Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 444 It Seems Like We Have No Choice But to Get Married (5,000 words)

hum!
Something seemed to explode in his mind. Song Yan stood frozen, his body stiff in the chair, still leaning forward. Only his forehead seemed to be covered with a dense layer of black lines. Originally, he was only dissatisfied that Liang Qiuyun dared to use Kong Nianhan to threaten him, which led him to say: "If I want to marry Gao Yang, who can stop me?"

But who would have thought that as soon as she finished speaking, Princess Gaoyang's little head popped out from the door... Wasn't the timing a bit too coincidental?
That's really bad.

Especially when Song Yan saw Princess Gaoyang's wide, dark eyes filled with surprise, and her face flushed red, he was speechless.

Damn.

It was just a beautiful misunderstanding.

They had to explain things clearly as soon as possible, otherwise who knows what kind of rumors would arise, and that would truly ruin Gao Yang's reputation. But even though Song Yan was quite clever, she simply didn't know how to start the conversation.

For a moment, Song Yan stared blankly at Gao Yang, and Gao Yang stared blankly at Song Yan.

Eyes facing each other.

On the other hand, although Song Yan was already quite familiar with Gao Yang, he didn't seem to have really looked at Gao Yang's appearance closely. He only knew that Gao Yang was very beautiful and had a hot figure. Now that they were gazing at each other like this, he was surprised to realize how extremely beautiful Gao Yang was.

Especially with that shy and bashful expression, for some reason, the song "The Beauty's Shyness" immediately comes to mind:

Her slender waist swayed gracefully like a fairy in the Chu Palace, her lotus steps were as light as pearls on the Luo River.

Leaning against the pillar, her brows lowered, her hairpin about to fall; she plucked a flower, concealing it with her sleeve, yet remained silent.

The spring mountains are half-hidden by clouds, obscuring the moon; the rosy cheeks are just beginning to bloom, and the apricot blossoms are hesitant to ripen.

At the most captivating moment, a fleeting glimpse of her reflection appears amidst a smile.

Yeah!

Perhaps because they had been gazing at each other for so long, Gao Yang finally snapped out of her daze. Her long eyelashes fluttered rapidly, and her gaze abruptly drifted to the side, her eyes unfocused. Her face flushed even more, and she shrank back into herself, placing a small hand on her chest as if trying to soothe the violent trembling within.

But it's completely useless.

My heart is pounding.

Gao Yang felt an indescribable heat throughout his body, especially his face, which was burning hot.

This……

What on earth is going on?
She just felt that staying at the Zhang family's house all the time wasn't ideal. Since Fang Wanlin couldn't stay at the Prefect's residence for the time being, she planned to temporarily go to Xinhou County. It was a border region, and affairs there were numerous and complicated; Liu Yisheng couldn't handle it all by himself. Going there would partly help Song Yan with some miscellaneous matters, and partly allow her to temporarily distance herself from Fang Wanlin. However, she felt it would be better to inform Song Yan about this, but who could have imagined that she would hear those words from him as soon as she arrived?

Is he going to marry me?

Why would Song Yan say that? Doesn't he understand what those words really mean?

Could it be that Song Yan really likes me?

To be fair, Gao Yang had some goodwill towards Song Yan.

Young and handsome, with unparalleled talent, and a formidable presence on the battlefield, Song Yan would be an excellent marriage prospect in the eyes of any woman. Moreover, Song Yan had saved her life twice. Although she was a widow, she was still a naive young woman, and it was impossible for her to feel no stirrings of emotion whatsoever.

However, when it comes to discussing marriage, it seems to be slightly lacking.

In an instant, all sorts of thoughts surged through Gao Yang's mind like a mad rush, leaving him in a state of utter chaos and completely unsure how to respond. Even though there weren't many people around, Gao Yang felt as if countless eyes were staring at him, and his body temperature seemed to rise higher and higher.

Finally, Gao Yang couldn't take it anymore, let out a cry, turned around, and ran away. She knew it was a bit cowardly, but she was just a woman after all; what else could she do in such a situation?

Song Yan jumped up and was about to chase after her when he saw another figure appear outside the door. It was none other than Luo Tianxuan... Her eyes were as tender as ever, and she gave Song Yan a slightly reproachful look: "Since there are guests, husband, please entertain them."

