Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 429 Luo Yuheng and Song Yan (11,000 words)

late at night.

The temperature dropped rapidly. Even though it was already spring, the chill in the air was still palpable. Stepping out of the Wind Inn, Song Yan rubbed his hands together and exhaled a breath of cold air. His clothes, soaked with blood, had initially felt warm but were now damp and cold. The night wind made Song Yan shiver involuntarily.

Zhang Han led a group of black-armored soldiers, following behind Song Yan.

The black-armored warriors' worship of Song Yan was almost fanatical.

Especially Zhang Han.

Upon discovering the wolf head tattoo on the young man's chest and learning from Song Yan that this guy was very likely a prince of the Xiongnu, he trembled with excitement and looked at Song Yan with even more admiration.

They captured such a heavyweight figure as a Xiongnu prince so easily; they truly deserve to be called our own general.

It should be noted that Ningguo had suffered repeated defeats in its foreign wars over the years, never winning a single one. However, since the emergence of its own general, the country had been winning one victory after another, and the people captured had become increasingly important.

The Xiongnu prince!!!

This status and position are probably even greater than that of the Great Khan of the Jurchens. They have been oppressed by foreign tribes for many years, but now they can finally hold their heads high.

The other soldiers were the same, their gazes toward Song Yan filled with burning intensity.

Then came an uncontrollable sigh:

In the imperial court, treacherous officials hold power, and in Ningguo, corrupt officials run rampant.

It is truly an injustice of the world that a man as talented and capable as our Marquis was ultimately exiled to this remote frontier.

Zhang Han often told them that the general was a dragon among men, and that it would not be long before he would be able to overturn the heavens. Once his general sat on the throne, he would surely sweep away the gloom that shrouded the Central Plains, restore a bright and clear world to Ningguo, and allow all the people of Ningguo to stand tall and be upright people.

He had previously just laughed off these words, at most thinking Zhang Han's words were utterly treasonous. If they reached the ears of someone with ulterior motives, they would surely face severe consequences, perhaps even implicating his own general. But now, he inexplicably felt that this wasn't so bad after all. Anyone with eyes could see his general's abilities… and more importantly, his general was kind-hearted!
He truly treated the people under his rule as human beings.

Just because two women were harmed, he dared to cripple one of the Xiongnu prince's legs and crush two of the Xiongnu prince's bird eggs.

Who can match such courage?
Unlike those cowards in the imperial court, who can do nothing but cede territory, pay reparations, and give away women, what else can they do?
If this matter were left to those people in the imperial court, those spineless cowards might just go around in Pingyang looking for beautiful women and offer them to the Xiongnu prince's bed, letting that wolf cub do whatever he wants to them.

After all, such things have happened before.

Rather than letting such a bunch of cowards rule the court, it's better to take a gamble with our own general; perhaps we can even achieve some merit by following the emperor.

Thinking this, his gaze toward Song Yan became even more intense.

Walking down the street, I seemed to sense something and quietly turned around to look, only to meet pairs of scarlet eyes and see excited and restless faces.

Song Yan felt a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason.

hiss.

What kind of look is this?
It feels so sweet and affectionate.

Especially Zhang Han, can you stop staring at me like that?

I'm a man, I don't like homosexuality.

Even counting my past life, I have never experienced such intense gazes from the same sex, except when I was on the street.

Song Yan felt a chill run down her spine and quickened her pace.

For Song Yan, it was just a matter of walking a little faster, but it was tough on the old man Zhang Ci. He was already quite old and his legs were weak, and to keep up with Song Yan, his old legs were giving it their all. By the time they finally reached the governor's mansion, his legs were trembling, and he was panting heavily. If it weren't for his concern for his granddaughter, he probably would have fainted on the spot.

The commotion within Pingyang City did not escape Luo Yuheng's notice.

Although she had concerns, she wouldn't stop Song Yan from doing what he wanted to do.

All she could do was wait quietly at her doorstep for Song Yan to return.

Luo Yuheng has a stubborn personality. She always believes that if a person leaves home, they will be very happy to see their important relatives as soon as they return.

This time, however, when Luo Yuheng saw Song Yan covered in crimson blood by the light of the governor's mansion, her vision blurred and she almost fainted. Forgetting all about the demeanor of a princess, she grabbed Song Yan's skirt and practically rushed over, asking, "Yan'er, what... what happened to you? Where are you hurt?"

"The imperial physician, the imperial physician..."

