Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 550 The Princess (11,000 words)

He thought about the Crown Prince Abal's bloated and fat figure.

Then she thought about how Abaru looked when he danced.

Cheng Xu's lips suddenly curved into a slight smile. That scene was probably... well, an eyesore. Just thinking about it made his stomach churn inexplicably, as if he was about to vomit.

However, since Abalu was Sochoro's favorite son, such thoughts were somewhat disrespectful, so he slowly suppressed the corners of his mouth.

In August, the weather in Pingyang was already quite cold, but this coldness did not dampen the enthusiasm of the people of Pingyang. Compared to places like the vast grasslands of northern Mongolia, Pingyang and Anzhou were not too difficult to endure. This year's weather was even more abnormal than in previous years; it was only August, and snowflakes had already begun to fall on the grasslands of northern Mongolia.

call.

Cheng Xu slowly exhaled, blowing out a wisp of white mist.

His gaze swept around with a hint of curiosity. People were coming and going on the street, and many had already begun to stock up on winter supplies. They carried large and small sacks on their shoulders, which might contain pork, grain, dried fruit, or something similar... or they might have bought some cloth to take home and have their wives make a new set of clothes for the whole family.

Cheng Xu noticed that the eyes of the people following him were gleaming with greed, especially when they saw ordinary people spending a few copper coins to buy some baked flatbreads from a street stall and munching on them. Their eyes were filled with even more resentment.

He knew what they were thinking.

They simply felt that all the grains, dried fruits, and even copper coins and cloth should belong to them, and how could these Han people eat them so casually?

In previous years, this idea wouldn't have been considered wrong.

After all, August to October is the peak season for the Xiongnu to raid southwards, and everything that these Han people possessed would eventually be taken away by the Xiongnu.

However, with the Marquis of Champions this year... oh no, the Prince of Yan stationed at the border, it's impossible for him to go south to raid for supplies.

Of the four sons of the Xiongnu Chanyu Suochuoluo, three died at the hands of the Yan King. Even the Chanyu himself suffered a great loss at the hands of the Ningguo War God Mei Wu, leaving behind more than 20,000 corpses.

The battle in April was an unprecedented defeat for the Xiongnu in recent decades. Post-battle statistics showed that over 160,000 Xiongnu people died in this war.

If these 160,000 men had died in normal combat, it could only be said that they were outmatched. However, among these 160,000 men, nearly 140,000 were burned to death or drowned by Song Yan. They didn't even have a chance to clash with the soldiers under Song Yan's command before losing their lives.

It was somewhat frustrating.

Even though Suo Chuoluo was a formidable figure, he was starting to feel the strain. Adding to his woes was the death of three sons, which fueled his anger and eventually made him ill. He spent over a month in bed before recovering. After recovering, Suo Chuoluo finally understood one thing: as long as Song Yan was around, his ambition to use Ningguo as a springboard to conquer the Central Plains and ascend to the throne would forever remain an unattainable dream.

Therefore, Song Yan must die.

So, here they come.

"Keep your eyes shut. I don't care what you're thinking, keep it to yourself and don't show it." Cheng Xu's gloomy voice rang in the ears of the scholars: "Don't forget whose territory this is. If you expose your identities here, what kind of fate awaits you?"

“In Anzhou, on the border of Pingyang, there is a huge mound of Jingguan, with countless eyes still watching you from afar.”

Upon hearing this, the faces of the many scholars behind Cheng Xu turned pale, their throats bobbing as they dared not speak, a hint of fear gleaming in their eyes…

When entering Ningguo from the Xiongnu, one must pass through Anzhou.

The main road from Anzhou to Pingyang is undoubtedly the most convenient and comfortable route.

However, if one takes this route, one will inevitably pass through the area outside Dehua County, at the border of Anzhou and Pingyang, where a massive mound of 70,000 Xiongnu heads has been piled up.

