Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 514 Not My Mother-in-Law (10,000 words)
"I know the 'Hundred Flowers Precious Mirror'!"

Song Yan's voice slowly echoed in the pavilion.

Upon hearing this, Luo Yuheng froze, her eyes widening as she stared blankly at Song Yan. A few seconds later, a blush crept onto her cheeks, and she raised her small hand to shield her chest, instinctively leaning back as if to create distance between herself and Song Yan.

Her big eyes blinked and blinked as she silently watched Song Yan.

That feeling was as if Song Yan was some kind of shameless scoundrel.

"Yan'er, you...you don't mean you want to..." His voice became intermittent, and such an expression and tone were extremely rare for Luo Yuheng.

Just by looking at Luo Yuheng's expression, Song Yan knew what Luo Yuheng was thinking. Immediately, a black line appeared on his forehead, and he quickly said, "What are you thinking, Mother? I was thinking that if Mother were to remarry, I could pass on this 'Hundred Flowers Precious Mirror' to that person, and Mother's cold poison could also be relieved."

Song Yan was probably somewhat unwilling.

There's always this unpleasant feeling of having something precious stolen from you.

Regardless, this was the best solution he could think of at the moment. Luo Yuheng was genuinely kind to him, and he couldn't just stand by and watch Luo Yuheng suffer from the torment of the cold poison.

We can't exactly ask him to relieve Luo Yuheng's cold poison, can we? Wouldn't that disrupt the natural order and moral principles?

Hearing Song Yan's words, Luo Yuheng seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, patting her chest gently with her small hand: "That's good. Mother thought... thought you were thinking about some messy things."

As she spoke, her cheeks flushed even more, as if she had thought of something.

After a brief pause, Luo Yuheng spoke again: "You must not spread the 'Hundred Flowers Precious Mirror' outside. If it falls into the hands of those with evil intentions, who knows how many more women will suffer because of it. As for the cold poison in Mother's body, don't worry about it. This time the cold poison has been cured, and she will be safe for at least a few months. As for the cold poison really flaring up again in the future, there are always ways to deal with it."

After Luo Yuheng said this, Song Yan didn't know how to respond.

Seeing Song Yan's hesitant expression, Luo Yuheng chuckled, her smile as enchanting as a peony in full bloom: "Mother knows her own body. It's alright. She's managed all these years. If she really can't take it anymore, she can just ask you for the 'Hundred Flowers Mirror'."

"Also, I know this is a martial art."

"But it's ultimately not very proper. You need to control yourself and not take advantage of the fact that you've learned a skill specifically for women to seduce young girls everywhere."

Song Yan felt somewhat embarrassed. How come, coming from Luo Yuheng's mouth, he sounded like a lecherous thief? Was it really that bad?
"By the way, Mother, have you ever offended Kong Nianhan in any way?" Song Yan abruptly changed the subject: "It feels like Mother's return to Dongling this time was a trap set up by Kong Nianhan specifically for you."

"Also, is Kong Nianhan aware that you have a cold poison in your body?"

When it came to serious matters, Luo Yuheng also became serious, her delicate brows furrowed tightly, clearly also somewhat puzzled: "Since Kong Nianhan married Prince Fu, I have treated her quite well, and have never offended or offended her in any way. I don't know why Kong Nianhan hates me so much."

"As for the cold poison, not only Kong Nianhan, but also Tianxuan and Tianyi are unaware of it. I have kept it a secret very well."

That's strange.

Although he nearly died at Kong Nianhan's hands, Song Yan could sense that Luo Yuheng was Kong Nianhan's most important target. He risked his life repeatedly to assassinate Luo Yuheng, hoping to force him to use his internal energy and prematurely detonate Luo Yuheng's cold poison. Once the cold poison erupted, Kong Nianhan would strike. If Song Yan hadn't suddenly appeared, Luo Yuheng would likely have been dead.

From this perspective, Kong Nianhan was definitely aware that Luo Yuheng had the cold poison, but why was that?

Could it be that Kong Nianhan also has some connection with the Hehuan Sect?
Can't you?
"Alright, Yan'er, don't worry too much. No matter what Kong Nianhan wanted to do, her plan has failed in the end." Luo Yuheng smiled gently, then leaned closer, her fragrance once again filling Song Yan's nostrils. A slender, fair hand gently rubbed Song Yan's forehead, as if trying to smooth out the wrinkles on her forehead.

My fingers felt cool and comfortable.

"Human life is only a few decades long. If we think about too many things every moment, it would be too tiring to live like that."

Her voice was gentle, like a clear spring, soothing the restlessness in Song Yan's heart.

Song Yan smiled; this was probably the difference between him and Luo Yuheng.

