Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 551 A Woman's Heart (6500 words)
The sky is getting dark.

The shadows of the trees swayed in the night breeze.

A few crows perched on a branch, cawing loudly. Combined with the gloomy night and the refreshing breeze, the atmosphere was somewhat eerie.

The wind creaked and groaned as it blew open the door of the Wind Comes Inn.

The shopkeeper pursed his lips, glanced up at the closed door on the fourth floor, and after a long while, let out a heavy sigh before getting up and walking towards the door.

As soon as he stepped outside, a cool breeze hit his face, and the short, stout innkeeper shivered. He subconsciously tightened his clothes, his mind still replaying the guests from earlier... Although his eyes were small, they were bright. He had seen clearly that when he mentioned that the little prince's leg had been broken upstairs, most of the guests, except for the one who had spoken to him, had changed their expressions.

When he deliberately said that the little prince Arunchi was a beast, one of the men's eyes burned with rage. If it weren't for the leader stopping him, he probably would have drawn his knife from his waist and stabbed himself.

As a shopkeeper, being able to read people's expressions and expressions is the most basic skill.

Although these people were acting discreetly, he still managed to see them.

This is very wrong.

If it were a Han Chinese, upon hearing of the evil deeds of the Xiongnu prince, their normal reaction would be to be filled with righteous indignation and join him in punishing the Xiongnu prince... The nose twitched slightly, and there seemed to be the pungent smell of mutton and beef left by years of herding.

They are not Han Chinese.

They were Xiongnu people.

grandma's.

Is it possible that the Fenglai Inn really has bad feng shui?
Why do we always end up attracting all sorts of random people?
With a mental grumble, the shopkeeper composed himself and quickened his pace, heading towards the governor's mansion... It was better to leave such matters to someone capable of handling them.

This time, he wanted to report ahead of time and be a progressive person.

……

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

“You may need to make some sacrifices when necessary.”

The fourth floor of Fenglai Inn.

Cheng Xu's voice slowly faded.

The six younger men looked slightly strange. Although the people of the grasslands were generally unrestrained and didn't particularly care about things like chastity, this was, after all, the queen, the woman of the Great Chanyu. To kill Song Yan, the Great Chanyu was actually willing to give away even his own woman; truly worthy of being the ruler of the grasslands.

They cannot match this kind of courage.

They even began to wonder if their father, the Left and Right Wise Kings, hadn't sent away enough women, which was why he couldn't compete with Sochoro.

Actually, there was no such title as "Queen" among the Xiongnu. The Chanyu's principal wife was called Zhuanqu Eshi, while the concubines were called Second Eshi, Third Eshi, etc., which were mostly used as a link for inter-tribal marriages.

Another group of women, aged between twelve and fifteen, were mostly offered up by powerful tribes as political gifts. They were the breeding tools of the Great Chanyu, whose main duty was to bear children for him. If they conceived successfully, they would rise in status because of their son, and if the son became the crown prince, they would be promoted to the position of Zhuanqu. If they did not have an heir for three years, they would be reduced to female slaves and then married to loyal veteran soldiers around the Chanyu.

Such a woman was called a young queen consort.

The fates of young queen consorts were mostly tragic.

It's understandable, considering that whether it was the first, second, or third queen consort, they all naturally hoped their children would inherit the throne. Furthermore, although the Xiongnu royal family had a system of primogeniture, this system was not perfect; the eldest son only had a slightly better chance than his brothers. Therefore, the existence of a young queen consort was a threat to these women.

As a result, all sorts of methods were employed.

The scale of the tragedy was even greater than that of the Central Plains royal family.

Some young queens were poisoned at a young age and were unable to conceive for the rest of their lives; some young queens were inexplicably killed by wild wolves; some young queens fell into the water while pregnant and died along with their unborn child; and some even gave birth to wild cats and crows, which were considered ominous and they were put to death on the spot.

Socholu had seventy-two young wives, but only nine were eventually given to old soldiers as wives. The remaining sixty-three all died violent deaths.

