Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 491 The Third Branch of the Yang Family, Annihilated (7,000)

The sun was shining brightly under a clear blue sky, without a single cloud in sight.

In summer, a sunny day right after it has rained is the worst.

The air became damp, stuffy, and hot, making Song Yan especially miss the air-conditioned room of her previous life.

There were significantly more people on the streets than yesterday.

However, compared to the holidays, the crowds are much sparser.

People were silent; the street was bustling yet eerily quiet. Occasionally, groups of people would huddle together, whispering amongst themselves—probably about the army's entry into the city yesterday, the deaths of many, or the ransacking of a wealthy household. Occasionally, they would look up warily at the patrolling constables and imperial guards, seemingly afraid of saying the wrong thing and getting into trouble, yet unable to resist their gossip.

After the constables and imperial guards left, the chatter resumed.

However, these things ultimately had little to do with ordinary people. The authorities also posted notices detailing who had been beheaded, had their homes confiscated, and were to have their entire families executed, as well as the crimes they had committed. For the vast majority of officials, the people applauded.

Song Yan wasn't in a hurry to go to the Yang residence. Feeling a bit hungry, she found a tofu pudding stall.

A smile appeared on Luo Tianyi's lips.

She still remembers that this was the first thing she and her brother-in-law ate when they ate out.

The tofu pudding in Dongling City is naturally more expensive than in Songzhou Prefecture, costing eight copper coins per bowl. Of course, there are also more condiments, such as soy sauce, coarse salt, and sugar. Adding condiments costs extra. There are no chili peppers, but there is chili sauce made from dogwood.

Song Yan added two spoonfuls of sugar to the tofu pudding, which earned her two extra copper coins.

Seeing Luo Tianyi add chili sauce to the tofu pudding, Song Yan's lips twitched. She really wanted to point at Luo Tianyi's nose and say: You heretic.

Seemingly noticing Song Yan's gaze, Luo Tianyi swallowed the tofu pudding in her mouth and looked at Song Yan: "What's wrong?"

"Uh, it's nothing."

Well, I can’t beat him.

I just hope that Luo Tianyi doesn't turn out to treat me as a heretic and put me on trial.

"Have you heard? The one who led the troops into the city this time is the Marquis of Champion." The voices of tea drinkers came from a tea stall not far away. "I knew it. Only the Marquis of Champion could have such a move. He just wiped out hundreds of thousands of Xiongnu troops, and now he's in the capital killing corrupt officials. Good job. We should kill more people like him."

"If there were a hundred Marquises of Champion in the Ningguo court, Ningguo would truly be at peace."

Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Luo Tianyi's face.

"It's Lu Yuanzheng. It's a pity. He was a good official who stood up for the people. How could he have been killed by the Marquis?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Lu Yuanzheng is no good either. I heard that it was Lu Yuanzheng who led the charge to kill the Marquis first. Moreover, I saw with my own eyes that boxes of silver were dug out from under Lu Yuanzheng's dilapidated courtyard. Some of the boxes were even rotten."

"Really? I never thought Lu Yuanzheng was this kind of person."

"Shut up! What do you peasants know?" Just then, an angry shout came from the side. It was a scholar wearing a scholar's hat, his face full of rage. He pointed his folding fan rudely at the heads of the people who had spoken: "Lord Chu, Chancellor Yang, Minister Lu, Left Censor-in-Chief Cao... all the ministers of the Ningguo court, were originally the pillars of the nation. They devoted their lives to serving the country and their sincerity to helping the common people. They gave their all to the cause, only to be killed by the traitor Song! And now you still protect these villains, causing the loyal to die with resentment and the virtuous to be covered in dust. This is not only a calamity for the ancestral temple, but also a tragedy for the entire nation!"

Most people were completely bewildered, with expressions of utter confusion on their faces, as if they were wondering what this bastard was talking about.

