Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 327 Was he also cuckolded? (8,000 words)

Humans and beasts should not live together!
A chill seeped into my heart, and a fine shiver ran down my arm.

Is it creepy?
Is it unbelievable?
Song Yan had long known that the Ningguo court was corrupt and that the scholar-officials held high positions in the court, controlling everything, but he never expected it to be so outrageous.

Even in the Song Dynasty, when the power of the scholar-official class was at its most exaggerated, the scholar-officials dared to spit on the emperor's face; even in the late Ming Dynasty, when the scholar-officials were extremely arrogant, they dared to kill one prince and emperor after another, and on the surface they were all concerned about the country and the people and loved the people like their own children. It was absolutely the first time that Ningguo openly declared that the people were beasts.

The Great Wall was built during the pre-Qin period to defend against invasions by foreign tribes.

The First Emperor built the Great Wall to prevent the Xiongnu from trampling the Central Plains.

Even if it's a ridiculous plan to build a border wall, it's still to prevent border migration.

Ningguo is absolutely unique in that it built high walls to protect its own people.

Song Yan chuckled, "I've certainly learned something new today."

Ningguo is truly rotten to the core.

It's rotten to the core.

Song Yan was even shocked that such a corrupt regime had managed to survive until now without collapsing. Perhaps it was the delicate balance between the various forces in the court that had sustained the existence of Ningguo.

Song Yan had to seriously consider a question: even if Emperor Ninghe really regained power in Ning Kingdom, could he change everything?

Can't do it.

This was Song Yan's answer after careful consideration.

Song Yan did not deny Emperor Ninghe's abilities and methods. He was a relatively good emperor, but he was still far behind the likes of Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Taizu of Song. He also lacked the ruthlessness of Zhu Yuanzhang, who would wipe out nine generations of his family at a time. Even if Emperor Ninghe regained power, there would be very little he could change.

He might be able to suppress the Yang family and eliminate the influence of Bailu Academy, but ultimately he cannot completely break ties with aristocratic families and civil officials, because the power around him is mainly composed of aristocratic families and civil officials.

Song Yan understood Fang Hai's meaning. In Fang Hai's mind, Song Yan, the nephew-in-law of Emperor Ninghe, was naturally a partner of the royalists.

Once upon a time, Song Yan also thought so.

But after seeing this high wall and hearing the words that humans and beasts should not live together, the idea deep in my heart was impacted and shaken.

In Song Yan's view, what Ningguo needs now is perhaps a thoroughly enjoyable... revolution!
I wonder what would happen if a land war and land redistribution took place in Ningguo?
"Doesn't it seem outrageous?" Fang Hai observed Song Yan's expression from the side. Song Yan's face was indifferent, seemingly unconcerned, but the initial shock couldn't escape Fang Hai's eyes: "I also find it hard to believe. Although, in a way, the Fang family is a beneficiary of this policy..."

"But I'm so scared."

"I'm terrified that in the near future, because of this high wall, because of that one word 'beast,' we'll all be beheaded."

Fang Hai exhaled, his gaze fixed on the mottled city wall in front of him. There were also Imperial Guards stationed on the city wall, even more densely packed than on the outer city wall. They were all wearing silver armor and carrying gleaming longswords. There were also giant crossbows mounted on the city tower. He wondered whether these giant crossbows were for defense against foreign invasion or for defense against their own people.
"It is said that when this rule was first established, there were some people who opposed it, but most of the scholars and officials wanted to enjoy that kind of superiority. In the end, their opposition was useless, and the wall was built, separating the inner city from the outer city."

Fang Hai continued, "It was probably around that time that the status of the scholar-officials was so high, to an unprecedented degree, that after the emperor passed away, he was given the temple name Renzong."

"Is there really no one who can see the danger this wall poses?" Song Yan pursed her lips, somewhat puzzled.

Fang Hai smiled and said, "How could that be!"

"How many of those who can enter the imperial court are truly foolish? Over the next few decades, there were occasional proposals to demolish the city wall, but they all ultimately came to nothing. Perhaps most people in the court could see clearly what consequences this wall would bring, but alas... some things, once enjoyed, are very difficult to give up."

"Perhaps, it's just a life of hedonism and decadence."

