Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 414 Luo Yuheng's Suspicion (7,000 words)

Li Er, Mr. Gao, Mr. Liang, and many military leaders from the Minwang Army were all gathered on the city wall at this moment, watching in shock as the thick, long, and black stick-like object was thrown over.

That's a distance of a hundred paces.

Under the sunlight, the rod-shaped object reflected a slightly dazzling light, clearly made of cast metal. Even if it was just the outer shell, it was definitely not light. Without the aid of anything like a catapult, one could throw such an iron lump a hundred paces away with bare hands. This alone made many military leaders feel a chill in their hearts.

But is it too far-fetched to think that such a thing can break down the city gate of Yu County? Although Yu County is just a county town, after Li Er occupied this territory, both the city walls and the city gates were reinforced at great expense. Perhaps they are still not as good as the city gates of the prefectural city, but they will definitely not be broken down so easily.

For a moment, everyone wore slightly mocking smiles.

But at that moment... boom boom boom!
The deafening roar was like a bolt from the blue, suddenly exploding.

The mocking smile on his face didn't even have time to bloom before it froze on his face like a sculpture. The terrifying sound was like the roar of an indescribable monster, exploding in everyone's ears like muffled thunder. Their eardrums were about to burst, and for a moment their brains seemed to lose the ability to think, with only the rumbling sound echoing.

The city wall beneath their feet trembled violently, as if an earth dragon had turned over.

Mr. Gao and Mr. Liang couldn't even stand up straight and fell to the ground.

Thick black smoke, like dark clouds on a stormy day, churned and slowly rose from below the city wall, obscuring the sun overhead.

A smell I'd never smelled before filled the air with smoke and dust.

My nose, throat, and even my eyes all felt extremely uncomfortable.

Li Er gripped the city wall tightly with both hands, his face extremely gloomy. His heart was trembling, his lips were shaking, and despite the blazing sun, he felt icy cold all over.

So, what exactly is this power?
If... if the Marquis of Champion hadn't thrown that strange object at the city gate, but instead smashed it directly against the city wall, would they still be alive?

For the first time in his life, Li Er was afraid.

Thick gunpowder smoke, like the stench emanating from the Black and White Impermanence, assaulted our senses.

His fingers, gripping the city wall, were turning white. He desperately tried to control his trembling teeth and looked around... Beside him, the generals of the Min King's army and the soldiers all around seemed to have had their courage shattered by that violent clap of thunder. Their eyes were wide open, looking left and right, their eyes filled with an unyielding fear.

"What was that just now?"

"Could it be lightning from heaven?"

"Among those government troops, there are actually people who can summon heavenly lightning to descend upon the world?"

"It's over, it's over! This means the fate of Ningguo is still intact, and we rebels are going to be punished by God."

Similar sounds entered my ears from all directions.

Li Er knew that the morale of the army had collapsed, but he did not blame the soldiers. This was only human nature. People always like to shroud the unknown and incomprehensible in mystery, so that no matter how outrageous the thing is, it can be explained.

And ghosts and gods are invincible.

Taking a deep breath, Li Er gave a bitter smile.

He understood that he had lost this confrontation with the champion.

The kind of complete defeat.

I had thought that this Marquis of Champion was only brave in battle, daring to kill and skilled at killing; but now it seems that he is also quite talented in military affairs.

Li Er did not believe in ghosts and gods.

But in this situation, whether he believed it or not was no longer important. As long as his generals and soldiers believed it, even if they didn't actually believe it but were just worried and afraid, that was enough.

"Something terrible has happened..." Just then, another terrified scream came from below the city wall: "The city gate... the city gate has been blown open."

On the city wall, everyone's faces turned deathly pale.

Li Er's head buzzed, and his body swayed.

To conquer a city, you must first conquer its hearts; once the people's hearts are scattered, everything is over.

He's truly a formidable character.

He not only wanted to defeat King Min's rebel army, but also to completely crush the entire rebel army, both physically and mentally.

Looking back, the fishing county was in complete chaos. Taking a deep breath, Li Er's eyelids drooped.

Whatever ambitions one may have harbored, they have all been extinguished at this moment.

"Surrender."

……

Yu County, county government office.

Having removed his armor, Song Yan sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below. Less than half an hour ago, the group of rebel leaders who had been swaggering around in this county government office were now wilted like frostbitten eggplants.

They all lowered their heads and listened meekly, not daring to utter a sound.

