Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 435 Brother-in-law is also a husband (10,000 words)
A cold glint drew ever closer to Song Yan's eyes, and he could even feel a faint stinging pain between his brows. Without daring to be the slightest bit careless, he quickly stepped aside.

But it was all in vain. In mid-air, Luo Tianyi simply turned her wrist slightly, and the tip of her sword once again pierced straight for Song Yan's brow.

laugh.

The sharp sound of something cutting through the air already echoed in my ears.

There's no escaping it now.

Helpless, Song Yan could only reach out and slap the sword hard.

boom!
Despite being made of flesh and blood and a metal blade, it produced an unusually muffled sound.

Song Yan possessed immense strength. Although he wasn't using his full power this time, he didn't hold back much. However, the sword only slightly deflected the angle, almost whistling past Song Yan's ear. The bone-chilling coldness gave Song Yan goosebumps on half of his face.

With a sharp start, Song Yan retreated to the side again, trying to increase the distance between himself and the blade. However, Luo Tianyi's wrist simply rotated flexibly, and no matter how Song Yan moved, the distance between the blade and Song Yan's neck remained unchanged.

With a sudden grit of his teeth, Song Yan raised his left hand and struck Luo Tianyi's wrist holding the sword, while simultaneously striking Luo Tianyi's chest with his right hand.

boom.

Her fair hand stopped Song Yan's slap.

Two hands, one large and one small, collided in mid-air.

Song Yan felt a tightness in his chest, and with the impact of Luo Tianyi's internal force, his body suddenly retreated. However, his internal energy was inevitably disordered, and before he could adjust, he felt a slight chill on his neck. His sister-in-law's long sword had finally landed on Song Yan's neck.

Song Yan shrank his neck. The feeling of the sharp, cold blade against his neck was unpleasant; it was chilling and gave him a creepy, tingling sensation. He clicked his tongue and slowly and carefully used two fingers to deflect the blade, which made him feel much better. "Three moves?"

"I guess so." Luo Tianyi sheathed her longsword, and her flowing skirt slowly fell down, covering her fair legs and jade feet.

Song Yan felt a slight pang of regret.

My sister-in-law's legs are truly amazing, especially her calves. Her skin is as smooth as jade, with beautiful curves. They're quite lovely to hold and admire.

On the other hand, he felt a slight excitement. After all, he knew his sister-in-law's strength very well; even against a seventh-rank martial artist, she could basically kill them instantly. This time, his sister-in-law had held back, but being able to withstand three moves was already quite remarkable. If she encountered a seventh-rank martial artist again, she could at least fight them to a standstill, and might even have a chance to defeat them.

"It seems your cultivation hasn't lagged behind these past few days." Luo Tianyi nodded. "Your advantage is your strength. Strength and internal energy are not the same thing, but as long as you're strong enough, they can both have the same effect. So you're suited to a powerful, sweeping style, overwhelming others with sheer force. There's no need to envy those fancy moves." As he spoke, Luo Tianyi sheathed his sword. "As long as you're strong enough and your internal energy is powerful enough, you can overcome all techniques with sheer force and still dominate the world."

Song Yan nodded in agreement, then added, "Speaking of which, weren't you a little too ruthless just now? I almost thought you were going to murder your husband."

Luo Tianyi, who had been seriously instructing Song Yan, blushed instantly upon hearing this. Even her small ears turned bright red and trembled, making her look even more adorable. Her large, dark eyes glared fiercely at Song Yan, their sockets filled with tears, which softened her fierce aura and added a touch of charm. Her lips parted slightly: "You, you mustn't talk nonsense. We're not married yet. You're just my brother-in-law."

How can this brother-in-law be so shameless?
It's still daytime, how can you just say something like that?
"A brother-in-law is still a husband!" At this point, Song Yan became somewhat shameless, spreading his hands: "Is there a problem?"

Luo Tianyi, a pure girl, was no match for Song Yan when it came to being a rogue. Her face turned even redder, her delicate cheeks so tender they seemed to drip with moisture. Knowing she wasn't good at arguing, Luo Tianyi resorted to force, reaching her slender hand to Song Yan's waist and pinching a soft mound of flesh with her long fingers: "As a brother-in-law, how dare you flirt with your sister-in-law? Bah, shameless."

Song Yan grinned and grimaced.