"Let's go." Shaking his head, Fang Hai seemed to have lost interest in continuing the conversation and led Song Yan and the others into the city.

The difference between the inner city and the outer city is naturally enormous.

It's just a wall, yet it feels like two different worlds.

Without the crowds and noise of the outer city, the inner city was exceptionally quiet.

The road was paved with smooth, even bluestone slabs, so flat that even a carriage traveling on it felt no bumps. There were no street vendors hawking their wares; occasionally, one could see restaurants and shops, mostly lavishly decorated, the kind whose expensiveness was immediately apparent from their decor. People walked the streets, mostly speaking in hushed tones. Commoners were also present, mostly servants from certain mansions. Although they said that humans and beasts should not live together, they were not unwilling to make exceptions when someone needed to serve them. Behind the shops on both sides of the street stood rows of pavilions, gardens, and residences, each one antique and elegant, a blend of understated luxury and refined beauty.

Every few dozen steps, you can see two Imperial Guards standing facing each other on both sides of the street... It's not just Imperial Guards patrolling here, there are Imperial Guards everywhere.

After turning a corner and going around in circles, the group arrived in front of a mansion. The two gilded characters "Fang Fu" shone brightly in the sunlight.

This residence is naturally more luxurious than the one in Songzhou Prefecture.

As the eldest son of the Fang family, Fang Hai held a very high position. Although the position of heir apparent had been slightly weakened due to Fang Jun's death, the servants in the mansion dared not show any disrespect to Fang Hai. Moreover, even if he did not inherit the title of Duke, Fang Hai was still a marquis.

Without the slightest neglect, both the servants Fang Hai brought and the ten black-armored soldiers who came with Song Yan were properly taken care of. What was a little strange was that there was no one in charge in the huge mansion. After inquiring, Fang Hai learned that most of his brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces were not at home. Because the Lantern Festival was approaching, there were countless poetry gatherings and tea parties, and invitations had been sent to all of them.

Fang Hai didn't pay much attention to these people and instructed the kitchen to prepare lunch.

By the time lunch was over, it was past noon.

In the afternoon, Fang Hai originally planned to show Song Yan around Dongling City, but suddenly remembered that he hadn't prepared his memorial yet. Helpless, he could only stay at home to prepare the memorial. He had originally planned to arrange for a steward from the manor to accompany Song Yan, but that was politely declined, and he went out alone.

Of course, even though it was just one person, Song Yan knew that his sister-in-law was definitely secretly following him somewhere.

There's no need to worry about safety.

Walked all the way.

The Fang, Du, Cui, and Zhang residences... were mostly the mansions of high-ranking officials, all luxurious and elegant. They encountered many people along the way. Although Song Yan looked somewhat unfamiliar, no one found it strange; after all, people came and went in the court, and it was normal to see new faces.

Occasionally, when passing by a silk and fabric shop, one would see several young ladies selecting fabrics. The silk and fabric shops in the inner city were naturally different from those in the outer city. They were almost all filled with precious fabrics such as Yun brocade and Shu brocade. Song Yan roughly knew that the most valuable one was a fabric called Yunyan gauze. It was said that the fabric was extremely delicate, half-hidden and half-revealed, like clouds and smoke, and was very popular among princes and nobles.

The value of a single piece of cloud-like silk might be comparable to that of ten excellent warhorses.

That's probably more money than an average family of five could spend in a lifetime.

The young lady probably only asked if the Yunyan yarn had arrived; she didn't seem to care about the price at all.

After walking a while longer, we came across a tea shop.

Lu Yu Tea House.

I wonder if it was Lu Yu, the author of "The Classic of Tea"... It probably wasn't, since Lu Yu shouldn't have been born yet at that time.

The tea house was booked by a group of young men and women, and a poetry gathering was being held inside.

Poetry gatherings held in such places are naturally different from those in brothels or brothels. There are no drums or gongs, no melodious music, and no prostitutes striking poses. A group of young gentlemen and ladies sit facing each other on the ground, with only writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in front of them. There is a bamboo tube on the main seat with many bamboo sticks inside. Whichever bamboo stick is drawn, one must compose a poem or fill in lyrics based on the topic on the stick.