Occasionally, someone would secretly look up and steal a glance at Song Yan, surprised that the Champion Marquis was just such a young man, while also feeling uneasy, wondering what fate awaited them.

A third-rank official position is out of the question.

The gold and silver treasures were also gone.

A beautiful woman... probably only exists in dreams.

In the current situation, being able to survive is probably already a great blessing.

At the very front was Li Er.

At this moment, Li Er was still bent over, his forehead dripping with cold sweat. After the city walls were breached, he led a group of his generals out of the city to surrender. This was the most dignified outcome. If he had waited for Song Yan to help him to surrender in a dignified manner, the situation would have been much worse.

He was like a prisoner awaiting execution, anxious and uneasy.

Song Yan toyed with the Minwang Seal in his hand, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Li Er, his expression strange. After an unknown amount of time, as the atmosphere in the county government office grew increasingly oppressive, Song Yan finally spoke: "How much is a cup of Imperial Jade Liquor?"

Li Er was stunned. He knew that he was rebelling and would definitely lose his head. He was just waiting for Song Yan to pronounce the sentence before he was about to be executed. Who would have thought that Song Yan would say something so out of the blue?

What does this mean?
Li Er blinked and looked cautiously at Song Yan: "Lord Marquis, would you like some wine?"

"Jibei Prefecture cannot compare to Dongling, so it naturally does not have the imperial wine. However, the frost-brewed wine here is quite famous. If the Marquis likes it, I will send someone to find it."

Not from the same hometown?

No, people in the south don't watch the Spring Festival Gala much, so it's understandable that they wouldn't know the price of Gongting Yuye liquor.

After thinking for a moment, Song Yan spoke again: "How long is one Kun?"

Li Er felt a chill run down his spine. He knew the character "Kun." The Book of Changes says, "The earth's condition is receptive; the superior man, in accordance with this, sustains all things with his virtue." Therefore, Kun is often used to refer to the earth. When Qian and Kun are combined, they represent heaven and earth, and occasionally they are also used to refer to the state and the country.

But what does "一坤" mean?
This was the first time he had ever seen the character "一" (yī) combined with "坤" (kūn). If you only look at the literal meaning, it means this land.

So, does Your Excellency mean to ask how long it takes to walk from one end of the earth to the other?
Li Er racked his brains, his face turning deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks. Song Yan had only asked a question in a gentle tone, yet it had placed immense pressure on Li Er, pushing him to the brink of a mental breakdown. He didn't even know where the end of the earth was, so how could he possibly know how long it would take to cross it?

No, this is the Marquis of Champion.

His problem is definitely not that superficial.

Think quickly, what exactly have you missed... Heaven and Earth, the state, the land?

Suddenly, Li Er's eyes lit up. Could it be... that the Marquis wanted to ask how long it would take to conquer this land? Did this Marquis actually want to rebel?

Perhaps, I still have a chance to survive?
In an instant, Li Er felt a surge of heat in his heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he knelt down on one knee before Song Yan with a thud: "Your Excellency is a dragon among men, destined to conquer all and unify the nine provinces."

"Li Er is willing to serve you like a dog or a horse. Although I am not talented, I am capable in training troops, logistics, and leading troops into battle. If Your Excellency is willing to take me in, I guarantee that I will conquer a large territory for Your Excellency within three years."

With so many people around, they ultimately didn't dare to say anything about eternal glory or unifying the Central Plains.

Three years, which is half a year longer than two and a half years.

Song Yan let out a breath, unsure whether to feel disappointed or relieved.

It would be great to meet someone from my hometown.

But the worst thing is when fellow villagers meet, they might stab each other in the back.

But what on earth is this guy imagining? Although he did promise that if Emperor Ninghe were to meet with misfortune one day, he would overthrow the dynasty, isn't that time yet?
"Alright, everyone get up," Song Yan waved his hand and said casually.

Inside the county government office, everyone straightened up a little, but remained cautious and dared not relax in the slightest.

“I will take back this Minwang seal for now.” Song Yan slowly said, stroking the smooth seal with his fingers. The seal was carved entirely from white jade and was finely crafted. Although it could not compare to the items in the palace, it was still a fine item. “Don’t worry, I don’t intend to kill anyone here.”

"I, Song Yan, am known as the Madman of Jingguan."

"But most of the people I killed were of foreign races."

"Although some Han Chinese from the Central Plains have died at my hands, most of them were corrupt officials and their families. It is not an exaggeration to say that they deserved to die."

