Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 417 Absence Makes the Heart Blossom (12,000 words)

Wait, what do you mean by "let's go together"?
Gu Banxia didn't react for a moment and was carried away by Song Yan for several steps before her mind suddenly clicked. Did her man want her to be with Yang Siyao?
In an instant, Gu Banxia blushed.

Although she and Song Yan had done all sorts of intimate things, and sometimes Gu Banxia felt that she was really too shameless and too unrestrained, it was still just a little bit of fun between her and her man in the bedroom.

There was no one else present.

But now, suddenly having to be with Yang Siyao was an unprecedented shock for Gu Banxia. She panicked for a moment, and her full body subconsciously struggled and twisted in Song Yan's arms.

"Master."

"Put me down."

"This is not good, we mustn't let anyone see us..."

She pleaded softly and struggled. Her man was clearly young, so why did he have so many messy thoughts in his head? Where did he learn them? Gu Banxia had no idea how alluring her body was to a man. If she didn't struggle, it would be fine, but once she started to struggle, her soft, voluptuous body and the way she brushed against him made Song Yan feel a burning heat throughout his body.

It was the night wind and cold rain, and even brushing against my cheeks couldn't quell the burning heat.

Without realizing it, my breathing became rapid, and I hugged myself even tighter.

Suddenly, Gu Banxia, ​​who was struggling, seemed to feel something touch her. In an instant, her body stiffened, and her face turned so red that it could almost drip water. She was full of embarrassment. Even though it was the middle of the night and there was no sound, she still buried her head in Song Yan's arms and did not even have the courage to lift her head.

Song Yan smiled and arrived at the door of a bedroom in a few breaths.

The candlelight was also on.

The door was only slightly ajar.

Song Yan gently pushed the door open with his shoulder, and the candlelight silently shone on his face. In front of the flickering candlelight sat a woman, none other than Yang Siyao.

However, a stack of documents was still placed on the table.

Yang Siyao held a calligraphy brush, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes sighing softly, clearly dealing with some trivial matters in Pingyang Prefecture. She only looked up when she heard footsteps. When she saw Song Yan, her eyes flashed with surprise. When she saw Gu Banxia being held in Song Yan's arms, her eyes showed a slight doubt.

"Husband... why have you come here?" Yang Siyao's way of addressing him had changed. At first, because the two were just business partners, she would call him by his name. But after living together for so long, they had become much closer. Even though they were not yet married, it was not inappropriate for her to call him "husband".

Song Yan did not answer, but walked over and put Gu Banxia on the bed. Gu Banxia wrapped her head in the quilt, her mind only thinking about what was going to happen next. She did not have the courage to come out and see people. Song Yan just smiled, walked to the table, glanced at the documents, and closed them: "It's too late, you should rest. Don't wear yourself out."

Yang Siyao rubbed her temples: "It's alright. Although my husband sent a message through Sister Bu Yu in advance, there are still tens of thousands of people. How to settle them, distribute land and houses, and how much food to prepare before the autumn harvest all need to be carefully considered. We can't afford to be careless."

Lijia Village, Jibei Prefecture, with several hundred households.

Several thousand households from six county towns were willing to relocate.

The families of 15,000 soldiers.

The total amount was by no means small, and the economic conditions of Pingyang Prefecture had to be taken into account. Too much could not be given at once, otherwise it would easily cause dissatisfaction among the original inhabitants. So how to settle them became a science.

Yang Siyao was never particularly noticeable in the governor's mansion.

But what she did was of paramount importance to the entire Pingyang Prefecture.

With Liu Yisheng also involved, they can be considered Song Yan's right-hand men. With these two around, Song Yan doesn't need to worry about internal affairs and can devote all his energy to what he wants to do.

Without these two, Pingyang Prefecture would likely fall apart.

Looking up at Song Yan, Yang Siyao's eyes were also full of longing. It would be a lie to say that she didn't miss him after being separated for so long. However, Yang Siyao was a cold and aloof person who did not compete or fight. She could accept that her husband had returned from a long journey, whether he was resting well or going to find Banxia. But she did not expect that her man would bring Banxia to her room.

Unlike Gu Banxia.

Yang Siyao had at least studied at the Hehuan Sect.

Although the theoretical knowledge they learned was only through picture books and other books, it wouldn't be wrong to say they were well-informed. After a little thought, they already understood what Song Yan wanted to do.

With her eyebrows slightly raised, she gave Song Yan a charming sidelong glance.

It must be said that although Yang Siyao's appearance and figure cannot compare to Gu Banxia's, her charming allure is even more captivating. Upon seeing her face up close, Song Yan couldn't help but feel her heart flutter.