"I will keep an eye on things in Gaoyang."

As the gentle voice faded, Luo Tianxuan chased after Gao Yang.

Song Yan felt somewhat relieved.

At this moment, Song Yan and Luo Tianxuan were preoccupied with Gao Yang, and neither of them noticed the barely perceptible curve of Liang Qiuyun's lips as she stood in the living room.

"My lord..." Liang Qiuyun cleared her throat and spoke again, "What do you think of the princess's proposal? It's just a small matter for you, a matter of lifting a finger. The princess has already shown great sincerity. Is it possible that you, my lord, are unwilling to agree to even this small condition?"

grandma's.

Upon hearing this, Song Yan felt a surge of anger, and even had an urge to snap Liang Qiuyun's neck.

However, he ultimately did not do so.

Although his hands were stained with blood, he was not the kind of person who killed indiscriminately. At least for now, Liang Qiuyun had not done anything heinous, and it was not to the point that he had to take her life.

However, feeling displeased, he lost his temper with Liang Qiuyun.

"roll."

A hint of anger flashed across Liang Qiuyun's face. After all, she was a servant of the Prince's mansion, and everyone usually gave her some respect. It was extremely rare for her to be treated like this. However, seeing Song Yan's obviously displeased look, Liang Qiuyun wisely swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

She knew that the Marquis in front of her was even more arrogant than the Duke of Dongling City.

I've heard that even the eldest prince, Luo Jingyu, was beaten by him, and that he even killed the eunuchs around him. As a mere maidservant to a princess, I'd better not be too arrogant.

After pursing her lips and bowing, Liang Qiuyun obediently left.

Suppressing his anger, Song Yan got up and went to the third reception room with Gu Banxia... Fortunately, there were only three guests today. If another one had come, the governor's mansion would have had a hard time entertaining them, since there were only three reception rooms.

Kong Xingye had been waiting here for a long time.

As the head of the Kong family, one of the eight great families in Shanxi, Kong Xingye was a merchant, but his status was still extremely high.

He wasn't an official, but he had superiors. No matter which mansion he visited, he would usually be warmly received. He had never encountered anyone who was simply left in the reception room with a cup of tea and waited for half an hour like this.

However, Kong Xingye showed absolutely no anger on his face, remaining calm throughout. This old fox knew very well who he could mess with and who he absolutely couldn't afford to offend. Even Song Yan, whom he was facing, would suffer heavy losses if provoked by his superiors, let alone him.

Although the Eight Great Families had a great influence in Ningguo at this time, they had not yet reached the point where they could directly influence the political situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Beside Kong Xingye was his eldest daughter, Kong Xiyan.

Compared to Kong Xingye, Kong Xiyan's performance was somewhat awkward. You could say this woman is realistic, or that she approached Song Yan with ulterior motives, but you have to admit that when she learned that Kong Lingyun had kidnapped Luo Caiyi, she withstood the pressure and informed Song Yan, which was the right move. At this crucial juncture in her life, she made the most correct choice.

However, Kong Xiyan was still somewhat uneasy.

Kong Xiyan knew that she was beautiful, and to her father and the Kong family, her only value was to marry a powerful and influential man so that the Kong family could gain some connections. That was all.

She never asked for much; she simply wanted to escape the Kong family and no longer be a beautiful caged bird. She had even made a deal with Song Yan: she would provide him with various intelligence about the Kong family in exchange for his protection. She yearned for freedom, and she was willing to give anything for it. If Song Yan took a fancy to her body, she could become his woman, only hoping that after she grew old and her beauty faded, he would let her leave, so she could escape that secluded mansion and go out into the world to see the world.

Song Yan agreed to her deal.

After that, Song Yan went to the Haixi Grassland and then to Dongling, and several months passed without any further contact between her and Song Yan. This made Kong Xiyan feel uneasy, and she even suspected that Song Yan might have forgotten her existence. After all, her only advantages were her good looks and figure, and Song Yan was surrounded by plenty of such outstanding women.

Only when they heard footsteps did Kong Xingye and Kong Xiyan look up at the same time. When they saw Song Yan nodding slightly at her, Kong Xiyan relaxed completely.

