Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 607 Brother-in-law as Husband (6,000 words)

Kong Xingyao.

In his fifties, if you only look at his appearance, he has a square face and a dignified bearing. In front of others, he always appears gentle and refined, a gentleman. But the steward knows very well that in the vast Ning Kingdom, if you want to say who is the worst person, there is no one else but Kong Xingyao.

He was fond of money.

Driven by greed, he fabricated rumors that Shang Kong of Jin was a descendant of Confucius, all in an attempt to seize Shang Kong's vast wealth. Unfortunately for him, Kong Xingye of Shang Kong was a clever man who was not fooled at all. He even kept trying to refute the rumors, not wanting to have any connection with Confucius.

He was fond of women.

He had a particular fondness for young girls, and every month he would find several innocent women to defile.

After a few days, Kong Xingyao would lose interest and soon search for new targets... To satisfy Kong Xingyao's morbid desires, there was even a group of dedicated guards in the Holy Kong Mansion. These people were all martial artists with considerable strength. They traveled around Jincheng Prefecture and many surrounding counties and villages every day, with only one purpose: to find suitable women for Kong Xingyao to favor.

The descendants of saints harbor filth and corruption!
They're capable of anything: buying with money, seizing by force, murdering and kidnapping.

His father named him Kong Xingyao, probably hoping that he would do the things of Yao and Shun. However, Kong Xingyao's behavior is that of a beast, and his actions are not worthy of mention!

Duke Yansheng, Duke Yansheng, the word "sage" probably made Kong Xingyao think he was some kind of saint.

However, such matters had nothing to do with him, a mere steward. He only needed to serve his master well. Besides, the Kong family wasn't the only one in the vast Central Plains to behave this way. How many noble families, high-ranking officials, and powerful clans were any better? Moreover, most of the girls that Kong Xingyao had grown tired of would be given to servants like them. The girls who caught Kong Xingyao's eye were naturally quite beautiful, which is why the stewards and guards in the Kong family were all extremely loyal to Kong Xingyao.

"Who goes there at this hour?" Kong Xingyao asked while fastening his belt. It was already the middle of the night, and to come at this hour was somewhat disrespectful to etiquette.

While his mind was wandering, the steward immediately lowered his head upon hearing Kong Xingyao's words: "Reporting to Master, that man claimed to be from the Yang family."

Yang family?

Kong Xingyao's eyes narrowed suddenly: "The Yang family is a traitor, how dare they come before my Kong family? Guards, lock up that Yang family traitor and hand him over to the governor's office for punishment!"

At a command, several guards emerged from the darkness and headed straight for the gate, ready to arrest the person.

But at that moment, Kong Xingyao's expression changed again: "Wait a minute!"

"The Yang family may not necessarily be the Yang family of Langya. Bring him to me first. If that person is indeed a traitor of the Yang family, then it is not too late to arrest him. Do not wrong an innocent person!"

The steward nodded, accepted the order, and soon brought back a man who looked like a farmer. Kong Xingyao gave a signal, and the many guards around immediately dispersed, even the steward lowered his head and retreated silently.

Once everyone was alone, Kong Xingyao found a chair and sat down. He then glanced at the man in front of him again. The man was in his forties, strong and powerful, clearly a skilled fighter. After a brief silence, he asked, "Who are you?"

“Replying to Master Kong, I am Yang Zi’ang, from a collateral branch of the Yang family of Langya.” The man bowed respectfully to Kong Xingyao and replied in a deep voice.

Kong Xingyao's eyes narrowed: "You do have some guts. At a time like this, you still dare to claim to be from the Yang family of Langya in Jincheng Prefecture. Do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

Yang Zi'ang showed no fear whatsoever. Hearing this, he merely smiled and said, "Master Kong would not do that. If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have let me into the Kong residence."

Kong Xingyao did not dwell on the matter further, his eyelids drooping: "Nowadays, the four gates of Jincheng Prefecture are sealed off, and anyone who enters or leaves is subject to strict inspection. How did you manage to sneak into the prefectural city?"