If any danger were to arise, Song Yan always hoped to eliminate the person responsible for it beforehand, so that he could feel at ease; but Luo Yuheng was more carefree, dealing with problems as they came, and only considering them when danger actually occurred. It's hard to say which attitude towards life is better, but without a doubt, Luo Yuheng is able to live more freely.

With a gentle smile, Luo Yuheng stood up and walked slowly behind Song Yan. Her fair hands landed on Song Yan's shoulders, gently kneading and pressing to relieve Song Yan's fatigue: "Yan'er, you always think too much. You have many people you care about, and you want to protect everyone, so you want to eliminate all potential dangers."

“You are very kind. You can’t bear to see the people of Ningguo suffer, so you lead your army, braving the wind, snow and cold, to the Haixi Grassland, where you will be gone for a month.”

"You don't want the people of Ningguo to be bullied by outsiders, so you will lead the army to fight against the Xiongnu..."

"If you don't want your soldiers to die fighting the Xiongnu barbarians, then set fire to the city and flood it with water."

Song Yan simply pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.

In fact, he never thought he had done anything particularly remarkable.

After all, he was a transmigrator. If it were someone with a system, they would have already activated Paradox Interactive mode. They would have optimized the map of Japan, Jurchens, and Huns long ago.

"But you've lost your own reputation."

"Do you know what those scholars outside are saying about you?" Luo Yuheng's voice trembled slightly.

Song Yan joked, "A Jingguan maniac? It's alright, I often build Jingguan, so I'm not exactly making things up."

Surprisingly, this time Luo Yuheng didn't tap Song Yan on the head because of his joke. Instead, he leaned down slightly, as if he wanted to hug Song Yan.

However, due to the obstacle of her status, Luo Yuheng ultimately did not do so.

Luo Yuheng sighed: "They say you're like a scorpion nurturing a worm in a vat..."

"What do you mean?" Song Yan raised an eyebrow.

"That means you're as vicious as a Gu worm."

Song Yan felt somewhat helpless. If Luo Yuheng hadn't explained, he wouldn't have understood what it meant.

"They say you have the heart of a viper and the nature of a jackal! Though you wear rhinoceros armor, you cannot hide the stench within your belly!"

"They say you will drown in a sea of ​​blood, and be buried in a mountain of bones!"

Song Yan scoffed. As expected of a cultured person, even his insults are quite sophisticated.

“I know you don’t care what those people think, but… it hurts me to hear it.” Luo Yuheng’s voice was almost a murmur as he gently brushed his fingers across Song Yan’s cheek, causing a slight itch. It was as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was speaking to Song Yan.

“Those who care about you will feel sorry for you…” Luo Yuheng continued, “You don’t need to carry all of this on your own. Rely more on the people around you, Tianxuan, Tianyi, Tianyang… I believe that if they can help you, they will be very happy.”

"You can rely on me if you need to. If you encounter any difficulties, come to me for advice, and I will be happy to help."

Song Yan felt her heart tremble.

Luo Yuheng's gaze made him feel a sense of defeat, as if he had nowhere to hide. He was the one who wanted to explore some of Luo Yuheng's secrets, but in the end, he was the one being comforted by Luo Yuheng.
Song Yan lowered her eyelids: "I will in the future."

Luo Yuheng smiled and patted Song Yan's head, saying, "That's a good boy."

"By the way, you promised me that after hearing my story, you would grant me one request, didn't you?"

Song Yan shook his head and chuckled. It had only been an afternoon, and he wasn't that forgetful: "Mother, just tell me what it is. I'll definitely do it perfectly for you."

Hearing Song Yan's voice, Luo Yuheng subconsciously opened his lips, but just as he was about to speak, he hesitated. The chirping of cicadas and insects around him seemed to disappear at this moment, and the entire pavilion was temporarily silent.

A few seconds later, Luo Yuheng smiled and ran his fingers through Song Yan's hair: "It's not a big deal. It should be very simple for Yan'er."

"That's right, could you please stop calling me 'Mom' from now on?"

Song Yan never expected Luo Yuheng to make such a request. He suddenly turned his head, forgetting that Luo Yuheng was standing behind him, her hand still playing with his hair. As he turned around, he felt something soft touch his forehead.

However, this process only lasted for a brief moment. Luo Yuheng quietly took a step back, and the two of them were separated by a small distance.

"What should we call it?" Song Yan asked suspiciously, not understanding what Luo Yuheng was up to now.

"Call me...Auntie?"

"aunt?"

"All right."

The scene from just now seemed to have never happened. Luo Yuheng's expression didn't change much. He simply returned to his original seat and sat down, leaning lazily on the table: "You know, I'm not actually your mother-in-law."

After the Empress's outburst, the relationship between Luo Tianxuan and Luo Yuheng could no longer be hidden and became common knowledge.