Whenever a young master produces a new poem, he invites a young lady to recite it, and she receives praise. Then another scholar will present an even more outstanding poem, and the talented men compete with each other. The graceful beauties add a layer of hazy ambiguity to these talents.

Enjoying tea and composing poetry is quite elegant.

Although, to Yu Songyan, this so-called poetry gathering seemed more like a matchmaking event.

If you actually meet someone you click with, who knows what might happen?

Although the common people of Ningguo were becoming increasingly conservative, the upper class was still incredibly decadent. Song Yan could see several young ladies with girlish hairstyles, their eyes and brows exuding a seductive charm. Occasionally, there would be bursts of applause, presumably from some young master composing a good poem. Song Yan listened for a while outside the teahouse, then shook his head, showing no interest.

These poems mostly describe things like national ruin and family feuds.

A wealthy young master who had rarely even left Dongling City, spending his days frequenting brothels and teahouses, had never witnessed the chaos of frontier warfare or the brutality of barbarian tribes. His writings were inevitably affected and pretentious, only inviting ridicule. Ironically, the young ladies found the poem quite good, many looking at him with eyes full of spring-like affection. The young master, however, maintained a calm and composed demeanor, seemingly unmoved by external gains or losses, only a hint of smugness in his eyes betraying his true thoughts.

Song Yan was curious, wondering if this person could still write something like this if he were placed on the border, facing the iron hooves of the Jurchen warhorses and their raised scimitars.

Shaking his head, Song Yan continued walking forward. After a while, Song Yan finally stopped and looked up: the Marquis of Anning's residence.

They arrived at Zhao Feng's house.

Song Yan smiled slightly, tightened his collar, and walked towards the Zhao family's gate.

There were naturally gatekeepers at the entrance, which was standard for wealthy families.

Compared to the powerful families in Songzhou Prefecture and Ningping County, the gatekeeper of Dongling City was clearly more knowledgeable about etiquette and knew his place better. Upon seeing Song Yan, he immediately bowed, showing no arrogance whatsoever, and his eyes were full of smiles: "Young master, may I ask... who are you looking for?"

The tone was also quite polite.

After all, this is the imperial city.

There are simply too many powerful and influential people; the slightest disrespect could offend them.

"I am the Earl of Pingyang, and I request an audience with the Marquis of Anning," Song Yan said with a smile, introducing himself.

Earl of Pingyang?
Menzi pondered for a moment, seemingly having never heard of this title before. Moreover, the self-proclaimed count seemed far too young.

Are you twenty years old?

It feels like they're just trying to scam me.

However, this is not something that he, as a mere servant, should concern himself with.

Despite his suspicions, he showed no sign of them on his face. Instead, he apologized, saying, "Please wait a moment, my lord. I will go and report to my master right away."

The Marquis's residence, backyard.

A man in his fifties was sitting in a grand chair, holding a small teapot, leisurely basking in the sun.

This man is Marquis Anning, Zhao Gaizhi.

It is said that he was not originally called by this name. He was only renamed because he was naughty as a child and committed a serious mistake.

Zhao Gaizhi was a man without much ambition.

Furthermore, with the civil officials now wielding considerable power, and being from a military lineage, he didn't want to be criticized or harassed by them in court. So, he simply asked the emperor for a sinecure, spending his days in his manor, playing with birds and walking dogs—a rather carefree life. In winter, lazily basking in the sun was perhaps Zhao Gaizhi's favorite thing to do. At these times, he couldn't help but think of his concubine who had died in childbirth. That girl's name was Qin Cuicui, a very ordinary name. She had an average figure and wasn't particularly beautiful, but Zhao Gaizhi loved her. She had served him since he was a child. Qin Cuicui loved to laugh, and somehow, whenever he saw her smiling face, Zhao Gaizhi felt a warm glow in his heart, as comfortable as basking in the sun.

Thinking this, Zhao Gaizhi sighed.

The sunshine may be warm, but it can never compare to the warmth of the human heart.

Just then, footsteps approached. Zhao Gaizhi frowned, somewhat displeased. He didn't like being disturbed while sunbathing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the gatekeeper hurrying towards them. Zhao Gaizhi was a mild-mannered person, and even though he wasn't happy, he didn't immediately express it: "What is it?"