Yang Zi'ang remained unfazed: "The Yang family has its own methods."

It was probably just some casual chatter. Kong Xingyao didn't really want to get the answer from Yang Zi'ang. He only needed to know that the Yang family did have a way to send people into the city, and that was enough for him. Since the Yang family could send people into the city to visit the Kong family, then naturally there could be others who could visit other powerful families in Jincheng Prefecture. That was the really important thing.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Kong Xingyao gestured for Yang Ziang to sit down before speaking again: "I wonder what brings Patriarch Yang to the Kong residence?"

Yang Zi'ang raised both hands and bowed towards the direction of Tong'an Prefecture: "My master said: I humbly request that you, Lord Kong, take heed: Jincheng is now besieged, with the elite troops of Langya surrounding us on all sides. We have no grain reserves to sustain us from the plague, and we are cut off from external reinforcements to relieve our dire straits. Starving corpses fill the alleys, and wounds cover the walls. The city will fall in no time. Your Excellency, you have been raised in a family of rites and teachings, and you should know that the Book of Changes says: 'The dragon that has soared too high will have regrets, and fullness cannot last long.'"

"In the past, Guan Zhong changed rulers and became the hegemon of Qi, and Wei Zi returned to Zhou to preserve the ancestral rites. A good bird chooses a fine tree to perch on, and a wise man obeys the mandate of Heaven to assist. If we now lift the key and open the gate, like Nanyang offering silk, not only will the people of the whole prefecture be spared from fire and water, but we will also be honored with the merit of following the dragon to the Cloud Terrace. How could the descendants of Confucius be ignorant of obedience and rebellion?"

These words sounded exactly like something Yang Hexing would say, and he even mimicked the expression on Yang's face quite well.

The merit of following the dragon!

Is the Yang family really preparing to become emperors?
Of course, no matter who becomes emperor, even if it is a foreign race, it has little to do with the Kong family. The Kong family's status remains extraordinary at all times. Kong Xingyao still doesn't believe that even if his Kong family had never surrendered the city, Yang Hexing would have dared to exterminate his lineage of the sage Confucius.
With a hint of disdain in his eyes, Kong Xingyao scoffed, "Nowadays, the officials, noble families, and common people of Jincheng Prefecture are united as one, vowing to defend the city to the death. The Yang family has suffered tens of thousands of casualties beneath the city walls, yet the Yang family dares to ask me to surrender?"

Yang Hexing wasn't angry; in fact, his smile seemed even brighter than before: "Although the Kong family is trapped in Jincheng Prefecture, they must have some understanding of what's happening outside. My Yang family has recruited over 100,000 soldiers these days. The corpses under Jincheng Prefecture are nothing but a drop in the ocean to the Yang family, not worth mentioning."

"The patriarch is simply benevolent and unwilling to sacrifice lives. If Jincheng continues to be so stubborn, the patriarch will be enraged and send over 100,000 troops to attack. Do you think Jincheng Prefecture can hold out for more than a few days?"

Kong Xingyao's expression was indifferent.

"Master Kong should also know that my Yang family has tens of thousands of Jurchen elite cavalry and 60,000 Japanese pirate soldiers..." The fact that the Yang family colluded with the Japanese pirates and Jurchens could not be kept secret, but the Jincheng Prefecture probably did not know the specific numbers, so Yang Zi'ang embellished it slightly.

As expected, Kong Xingyao's face was ashen, but his eyes kept darting around.

Japanese pirates, Jurchens.

Most of the scholars in the Central Plains had a natural fear of foreign tribes.

"Does Master Kong think that with this military strength, we can take Jincheng?" Yang Zi'ang continued, "I'm not afraid to tell you, Master Kong, that my Langya Yang Clan has already signed an alliance with the Japanese pirates and the Jurchens. The Japanese pirates and the Jurchens will fully support the Langya Yang Clan in their campaign against the tyrant Luo Tianshu. Currently, there are still 100,000 Jurchen troops on their way by sea, and they may land in Langya in two or three days."