"I'm just the aunt of Tianxuan, Tianshu, and Tianyi, so you can just call me aunt." As she spoke, Luo Yuheng, who was resting her head on her arm, nodded, and a hint of smugness appeared on her face, as if she was very satisfied with this decision.

Song Yan blinked: "But Tianxuan once told me that in her heart, you are her only mother."

Luo Yuheng's breath hitched, and his expression turned somewhat dejected.

The big eyes rolled around:
"But isn't this wrong? The Empress has already acknowledged her as her mother; it's not appropriate to continue maintaining this false mother-daughter relationship, is it?"

"Furthermore, you have to consider Emperor Ninghe. Tian Shu and Tian Quan, Tian Xuan and Tian Yi are his most valued children. It's bad enough that he couldn't be by his side when they were young, but now that they've been recognized as family, he can't even be called 'Father Emperor'. Don't you think he's pitiful?"

Song Yan suddenly fell silent.

I thought of Emperor Ninghe's body.

Thinking that Emperor Ninghe only had a few years left to live.

Emperor Ninghe probably longed to see his children one last time before he died, to hear them call him "Father" one last time, and to have a meal together as a family. If even this small thing could not be fulfilled, it would be too desolate.

"You think so too, right?" Song Yan's silence seemed to give Luo Yuheng a lot of motivation, and he suddenly perked up: "Then I'll leave this matter to you, Yan'er. I think you'll definitely have a way to persuade Tianxuan and Tianyi." Song Yan smiled wryly. He thought it was really a small matter, but he didn't expect to get into such trouble. Although Tianxuan was usually very docile, Song Yan knew that Tianxuan was actually very stubborn.

Just as Song Yan was pondering this, a silver-armored guard walked over from outside.

"My lord, someone has come to visit. He claims to be Fang Shan, the prefect of Dongling Prefecture."

The loud voice disrupted his thoughts. Song Yan glanced at Luo Yuheng, who simply smiled casually and waved his hand, saying, "Go ahead."

Song Yan nodded and stood up: "Mother..."

Luo Yuheng's big eyes widened immediately.

Song Yan was speechless for a moment: "Little...Little Aunt..."

Suddenly being called "little aunt" instead of "mother," Song Yan felt extremely uncomfortable.

Luo Yuheng nodded with considerable satisfaction, his expression showing great enjoyment.

"Ahem, anyway, I'll try to persuade them, but I don't know if they'll agree."

Luo Yuheng nodded again, watching Song Yan leave until he could no longer see her figure. Finally, a smile slowly curved his lips.

Sister-in-law?

The name sounds a little unfamiliar, but it actually sounds quite nice.

Although it was just a change of address, in Luo Yuheng's eyes, it was definitely a huge step forward.

……

the other side.

Fang Shan had been waiting in the front hall for a long time, and his face showed obvious anxiety.

When he heard footsteps and saw Song Yan's figure, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Given the relationship between the Fang family and Song Yan, they should have come to visit him after his assassination attempt. However, the Marquis's residence was already surrounded by the Silver Armor Guards, and anyone entering would be subject to rigorous checks. In the eyes of the Silver Armor Guards, anyone attempting to approach Song Yan at this time was likely to resemble the assassin. Moreover, Song Yan needed rest and treatment more than any visitation.

Therefore, there is no need to send someone to your door early and subject them to the humiliation of being questioned.

When they saw Zhang Han and Lei Yi hauling cartloads of severed limbs and bodies around the world, their faces showing only smugness and arrogance, with no trace of sadness, the Fang family realized that Song Yan was unharmed, which is why they arranged for Fang Shan to come over... Coincidentally, Fang Shan also had official business to discuss with Song Yan.

The host and the guest sit down separately.

Tea was served.

Fang Shan first asked with concern, "Is the Marquis well?"

Song Yan smiled and said, "It's fine, it's just that I've lost consciousness due to exhaustion of internal energy. I'll be fine after a rest."

"Fortunately, fortunately," Fang Shan said repeatedly. "Ever since we heard of the Marquis's assassination attempt, my father and elder brother have been unable to eat or sleep. We wanted to visit him, but we were afraid of disturbing his rest. If it weren't for Generals Lei Yi and Zhang Han, I wouldn't have dared to come now."

Song Yan was a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry to have troubled you, sir." He was also a little curious: "Did Lei Yi and Zhang Han tell you that I was alright, uncle?"

These two people probably don't have any connection with the Fang family.

Moreover, Lei Yi and Zhang Hanye are not the type to blabber. Although this is not exactly a secret, they wouldn't announce it to everyone.

Fang Shan shook his head: "No, it's just that I saw Generals Lei Yi and Zhang Han leading thousands of silver-armored guards, pulling carts full of corpses around Dongling City. They didn't seem to be sad, so I concluded that the Marquis was alright."

Song Yan exclaimed, "Ah, so that's how it is."