“I understand that most of you are honest farmers, and you rebelled because you were forced to do so by the need to make a living. I’ve heard that the three consecutive magistrates of Liutang County were all bad apples, and the tax revenue was collected for 160 years. Is that true?” Song Yan raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.

Li Er smiled wryly: "It's fake!"

"what?"

"It will be 240 years from now."

Well, I underestimated those scumbags.

“Even if you don’t kill these corrupt officials, I’ll kill them if they happen to run into me,” Song Yan said casually, shaking his head.

If anyone else had said this, Li Er and his group would have been completely unconvinced and would have cursed the person in their hearts for being so hypocritical. But since it came from Song Yan, they all thought it was true.

After all, several hundred officials had already died at the hands of this Marquis.

Everyone felt a little relieved.

Li Er pursed his lips and mustered his courage to ask, "I wonder how Your Excellency intends to settle us?"

"Come with me to Pingyang." Song Yan smiled. "I'll help you build a mound of skulls."

"Once the human heads are tanned and the skin and flesh are removed, only white bones remain. Using yellow clay as a base, they are stacked layer by layer. Believe me, it's very satisfying."

hiss.

The roughnecks in the room shuddered. Good heavens, this guy wasn't satisfied with just one person building a mound of skulls; was he planning to recruit more people?
"From today onwards, you are my soldiers. Of course, if anyone is unwilling, they may leave on their own, and I will not pursue the matter of their previous offenses."

"If you just want to follow me and don't want to be a soldier, that's fine too. There are plenty of unclaimed fertile fields in Pingyang Prefecture, so you can become a farmer. You can also take your families with you, and the residents of these six counties can also be taken along if they wish."

Song Yan accepted all comers; after all, Pingyang Prefecture lacked nothing except manpower. The matter was temporarily settled.

Li Er, Mr. Gao, Mr. Liang, and the other military leaders then left temporarily.

As Li Er retreated to the doorway, Song Yan finally couldn't resist his curiosity and called out to him, "Wait a minute, Li Er, if I may ask, what is your father's name? Is it Li Yuan? Is your given name Li Shimin? Do you have an older brother named Li Jiancheng and a younger brother named Li Yuanba?"

As for Li Yuanji, he's a beast, unworthy of being called a human.

Song Yan blinked, her expression strange.

If it really is this whole family, then we're in for a lot of fun.

Li Yuanba, the number one hero of the Sui and Tang Dynasties... If we could recruit him into the army, he would definitely be a fierce general.

Li Er smiled wryly: "Your Excellency flatters me. My family are just honest farmers. Shimin and Jiancheng are definitely not the kind of cultured names people would come up with. My father is not called Li Yuan either. I heard that he was called Li Gou Dan when he was a child, and now that he is older, people call him Old Li."

"I do have an older brother and a younger brother, but they both died young. As for me, I learned to read by listening to a private school run by an old scholar in the village who taught me for a while by peering out the window."

This was just a minor incident, and Song Yan didn't take it to heart.

These days, Li Er, Mr. Gao, Mr. Liang, Shi Lei and others have been quite busy.

The appearance of the government troops caused some unrest and unease among the people in the county town, requiring the dispatch of people to appease them. It was also necessary to contact the brothers in the other counties.

Li Er was a clever man. He knew that someone like Song Yan would inevitably have many talented people around him. Even if he joined Song Yan's forces, he might not have many opportunities to rise in the world. However, if he could bring enough soldiers and even farmers to Pingyang, his standing in Song Yan's eyes would naturally rise. Moreover, these people, in some ways, would also form his foundation and resources.

Some people didn't believe Song Yan, and some were unwilling to leave their homeland, so Li Er, Mr. Gao, and Mr. Liang went to persuade them one by one.

It is quite time-consuming.

By the time everything was finalized, it was already early March.

As March arrives, temperatures gradually rise, the snow melts, and rivers and streams that had been almost dry throughout the winter begin to flow again.

A light rain fell a few days ago, washing away all the dust.

The sky cleared, and everything between heaven and earth was so clean and refreshing. The cool, warm breeze seemed to bring some vitality to the city that had been occupied by rebels for half a year. The sky was clear and bright during the day, and the stars were shining brightly at night. The white clouds looked like fish scales hanging in the sky.

The third day of March.

At midday in spring, a warm breeze blows.

Fresh buds sprouted from the branches, swaying gently in the wind. Occasionally, small birds could be seen hopping around on the branches, chirping occasionally and bringing a little noise.

Song Yan finally left Liutang.

Not many people were willing to migrate with them.