Because one prince died in battle and two princes were captured, the only survivor was a weak scholar. Sochoro could not find a suitable person to succeed him as Chanyu for a while. Although he selected some from the sons of the Left and Right Wise Kings, in Sochoro's heart, the position of Chanyu was naturally better left to his own son.

Therefore, the Chanyu issued a decree requiring all the major Xiongnu tribes to offer up beautiful women of suitable age.

Considering that the baby boy was likely to become the next Chanyu, the various Xiongnu tribes collected beautiful women to present to him. This queen was one of the 108 young queens.

Because of the large-scale recruitment of scholars and literati who could not make a living in the Central Plains by Suochuoluo, the Xiongnu people are now deeply influenced by Han culture, and young queens are often referred to as queens.

Sochoro's selection of young wives was based on the strength of their tribes. In addition, although Sochoro was brave, he was getting old and his strength was failing. So far, several months have passed and only a dozen or so young wives have been favored by Sochoro.

Queen Usana, due to her weak tribe background, is ranked lower and has yet to serve the emperor.

Cheng Xu felt a slight sneer in his heart; this Suo Chuoluo was truly getting old, and his mind was becoming senile as well.

Even at this point, he still dares to hope that his successor will be of his bloodline.

He seemed unaware that some Xiongnu tribes were showing signs of becoming uncontrollable.

How could those two wise kings, the Left and Right Wise Kings, be so easily encountered? Now that their sons have the opportunity to inherit the throne, how could they possibly allow these young consorts to give birth smoothly? Even if they did have children, he would already be over sixty years old; how many more years could he live? Would he still have the chance to protect his offspring as they grew up? Once his lifespan was exhausted, the still-young crown prince would have no chance of stabilizing the situation, the power of the Chanyu would inevitably be usurped, and all his sons would be killed by the usurper…

Of course, the mothers of these sons might be kept, since good-looking and fertile women were extremely sought after in the Xiongnu tribes.

A jumble of thoughts flashed through Cheng Xu's mind. He slowly exhaled and looked at Usana again, only to find that Usana's expression was frighteningly calm, without the slightest change in her expression: "Your Highness, please don't feel wronged. Although it is somewhat dangerous, the wise men of the tribe have calculated that it is still very likely to succeed."

“Song Yan is quite strong, and he is protected by two grandmaster-level experts. It is almost impossible for the princess to kill him head-on. However, if she takes advantage of the wedding night, the chance will be greatly increased. As long as the princess hides a poisoned crossbow in her sleeve, she can shoot an arrow when Song Yan lifts his veil, and Song Yan will surely die.”

Usana's long eyelashes trembled, and her red lips parted slightly: "I understand all of that, but the problem now is, how can I be replaced by Luo Yuheng?"

“That’s simple too.” Cheng Xu smiled and said, “Normally, Luo Yuheng is accompanied by several maids, but after the wedding ceremony, when Song Yan is drinking with Luo Yuheng and Luo Yuheng is waiting in the bridal chamber, he is most likely alone. Even if he has maids, they are just maids who share his room.”

"The Great Chanyu has already conducted a thorough investigation into Song Yan's affairs. Among Luo Yuheng's maids, there is only one who is suitable to be a concubine and meets Song Yan's tastes. That person is Gu Banxia."

"She was a typical woman from the Central Plains, with a full figure, but she was too weak to even kill a chicken."

"The Great Chanyu had already contacted some aristocratic families in the Central Plains. They had secretly bribed a maid in the governor's mansion. They would then allow the princess to enter the mansion. On the day of the wedding, the mansion would be packed with people. No one would notice if there was an extra unfamiliar face. As long as the princess found an opportunity to go to the bridal chamber, dealing with Gu Banxia would be a very easy matter."

“Once Gu Banxia is dealt with, Luo Yuheng will be even easier to handle.”

"According to intelligence, although Luo Yuheng has a fiery personality, she is not skilled in martial arts and is a purely weak woman. She is the easiest person to deal with in the entire governor's mansion."

