A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 312 When asking for help, you must have the right attitude.
Song Shuyu smiled but didn't say anything.

But his lack of denial was tantamount to acquiescence, and the four men's previous tension and anxiety vanished instantly, their faces filled with joy.

Second Uncle said, "I knew it. My nephew is capable. He was just joking."

Fifth Uncle said, "In that case, my dear nephew, you should hurry up and get it done, lest you keep your elders waiting."

Song Shuyan clapped his hands, and four beautiful young women immediately entered the hall, each carrying a mahogany tray filled with gleaming gold, each ingot weighing fifty taels.

The young girls' cheeks were as pink as peach blossoms, shy and timid, their voices soft and melodious, "This humble servant greets Lord Song!"

Song Shuyu narrowed his eyes, "Cousin, what is this...?"

Song Shuyan laughed and said, "Brother Shuyu, you're twenty-two now that the New Year is over, right? The backyard can't always be empty and unattended! Look, your cousin has prepared everything for you, and I'll reward you handsomely after this is done."

Seeing this, Song Shushen was not to be outdone and hurriedly ordered someone to present a thank-you gift: contracts for five shops and a brothel!
"Cousin, the girls in this brothel are all courtesans who sell their art but not their bodies. I brought them all from Yangzhou. They are all stunning beauties, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, dancing, and singing. They have all kinds of charm. I guarantee you'll like them!"

Song Shushen spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes filled with lewd and lustful thoughts, which made Song Shuyu feel nauseous.

Calculating the time, he realized he had already wasted enough time and had lost patience to continue the charade. He decided to have someone see the guests off, then go to pay his respects to his grandmother, spend some time with her, and then return to the yamen to deliver some snacks to Mu Qingcheng.

Unexpectedly, before he could even speak, his great-uncle began lecturing him: "Shuyu, you're not young anymore. You should have taken a wife and concubines long ago to continue the family line. The Empress Dowager has chosen a marriage for you. You should carefully consider it. You don't have a title, but if you marry a princess, you'll become the son-in-law of a prince, your future will be brighter, and our Song family will be able to prosper even more..."

Song Shuyu suppressed his displeasure and said, "Grand Uncle, you must all know what happened at the Spring Banquet. Princess Ningchang's character is not up to par with our Duke's mansion."

“Character can be corrected. Besides, the princess did not commit any serious crime. She only scolded the coroner a few times.”

At this point, Grand Uncle's face grew even more gloomy. "Shuyu, since we've come this far, Grand Uncle has to give you a lecture. She's just a female coroner. No matter how much you argue, you can't change the fact that she comes from a lowly background. Why do you have to go against the entire court for such a lowly woman? How dare you act so recklessly! Where does this leave the reputation of the Song family?"

Song Shuyu curled his fingers slightly, and the teacup in his hand almost slipped out of his grasp.

“That’s right, my dear nephew, how could you be so foolish! If you like that female coroner, keeping her as a mistress is already giving her face. Princess Ningchang is a noble lady, she should be able to tolerate it.” Second Uncle immediately chimed in.

With the elders taking the lead, Fifth Uncle's tone also became assertive, "In my opinion, we should ask the Empress Dowager to issue an imperial decree tomorrow to grant the marriage, and complete the wedding within the year, so as to avoid rumors from outside saying that our Song family's social standing is so low that even a coroner can be associated with us!"

Song Shushen smacked his lips, his eyes full of disgust. "Tsk, cousin, I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but those coroners' hands, they're always rummaging through dead bodies, it's disgusting! And they don't just examine female corpses, they examine male corpses too!"

“Examining a male corpse? That…that means touching every man’s body? And all sorts of different men? My God, Brother Shuyu, how could you possibly be interested in such a filthy woman?” Song Shuyan said, his face contorted with nausea.

Outside the hall, Song Li and the steward frowned more and more. The maids Bai Zhi and Ban Xia were secretly furious. They were asking for favors and scolding people. Did they think their master was easy to bully?
"Somebody come!"

Just then, Song Shuyu calmly gave an order from inside the hall: "The tea is cold, change it to hot tea. It must be piping hot, lukewarm water doesn't taste good." Bai Zhi agreed and went to prepare it.

Song Li whispered, "Serve two bowls to the master."

Upon hearing this, Banxia followed suit.

Soon, two maids each carried a tray and placed two bowls of hot tea on Song Shuyu's left and right sides.

The chattering group, though puzzled by the maid's behavior, didn't take it to heart. They were confident that their own affairs were settled, so they relaxed completely, giving Song Shuyu all sorts of advice and belittling Mu Qingcheng.

The four girls remained standing there, gazing at each other with affection, waiting for Song Shuyu to accept their offer.

Song Shuyu picked up a bowl of tea, pushed open the lid, and felt the steam rising to his face. He nodded slightly and said, "Hmm, this is indeed the hot tea I like." Then he looked up and called out, "Song Shushen, come here."

"Cousin, this is the first time you've called me by my name." Song Shushen was slightly taken aback, then walked up to Song Shuyu. "I wonder what brings you here, cousin..."

The word "instruction" was abruptly cut off by the wave of heat that hit him. The intense burning pain caused Song Shushen to instinctively cover his face with his hands and scream in agony, "Ah—"

Who would have thought that Song Shuyu would suddenly attack and splash the entire bowl of boiling tea on Song Shushen's face!
However, before the Song family could even react to their shock, Song Shuyu stretched out his long leg and kicked Song Shushen to the ground, where he lay like a dead dog!
"Ah Shen!" Fifth Uncle exclaimed in surprise.

While Song Shuyan was still in shock, she suddenly realized why the maid had ordered two bowls of hot tea!
He instinctively turned to leave, but suddenly someone grabbed him by the back of the neck. Then, boiling water that had just come out of the pot was poured over his head, scalding him so much that he screamed in agony!
"Ayan——"

Second Uncle glared, his anger rising, and roared, "Song Shuyu, what are you doing? Do you want to rebel against heaven?"

The great-uncle trembled with shock, his beard bristling, his breath coming in ragged gasps as if he were about to die. "No, unfilial descendants! How dare you... how dare you mistreat your brother..."

"Ah."

Song Shuyu let out a mocking sound from deep in his throat.

With a flick of his wrist, Song Shuyan, whose face was covered in burns, was thrown heavily to the ground!
Song Shuyan struggled to get up, but Song Shuyu stepped on her head and face, forcibly pressing her down again!

The four girls were so frightened that they loosened their grip, and the gold in the tray fell like spilled beans, clattering and rolling all over the ground!
Second Uncle and Fifth Uncle immediately rushed over, trying to save their son, but before their hands could even touch Song Shuyu, they were stopped by the gleaming blade of a sword!

Song Li exuded a chilling aura. "Anyone who acts rashly will die!"

The second and fifth uncles were terrified. Their breathing became much quieter, and their faces turned deathly pale!
Song Shuyu moved his feet back and forth, grinding against Song Shuyan's head and face, looking down at the person beneath him with a mad and obsessive ruthlessness in his eyes. "When you ask for help, you need to have the attitude of asking for help, understand?"

(End of this chapter)