Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 383 My Concubine Fang Wanlin (6,000)

Yang Rui had already left, and Fang Shan returned to her bedroom.

He didn't ask Song Yan and Yang Rui what they had discussed. Although the Fang family and the Yang family were rivals, and the Fang family and Song Yan had a good relationship, Fang Shan was a very discreet person. He knew that everyone had secrets and that he shouldn't pry into things that he shouldn't know.

Song Yan remained quietly seated at the table, a smile on her face, examining the letter in her hand. She was quite familiar with Song Hongtao's handwriting. The words on the letter, written with a frenzied hand, and the slightly distorted ink clearly showed that Song Hongtao's wrist was trembling as he wrote them; the words conveyed an uncontrollable rage.

Song Yan was very curious. What could have happened to make Song Hongtao so angry?

Could it be that Yang Miaoqing cheated on him?
Impossible, Song Hongtao already knew about this.

Looking at the ink on the letter, it is a slightly shiny black, indicating that the book was written not long ago, perhaps only ten days or half a month ago.

The contents of the letter were quite simple: after extensive investigation, Song Hongtao had confirmed that Yang Miaoqing had cheated on him, and that of his eight legitimate sons, only Song Huai was his biological son; the others were all bastards. Upon learning this, he was heartbroken and wished he could reveal the evidence and expel all these bastards from the family register. However, for the sake of the Duke's mansion's reputation, he had to swallow his anger.

Then it was stated that the position of Duke and the position of head of the Song family must belong to Song Huai.

However, to avoid any accidents, it would be best to kill everyone else; only in this way can we be absolutely certain of success.

He even specifically stated that Song Yan must be killed.

It is probably because Song Yanjian is currently favored by the Emperor and deeply trusted by Emperor Ninghe. If he wants to seize the position of Duke, no one can stop him.

Song Yan smiled and put the letter down.

interesting.

He got up and went to the next room. After searching the room, he found a letter in a package.

It was another letter from Song Hongtao.

The same madness, anger, pain, and grievance.

He also promised the title of Duke, provided that Song Yi killed the other sons of the Yang family and Song Yan.

Is Song Hongtao trying to incite chaos and infighting among Yang Miaoqing's eight children? Does he want to make the eight Yang children kill each other, and to reap the benefits of their conflict?

He supported his chin with his elbows on the desk and his fingers interlaced.

Lost in thought.

There should also be a similar letter from Song Jing.

It's uncertain whether Song An has any letters or not, since he's a frequent merchant and rarely stays in one place for long, making it impossible for him to send letters. As for Song Huai and Song Yi, they didn't destroy the letters; instead, they each carefully kept them… Whether they had ulterior motives or were blinded by greed, they didn't reveal the letters, and each assumed the others were unaware… Although they were brothers, the allure of the Duke's position was too great, enough to extinguish kinship and humanity.

For a moment, Song Yan's expression turned strange. Song An had actually led these three people to escape from Dongling. It was hard to imagine how exciting their journey would be.

Song Yan also read through the other letters, but there was nothing particularly important in them.

This matter has come to a temporary end.

Fangshan cooperated with the Yang family in issuing the wanted notices, but producing them took time, mainly due to the portraits, which was quite time-consuming. Once completed, they were distributed and posted in each prefecture and county, making it unlikely that they could catch up with Song An and his group. However, as long as the wanted notices existed, it would be a pipe dream for Song An, Song Huai, Song Yi, and Song Jing to live peacefully in Ningguo, and even Song An's business would likely be impossible to continue.

Song Yan felt a little disappointed at not being able to take down another member of the Song family, but he didn't care too much. He believed that he would meet the Song brothers again sooner or later.

Song Yan gradually withdrew from the work of confiscating property, leaving it entirely to Zhao Gaizhi.

The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, having received Emperor Ninghe's approval, promised that if families facing the extermination of nine generations of their relatives or clans cooperated honestly and revealed the location of their family's hidden wealth, a male descendant could be spared to carry on the family line. Knowing that their fate was beyond redemption, most people were quite cooperative.

The process of confiscating property was much faster.

Almost every day, cartloads of silver were transported to the palace, along with countless pieces of jade, gold, pearls, emeralds, precious fabrics, and antique paintings and calligraphy.

These days, Emperor Ninghe goes to court in a cheerful mood every day.

Having been poor for so long, the sudden influx of such a large sum of money has reportedly made Emperor Ninghe so proud that he now adds two extra dishes to his meals every day.

Another person who was very happy was the Minister of Revenue.

This extremely stingy old man, who always claimed to be broke, can now finally stand tall and speak with confidence, even in court.

Of course, with so much money coming in, it will naturally attract countless eyes.

The Ministry of Works is responsible for repairing the river channel and building river embankments.

The Ministry of Rites is going to build a school.