As for Kong Xingye, a slight smile appeared on his lips. He stood up and bowed to Song Yan: "This humble subject, Kong Xingye, greets Your Excellency. Your Excellency's name is renowned far and wide. I have long wished to pay you a visit, but I have been unable to do so. I hope Your Excellency will not take offense."

Song Yan felt a little embarrassed by what he said.

Kong Xingye had visited Pingyang several times, but Song Yan was never there.

Song Yan smiled and said, "Master Kong, you're too kind. Please have a seat."

After the guests and hosts sat down, Kong Xingye winked at Kong Xiyan, who immediately picked up a small wooden box from the tea table and walked to Song Yan.

"My son was unruly before and offended the Marquis and the young princess. Although he has been punished by the Marquis, I am still uneasy. I have prepared a small gift and hope that the Marquis will accept it." Kong Xingye said with a smile.

Song Yan narrowed his eyes, becoming more wary of Kong Xingye.

This is a ruthless person.

At the very least, they can be flexible and adaptable.

What kind of punishment?
Of the three legitimate sons, two died and one was crippled.

This is not as simple as ordinary punishment.

That's not all. Song Yan also heard that the biological mother of the three brothers, Kong Lingchen, Kong Lingyan, and Kong Lingyun, died after the accident, seemingly due to excessive grief. Even Kong Lingyan, the only survivor, apparently died of guilt and sorrow over his mother's death. It's obvious who was responsible for their deaths.

He is a businessman who is ruthless to the point of being cold-blooded.

In Kong Xingye's view, whether it was a wife or a concubine, they were just playthings for him in his spare time, and their status was no different from that of pets such as cats and dogs.

There is no difference between legitimate sons and illegitimate sons.

When his legal wife and legitimate son become liabilities, he can discard them at any time.

Since they have many sons, they are not worried about having no one to inherit the family business.

Such a ruthless person is capable of great things.

Thinking this, Song Yan took the wooden box from Kong Xiyan's hand, opened it, and the golden light almost blinded him. Inside, he saw neatly arranged gold leaves, at least a hundred pieces. Kong Xingye's gifts were always simple and unpretentious. He wasn't a scholar or artist; he wouldn't seek out famous paintings or calligraphy. He was an ordinary person, and the gifts he gave were also unremarkable.

Of course, Song Yan is also an ordinary person.

So this gift was exactly what I wanted.

His previously serious face instantly lit up, as if sweeping away the gloomy and oppressive atmosphere in the room... Gu Banxia sighed helplessly. When would her young master be able to change his temper? At least restrain himself a little and control the corners of his mouth.

"Ahem, Mr. Kong, you're too kind." Song Yan coughed lightly.

The title has changed from "Master of the Kong Family" to "Mr. Kong".

"Kong Lingchen, Kong Lingyan, and Kong Lingyun have already paid the price for what they did. I, Song Yan, am not the kind of person who is bloodthirsty and indiscriminate in killing. How could I implicate Mr. Kong for no reason?"

call.

Hearing this, Kong Xingye breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although he had sent a large amount of silver and Luo Yuheng had released the person, the matter seemed to have been resolved. However, he could only feel at ease after hearing Song Yan say this with his own ears. He knew very well who was in charge in Liaodong.

As for Song Yan's claim that he was not fond of killing or indiscriminate killing, Kong Xingye thought Song Yan was a bit too shameless, but he simply pretended not to hear it.

For a moment, the smile on his face seemed to have become more sincere: "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Marquis." After a brief pause, Kong Xingye did not dwell on the matter, but his expression was slightly bitter: "Please forgive my impertinence, Lord Marquis, but... I wonder when this pass will finally open?"

"As Your Excellency knows, the Kong family has been in business for generations, and this trade route to the Haixi Grassland is extremely important to the Kong family. Since Your Excellency closed the border, the Kong family's business has been declining day by day, and they are almost starving. I wonder if Your Excellency could make an exception for us. Please rest assured that the Kong family has always abided by the laws of Da Ning in doing business, and there will never be anything that violates the laws of Da Ning flowing out of the Kong family's caravan."

"Of course, I know that you, my lord, are leading the soldiers of Pingyang to guard the border, which is very hard work. Therefore, the Kong family is willing to donate 50% of the profits from the caravan to the border troops, hoping to improve their lives and provide them with a set of cotton clothes and a weapon. I wonder what you think, my lord?"