This time, the sister-in-law hit hard, and Song Yan could even feel her fingers spinning in circles: "Hey, it hurts, it hurts! If you don't let go, I won't be polite!"

Luo Tianyi's little face lit up with a hint of smugness: "You're not polite? Do you want to hit me? Hehe, you're no match for me..."

Snapped!
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a crisp sound rang out in the backyard.

Luo Tianyi's body instantly froze on the spot, motionless, only her eyes widened, her long eyelashes trembling almost imperceptibly.

The rosy glow on her face spread rapidly, reaching her neck, cheeks, and forehead. If this were an anime, a cloud of steam would rise from Luo Tianyi's head.

Several seconds passed before Luo Tianyi seemed to finally react. She let out a scream and jumped far away like a startled rabbit, facing Song Yan with her hands behind her back, covering her bottom.

This is where I just got slapped by Song Yan.

At this moment, the expression on his face as he looked at Song Yan was one of grimacing and snarling, as if he wanted to pounce on Song Yan and bite him hard.

Song Yan, who had been somewhat smug, felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Luo Tianyi's almost outburst of anger. He knew he was in trouble. Just as Luo Tianyi was about to pounce on him, a slightly lazy yet somewhat helpless voice came from not far away:
"What are you two doing, fooling around so early in the morning?"

Song Yan and Luo Tianyi both looked over, and it was Luo Yuheng.

It was clear that Luo Yuheng had rested well last night, as he was in high spirits. His slightly ambiguous gaze shifted between Song Yan and Luo Tianyi: "You two better watch yourselves."

"Although I approve of your marriage, it's not a wedding yet. Be mindful of the consequences. It wouldn't look good if others saw it." Luo Yuheng adopted the demeanor of a patriarch, walked up to Song Yan, put one hand on his hip, and tapped Song Yan's forehead hard. "My Luo family isn't some messy family. If I find out you've done anything outrageous before the wedding, I won't let you off the hook."

Luo Yuheng had witnessed everything that had just happened.

Even though Song Yan was extremely thick-skinned, he was still a little embarrassed at this moment.

Luo Tianyi had a weaker mental fortitude, but she still tried to maintain her persona, pretending that nothing had happened. She snorted and turned to leave, but her bright red nape and ears ultimately revealed her embarrassment.

"This girl..." Luo Yuheng smiled helplessly.

However, judging from Luo Tianyi's appearance, one can tell that this girl also likes her brother-in-law Song Yan. If she didn't, Song Yan's arm would probably have been cut off long ago... When it comes to people she doesn't like, Luo Tianyi is always decisive and straightforward, without any hesitation, just like that rockery that has been split open.

Previously, she had only tried to match Luo Tianyi and Song Yan together so that her daughter could have a place to settle down in the future. After all, she couldn't take care of all the girls for the rest of her life. Having a place to settle down would at least prevent her from being lonely and helpless. Now that they like each other, that's the best that could be.

It's just that Song Yan got off easy; both of his excellent daughters fell victim to his cruelty. Qingyi and Caiyi need to be kept very close watch on; they absolutely cannot be given another chance to harm Song Yan. Five women in one family, four married to Song Yan—what kind of logic is that?

Just thinking about it made Luo Yuheng feel terrible.

Seeing Song Yan standing obediently to the side, looking so docile and compliant, Luo Yuheng couldn't help but chuckle again. This son-in-law was always like this; even when he wanted to criticize or discipline him, he couldn't bring himself to say it… Oh well, let the young people be. Just don't have a baby too soon. Besides, there are plenty of sordid things happening in wealthy families; compared to that, Song Yan and Luo Tianyi were already quite restrained.

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?" Taking Song Yan's hand, Luo Yuheng led her to a pavilion to sit down and sighed, asking, "Look at how haggard you look. What did you find out last night?"

Song Yan was taken aback, only then realizing that the pressure in his chest had dissipated considerably due to the commotion with Luo Tianyi.

Luo Yuheng's eyes are quite sharp; he noticed all the changes in him.

Song Yan breathed a sigh of relief and told Luo Yuheng everything about Kong Nianhan, Tang Shenghai, Alunchi, and Suochuoluo. He mentioned that Suochuoluo wanted to become the first foreign emperor in the Central Plains, Kong Nianhan wanted to become the Empress of Ningguo, and that Pingyang might soon face a major war.

