Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 333 What girl would joke about her innocence? (10,000 words)
Outside the window, the cold wind howled.

The candlelight in the study flickered, casting an unpredictable shadow on Fang Hai's face.

The Fang family has been a royalist for over a hundred years.

As for Fang Hai, he wasn't exactly loyal, but after years of being influenced by the imperial system, he still held a certain respect for the imperial authority. However, Song Yan was the powerful figure he was determined to align himself with, and after spending time with him, he had developed a rather good impression of Song Yan, having earned quite a few military merits under his guidance. Therefore, he still had some affection for Song Yan. So what he feared most now was that his staunch royalist father would angrily go to the palace to report him. If that happened, his nephew Song Yan would probably never be able to leave Dongling City.

The main reason I said that was to see my father's attitude.

For a moment, those eyes stared intently at Fang De, making Fang De feel uncomfortable all over. He couldn't help but wonder if his eldest son was really so loyal to the royal family.

This is not okay.

The Fang family has a history of six or seven hundred years.

During the Great Chu Dynasty, the Fang family were staunch royalists.

During the Han Dynasty, the Fang family were staunch royalists.

Even during the Great Wu Dynasty, the Fang family remained staunch royalists.

As for Ningguo now, he is also a staunch royalist.

Our Fang family, while we may be loyal to the emperor, sometimes we still need to be flexible and adaptable.

For example, it's normal for a few spendthrift sons to occasionally appear in the clan, fall out with the family, and be expelled. After all, every family has a few spendthrifts. And it's also normal for these expelled spendthrifts to join the rebels because the family is loyal to the emperor. Surely, as emperor, you wouldn't destroy the Fang family just because a few of our descendants have been expelled from the clan register?
After all, the Fang family has always stood by your side.

This is called multiple betting.

If the emperor wins, he will basically not do anything to the Fang family. In fact, he will have to appease them. After all, this is a force that has stood by him from the beginning. They are loyal, suppressed the rebels, and even put family members aside for the greater good. If he doesn't show them some appreciation, wouldn't he be letting down the meritorious officials?
Change of dynasty?

That won't have any impact.

After all, the prodigal son who was expelled from the family had rendered meritorious service in supporting the new emperor. The newly enthroned emperor would not exterminate him; at most, the prodigal son would become a member of the direct line, while the original direct line would become a collateral line.

Though the world changes, my Fang family will live on forever.

The biggest worry is that the royal family and the rebels both lose, and a third-party force wins, in which case the Fang family will truly fall into ruin... However, such a thing has not happened so far, and the Fang family has continued to thrive.

Of course, this kind of multi-party betting usually only occurs at the end of a dynasty.

This time, Ningguo's situation is rather unique.

The feud between the Fang and Yang families, with the deaths of Fang Jun and Yang Ming, is irreconcilable. Even if the Fang family wanted to gamble on the Yang family, they couldn't; they could only cling to Emperor Ninghe's crooked tree. Therefore, in Fang De's view, if Song Yan were to truly rebel, it would actually be a good thing, at least giving the Fang family another opportunity to gamble.

According to Fang Hai, Song Yan's troops were few in number, but each one was an elite soldier. Their armor and weapons were even superior to those of the Imperial Guards. Most importantly, all the soldiers had an almost fanatical worship of Song Yan. Even some of the spies Fang Hai had planted among the Japanese pirates had been brainwashed, and most of them had already lost contact with Fang Hai, supposedly thanks to some of the instructors.

Moreover, Song Yan didn't tell the truth at dinner. According to Fang Hai, within the Jurchen royal court, Song Yan's four thousand cavalrymen had withstood tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalry. In short, this army's fighting power was extremely exaggerated; they were fearless and undaunted. If Song Yan were to raise the flag of rebellion, its scale and impact would far exceed that of peasants with hoes. Perhaps they truly had the ability to overthrow the Ningguo court.

By betting on Song Yan, the Fang family still has the chance to last for generations.

Given Song Yan's personality, if he were to rebel, he would most likely first exterminate the Yang family, since the distance between Pingyang Prefecture and Langya is much closer than that between Dongling and Yangjia. Rebellion requires substantial financial and logistical support, making the Yang family of Langya the perfect target.