The Jingguan (a mound of corpses) has become a tourist attraction for the people of Ningguo. In front of the Jingguan stands a stone tablet, which details how Champion Marquis Song Yan burned the Xiongnu. In front of the Jingguan is also a Champion Temple, where merchants and ordinary people passing by usually offer incense.

And you know what? It's quite popular with worshippers.

But for those behind Cheng Xu, the enormous mound of corpses, and the blackened, charred heads embedded in it, were like an unprecedented nightmare, constantly haunting their minds. These days, whenever they closed their eyes, the image of the mound of corpses would appear in their minds, and in their daze, it seemed as if countless eye sockets were staring intently at them.

Now that Cheng Xu brought it up again, he couldn't help but tremble.

Looking at the expressions on these people's faces, Cheng Xu was quite satisfied. The scars on his face from being whipped twitched, making his originally handsome face look somewhat ferocious.

Lazily stretching his arms, Cheng Xu smiled and said, "Alright, you must all be a bit tired after traveling for so long. Let's find an inn to settle down and have something to eat. I'll arrange the tasks for the rest of the time. I don't care who you were before, if you don't want to be Abalu's dance partner..."

"Then you'd better follow my orders and advice."

After saying that, Cheng Xu ignored the expressions on the faces of the people and strode towards an inn on his left.

Fenglai Inn.

The reason for choosing this inn was not because there were many inns, but simply because the inn was deserted and seemed to have few guests.

Given their status, they naturally cannot go to places with too many people and too much attention.

The inn was very quiet.

There wasn't even a servant in sight in the main hall; the only person was a short, stout shopkeeper, who was leaning on the counter, his head nodding as if he were about to fall asleep.

Cheng Xu was somewhat helpless, wondering whether or not to continue the business.

Reaching the counter, Cheng Xu bent his fingers and tapped them a few times on the table.

The sound entered his ears, and the shopkeeper jolted awake. His eyes were still a little groggy, but when he saw Cheng Xu and the seven people behind him, his eyes lit up with excitement: Heavens above! Finally, customers have arrived!

"You eight are here, are you? Are you here for a meal or to stay the night?" The innkeeper blinked rapidly, his mouth stretched wide, almost reaching his ears: "I'm not bragging, but our Fenglai Inn is the oldest and best-known in Pingyang City. The rooms are clean and bright, I guarantee you'll have a comfortable stay and a good night's sleep."

The innkeeper's appearance made Cheng Xu somewhat suspicious: "If this inn is so good, why are there no guests?"

crunch.

The shopkeeper's smile suddenly froze.

Huang Douyan glanced at Cheng Xu and the others, then curled his lip and said, "So you guys are here to find out about those things too?"

"Thank you, one tael of silver."

Cheng Xu narrowed his eyes. Although they had important matters to attend to, the shopkeeper's demeanor piqued his interest in those matters.

He smiled and took out a tael of silver from his sleeve, placing it on the table.

The shopkeeper immediately beamed with joy: "Actually, what you've heard is all true."

Cheng Xu tilted his head: "What exactly is it?"

"Huh?" The shopkeeper was somewhat surprised: "You really don't know?"

Cheng Xu chuckled and said, "We are just tourists from out of town. We really don't know what you mean. Please tell us."

Seeing that Cheng Xu and the others seemed to know nothing, the innkeeper stopped keeping them in suspense: "To be honest, please don't mind... our Fenglai Inn has bad feng shui."

Cheng Xu was a little confused. It was the first time he had ever seen a shopkeeper tell a customer that his shop had bad feng shui. Was this person not planning to do business?
"Don't misunderstand, this bad feng shui isn't targeting me, the innkeeper, but the guests staying in this inn, you guys... The whole of Pingyang City is saying that everyone staying at the Fenglai Inn will have bad luck, at the very least they'll lose their heads."

Okay, it's confirmed. This shopkeeper really doesn't plan to continue doing business.

The least he could do is lose his head?

Cheng Xu was curious; what would happen if it got more serious?

"Don't you believe me?" Seeing the disdain on their faces, the shopkeeper's competitive spirit was immediately ignited. He blinked and said, "Let me tell you, that Kong family member from before..."

