Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 468 My Dear...Younger Brother (5,000 words)

Under the cover of night, scattered firelight spread out, and wisps of smoke rose into the vast sky, then slowly dissipated as fine dust.

At the tea stall.

Qi Chengxuan, Lin Xue, and Chu Menglan each had their own thoughts.

Before coming, Lin Xue and Chu Menglan had both investigated Song Yan's background. They had heard that he was exceptionally talented, capable of composing poems that would be passed down through the ages, and that any young lady would be captivated by such exquisite verses. He was also skilled in military strategy, capable of pacifying rebellious peoples internally and suppressing foreign tribes externally. The Jurchens and Japanese pirates could not even raise their heads in his presence.

Although he was born out of wedlock, he was granted the title of Marquis of Champion due to his meritorious service, so there was no problem with his birth.

It is said that this person was handsome and refined, truly deserving the description of "a gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world".

I was initially worried that if such a young and handsome man really cultivated the "Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror" and became a master, he might be drained of his essence and marrow by that group of sluts if he went to the Su Nu Pavilion.

Even he himself might have to ask this master he had never met before to cure the cold poison in his body.

But ever since she saw those two mounds of corpses, and the densely packed heads, Song Yan's image in Chu Menglan's mind became distorted... a ferocious face with blue fangs was probably not enough to describe him. She secretly glanced at the two mounds of corpses again, and felt a chill run down her spine; goosebumps rose on her long, swan-like neck.

While many powerful and wealthy families have some strange and unusual hobbies, this one is just too frightening.

Chu Menglan pursed her lips, dismissing some of her thoughts.

There's absolutely no way I'd ask Song Yan for an antidote.

Even if Chu Menglan were to freeze to death from the cold poison, or hang herself because she couldn't bear the torment, she would never seek out a man like this to cure her poisoning.

Lin Xue's eyes were slightly lowered, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

As for Qi Chengxuan, he remained smiling and chatting throughout, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the two women in front of him... Although both of them could be described as stunning beauties, Qi Chengxuan's eyes were clear and unwavering, showing no trace of being tempted by their beauty.

Occasionally, young masters and ladies, unable to bear the horror of the Jingguan (a mound of corpses), would vomit incessantly. Servants would then come to buy tea to rinse their mouths. Upon hearing that a cup of plain water cost one tael of silver, they would mutter to themselves that it was truly outrageous. However, this place was, after all, two Jingguan and a large number of altars, so it was not suitable for making a fuss. They would obediently pay the silver and then bring over a cup of tea.

Qi Chengxuan didn't care that the teacup wasn't returned.

After all, one or two taels of silver would be more than enough to buy all the teacups and tea bowls he had.

This strange silence lasted for a long time before Lin Xue suddenly sighed heavily: "Young man, you seem to know a lot about the Marquis of Champion. Why don't you tell us about him? It's a pity that my sister and I grew up in the inner chambers. Although we have heard of the Marquis of Champion's reputation, we know very little about him."

Qi Chengxuan's eyes lit up, his gaze seemingly bursting with an unprecedented light: "The two young ladies have come to the right person. As for the Marquis's affairs, there are probably few people in the entire Dongling who know more about them than I do. To tell you the truth, we have to start from when the Marquis was a child..."

This person is a great storyteller.

Qi Chengxuan then began to tell the story from Song Yan's childhood, describing how hard Song Yan's childhood was. Because he was born out of wedlock, he was not favored, and his stepmother was jealous, petty, and could not tolerate the existence of a son born out of wedlock. She tried every means to torture and kill Song Yan.

"To be honest, when the Marquis's birth mother was still alive, the Marquis still had some people to take care of him. But since the Marquis's birth mother passed away, Yang Miaoqing has become more and more unscrupulous."

"Someone has calculated that over ten years, Yang Miaoqing poisoned the Marquis 168 times, attempted to set fire to him 27 times, deliberately refused to see a doctor when the Marquis was ill, intending to kill him 34 times, arranged for someone to try to push him into the water 22 times, attempted to freeze him to death 19 times in the bitter winter, and arbitrarily found pretexts to try to beat the Marquis to death 33 times..."