With delicate hands, Song Yan removed his outer garments one by one. Inhaling the fragrance emanating from Yang Siyao, Song Yan could no longer control himself. He hooked his arm around Yang Siyao's waist, picked her up, and strode towards the bed.

Gu Banxia curled up in the quilt, and Song Yan could even see the quilt trembling slightly.

After the two sat down, Yang Siyao roughly understood that Banxia probably couldn't be of much help. She would have to take on her husband's first wave of anger, so she smiled charmingly, placed her small hand on Song Yan's chest, and took the initiative to raise her head and kiss Song Yan's lips.

Cherry lips.

down.

Following Song Yan's cheek, it somehow reached her neck.

Song Yan didn't even realize when Yang Siyao's nimble, slender fingers had already pulled open his inner shirt.

……

call.

Leaning against the headboard.

Song Yan squinted, but her eyelids kept twitching.

He let out a heavy sigh, his eyes seeming temporarily vacant.

What exactly is that feeling?
It felt as if we were floating in the clouds.

It's like being surrounded by a soft marshmallow.

Soft and chewy, moist and warm, bouncy and tender.

Heaven, perhaps, is nothing more than this.

Although it wasn't the first time Song Yan had experienced such enjoyment, it still made her linger.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Gu Banxia peeking out from under the covers, seemingly influenced by the noise inside the room, secretly watching.

It looks like a hamster.

That sight made Song Yan chuckle involuntarily.

Although Gu Banxia is a bit older, she is far inferior to Yang Siyao in this respect.

Eyes facing each other.

Gu Banxia was like a startled rabbit, and she tried to shrink back with a cry, but it was too late. How could he give her a chance to escape?
He reached out his right hand and pulled Gu Banxia over.

Lips and teeth touching.

The fingertips then traced along the waistline.

exquisite.

柔滑
……

The embarrassment is temporary.

Although Gu Banxia was somewhat resistant at first, her body soon became limp, her breathing became slightly rapid, and a long-suppressed fire stirred within her.

With a mentor like Yang Siyao leading the way, what awaits is depravity and depravity.

……

The night passed just like that.

With the golden kidneys as a backup, we won't lose face.

As the morning sunlight streamed through the window paper and fell on her face, Song Yan awoke from her drowsy state.

With the "Hundred Flowers Precious Mirror," the "Vajra Arhat Skill," and the Golden Kidney as triple protection, Song Yan felt no fatigue even after a night of arduous battle. Even after only two hours of rest, he awoke refreshed and full of energy. Gu Banxia and Yang Siyao, on the other hand, were exhausted. They lay on either side of him, each with an arm around their shoulder, fast asleep, their slightly furrowed brows suggesting lingering aches and pains.

There were still marks on his body.

Her long, disheveled hair exuded a unique charm.

Looking at those two gentle and beautiful faces again, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

Taking a deep breath, Song Yan forcibly suppressed the agitation in her heart. If she continued like this, she was afraid she would hurt them. She pursed her lips and carefully withdrew her arms from the two women's embraces, making sure not to disturb them. Perhaps sensing Song Yan's movements, Banxia and Siyao hummed softly a couple of times, but ultimately did not wake up.

He raised his hand, wanting to touch their cheeks, but after only a short distance, he gave up and instead pulled the blanket over them to cover their bodies.

Spring mornings are still a bit chilly, and it's not pleasant to fall ill.

Song Yan then got up, found a clean set of clothes to change into, and quietly left the bedroom.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face, the cool morning breeze felt refreshing on my skin.

When a maid saw that Song Yan had woken up, she brought him breakfast.

Even in wealthy families like this, meals weren't always eaten together. Except for special holidays, birthdays, and important matters that required family discussion, the rules weren't that strict.

White flour steamed buns, thin porridge, pickled vegetables, and two eggs—it was a rather simple meal, but by those times it was considered excellent food. For one thing, many families might only eat white flour steamed buns a few times a year; pickled vegetables were even more precious, as they required a lot of salt. As for eggs, most farmers couldn't bear to eat them themselves and would mostly sell them at the market.

While munching on a steamed bun, Song Yan pondered what he needed to do that day. He would first take a stroll around Pingyang City, since it was his territory. As the governor of Pingyang, he couldn't be ignorant of his own domain and had to be constantly vigilant against any oppression of the innocent or corruption. He couldn't allow anyone to wreak havoc on his territory.

When I have time, I should still go and visit the Zhang family.

With spring approaching, there were some details to discuss regarding the trade routes with the Zhang family. After all, they couldn't completely give up the millions of taels of silver in profit from the Jurchens each year. Song Yan even planned to sell some inferior armor and weapons to the Jurchens... not to Wanyan Guangzhi, but to the Anchegu tribe, of course.