The innkeeper then launched into a long, rambling account, starting with the Kong family's arrival, their kidnapping of the Prince of Yan's sister-in-law, and their eventual encirclement by the Prince of Yan and his Black Armored Guards, resulting in the Kong family's deaths and injuries—none of them fared well. Then came the story of the Xiongnu prince staying at the Fenglai Inn, followed by the Prince of Yan's massacre of the inn. In short, the Fenglai Inn was a place where either people were dying or on their way to death.

"Tsk tsk, that Hun prince and his entourage suffered terribly." The shopkeeper shook his head. "His guards, some were riddled with arrows, some had their legs cut off, and in the end, they bled to death from the pain."

"And that Xiongnu prince, his kneecaps were shattered by His Highness the Prince of Yan, and he was dragged away like a dead pig. I heard he was tortured in the governor's mansion... oh, it's called the Prince of Yan's mansion now. In short, he was tortured in the mansion for more than a month, kept alive with ginseng every day, just in case he died too soon. It wasn't until Suochuoluo attacked Xinhou County that the prince's head was chopped off."

"Tell me, isn't dying like this worse than losing your head?"

Upon hearing that the Xiongnu prince Alunchi had been captured by Song Yan right here in this inn, everyone except Cheng Xu's eyes flashed with deep hatred. Some even clenched their fists unconsciously, their knuckles cracking, and their bodies radiated a chilling killing intent.

However, the innkeeper seemed completely oblivious to the appearance of these people, and said to himself, "But it's only because that little Hun prince deserved it."

"Damn it, you bastard, you beast who was born but not raised, you just arrived in Pingyang and you've already ruined two innocent young girls... If you ask me, Your Highness is too merciful. This kind of beast should be hung outside the city gates, and every day a piece of flesh should be ripped off from him until he's reduced to bones."

Such wanton insults finally made a young scholar lose his temper. His pupils contracted sharply, and he took a step forward, his hand already on his waist. But at that moment, Cheng Xu suddenly reached out and pressed down on the man's wrist, glaring at him fiercely. Even if the man had a thousand grievances in his heart, he could only swallow them all.

When Cheng Xu looked at the innkeeper again, his face had returned to a cheerful expression: "So many people have died, no wonder business is so slow... I'm afraid your inn won't last much longer, will it?"

"Hehe, not quite." The innkeeper's face showed a hint of smugness: "Although there aren't many guests staying at the inn, people keep bringing in money..."

"Shopkeeper, you're joking." Cheng Xu smiled casually, as if he were just having a normal chat with the shopkeeper: "Who would give you money for no reason?"

"Of course you are! You are one."

Cheng Xu was momentarily speechless, and when he saw the piece of silver in the shopkeeper's hand, he felt even worse.

"This story has spread everywhere, and there are always people who don't believe it who come and ask all sorts of questions. Gradually, I realized that this was also a business opportunity. Want to know what happened back then? Simple, just pay up." The shopkeeper's mustache twitched. "I've even kept the room upstairs, where the little Xiongnu prince used to live, exactly as it was. The whole room is covered in dried blood. You can go up and visit if you want, fifty coins a time."

"Most people who come to Pingyang for the first time will go up and take a look."

"Later, I don't know who spread the rumor, but it was said that the blood of the young Xiongnu prince, when smeared on steamed buns, could cure diseases and enhance male virility..."

"Then every morning when I got up, there were people outside the inn holding steamed buns in their hands."

Cheng Xu's lips twitched: "So you sold the Little Prince's blood."

"I'm a businessman." The shopkeeper blinked, his words carried as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: "If someone's offering money, why wouldn't I sell?"

"But this business didn't last long. At first, we could still scrape some blood off the walls and floor with steamed buns, but now we can't scrape anything off, so nobody comes anymore," the shopkeeper said with great regret. Fortunately, the little prince wasn't the only one who had bad luck in the room; he spat out a lot of blood, otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to sell to many people.