"Master Kong is a smart man; he knows that Jincheng Prefecture cannot hold out for long."

"Don't you think about the Kong family, or the 100,000 innocent people of Jincheng Prefecture?"

Yang Zi'ang spoke eloquently: "My master said that the Confucius family is the lineage of the sage, so he would naturally not go against the will of the world and wipe out the entire Confucius family. But the Japanese pirates and the Jurchens are a group of uncivilized barbarians. Once Jincheng Prefecture is breached, no one can guarantee what these barbarians will do."

Even if some members of the Confucius family are lucky enough to survive, their past glory will eventually vanish like smoke.

Upon hearing this, Kong Xingyao slammed his fist on the table, furious: "You brat, how dare you threaten this old man?"

"I wouldn't dare," Yang Zi'ang bowed again. "I was merely stating the facts before Master Kong. Master Kong is of noble character and righteousness, and he would certainly not bear to see the people of Jincheng suffer."

"My master promised that as long as Master Kong is willing to surrender the city, he will definitely restrain the Jurchens and Japanese pirates and not harm the Kong family in the slightest. He also promised that the title of Duke Yansheng will not be changed in the slightest, and he can even give up three counties in Jincheng Prefecture as the Kong family's fiefdom. I wonder what Master Kong thinks?"

"Shut up, you brat! How could I be a man who covets power and wealth?" Kong Xingyao shouted in a deep voice. However, his expression suddenly changed, and he sighed heavily, his face full of worry: "But what have the people of Jincheng done to deserve this?"

"So be it. For the lives of the 100,000 people of Jincheng, I am willing to bear this infamy."

"Please ask my nephew Yang to go back and inform the Prince of Langya that I will find a way to open the west gate tomorrow night."

Yang Zi'ang was filled with contempt. Kong Xingyao had even figured out what to do, clearly indicating that he had been preparing to surrender for some time. These scholars were truly shameless. They had clearly asked for enough benefits, yet they still acted like they were concerned about the country and its people, putting on a show of being concerned for the common people. It was truly disgusting.

However, this is naturally a good thing for the Yang family as well.

Yang Zi'ang rose and bowed again, then turned and left. Kong Xingyao saw him off to the gate of the inner courtyard before stopping. He then called the steward and hurriedly headed towards the study.

"Practice ink."

The butler busied himself preparing pen, ink, paper, and inkstone: "Master, what are you preparing to write?"

"Lower the timetable!"

……

The next day.

The snow stopped.

Once again, a thick layer of snow piled up on the ground in Pingyang Prefecture.

For ordinary people, such days are terrible, and most are grumbling about when this damn weather will finally pass; but for children, snowy days are a time to play, build snowmen, and have snowball fights, which always have a unique appeal in this era of limited entertainment.

Even inside the Prince's mansion, the chattering of the young maids never stopped.

Luo Qingyi, Luo Caiyi, Luo Shuangshuang, and Luo Xixi were making a ruckus in the backyard.

Although they were not the same mother, they were still sisters. They were a little unfamiliar with each other when they first arrived at the Prince's Mansion, but they became familiar with each other after spending some time together.

Along the way, Yongning and Luo Xiangtong probably spoke ill of Song Yan to their two younger sisters, saying how ferocious the Jingguan Maniac was. As a result, when the two little girls first met Song Yan, they were timid and lacked the spoiled and arrogant manner of princesses. They stayed obediently in their rooms every day, without crying or making a fuss, for fear that they might accidentally anger the Prince of Yan and be sent to be made into a Jingguan... They heard that being made into a Jingguan meant being beheaded, and such a big wound on the neck must be very painful.

But children don't remember things for very long, and after living in the Prince's mansion for some time, they gradually showed some of the natural instincts of children. Playing around, they made a ball of snow and stuffed it around the sisters' necks, immediately eliciting screams from the backyard.