After all, this isn't modern times, where moving means taking a high-speed train or regular train and traveling several hours to different parts of the country.

In ancient times, long-distance migrations could be fatal.

The journey was long and arduous, crossing mountains and valleys. Even though the only difference between Jibei Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture was Dingzhou Prefecture, there were still several hundred miles between them. The food consumed along the way, the lodging, and even minor illnesses such as headaches and fevers were all extremely serious problems. One wrong move and one could die on the road.

Li Er originally commanded 30,000 troops, but only 15,000 were willing to defect to Song Yan with him. Besides them, there were several thousand households, mostly from Li Family Village. After all, Li Er had spearheaded the rebellion; things were fine while he was in power, but once he left, there was no guarantee the local officials wouldn't seek revenge later.

Of course, with 15,000 soldiers and their families, it was still a huge number of people.

In the eyes of these people, there was trepidation, unease, excitement, and anticipation; no one knew what tomorrow would bring. As the sun reached its zenith, the vast crowd finally left Liutang, heading further north.

When all these people had left, the governor of Jibei Prefecture finally breathed a sigh of relief, completely putting down the heavy burden in his heart.

In fact, the governor of Jibei knew that Song Yan attacked the Minwang Yi army, and that Li Er instigated his soldiers, family members, and county residents to follow him to Pingyang.

In this era, the population size of a prefecture was a major criterion for evaluating political performance, yet the governor of Jibei simply watched as so many people migrated without offering any resistance. While the governor of Jibei wasn't particularly skilled in military campaigns, he was undoubtedly a shrewd man; he knew what was most important to him… suppressing the rebellion.

As long as the rebellion can be quelled, everything else is negotiable.

Let alone just taking away some peasants, even if Song Yan asked for his wife, he would offer her up with both hands.

With so many people, the journey was inevitably slow.

By the time the group arrived in Pingyang, it was already late March.

Bu Yu, as the messenger, had already gone to Pingyang City ahead of time.

At the border between Dingzhou and Pingyang prefectures, nearly a hundred officials from Pingyang Prefecture were waiting, mostly county magistrates and assistant magistrates from the counties under Pingyang Prefecture's jurisdiction. Thousands of farmers, along with the families of more than ten thousand soldiers, were settled separately by these dozen or so counties.

As for houses, farmland, and even provisions for housing, planting, and farming tools, Pingyang Prefecture already had established regulations. They weren't afraid of these lower-ranking officials being corrupt; the Embroidered Uniform Guard and night watchmen were like a sword hanging over the heads of all officials.

Although these two intelligence organizations were established relatively recently and struggled to gather crucial information from other prefectures and the capital, Pingyang was already completely under the control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Night Scouts. If an official accepted a bribe from a merchant that very night, a prefectural official would visit him the next day, knowing exactly how much silver was received, the time, and the location.

Song Yan was not as cruel as Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang would skin someone alive for embezzling sixty taels of silver. Song Yan was much more lenient. Anyone who embezzled within Pingyang was stripped of their official robes and seal on the spot and fined ten times the amount of silver. If the amount was insufficient, their property, land, and shops would be confiscated. Those who embezzled more than three hundred taels of silver were thrown into the dungeon, sentenced to exile, and beheaded for serious consequences. In addition, all embezzlers were recorded in the archives, and their descendants for three generations were barred from holding official positions.

In addition, Song Yan's salary was relatively high, and with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and night watchmen keeping an eye on things, the corruption was eradicated after several corrupt officials were dealt with.

The 15,000 soldiers were taken over by Zhang Han.

Zhang Han is a talented man, and he is more resolute and decisive than his father.

The five thousand Japanese soldiers were temporarily handed over to the dynasty and Ma Han.

As for Li Er, after such a long period of contact, Song Yan discovered that Li Er's talent did not lie in leading troops in battle; rather, it was in coordinating logistics and enforcing military discipline that Li Er excelled at. Therefore, Song Yan confidently entrusted all these troublesome matters to Li Er. Of course, before truly taking over these military affairs, Li Er had to undergo indoctrination—or rather, political education—with the military leaders and all the soldiers; this was an indispensable process.

By the time everything was put in place, it was already quite late.

Looking up, the lights in Pingyang City flickered dimly, and time seemed to stand still, settling in this still somewhat cold space.

Song Yan smiled, took Luo Tianxuan's small hand, and headed towards the governor's mansion.

Behind him were Luo Tianyi, Nahetuya, Fang Wanlin, and Hua Lianyue.