Even if Song Yan ultimately fails, he can still eliminate the threat of the Yang family.

From Fang De's perspective, this bet is entirely beneficial.

Coincidentally, he has three biological granddaughters...

Thinking this, Fang De glared at Fang Hai: "Look at you, what kind of person are you? So loud and boisterous, you have no composure at all."

"Don't be anxious."

"Song Yan may rebel; this is just my speculation."

"Besides, don't you see what the situation is like in Ningguo now? Even His Majesty has to rely on Song Yan's power. Even if His Majesty knows that Song Yan is going to rebel, His Majesty won't say anything. Moreover, even if Song Yan rebels, it may take several years to reach Dongling, while the Yang family and Bailu Academy are ready to kill His Majesty at any time."

"Moreover, that girl Yuheng is staying in Pingyang."

"Although Yuheng is somewhat stubborn, he is also intelligent. If Song Yan really intended to rebel, how could Yuheng not have noticed? His Majesty may have received the news even earlier than us."

Seeing that his father seemed to have no intention of reporting him, Fang Hai breathed a sigh of relief.

"The matter of the arranged marriage..."

Fang De stroked his beard: "A marriage alliance, of course, is necessary."

"What kind of woman does Song Yan like? What do you think of Linghui?"

Fang Hai was taken aback. He only wanted to find one of the Fang family's concubine daughters for a marriage alliance, so why did his father choose Ling Hui?

That's the youngest granddaughter of the Fang family.

He's only eleven years old this year.

Thinking this, Fang Hai shook his head: "It's not quite right. According to the information I have, Song Yan doesn't seem to like very young girls. He prefers older ones."

Are you older?

The eldest granddaughter is older than Song Yan, but unfortunately she has already said she intends to marry Luo Tianshu, and it's too late to back out now.

Speaking of which, he also has a younger daughter.

Because of his mother's passing, he had to observe a three-year mourning period, which is why he is still unmarried at the age of twenty. His age is fine, but is the generational relationship a bit inappropriate?
If Song Yan marries Ling Hui, then Song Yan and the Luo brothers will be brothers-in-law; if he marries the youngest daughter, then wouldn't Song Yan become the uncle of Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianquan?
Moreover, Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianquan are actually Song Yan's brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

A bit messy.

Old Master Fang was very distressed.

……

at the same time.

The rear residence of the Fang family.

Zizhuyuan Park.

This is not where my aunt lives.

Although the Fang family mansion was large, concubines could not have their own courtyards; they mostly lived in the same courtyard but in different rooms. Only the mistress of the house had her own courtyard. However, Xie Qingqing, Fang Lingyu's mother, was different. Although she was also a concubine, she was extremely favored by Fang Hu, and her treatment was only slightly inferior to that of the concubine. She still held a certain status in the Fang family's inner quarters.

At this very moment, in Xie Qingqing's bedroom, two figures could be seen through the candlelight at the window.

"Aunt, what should I do now?" Fang Lingyu's face was full of distress, one hand on her stomach. It was only the early stage, and the changes weren't too obvious yet. If it dragged on any longer, the changes in her belly would be impossible to hide. For a prestigious family like the Fang family, having a woman pregnant out of wedlock was an absolute disgrace, and it might even affect the marriage prospects of other women in the family. If discovered, being beaten to death on the spot would be the least of her worries; she might even be drowned in a pig cage.

She had initially thought Song Yan was easy to fool, just a soldier risking his life for his career. If given the chance to establish a connection with the Fang family, wouldn't he be eager to do so? Even if something went wrong after the marriage, he probably wouldn't dare say anything. But who would have thought that Song Yan wouldn't even glance at her throughout the entire dinner, completely thwarting Fang Lingyu's plans.

Helpless, she didn't dare linger after the dinner ended and immediately went to her aunt for help. Xie Qingqing was indeed beautiful, with a full and firm figure—the kind of woman men adored, no wonder she was favored by Fang Hu. Hearing her daughter's words, Xie Qingqing's expression darkened: "I prepared safflower for you long ago, but you didn't use it. Now you know it's troublesome?"

Fang Lingyu kept shaking her head: "Safflower is harmful to the body. I've heard that some women who use safflower may become infertile for life, or even have their lives endangered. I don't want to."

