Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 397 The Bloody Truth (7,000 words)

The quiet Duke's mansion was dimly lit, the evening breeze whistled by, and the newly sprouted leaves swayed in the breeze. In the crystal-clear night, a bright moon rose leisurely from the horizon and hung in the sky.

It wasn't completely dark yet.

The stars in the sky are not very obvious.

Butler Wang had already arrived outside the courtyard, and even Song Hongtao's trusted confidants who were guarding the vicinity had been sent away... He knew that there were some things Song Yan didn't want too many people to hear.

Those confidants also knew of Song Yan's reputation as a ruthless star. They figured that provoking Song Yan would do them no good. If they angered Song Yan and he wanted to take their lives, even Song Hongtao probably couldn't stop him. Therefore, they didn't insist on staying, but they didn't go too far and continued to secretly keep an eye on the situation.

Ziyu was nowhere to be found either. As a martial artist, it was instinctive to always explore the area when first arriving at a new place.

Song Lu remained kneeling on the ground, silent, waiting for Song Yan's answer. However, the movement of his throat revealed that he was not as calm as he appeared.

Song Yan's eyelids were lowered and her brows were furrowed.

Is it the State of Chu?
He didn't know much about the State of Chu.

All that is known is that there are many conflicts between the State of Chu and the State of Ning.

Last year, a general from the State of Chu led a large army and captured two cities in the State of Ning, forcing Ning to cede territory and pay reparations every year, which was a great loss of face for the state.

I heard that the general was actually a woman.

I forgot what it was called.

Speaking of which, Hua Lian Yue has lived in the State of Chu for many years, so perhaps we can ask Hua Lian Yue for help.

Of course, so many years have passed, and in Song Yan's memory, Song Xue was just a little girl. Girls change a lot as they grow up, and Song Yan wasn't sure what she looked like now. The difficulty of finding her is unimaginable. Just like Mei Wu, who, despite having a token to confirm his identity, searched for his mother for decades, still to no avail.

The light that had been shining in his eyes gradually faded.

However, for Song Yan, this should be considered a good thing, albeit barely.

At least it confirms that my sister was not killed by that old hag Yang Miaoqing.

She wasn't sold to some remote mountain forest to be a child bride for five or six men.

Song Yan didn't know which caravan from Chu it was, but since it was a caravan, it must be well-off. He just hoped that this family could treat his sister a little better so that she wouldn't have to suffer so much in her life.

Seeing that Song Yan seemed to have finished thinking, Song Lu finally couldn't bear the torment any longer and mustered up his courage to ask, "Ninth Brother, now... now can you take me away from the Duke's Mansion?"

Song Yan let out a heavy breath, raised her eyelids, and glanced at Song Lu with a slightly complicated look in her eyes: "Of course."

Song Lu's face lit up with joy.

"But before that, are you sure you don't want to know why Song Hongtao is treating you this way?"

Song Lu's pupils suddenly contracted.

He thought he didn't care about anything anymore and just wanted to get away from the Duke's mansion, but after Song Yan said those words, his heart still couldn't help but clench.

Yes.

Why did my father's personality suddenly change so drastically?

Why are you suddenly so vicious and cruel to yourself?

He could sense that his father intended to torture him to death.

What exactly happened here?
The joy on his face gradually faded, replaced by fear and struggle, but his body remained rooted to the ground, motionless. Seeing Song Lu's appearance, Song Yan already knew Song Lu's choice: "It's actually very simple, you are not Song Hongtao's son."

Rumble... Crack!

As if a bolt of lightning had appeared out of nowhere in the pitch-black night sky, it struck Song Lü heavily on the head.

Song Lu's mind was buzzing, and he almost fell over. His face instantly lost all color, but fortunately, his face was covered in dirt, so it wasn't too hard to see.

His pupils widened, trembling violently as if in an earthquake. He didn't know how much time had passed, but Song Lu seemed to finally understand what Song Yan meant: "Ninth, Ninth Brother, what nonsense are you spouting? How could I not be Father's son?"

Song Yan stretched his arms, a strange look on his face. He didn't explain anything, but simply took out two letters from his pocket and casually tossed them to Song Lu.

Song Lu took the letter somewhat clumsily, his fingers trembling as he opened it. By the light of the fire beside him, the words on the letter gradually came into view. As he read, Song Lu's expression grew increasingly gloomy and ugly, until finally he was almost driven to madness by anger.