And Mei Wu.

Even from a distance, one could see graceful figures illuminated by the orange lights of the governor's mansion.

It’s Luo Yuheng.

As usual, she waited quietly at the door.

Two jade-like hands were holding the hands of two young maids, one in green and one in colorful clothes.

A little further back were Gu Banxia and Yang Siyao.

Upon seeing Song Yan and his group appear, the two little maids, Qingyi and Caiyi, suddenly brightened up and rushed towards Song Yan, presumably wanting to throw themselves into his arms as they had done before.

After the New Year, the two little girls had grown a year older, and Luo Yuheng had begun to arrange for the old women to teach them etiquette. So, when she rushed up to Song Yan, she stopped abruptly, her slender fingers pinching the hem of her skirt, and called out in a clear voice, "Brother-in-law."

The little girl is at the age where she's growing.

In just a few months, she had grown a little taller, and her slender, bean-sprout-like body had become slightly more voluptuous. Only her eyes remained as mischievous as before, and if there weren't other people around, they would probably still be fixed on her brother-in-law, just like before.

Song Yan smiled and took out two bracelets with glass pendants from her sleeve... The bracelets were made of silver, and the pendants were probably glass ornaments.

Clear and transparent.

In Song Yan's eyes, it was nothing special.

But in this era, such transparent and sparkly things are very precious.

I saw it when I was ransacking houses in Dongling City, and I just put it in my pocket.

As expected, the two little girls' eyes immediately brightened, and they even raised their right hands, tugged at their sleeves, revealing a section of their snow-white wrists, indicating to Song Yan to help them put them on.

Song Yan smiled and put the bracelet on the little girl's wrist.

The little girl's face lit up with a smile, sparkling brightly.

Luo Yuheng watched with a smile as Song Yan and his two sisters-in-law frolicked, without saying a word to stop them.

After calming the two girls down, Song Yan looked up and gazed at Luo Yuheng's face. Her originally delicate skin and exquisite features now looked rather haggard. It seemed that Luo Yuheng had been handling all the big and small matters in Pingyang Prefecture these days, and she must have been quite tired.

"Mother, I'm back. You've had a hard time these past few days," Song Yan said gently, pursing her lips.

Luo Yuheng's smile deepened, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. She took a step forward, stood on tiptoe, and gently patted Song Yan's head with her delicate hand: "My Yan'er is back. It's good that you're back. Look, you've lost weight."

His words were full of heartache.

Yan'er has grown taller again.

They can barely reach Yan'er's head. If they grow like this for a few more years, will they be nine feet tall?

With her mind in turmoil, she lowered her hand and took Song Yan's hand, leading them into the governor's mansion: "We've prepared food. Fill your stomachs and get a good rest tonight."

"Tianxuan, Tianyi, what did I tell you when you left? Keep an eye on Yan'er. Yan'er is young and impulsive. You need to keep him in check. But look what happened this time. The Ghost Cave is gone, and two hundred and three officials are gone... Are those people easy to mess with?"

Throughout the journey, Luo Yuheng kept muttering to himself.

Luo Tianxuan and Luo Tianyi exchanged a glance, both able to see the helplessness in each other's eyes. They had finally returned home, but instead of receiving their mother's concern, they were met with a scolding.

Sure enough, once a son-in-law is born, even one's own daughter isn't as close as before.

Seeing Song Yan's obedient and docile appearance beside her, Luo Tianyi felt somewhat dissatisfied.

This brother-in-law only knows how to act obediently in front of his mother.

How to control your brother-in-law?

Can she, as the sister-in-law, control this?

You can't just knock him out and lock him in the house, refusing to let him out, can you?
The more he thought about it, the more dissatisfied he became. He couldn't help but secretly reach out and pinch a piece of soft flesh on Song Yan's waist, then rotate it halfway around.

Song Yan immediately bared his teeth and grimaced.

Although it doesn't hurt, I still have to put on a show, otherwise if my sister-in-law gets really angry, she might hit me even harder and I'll be the one who suffers.

Seeing Song Yan's expression, Luo Tianyi snorted and withdrew her finger with a hint of smugness.

Coincidentally, Luo Yuheng caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, and a hint of suspicion immediately appeared on his handsome face.

Song Yan, the brother-in-law, and Luo Tianyi, the sister-in-law... something must have happened in just two or three months.
I just don't know how far things have progressed.
Is there a baby in your belly?
Boy or girl?

Could they be twins?
What should I name my child in the future?
(End of this chapter)