"The princess only needs to knock him unconscious, then change into Luo Yuheng's wedding dress and wait for Song Yan to appear."

Usana sat quietly in the chair, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“As long as Song Yan is shot dead, and the princess escapes from the palace in the chaos, there is still some hope of survival…” Cheng Xu smiled and said, “Princess, don’t forget that the Great Chanyu promised that if you accomplish this, your tribe will receive one-third more grain this year than in previous years. You should know very well how much grain can save the lives of many people in the tribe.”

"Speaking of which, the princess's father, elder brother, and younger brother are still guests at the royal court."

"The princess wouldn't want anything to happen to them, would she?"

Usana's slender fingers clenched unconsciously.

This is a blatant, undisguised threat.

Taking a deep breath, Usana lowered her eyelids, and the resistance in her eyes gradually faded: "I understand."

"Very good." Cheng Xu nodded with satisfaction. "It's getting late, Your Highness, please go back and rest early."

Usana nodded and quietly turned to leave.

Young queens held little status among the Xiongnu, especially one who had not yet been favored by the Great Chanyu.

With the creaking sound of the door opening and the footsteps fading away outside, Cheng Xu turned to look at the other Ruodi... Ruodi was the Xiongnu term for the son of the Great Chanyu's brother, which in the Central Plains would be equivalent to a young prince. Cheng Xu's expression suddenly turned serious, no longer as frivolous as before: "Alright, everyone, let's discuss serious matters now. I'm not afraid to tell you, Usana has no chance of success. The moment she entered the Yan Prince's residence, she was already sentenced to death."

Several young men's expressions changed slightly. This seemed somewhat different from their initial plan. Cheng Xu's sudden change in demeanor sent chills down their spines. The next moment, Cheng Xu slowly drew a golden knife from his waist and placed it on the table.

The moment they saw the golden knife, the six Ruodi's expressions changed again, and they subconsciously moved away from their chairs and knelt on one knee: "Greetings, Great Chanyu."

This is the Chanyu's Golden Knife.

Seeing the golden knife is like seeing the Xiongnu chieftain.

"Rise," Cheng Xu said in a deep voice. "Now, I, on behalf of the Great Chanyu, will convey to you the true mission of this mission..."

"Thunderous Bomb!"

That's right, that's Sochorus's real goal.

Of course, killing Song Yan would be ideal, as he was undoubtedly the most formidable enemy on Suochuoluo's path to the throne. However, Suochuoluo was also well aware that someone like Song Yan was not someone a mere woman could defeat. Wushana was merely bait; whether she succeeded or not, she would inevitably create immense chaos within the Yan Prince's residence. Once the chaos began, that would be their time to act. The deafening thunderclap, once it exploded, was like a thunderbolt, terrifying both men and horses. It was practically the nemesis of the Xiongnu cavalry. As long as the deafening thunderclap existed, even if the one stationed at the border wasn't Song Yan or an outstanding general like Mei Wu, but merely a lowly officer, this weapon could potentially inflict severe losses on the Xiongnu cavalry.

Such a terrifying weapon, Sochorus must surely possess it.

Once they possessed such weapons, coupled with the finest warhorses and the bravest warriors of the Xiongnu, no one on this vast land would be a match for Suochuoluo.

As for Usana, who was responsible for creating the chaos, no one cared whether she was dead or alive.

Cheng Xu pursed his lips and took out a map from his robes: "We still have too little information about Pingyang City. We can only identify a few places that might be producing the Heavenly Thunder Bomb. The first one is the Prince of Yan's residence..."

Inside the room, Cheng Xu began assigning specific tasks.

No one noticed that right outside the door, Princess Usana, dressed as a man with red lips and white teeth, had her ear pressed silently against the crack in the door. Her slender little finger hooked her embroidered shoe, and the faint sound was exceptionally clear to Usana.

She was just bait.

She was just a pawn whose life could be lost at any moment.

It's something I already knew, so there's nothing to be sad about.