But one person stood up and argued: "The Marquis of Champion is in the northern border region, suppressing the Jurchens and resisting the Xiongnu. This time, the Xiongnu invaded and the Marquis annihilated hundreds of thousands of Xiongnu soldiers. How can you call him a traitor?"

Upon hearing this, the scholar curled his lip in disdain: "The descendants of the Qu Xunyu tribe, numbering no more than a few hundred thousand like ants, are nothing to speak of! Our Great Ning territory encompasses the eight wastelands, our armored troops reach the clouds, sweeping away burial mounds and plowing courtyards as easily as shaking dry leaves! Such meager achievements are like the tip of an autumn hair, how can they be worthy of the alliance? They are truly like rats escaping from a latrine pot, or children playing with halberds!"

"And that traitor of Song, with the cries of jackals and the scurrying of vipers, actually caused a great flood that burned and slaughtered 200,000 lives! The heavens trembled and the mountains and rivers shuddered, for benevolence was lost in the hands of savages. It not only eroded the benevolent spirit of our great nation, but also plunged the land of Yu into a miasma, and stained the Hall of Heroes with defilement!"

This person seems to enjoy using fancy language, deliberately speaking in ways that most people can't understand, as if that makes them stand out from the crowd.

This reveals the prevailing social atmosphere in Ningguo that prioritizes civil affairs over military matters.

In the eyes of these scholars, all other pursuits are inferior, only studying is superior.

Pursuing knowledge is the only proper thing to do; anything else, like defending the country and repelling enemies from afar, is considered trivial. It's as if beheading tens of thousands of Xiongnu is truly a trivial matter. If he were in Song Yan's position, he would definitely be more outstanding than Song Yan. It's as if as long as he stands on the front line and recites the Four Books and Five Classics once, he can make the Xiongnu retreat on their own, and even teach the Xiongnu etiquette and civility.

Luo Tianyi didn't understand either, but at least he could guess the meaning of words like "Song Ni," "Chai Sheng Hui Xing," and "Jing Xiao." In short, they were definitely not good words. His face changed, and his fingers slowly reached for the long sword beside him, as if he was about to make a move.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and pressed down on the back of Luo Tianyi's hand. It was Song Yan, who smiled at Luo Tianyi and said, "Just a stupid idiot who has ruined his brain from reading too much. No need to care about him."

Then he looked at the man who had been arguing with the scholar, wanting to see what else the man could say.

A wicked smile crept across the man's face: "You just said it was easy to defend against hundreds of thousands of Xiongnu troops? You think you could do it too?"

"Of course."

"Then how do you compare to the governor who guards a region?"

The scholar looked somewhat embarrassed: "I am certainly not as good as him."

He was just a scholar, a commoner without even an official title, how could he dare to say he could surpass a prefect who had passed the imperial examination?

"Do you know that the very man you described as a pillar of the court and a key minister of Ningguo, Chu Licheng, the son-in-law of Chu Shizhong, the Prefect of Anzhou, Ma Zhifeng, a civil official who studied the Four Books and Five Classics day and night at Bailu Academy, abandoned the soldiers and civilians of Anzhou who were united in resisting the Xiongnu when the Xiongnu army attacked, and fled alone with Chu Licheng's daughter and four grandsons?"

The scholar's face suddenly stiffened.

"Do you know that the 100,000 soldiers and civilians of Anzhou City were slaughtered by the Xiongnu because of Ma Zhifeng's escape? The entire city was filled with bones and the stench of corpses was overwhelming."

"Could this kind of person be the loyal and virtuous person you speak of?"

"Desert in the face of battle, cowardly and afraid of death, corrupt and embezzling, how dare you say that resisting the Xiongnu is a trivial achievement? If it were all thanks to you scholars, the Xiongnu army would have already trampled every inch of Ningguo's land, and the people of Ningguo would have been slaughtered to extinction long ago. Of course, you scholars are certainly not a problem."

"At worst, we can just find a new master. After all, you guys are the best at writing surrender documents."