"Well, do you gentlemen still need a place to stay?" the innkeeper asked with a smile. "I suggest you turn left when you go out; there's another inn over there."

“Stay here. Now that we’re here, there’s no reason to look for another place,” Cheng Xu said, taking out a ten-tael silver ingot from his sleeve and placing it on the table. “I also believe we won’t be that unlucky.”

The son does not talk strangely and forcefully.

Cheng Xu studied the Analects and didn't believe in this.

"We'll have eight people, and each of us will be assigned a superior room. We'll probably be staying for a few days."

Holding the heavy silver ingot, the shopkeeper was overjoyed: "The fourth floor has all the best rooms, you can choose whichever you like, there are no other customers anyway."

After their casual conversation ended, Cheng Xu led the others upstairs.

Upon reaching the fourth floor, the eight people did not immediately separate but instead gathered in one room. By opening the window, they could see the shopkeeper in the lobby below, slumped over the counter again, seemingly about to fall asleep. Cheng Xu then closed the window. The moment he turned around, Cheng Xu's expression had become unusually gloomy. He strode up to a young man, raised his hand, and delivered a heavy slap to his face.

Snapped.

The crisp sound echoed in everyone's ears.

The young man was stunned by the beating, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

Most of the rest of the people were trembling, except for a young man with red lips and white teeth who frowned slightly, as if he was somewhat displeased.

"You idiot, you almost killed us all just now," Cheng Xu said in a low voice, his voice sharp.

The young man was still somewhat unconvinced: "I simply cannot allow that lowly Han Chinese to insult the noble bloodline of the Xiongnu royal family."

"And then?" Cheng Xu asked coldly, "What will happen if you kill him? The people passing by will discover it very quickly, people will scream, and the black-armored guards patrolling the city will appear in front of you in the shortest time. You, me, and everyone else will lose your lives because of your recklessness. Do you understand, you fool?"

The young man pursed his lips twice, but didn't dare to say anything more.

With a heavy sigh, Cheng Xu glanced at the crowd. Of the seven people present, six were Suo Chuoluo's nephews and the sons of the Left and Right Wise Kings.

Abal and Agsang were captured, and although they were still alive, they lost their right to inherit the position of Chanyu.

Arunchi is dead.

The only one still alive was the second prince, Aribu, who happened to be a refined and cultured man.

Among the Xiongnu, being refined and cultured was not a positive description. The Xiongnu people revered martial prowess, and only those who were brave, fearless, and daring to fight and kill were qualified to inherit the position of Chanyu.

Alib's personality was so disliked that even his own father, Sochoro, often said that the son was unlike his father!

However, the position of Chanyu must eventually be inherited by someone.

Since his own son was not suitable, Socholo could only choose from among his nephews.

The selection process was also an extremely fierce competition: whoever could take the head of Yan King Song Yan, who posed the greatest threat to the Xiongnu, would be the successor to the next Great Chanyu.

As for the last person, it was a handsome young man with rosy lips and white teeth.

Cheng Xu is the kind of person with great self-control, but when she saw this young man, she felt her heart flutter.

The person was slender, with a leather corset that accentuated her graceful curves, and her chest was tightly bound with silk, yet even so, her outline could still be faintly seen.

That's right, this young man is actually a woman.

Queen Sochorus.

Usana!
This was also the most important role in the assassination of Song Yan.

In order to get rid of Song Yan, Suochuoluo really went all out, not even caring about his own queen.

Taking a deep breath, Cheng Xu suppressed the slightly despicable thoughts he had about the Great Chanyu's woman and looked at Ushana: "Your Highness."

"I hope you can impersonate Luo Yuheng and consummate your marriage with Song Yan."

……

Fenglai Inn.

Downstairs lobby.

The shopkeeper, who had been lying on the table as if sleeping, slowly raised his head, his chubby forehead furrowed, and his narrowed eyes stared intently at a room on the fourth floor.

These eight people... something's not right!

(End of this chapter)