Luo Xiangtong had lost the spoiled and willful nature she had in the palace. She sat quietly in the pavilion, watching her younger sisters play, a faint smile occasionally appearing on her lips. This, perhaps, was what a real child should be like… Such a scene was rarely seen in the palace. There were many tutors and nannies in the palace. Whenever she wanted to play, relax a little, or even just eat a little bigger or walk a little faster, a nanny would immediately appear beside her, pointing out that she was not behaving properly, not behaving like a princess.

That feeling was like trying to tame yourself into a beautiful doll.

It's generally quite annoying.

Living in the Prince of Yan's mansion was naturally not as prestigious as living in the imperial palace. However, compared to the Prince of Yan's mansion, the vast imperial palace was like a prison, draped in a gorgeous coat.

It was a suffocating sense of oppression.

Here, she could finally breathe freely.

Footsteps sounded behind her. Luo Xiangtong turned around and saw Song Yan, accompanied by Gao Yang and Cui Yingying... Gao Yang had also become Song Yan's concubine. Her aunt had summoned everyone in the palace to announce it today. The number of concubines was probably going to exceed the limit, but given the current status of the Prince of Yan and the military strength of the Yan vassal state, probably no one would bother with such a trivial matter.

Luo Xiangtong stood up and bowed to Song Yan: "Greetings, Your Highness."

I remember when I first met Luo Xiangtong, she was terrified of me, but she also had a mischievous charm. Now she has matured a lot.

The upheaval in the palace was a huge blow to Luo Xiangtong.

“There aren’t many formalities in the Prince of Yan’s residence,” Song Yan said with a smile. “Also, there’s no need to call me Your Highness. It’s too formal. We’re all family. Just call me brother-in-law.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Tianyi, who was sitting idly on a rock not far behind, seemed to have caught some key words. Her head, which had been hanging down, suddenly rose, and she looked at Song Yan and Luo Xiangtong with a hint of suspicion.

Should I call him brother-in-law?
This is not a good thing.

Luo Tianyi would never forget the feeling of being forced by Song Yan to call him "brother-in-law" all night.

Could it be that this brother-in-law has already set his sights on Luo Xiangtong?

For some reason, I felt a little annoyed.

I have a feeling that some kind of status is about to be taken away from me.

Luo Xiangtong was unaware of Luo Tianyi's thoughts. Upon hearing Song Yan's words, her fair face flushed slightly. The word "brother-in-law" is usually harmless, but when it is associated with the sister-in-law, it can easily lead people to misunderstand.

Despite feeling ashamed, Luo Xiangtong still called out in a clear voice, "Brother-in-law."

"Mmm." Song Yan nodded in satisfaction: "Are you getting used to living in the Prince's Mansion? Don't feel embarrassed. If there's anything you don't like or if you're missing anything, just tell Granny Lu, and she'll take care of it."

The old woman named Lu that Song Yan mentioned is Luo Yuheng's maid, named Lu Wan, who is now the steward of the inner quarters of the Prince's mansion.

"Thank you for your concern, brother-in-law. I'm doing well at the Prince's residence," Luo Xiangtong replied with a smile, though her smile always carried a hint of worry.

Song Yan roughly knew what Luo Xiangtong was worried about. Her mother, Yang Miaoyun, and her brother, Luo Jingyu, were both in Dongling. The situation in Ningguo was complicated at the moment, so it would be a lie to say that she wasn't worried.

"You don't need to worry about the matter in Dongling City. Tianxuan will probably be back soon and will bring some news with her," Song Yan said after thinking for a moment.

"Brother-in-law..."

Just then, the four maids who were playing nearby also saw Song Yan. Luo Qingyi and Luo Caiyi's eyes lit up, and they hurriedly ran over. They didn't have the demeanor of a little princess at all. Apart from being more delicate and prettier, they were not much different from ordinary girls.

The two little girls, each with a rocket-shaped headbutt, bumped into Song Yan's arms, just as Song Yan had not long after entering the Luo family.

I never cared about etiquette or the difference between men and women.

Speaking of which, these two little girls have reached the age of marriage this year.

That means she's fourteen years old.

Her face still had a touch of youthful innocence, but the food in the Prince's mansion was quite good. In the past two years, the little girl had grown very tall, and her figure had begun to stand out, making her a graceful young lady.

