with a thud. He sobered up, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face and fell to the ground, just like his delusions, shattering.

The more excited and daring I was when I was envisioning the future, the more afraid I am now.

Fan Youzhi, though his brows were furrowed, remained relatively calm. He glanced at Song Yan above him, then at Luo Tianyi behind Song Yan, and a dark line appeared on his forehead.

Damn.

I just said some bad things about her, so I wonder if she'll pull out a sword and attack someone?

With that thought in mind, Fan Youzhi took a deep breath and cupped his hands towards the roof: "So it's the Prefect and the Second Miss. I greet you."

Fan Youzhi was just a businessman with no official rank or title, so it wouldn't be a problem for him to call himself a nobody.

As they were talking, the three guards who had been standing guard outside the door and up the stairs heard the commotion inside the room. They quickly entered the guest room and saw the two people on the roof.

Swish.

Driven by the instinct to protect their master, the three instinctively drew their curved swords from their waists.

Fan Youzhi's expression changed, and he was about to stop them when Song Yan's lips curled into a cold smile: "They drew their swords in front of the governor, intending to assassinate him. Kill them."

As soon as the words fell, a cold glint flashed in Luo Tianyi's beautiful eyes, and with a clang, the sword in her bosom was drawn, her slender hand lightly gripping the hilt.

She gently flicked her pale wrist.

A sword cry resounded through the sky.

The sword's edge slashed downwards.

At the tip of the sword, sword energy spits out like a snake's tongue.

With a hiss, the roof of Guyang Tower was instantly sliced ​​open.

Large swathes of broken tiles and yellow earth, along with the crackling sound of roof beams falling to the ground.

What was once a perfectly good octagonal building was reduced to only half in an instant.

When Song Yan threw a punch earlier, the commotion had already attracted the attention of others. A large crowd had gathered on the street, including the diners who had been eating in the main hall of Guyang Tower. When Song Yan asked the manager earlier, these diners already knew that something big was happening. For them, the thing they liked to watch most in their spare time was the punishment of corrupt officials.

The governor is definitely a master in this regard, with a variety of creative and ingenious methods that always bring a different kind of excitement.

Even the shopkeeper, mingling among the onlookers, felt no pity at all when he saw the roof of Guyang Tower cleaved in half by a sword... As long as the governor could behead a few more corrupt officials, it wouldn't be a waste to have his entire Guyang Tower demolished, let alone just having the roof cleaved in half. Besides, while the governor was ruthless towards corrupt officials, he was truly kind to the common people.

He knew that the Fenglai Inn had been damaged because of the governor's actions, and the compensation he received was almost enough to rebuild the inn. In short, he would definitely not lose out.

As half of the third floor collapsed, two people dressed in official robes were exposed to the crowd, and rustling sounds could be heard from the crowd.

Looking down at the third floor, the three knife-wielding guards in front of Fan Youzhi were frozen in place, each with a crack on their head from which blood was gushing out. The invisible sword energy had already cut open their skulls, and their brains were now a mess. Only their eyes remained wide open, filled with lingering fear.

That sword energy was too fast and too sharp.

Even though they sensed the appearance of the sword energy, they were completely unable to dodge it.

A few breaths later, all three guards collapsed to the ground, no longer breathing.

Fan Youzhi's face darkened, his eyes becoming gloomy. He already knew that Song Yan was ruthless and arrogant, but he never expected her to be so arrogant. Knowing that he was a member of the Fan family, she showed him no respect and killed three of his guards right away.

On the roof, Song Yan clicked his tongue. The remaining half of the roof always gave him a feeling that it was about to collapse. He didn't expect that Luo Tianyi's skills had reached such a level. He felt that Luo Tianyi's skills had improved a lot compared to before. He was a little envious and wondered how long it would take for him to reach such a level.

Thinking this, Song Yan leaped and landed steadily on the third-floor floor. Luo Tianyi also floated down and, as usual, stood quietly beside Song Yan. With her there, no one could hurt her brother-in-law.

call.

Fan Youzhi let out a breath. Seeing his three guards killed, he did not lose control due to anger. He merely frowned and said, "Your Excellency, don't you think it's going too far to kill three of my men for no reason?"