"They're best at sending money, food, and women to ensure safety."

These words made the scholar blush, but he didn't know how to defend himself, so he covered his face and fled.

Luo Tianyi cast an approving glance at the man and said that her brother-in-law was a good person.

As for Song Yan, he raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes. Although the man was dressed as a porter, his speech, mannerisms, and debating skills suggested he was no ordinary person. An ordinary person, for example, probably wouldn't even understand what the man was saying. After dismissing the scholar, the man sat down again, his previous righteous indignation vanishing instantly, replaced by a mysterious and furtive demeanor. He leaned forward, and the other people sharing the table obligingly crowded around him.
"Have you heard? During the Marquis of Champion's purge of the court, Bailu Academy suffered severe damage. During the New Year holidays, most of the officials purged by the Marquis of Champion were graduates of Bailu Academy."

The man seemed afraid of being overheard and deliberately lowered his voice, but it was no use. Even Song Yan and Luo Tianyi, who were several tables away, could hear him clearly. Almost everyone at the tofu pudding stall subconsciously looked at the man: "I heard that Bailu Academy is very angry and is preparing to gather all the students of the academy to cry in front of the palace gates this afternoon."

What is a "crying palace"?

The man explained, "The so-called 'crying at the palace' is simply carrying a statue of Confucius to the palace gates, burning Confucian robes to invoke the emperor's attention, and wailing and weeping. The first lament is about the turmoil of the state, the second about the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and the third about one's own misfortune. It's nothing more than these scholars seeing that the military generals of Ningguo are about to rise again, perhaps to suppress them, and they are dissatisfied. They want to gather all the scholars to put pressure on His Majesty to continue to rely on them, kill the Marquis of Champion, and suppress the military."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding diners immediately understood.

One of them immediately flew into a rage, and a rude man even slammed his chopsticks on the table with a loud bang, cursing angrily: "Damn it, Ningguo has already been ruined by these beasts in human clothing, and they're still not satisfied? Are they only satisfied when Ningguo is destroyed?"

"Anyone going to the palace this afternoon? I'll beat them so badly they'll never cry again."

"I go."

"I'll go as well."

"Wait for me, I need to go back and call a few more people."

The surroundings were filled with noise. The dozens of diners had left in the blink of an eye. After everyone had left, the man immediately took out a small notebook and a charcoal pencil and began to write something down.

Seeing this, Song Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This person is definitely a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

It seems that the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Night Scouts are developing quite well. Nowadays, there are even Embroidered Uniform Guard spies in Dongling City.

After finishing recording, the man looked around and walked towards the noodle shop not far away, probably about to start a new round of performance.

"Brother-in-law..."

Song Yan hummed in agreement and looked up, only to see Luo Tianyi's cheeks flushed red, as if she had a fever.

"hand."

Looking down, Song Yan realized that he had been holding his sister-in-law's hand the whole time.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face, and she quickly moved her fingers away. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little strange. She had only pressed her hand on the back of Luo Tianyi's hand at the beginning, but when did it turn into her holding her sister-in-law's small hand in her palm?
It's all this arm's fault for not obeying; it's definitely not his fault.

However, the sister-in-law is still quite shy. Although she has agreed to marry him, even the slightest intimate contact in front of others still makes her blush. Judging from the current situation, it will likely take some time before he can completely win her over.

With strange thoughts swirling in her mind, Song Yan quickly finished the tofu pudding, paid the bill, and headed towards the Yang residence. Luo Tianyi, as before, quietly followed behind Song Yan without saying a word, only occasionally raising her eyes to stare at Song Yan's back, her thoughts unknown.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the gate of the Yang residence.

Looking up, the two gilded characters of "Yang Mansion" gleamed in the sunlight, magnificent and noble. The vermilion gate was adorned with golden beasts holding rings. A large number of armored guards surrounded the Yang family compound, making it impossible to move. Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue, dressed in scarlet robes, could also be seen at the gate. The one leading them was none other than Xia Yuanchang, whose face was full of wrinkles.