Those were letters that Song Hongtao wrote to Song Huai and Song Yi respectively.

Having lived with Song Hongtao for many years, Song Lü could immediately recognize that it was Song Hongtao's handwriting.

"See? Not only you, but all seven of your brothers are not Song Hongtao's children either."

“Song Zhen’s father is named Yang Zhen. He is Yang Miaoqing’s cousin, though the relationship is a bit distant. He is from the same lineage as the Yang family of Huilong, which is about five degrees of kinship.”

"And the seven of you, Song Huai and Song Yi, are all from the same father, Song Jincheng."

"That's right, you were born from Yang Miaoqing's affair with her brother-in-law."

Song Lu subconsciously opened his mouth, wanting to refute.

"Don't rush to deny it. Song Jincheng has already admitted it. Besides, Song Jincheng has already divorced his second aunt. Perhaps his second aunt had some information, and Song Jincheng didn't dare to disagree." Song Yan smiled, her tone calm, as if she were talking about a trivial matter that had nothing to do with her.

Although this matter really had nothing to do with him.

"As for Yang Miaoqing, whether she has cheated on Song Hongtao with other women is unclear. But thinking about it, it makes sense. What man would allow himself to be cuckolded?"

Unless there is some special quirk.

"The more loving Song Hongtao was with Yang Miaoqing, the more he hated her after learning the truth."

"But Yang Miaoqing is already dead."

"Even if you hate her, there's no way to find Yang Miaoqing to take revenge. In fact, to maintain the dignity of the Duke, you have to give Yang Miaoqing a proper burial. You can't just drag her out of her grave and whip her corpse, can you?"

"If you can't vent your frustrations, you're more likely to become abnormal."

"He couldn't vent his anger on Yang Miaoqing, so he could only take it out on Yang Miaoqing's son."

Song Yan spoke eloquently.

With each word he spoke, Song Lu's expression grew darker. He didn't want to believe what Song Yan said, but another voice in his head kept telling him that what Song Yan said was true.

“I admit that I killed Song Zhen and Yang Miaoqing, but… do you think Song Hongtao didn’t tacitly approve of it? He knew everything, but he was just hiding behind the scenes, maintaining his pitiful self-esteem and dignity. The more he wanted to maintain his self-esteem, the more easily he felt inferior. Simply killing you was no longer enough for Song Hongtao, so he imprisoned you in this small courtyard, wanting to watch you slowly walk into despair and then perish in despair.”

Song Lu's body trembled again.

"By the way, you accidentally fell into the water, which is why you're now in this half-crippled state... But was it really just an accident?"

hum.

Song Lu's pupils suddenly widened, his breathing became rapid, and his eyes revealed a deep resentment.

"Song Hongtao hates you to the bone. Even if I had a way to take you out of the Duke's mansion, what then? Would you be able to survive?"

"Will Song Hongtao let you escape?"

"You don't know that Song Hongtao has recently hired a large number of martial artists, do you? Who do you think those martial artists are for?"

Song Yan's voice was unpredictable.

Like a ghost, or as if a demon was whispering in your ear.

A sharp dagger slipped from his sleeve and landed in his palm.

"Think carefully about how you can survive."

The dagger spun once in his palm, then flew out with a hiss and embedded itself in the tree trunk, making a buzzing sound.

"The Duke's mansion might get into chaos later."

After leaving those words behind, Song Yan turned and left.

In the small courtyard, Song Lu was left alone, staring blankly at the dagger on the tree trunk, his eyes sometimes filled with fear and sometimes with madness.

He didn't know exactly what Song Yan meant by the chaos that was about to break out in the Duke's mansion, but he could imagine that something big was going to happen there tonight.

I looked up.

Dark night sky.

The road was familiar; it felt as if if I just followed it, it wouldn't be long before I could escape this damned cage.

But Song Yan's words seemed like a bewitching, seductive chant, echoing in Song Lu's ears. After a few breaths, Song Lu pursed his lips and slowly closed the door before the guards could surround him again. Limping on one leg, he moved slowly but firmly around the courtyard, searching for food to fill his stomach.

You always need to recover some physical strength.

……

At the same time, Song Yan had just left the inner quarters.

Just then, a figure with his head down hurriedly walked from the front.

