Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 477 Mother-in-law is too weak (6,000 words)
"Luo Yuheng is in my hands!"

Upon seeing the contents of the letter, Song Yan's pupils contracted, and she silently scanned the other words on the paper without uttering a word. However, everyone at the table could sense that the atmosphere had subtly changed, an invisible pressure looming over everyone, making even breathing exceptionally difficult.

Especially Hong Kai, the governor of Hengshan.

His throat moved as he swallowed the saliva that kept secreting from his mouth.

His gaze swept almost imperceptibly over Song Yan. Although he had shed his childishness and possessed a ruthless and composed demeanor, Song Yan was still just a sixteen-year-old boy. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he truly wouldn't have believed that such a boy was actually the legendary Jingguan Madman who had killed countless people.

Then, his gaze fell on the woman next to Song Yan.

This time, Song Yan brought five women with him.

Luo Tianxuan, Hua Lianyue, Luo Tianyi, Gao Yang, and Ziyu.

Each and every one of them was an absolute beauty, and Hong Kai couldn't help but feel a little envious. Not to mention a son-in-law, even many high-ranking officials, noble families, and members of the royal family would find it difficult to find so many stunning beauties. For a son-in-law to achieve such a level, the Marquis is truly one of a kind.

However, compared to their stunning beauty, what caught Hong Kai's attention even more was the age of the five women... Yes, that's right, each of them was two or three years older than the Marquis, and two of them were probably six or seven years older.

It seems the rumors circulating for a long time are true.

Especially that Princess Gaoyang, didn't her husband just die last year? How come she's already hooking up with Song Yan now?

widow?

The widow?
It's been confirmed; this rumor is most likely true.

Of course, although he was very curious, Hong Kai also knew that this was something he could not inquire about.

After an unknown amount of time, Song Yan suddenly let out a breath, then silently folded the letter again and tucked it into his sleeve. The tense atmosphere at the banquet finally broke down at this moment. The many officials from Hengshan Prefecture who were accompanying them all breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from their chests.

"My lord, is there something wrong with that letter?" Hong Kai asked with a forced smile.

Song Yan shook his head: "It's nothing, just some private matters. By the way, where is the messenger?" As he spoke, Song Yan looked at the servant at the door.

The servant hurriedly shook his head: "Reporting to Your Excellency, that man was wearing a bamboo hat and dressed like a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world). I couldn't see his face. After handing the letter to me, that man left."

Jianghu people?
Although he had many enemies, he had little interaction with people in the martial arts world.

However, there are many unscrupulous people in Ningguo's martial arts world. It wouldn't be difficult to hire some of them to serve you by spending some money. Princess Fu has heard that she has very close ties with martial arts people. The Yang family also keeps martial arts masters, and even the Fang family has some... It would be almost impossible to find the person behind this letter based solely on the identity of a martial arts person.

"Would you like me to take some men and search for you?" Hong Kai asked cautiously.

Song Yan sighed and shook his head, saying, "There's no need for such trouble." Anyone delivering a letter to him is naturally extremely cautious; they'll likely disappear as soon as they hand it to the servant. Going looking for it now would probably yield nothing. Although Hua Lian Yue and Luo Tian Xuan are both Grandmaster-level experts, they couldn't possibly have locked onto the target beforehand if the other party hadn't shown any hostility or killing intent.

After a brief pause, Song Yan pursed his lips and spoke again: "Governor Hong, what have you thought about the matter I asked you to do before?"

Hong Kai's smile deepened: "Rest assured, my lord, I have already made arrangements. When you leave Hengshan City tomorrow morning, I guarantee that five thousand brothers, five thousand warhorses, and three days' worth of rations will be prepared. It will not delay your journey."

A satisfied smile immediately appeared on Song Yan's face.

To put it bluntly, the reason for coming to Hengshan City was twofold: to find a place to sleep and to resupply.

Song Yanhe's five thousand soldiers did not carry much food. After all, food was very precious in Pingyang and Anzhou at the moment, and he was reluctant to waste his own food. Basically, wherever they stopped in a prefecture, they would go to beg for alms... no, they would ask their colleagues for help once.

Clearly, while the officials of Ningguo may be corrupt and have committed many evil deeds, they have a very good relationship with each other. Even though many officials are meeting Song Yan for the first time, they still uphold the virtue of mutual help among colleagues. Whenever Song Yan brings his five thousand brothers and asks for help, they all agree.

Song Yan was very moved.