The other thirty-eight households had already had their homes confiscated, leaving only the Yang family's residence remaining.

They were also the wealthiest family.

The people from the Ministry of Revenue were getting impatient. If it weren't for the fact that Song Yan had personally ordered the Yang family to stay temporarily, they probably would have already rushed in. Hearing footsteps and seeing Song Yan's figure, Xia Yuanchang's old face immediately lit up with joy, and he quickly walked over: "My Lord, you've finally arrived."

Song Yan was startled. Xia Yuanchang was an old man in his fifties or sixties. Calling him "Lord Marquis" like that would probably shorten his lifespan. He quickly moved aside and refused Xia Yuanchang's grand gesture.

"Old Master Xia, why are you personally guarding this place?" Clearing his throat, Song Yan said, "Such a crude task as confiscating property can be left to the subordinates." Xia Yuanchang was somewhat embarrassed: "Ahem, after all, it's the Yang family, so it's better for me to come and keep an eye on things myself."

Could he say that he has never seen much money in his life and just wanted to see how much silver the prestigious Yang family could actually confiscate?
Could he say that the Ministry of Revenue had been in deficit for too long, was afraid of being poor, and was afraid that the money that should have gone into the national treasury would be embezzled by the officials and soldiers who were confiscating property, and even more afraid that Emperor Ninghe would intercept it halfway?
Of course, he couldn't say that; as a high-ranking official, he also had his pride.

With this thought swirling in his mind, Xia Yuanchang quickly changed the subject: "The Marquis of Champion has arrived, shall we confiscate his property now?"

Song Yan smiled and said, "Old Xia, don't worry. Yang Guochen even sent me an invitation. He wants to see what he wants to see me about. Don't worry, it won't be long."

As she spoke, Song Yan stepped towards the vermilion gate, pushed it open with both hands, and with a creaking sound, the heavy gate split open to the sides. The first thing that came into view was a stone path, with flower beds, rockeries, pavilions and waterside terraces on both sides... It had the style of a private garden in Jiangnan. Although it was not her first time entering the Yang Mansion, she still couldn't help but marvel at its beauty.

However, the corpses lying on the ground cast a sinister shadow over this beauty.

Indeed, the vast Yang mansion was filled with corpses as far as the eye could see.

On the cobblestone road, in the flowerbeds, in the pavilion, and in the rooms with open doors, things were crooked and haphazardly arranged, with servants and maids.

Some wounds were on the neck, a single slit to the throat; others were on the head, with clear axe marks; still others were on the chest, a blade piercing the heart. Although there were many corpses, there were no signs of struggle at the scene, and the wounds on the bodies clearly indicated suicide. Even more bizarrely, the faces of the dead showed little sign of pain or contortion, suggesting that Yang Guochen had added an excessive amount of sleeping potion to the dinner at the Yang residence, rendering everyone incapacitated, and then personally wielding a knife and axe to reap life after life.

There's nothing to be afraid of, after all, Song Yan has experienced scenes that are a hundred or a thousand times more miserable and terrifying than this.

Continuing along the cobblestone path, the scenery is largely the same.

Once you reach the backyard, you can see a corner of a person's figure peeking out from behind a pillar in the pavilion on the artificial lake.

Song Yan smiled and walked over there, with Luo Tianyi following closely behind.

There is a wooden walkway over the artificial lake.

Several elegantly dressed noblewomen floated on the water's surface. Occasionally, a koi carp would surface, peck at the corpse, and then quickly sink back down, creating ripples.

Judging from their clothing and appearance, these women are most likely Yang Guochen's wives and concubines.

The wooden corridor is quite old, and it creaks when you step on it.

Upon hearing the voice, Yang Guochen turned around. His face did not show much sadness; in fact, there was a slight smile on his lips. Although he held no official position, he was dressed in a red official robe and was impeccably groomed.