The Ministry of Revenue should also make up for the arrears in grain and salary owed to the border troops.

The Ministry of War also needs to replace old and rusty weapons and armor.

Even the Ministry of Justice joined in the fun, saying that the instruments of torture had not been updated for a long time, and that the "combing and washing torture" invented by Marquis Song Yan seemed quite good, and they planned to promote it throughout Dongling.

Therefore, the happy days did not last long, and Emperor Ninghe was soon overwhelmed by the commotion. Apart from provisions, weapons, armor, and river channels and embankments, everything else was delayed as much as possible.

Of course, these things have little to do with Song Yan.

These past few days, Song Yan has been busy outside Dongling City.

The main problem was that those whose entire families had been exterminated were already being beheaded, and their heads had been transported outside the city, piling up into a small hill. Since the reputation of the "Mound of Heads Maniac" was already indelible, Song Yan simply gave up and fully utilized his artistic talents. Layer upon layer of yellow mud, layer upon layer of heads, and he managed to create two pyramids.

The pyramid's three sides are all tanned, with the skin and flesh removed, and all you can see are dark eye sockets, which is quite unsettling.

When the pyramids were completed, Emperor Ninghe personally led his civil and military officials, nobles, and family members to see them as a warning... Dozens of people fainted on the spot, and countless others vomited.

It is said that when they arrived, many young men from noble families were disdainful, thinking that it was just a dead man's head and nothing to worry about; but when they returned, they were all pale and trembling, and some even developed high fevers, convulsions and coma that night.

Just kidding, these rich kids have never experienced war, and while I wouldn't say all of them, a large portion of them have extremely poor psychological resilience.

Jingguan.

When I heard about it, I just felt it was cruel.

Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you know fear.

Even within Dongling City, the way parents scare disobedient children has become like this: If you don't behave, Song Yan will come and get you, and you'll have your head piled up on a mound of corpses.

It always stops a child from crying.

Voices began to emerge in the imperial court calling for Song Yan to return to Pingyang as governor—not acting governor, but the full prefect. However, Emperor Ninghe rejected this, citing Song Yan's lack of participation in the imperial examinations and his absence of official rank. These were originally the reasons the Bailu Academy and the Yang family used to manipulate Emperor Ninghe and Song Yan, but now they were returned intact, leaving them filled with regret.

A spring imperial examination.

It includes the provincial examination, county examination, prefectural examination, capital examination, and palace examination.

The duration could be as long as six months, or even longer.

Song Yan has only been in Dongling for a month, and he has already caused the deaths of two hundred officials. If you include their families, the number is probably two or three thousand. If Song Yan were to stay in Dongling for another six months, the entire court would probably be wiped out.

Even Gao Hong and Chu Licheng disregarded the interests of the scholar-official class, stating that Ningguo did not actually have a rule that only those who passed the imperial examinations could become prefects. In the early days of Ningguo's founding, during the reign of Emperor Taizu, most prefects were generals who had followed Emperor Taizu in his campaigns. Seeing that the emperor had struck a chord, Emperor Ninghe finally relented and issued an edict appointing Song Yan as the prefect of Pingyang, to take office within a month.

The Marquis of Champion's Mansion has also been repaired and cleaned up.

Taking advantage of the free time, Song Yan moved to a new house, no longer needing to stay at the Fang family mansion.

The entire imperial city was in an uproar on the day of the move.

It is said that the scale of the wedding was no less than that of a prince's wedding or an emperor's daughter's wedding.

Almost all officials in Beijing sent congratulatory gifts, especially the Fang and Yang families, whose gifts were transported by cart, even more extravagant than when their homes were raided some time ago.

There was nothing they could do; there were still two mounds of corpses standing there outside Dongling City.

Nobody wants to be targeted by this ruthless killer for being impolite, adding another head to the pyramid.

The reward for eradicating the Ghost Cave has also been given. Fang Shan was promoted to the first rank. Although he is still the Prefect of Dongling Prefecture, his official position is now on par with the Ministers of the Six Ministries.

On Song Yan's side, citing the Jurchens' frequent border raids, he was granted the title of General Pinglu, commanding 30,000 troops. These troops were to be recruited and their supplies to be provided by the Jurchens themselves. Including the 15,000 soldiers of Pingyang Prefecture, Song Yan's legitimate military strength reached 45,000, more than double the previous figure. Yang Hetong and Chu Licheng, naturally, did not want Song Yan's military power to increase, but their immediate priority was to keep Song Yan away from Dongling, so they temporarily yielded.

Meanwhile, the vacant official positions in the imperial court were also reassigned.

Bailu Academy only managed to get back about thirty seats, which is only a quarter of the original number. Although dissatisfied, Bailu Academy had indeed lost face this time, so it was not appropriate to make too much of a fuss.