Wanyan Guangzhi was a formidable man.

Song Yan believed that although this winter would be a difficult time for Wanyan Guangzhi, it was absolutely impossible to defeat him.

Although the Jurchens will suffer severe losses, Wanyan Guangzhi will surely become even stronger.

We need to find something for Wanyan Guangzhi to do.

Anchegu and Wanyan Guangzhi are now blood enemies, the kind that cannot be resolved at all.

However, the disparity in strength between the two sides was simply too great. If it weren't for his and Jiao Junze's sudden intervention before the Lunar New Year, which forced Wanyan Guangzhi's allied forces to disintegrate, the Anchegu tribe would likely be gone by now. After winter, if Wanyan Guangzhi still wants to rebuild his prestige among the Jurchen people, he will inevitably wage war against Anchegu again.

Since that's the case, let's help one and then beat the other.

They don't even need to lift a finger; just a few scraps of metal are enough to plunge the entire Jurchen tribe into endless infighting, constant deaths, and an inability to ever unite.

What Americans love to do most makes a lot of sense, I must say.

It's important to understand that before the Lunar New Year, it wasn't just the Wuji tribe that was besieging Anchegu; there were also many other small, chaotic tribes. Anchegu hated these people to the core, and might even incite them to attack these tribes. Even without resources like oil, capturing people would be a good thing, since building bridges, paving roads, farming, constructing houses, and building city walls all required a large workforce before the advent of the mechanized era.

Thinking this way, Song Yan felt like a scumbag.

What they did was utterly shameless. Wasn't this just like the East India Company of the British Empire?
"I'm a good person."

Song Yan muttered softly.

"To the people of Pingyang City and the children who were rescued in Dongling City, the Marquis is a good man."

"However, to the Japanese pirates, the Jurchens, and the high-ranking officials and nobles in Dongling City, the Marquis is probably a devil."

Just then, a clear, cold voice came silently from behind. Song Yan stretched her neck, swallowed the steamed bun in her mouth, and turned around to look. She saw that a slender and tall figure had appeared behind her at some point.

He was still dressed as a dashing young master, and even had a folding fan in his hand.

His pectoral muscles are as exaggerated as ever.

Especially with a wide belt binding her waist, her buttocks appeared even more perky and her waist even more slender. Paired with a strapless bra that tightly hugged her chest, her entire body presented a sexy curve.

But it was an old acquaintance.

Blue Phoenix.

Under Emperor Ninghe, the Imperial City Guard, Human Division, Captain of the Seventh Squad.

He used to be Gu Banxia's superior.

However, now, Gu Banxia should be considered to have broken away from the Imperial City Guard and is no longer under its jurisdiction.

Perhaps feeling that many things would be inconvenient without some intelligence agents on his side, Emperor Ninghe waved his hand and transferred Qingluan and more than a dozen of her subordinates to his own command.

In terms of loyalty, Qingluan is naturally no match for the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Night Scouts. But in terms of professional ability, even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Night Scouts were combined, they wouldn't be a match for the Imperial City Guard.

The current Qingluan is basically only responsible for himself. Apart from him, he cannot be mobilized by Luo Yuheng, Yang Siyao, Liu Yisheng and others. No, they say they don't even know of Qingluan's existence.

"Why are you dressed like this again? Don't you find it strange that a girl like you wears men's clothes all the time?" Song Yan smiled and picked up a steamed bun, shaking it at Qingluan.

Qingluan snorted and turned her head away. Perhaps because Song Yan saw through her disguise as a man at first glance when they first met, and even mocked her disguise, even after so much time had passed and Song Yan was now her boss, Qingluan still felt somewhat displeased whenever she saw him.

Song Yan chuckled, not caring about Qingluan's attitude.

If you won't eat it, I will.

Holding the steamed bun, he took a quarter of it in one bite: "If you have something to say, sit down and talk."

After a brief hesitation, a somewhat tired Qingluan sat down opposite Song Yan. Song Yan casually picked up a steamed bun and tossed it to Qingluan. The woman's eyes looked dark, clearly indicating she hadn't rested well. Her belt was tight, and her waist was so thin that one hand could easily wrap around it, suggesting she hadn't been eating properly lately.

Song Yan isn't the kind of heartless capitalist who only knows how to exploit his employees; he can still fill his stomach with steamed buns.

Qingluan subconsciously accepted the invitation, glancing at Song Yan opposite her, a slight suspicion rising in her heart. With Song Yan's current status and wealth, he could easily afford three meals a day of lavish feasts, right? Even if he didn't want anything too rich in the morning, various pastries would suffice. The people of high status that Qingluan knew probably didn't live such extravagantly.

In their words, how could a nobleman eat like a peasant? It would be an insult to his status and show a lack of taste.