Seeing that Song Yan smiled, Hong Kai, who had immediately punished himself with three cups for his poor hospitality and then toasted everyone in turn, seemed to be a little bolder than before due to the influence of drunkenness. He took another big gulp and, with a bit of alcohol in his mouth, lowered his voice and asked cautiously, "My lord... what exactly do you intend to do by leading five thousand cavalry into Dongling?"

Hong Kai had seen the five thousand cavalrymen led by Song Yan.

Although he was indeed an ordinary man, he was not lacking in knowledge. Those soldiers were obviously battle-hardened veterans, each of them having experienced life and death. Standing in front of those five thousand cavalrymen, even though they did not utter a word, he was terrified.

Such a person and such a team went to the Eastern Tombs. Could they really be preparing to rebel?
If we were to rebel, wouldn't it be a bit too frivolous to have only 5,000 people?
"You, could it be that you want to... cough cough, want to overturn the heavens?" Hong Kai's voice was furtive. Under normal circumstances, he would never have dared to say such a thing, but now he was somewhat drunk and reckless, blurting out whatever came to mind.

His mind was in turmoil, and he even began to wonder what he, as the governor of Hengshan, should do if the Marquis of Champion really wanted to rebel.

Why not just pledge allegiance to Song Yan now? You might even gain merit by following the emperor's lead and eventually be ennobled or appointed prime minister.

Song Yan raised an eyebrow: "Lord Hong, although you are a little drunk, you should still know what to say and what not to say. How could I, Song Yan, the dignified Marquis of Champion and son-in-law of the imperial family, do something like treason?"

“zh... We are loyal subjects.”

Hong Kai's expression stiffened slightly, then he laughed: "Your Excellency is right. Your Excellency is a first-rate loyal minister of Ningguo. How could you do something like treason? I misspoke."

Just then, Song Yan sighed softly, "But there are bad people in the court of Ning Kingdom."

"The Xiongnu army has attacked Pingyang in Anzhou. Is Lord Hong aware of this?"

Hong Kai nodded slightly: "I know that."

"I personally led the soldiers of Pingyang to defend against the enemy outside the gates of the mansion, and annihilated 150,000 Xiongnu. Is this a merit?"

What strangulation? They were clearly burned to death and drowned... Hengshan is located between Dongling and Pingyang, so news naturally spreads faster there than in the capital. The exact number of Xiongnu people massacred has always been a subject of much debate, with some saying 300,000, some saying 500,000, and some even going so far as to claim a million corpses and rivers of blood.

The 150,000 that Song Yan personally mentioned was considered relatively small, but even so, this number still caused every official from Hengshan Prefecture present to change their expression slightly and feel a chill run down their spines.

That's 150,000 people.

It's not 150,000 pigs.

They just killed him like that?
Hearing Song Yan's indifferent tone, they truly felt the ruthlessness of the young man in front of them.

This is absolutely a massacre.

The Jingguan Maniac truly lives up to its name.

He doesn't care about the means.

As long as victory can be achieved, it is acceptable to breach the dikes and unleash a massive flood, or even to set the city ablaze with flames.

Hong Kai didn't even notice the cold sweat beading on his forehead. He forced a smile and said, "Resisting foreign invaders, recovering lost territory, and protecting the people are all meritorious deeds."

This is true. Although the methods were ruthless, if Pingyang had not been able to withstand them, no one knew where the Xiongnu army would have gone this time. Perhaps even Hengshan Prefecture would have been affected. From this perspective, many officials in Hengshan Prefecture were very grateful to Song Yan.

Song Yan's lips curled into a mocking smile: "The people of Anzhou and Pingyang think this is a merit, and many of my colleagues in Hengshan Prefecture also think this is a merit, but some people in the court say that I am fond of killing and wielding power, cruelly oppressing the people, and harming all living beings. They say that I am a sinner and that I should be taken back to Dongling and executed."

"To be honest, this is the first time I've ever been cursed like this."

Hong Kai was covered in cold sweat; he truly didn't know how to respond to those words.

"Since you say I am guilty, then this Marquis will naturally make a trip to the capital to argue with those officials in the court about where exactly my crime lies."

"And those five thousand brothers, all of whom have chopped off the heads of the Xiongnu. I just want to go to Dongling and ask if they are also guilty? Are the heads of these Xiongnu wolves unworthy of being chopped off? I want to ask those officials in the court whether they are officials of Ningguo or officials of the Xiongnu."

“If I am guilty, even if I am torn to pieces, I will not utter a sound.” Song Yan scoffed and continued, “If I am innocent, then the treacherous ministers and sycophants around His Majesty in the court will need to be purged.”

Upon hearing these words, Hong Kai's body trembled violently.

