Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 490 Stockings are meant to be torn (11,000 words)

late at night.

There is no moon, no stars.

All I could see when I looked up was darkness.

An oil lamp hung on the carriage, perhaps the only light in the darkness.

The rain had stopped, and even the drizzle was gone. The road was still covered with thick puddles, and the wheels of the car were spinning rapidly, creating two curtains of water.

My chest was ripped open; it hurts a lot.

Yang Siqi is only a few years older than Song Yan. He is known as the most outstanding genius of the younger generation of the Yang family. He has not yet entered the court as an official. As the eldest grandson of Yang Hexing, he is very likely to become the next head of the Yang family.

He glanced down at his chest; blood was gushing out, the warm blood soaking through his clothes. Yang Siqi didn't scream or struggle like most people would, nor did he roar like a wounded wild dog and demand to know why Yang Rui had killed his own brother… He simply stared at Yang Rui for a moment, then quickly smiled, as if he had come to some understanding.

As a child prodigy, he easily understood the reason—the Yang family was not a monolithic entity.

His grandfather was making plans.

Yang Hetong was also plotting something.

Their plans are conflicting.

Yang Hetong is dead, but Yang Rui is still alive. Yang Rui's ambition is obviously greater than he usually shows. With the third branch of the family losing its most important pillar, it is impossible for Yang Rui to climb up the social ladder and improve his value and status. The only way is to eliminate all those who stand in his way, such as... him.

Moreover, in the end, the reason why the Yang family got into trouble with Song Yan was mostly because of Yang Miaoqing. Yang Miaoqing was Yang Hexing's daughter and Yang Siqi's aunt. The sins she committed ultimately made Yang Hetong's lineage pay the price, and Yang Rui probably harbored resentment in his heart.

He wants revenge.

But Yang Rui knew very well that he couldn't do anything to Song Yan on his own. Only by pooling the power of the Yang family could he find an opportunity for revenge.

Yang Hetong's death might not cause the family head, Yang Hexing, much grief. At most, he might lament the collapse of the Yang family's years of political maneuvering in the court, wondering how long it would take to regain their former glory. With Song Yan currently in the limelight, Yang Hexing might temporarily back down, given his personality. However... if the list of the dead included the name of Yang Hexing's most beloved and valued eldest grandson, perhaps everything would be different.

Moreover, the fact that Yang Rui dared to make a move at this time suggests that his uncle, Yang Guoli, who was supposed to protect him, had also been bribed.

Yang Siqi smiled, thinking how difficult it must have been for Yang Rui to come up with so much in such a short time.

Perhaps he had wanted to kill himself for a long time?

Yang Siqi's lips moved slightly. Although he was about to die, he was still prepared to reveal the biggest problem facing the Yang family—the army. In this chaotic era, whoever controls the army is the true ruler. Not for Yang Rui's sake, but for the continuation of the entire Yang clan.

Before he could even utter a sound, the smile on his face already disgusted Yang Rui. It was that same smile again, always so confident and self-assured, his eyes seeming to see through everything. Yang Rui felt inexplicably irritated, so he stretched out his right leg and kicked Yang Siqi.

The sound got stuck in my throat.

Yang Siqi was kicked off the car.

It rolled around and around.

His body was covered in filthy sewage, which seeped into the hole in his chest, causing a burning pain. He struggled to get up, but his arms were too weak. He managed to prop himself up a little, but ultimately collapsed back into the mud.

The sewage flooded his eyes, and the light in his pupils gradually faded, turning into a silent sigh.

……

The situation at the Court of State Ceremonial was also not peaceful.

Of the Xiongnu and Jurchen delegations, only twenty-four people made it to the Golden Hall, but in reality, each delegation had a total of one or two hundred people. Ever since the humiliation suffered by the Xiongnu and Jurchen in the hall spread among the delegations, the barbarians were all furious, their faces flushed, shouting loudly that they would make Song Yan pay the price for his arrogance.

Of course, the call was loud.

But he absolutely didn't have the guts to actually cause trouble for Song Yan.

Outside Xinhou County and outside Dehua County, two enormous mounds of Jingguan (a type of human pyramid) awe everyone.

On the other side of the post station was the residence of the Chu delegation.

On the large bed, Lin Xue hugged the quilt, her muscular body tossing and turning. Every time her mind came to mind, it was the scene of Song Yan slaughtering everyone in the court, blood splattering on Song Yan's face, scarlet and eerie.

She felt a pang of heartache.

She didn't know what her younger brother had gone through during the years she was sold, or how his once obedient and gentle nature had turned into this.

Many people couldn't sleep that night.

However, Song Yan is clearly not included in this.

He was living a very comfortable life.

Song Yan finally opened her eyes groggily when the scorching sunlight shone through the window paper onto her face. Hua Lian Yue, on the other hand, had woken up even earlier and was already dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding the stocking in her hand, her face full of regret.

