Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 324 My Father, Marquis Anning (2)

The jade chariot crossed the main hall, and the golden whip came towards the Hou family.

The Eastern Mausoleum was naturally a very prosperous place.

Sunlight spills onto the mottled walls. The city, already awake, is at its busiest time of day. Shops throng the stone-paved streets. Colorful flags adorn the restaurants along the street, and the aroma of food wafts through the air. The market is alive with the sounds of buying and selling; porters' loads tremble slightly with each step, and the cries of vendors and the sounds of bargaining blend into a vibrant, picturesque scene.

The shop signs were particularly eye-catching in the sunlight, with words such as "medicinal herbs," "silk," and "pawning" written on them in black ink. Some people dressed in long gowns carefully examined the items in their hands, sometimes frowning as if considering the quality of the goods, and sometimes opening their mouths to bargain with the shopkeeper.

Not far away, a woman wearing a straw hat stood quietly behind a fish stall. The wooden bucket on the ground was full of lively fish and shrimp. Occasionally, water droplets would splash out of the bucket and land on the stone slab, making a crisp sound.

Further ahead, a quaint teahouse stood majestically, already bustling with activity. Inside, the teahouse was adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, and the wooden tables and chairs exuded an antique charm. Tea drinkers sat in twos and threes, some sipping tea and chatting, others engrossed in playing chess, occasionally punctuated by bursts of laughter and curses such as "Stop cheating!" or "You scoundrel!"

This is the Eastern Tombs.

Songzhou was already a fairly prosperous city, but even its busiest night market paled in comparison to Dongling. Fortunately, Song Yan had traveled to many places in his previous life and had seen many big cities. Although Dongling City had its own intoxicating ancient charm, in terms of liveliness and grandeur, it still lacked the presence of the large cities in his previous life that could accommodate tens of millions of people.

Therefore, Song Yan appeared quite calm.

Fang Hai occasionally glanced at Song Yan out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that Song Yan's expression was calm and undisturbed, he couldn't help but nod slightly. All Ningguo people who came to Dongling for the first time were shocked by the prosperity of this city. Even the Fang family's descendants who had seen the world would inevitably show some embarrassment upon first seeing it. There were really not many people as calm as Song Yan.

This kind of mindset is quite rare.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, and ten black-armored soldiers. They were all quite restrained, their tall bodies instinctively shrinking, as if afraid that their presence would tarnish this magnificent city. Only their eyes couldn't help but look around. Nahetuya's reaction was even worse. This was Ningguo, and she was a Jurchen. Yet now her face was flushed and her breathing became rapid.

Fang Hai laughed; this was the normal reaction of someone new to Dongling.

Pedestrians came and went on the road, and even when they saw Nakhtoya, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu and others, they just smiled kindly and no one made any sarcastic remarks. They were probably used to seeing this kind of behavior.

The group did not travel by carriage, but instead walked on the wide road.

Fang Hai then introduced something to Song Yan: "This is the main street of Dongling City... Chang'an Street."

Song Yan thought for a moment. It seemed that there was no city in this world named Chang'an. However, the name Chang'an meant long-term peace and stability. Therefore, the four kingdoms of Zhao, Liang, Chu and Ning all had many streets, and even villages and towns named Chang'an. This feeling was similar to the Renmin Road, Jiefang Road, Jianshe Road and the like in his previous life.

"People going in and out of Dongling usually have to pass through Chang'an Street, so it's a bit crowded. But if you really want to compare, there's a street that's even more bustling than Chang'an Street." Fang Hai smiled and looked south: "Although Dongling is full of shops, the area with the most shops is still the southern city. The flow of people there is extremely large, several times more than Chang'an Street."

Brothels and pleasure quarters are everywhere.

This made Song Yan quite interested.

Unfortunately, Fang Hai changed the subject, pointing westward: "The western district is probably the safest place in the entire Eastern Mausoleum... Of course, in some ways, it may also be the most dangerous."

"The imperial palace is located in the western part of the city."

"Many nobles and officials also reside there, so the security is excellent on the surface, with constables and imperial guards patrolling every hour of the day."

Song Yan nodded. He roughly understood what Fang Hai meant by "the safest and the most dangerous." Safe meant that there was enough security and patrol force on the surface, making it difficult to do petty theft, murder, arson, or similar things.

The danger, however, comes from within the official residence.

After all, these places, including the imperial palace, are mostly filthy.

In the inner quarters, intrigue, poisoning, disease, and even accidental falls were probably common occurrences.

Given Fang Hai's status and position, his residence was naturally located in Xicheng District.