Good heavens, you've even said "purge the court of corrupt officials"? And you still say you're not planning a rebellion?
Throughout history, there have been many instances of emperors having treacherous officials around them that needed to be eliminated, but in the process of eliminating them, the emperor himself was often eliminated as well.
Those people in the imperial court are also idle. When Song Yan was in Dongling, he crushed more than two hundred officials to death, and none of them dared to utter a sound.

Now that Song Yan has left Dongling, does he feel like he's standing up again?
How dare they point fingers at the Jingguan fanatics?
Have you forgotten about those two mounds of corpses outside Dongling City?
Now look what's happened; they've brought this jinx back.

It's certain that Dongling City is about to be in turmoil again. It's just unknown how many people will have to die this time to get rid of this evil spirit.

Originally, Hong Kai was somewhat dissatisfied with being sent to serve as a prefect, especially in such a small place as Hengshan Prefecture, but now he felt extremely fortunate.

At least he doesn't have to go through any political battles.

Before they knew it, a long time had passed. Song Yan was also quite tired from the long journey. After filling his stomach, he got up to say goodbye and went to the inn arranged by Hong Kai. Only after Song Yan and his companions left did the officials of Hengshan Prefecture breathe a heavy sigh of relief. Some even plopped down on the ground, and others were surprised to find that they were already soaked in sweat.

Even though Song Yan didn't actually commit any violence, the pressure he felt was simply too terrifying.

"No wonder he has the blood on his hands of hundreds of thousands of people. At such a young age, he has terrified me so much that I dare not say a word."

"They're finally gone... Governor, do you think we should really provide supplies to the Marquis? If he really wants to rebel, then we'll be accomplices, and when the court investigates, we'll probably not get away with it." An official said with some worry, his brows furrowed.

"Shut up, do you dare not give it to me?" Governor Hong Kai also let out a long breath, looking in the direction Song Yan left, and slowly said: "Don't worry, the Marquis will not really rebel. If he really rebelled, he would not bring five thousand people, but fifty thousand."

"The imperial court won't really take the Marquis's life, after all, there are still tens of thousands of elite troops in Pingyang City."

"Go home and find all the silver notes that are easy to carry. When the Marquis leaves tomorrow, give them to him along with his rations. Tell him that the officials of Hengshan Prefecture saw how hard the Marquis and his brothers worked to resist the Xiongnu and wanted to give the brothers an extra dish."

Some officials frowned, clearly somewhat reluctant.

After all, Yokoyama is not like other places; it is really not easy to get some money there.

Seeing the expressions on these people's faces, Hong Kai felt a sense of disappointment and angrily scolded, "Fools, I, the governor, am giving you a chance to live. Don't be ungrateful."

"Don't you even look at how long the Ningguo court can last? Two years, three years? Once the court collapses and rebellions break out, the Jurchens, the Xiongnu, the Zhao and Chu states will all pounce and bite. In such a vast Ningguo, who will be able to protect our lives? At that time, the silver notes in our hands will be nothing but waste paper, worthless. It's better to use them in advance to establish a good relationship."

"The smart ones will have their wives and children pack their things as soon as they get back to the manor and move to Pingyang first. That way, even if chaos breaks out in the future and we can't escape, at least we can still leave behind a few bloodlines. I'm only reminding you because we've worked together for so many years. If you don't listen and something really happens in the future, don't blame me."

……

Meanwhile, Song Yan and his group also arrived at the inn.

After Luo Tianxuan finished making the bed, she turned around and saw Song Yan standing by the window, frowning and deep in thought, his face somewhat gloomy.

"Is my husband still worried about that letter? What exactly did it say?" Unable to contain her concern, Luo Tianxuan asked softly.

Song Yan sighed, took the letter out of his sleeve, and handed it to Luo Tianxuan.

With just a glance, Luo Tianxuan's expression changed drastically. Her gentle face instantly turned icy cold: "Mother... Mother has been arrested?"

"who is it?"

The voice was cold and devoid of any warmth.

A chilling wind seemed to rise in the bedroom, the windows rattled, and the candlelight on the table flickered as if it might go out at any moment.

Although he had been with Luo Tianxuan for almost a year, this was the first time Song Yan had seen her so angry. Just by looking at her knuckles, which were white from being clenched too tightly, he could tell how intense the killing intent in Luo Tianxuan's chest was at this moment.

Although Luo Yuheng was only Luo Tianxuan's aunt, in Tianxuan's heart, she was no different from her biological mother.

"I don't know. The letter just told me to get to Dongling as soon as possible." Song Yan sighed. "I'm afraid we'll only know what happens after we get to Dongling."