Qi Chengxuan spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he had witnessed it firsthand.

Lin Xue's expression grew increasingly grim. If Yang Miaoqing were here, she would have wanted to strangle that bitch to death with her own hands.

Chu Menglan was even more surprised. What kind of resilient king was this?
He survived over 300 attacks? Isn't he just incredibly resilient?
Let alone Chu Menglan, even Song Yan would probably twitch his face if he heard this. Yang Miaoqing did want to kill him, but she only attacked him a dozen or twenty times. How could it be so exaggerated?

Rumors and gossip are indeed unreliable.

"Keep it up. After so many attempts, how could Champion Marquis still be alive?" Chu Menglan curled her lips. Was she trying to prove Yang Miaoqing's ruthlessness or her incompetence?

"Besides, how do you know so clearly? Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"I didn't see it with my own eyes, but there are people from Songzhou Prefecture who came to offer incense." Qi Chengxuan chuckled. "You can hear a lot from these people. Not long ago, two servants from the Duke of Song's mansion came to worship. How could their words be false?"

At most, it's just a bit of exaggeration; one person says it, another says it, and eventually it spreads like this.

Chu Menglan still found it hard to believe; this was even more outrageous than the commotion caused by the concubines in her father's palace.

Qi Chengxuan continued speaking. There were some things that Song Yan himself might have forgotten, but Qi Chengxuan remembered them perfectly. Of course, in some places... such as the number of Japanese pirates beheaded and the number of Jurchens, he would exaggerate a little.

However, this is just a minor artistic touch and not worth paying attention to.

"Ah, Lord Marquis, you are truly devoted to Ningguo." As he spoke, Qi Chengxuan changed the subject, his words tinged with regret: "But this time, I'm afraid he will inevitably be attacked by those beasts in the court again. This hurdle may not be so easy to overcome."

Lin Xue was taken aback, and her usually calm expression suddenly tensed up: "Why is that?"

"It's still about the Xiongnu attack." Qi Chengxuan shook his head.

Xiongnu?

Lin Xue and Chu Menglan exchanged a glance, both able to see the surprise in each other's eyes.

When the two left the State of Chu, they received no intelligence about any unusual activity by the Xiongnu, and there was no news of anything unusual coming from the border between the State of Chu and the Xiongnu.

Could it be that the Xiongnu have turned their attention to Ningguo?

"It was those wolves of the Xiongnu who suddenly launched a large-scale attack on Anzhou Prefecture nearly two months ago." Qi Chengxuan sighed, his tone somewhat dejected.

Nearly two months ago.

The timing is somewhat delicate.

They left Ningguo a little over a month ago.

The Chu Kingdom possessed formidable military strength, and naturally, many spies were stationed along its borders to gather intelligence on the movements of the northern grasslands. The invasion of Ning Kingdom by the Xiongnu army was a significant event that would not escape the notice of the spies and would certainly have been reported to the Chu Emperor. However, the Chu Emperor never mentioned the matter from beginning to end.

It was as if nothing had happened.

What is the Emperor of Chu trying to do?
Ning and Chu are both Han Chinese states. Even if they would not send troops to help due to the previous war, the current situation of the Xiongnu being weak internally presents a good opportunity to send troops to wipe them out.

If we can inflict a heavy blow on the Xiongnu this time, we may not have to worry about the Xiongnu threat for the next few years.

Compared to Ningguo, Chu had a longer border with the Xiongnu and faced a greater threat from them. The Chu emperor was a wise and ambitious ruler, and it was impossible for him not to see this.

Unless, the King of Chu has other plans.

Could it be that the Chu emperor was prepared to watch Ningguo be destroyed by the Xiongnu, and then mobilize a large army to completely annex Ningguo under the pretext of driving out the Tartars, taking over Han lands, and restoring the Han dynasty?

In previous wars between the two countries, the people would naturally help their own country. However, if Ningguo were occupied by the Xiongnu, and the Chu army appeared, the people of Ningguo, being Han Chinese themselves, would naturally feel closer to them. Not only would they not obstruct the Chu army, but they might even provide various kinds of assistance to it.