This was Kong Xingye's real purpose in coming here this time.

Trade routes.

For a family that has been in business for generations, the value of trade routes is immeasurable.

Song Yan's lips curled into a smile. When Kong Lingchen and the others came before, they gave him a humiliating half-percentage, but now it's become a full 50%.

Be pragmatic!
Moreover, this person is quite eloquent.

It was clearly a bribe, but they insisted on calling it a donation. If this had happened to America, she could have easily become an ambassador.

"Mr. Kong, you're late. I've already given the trade route in Haixi to the Zhang family." Song Yan smiled, not hiding anything, since Kong Xingye probably already knew about this.

As expected, Kong Xingye's expression darkened, but he wasn't too surprised. Although he wanted to monopolize the trade route, he understood that it was impossible under the current circumstances, and it would be good enough to get a share of the pie.

“However, I have another trade route here. If Mr. Kong is interested, I can hand it over to him,” Song Yan said slowly, taking a sip of tea.

The next moment, Kong Xingye's eyes lit up.

"It's just that this trade route may not be handed over to Mr. Kong for several months. Before that, I need Mr. Kong to do me a small favor..." Putting down his teacup, Song Yan tapped his finger lightly on the table: "Pingyang City needs a batch of grain."

"How many?"

"The more the better." Song Yan chuckled. "If Mr. Kong is willing to help me with this, he will definitely get a share of the business opportunities once we have them. As for other things, I can't tell you too much. It all depends on whether Mr. Kong is willing to take this gamble."

Where is the trade route? I don't know.

How much profit can be made? I don't know.

What kind of business can I do? I don't know.

Uncertain risks abound, yet we're forced to provide a large amount of grain upfront. From a merchant's perspective, this is practically blatantly admitting I'm going to rip people off.

Unfortunately, Kong Xingye was not a simple businessman.

When Song Yan said these words, he could clearly feel the madness in Song Yan's words and the flames that could not be suppressed deep in Song Yan's eyes.

He knew that this marquis was probably about to do something big.

If you invest now, you might make a huge profit, but more likely you'll lose everything.

But for some reason, he couldn't suppress the stirrings in his heart.

As the saying goes, businessmen are all gamblers.

……

the other side.

The governor's mansion, the back garden.

Beside the bluestone path, magnolias stand tall, holding up white cups, drinking in the spring rain; at the winding bridge, peach petals drift on the water, turning into rouge, dotting the spring stream.

Gao Yang sat calmly in a pavilion, his complexion had returned to normal. He must have run a bit too fast, because beads of sweat were visible on his forehead... well, they could also be from the rain.

Even the plain white embroidered shoes and skirt hem were stained with a few specks of dirt.

This is something that would never happen to Gao Yang under normal circumstances.

pat.

pat.

The sound of feet stomping on the puddles.

Gao Yang looked up and saw that it was Luo Tianxuan who had caught up with him. His eyes glazed over, and he looked around erratically. This demeanor was enough to prove that Gao Yang's mood was not as relaxed as it appeared on the surface.

Seeing Gao Yang's expression, Luo Tianxuan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle: "Cousin, what are we going to do now? My husband has already made it clear in front of everyone that he wants to marry you, and no one can stop him, he said it!"

"The atmosphere has gotten so heated, it seems you and your husband have no choice but to get married!"

Luo Tianxuan smiled and chatted.

As a master-level martial artist, his hearing is naturally much better than that of ordinary people.

Luo Tianxuan couldn't say she heard everything that happened in the living room, but she knew at least seven or eight tenths of it.

She knew that those were just words spoken by Song Yan in a fit of rage, and did not mean that he really intended to marry Gao Yang.

"If I, Song Yan, truly wish to marry Gao Yang, who can stop me?"

if.

really.

These two words are enough to show that this is just a hypothesis.

Gao Yang's failure to hear the whole thing was a misunderstanding.

But... Luo Tianxuan had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding; on the contrary, she felt that things were fine as they were.

Now, if I don't bring you two together, I'll be ashamed to say my name is Luo Tianxuan... Just thinking about how my husband has another woman taking care of him, and she's Gao Yang, whom he knows well, makes Luo Tianxuan smile happily.

Very happy.

(End of this chapter)