Chapter 13 - Can I Kill Someone?
That mouthful of blood he sprayed out was a work of art, enough to rival a goddess scattering flowers.
The feast that had just been laid out couldn't be eaten now.
What a waste of food!
Song Yun and Song Lu couldn't help but glare angrily at the Luo brothers. Wasn't it just a change in the marriage? Was it necessary to press them so hard? Could it be that the Luo family really wanted to have a complete falling out with the Duke's mansion?
Yang Guifang and the other old servant women were constantly shooting glances at Song Yan, wanting him to stand up at this time and say a few words for the Duke's mansion. If Song Yan could take all the blame on himself, saying that he was the one who had proactively requested the change in marriage and that it had nothing to do with the Fifth Young Master, then the Song family could save some face.
But Song Yan kept his head bowed and remained silent, as if he hadn't seen or heard anything.
Yang Guifang was furious in her heart, and could only brace herself and stand out:
"You two Young Masters have misunderstood. It wasn't the Fifth Young Master who insisted on breaking off the engagement back then. It was the Ninth Young Master who admired Miss Tianxuan's beauty and begged the First Mistress to switch the marriage. As you know, although Song Yan was born of a concubine, our First Mistress has always been benevolent and treats the concubine's sons as her own. Although she knew it was against the rules, she still agreed to Song Yan's request."
With these words, it was no longer Song Zhen maliciously breaking off the engagement, but Song Yan coveting his future sister-in-law.
Yang Guifang didn't care if it would completely ruin Song Yan's reputation. As long as she could protect the reputation of the Duke's mansion, it would be a great service.
Having spoken, Yang Guifang even glared at Song Yan, clearly warning him not to speak carelessly, otherwise, the consequences would be more than he could bear.
Song Yan lowered his eyes and did not speak.
But at this moment, this was the best answer.
Seeing this scene, how could the surrounding guests not understand? He was being slandered, yet he didn't even have the courage to refute it. It seems this Song Yan was bullied quite a bit by the servants in his daily life. Would such a person have the guts to covet his sister-in-law? Did they think they were fools?
No distinction between master and servant, no clarity of status, no rules at all. No wonder the Duke's mansion has declined.
Yang Guifang didn't expect that her speaking up would be of no use at all. Anxious and frustrated, just as she was about to say something else, a shout suddenly came from a side room, the voice loud as if afraid others couldn't hear.
"Heavens, the Song family is truly shameless! To actually put this junk in the dowry..."
The eyes of all the onlookers lit up. There was more drama to see! In an instant, they swarmed in the direction the voice came from. Watching a spectacle is human nature; even these respectable people could hardly be exempt.
The three Song brothers exchanged a glance, and they could all feel the worry in the other's eyes. The Song family had already lost all face today. They absolutely couldn't have any more trouble. Gritting their teeth, they walked towards the side room. Yang Guifang and the four old servant women also forgot that they were nominally Song Yan's servants and hurriedly followed behind the Song brothers.
Even Luo Yuheng and the three eunuchs became interested. Only Song Yan had a slight smile on his lips. Luo Tianshu quietly glanced at his brother-in-law, said nothing, and also followed behind with Luo Tianquan.
When everyone arrived at the side room, they saw the long-unseen Luo Tianyang pointing at a chest and yelling. A red piece of paper was pasted on the chest, with the words 'Ten Bolts of Cloud Brocade' written on it.
Cloud Brocade is an extremely precious type of silk, as beautiful as the clouds and rosy mists in the sky, known as "an inch of brocade is worth an inch of gold."
But looking inside the chest, where was the Cloud Brocade? There were only a few pieces of coarse cloth.
Song Yun, Song Lu, and Song Zhen only felt waves of dizziness in their heads. They knew that the reputation the Song family had painstakingly managed for so many years was finished. It was all finished. Especially when faced with the various strange gazes from all directions, the three Song brothers wished they could just faint on the spot.
Those guests were all as cunning as old foxes. It was obvious: the Luo family had sent over a betrothal gift of seventy to eighty thousand taels, but that Yang Shi from the Duke's mansion was unwilling to provide a dowry of equal value, yet still insisted on making a show of eighty-eight carrying poles to maintain propriety.
Perhaps that Yang Shi thought that since the Luo and Song families were now in-laws, even if they discovered a problem after the wedding banquet, they would likely just pinch their noses and accept it, and wouldn't make too ugly a scene in public.
Even if they had a falling out later, Yang Shi would have an excuse: so much time has passed, who knows if you, Luo Yuheng, didn't switch the dowry yourself and deliberately frame the Duke's mansion.
Unfortunately, though Yang Shi schemed endlessly, she never expected that the Luo family would have such a reckless youth like Luo Tianyang, who would unbox the dowry in front of so many guests, completely exposing her various schemes to everyone.
This Yang Shi was, after all, born as the legitimate daughter of the Yang family. To act in such a petty manner was unbefitting.
Song Yan sneered. He understood Yang Shi. In truth, Yang Shi wasn't exactly stingy; she was very generous to her own family and her servants. But if it meant spending money on the concubine-born sons and daughters, even a single copper coin would be as painful as cutting her flesh and drinking her blood.