Although this strange outfit was inexplicably embarrassing, it felt quite comfortable to wear. Most importantly, it made her legs look longer and more shapely. Unfortunately, Song Yan had torn a hole in it, so she probably couldn't wear it anymore. Hearing Song Yan's movements, a slender hand tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes slightly dissatisfied, and she waved the stockings in her hand: "Why did you tear such a nice outfit?"

Song Yan smiled and said, "Stockings are meant to be torn. If you don't tear them, can they still be called stockings?"

So this is what tearing socks is all about?
Hua Lianyue was a little confused. Although Song Yan gave an explanation, she still felt that something was not quite right.

However, Hua Lian Yueye didn't think much of it. She was just accepting whatever her husband said, since he had brought out the clothes.

After finding new clothes for Song Yan to change into, Song Yan could feel that the original coldness on Hua Lian Yue's body had long since dissipated... It has to be said that the "Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror" is truly effective in detoxifying the "Extreme Yin Classic of the Plain Woman".

To put it another way, it's as if the "Ji Yin Su Nu Jing" was naturally created to complement the "Bai Hua Bao Jian".

After a night of pleasure, Song Yan could feel that his internal energy was much stronger than before. If he continued to cultivate like this for a few more times, he might be able to break through to the seventh rank. At that time, with a physical body that was much stronger than that of a normal martial artist, he might even be able to put up a fight against an eighth-rank martial artist.

Stepping out of the room, the midday breeze whispered softly.

Yesterday it was pouring rain, but today the sky is clear and blue. Summer weather is always so unpredictable.

The water in the yard gradually receded, but some low-lying areas still had puddles of varying sizes. The ground was wet, and the scorching sun shone on it, making it seem as if wisps of smoke were rising from the puddles, licking away the shattered sun fragments.

The earthy smell of decaying grass broke free from the earth's constraints, filling the air with an indescribable odor. Flowerbeds lined both sides of the pebble path in the backyard, and after a whole day of rain, almost all the petals were scattered on the ground, mixed with the mud. Only the leaves stood out, clean and bright green.

Of the more than two thousand soldiers, half were resting, while the other half had already surrounded the Marquis of Champion's residence, temporarily acting as guards. Just by looking at the soldiers' murderous aura, their gleaming silver armor, and the sharp weapons in their hands, it was clear that these men were not to be trifled with, and no one would be foolish enough to come and die.

There were footsteps ahead.

Looking up, I saw Luo Tianyi.

A faint smile graced her face. Perhaps Song Yan's analysis and speculation yesterday had temporarily put the young woman at ease, making her less worried than before. Holding several invitation cards, she handed them to Song Yan as soon as he left the bedroom: "Here, these are all people who want to visit you, or invitations to come over." "You're quite the big shot in Dongling City now. In just half a morning, you've received dozens of invitation cards and visiting cards."

Looking at these things, Song Yan also felt a headache coming on.

"Which ones are more important?" Song Yan asked casually, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt that he had been a bit rash.

My sister-in-law is a great fighter, but she's really not good at interpersonal relationships.

If Tianxuan, Gaoyang, or even Ziyu were to handle these matters, there wouldn't be any problem.

Unexpectedly, Luo Tianyi quickly picked out a few from them: "These are the more important ones. This is the Fang family's invitation, inviting all of us to a banquet tonight."

"No matter what, the Fang family has helped us a lot, so we can't refuse them this much face."

"This is Yang Guochen's invitation. He requests your presence at the Yang residence." Luo Tianyi picked up another invitation: "Of the thirty-nine officials, thirty-eight have already had their homes confiscated. Most of their assets have been sealed in the national treasury. Although the number of officials dealt with this time is less than last time, their average rank is higher and their assets are more substantial. Even Lu Yuanzheng, who has always been known as a righteous and upright official, had 370,000 taels of silver confiscated from his residence..."

"This man is quite interesting. He embezzled so much money, yet he buried it all underground. He lives in an ordinary little house in the outer city, has only one wife, no concubines, and only one old woman who does the laundry and cooking."

"The house contained only a few dilapidated, old tables and chairs. Life could no longer be described as simple, but rather as austere... He also had an account book that recorded every penny he had embezzled, which matched exactly what was obtained from the confiscation of his property. He hadn't spent a single tael of silver."

"I really don't know what he did with so much money he embezzled."

“Lu Yuanzheng is the only one whose family wealth is less than 500,000; the others have more.”

"The 38 official residences that were raided yielded a total of over 20 million taels of silver, along with a large quantity of gold beans, gold leaves, and gold ingots totaling one million taels. In addition, there were pearls, porcelain, calligraphy and paintings, jade artifacts, real estate, farmland, and shops, which, when converted to silver, amounted to tens of millions..."

"Now almost all of these have been sent to the national treasury. It is said that Emperor Ninghe stood at the entrance of the national treasury and argued with Xia Yuanchang for two hours, trying to send some of the wealth to the imperial treasury. Emperor Ninghe argued until his throat was dry, but Xia Yuanchang still refused to agree. He even started calculating with Emperor Ninghe on his fingers the costs of disaster relief, bandit suppression, border troops' food and pay, and the replacement of military equipment. In the end, Emperor Ninghe would have to pay several million from the imperial treasury himself, and finally left in a sorry state."