As for his father, elder brother, and younger brother, are they all guests at the royal court? Sochoro could take their lives at any moment?

Haha, who cares?

……

The wind howled, and the city of Pingyang was brightly lit.

Walking through the streets of Pingyang, Song Yan casually looked left and right. He had been busy for many hours during the day, and even he felt tired... not physically, but mentally. Whenever he saw dense text on white paper, he would feel a buzzing pain in his head.

For Song Yan, strolling around Pingyang City after nightfall was a rare opportunity to relax.

Actually, there are still some things that need to be done at the Prince of Yan's residence, such as decorating the bridal chamber, ordering various meats, eggs and vegetables, and renting tables, chairs and benches.

Most of them are just some trivial matters.

Song Yan originally intended to help, but Gao Yang and Yang Siyao pushed him away. In their words, if the dignified Prince Yan had to handle such a small matter personally, wouldn't it make the people in the Prince Yan's residence seem useless?

In order to give others a chance to shine, Song Yan could only be happy to stay idle.

Looking at Pingyang City, which he had built up single-handedly, Song Yan was quite happy. He thought about what Pingyang City looked like when he first took over.
Outside the city, the snow was white and the bones piled up like mountains. The bodies in the middle were already rotting, while the bodies on the outside were still stiff.

Inside the city, corpses of the starved lay everywhere, and the dead were eaten by each other.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a living hell.

Looking at Pingyang City now, although it is not as prosperous as Dongling City, it is still bustling with people at night. The sounds of hawking, shouting, chatting, and bargaining are mixed together, creating a noisy yet warm atmosphere of everyday life.

Although they couldn't afford silk, the common people could wear hemp clothing.

Although we can't afford to eat lavish meals, at least we can barely fill our stomachs.

People's faces were still deeply lined, but at least smiles could be seen.

Song Yan felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Two people were with Song Yan by his side. One was Gu Banxia, ​​Song Yan's first woman, and the other was Bu Yu, the first widow by Song Yan's side... Perhaps Bu Yu played a part in the development of his preference for widows and widows from his preference for older women.

He hadn't touched Bu Yu at all, except to treat her injuries, yet this inexplicable rumor had surfaced, which was somewhat unfair... Moreover, he was now going to marry Luo Yuheng, and then Gao Yang, which probably confirmed his preference for widows.

Because of his previous trip to Dongling, which lasted for several months, Song Yan was mostly accompanied by Gu Banxia and Bu Yu after returning to Pingyang. Yang Siyao was also there, but she was busy with the wedding and helping Gao Yang, so she didn't have much time to stroll around with Song Yan.

The streets were patrolled by armored men in black armor, so security was quite good... Moreover, his sister-in-law was secretly following him where Song Yan couldn't see her.

Occasionally, when Song Yan took a fancy to something, Gu Banxia would appear right beside him, taking out a few copper coins from her small purse... These scenes were familiar and natural, just like in Ningping and Songzhou, where Gu Banxia would follow Song Yan around to pay for things.

Time flies, and more than a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

I wonder if this counts as an old married couple?

Catching a glimpse of Gu Banxia's appearance, Song Yan noticed that Gu Banxia's delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she were preoccupied with something. Always bold, Song Yan quietly reached out and gently squeezed Gu Banxia's small hand, asking, "What are you thinking about?"

Gu Banxia was a little shy, her cheeks flushed slightly.

After all, holding hands in public in this day and age could very well get you labeled as indecent.

She didn't break free, but simply lowered her head slightly: "I wasn't thinking about anything, it's just... I always feel that as the young master's status rises, the time I can spend by his side is getting less and less."

In front of Song Yan, Gu Banxia always said what she meant and never hid anything.

There was a hint of loneliness in his words.

"I have learned some rudimentary martial arts, but they are ultimately just fancy moves. If I had the skills of Princess Lianyue, the eldest young lady, and the second young lady, I could probably stay by the young master's side forever."

There is a kind of sadness and fear of becoming a burden.

Most women are like this; they are always prone to feeling insecure and anxious in front of the person they like.