"Don't worry." After thinking for a moment, Song Yan comforted her, "To be able to protect you four sisters and three brothers and grow up to this age under the watchful eyes of the Yang family, my methods are far beyond those of ordinary women."

Although Luo Yuheng usually appears simple and even a bit naive, Song Yan understands that a naive woman could not possibly have survived this long.

If Luo Yuheng were to use all his tricks, who knows who would be the unlucky one?

The contents of the letter may not be true.

Of course, the other side is clearly not easy to deal with either.

Luo Yuheng went to Dongling alone this time, without even a guard. It is clear that the other party has information that is extremely important to Luo Yuheng, but does not want a third party to know. Otherwise, he would not have left Pingyang because of a letter.

But now it seems that luring Luo Yuheng was only the first step; the other party's real target appears to be himself.

Could it be that they intend to lure him to Dongling and then kill him? So, Luo Yuheng is just bait thrown out by the other side? In that case, even if Luo Yuheng has already fallen into their hands, she should still be safe until I take the bait.

As Song Yan pondered, the worry in Luo Tianxuan's eyes did not diminish much despite Song Yan's comforting words. Instead, her brows furrowed even more: "But Mother, after all, is just a weak woman."

Upon hearing this, even Song Yan couldn't help but worry.

That's right. Although Luo Yuheng is very clever, his cleverness is of little use when dealing with someone who doesn't reason with you and only wants to hurt you. In Song Yan's usual impression, Luo Yuheng is the kind of person who would fall to the ground with a light push and would cry for a long time with a light punch, and who is difficult to comfort.

My mother-in-law is ultimately too weak!
Taking a deep breath, Luo Tianxuan suddenly looked up:

"I'll go back to Dongling first."

……

Meanwhile, in Dongling City.

Luo Yuheng, who felt utterly inadequate in Song Yan's heart, frowned deeply as he watched, along with Lin Xue, as people rushed towards them due to the fire.

Customers, prostitutes, and peddlers who escaped from brothels...

It was chaotic and noisy.

Leading the charge was a horse-drawn carriage.

Inside the carriage, a young gentleman kept urging the driver to go faster and faster.

The sounds of wheels and hooves filled the air.

The inferno was quickly left behind.

Just as the carriage was about to reach the two of them, the panic on the young master's face suddenly vanished, replaced by a sinister look. The next instant, the young master reached into his robes, and a cloth bag appeared out of thin air. With a forceful flick, the bag flew straight towards Lin Xue and Luo Yuheng's heads.

The cloth bag opened on its own in mid-air.

Large, fine, snow-white powders instantly dispersed.

For a moment, the area seemed to be shrouded in thick fog.

Luo Yuheng's delicate nose twitched slightly. Quicklime?
Ha, such underhanded tactics.

Just as Lin Xue's expression changed slightly, Luo Yuheng quietly raised one of her slender arms and gently waved her sleeve.

Internal energy surged.

A sudden gust of wind appeared overhead, and with a whoosh, it carried the powder of quicklime back the way it came.

Inside the carriage, neither the coachman nor the young master had anticipated such a situation. Their expressions changed simultaneously, and they tried to escape, but it was too late. A thick, milky-white fog instantly enveloped them.

Quicklime got into my eye socket.

A burning sensation instantly surged up.

A piercing scream tore through the night sky.

Even the warhorse neighed in pain because its eyes were burned.

The carriage instantly lost its direction and crashed diagonally toward Lin Xue and Luo Yuheng. Lin Xue did not notice Luo Yuheng's movements and did not have time to think about what the wind that appeared out of nowhere was. As if by instinct, she grabbed Luo Yuheng's wrist and pulled him behind her.

Immediately, a delicate shout escaped her throat.

With a graceful swing of his arm, he threw a punch forward with a resounding thud.

The fist looks delicate, but it seems to possess immense power.

The moment the fist landed on the horse's head, there was a loud bang, and the horse's head shattered, with blood gushing out.

The horse's two legs snapped with a crack and slammed heavily onto the ground. The carriage, propelled by inertia, crashed into the ground. Then, with a whoosh, the entire carriage was lifted into the air, its wheels spinning in mid-air, tracing a perfect circle before crashing with a deafening roar onto the shop behind Lin Xue and Luo Yuheng.

Destruction, collapse, shattering, disintegration...

The carriage and half of the shop were instantly reduced to fragments.

Almost at the same time, right there in the broken shop, a cold glint appeared.

It was aimed straight at Luo Yuheng's back!

It was a long sword, which shone like autumn water in the moonlight.

The fingers holding the sword were slender, delicate, and pale, clearly those of a woman.

(End of this chapter)