Song Yan roughly imagined the scene, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face. Perhaps only an emperor with a good temper like Emperor Ninghe could tolerate a Minister of Revenue like Xia Yuanchang.

"As per your request, the Yang residence was only surrounded, not searched. Officials from the Ministry of Revenue, led by Xia Yuanchang, are already getting impatient."

"Yang Guochen also sent an invitation, inviting you to a small gathering at the Yang residence."

"Sister Ziyu... cough cough, I think you might also be trying to uncover some secrets from the Yang family. This invitation must be quite important." Luo Tianyi's cheeks flushed slightly, and the name she inadvertently uttered made Song Yan realize where her sister-in-law had learned all this knowledge.

Ziyu was, after all, the Holy Maiden of the Hehuan Sect, and she had a firm grasp on interpersonal relationships and social interactions.

"In addition, there were two invitations sent from the palace, one from the Empress and the other from Consort Yang. In terms of status, she is also our maternal aunt, so it is not easy to refuse."

"In addition, there is a visiting card, sent from the Court of State Ceremonial."

"The Chu delegation wants to visit the Marquis's residence. You can decide whether or not to meet them."

"These visiting cards and invitations, except for the one for the Fang family, don't have a confirmed date. What do you think we should do?" After saying this, Luo Tianyi let out a heavy sigh. The way Sister Ziyu taught her was not many words, far less obscure than those martial arts manuals, but she just couldn't remember it. Sister Ziyu taught her many times before she remembered about 70-80%.

Luo Tianyi felt a strong sense of crisis.

She used to be her brother-in-law's only bodyguard.

No matter where her brother-in-law was in the Song Dynasty, she was always by his side protecting him.

But now, my brother-in-law is getting stronger and stronger.

Surrounded by her elder sister and Lian Yue, both Grandmaster-level experts, as well as Zi Yu, whose strength was roughly equal to her own, and even Bu Yu, who had recently broken through to the eighth rank, Luo Tianyi felt that she was becoming less and less useful by her brother-in-law's side.

She didn't know how to describe the feeling, but... it was awful.

She clumsily tried to learn more so that she would always have a place by her brother-in-law's side.

Song Yan didn't understand women's hearts very well, but he could see the unease in Luo Tianyi's eyes.

She smiled and affectionately ruffled Luo Tianyi's hair: "Thank you, this saves you a lot of trouble."

Luo Tianyi's little head struggled slightly under Song Yan's palm, but a happy smile appeared on her pretty face.

"In that case, let's go to the Yang residence first."

"Then we'll go to the Prince Fu's Mansion."

"I'll see the Chu delegation again this afternoon. As for the palace, we'll talk about it tomorrow." After thinking for a moment, Song Yan made up her mind. Whether it was the Empress or Yang Guifei, it was all about the dragon throne.

Hua Lianyue stood quietly beside her, glancing at Luo Tianyi and then at Song Yan, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Then I'll trouble Sister Tianyi to accompany me to the Yang residence. I'm not feeling well, so I won't be going."

"Did you catch a cold at night? Are you alright?" Luo Tianyi asked.

For some reason, Hua Lianyue's gaze towards Luo Tianyi held a hint of doting affection. She gently pushed Song Yan from behind, saying, "I'm fine. You two should go and come back as soon as possible. I'll send someone to inform the Honglu Temple and have them come over this afternoon."

"Tianyi, my husband's safety depends on you."

Luo Tianyi straightened her chest, a hint of joy about having regained her job showing on her face.

Watching the two leave until their backs were out of sight, Hua Lian Yue returned to the bedroom. Looking at the stockings she had placed on the bedside table, she couldn't help but feel a little suspicious: Was this really meant to be torn?

Where in the world are clothes sewn up just to be torn?

She thought angrily to herself that her husband was probably just playing a trick on her again.

The fabric was very silky smooth; it was the first time she had ever encountered such a thin and comfortable material that could also make her legs look longer. She was reluctant to throw it away, especially since it was an undergarment worn close to her skin, and it wasn't appropriate to discard it casually. After thinking for a moment, she hummed a light tune, found a needle and thread, and prepared to sew it up, thinking that it should still be wearable.

laugh!
Just then, a faint sound suddenly entered my ears.

Hua Lianyue raised an eyebrow and suddenly stretched out her right hand.

The embroidery needle deflected the arrowhead.

The long arrow disappeared into the wardrobe.

A chill flashed in her eyes, and Hua Lianyue leaped out of the bedroom with a light touch of her toes.

Looking around, the backyard was quiet, with only a few maids and servants cleaning up the dirt. Apart from that, there was nothing unusual.

Back in his room, he pulled the long arrow off the wardrobe door and saw a rolled-up piece of white paper tied to the arrow.

Upon opening the paper, only eight characters were visible:
Do not look for me.

"Watch out for the Empress!"

(End of this chapter)