It was a woman, petite in stature.

She seemed to be wearing some kind of perfumed powder, with a faint lotus-like fragrance.

She seemed to be in a great hurry and didn't notice the ground beneath her feet. She tripped over a protruding pebble and fell forward uncontrollably.

Song Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, stepped forward, and grabbed the woman's shoulder.

It was Lin Xiangwan.

At this time, Lin Xiangwan should still be in her postpartum confinement period.

During postpartum confinement, it is not advisable to visit other people's homes casually, as it is said to bring misfortune and bad luck. However, it is not a big problem to just walk around your own home.

Lin Xiangwan patted her chest gently with her small hand. Her face was a little pale, and she looked like she was still in shock. After a few breaths, she recovered and said, "Ninth Young Master, we've finally found you! Why didn't you inform us in advance that you were returning to the Duke's Mansion? Your aunt could have made more preparations."

Song Yan simply nodded slightly: "It's just a stopover on the way back to Pingyang, and we won't be staying at the Duke's mansion for long, so there's no need to trouble us."

"How can that be?" Lin Xiangwan smiled gently. "Young Master, you don't know how much Master missed you while you were gone. He was so happy to hear you were back. Young Master, please hurry. Master has been waiting in the guest room for a long time, but he didn't see you. That's when he found out you were in the backyard."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lin Xiangwan asked Song Yan if he had any dietary restrictions, then curtsied and turned to leave.

Seeing that no one was around, Song Yan loosened his fingers, revealing a rolled-up ball of paper in his palm.

"At the banquet, the signal to smash a glass will be given."

"Five Tigers Soul-Severing Gate".

“Three eighth-rank martial artists.” Song Yan smiled, flicked his finger, and the white paper quickly turned into fine powder, disappearing with the wind: “Ziyu, do you know the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Sect?”

Upon hearing this, Ziyu, who had just emerged from the shadows, simply shrugged: "Of course I know. It's one of the more famous sects in the martial arts world, but its reputation is not as good as that of the Hehuan Sect."

Hearing this, Song Yan was speechless.

Although the Hehuan Sect was recognized by the imperial court as a prestigious and righteous sect and a model of the righteous path because of its lawful tax payment, in reality, most major sects in the martial arts world looked down on the Hehuan Sect, thinking that they were nothing more than a group of prostitutes who used their beauty to please men, no different from the women in brothels.

There is also a hierarchy of contempt among martial arts sects.

Groups like Shaolin Temple, Quanzhen Taoism, and Longhu Tianshan are undoubtedly the leaders of the righteous path, standing high above all others.

The Hehuan Sect is at the very bottom of the social hierarchy.

The Five Tigers Soul-Severing Sect is even worse than the Joyful Union Sect. Just how bad is it?

"Then, can you handle three eighth-rank martial artists?" Song Yan raised an eyebrow and asked again.

Ziyu covered her mouth and chuckled, but there was a hint of pride in her eyes: "I am invincible below the Grandmaster level."

"Among ninth-rank martial artists, there should be no one who can match me. Even Tianyi is somewhat inferior to me. When we fought in front of the Fang residence, I deliberately let him win."

"As for eighth-rank martial artists... three might not be enough. If there were five or six, they might be able to cause me some trouble."

Song Yan's eyes lit up.

He glanced at Ziyu again and was surprised to find that this woman, who was easily bullied by Luo Tianxuan and Hua Lianyue and seemed like a punching bag, actually had such exaggerated strength.

"Don't look down on me. In the Hehuan Sect, I am extremely talented in both seductive arts and martial arts, and I am being groomed as the next sect leader. Although I am not a grandmaster yet, I have a feeling that I am only one step away from becoming a grandmaster, like a door that I can push open with my hand. It's just that I haven't been able to actually touch that door yet."

Ziyu put her hands on her hips, giving off a "I'm so awesome" look.

Listen to Ziyu's words; they sound very mysterious and profound.

However, Song Yan did not question anything. Hua Lian Yue and Luo Tian Xuan, two genuine grandmasters, had also said that breaking through to the grandmaster level was a rather mysterious process, like a feeling. When the feeling came, you broke through. Without that feeling, even if you cultivated hard for a lifetime, you would not be able to touch the threshold of the grandmaster.

Since Ziyu can have this feeling, it means that she is really not far from breaking through to the Grandmaster level.