"My lord has finally arrived. I've been waiting here all morning," Yang Guochen greeted him with a smile, his words completely devoid of any anger.

"It was my fault. I was busy for too long yesterday and accidentally overslept today. I hope Minister Yang won't blame me." Song Yan smiled and replied. Since Yang Guochen was wearing his official robes, Song Yan didn't mind giving him some face.

If Luo Tianyi hadn't known about the feud between Song Yan and the Yang family, if there hadn't been countless corpses around, and if Song Yan hadn't killed Yang Hetong just yesterday, she would have thought that the two people in front of her were old friends who had known each other for many years.

Further on, one could see a stove in the pavilion with a kettle on it, and a rich aroma of tea wafted from it. Yang Guochen was brewing tea and pointed to the stone bench opposite him: "Sit wherever you like."

After Song Yan sat down, Yang Guochen did not rush to say anything. Instead, he poured himself and Song Yan a cup of tea. The dark tea looked almost like medicine, so Song Yan frowned.

"What? Is the Marquis afraid I'll poison him?" Yang Guochen sneered. "Don't worry, the victor is king and the loser is villain. I, Yang Guochen, am not the kind of person who can't accept defeat. Since I've sent an invitation to the Marquis to come to my residence, I would never do something like poisoning him, which would be a disgrace to the Yang family."

As he spoke, he picked up the teacup in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

Song Yan shrugged helplessly: "Minister Yang misunderstood. It's not that I'm worried you'll poison me. After all, I was poisoned by Yang Miaoqing too many times back then. I can probably tell what kind of poison it is and what it tastes like. It's just that I'm not used to this kind of tea. It's bitter and spicy. It always feels like I'm drinking medicine."

Yang Guochen laughed heartily: "It was my mistake that I forgot to prepare the roasted tea leaves. Perhaps it's because I'm getting old, but I still prefer this old-fashioned stuff. Roasted tea is good, but I'm not used to it. I always feel that it can be drunk simply by pouring boiling water over it, which lacks the charm of this tea soup."

After a brief pause, Yang Guochen spoke again: "Speaking of which, this tea and white sugar are all the Marquis's masterpieces... Recently, a small amount of refined snow salt has suddenly appeared on the market. It is as soft as snow and as fine as sand, without any bitterness. It should also be the Marquis's doing. These things are all necessities for the people. Over the course of a year, it should earn the Marquis a lot of money, right?"

Song Yan smiled but remained silent.

Yang Guochen sighed: "If Yang Miaoqing had treated you and your son a little better back then, would we have avoided this disaster? Could you be of use to the Yang family and become their right-hand man?"

Song Yan lowered his eyelids and shook his head slightly after a while: "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together."

"Just as Minister Yang said, I have no deep-seated hatred with the Yang family. I produce roasted tea and white sugar, which are highly profitable. If Yang Miaoqing finds out, what do you think she and the rest of the Yang family will do? Will they share some of the profits with me for a win-win cooperation? Or will they eliminate me, steal the formula, and let the Yang family monopolize all the profits?"

Yang Guochen's face darkened slightly.

He already knew the ending.

Therefore, we are destined not to walk the same path.

"It is my shallowness that has led me astray," Yang Guochen sighed. "I have lived for decades in vain, yet I am not as insightful as a young man like you."

"You've won this round."

"Considering you've given me some time to allow Rui'er and Siqi to leave Dongling, ask me anything you want to know. Of course, I can't necessarily give you all the answers." Yang Guochen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke slowly. Ever since the news of Yang Hetong and Yang Jingshuo's murder in court yesterday came, Yang Guochen knew that the third branch of the Yang family was finished. The Yang family and Song Yan had an irreconcilable blood feud. Since Song Yan did not immediately take control of everyone in the Yang family, but only sealed off the Yang residence, Yang Guochen understood that Song Yan was giving him enough time to send Yang Rui and Yang Siqi out of Dongling City.