They didn't even continue to hide the fact that Kong Nianhan might have been the one who kidnapped Luo Caiyi.

Although I didn't want Luo Yuheng to worry, some things can't be hidden.

Luo Yuheng knew that Song Yan had encountered a difficult problem, but he hadn't expected it to be so alarming. As he listened, his expression grew increasingly grave. The Jurchen problem hadn't been completely resolved, and now they had to face the Xiongnu again. For Ningguo, this was truly a dire situation. No wonder Song Yan looked so haggard and hadn't slept well all night. Even Luo Yuheng, who prided himself on his intelligence, felt a headache coming on after hearing this.

Compared to that, Luo Caiyi's kidnapping and its connection to Kong Nianhan became the least important matter. Luo Yuheng was somewhat saddened, but he didn't have much time to care about it.

"What are you thinking?" After a long silence, Luo Yuheng asked in return.

“It’s still unclear how the Xiongnu intend to wage war, so we can only do our best to defend.” Song Yan thought for a moment, “In addition, we should inform Emperor Ninghe about this as soon as possible… It’s almost impossible to stop the Xiongnu army by relying solely on Pingyang.”

After the Jurchen massacre, the entire Pingyang Prefecture had very few people left. How could it possibly withstand a Xiongnu army of two or three hundred thousand?

Luo Yuheng pondered, "You want to borrow the Imperial Guards, the Silver Feather Guards, and the Golden Guards?" Song Yan nodded.

With such a large disparity in troop strength, other border troops cannot be easily mobilized, and the local militia are completely ineffective. Apart from mobilizing the three guards of Dongling, Song Yan cannot think of any other solution for the time being.

Luo Yuheng pursed her lips. Perhaps it was because she was too beautiful, but the way her glossy red lips made such a gesture seemed particularly charming: "I am not knowledgeable in military affairs."

"But I do know a little about other things."

“I don’t think it’s a good thing to inform His Majesty about this matter… or at least, to tell His Majesty in a big way.”

"Why?" Song Yan asked, already having a vague idea in his mind.

"In the imperial court, a three-way battle is raging." Luo Yuheng smiled mockingly. "Even with foreign enemies at hand, it is absolutely impossible to get them to shake hands and make peace temporarily. For the officials in the court, factional struggle is the most important thing, even more important than anything else."

"Even when the Xiongnu army had already reached the gates of Dongling City, their first thought was definitely how to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate their political enemies through the Xiongnu; rather than working together to resist foreign aggression."

Song Yan opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but ultimately gave up in dejection.

He knew that Luo Yuheng was telling the truth. Just like at the end of the Ming Dynasty, even though the rebel army had swept across half of the Central Plains and the Jurchen Tartars were still eyeing the court, the court was still full of intrigue and backstabbing. Countless outstanding generals died not in battles with the enemy, but at the hands of their own people.

Even the day before Li Zicheng captured Beijing, the emperor and his ministers, and ministers among themselves, were still embroiled in infighting in the imperial court. To the scholar-officials and aristocratic families, the fall of the dynasty meant the fall of the Zhu family's kingdom; what did it have to do with them? A change of dynasty meant they could simply pledge allegiance to the next ruler and continue their official careers. They just hadn't expected to encounter someone as unreasonable as Li Zicheng…

The situation in Ningguo is probably even worse than at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

"The Three Guards of Dongling are not entirely under His Majesty's control. Putting aside how many troops His Majesty can mobilize, even if His Majesty were willing to provide support, he would be hampered by many factors. The best-case scenario would probably be that the troops His Majesty can mobilize would be sent out to their deaths by the Yang family and Bailu Academy, while the troops under their control would remain in Dongling."

"If His Majesty's army were to be defeated by the Xiongnu cavalry on the battlefield, His Majesty's situation in Dongling City would likely deteriorate rapidly."

"The more likely scenario is that the Yang family and Bailu Academy will do everything in their power to obstruct us, and then use the iron hooves of the Xiongnu cavalry to eliminate you, eliminate me, and eliminate everyone they consider a thorn in their side."

"As for what will become of Ningguo, those people in the court won't care."

Song Yan remained silent.

The truth is always cruel enough to make people despair.