“Drawing a sword at me, isn’t that an attempt to assassinate a high-ranking official? Was I wrong to kill him?” Song Yan raised an eyebrow and said coldly, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

Fan Youzhi paused slightly. That made sense, but normally people would exchange a few words before taking action. How could you do this, attacking someone right away?
Song Yan ignored Fan Youzhi and turned her gaze to Wei Liangfang and Sun Zheng opposite her: "What are your academic achievements?"

Sun Zheng let out a breath: "Reporting to Your Excellency, Scholar."

Wei Liangfang was the same; both of them were scholars.

"Why couldn't you pass the imperial examination? Is it because you didn't want to?" Song Yan's voice was calm and unhurried, yet it brought immense pressure to the two of them.

Sun Zheng swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. "Of course not. Brother Wei and I are certainly learned enough, but... the original Pingyang Prefecture Education Commissioner was also from Xilin Academy. The quota for Juren (successful candidates in the provincial examination) was taken up by students from Xilin Academy. Even though we are more talented, we still couldn't pass the exam."

"Normally, you need to pass the provincial examination to become a Juren, and then the imperial examination to become a Jinshi before you are qualified to become an official, right? And you usually start as a county magistrate or county lieutenant, which are of the eighth or ninth rank. Is that right?"

"That's it."

"You two are both seventh-rank officials now. According to the rules, only those who pass the palace examination and are ranked in the top three are qualified to start as seventh-rank officials. Is that right?"

Wei Liangfang was completely slumped on the ground, drooling without him even noticing. His eyes were glazed, and his face was ashen. He couldn't answer Song Yan's question at all. Only Sun Zheng mustered up the courage to say, "That's how it is."

"With your abilities, are you qualified to enter the palace examination?"

"No."

"You're quite honest." Song Yan nodded. "Now that I've eliminated Xilin Academy, a large number of official positions in Pingyang City are vacant. You scholars who were previously oppressed finally have the opportunity to become officials. I don't ask you to repay any kindness you've shown me, but is this how you serve as officials?"

Is the salary insufficient?

"The salary in Ningguo is quite generous, isn't it? A seventh-rank official receives fifty-two taels of silver per month, which is six hundred and twenty-four taels per year. Add to that the ice tribute, charcoal tribute, and various subsidies, and you should have a thousand taels of silver a year. Isn't that enough?"

Silver is a very durable currency.

An ordinary family of five would not spend more than one tael of silver per month, and about ten taels per year. A thousand taels of silver would be enough for about five hundred people to live on.

Officials during Zhu Yuanzhang's era would probably be drooling with envy at such a salary level.

"It's enough." Sun Zheng gradually calmed down.

"Then why be greedy for those ten thousand taels of silver?"

"Because I want to climb higher." Sun Zheng smiled, seemingly no longer so afraid. He looked up at Song Yan calmly, seemingly oblivious to the noise outside.

The shopkeeper was sharp-eyed. He noticed the governor sitting there and quickly prepared a pot of good tea and served it to him. Song Yan didn't stand on ceremony and poured himself a cup. It was brewed tea, and the dark brown tea soup looked a bit like Chinese medicine. He took a sip and found it to be slightly spicy.

It must have been with ginger.

Although I'm not used to it, it does help to ward off some of the chill in this cold weather.

He silently looked at Sun Zheng, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth: "He is honest, indeed."

Knowing what the consequences would be if he fell into Song Yan's hands, Sun Zheng didn't care about Song Yan's mockery and simply shrugged.

“I know that the governor looks down on someone like me.”

“To me, Sun Zheng, the opinions of others are trivial.” He seemed to have completely let go, so Song Yan did not interrupt, as if he wanted to see what kind of grand talk Sun Zheng would have: “I, Sun Zheng, am quite different from ordinary scholars.”

"Most of the scholars in Ningguo shouted that they should be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. They believed that if they became officials, they should be diligent in their duties, love the people, drive out the barbarians, and support the country."

"The difference between me and them lies in whether I do it or not."

“In Ningguo today, the situation is chaotic and complex. The foundation of Ningguo is as fragile as a broken egg, and the court is full of pedantic scholars and powerful families.”

"Those scholars, or even civil officials, think that by embracing prostitutes in brothels and taverns and writing a few pretentious poems, they are concerned about the country and its people. They think that by writing a few splendid articles, they can bring peace and prosperity to Ningguo. They think that by speaking eloquently, they can drive away the barbarians. How ridiculous!"