The Yang family had been entrenched in Dongling City for so many years, and their mansion contained countless secret passages and hidden passages, making it easy for them to send out a few people without anyone noticing.

Yang Guochen could have left with them, but he didn't. On one hand, he didn't want to be a homeless dog; even if he died, he wanted to die with dignity. On the other hand, he had to stay and repay Song Yan. Otherwise, with Song Yan's cavalry chasing after them all the way, even if they left Dongling City, Yang Rui and Yang Siqi probably wouldn't live much longer.

Indeed, in Yang Guochen's mind, this was a transaction from beginning to end.

Although he hadn't even met Song Yan when the deal started, he was convinced that his judgment was correct.

Song Yan blinked. What was this guy talking about?
Am I overestimating his kindness?
However, it's not a big problem, and Yang Guochen's misunderstanding and cooperation is an unexpected bonus.

Song Yan lowered her eyes, concealing the momentary surprise in them, and her expression remained unchanged: "Luo Yuheng, why did you return to Dongling?"

Although Luo Yuheng did not seem to have any contact with the Yang family after arriving in Dongling, Song Yan always felt that this matter must have some kind of relationship with the Yang family.

"Because of a letter, you should know that Rui'er has the ability to imitate other people's handwriting."

"Whose handwriting is he imitating?"

"Wang Shaojie."

Song Yan leaned back instinctively, and even Luo Tianyi behind him looked extremely strange.

Wang Shaojie was Luo Yuheng's former son-in-law, who was beheaded by Emperor Ninghe because of a mention of twins.

It's no wonder that Luo Yuheng wanted to return to Dongling to investigate the matter thoroughly, given that a person who had been dead for nearly twenty years had suddenly sent back a letter.

"Why do you do this?" Song Yan sighed heavily and asked in a deep voice.

"Because someone wants Luo Yuheng dead."

"Who?"

"Princess Consort Fu".

Damn it, why is it Princess Fu again?
It seems that no matter what happens, Princess Fu is always involved.

What exactly does this woman want to do?
"Isn't she trying to kidnap Luo Yuheng to get something in return?"

"No, she wants Luo Yuheng dead. She hates Luo Yuheng to the core, she wants to grind him to dust, skin him alive and tear him apart."

……

Outside Dongling City.

A place dozens of miles away.

A horse-drawn carriage overturned in a ditch by the roadside.

The younger men were pinned under the carriage, their legs twisted and broken instantly, the broken bones tearing through the flesh and exposed.

Waves of excruciating pain jolted the young man's consciousness, eliciting a piercing scream that seemed to tear his throat apart.

If Yang Guochen were here, he would recognize that this person is his eldest son, Yang Rui.

The roads outside the city were not as good as those inside; they were muddy and full of potholes. Although a long time had passed, the carriage could not travel very far.

There are still some signs of a fight here, but not many.

Luo Tianxuan's toes touched the roof of the car. A warm breeze blew by, causing the hem of her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) to flutter and rustle.

Holding a bright silver longsword, a drop of crimson blood slowly dripped from the tip of the sword.

Right opposite Luo Tianxuan, a man stood frozen in place, motionless, with a bloody hole between his eyebrows, from which red and white viscous fluid gushed.

That was Yang Guoli... a ninth-rank martial artist, definitely a master, but in front of a grandmaster-level martial artist, he was only a few moves away.

The next instant, Luo Tianxuan flicked her wrist, and the bright silver longsword emitted a sharp screech. With a tremor, a burst of sword energy shot out from the tip of the sword.

laugh.

Yang Rui's screams came to an abrupt halt.

A bloody mark appeared on his neck.

His wide eyes still revealed a fear of death.

A few seconds later, the wind blew, and the fine head rolled off the neck, floating and sinking in the water.

The third branch of the Yang family was wiped out!
(End of this chapter)