Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 8: Son-in-law, it’s time to get undressed (6,000, please collect and recommend)
The three brothers of the Luo family left, and Gu Banxia stayed beside Song Yan, with her head slightly lowered. Although she was older than Song Yan, she was gentle and well-behaved.

Song Hongtao also breathed a sigh of relief, and when he turned his head to look at Song Yan, a gentle smile had appeared on his face. That expression almost made Song Yan flattered. In the past fifteen years, the two had met no more than ten times, and they had never smiled at each other.

"Yan'er, you should move to Qingzhu Courtyard. Although it's not a first-class courtyard, the environment is quite elegant."

Qingzhuyuan is where some of the senior maids live, some of whom are related to the Song and Yang families.

"Pack up and come to my place."

After saying this, Song Hongtao turned and left. Song Yan went to the courtyard to pack up his things. Gu Banxia wanted to follow Song Yan, but was stopped by Butler Wang, who asked a maid to lead Gu Banxia to Qingzhu Courtyard first. He probably didn't want Gu Banxia to see where Song Yan lived.

Song Yan didn't care. He returned to the courtyard, put the Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror in his arms, and then put some loose change into his pocket. As for the rest, he left it all to the servant who followed him.

Seeing Song Yan's cautious look, the servant rolled his eyes. "A bastard is a bastard. It's just a few pieces of silver. Look at how careful you are. Would I steal your silver?" Well, if Song Yan wasn't here, I probably would.

The moon is bright and the stars are sparse. The milky white moonlight floats over the ancient mansion. The tiles seem to be covered with a layer of white frost. The night is very quiet, with only a few crickets chirping occasionally, which is quite pleasant to hear.

When Song Yan went over, Song Hongtao was having dinner with Yang and her three legitimate sons... Because they were entertaining the three young masters of the Luo family, today's meal was a little late.

This kind of thing has nothing to do with Song Yan. As a bastard, he has no right to sit at the table.

Yang has eight sons, three of whom remain in the Duke's Mansion.

The fifth son was Song Zhen, the seventh son was Song Yun, and the eighth son was Song Lu.

The eldest son and the second son have already become officials in the court, the third son has joined the army, the fourth son is good at business and is away from home all year round, and the sixth son, Song Zhe, is extremely intelligent, quick-witted and studious. He was spotted by the dean of the Bailu Academy in the imperial city and was accepted as his closed disciple. He is known as the Song family's Qilin child and has a bright future.

Song Yun and Song Lu are both quite talented. Although not as talented as Song Zhe, they have also obtained the title of Tongsheng. They will probably go to the Fucheng Academy to study next year.

Most of Yang's sons were capable, except for the fifth son, Song Zhen... Well, even good bamboo can produce bad bamboo shoots.

Although he is not young, he has achieved nothing.

He couldn't memorize a single Analects of Confucius after years of study, and he couldn't endure the hardship of learning martial arts from the guards. He was a typical example of someone who was neither good at literature nor martial arts.

It’s strange to say, although Song Zhen is the most incompetent among the eight sons of the Song family, Yang dotes on Song Zhen the most, even Song Zhe cannot compare to him.

Thinking of this, Song Yan couldn't help but look at Song Zhen a few more times, and then his eyes suddenly became weird. He looked at Song Zhen, then at Song Yun and Song Lu, and finally his eyes fell on Song Hongtao.

Song Yun, Song Lu and his father Song Hongtao all have some similarities, but upon closer inspection, one can hardly find any similarities between Song Zhen and Song Hongtao.

Could it be that this old bastard Song Hongtao was cuckolded by Yang?

Song Yan thought with some malice while bowing.

Song Hongtao didn't say a word, and Yang didn't even raise her head. Instead, Song Zhen glanced at Song Yan, picked up a chicken leg with chopsticks and walked towards Song Yan. He had a smile on his face, but he was so fat that his fake smile made him even more creepy.

"Ninth brother, we are brothers. Why should we be so distant and reserved like servants? You are getting married in three days. You should act like a young master of the Song family and keep your dignity. Don't let people think that the Song family is easy to bully."

"Hey, speaking of which, the eldest daughter of the Luo family should have been your sister-in-law, but now you want to marry her. I, Fifth Brother, feel really bad about this."

"But, after all, you have helped me this time. In the future, if you marry Luo Tianxuan and I marry Luo Tianyi, we will still be brothers."

It was Song Zhen. He had been astounded by Luo Tianyi since he saw her a few days ago. He had never seen such a beautiful woman. He thought that Chang'e in the Moon Palace must be no more than that.

These days, he has been begging Yang to see if he can ask the Luo family for a marriage and marry Luo Tianyi back.

"Here, here's your reward."

As he spoke, Song Zhen handed the chicken leg in his hand towards Song Yan, as if he was rewarding a dog.

Just when the chicken leg was handed to Song Yan, Song Zhen's hand shook and the chicken leg fell to the ground, and the splashing juice fell on Song Yan's trouser legs.

"Ah, look at my hands. I'm so careless."

Song Zhen sighed, "What a good chicken leg! Even though our Song family is wealthy and powerful, we can't waste it like this, right, Ninth Brother?"

A pair of sinister eyes stared at Song Yan, and the meaning was very clear, asking Song Yan to pick up the chicken leg on the ground and eat it.

Not only Song Zhen, but also Song Hongtao and Yang raised their heads and stared at Song Yan. Song Lu and Song Yun had a look of gloating on their faces.

Song Yan's body trembled slightly, and with great willpower, he finally suppressed the instinct to clench his fists.

Naked humiliation.