He looked down at the steamed bun in his hand again.

All in all these years working at the Imperial City Guard, this is the first time that a superior has ever cared whether I'm hungry or not when I'm reporting on my work.

This boy is indeed a bit different from others.

I tore a piece off the steamed bun with my fingers, put it in my mouth, and chewed it in small bites. The flour wasn't ground very finely and was a bit coarse, but it had a slightly sweet taste when I chewed it carefully.

She didn't dislike the smell.

“Prince Fu has his eye on your army.” Qingluan stretched her neck slightly, swallowed the food in her mouth, and slowly said, “He once went to the Eldest Princess and asked for the military tally, but the Eldest Princess refused.”

"It seems I was also slapped."

Song Yan raised an eyebrow; he hadn't heard his mother-in-law mention these things before.

Prince Fu.

Want military power?

What on earth does this guy want to do?
Logically speaking, Prince Fu, spending his days traveling, sightseeing, and seeking immortality, seemed like the quintessential playboy to most people. However, Song Yan understood that Prince Fu was far more complex than he appeared. He seemed uninvolved in court affairs, indifferent to the throne, and could casually leave his wife and daughters at home for years. In reality, Prince Fu harbored immense ambitions. Though absent from court, he secretly planted his own trusted confidants within the court.

Song Yan's few friends, Jiao Junze, only had the opportunity to rise to power because of Prince Fu.

The current Minister of Works, Song Jincheng, is also a man of Prince Fu.

Both of them held pivotal positions in the Ningguo court, and Song Yan was unaware of how much they were aware of.

Originally, Prince Fu only reached out to the political power, but now he wants to get his hands on the military power as well. What exactly does this guy want to do?
Could it be that they are also preparing to rebel?

No, why say "also"?

Song Yan shook his head to suppress the small doubt in his heart. It seemed that the Prince of Fu's sudden appearance in the middle of the night and his departure was actually an attempt to take control of the Black Armored Warriors from him.

Is this guy out of his mind?
The black-armored warriors are Song Yan's foundation. Why would he think that he could hand over his military power with just a few words?

What happened next that made him abandon his plans and leave?
call!
My mind is a little confused.

Every time the Azure Phoenix appears, it brings back some information, but it also brings more problems; this has never changed over the years.

"In addition, the matter concerning the two Kong families has also been investigated and clarified," Qingluan continued.

Two Kong families.

The Kong family in Jin was a merchant family with immense wealth, comparable to that of a nation; they were known as the Merchant Kong.

One is a descendant of Confucius, a sage. He may not have much money, but in the hearts of scholars, he is like a sacred place, known as the Sage Confucius.

“There have always been rumors that the two Confucius families are related and share the same ancestor.” Qingluan continued, “Confucius neither acknowledges nor denies these rumors, as if he has never heard such gossip.”

"Therefore, some people have always thought that it was Shang Kong who tried to curry favor with the power of Confucius in order to make it easier for himself to do business."

"However, based on my recent investigation, the real situation is probably not like that. Rather, it is the opposite. The one who is said to be related to the two Confucius families is the Sage Confucius. Although the Shang Confucius family has been denying it, their voices are far less loud than the Sage Confucius's."

"Most importantly, a businessman's words are naturally suspicious."

"In the eyes of most people, the sage Confucius is a descendant of Confucius, so noble that he would not lower himself to associate with a mere merchant like you."

Song Yan nodded slightly and listened quietly. He knew that Qingluan wouldn't suddenly bring up these gossips for no reason... These things must be related to the truly important matters that would follow.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, Qingluan spoke again: "Not long ago, a member of a collateral branch of the Holy Confucius lineage inadvertently revealed while drunk with friends that the Shang Confucius and the Holy Confucius were indeed from the same ancestor."

"It's just that Confucius is the direct lineage, while Confucius is a collateral lineage."

"Because the ancestors of the Kong family at that time felt that merchants were of low social status and disgraced the bloodline of the sage, they expelled the ancestors of the Kong family from the family, but in fact they always cared about them."

“There are even family genealogies to prove it.”

"When exactly?" Song Yan pursed her lips and asked.

“Before the New Year.” Qingluan lowered her eyes. “More specifically, it should be some time before Luo Caiyi was kidnapped.”

"Although it was just a group of friends drinking at the time, the news still caused quite a stir in a small circle..."

Qingluan paused, then parted her cherry lips again: "In addition, we have also found some information about the Princess Consort of Prince Fu."

"Oh?" Song Yan raised an eyebrow.

"It has nothing to do with the Kong family. The true identity of Princess Kong Nianhan of Fu is probably the niece of the current head of the Kong family."

(End of this chapter)