“Those aristocratic officials always claim to be serving the country and its people, and they donate food and relief whenever there are natural disasters or man-made calamities. But do they really care about ordinary people? I have personally witnessed a young man from an aristocratic family write a moral essay during the imperial examination, which was supposed to be compassionate and empathetic. But what was he really like? After leaving the examination hall, he rode his horse recklessly and, when he hit someone, he ordered his coachman to run them over repeatedly until the person died.”

"These are the officials of our Ningguo."

He raised his eyes and looked out, as if standing on a high mountain peak, looking down at the whole world: "But I am different from them, I will not go to Jinxiu Wenzhang."

"And what's the point of writing flowery and vulgar poems other than to fascinate prostitutes?"

“I will not mock the governor for being born into a family of sons-in-law. But what use is it for someone like Wei Liangfang to mock your background, besides gaining psychological comfort? He is still just a seventh-rank Guanduwei, still just a tiny ant in front of you.”

"Your Excellency, how glorious it is to trample the royal court on horseback and slaughter the Jurchens! But what is the meaning of such glory? It is nothing more than leading the common people into a foolish carnival."

“Killing many Jurchens may seem like a gain, but what about next year? We will still face the threat of the Jurchens.”

Sun Zheng then launched into a long and rambling speech, which displeased the people below, but he paid no attention to it: "You think that defeating the Jurchen Ning Kingdom will bring peace to the world? You are wrong. The troubles of Ning Kingdom have never been on the border, but in the court."

"If the imperial court is rotten, then the Ning Kingdom will also be rotten."

"From the moment I began my studies, I made up my mind that if I were to become an official in the future, I would do something for the common people. However, as I grew older, I realized that if I wanted to do something for the common people, I had to change the court first. And if I wanted to change the court, I had to climb to a higher position and have more and greater power in my hands. Only in this way could I realize my ideal and remove the malignant tumors in Ningguo piece by piece."

"To climb the ladder, you need money... I want to change the Ningguo court, but before I have the ability to change the rules, I can only act within the rules."

"I will stop at nothing to achieve this goal."

"It may be despicable, but it will not tarnish one's ideals."

"laugh."

Amidst the cacophony of voices, Song Yan's scornful laugh stood out remarkably clearly.

Sun Zheng stared at Song Yan, his gaze somewhat gloomy: "Even if the governor does not agree with my ideals, why should he laugh at me?"

Song Yan shook his head and pointed at Wei Liangfang: "You know what? Compared to this good-for-nothing, you... disgust me even more." "What you've said all boils down to one sentence: you were wrong to accept the money, but the one who's wrong isn't you, it's the world."

"You say you're just doing this for your ideals, that you want to do something for the people of Ningguo. But have you ever thought that if you let the Fan family's caravan go, allowing them to transport pig iron and rice to the Jurchen territory, more Jurchen people could survive and manufacture more weapons, and next year, those weapons would be used to cut down the people of Pingyang Prefecture?"

Song Yan sighed: "You are also a student of Pingyang Prefecture. You have seen how desolate Pingyang Prefecture is after the Jurchens broke through the pass. How many people are you willing to lose their lives for your ideals?"

Sun Zheng's body trembled slightly: "In order for Ningguo to be revitalized and for the court to be changed, some sacrifices are always necessary."

"Then what are you? Why aren't you the one who has to sacrifice? Why should others sacrifice for your ideals?" Song Yan's smile became increasingly mocking: "In the end, you are no different from other scholars and scions of noble families."

“In your heart, you don’t even regard the people as human beings, but rather as… things that can be sacrificed.”

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, the faint sound like a huge hammer striking Sun Zheng's chest, each tap making Sun Zheng inexplicably irritated: "To put it bluntly, you are just an extremely selfish person, and then you disguise this selfishness with a layer of pretense of serving the country and the people."

"People like you are the most terrifying."

"Your desires will never be satisfied, and in the process of climbing up the ladder, countless people will be sacrificed in the name of your ideals. Once you have truly climbed to a position second only to the emperor, ideals will no longer be so important to you. You will only desperately try to maintain your position. Why would you offend your colleagues for the sake of the people?"