Although he was no longer a child, he still retained some of the naivety of a time traveler. Luo Yuheng saw the nature of people in this era far more clearly than he did.

"Actually, given the current situation, we have an advantage, which is... the Xiongnu don't know that we already know part of their plans." Luo Yuheng blinked; the words were a bit awkward, but he managed to express them smoothly.

"If we can make good use of this, we may gain a lot of advantages in the early stages of the war."

"But if we inform Emperor Ninghe of this news, and it becomes common knowledge in the court, Yan'er, can you believe that this information will reach the ears of the Xiongnu Chanyu in just a few days..."

"Countless court officials will arrange for their trusted confidants to travel to the northern desert overnight to express their loyalty to the Xiongnu Chanyu."

In the halls of power, rotten wood holds official positions; between the palace steps, beasts feast on the rich. Wolves in sheep's clothing and dogs run rampant in power; sycophants and lackeys wield authority in abundance.

But that's it.

"Therefore, in my opinion, the best course of action for Pingyang right now is to pretend that he knows nothing about the Xiongnu and then secretly prepare for war. Even if he needs to inform His Majesty and seek His Majesty's support, it would be better to do so through a secret letter rather than a formal memorial."

After Luo Yuheng's words of guidance, Song Yan's pressure was no longer as unbearable as it had been the day before, and her mind gradually opened up.

“I don’t understand war.” Luo Yuheng emphasized this point again: “I know that you are a born general, Yan’er. You can decide things on the battlefield yourself. I believe in you. As for other things, if you can’t make up your mind, come to me. I’m a bit clever and I’ll always be able to point you in the right direction.”

"Furthermore, no matter what happens, don't shoulder everything alone." Luo Yuheng patted Song Yan's head with some tenderness. This son-in-law is good in every way, but if he could get rid of his habit of carrying everything on his own, he would be even more perfect: "Pingyang nowadays, while I wouldn't say it's teeming with talent, is it not bad?"

"Liu Yisheng, Yang Siyao, Mr. Gao, Mr. Liang, and Mr. Jia are all extremely talented people."

“Zhang Zhen, Zhang Han, and even the newly subdued Li Er are all excellent commanders and generals. In particular, General Mei Wu is probably better than all the generals in Ningguo combined in terms of large-scale operations.”

Song Yan took a deep breath, her heart completely calmed down, and the haggardness on her face gradually disappeared, as if she had become radiant again, and even a slight smile could be seen at the corner of her mouth: "Mother, I know what to do now."

Even though nothing has been resolved, Song Yan's mindset has quietly changed.

"That's good." Luo Yuheng smiled gently.

Immediately, Song Yan got up and walked straight out of the governor's mansion.

"Wait a minute." Luo Yuheng called out to him from behind.

Song Yan turned around, her face showing suspicion: "Mother, is there something else?"

"Eat first." Luo Yuheng gave Song Yan a reproachful look: "No matter how important the matter is, don't harm your health."

……

Zhang Mansion.

Zhang Ci treated Gao Yang with the utmost care. Although she lived in the guest quarters, her living conditions were even better than those of the legitimate daughter of the Zhang family.

Gao Yang had already gotten up and was tidying up her appearance in front of the dressing table.

She was wearing a pink bathrobe, which was a bit too thin, and her full figure and firm skin were faintly visible.

On the bed, Luo Tianxuan lay on her side. Both of them were women and cousins, so even if they slept in the same bed, it wouldn't cause anyone to say anything unpleasant.

With a small hand supporting her head, a faint smile graced her pretty face. As her gaze swept over Gao Yang's body, Luo Tianxuan couldn't help but feel a hint of envy in her eyes.

Before this, Luo Tianxuan thought her figure was pretty good. She was tall, with long, slender legs, and had curves in all the right places. But after sleeping with Gao Yang last night, Luo Tianxuan was surprised to find that Gao Yang's plump and full body was the most comfortable... especially when she was holding him while sleeping.

soft.

It's bouncy.

Luo Tianxuan was so engrossed in it that she didn't want to get up.

Her graceful figure, her full hips that appeared even more pronounced as she sat in the chair, and her firm, elastic waist...

Luo Tianxuan liked it more and more the more she looked at it.

Such an outstanding woman, if only I could win her husband's heart!

No, how can you call it a cripple?

That was clearly to find a better match for his cousin.

(End of this chapter)