She grabbed Song Yan's arm with one hand, her beautiful face full of anxiety, and her eyes were even filled with tears. Her voice was choked with sobs.

Such a concerned and worried expression cannot be faked.

Song Yan felt a warm feeling in her heart, and even the cool night breeze seemed insignificant.

“Mother.” Song Yan felt a little guilty. Although she had done something proper, it was still not good to make Luo Yuheng worry like this. “I’m fine… really, I’m fine. This is not my blood, it’s theirs.”

Song Yan hurriedly explained, even pointing to the missing limbs that Zhang Han had brought back.

Martial artists are lucky.

Song Yan also acted with restraint.

Although it looks terrible, apart from one unlucky guy, almost no one suffered serious injuries such as head or heart damage.

Luo Yuheng looked at him, still somewhat doubtful. Ignoring the fact that Song Yan was covered in blood, he grabbed Song Yan's arm and pinched and pressed it here and there, carefully checking him over and over again. Only after finding that he was really not injured did he feel a little relieved.

Then, as if feeling a little ashamed, she grabbed Song Yan's ear and twisted it: "You little brat, are you trying to scare me to death?"

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her long eyelashes trembled, seemingly glistening with tears.

Song Yan just chuckled and didn't say anything back.

Although Luo Yuheng looked a little angry, he wasn't pulling his ear very hard. Besides, what's wrong with twisting his ear when he's worried so much about this?

The group of black-armored soldiers were all roughnecks, and they didn't react much to this scene. Zhang Ci, however, had a strange expression. His cloudy old eyes looked at Song Yan and then at Luo Yuheng. His shrewdness as a merchant allowed him to see at a glance that the way the two were getting along was a bit abnormal.

Zhang Ci knew that Luo Yuheng doted on his son-in-law Song Yan.

It's more accurate to say that it's famous; there are hardly any people in the vast city of Pingyang who don't know it.

Everyone envied Luo Yuheng for finding a good son-in-law, and also envied Song Yan for meeting a good mother-in-law.

This was the first time Zhang Ci had witnessed how Ke Luo Yuheng and Song Yan usually interacted, and he couldn't help but be surprised, feeling that their behavior seemed a bit too intimate. In those days, the boundaries between men and women were still quite serious. Not to mention mothers-in-law and sons-in-law, even mothers and their own sons rarely acted so intimately after their sons grew up.

In fact, the vast majority of couples treat each other with respect.

As you know, Luo Yuheng is Song Yan's mother-in-law.

Those who don't know might think she's Song Yan's wife, right?

Zhang Ci suddenly remembered that Song Yan liked older women, especially married women, widows, and widows. Could it be...?

A thought suddenly popped into Zhang Ci's mind, startling him. He shook his head frantically, trying to shake off the terrible thought. He looked at Song Yan again, but saw that Song Yan's eyes were clear, with no strangeness in the depths of her eyes, only affection for her son.

I guess I really misunderstood.

It is said that Song Yan's mother passed away when he was young. Perhaps he only regarded Luo Yuheng, his mother-in-law, as his own mother.

She's pitiful too.

Song Yan was unharmed. The palace physician, who had been woken from his sleep and rushed out in a sweat, was assigned by Song Yan to treat Tang Shenghai, the Xiongnu prince, and the others. Of course, Song Yan didn't intend to cure them all. Many of them were missing limbs or had comminuted fractures. With the medical level of that era, there was no possibility of a complete cure. Song Yan simply wanted to keep them alive so they wouldn't die too easily.

Song Yan was quite curious about the purpose of the dignified Xiongnu prince who had infiltrated Pingyang alone.

They summoned Zhang Long and Zhao Hu, who led Zhang Han and escorted the men into the governor's mansion's cellar.

They then brought in Granny Liang.

It's been a while since I've seen Liang Qiaofeng.

When they met again, Song Yan felt he almost didn't recognize her... Ever since Liang Qiaofeng surrendered, Song Yan hadn't treated her badly. After all, although Liang Qiaofeng wasn't exactly a good person, she had interrogated a lot of information that was extremely important to Song Yan. Therefore, Song Yan relied on her quite a bit, and she treated her like a housekeeper.

The monthly allowance was ten taels of silver.

Even in some wealthy and powerful families, the young masters and ladies might not receive this much monthly allowance.

As for Granny Liang, she completely lived up to Song Yan's trust. No matter how stubborn someone was, once they were in Granny Liang's hands, she could dig up all sorts of things about them, like peeping at the neighbor's widow taking a bath when they were young, or throwing stones into the latrine when their father was squatting in the dry toilet.