Xie Qingqing said helplessly, "Ever since Fang Hai brought up your relationship with Song Yan, I've inquired about Song Yan a bit. Although he's married to Luo Tianxuan, Luo Tianxuan is a tuberculosis patient and is probably still a virgin. Men like that are easy to manipulate. I told you to lower your stance a long time ago. Don't you know your own situation? Why are you still putting on airs like a young lady from the Fang family..."

Fang Lingyu felt a little wronged. Today, she really didn't put on airs and, like a prostitute in a brothel, took the initiative to touch Song Yan's body. But Song Yan seemed to have encountered something dirty and avoided her every time.

This meant that even if she had a thousand tricks up her sleeve, she wouldn't have a chance to use them.

"Alright, I must have done something terrible in my past life to have a daughter like you." Xie Qingqing sighed. "Let me tell you, tomorrow, after the court assembly, all the masters in the house will be home. At that time, you should arrange for a maid to invite Song Yan to the garden."

"If I send someone to invite him, will he come?"

"Idiot! Who told you to use your own name? Couldn't you have said your uncle had something to discuss with him?" Xie Qingqing said irritably. How could someone as smart as her have such a dim-witted daughter? "When you're alone with Song Yan, pull open your clothes and throw yourself at him. I'll find an opportunity to lead your father past there, and then you don't say anything, just keep crying..."

"This kind of thing is hard to explain. If Song Yan doesn't want to offend the Fang family, the only way left is to marry you."

Fang Lingyu's expression gradually brightened, but she was also a little worried: "Won't someone notice and frame me?"

"No way!" Xie Qingqing waved her hand. "What girl would use her innocence to frame someone?"

However, neither Fang Lingyu nor Xie Qingqing noticed that in the shadows outside the window, a slender and tall figure was trembling incessantly, driven by anger.

Although Luo Tianyi came as her brother-in-law requested, she didn't think that Fang Lingyu, a woman, could have any tricks up her sleeve. Who would have thought that what she heard would be so filthy... If Fang Lingyu really succeeds, would her brother-in-law really marry this woman who is already pregnant with an illegitimate child?

It's disgusting to even think about.

Luo Tianyi dislikes having other women around her brother-in-law.

However, if it had to be someone, Yang Siyao and Banxia were acceptable to her, Hua Lianyue and Nahetuya were barely acceptable, and even a widow like Bu Yu was acceptable... but a filthy woman like Fang Lingyu was absolutely out of the question.

But if they don't marry, wouldn't that create another rift between the Fang family and the royal family?
These women were only concerned with the affairs of the inner quarters; they didn't care at all about the real crisis facing the Fang family. For a moment, Luo Tianyi even had the urge to draw his sword and rush in, slit both women's throats with a single blow, and eliminate the threat forever.

But this is the Fang family's residence after all, and even Luo Tianyi cannot kill people here at will.

With a soft exhale, Luo Tianyi disappeared silently, returning to her brother-in-law's room and recounting everything she had overheard.

Song Yan wasn't surprised at all; it's a common trope in novels.

But, it pounced on itself?
you sure?
I'm a sixth-rank martial artist.

Could Fang Lingyu, a woman who is so weak she can't even kill a chicken, really do that?

"Brother-in-law, what do you suggest we do?" Luo Tianyi said angrily.

Song Yan reached out and pinched Luo Tianyi's cheek, but only realized that the action was a bit presumptuous after her fingers had already touched him. She quickly withdrew her hand, but fortunately, Luo Tianyi was in a bad mood and did not notice.

Clearing his throat, Song Yan said, "It's okay, if they can find people, so can we."

"Tomorrow, find an excuse to call Fang De, Fang Hai, Fang Jiang, Fang He, and all those people together a little early. I want to see what face Fang Lingyu will have left to live in this world after she's been disgraced."

Song Yan was genuinely angry. "Damn it, if you want someone to take over, find someone else. What's with targeting me?"

Do you think my face makes me look easy to bully?
"Alright, go to sleep."

Song Yan stretched his arms: "There's a court assembly tomorrow."

"This is my first time attending court."

Song Yan smiled, a ruthless glint in her eyes.

This court assembly will not be easy.

(End of this chapter)