"In that case, my safety will depend on you when the fight breaks out later," Song Yan said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered." Ziyu puffed out her chest with some pride, patting her chest with her small hands, making her ample bosom bounce along with it.

Song Yan's gaze involuntarily drifted to the side, and his nose inexplicably felt hot... This woman truly had absolutely no awareness of her own figure.

“But, young master, is this really alright?” Ziyu blinked, her face full of strangeness. “Why do I feel like it’s always women protecting you? Don’t you feel uncomfortable?”

If it were before, Ziyu would naturally not have dared to ask such a question, but now, after spending so much time together, Ziyu has gradually figured out Song Yan's temperament. He is actually a very easy-going man. He is kind and gentle to maids and servants and will not look down on them. As long as you don't cross his bottom line, it's okay to be a little presumptuous once in a while.

Song Yan then thought about it very seriously.

Gradually, his expression became strange.

It seems... it seems that it really is true.

Since leaving the Duke of Song's mansion, it seems that most of the dangers he's encountered have been resolved by his sister-in-law, along with Hua Lian Yue and Luo Tian Xuan. If it weren't for these women, he probably would have died countless times over for the trouble he caused.

I felt inexplicably pleased... After all, not everyone can just eat a woman's rice bowl.

Thinking this, he couldn't help but feel smug. He reached out and ruffled Ziyu's hair, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting, woman? I just have a sensitive stomach. Eating soft food makes it easier to digest. How could I feel uncomfortable?"

"You know what? I only ever complain that I don't have enough free food, not that I don't have enough delicious food."

Ziyu twisted her neck, rescuing her little head from Song Yan's palm, and at the same time gained a completely new understanding of Song Yan's shamelessness.

Along the way, there was laughter and banter.

Many maids and servants who knew Song Yan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene, as it seemed that the Ninth Young Master was in a good mood.

This is a good thing.

If the Ninth Young Master is in a good mood, perhaps things will be a little more peaceful at the Duke's mansion today, and no one will die.

Maybe.

……

crackle.

This place is already on the border of Ningguo.

We are less than a hundred miles away from the State of Zhao. Once we pass the next pass, we will be able to set foot on Zhao territory.

This is a cave.

A campfire burned at the cave entrance, and the dry firewood crackled and popped.

Occasionally, a night breeze would blow by, and the thick smoke from the campfire would rush into the cave, followed by a violent coughing sound from inside.

The flickering flames provided a little light, illuminating four faces in the cave.

If Song Yan were here, he would probably recognize these people at a glance.

Song Huai, Song Yi, Song Jing, Song An.

These were the four Song brothers who had escaped from Dongling City.

However, the four brothers now look quite disheveled, all of them having lost weight, as if they had suffered unimaginable torment over the past ten days.

My skin became rough and dark.

My hair has become dry, yellow, and messy.

Even the spirit and energy in his eyes had diminished considerably.

His clothes were tattered and ragged; he had lost all trace of the air of a duke's son and looked more like a refugee fleeing a disaster.

Song Jing, in particular, had a flushed face, looking as if she had a fever. She was also panting heavily, her hands were clenched tightly, and her body was trembling uncontrollably.

"Damn it, that Song Yan is inhuman." Holding a tree branch, Song Yi poked at the fire at the cave entrance. He rebuilt some of the fallen firewood, and the flames were a little stronger than before.

Initially, when they learned that Song Yan was planning to harm the brothers, they panicked and hurriedly left Dongling. However, once they were far away from Dongling, their panic quickly dissipated. In the eyes of the four brothers, as long as they didn't linger under Song Yan's nose, it wouldn't be so easy for him to deal with them even if he wanted to.

I never expected that Song Yan would be so vicious as to post wanted posters in all the major cities and counties of Ningguo.

They were also falsely accused of colluding with the Ghost Cave.

Song Yi cursed and swore. That Song Yan was truly a scoundrel. Knowing full well that they couldn't possibly have anything to do with the Ghost Cave, he still insisted on pinning this mess on them... Being wronged was just too awful. As he was filled with such hatred, Song Yi completely forgot that when they were young, they had done the same thing, countless times using fabricated charges to frame and bully Song Yan and Song Xue.

Confucius once said: "You only know the pain when the stick hits you." The ancients were right.

The moment the four brothers saw the wanted poster, their scalps tingled with fear; they knew they were in real trouble.