"Master, a man has come to the door. He claims to be the Earl of Pingyang and says he wants to see you."

"The Earl of Pingyang? Does Ningguo have such a title?" Zhao Gaizhi asked, somewhat puzzled. "It seems not. I also think he's a fraud; after all, that man looks no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, far too young." The gatekeeper scratched his head. "Should I go and chase him away?"

As if he had just thought of something, Zhao Gaizhi suddenly stood up from the armchair: "No, no need, I know who it is."

"Please invite him into the living room and have someone prepare tea."

The doorman left in a hurry.

Zhao Gaizhi looked up at the sun in the sky; it was a bit too bright, so he squinted.

He was not particularly concerned about the changes in the court, but he was not completely ignorant of them. The Earl of Pingyang, seventeen or eighteen years old—just these two characteristics were enough for Zhao Gaizhi to know the identity of the visitor.

Song Yan.

There was nothing he could do; his wife was from the Yang family.

There are many conflicts between the Yang family and Song Yan.

The lady naturally favored her own family.

During that period, the Yang family suffered a series of misfortunes. Yang Miaoqing died, her nephew Song Zhen and Song Yun died, five county magistrates from collateral branches of the Yang family died, and finally, Yang Guochen's son Yang Ming also died. His wife often complained about Song Yan in front of him, so it was impossible for him not to know.

As the Lantern Festival approaches, officials sent to the capital are required to return to report on their duties, and Song Yan is no exception.

This man was extremely bloodthirsty. The deaths of Song Zhen and Song Yun were both inextricably linked to Song Yan. Although they were not from the same mother, they were brothers from the same father, yet he showed no mercy in killing them. The two died horribly. In Pingyang City, of the 133 civil officials, including their family members, he beheaded at least 800 to 1,000.

One can imagine that once Song Yan enters the capital and learns that he has been stripped of his post as Prefect of Pingyang, he will likely cause a huge scene. The Yang family and Bailu Academy will certainly not let this opportunity to eliminate Song Yan pass by. Of course, in the face of behemoths like the Yang family and Bailu Academy, Song Yan is ultimately too weak, and he will most likely die in Dongling City.

Given Song Yan's personality, even if he were to die, he would most likely set Dongling City on fire before he died, dragging some people with him to the underworld.

Although he married a woman from the Yang family, Zhao Gaizhi did not intend to get involved.

He never expected that Song Yan's fire would first burn him... While he was thinking, he arrived at the guest hall. He had just sat down when he heard footsteps outside the door. The doorman led Song Yan over and then turned to leave. His gaze swept over the figure in front of him. The slightly immature face made Zhao Gaizhi almost unable to believe that this was the boy in front of him who could slaughter tens of thousands of Japanese pirates and Jurchen barbarians with far fewer troops than the enemy.

"I had long heard that the Earl of Pingyang was protecting the border of Ningguo at such a young age. Today, I have come to see him and I find that he is even younger than I had imagined. Truly, heroes emerge from among the young." Zhao Gaizhi praised with a smile, behaving very intimately, and even took the initiative to step forward and shake Song Yan's hand.

Song Yan felt extremely uncomfortable all over.

The ancients cherished such etiquette. When people they valued or were close to met, they would almost want to hold each other's hands in their palms, as if only in this way could they demonstrate their deep affection. If Song Yan hadn't already known about this custom, he might have thought these people's sexual orientations were somewhat abnormal. His face was also full of smiles: "Your Excellency flatters me, it was merely a fluke."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides sat down as host and guest.

A maidservant had already brought over fragrant tea.

After taking a sip of tea, Zhao Gaizhi asked, "The Earl of Pingyang must be new to Dongling. May I ask what brings you to the Marquis's residence?"

“It’s nothing serious.” Song Yan took a sip of tea. “It’s just that when we first entered Dongling City, while we were on Chang’an Street with Governor Fang Hai, heading to the Fang residence, we had a small disagreement with the heir of the Marquis of Anning.”

Song Yan made no attempt to hide anything and stated his purpose directly.

Zhao Gaizhi's smile instantly froze, his brows furrowing. This person was clearly up to no good.

He hadn't wanted to get involved in the mess between the Yang family and Song Yan, but he hadn't expected Song Yan to come directly to his door to demand an explanation. What did this mean? Did he think that Marquis Anning was easy to bully?