"Of course, you will still find a gorgeous outfit to cover up your despicable and filthy nature."

Song Yan finally stood up, walked up to Sun Zheng, and patted him on the shoulder: "It's okay to fool others, but don't fool yourself too."

People like Sun Zheng are probably the most dangerous. If he were to rise to a high position, it could be a disaster for the entire Ning Kingdom. It's lucky that they were discovered early on.

Patrolling soldiers walked by on the street.

Song Yan waved his hand, and several black-armored soldiers and guards came upstairs.

"Take them both away and lock them in the dungeon. According to the laws of Ningguo, accepting a bribe of three thousand taels is considered an extremely serious offense, punishable by seven years in prison; dereliction of duty and abuse of power for personal gain are punishable by ten years in prison, depending on the severity of the offense. Let's lock them up for seventeen years for now." Song Yan was not a cruel and bloodthirsty person after all. He respected the law. Although Sun Zheng was shameless, he had not yet caused serious consequences, and his crime did not warrant death. Therefore, Song Yan would not take his life.

However, in a place like a dungeon, seventeen years... it seems like no one has ever been able to survive that long.

Wei Liangfang's body was already limp, like a pile of rotten flesh, and he was dragged away.

Sun Zheng, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm at this moment. He glanced at Song Yan silently and said, "I just want to change Ningguo."

“You can’t change it.”

"Then can the governor do it?" Sun Zheng smiled disdainfully.

"can."

"Why?"

"Because I will kill people."

“Killing won’t change Ningguo,” Sun Zheng shook his head.

Song Yan laughed too: "Then... kill him and have his heads roll."

When all those who didn't want to change are dead, the change will be complete.

Sun Zheng stared at Song Yan for a moment, then suddenly smiled. For some reason, he nodded at Song Yan and stopped struggling, letting the black-armored soldiers drag him away.

Only Fan Youzhi remained at the scene.

Watching Song Yan deal with his subordinates, Fan Youzhi couldn't get a word in edgewise. But when he heard the last sentence, "Kill him and his heads will roll," Fan Youzhi felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to laugh, after all, Song Yan was far too naive, but he couldn't laugh, because the young man before him truly was capable of killing.

Perhaps it's time to cut off the trade with the Jurchens.

At the very least, it should be cut off temporarily.

It's not worth risking your life for three times the profit.

Song Yan also looked at Fan Youzhi, and that gaze made Fan Youzhi's hair stand on end. Suddenly, Song Yan laughed: "Fan Youzhi, right? Do you know that I hate the Japanese pirates, the Jurchens, and the Xiongnu? Because they often raid southwards, and every time they raid, there is widespread suffering and devastation."

"But compared to these people, I hate another kind of person even more..."

"Who is it?" Fan Youzhi asked instinctively.

"Traitor."

It seems that the term "traitor" did not yet exist in this era.

But now it has appeared.

Fan Youzhi was a clever man after all. After a moment's thought, he understood the meaning of the word "traitor." His expression changed drastically, especially when he thought that because of him, the word "traitor" had appeared, and he was destined to be infamous for eternity because of it. His expression became even more gloomy.

“According to the laws of Ningguo, engaging in illicit relations with foreign tribes and selling prohibited items such as pig iron, tea, salt, and rice, is punishable by beheading,” Song Yan said coldly.

Fan Youzhi's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly opened his mouth: "I am a member of the Fan family, you can't do this..."

Swish!
The gleaming steel knife was drawn from Song Yan's waist.

Before Fan Youzhi could finish speaking, the blade was already in front of his neck.

As easily as slicing tofu, the blade sliced ​​through the middle of the neck without any hesitation.

Fan Youzhi's voice got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything more. A few breaths later, his head came off his neck and fell to the ground.

Blood spurted out from the incision.

A traitor is someone who disrespects himself by living even a second longer.

Soldiers from the government came and dragged Fan Youzhi's body away.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from all around. Watching the governor carry out executions was indeed the most entertaining part. It was just a pity that the two officials seemed to have committed insufficient crimes to warrant beheading.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Song Yan, seeing the shopkeeper, pulled out a handful of silver ingots from his pocket and handed them to the shopkeeper: "Would this be enough for some repairs?"

"That's enough, that's too much," the shopkeeper said hastily, picking up one of the coins.