The Yang family, on the other hand, secured over fifty positions, which was indeed a slight increase compared to their original losses.

Although the Fang family did not compete or fight, Emperor Ninghe still arranged for more than twenty people to join them.

As for the remaining eighty-odd officials, they were all personally appointed by Emperor Ninghe.

In this way, the original 20/80 split between Emperor Ninghe, Bailu Academy, and the Yang family gradually became 30/70, or even 40/60, so that they would no longer be hindered by others at every turn as before.

This is how power struggles in the imperial court have always been; if someone catches you red-handed, you inevitably have to make some compromises.

……

Aventurine.

The outer city. As bustling as ever.

It's already February.

The weather eventually warmed up, and the snow melted.

The branches are already showing faint hints of fuzzy green.

Walking along Chang'an Avenue, you're surrounded by a cacophony of sounds: hunters from the mountains bring in fresh catches—rabbits, pheasants, and muntjacs; the ice on the river melts, and fresh river fish fill bamboo baskets; farmers in the villages bring out their homemade pickled vegetables and preserved meats…

The various shouts and calls of vendors, though noisy, also created a warm atmosphere.

Spring plowing has begun, and Ningguo... no, the entire Central Plains, has entered the busy farming season.

If you were there, the world would be filled with vitality, the sun would be shining brightly, the white clouds would be like a tapestry, and everything would be so bright and cheerful that it would make you feel relaxed and happy.

By the river, there were mischievous children, holding bamboo poles with hemp threads attached to them. At the end of the threads was a fishhook with a snapped earthworm on it. They were fishing for fish and shrimp in the clear river water. Occasionally, a fish would bite, and they would burst into joyful laughter.

Children's happiness is that simple.

Whenever Song Yan saw such a scene, he couldn't help but sigh, as if he was recalling his time as an air force soldier in his previous life.

They have better fishing gear, so why are they not as good as a bunch of kids?
Perhaps fish in ancient times were all rather stupid.

Thinking this way, I felt a little comforted.

There were also young masters and ladies from official families flying kites outside the city.

The wealthy family enjoys the sightseeing from the lead boat, taking advantage of the gentle breeze to fly kites.

Hands beat the silk reel up and down, and for a moment they turn their heads to look at the blue sky.

This is probably what the warmth and life of ordinary people is all about.

As if infected by this atmosphere, even the sister-in-law, who usually had a cold face, had a faint smile on her lips.

Bu Yu's health has improved considerably. Although she cannot use force for the time being, she can get out of bed and walk normally without any problems.

Nakhtoya had never seen anything like it before. Seeing the kites flying in the sky, she would tug at Song Yan's arm from time to time, her high-pitched voice echoing in her ears as she skipped and jumped around, full of energy. Seeing the clear river water, she would even take off her shoes and socks, her fair and delicate legs and feet dangling on the riverbank, occasionally splashing water as they slapped against the surface.

Ziyu always puts Song Yan at the center and stays by his side no matter what.

After all, she had performed well recently, and Luo Tianxuan had already cured her of the poison. Although Hua Lianyue had not cured her, she had given her half a year's worth of antidote.

Having already been abandoned by her master, although she still held the title of Holy Maiden, Ziyu no longer felt so attached to the Hehuan Sect. She even had a vague feeling that staying by Song Yan's side might not be so bad. Her young master's future was limitless; he was far more than just a Marquis of Champion or a Prefect of Pingyang… Compared to continuing as the Holy Maiden of the Hehuan Sect and rightfully succeeding her master as sect leader when he grew old, staying by Song Yan's side seemed to offer a better future.

"Please wait a moment, young lady. Let me introduce myself. I am Chu Wenxiao from the Chu family. May I ask your name?"

In a beautiful scene, there are always some discordant voices.

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old blocking a woman in her twenties. Although he did not do anything inappropriate, his words were frivolous.

The woman wore a striking crimson dress, resembling a walking flame. A sash around her waist accentuated her slender figure, and a gentle breeze highlighted the shapely, long silhouette of her legs. Her face was delicate, unlike the typical feminine charm or the cold indifference of a sister-in-law; instead, it exuded a touch of heroic spirit.

She is a strikingly beautiful woman.

Compared to her sister-in-law, Ziyu is not much different.

The woman had probably never experienced anything like this before and didn't know how to deal with it. She just frowned and tried to avoid it.

But Chu Wenxiao had clearly taken a liking to this girl.

Although they are a little older than me.

But as the saying goes, "A woman three years older than her husband is like a golden brick."

Look at that Marquis of Champion, the women around him are all older than him. And look at the Marquis of Champion's fortune, from an unknown illegitimate son to a marquis favored by the emperor, it only took him a little over half a year... Because of Song Yan, Dongling is now swept up in a craze for older woman-younger man relationships.