Although he was already somewhat angry, Marquis Anning was a cunning old fox, so he didn't show it on his face. He slowly brought the teacup to his lips and took a small sip: "Oh? I wonder what the conflict is?" His tone was indifferent, no longer as warm as before: "Feng'er, that unfilial son, has been spoiled by his mother since he was a child. He is perhaps a bit too flamboyant in his dealings with others. If he has offended the Earl of Pingyang, I, as his father, apologize to you on his behalf."

Song Yan laughed loudly: "It was just that when I, the Earl of Pingyang, the Prefect of Pingyang, and Fang Hai, the Marquis of Songyang and the Prefect of Songzhou, returned to the capital to report on our duties, we somehow offended your son, which caused him to drive his carriage wildly down Chang'an Street, heading straight for the two of us. If I hadn't had some martial arts skills, Fang Hai and I would probably have been killed on the spot."

puff.

Zhao Gaizhi, who had initially thought it was just a minor squabble between young people and hadn't taken it seriously, suddenly changed his expression upon hearing this. He even spat out the tea he had just drunk, not even having time to swallow it.

His eyes widened, and he hurriedly placed the teacup on the table, the teacup and lid clattering together with a crackling sound.

This rebellious son.

Does he want to ruin the entire Marquis of Anning?

Good heavens, who do you think you are? You're just the heir of a marquis's mansion, not even a marquis. Even if you were a marquis, where would you get the audacity to run over and kill two governors who were returning to the capital to report on their duties?

Could it be that they think the Zhao family has too many relatives?

The Fang family is not to be trifled with.

Is this ruthless, murderous monster in front of us someone to be trifled with?
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Gaizhi forced himself to calm down: "Lord, is there...is there some misunderstanding?"

"A misunderstanding? I don't know that. All I know is that your son's carriage also contained Luo Jingxuan, the heir of the Prince of Jin; Lou Yanbo, the grandson of the Marquis of Changxing; Fan Zehao, the grandson of the Duke of Ying; and Qian Chen, the young master of the Qian family." Song Yan said calmly, "All I know is that after the incident, Guo Sheng, the commander of the Imperial Guards, appeared at just the right moment, surrounded us, and wanted to arrest us."

Zhao Gaizhi's heart sank lower and lower.

He wasn't stupid; having said all that, he naturally understood that his son was specifically targeting Song Yan.

"So I have come here with great prestige to ask your son why he would target me in this way, when we have never met and have no grudge against each other?" Song Yan put down his teacup. It seemed that the Zhao family was quite wealthy, as the tea was just tea soup, not the fragrant tea sold by the Cui and Fang families. "There must be an explanation. Although I am not a big shot, I am still a prince consort. If word gets out that I was assassinated without any explanation, even His Majesty will lose face. What do you think, my lord?"

Seeing Song Yan's nonchalant demeanor, Zhao Gaizhi was seething with hatred.

Having heard some things about Song Yan, Zhao Gaizhi originally thought he was just a pure warrior, good at leading troops in battle, but mediocre in other aspects. After all, it was unwise for him to directly break ties with the Yang family and go against them. Anyone with a brain wouldn't do something like that.

But now he suddenly realized that this person was far more cunning than he had imagined.

These words were spoken politely, but in reality they were a threat. The meaning was clear: if he could not be given an explanation today, the matter would be taken to the imperial court, and then the Marquis's mansion would face all sorts of punishment.

"Speaking of which, seeing your son reminds me of someone."

"Oh, who is it?" Zhao Gaizhi asked casually as he pondered a solution.

“My brother, Fifth Brother Song Zhen.” Song Yan sighed, “Alas, he was my best brother. It’s a pity he had such a bad life and died too young.”

"Keep pretending. Everyone knows you're the one who killed that guy, and you call him a brother..." she thought to herself, but said aloud, "That's a real pity."

Song Yan didn't mind: "For some reason, when I saw Zhao Feng, I felt that he looked somewhat similar to my fifth brother. If you really think about it, the two should be cousins, since their mothers are both from the Yang family."

"I've heard that Uncle Zhao and his wife are a loving and harmonious couple... However, Uncle Zhao should still be careful around the Yang family, after all... never mind, never mind, never mind, after all, this concerns my father's reputation."