In this way, when the King of Chu annexed Ning, not only would no one criticize him, but he would also have the moral high ground.

Perhaps, the Chu army is already arrayed on the border of Ning, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Lin Xue lowered her eyelids. The Chu Emperor was a man of great talent and ambition, so it was not surprising that he would make such a decision.

"But what does this have to do with the Marquis of Champion?" Lin Xue frowned. "If I remember correctly, the Marquis of Champion served as governor in Pingyang, didn't he?"

"That's why they say the Marquis is kind-hearted. He couldn't bear to see the people die under the Xiongnu's sword. So the Marquis led the Pingyang army to enter Anzhou to resist the Xiongnu." Qi Chengxuan sighed, "But before they even left Pingyang, they encountered the Xiongnu army. The Marquis evacuated all the people of Dehua County, set a trap to lure the Xiongnu army into the city, and then set fire to the entire county, along with the 160,000 Xiongnu troops, burning them all to ashes."

"Afterwards, the Marquis led his troops north to intercept the second prince of the Xiongnu."

"The second prince of the Xiongnu has been staying in Anzhou. Although it is to resist the Xiongnu, it can be considered as overstepping his bounds. Some civil officials in the court have seized on this point and want to question the Marquis about his crime. I heard that every time he attends court these days, it is noisy."

"There are also some old scholars who say that the Marquis burned down a fire that killed tens of thousands of people, which is truly against the natural order, vicious, inhumane, and heartless!"

"Some even directly attacked the Marquis, saying that the Marquis—is fond of killing and wielding power, and doesn't like people to act this way!"

"Some even say that the Marquis is extremely cruel to the people, his poison spreads throughout the land, and he has harmed all living beings. Heaven has punished him." "Their words are so forceful that they are determined to bring the Marquis back and execute him."

Lin Xue's face was gloomy, while Chu Menglan's eyes suddenly lit up.

On this trip to Ningguo, her father gave her a task: to find out about Song Yan's personality and abilities, and to find a way to get close to him. If she could bring Song Yan to Chuguo, that would be the best outcome.

If Song Yan agrees, the Chu Emperor is even willing to continue treating him as the Marquis of Champion.

It's important to understand how difficult it is to obtain a noble title in the State of Chu. Such a vast country only has two dukes and seven marquises. For Chu to grant Song Yan a marquisate without any merit is an immense favor. Originally, Chu Menglan thought this matter might be difficult to handle, but now that the Ning Kingdom court so despises Song Yan, she feels there's a great opportunity.

She was a little afraid of Song Yan.

But Chu Menglan was very clear about which was more important, her personal likes and dislikes or the interests of the State of Chu.

After chatting for quite some time, Lin Xue and Chu Menglan realized they could not get any more information from Qi Chengxuan, so they got up to say goodbye.

Before leaving, Lin Xue took one last look at the two mounds of Jingguan.

Qi Chengxuan silently watched the two women's backs until they disappeared from sight. Suddenly, a smile appeared on Qi Chengxuan's lips, and he pulled out a small notebook and a charcoal pencil from somewhere.

"People from Chu have arrived..."

"Possibly a princess!"

Despite the two women's attempts to conceal their identities, their Chu accents occasionally slipped out. In addition, although they wore ordinary clothes, they possessed a noble air, and the hairpins on their heads were of extraordinary quality. The younger woman, in particular, wore royal-style earrings. Thus, it was not difficult to determine their identities.

As a professional member of the Imperial Guard, I do have that kind of insight.

Looking at the dilapidated tea stall, Qi Chengxuan's lips curled into a smile. He thought back to half a year ago when he was neither a nobleman nor a powerful official, but he was still a wealthy young master. At that time, he probably never dreamed that one day he would be running such a small business.

But on that day, he encountered the Embroidered Uniform Guard and heard their faith... Dressed in fine clothes, walking in the darkness, searching for the light!

At that moment, he felt a profound and unprecedented emotional impact on his heart.

Isn't this exactly what Ningguo looks like now, shrouded in darkness?

Isn't Ningguo in need of a group of ambitious people to blaze a light in the darkness?
He joined the organization.