As for whether they are married or not... as long as they are good-looking and have a good figure, it doesn't matter if they are married.

Seeing the young woman about to leave, Chu Wenxiao quickly stepped forward and blocked her path again: "Miss, why are you so cold? Do you know who my uncle is? My uncle is Chu Licheng, the Imperial Attendant..."

Chu Wenxiao was beaming with pride.

Song Yan, who was behind him, raised an eyelid upon hearing this.

Chu Licheng, the Attendant-in-Ordinary?
Good heavens, does that old man Chu even know that he has a nephew like you who is ruining his reputation?

This person is probably some distant relative of the Chu family, isn't he?

When they moved not long ago, Chu Licheng personally paid a visit to congratulate them, and even brought his nephews and nieces to meet Song Yan. It was mainly to introduce them to each other and to remind them to go easy on Song Yan should any conflicts arise in the future.

It was clear that Chu Wenxiao was not among those people.

Just then, Chu Wenxiao suddenly trembled, as if she realized that someone was watching her. She subconsciously turned around and met a pair of mocking eyes.

hum.

In an instant, Chu Wenxiao felt his mind go completely blank.

It’s over.

How did I end up encountering this Jingguan maniac?
Song Yan didn't know Chu Wenxiao, but Chu Wenxiao knew Song Yan. He had gone to see the Jingguan when it was completed. So much time had passed, but every night when he fell asleep, those dark eye sockets would appear in his mind, and he would wake up from a nightmare.

It has only gotten a little better in the last few days.

Who would have thought that just by coming out to relax, they would end up encountering this devil?

For a moment, Chu Wenxiao was terrified, and the image of his head placed at the very top of the pyramid-shaped mound involuntarily appeared in his mind.

However, Chu Wenxiao was clever. With a slight tremor, a silver ingot fell from her sleeve. She quickly squatted down and picked it up, saying, "Miss, you dropped your silver."

The girl was clearly taken aback by this turn of events and was momentarily stunned: "This...this isn't my money."

Chu Wenxiao's face hardened: "I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false? I am Chu Wenxiao of the Chu family, and my uncle is Chu Licheng, the Imperial Attendant. How could I lie?"

"Take your money quickly."

He then stuffed the silver into the woman's hand and hurriedly ran to Song Yan, his face now adorned with a fawning smile: "My lord, I only picked up the silver that this woman had dropped out of kindness. I did not do anything to bully men or women."

Although they didn't know each other, Song Yan couldn't help but find his appearance amusing: "What, do I have to praise you?"

"No need, no need, please continue playing, I won't disturb you any longer." With that, Chu Wenxiao hurriedly left.

One hand was still patting his chest.

Good guy.

This champion is truly terrifying.

Especially his eyes; the moment they looked over, he felt as if he had been skinned and dismembered, reduced to bare bones. His head, in particular, was being held and played with by Song Yan, as if Song Yan was pondering where to place it on the Jingguan (a mound of skulls).

But being able to survive the Jingguan maniac is a real asset. When I get back to drinking with my cronies, I'll have something to brag about.

The woman in red was left standing there, stunned, holding a silver ingot in her hand, unaware of what had happened.

After a few moments, the woman in red finally came to her senses. She looked at the silver in her hand, then at Song Yan, who had already looked away not far away. She gently bit her lip and walked towards Song Yan's direction.
"Thank you for helping me out of that predicament, Your Excellency."

The crisp sound also revealed a sense of efficiency.

Song Yan simply smiled and shook his head. Surrounded by beautiful women, he wouldn't be so easily swayed by a pretty woman: "It's nothing, just a small matter."

The woman in red seemed surprised by Song Yan's answer. She paused for a moment, then realized what he meant and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. She then curtsied to Song Yan and said, "This concubine is Fang Wanlin."

"I will entrust you with my care from now on, Your Excellency."

Fang Wanlin?
Song Yan was stunned. This was the youngest daughter of Old Master Fang De?

Fang Wanlin, who had been observing three years of mourning for her mother's death and was devoted to Taoism, wanted to become a Taoist nun.
No, what happened to my plan to go to Pingyang to clear my head when I was feeling down?

Look at that fiery red dress, look at that cheerful smile, where is there even a hint of melancholy?

Luo Tianyi, who was holding a pebble by the river and watching the fish swimming in the water, suddenly narrowed her beautiful eyes when she heard the commotion. The next second, she flicked her finger, and the pebble shot into the water with a "plop".

A white stripe instantly flipped up belly.

But there wasn't even time to collect the fish and bring them ashore; he hurriedly pulled a small notebook from his pocket:

My brother-in-law has hooked up with another woman, Fang OO...

This little notebook is for my mother to see; there can't be any more women around my brother-in-law.

(End of this chapter)