Song Yan then stuffed all the remaining silver into the shopkeeper's hand. Although he was not familiar with the market price, he understood that the third floor of Guyang Tower was likely to be rebuilt, and a small amount of silver would definitely not be enough.

Although the crowd cheered, no one stopped Song Yan from leaving.

Following silently behind her brother-in-law, Luo Tianyi had a faint smile on her lips. For some reason, hearing the people's praise of her brother-in-law made her feel happy.

Nakhtoya, Xueying, and Dieyi followed obediently behind. The two little girls held their heads high with pride, looking as if they were proud of themselves, while Nakhtoya lowered her head, as if she was thinking about something.

As darkness fell, we finally arrived at the governor's mansion.

As usual, Luo Yuheng was waiting at the door. Looking at the doorman's bitter face, anyone who didn't know better would think he had lost his job... He probably really was going to lose his job, after all, this time, Luo Yuheng had Luo Tianxuan by his side.

It was always the same. Whenever the children in the family went out to do something important or went on a long trip, Luo Yuheng would wait at the door on the day they returned, so that he could see them as soon as they came back.

A faint smile graced her beautiful face.

However, the area around her eyes was a bit dark, and her complexion still looked haggard, perhaps because she hadn't had much rest these past few days.

"Mother, I'm back," Song Yan said gently.

Luo Yuheng then stood on tiptoe and patted Song Yan's head: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

She didn't ask Song Yan about the specific results of the battle, but simply looked him up and down: "You're not injured, are you?"

Song Yan shook his head.

"That's fine, that's fine."

Her fingers traced down Song Yan's face, then she took Song Yan's hand: "Let's go home with Mother. I've already asked the kitchen to prepare some food..."

Luo Tianxuan watched quietly, smiling and chatting. She didn't argue with her mother about anything. Her mother and husband had a good relationship and didn't have many conflicts, which made her very happy.

Although it seemed as if her mother was her husband's wife... Shaking her head, Luo Tianxuan suppressed this strange thought; after all, it was impossible. She roughly understood why her mother acted this way; perhaps she treated her husband like her own child. Although her mother could be quite nagging at times, she truly doted on her children, especially since her husband's mission this time was so dangerous, she was naturally even more worried.

Pulled along by Luo Yuheng, Song Yan could only helplessly look at Luo Tianxuan and call her "wife." Luo Tianxuan smiled and said it didn't matter; even if there was something she wanted to say, there would be plenty of time at night.

When Luo Tianxuan saw Nakhtoya, she smiled and nodded, then walked over, took Nakhtoya's hand, and asked her something in a low voice.

Luo Yuheng also saw the unfamiliar Nakhtoya, but she didn't care. She just kept lecturing Song Yan. For her, nothing was more important than seeing her child return home safely. Everything else was just a small matter.

Just then, two figures rushed over from the front yard.

The small figure, head down, moved with incredible speed.

Bang, bang!
The little head then bumped heavily into Song Yan's arms.

It was none other than Luo Qingyi and Luo Caiyi, both delivering rocket-shaped headbutts.

Song Yan then bared his teeth, and the two little girls didn't even bother to be gentle.

She looked up at the gate of the governor's mansion: "Mother..."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Are officials frequently entering and leaving the governor's residence?"

Luo Yuheng shook his head: "That's natural. The Prefectural Governor's Office is the core of power in Pingyang Prefecture. Many things have to be handled here, so it's unavoidable."

"Then let's add a couplet here..."

"Okay, what should I add?"

“Let me write…” Song Yan hesitated for a moment: “Those who seek promotion and wealth, please take another path; those who are afraid of death, do not enter this door!”

Luo Yuheng smiled and said, "That's quite a good couplet."

The two little girls, not understanding much, just squeezed between their mother and brother-in-law in a bit of a willful manner, each holding one of their brother-in-law's hands, like victorious little generals.

The family was happy and harmonious.

However, Song Yan had a strange feeling, as if he had forgotten something.

He thought about it seriously, but still couldn't figure it out. Oh well, it probably wasn't that important.

……

Xinhou County.

barracks.

Luo Tianyang, who was having dinner, suddenly sneezed loudly.

His expression was somewhat bewildered: Who's thinking about me?
(End of this chapter)