There was only one loyal person in the organization, and that was Song Yan, because every member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard believed that only the Marquis could bring this ray of light to Ningguo.

For the sake of their ideals, they willingly gave up their former comfortable lives, abandoned their original identities and names, and hid in the darkness. Even if they died, even if they never saw the light again, even if their hardships, achievements and sacrifices went unnoticed, it was all worth it.

This, perhaps, is faith.

After thinking for a moment, Qi Chengxuan wrote another sentence in his notebook:
"They seem to have come for the Marquis."

"Hey buddy, have a cup of tea."

In an instant, the slightly excited expression on Qi Chengxuan's face turned as warm as a spring breeze, and he was full of smiles: "You've arrived. Please accept one tael of silver."

What they did was so simple: they hid among the common people and recorded everything they heard and saw.

……

Meanwhile, Lin Xue and Chu Menglan returned to the carriage.

After their travel documents were checked, they were able to enter the city without any problems.

The carriage creaked and groaned, and the horse-drawn carriage leaned against the back of the carriage, remaining silent.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, and Chu Menglan couldn't stand it any longer. She pursed her lips and asked, "Senior Sister, speaking of which, how exactly did you and Song Yan meet?"

"Could it be that you encountered him when you attacked Ningguo before? That doesn't make sense. According to what that person just said, Song Yan mostly operates in the north and east of Ningguo, but he has never been to the border of Chu."

"What exactly is your relationship with Song Yan? Could he be your lover?"

These things had been suppressed in Chu Menglan's heart for a very long time, and now she couldn't hold back any longer and asked them all at once.

puff.

Even with her cold and aloof demeanor, Lin Xue couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of saliva upon hearing these words.

What the hell?

How did Song Yan become her lover?
If her mother were still alive, she would probably slap her hard across the face.

For a moment, Lin Xue's expression looked particularly strange.

But Chu Menglan felt that Lin Xue's expression meant that she had hit the nail on the head, and she immediately frowned and said, "This is terrible."

"Your lover is going to marry your master. Did you come to Ning Kingdom this time to steal her away?"

"Does this mean the master and disciple are going to turn against each other?"

It must be said that Chu Menglan's mind was truly quite sharp; in a short time, she had conjured up a whole drama. The thought that their once close master-disciple relationship would turn into enmity because of a man filled Chu Menglan with sorrow.

"Give up, you can't beat Master."

"In my opinion, a man who changes his mind so easily doesn't deserve you at all. You deserve a better choice."

For example, that masochistic crown prince brother. In Chu Menglan's eyes, a man like Song Yan is barely passable as an antidote, and marriage between them is completely unnecessary.

"Or are you planning to marry Song Yan along with your master and share one husband?"

"Then how should your seniority be calculated? Are you master and disciple or sisters?"

"Or should we each discuss our own perspective?"

Chu Menglan was naturally a lively person, and at this moment she spoke even faster, rattling off a whole string of words, leaving Lin Xue no chance to interject. Finally, when Chu Menglan stopped, Lin Xue had her chance, and she raised her hand to tap Chu Menglan on the head.

state!
Very loud.

Chu Menglan winced in pain, clutching her head with one hand while rubbing her teary eyes, looking pitifully at Lin Xue:

"Senior Sister, why did you hit me?"

Lin Xue rolled her eyes in annoyance: "Hitting you is too lenient... What nonsense are you thinking, you little brat? Who told you Song Yan is my boyfriend?"

I really want to pry open this girl's skull and see what's inside.

"Then what is your relationship?" Chu Menglan became even more curious: "If you're not lovers, why are you so concerned about Song Yan?"

Lin Xue sighed: "Song Yan, that's my younger brother."

Lin Xue pursed her lips, her eyes suddenly becoming somewhat complicated. After a while, she spoke softly, "My...brother."

His gaze was fixed on the distance, lost in thought.

Just then, Chu Menglan blinked her big eyes hard, and then, as if she had discovered something new, she suddenly screamed:
"Wouldn't that make your generational hierarchy even more confusing?"

Lin Xue: "???"

(End of this chapter)