Luo Tianyang, however, didn't care about all that. This was the first thing his brother-in-law had asked him to do; he had to do it beautifully. Right then, he fully displayed the style of a reckless youth, directly reaching out and grabbing a small wooden box from a nearby rack. Ten Southern Pearls.
The so-called Southern Pearls were pearls produced in Hepu.
Because they were fine and prized, lustrous and round, magnificent and colorful, with a long-lasting sheen, they were the finest among pearls and deeply loved by the nobility. A Southern Pearl of good quality could easily fetch a hundred taels of silver. But when the box was opened, where were the Southern Pearls? There were only a few soybeans.
The so-called deeds for fertile fields and shops were just sheets of blank paper.
For a moment, the sound of whispering was incessant. Pairs of eyes looked towards the three Song brothers, their gazes full of contempt. Some merchants even frowned tightly, wondering if they should go to the Song family to press for their debts. Originally, because the other party was a Duke, they didn't dare to press too hard, but now it seemed if they didn't hurry, their investment would be like feeding meat buns to a dog.
Some officials were also calculating in their hearts whether it was still necessary to curry favor with the Song family... After all, no one had expected the Duke's mansion to have fallen into such a state.
In this era, for a noble family to be seen as having declined was an extremely serious matter.
Yang Guifang was a good dog. Seeing the Song family being humiliated, she was even more anxious than the three Song brothers, constantly shooting glances at Song Yan, scratching her head and cheeks like a monkey.
"Good, good, good..."
Just then, a cold and clear voice sounded. It was Luo Yuheng.
Her voice was unhurried, as if she wasn't too angry, but the words she spoke made everyone shudder in terror:
"Very good. As expected of the Duke's mansion, such methods... Does that Yang Shi really look down on me, Luo Yuheng, so much? I am, at the very least, an imperial relative, the current Ning Emperor's full-blooded sister. Is Duke Song slapping my, Luo Yuheng's, face, or is he slapping the Emperor's face?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.
In their hearts, they cursed that this Luo Yuheng was a bit shameless. She was clearly unconcerned about her restored imperial status before, but when it was time to use this status, she didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Slap the Emperor's face?
Who would dare?
Do they feel their nine clans are too many?
Even the most foolish Song Zhen felt his scalp go numb.
The old eunuch Wei Zhong, who had been following Luo Yuheng all this time, also sinisterly twisted the knife:
"Today, I have truly seen a good show. Such contempt for the imperial family, zanjia* will certainly report this truthfully to His Majesty upon returning to the palace."
[N: “Zanjia" (咱家, zánjia) is a first-person pronoun, meaning "I" or "me.” However, its use is highly specific: in historical fiction, it is almost exclusively used by eunuchs, particularly those of high rank and power. Referring themselves as a representative of the Imperial Palace, lending their words the weight and threat of the Emperor's authority.]
The Song family was really going to be in for it this time.
Thump!
That Song Yun, seemingly unable to bear the series of blows and the disdainful gazes from all directions, which were like looking at a plague god, tilted to one side, his head smashing onto the steps. He probably fell quite hard.
Seeing Song Yun faint, Song Lu cursed 'Seventh Brother is shameless' in his heart, then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted too.
But he fell in a slightly better spot. His head smashed onto Song Yun's stomach. Even though Song Yun had already fainted, his face still twitched violently.
Only the simple-minded Song Zhen was left, completely unsure of how to salvage the situation. As in-laws, they were clearly supposed to be the most honored guests, but now they could only despondently call for servants to drag away the bodies of Song Yun and Song Lu, and leave the Luo Mansion in disgrace.
Every gaze, every sound, was like a sharp knife stabbing into his heart. With every step he took, Song Zhen felt his heart was dripping blood. This feeling of being stripped naked and humiliated was something Song Zhen had never experienced in his life. He knew that the Song family had lost all face this time, and he, Song Zhen, would become a laughingstock in the eyes of everyone in Ningping County, and even the entire Song Prefecture.
It was all Mother's fault. If it weren't for Mother, how could it have become so disgraceful?
Thinking this, Song Zhen's heart grew even more stifled. The invisible pressure became unbearable. He only felt a sweetness in his throat, and blood sprayed three feet.
His face instantly became listless, as if his essence and spirit had been drained in an instant. His vision suddenly went black, and his head hit the ground.
He had really fainted.
That good dog Yang Guifang was extremely worried in her heart. She felt that this was all Song Yan's fault for doing nothing. If he had just helped the Song family by saying a few words, things would not have developed to this point. For a moment, her gaze towards Song Yan was full of venomous hatred.
Song Yan was completely satisfied after watching a good show. He stretched his arms forcefully to loosen his slightly stiff body, glanced at the venom-faced Yang Guifang, and then looked at Luo Tianshu beside him. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he slowly spoke:
"Tianshu, can I kill someone today?"
This old hag is really too annoying. Keeping her around will cause trouble. Besides, in many matters, the greatest taboo is to be overly hesitant. Sometimes, a pledge of allegiance is necessary.