Speaking of which, fourteen years old is old enough to get married in this day and age.

I wonder which bastard will benefit from it in the future.

Song Yan gently patted the two children on the head, and the two little ones squinted comfortably like two cats. Song Yan was a little helpless at their appearance: "Qingyi, Caiyi... you two are getting bigger and bigger. You can't do this anymore!"

The two little girls looked up, somewhat bewildered, their voices still clear and bright: "Why is that?"

“You’re all going to get married someday,” Song Yan blinked and explained.

“But even if she’s married, my brother-in-law is still my brother-in-law,” Luo Qingyi said innocently.

That makes a lot of sense. Song Yan was speechless for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "But if your future husband sees you and your brother-in-law being so intimate, he will be unhappy."

Luo Caiyi's round eyes sparkled slightly: "Then I don't need a husband."

Luo Qingyi suddenly shook her head: "No, then why not marry my brother-in-law and let him be my husband?"

Luo Caiyi nodded her little head vigorously, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Qingyi. Qingyi's brain was really sharp, able to come up with such a good idea... Hmph, they've been living with their brother-in-law for the past two years, they're used to it, and they don't want to be separated from him.

The only problem is that my brother-in-law doesn't seem to like younger women. The two women are three or four years younger than him, which is a problem for him.

Behind them, Luo Tianyi frowned. There were two more people trying to take her brother-in-law away.

Song Yan chuckled and patted the two little heads, telling them to go play. As for the jokes about marrying her brother-in-law and making him her husband, Song Yan took them as just little girls' jokes and didn't take them to heart.

Luo Xixi and Luo Shuangshuang also saw Song Yan. Although they were no longer as afraid of Song Yan as they were at the beginning, they had not spent much time together and were not as familiar as Caiyi and Qingyi. They stood a few steps apart, their little fingers pinching the hem of their skirts, and obediently bowed to Song Yan.

She called out sweetly:
"Hello, brother-in-law!"

That voice made Song Yanxin's heart melt.

Looking at these well-behaved and adorable little girls, Song Yan felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

In order to take good care of these sisters-in-law, we also need to quell the troubles around Ningguo. We can't let the sisters-in-law be bullied by outsiders.

Luo Tianyi didn't react much to Luo Shuangshuang and Luo Xixi... These two are absolutely impossible, they're too young, and my brother-in-law doesn't like young girls.

Luo Xiangtong, on the other hand, would occasionally steal a glance at Song Yan's back.

There was something complicated in his eyes.

Song Yan treated the young maids very well. Although he had too many things to deal with in Pingyang City and therefore didn't spend much time with them, he always showed them care whenever they met. Occasionally, when he had a spare moment, he would even tell them stories...

For example, a monk and a snake demon are truly in love, but a scholar interferes, preventing the lovers from being together...

For example, the little girl selling thunderclap bombs... Although Luo Xiangtong didn't understand how such military-controlled supplies as thunderclap bombs ended up in the hands of a little girl, and could even be sold on the street.

For example, the love-hate relationship between Ultraman Tiga and Gatanothor...

Although she found it uninteresting, the little girls listened with great interest every time.

When dealing with these young girls, Song Yan always showed exceptional patience. To be fair, it was truly admirable that his brother-in-law could be so patient.

Luo Xixi and Luo Shuangshuang were able to recover from the grief of parting with their mother so quickly thanks in no small part to their brother-in-law, Song Yan.

And this brother-in-law is very likely also her husband!

This is the only man her mother and brother found for her, the only one who could protect her in this chaotic world!
Luo Yuheng had already told her about this, but the Prince of Yan's mansion didn't force her to marry Song Yan. Ultimately, it was up to her. Even if she didn't want to marry her brother-in-law, the Prince of Yan's mansion would still protect her.

Watching Song Yan's retreating figure silently, Luo Xiangtong's eyes were somewhat confused. She felt that the Prince of Yan, who was playing around with his four younger sisters, was not as frightening as when she first met him.

(End of this chapter)