Song Yan shook her head.

Zhao Gaizhi sneered inwardly. This kid was still too green. His methods of sowing discord were too clumsy and stiff. Not to mention him, even his idle son could see through it.

Even so, I couldn't help but wonder what this kid would say:
“Nephew, please don’t be like this. What did my wife do to upset you? Nephew, there’s no need to worry. Just tell me what’s wrong. If it’s the fault of my family, I will not cover it up.”

Song Yan looked troubled: "It's not that they offended me... it's just... I promised my father that I would never tell anyone."

"I guarantee I will never tell a fourth person. My dear nephew, do you still not believe me?" Zhao Gaizhi said righteously, but his curiosity was inexplicably growing.

Song Yan sighed heavily: "So be it, so be it. My father has already suffered a terrible fate. I can't let my uncle suffer the same way." His expression turned serious: "Uncle, do you know that my father's legal wife, Yang Miaoqing, was the eldest daughter of the Yang family. She had eight sons: Song Huai, Song Yi, Song Jing, Song An, Song Zhen, Song Zhe, Song Yun, and Song Lü."

Zhao Gaizhi nodded.

"Then do you know that none of these eight sons are my father's bloodline?"

Hey!
Even though Marquis Anning was cunning and shrewd, he was startled when he heard these words. His hand trembled, and the teacup on the table fell to the ground with a crack, splashing tea everywhere.

He stared wide-eyed at Song Yan, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He wanted to say, how could a son speak ill of his father like this?

But looking at Song Yan's solemn expression, it didn't seem like he was lying.

Although Dongling and Songzhou are hundreds of miles apart, they are both noble families and know some things. Considering what Song Hongtao has done recently, his two sons died and his wife died, yet he showed almost no grief. He couldn't wait to bring his mistress into the Duke's mansion as soon as the seven-day mourning period was over.

Among the nobility, it was widely rumored that Song Hongtao was cold-hearted by nature.

But judging from Song Yan's words, it's probably not just a matter of cold-heartedness. It's more likely that Song Hongtao is using these opportunities to eliminate the parasites in the Duke's mansion one by one. Especially Song Zhe, who is the most intelligent and promising of the eight Song family sons. When he committed a crime, Song Hongtao not only didn't plead for him, but instead directly expelled him from the family.

Thinking this way, I felt that Song Yan was even less likely to be lying.

Good heavens, Song Hongtao has been cuckolded, and by eight different people at once.

As a fellow man, Zhao Gaizhi felt sorry for Song Hongtao, and it was no wonder that he couldn't tell anyone, since it concerned a man's reputation.

Such gossip is extremely attractive to anyone. As if sensing something, Zhao Gaizhi felt it wasn't good to keep asking, but he was also very curious. After a long silence, he couldn't help but ask, "Who is the adulterer?"

Song Yan sighed.
That doesn't stop Song Yan from pinning all the blame on Yang Zhen.

hiss.

Zhao Gaizhi gasped again.

That's fucking explosive.

"Really?"

“Really?” Song Yan nodded: “Yang Zhen visited the Duke’s mansion several times, and my father was deeply in love with my stepmother, so he treated him with great care each time.”

“They even had several secret rendezvous at a temple outside the city, most of which took place a few days before Yang Miaoqing became pregnant. The monks at the temple have already confessed. After my father learned the truth, he was so angry that he vomited blood.”

Zhao Gaizhi's expression was strange. For a man to go to such lengths must be incredibly frustrating, unlike him, who, although he didn't have many children, at least they were his own...

Wait a minute, just as he was thinking this, Zhao Gaizhi suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind.

Why did Song Yan suddenly tell me all this?

His topic just now was changed very abruptly. Could it be that he wanted to remind me of something?
Speaking of which, his cousin... it seems that his wife, Yang Shuxuan, also had a cousin who had once visited the Marquis's residence.

What was that person's name again...? Oh right, Yang Feng!

In an instant, Zhao Gaizhi's face turned ashen.

He suddenly remembered that Yang Feng had been a guest at the Marquis of Anning's residence for half a month, and less than a month after Yang Feng left.

Damn it, could he have been cheated on too?
(End of this chapter)