Beside him, Bu Yu frowned as well.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Although Gu Banxia was talking about her own problems, Bu Yu inexplicably felt that she was the same. Back then, she had also followed Song Yan and served as his bodyguard for a period of time, but now that Song Yan's strength had caught up with hers, she was no longer qualified to be his bodyguard.

Song Yan smiled and gently pinched Gu Banxia's face: "Don't think too much. No matter what, you are one of the most important people in my life... No matter what, you will always have a place in my life."

Gu Banxia smiled, feeling both shy and happy.

“However, you are right about one thing: being stronger is always an advantage. At least you won’t have to worry about being hurt so easily.” Song Yan nodded slightly, pondering, “Unfortunately, I don’t know what kind of martial arts are suitable for women to practice.”

"Tianxuan and Tianyi practice martial arts under the Daoist lineage, which is the Yunhai Mountain lineage. It is said that it tests one's comprehension and physique. If one's aptitude is slightly lacking, it will be extremely difficult to cultivate, and one may not even be able to enter the field... Hua Lianyue, on the other hand, inherits the Hehuan Sect's secret manual, the Extreme Yin Su Nu Jing."

"This technique is suitable for women to cultivate. It doesn't require much in terms of aptitude or comprehension, and the cultivation speed is extremely fast. If you tell Lian Yue, she should be able to teach you. However... after cultivating it, the cold poison will accumulate in the body. If it goes on for a long time, you will suffer from the torment of the cold poison."

Song Yan pondered in her heart where to find some martial arts suitable for women to practice.

However, he didn't notice that after he mentioned the "Extreme Yin Classic of Women," Gu Banxia's face suddenly lit up... That's right, it's this one.

This is probably the most suitable skill for women to cultivate. As for the cold poison?

The antidote for the cold poison is right here, so what is there to worry about?
“Young Master…” Gu Banxia blinked and slowly said, “This is the ‘Extreme Yin Classic’. I will go and ask Princess Lianyue for it later.”

Song Yan frowned, looking at Gu Banxia: "Have you thought this through? Although cultivating the 'Extreme Yin Su Nu Jing' won't cause any immediate problems, if I were to lose my life one day, there would be no one to neutralize your cold poison. That kind of feeling..."

"Shh." Before she could finish speaking, Gu Banxia stepped forward and gently pressed a slender finger to Song Yan's lips: "Young master, please don't say such things. If one day something happens to you, I will go with you... Without you, there is probably no point in me staying in this world."

Yingying laughed, her voice soft and sweet.

But the unwavering determination in his tone made Song Yan's heart tremble slightly.

As for Bu Yu on the other side, watching Gu Banxia and Song Yan being so affectionate, she suddenly felt an unpleasant sense of being an outsider... Well, although she really hadn't had anything happen between her and Song Yan.

But, in the end, Song Yan saw her innocent body completely naked, didn't he?
Looking at Gu Banxia again, Bu Yu frowned slightly, then suddenly her eyes flashed, and she felt that the usually honest and docile Gu Banxia was really too insidious.

The women beside Song Yan all knew that the "Extreme Yin Classic of the Plain Woman" required the "Hundred Flowers Precious Mirror" to detoxify it.

Furthermore, they knew that if paired with the "Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror," the cultivation of the "Extreme Yin Plain Girl Scripture" would be twice as effective with half the effort.

If Gu Banxia learns the "Extreme Yin Su Nu Jing", wouldn't she be able to use cultivation to visit Song Yan every day?
Treacherous, so treacherous.

Perhaps Gu Banxia didn't actually think too much about it, but in Bu Yu's mind, Gu Banxia had already been labeled as treacherous.

Then, Bu Yu puffed out her cheeks and gently raised her little hand: "Um..."

"master."

Song Yan is the head of the household, and since Bu Yu has never had any dealings with him, she naturally cannot call him "husband." She is usually addressed as "master" or "master."

"I, I also want to cultivate the 'Extreme Yin Sutra'!"

(End of this chapter)