"As for the North District, the Imperial Guards are mostly stationed there, as well as some lower-ranking officials and nobles. The North District is also a place where the children of nobles and high-ranking officials play. There is also a large open space there, which is often used for horse fighting."

Song Yan's spirits lifted: "Madou? What madou? Ningguo has madou too?"

Has the business expanded a bit too much?
Fang Hai was somewhat suspicious of Song Yan's reaction: "Of course there are. Many descendants of noble families do not have the family's literary and scholarly background. Because their ancestors were all military generals, they have mostly developed a rough and domineering personality. They do not have the real ability to command battles. In order to prove that their family has not declined, they learn more about riding and archery and horse fighting. This has become the most important part of their show of military strength."

"Horse fighting?" Song Yan's expression immediately showed some disappointment: "So this is horse fighting."

Which one do you think it is?

Song Yan blushed slightly, seemingly a little embarrassed: "Ahem, I also thought it was a horse fighting contest."

Damn it, I've been in this world for over a decade, yet the memories of my past life are still affecting me. This is really inexcusable.

Fang Hai didn't think much of it, after all, even if he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out the other meaning of the word. He paused for a moment: "However, what I'm talking about is the inner city."

"Inner city?"

“Yes, Dongling City is divided into inner and outer cities. The inner city is what I just mentioned, and the outer city is where we are now. It is roughly a huge ring that surrounds the inner city.” Fang Hai smiled and said, “The outer city is much larger than the inner city, and it is mostly inhabited by commoners.”

Song Yan was somewhat shocked. It was quite unexpected that such a small outer city, inhabited by commoners, could be so prosperous.

Seemingly seeing through Song Yan's thoughts, Fang Hai shook his head: "It's a bit different from what you think. The reason this place is prosperous is not because of the common people, nor because of the outer city, but because this is Chang'an Street."

"If we leave this street and look around, we might be able to see the true appearance of the outer city."

Song Yan was taken aback, but then he understood. It was probably what people meant by the dark side of a city.

What he sees before him are rows of shops and bustling traffic, but in places he cannot see, there may be homeless people and beggars, and slums for the poor.

"The outer city has the most people."

"With more people, there are bound to be many dirty things."

“There are countless underground casinos and black markets, and many people from all walks of life hide among them.”

"Furthermore, many brave and ruthless individuals gathered together and formed gangs, such as the Black Tiger Gang, the Green Dragon Society, the Ghost Cave, and the White Tower, where many battles broke out."

“In the outer city, people go missing and die in fights every day.”

Song Yan fell silent for a moment, the initial shock of seeing the prosperity of Dongling had almost dissipated by this time.

"If I remember correctly, casinos, black markets, and gangs are all explicitly prohibited by the laws of Ningguo. This is right under the emperor's nose; surely no one is doing anything about it?"

Fang Hai seemed to find it amusing and patted Song Yan on the shoulder: "Manage? Who dares to manage?"

"In Dongling City, behind every organization lies a powerful force."

"Let's not even talk about anything else, just look at those casinos. How many families have been ruined and their children sold off because of them? Even if the Prefect of Dongling knew, what could he do? Behind the casinos are several Dukes. Can they afford to offend them?" "As for the Ghost Cave and the White Tower, the power behind them is even more astonishing." As he spoke, Fang Hai's expression became serious: "When you come to Dongling, no matter what you see or hear, just remember one thing and you will be safe and sound."

"Which point?"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't meddle in what you shouldn't meddle in."

Song Yan sighed, somewhat disappointed, but this disappointment did not last long, perhaps because he had a premonition: "Uncle Fang, I know what you're thinking."

"They simply don't want me to cause trouble out of thin air. However... I have quite a few enemies in Dongling City. Even if I wanted to settle down peacefully, they probably wouldn't allow it. Sometimes, trouble just comes knocking on my door."

After speaking, Song Yan looked up towards Chang'an Street. Just then, the rapid sound of hooves approached, and the once peaceful street suddenly erupted into chaos. Figures scrambled to the sides, some falling to the ground, and some stalls were overturned. As the crowd dispersed, two snow-white warhorses pulled a luxurious carriage, galloping towards them at breakneck speed. The carriage left a trail of destruction in its wake; occasionally, those unable to dodge were struck and thrown into the air, their bones broken and flesh mangled.

What was once a perfectly good commercial street suddenly seemed to have turned into a place where foreign invaders were knocking on the gates.

I have a feeling that this scene is somewhat familiar.

Terrified screams filled the air, yet the coachman showed no sign of slowing down, even excitedly whipping the reins. At that speed, they would reach them in a matter of moments. Song Yan could dodge, but Fang Hai couldn't, nor could the convoy behind him.