Songzhou Prefecture is absolutely off-limits. It's Fang Hai's territory, and many officials there have been promoted because of Song Yan's war against the Japanese pirates. They have very close ties with Song Yan, so going to Songzhou Prefecture would be suicide.

He also cannot return to the Song family.

They knew their father, Song Hongtao, very well.

Cold-hearted by nature.

With the arrest warrant already issued, given my father's personality, he will most likely expel them from the family genealogy without hesitation, in order to maintain the dignity and honor of the Duke's mansion.

In that case, the entire Ningguo region is probably not safe.

Song An, with his quickest mind, immediately decided on the destination... Zhao State.

Although the State of Zhao was as weak as the State of Ning, and like Ning, it emphasized literature over military affairs, resulting in a dilapidated military. However, Zhao differed from the other three states in one key aspect: it was extremely suitable for commerce. The commercial atmosphere in Zhao was incredibly vibrant, and merchants faced little discrimination. Having made this decision, Song An didn't hesitate at all. He immediately grabbed his three brothers and fled without a second thought, even abandoning the caravan, contracts, silver notes, and other miscellaneous belongings still at the inn.

As it turned out, Song An's decision was absolutely correct.

The wanted poster had barely been put up at the inn when the innkeeper immediately recognized the person on it. All the city's constables were mobilized for a city-wide search. Members of the Song family's trading company, their drivers, and even their bodyguards were all arrested. If the four brothers had been even slightly slower, they would probably already be on a prison cart bound for Dongling.

"Are we really going to the State of Zhao?" Song Huai frowned, feeling somewhat reluctant to leave his homeland.

"What else can we do?" Song An picked up a fire poker and rummaged through a pile of ashes. After a short while, he pulled out a coarse grain cake. The cake was roasted to a golden brown by the embers and looked delicious. He picked up the cake, and the scalding heat made Song An blow on it vigorously. Layers of ashes were blown away as the cake was passed between his two hands.

It was blowing loudly while simultaneously making a sucking, slurping pain.

Song An stopped when the temperature wasn't so extreme, picked up the mixed cake and took a big bite.

bang.

The hard, crumbly bread made Song An wonder if he had bitten into a rock. When he swallowed it, Song An felt a burning sensation in his throat, as if his throat was being torn apart.

At this moment, he missed the steamed buns that he used to hate and disdain.

In fact, steamed buns were quite a precious food. Although they were not exclusive to nobles, they were not something that ordinary people could eat casually either. They were usually only afforded by officials or merchants with a lot of spare money. Although they didn't have much flavor, at least they weren't so hard.

But there was nothing they could do. They had fled in such a hurry that they left their goods and luggage with the caravan, where the bodyguards were protecting them. They only had large sums of silver notes on them, but they couldn't exchange them in the city. With wanted posters everywhere, they couldn't spend their money even if they had it.

These grain cakes were stolen from some farmers' homes.

“Our wanted posters are probably plastered all over every city in Ningguo now. We’ll be spotted wherever we go. You don’t want to be hunted down all the time, do you?”

“The only way to be safe is to leave Ningguo.” Song An sighed and said, “Don’t worry, although I have given up most of my wealth this time, I still have property in Zhao. As long as I can cross the border, I can’t say that life will be great in Zhao, but at least I won’t be sleeping in the open.”

Song Huai and Song Yi then fell silent.

Only the sound of labored chewing remained in the cave.

"I've eaten, let's take a nap." Song An yawned, clearly tired. "We still have over a hundred li to walk tomorrow, and if we don't get enough rest, we'll suffer. Who will keep watch tonight?"

"I'll go first, I'll keep watch for the first half of the night," Song Huai said, shaking his head helplessly.

"Then I, or the third brother, will come to relieve you in the middle of the night," Song An said softly, then lay down on the ground. He was probably too tired during the day, because even though the ground was uneven, he soon began to snore.

Song Yi and Song Jing also lay down.

Song Huai shifted his position, his dark eyes fixed on the outside of the cave, occasionally adding a piece of firewood to the fire. He didn't notice that although his third brother, Song Jing, was lying down behind him, his eyes were staring intently at the cave ceiling, wide and bloodshot.

His breathing remained heavy and rapid.

In my chest, an indescribable savagery is growing.

(End of this chapter)