They must have taken the body out to bury it.

Song Yan was quite satisfied with Lei Yi and Zhang Han. Although their ideas were sometimes a bit twisted, they were obedient no matter what.

Fang Shan hesitated for a moment, but after thinking about his father's instructions, he said, "However, in the future, Lord Marquis, you should not do such things again. To be honest, it is not good for your reputation."

Huh?
Song Yan was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.

"What Zhang Han and Lei Yi did was on the orders of the Marquis, wasn't it?" Fang Shan asked again.

Song Yan nodded: "It was my order. Is it really not enough for me to deal with a few... uh, okay, a few hundred assassins who wanted to assassinate me?"

“Executing these assassins would be fine, of course,” Fang Shan said helplessly. “But why did you have to order the bodies of those assassins to be dismembered, and even build a mound of corpses on the carriage?”

“I know that Your Excellency has a fondness for mounds of corpses, but you should still be mindful of the impact.”

“Your Excellency should not have allowed Zhang Han and Lei Yi to haul those severed limbs and mounds of corpses all over Dongling City in a cart. When I arrived, the two had already done this six times on Chang'an Street, frightening countless Dongling residents. This will not do Your Excellency any good for your reputation,” Fang Shan said helplessly.

Although Song Yan has a reputation for resisting foreign tribes, if things continue like this, his heroic reputation for resisting foreign tribes will probably be overshadowed by his cruelty and tyranny.

Even Fang De was quite angry after learning about this.

These words left Song Yan speechless.

Who has a preference for Jingguan (a type of mound of bones)?

"Wait, Uncle Fang, let me have a moment." Song Yan hurriedly waved his hand, his expression particularly strange: "You mean, Zhang Han and Lei Yi built a mound of skulls on a cart?"

"Yes." Fang Shan nodded: "Although the Jingguan is not large, the pile of dead heads is still quite horrifying."

"You also said that Zhang Han and Lei Yi, along with a mound of corpses and other dismembered bodies, have been wandering around Dongling City?"

"That's true, they even specifically choose places with lots of people."

Hey!
In an instant, Song Yan's face contorted in shock. Those two bastards.

Just imagining Zhang Han and Lei Yi riding tall horses, pulling carts full of piles of corpses and severed limbs, swaggering through the most crowded places, while the surrounding people all looked terrified, made Song Yan wish he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Unfortunately, the things they did ended up making him the scapegoat.

Two bastards.

If you have the guts, don't come back.

Otherwise, I'll skin you alive.

Song Yan's face was gloomy.

His anger surged rapidly.

Even so, Song Yan didn't say much to Fang Shan. No matter how outrageous Lei Yi and Zhang Han's actions were, they were still his brothers. As long as they didn't do anything immoral, he would still protect them.

However, a punishment is absolutely unavoidable.

His grandma's.

I'll make those two bastards empty every latrine in the entire Eastern Mausoleum City.

"Tomorrow is the grand court assembly," Fang Shan continued. "Today's events have already provoked many officials. Although they don't know if His Majesty will abdicate tomorrow, or who will be in charge of Ning Kingdom in the future, these officials have already united. If His Majesty is still His Majesty tomorrow, then even if the Marquis twice massacred the court, they will still remonstrate to the death, demanding that His Majesty severely punish the Marquis."

“If Your Majesty were to abdicate, they would rather die than serve a tyrant like you.”

“My father asked me to persuade you. Although those old men have bad tempers, they are among the few honest and upright officials in Ningguo. Even though they have been pressured by Bailu Academy and the Yang family many times, they have never compromised. One of them even had his only son framed by the Yang family and imprisoned, about to be executed. If the old man just lowered his head and said that he would no longer oppose the Yang family, his only son could be released and go home. The old man did not yield.”

"In the end, the only son was beheaded at Caishikou."

"The old man didn't say a word. He and his wife carried their only son's head and body out of the city for burial in the pouring rain."

"These are truly the pillars of Ningguo."

Song Yan let out a heavy sigh: "Uncle Fang, don't worry, I know about this matter, and I certainly won't hold it against those old gentlemen."

Fangshan felt much more at ease.

"Uncle Fang came here, surely it wasn't just to tell me this?" Song Yan asked.

“There is one more thing.” Fang Shan said with a serious expression: “In the Prince of Fu’s mansion, there were servants burning corpses over there… I don’t know what happened, but a rockery suddenly collapsed, and a tunnel was discovered right under the rockery.”

Song Yan raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

"Upon learning of this news, I led my men, each carrying a torch, into the tunnel."

"Then, they discovered that the tunnel was full of skeletons."

"I immediately arranged for a coroner to come and inspect the site. The investigation revealed that there were thirty-six skeletons in the tunnel."

"They were all women."

"And she has given birth!"

(End of this chapter)