Moreover, having encountered such a thing so soon after arriving in Dongling City, Song Yan had a premonition that the carriage seemed to be targeting him.

Fang Hai was in a pretty good mood, but seeing this scene, his face instantly darkened. After a couple of breaths, Fang Hai sighed and said, "Fine, since I won't let you have peace, then let you do whatever you want."

"The bigger the commotion, the better."

"Remember, there are only two ways to survive in a place like Dongling City."

"First, act like a grandson."

"Second, hotheads."

"Anyone who dares to mess with you will be dealt with to the death. Make it so that everyone understands that if they want to get rid of you, even if you are dead or crippled, you will still take a piece of their flesh and drag them down to hell with you. Make them understand that killing you is not worth it for them. Only in this way will they curse you, scold you, fear you, be afraid of you, and stay away from you!"

"I won't touch you without permission."

Song Yan's lips curled up slightly. When he first arrived in Dongling City, the experience Fang Hai had instilled in him made him feel inexplicably depressed. Everywhere he went, there were powerful and wealthy people, and he dared not offend anyone. No matter where he went, he had to be obsequious. What was the point of living like that?
One must have a clear mind to succeed.

Especially since we are in the right, what is there to fear?

There was no retreat, no dodging.

Song Yan even walked step by step towards the carriage, his eyes cold and crazed as he stared at the two white horses galloping towards him.

The distance between the two was closing at an unimaginable speed. Seeing Song Yan's posture, the coachman seemed to feel provoked. His face turned fierce, and he yanked the reins hard, causing the warhorse to accelerate again in pain. In an instant, the warhorse had already rushed in front of Song Yan. Exclamations came from all around, and some timid people hurriedly closed their eyes.

In that instant, Song Yan suddenly raised both hands. His five fingers spread wide, and his two large, fan-like palms slammed towards the warhorse's head. Seeing this, the coachman couldn't help but laugh out loud. Was this guy really out of his mind? Trying to stop a galloping warhorse with his bare hands?

court death.

The next moment...

boom!
Two tall, powerful horses instantly went from extremely fast to a complete stop.

A terrifying force surged from the horse's head, so powerful that even the finest warhorse couldn't withstand it. Its four legs exploded with a deafening roar, blood splattering everywhere. The horse's forequarters, under Song Yan's immense force, slammed to the ground, its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth brimming with crimson blood; it was clearly beyond saving.

Due to the immense inertia, the coachman lost control and was sent flying through the air, tracing a slanted arc before crashing down onto the stone-paved road. There were many people there before, but upon seeing this, they scattered quickly.

Bang... Crack.

The coachman's head slammed heavily onto the stone slab, his skull shattering instantly, his internal organs splattering out. His neck twisted grotesquely, and his body slid across the ground, leaving a scarlet trail over ten meters long, until he crashed into the wall and came to a stop.

The skull was shattered, half of the flesh had been ground away, revealing the stark white cheekbone underneath.

That wasn't all; the carriage frame behind it, propelled by inertia, lurched straight forward and crashed into the warhorse.

The carriage lifted off the ground, soaring high into the air, its wheels and axles flying.

Just as the carriage was about to overturn, it finally exhausted its strength and, under the influence of gravity, crashed to the ground.

Rumble.

The entire carriage disintegrated and shattered; the axle broke in the middle, the wheels flew everywhere, and broken pieces of wood were scattered all over the place.

hiss.

Upon witnessing this scene, countless civilians around who had thought Song Yan was about to be knocked away gasped in shock, their faces filled with astonishment.

What kind of divine power is this?
How could it be so terrifying?
On a nearby rooftop, a young girl holding a long sword had a slight smile on her lips.

Among the crowd was a woman in a long black dress, watching this scene with a smile.

Just then, a figure crawled out of the carriage. He seemed to have injured his arm, his right arm twisted in a strange position. The pain made his face pale, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

His internal organs had been impacted, and a trace of crimson blood clung to the corner of his mouth.

Upon seeing Song Yan ahead, the boy's face immediately contorted into a ferocious expression, and he screamed hoarsely, "Who are you?"

"How dare you block my carriage and even kill two of my Ferghana horses!"

"Do you know who I am? My father is the Marquis of Anning!"

Song Yan's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Marquis of Anning.

Crown Prince Zhao Feng?

Ah……

Lin Xiangwan placed two hidden sentries opposite the Ministry of Works' residence, not for any other purpose but to keep an eye on Song Zhe.

The message they sent back was that Song Zhe was contacting nobles in Dongling City with whom he had a fairly good relationship, including Zhao Feng!
They were definitely after me.

Song Zhe, Song Zhe, are you in such a hurry?
(End of this chapter)