Her interrogation skills surpassed even those of professional forensic officers. Living in the Duke's mansion, with three good meals a day and ten taels of silver a month, Granny Liang should have been able to dress herself well, at least presentably, if not extravagantly. But look at Granny Liang now: her hair is gray and disheveled like a bird's nest, her body is emaciated, and she looks as if a gust of wind could sweep her away.

His face was crisscrossed with wrinkles, as if he hadn't eaten for months. He walked with a shaky gait, even more unsteady than Old Master Zhang Ci. His clothes were also a tattered black coarse linen garment; at first glance, Song Yan even thought he was seeing a witch from a horror movie.

"My lord..." Upon seeing Song Yan, Liang Qiaofeng grinned and bowed, "You were looking for me? Is someone else to be sent to this old servant for processing?"

His voice was dry and hoarse, like two rusty pieces of iron being pressed together and rubbed, giving Song Yan goosebumps all over his body and even a sense of physical discomfort.

Song Yan pursed her lips: "Didn't the governor's office give you a monthly allowance?"

Granny Liang smiled again, reached into her bosom and pulled out a handful of loose silver. She wasn't sure of the exact amount, but it should be at least twenty or thirty taels. "Mistress has never mistreated this old servant. Although I have nothing to do most of the time in the governor's mansion, Mistress still gives me my monthly allowance."

Mistress.

Generally speaking, the head wife refers to the male head of the household's legal wife.

Song Yan was the Prefect of Pingyang, and Luo Yuheng was his mother-in-law, so the title "mistress" was somewhat inappropriate.

However, this was probably Liang Pozi's habit. She had addressed Yang Miaoqing as "Madam" when she was in the Duke's mansion and hadn't been able to change it. Song Yan didn't care much: "Then how did you end up like this?"

"Hehe, these past few days, this old servant has been pondering some little gadgets for interrogating people, but I haven't paid attention to my own appearance, needlessly offending the Marquis's eyes. This old servant deserves to die, this old servant will go and wash up now..."

"Alright, alright." Song Yan waved his hand casually: "A few people have been sent to the cellar. Go and interrogate them. I need to know their specific identities and what they are trying to do by infiltrating Pingyang."

Swish.

The moment she heard that someone was waiting to be interrogated in the cellar, Liang Pozi's originally cloudy and dull eyes seemed to burst with an unusually bright light, and her hunched body visibly trembled, showing that she was extremely excited.

Everyone perked up.

Even from its throat, strange, booming sounds emanated, as if a thick phlegm was stuck inside and couldn't be coughed up, while an eerie laugh came from its mouth.
"It seems that the new gadget I've been researching will soon be put to good use."

"Rest assured, my lord, this old servant will serve these distinguished guests to their utmost satisfaction."

"Jie Jie Jie..."

With that chilling laughter, Liang Qiaofeng went to the cellar.

Song Yan's expression was also a bit strange. This old woman was still laughing cackling.

If you weren't by my side, with that kind of laugh, you'd be dead a million times over.

He summoned a soldier in black armor and ordered him to go to the barracks. He then summoned Li Er, Gao Xingcai, and Liang Guangzong to the governor's mansion.

They sent someone else to invite Jia Yifei!

The fact that the Xiongnu had infiltrated Pingyang was no small matter, and Song Yan had to discuss how to deal with it.

With everything arranged, Luo Yuheng urged Song Yan to take a shower, as his body was covered in red marks and he looked somewhat uncomfortable.

Hot water and new clothes had already been prepared by servants.

After apologizing to Zhang Ci, Song Yan left for the time being. Gu Banxia served her during her bath. The blood clots on her body dissolved in the water, and in no time, the bathtub turned a light red color. Even though Song Yan did not have any obvious wounds, Gu Banxia still looked distressed.

After washing herself in two buckets of water and changing into brand new clothes, Song Yan finally felt much refreshed.

Accompanied by Gu Banxia, ​​they went to the governor's mansion's reception room, where Luo Yuheng was chatting with Zhang Ci.

Although Luo Yuheng was easygoing, he understood that local bigwigs like Zhang Ci valued managing Pingyang very much, so he wouldn't put on airs. Zhang Ci, being a cunning old fox, knew that even a thousand words of praise for Luo Yuheng couldn't compare to a single word of praise for Song Yan, so his words were full of praise for Song Yan.

Luo Yuheng's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter, and he found the old man much more agreeable as a result.

There were two other women in the living room, Zhang Yan and her maid, and Luo Tianyi was also sitting to the side.

At this moment, Zhang Yan had changed into a clean set of clothes. A beige long dress hugged her petite figure. Although she wasn't very tall, her figure had developed quite early, which gave her a certain feminine charm. While the elders were talking, Zhang Yan sat there quietly, her slightly chubby face displaying a dignified air.

Upon seeing Song Yan appear, Zhang Yan and Zhang Ci stood up together. Before Zhang Ci could speak, Zhang Yan first grasped the hem of her skirt and curtsied to Song Yan: "This humble woman thanks the Marquis for saving my life. If it weren't for the Marquis, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have peace in death."

Song Yan laughed heartily: "Miss Zhang, you're too kind. Please don't blame me for not managing Pingyang well, which led to the thieves breaking in and causing you to suffer this undeserved misfortune." After a pause, Song Yan continued: "Miss Zhang, please don't take this matter to heart. When you get back, please find a doctor to prescribe some calming and soothing medicine."

A teenage girl experiencing something like this will likely suffer some psychological trauma, and calming and soothing medication can be somewhat helpful.

Zhang Yan responded, her fair face flushed, whether from shyness or something else, it was hard to tell.

Seeing his granddaughter's appearance, Zhang Ci couldn't help but sigh.

Previously, there was indeed a desire to facilitate the marriage between Song Yan and Zhang Yan.

On the one hand, Song Yan was far too ruthless, which terrified Zhang Ci. If he were to become related to Song Yan by marriage, he wouldn't have to worry about Song Yan's knife cutting into the necks of the Zhang family.

On the other hand, the Zhang family's business has basically come to an end. If the Zhang family wants to develop further, they must have a stronger backer. Otherwise, no matter how big your business is or how much money you make, you will ultimately be like a rootless duckweed. Song Yan is just the right person for that.

Finally, he might also have considered finding someone to rely on for his beloved granddaughter. After all, while Song Yanren was a bit violent, he was quite good to the women around him.

Zhang Yan, on the other hand, is the typical daughter of a well-to-do family.

Marriage was arranged by parents and matchmakers.

Therefore, when it was first proposed that she betrothed to Song Yan, Zhang Yan's attitude was probably that she neither liked nor disliked him, nor did she resist, which was not much different from the vast majority of other women.

But now, seeing her granddaughter's slightly flushed face, it's likely that her heart truly belongs to Song Yan.

Zhang Ci was somewhat troubled. Although his granddaughter was still young, she had a good figure and a beautiful appearance. She was well-educated, gentle, and virtuous. No matter how you looked at her, she was a good girl. But this Marquis preferred older women. What could he do?

Song Yan did not notice Zhang Ci's expression, but after a moment's thought, he said, "Old Master Zhang, just tell everyone that Miss Zhang was a guest at the governor's mansion and returned a little late."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ci, who had regained his senses, blushed. He knew that Song Yan was trying to protect his daughter's reputation, and he was somewhat moved. With the governor's mansion's endorsement, he no longer had to worry about people gossiping behind his back.

After chatting for a while longer, seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Ci got up to say goodbye.

As she was leaving, Zhang Yan turned back quietly and stole a glance at Song Yan, her big, watery eyes filled with shyness.

Luo Tianyi, who happened to witness this scene, couldn't help but puff out her cheeks and glare at Song Yan.

Another bad romance.

She didn't quite understand.

I had already discussed it with my sister and we agreed to strictly prohibit those shady women from getting close to my brother-in-law, but somehow the number of women around him kept increasing.

What exactly went wrong?
……

the other side.

Outside the governor's mansion.

The horse-drawn carriage creaked and groaned as it moved through the streets.

Zhang Yan's expression was still somewhat dazed, as if she were lost in thought. Her face alternated between deathly pale and blushing. Her fingers were intertwined, and her pearly white teeth gently bit her lower lip, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth.

For a girl, such thoughts are considered indecent, but she knew that she probably really liked Song Yan.

……

Songzhou Prefecture.

Ningping County.

Song Guogong Mansion.

Song Hongtao lay quietly on the bed, motionless, with only his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling.

In a short period of time, he had lost a lot of weight, his eyes were deeply sunken, his skin was sallow, and he looked very haggard.

"master!"

Just then, a crisp voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"It's time to take your medicine!"

(End of this chapter)