It seems that Song Hongtao really intends to use him to do something in the Luo family, but is worried that he will be out of control after leaving the Duke's Mansion, so he wants to conduct such an obedience test.

Otherwise, there would be no need to do these little tricks. I'm afraid Song Hongtao has big plans. If I show resistance or any dissatisfaction at this time, I'm afraid I'll be killed on the spot.

Of course, Song Hongtao would not be so stupid as to humiliate him severely when he was about to leave the Duke's Mansion, which would easily arouse a rebellious psychology. Therefore, at the critical moment, Song Hongtao should speak out to stop him as a gesture of favor.

Thinking of this, Song Yan's expression did not change at all, as if he was already accustomed to this kind of thing. He bent down and prepared to pick up the chicken leg. Sure enough, just as he started to move, Song Hongtao's voice came from behind the table:
"enough."

Song Hongtao was quite satisfied with Song Yan's reaction. This youngest son was still under control. It seemed that more than ten years of imprisonment had cultivated Song Yan's servility and fear towards the Duke's Mansion. This servility would become an instinct that bound him.

Preventing Song Yan from actually picking up or even eating the chicken leg is to protect Song Yan's face. For this young son who has been neglected, bullied, and even almost died several times since childhood, and who has some mental problems, a little protection from his biological father can make him feel great warmth, and even rebuild the weak father-son relationship.

Although Song Hongtao is not as good as those old foxes in the court, he is also shrewd and calculating. Every move he makes has its own purpose and he will never do anything useless.

"Song Zhen, I always teach you to be friendly and respectful to your brothers. Is this how you treat your brother?"

Song Hongtao seemed very angry. He scolded Song Zhen and immediately drove everyone out, including Yang. Then he raised his hand and beckoned, "Yan'er, come and sit down."

Next, he might start showing off his acting skills and playing the emotional card. If his guess is correct, Song Hongtao will probably put all the blame on Yang. Thinking of this, Song Yan appeared to be very terrified and even said that he didn't dare.

Song Hongtao was very satisfied with this gesture, but his face was a little sad. He sighed softly: "We are father and son, why are we so estranged?"

"I know all the suffering you've endured over the years."

"Do you suspect that your biological mother was killed by Yang?"

Song Yanlian said he didn't dare.

Song Hongtao laughed self-deprecatingly. "There's nothing I'm afraid of. You know this, I know it, and everyone in the Duke's Mansion knows it. My four deceased illegitimate sons, your missing sister, and the concubine who passed away from illness in recent years were all the work of the Yang family."

Song Yan also has an older sister who went missing when he was three years old.

Song Hongtao held the wine glass, the wine trembling slightly: "I know everything, but I can't do anything."

"You know, although the Song Mansion is still the Duke's Mansion, it is actually just an empty shell. The Yang family, on the other hand, is the most powerful family in Ningguo. Even the royal family dare not underestimate the influence of these families."

"The three generations of Ningguo emperors all married into aristocratic families. One of the current Ning emperor's concubines is Yang's sister."

Yang, Imperial Concubine?
Yang Guifei?
It can't be called Yang Yuhuan.

Song Yan complained in his mind, finding it amusing.

Just as he expected, Song Hongtao started to play the emotional card, pushing all the blame onto Yang, while he himself got away with it cleanly and innocently, even suffering from grievances and torture every day.

Even his eyes were slightly red, and a tear came out.

It was acting, as if everyone could do it. During the more than ten years of imprisonment, Song Yan's acting skills had long been cultivated. Even pretending to be a lunatic with a dazed mind from time to time was easy. He cooperated very well and pretended to be angry, his fists clenched and crackling: "Father, you have suffered."

Song Hongtao was satisfied. He was indeed a fool. He had been imprisoned since childhood and had only been in school for a few days. His mind was probably not mature. This kind of person was the easiest to fool. For someone like him who had lacked love since childhood, forced orders would often have the opposite effect, but tying him down with emotions would have a better effect.

He paused for a moment and continued, "But now we have an opportunity. As long as we complete this task, the influence of the Duke's Mansion will rise rapidly. We won't have to worry about the Yang family anymore. The Yang family alone is not worth worrying about at all."

"When that happens, I will divorce Yang and throw her into a pig cage. Your mother will rest in peace in heaven."

"I will also move your mother's grave to the Song family's ancestral tomb, move her tablet to the Song family's ancestral hall, and make your mother my legal wife. Then you will be the legitimate son of the main wife."

Song Yan's eyes were burning, and his face flushed, as if the temptation of the legitimate son was beyond his control.

A hint of pride flashed in Song Hongtao's eyes. In this world, filial piety is highly valued. Tombs are moved to ancestral tombs, and memorial tablets are moved to ancestral halls. Add to that the temptation of the legitimate son, and an immature fool would definitely not be able to resist.

only……

Filial piety?

As someone who'd traveled through time, Song Yan didn't care about the ancestral tombs and ancestral halls. Without the people, what was the point of the hustle and bustle? Compared to the Song Clan Ancestral Hall, Song Yan would rather carry his mother's tablet with him and worship it daily. "Father, what's the matter? Just tell me, I'll definitely do it." Song Yan patted his chest and promised in a trembling voice.

Song Hongtao's lips finally curled up into an irrepressible arc: "It's very simple. After you enter the Luo family, you must find a way to investigate the true relationship between the three sons and four daughters of the Luo family and Luo Yuheng!"

"You don't have to feel sorry for the Luo family. Although you are married into the Luo family, your last name is Song, not Luo. You have Song blood in your body, so we are one family."

This made Song Yan slightly surprised. What was the point of investigating this? Everyone knew that Luo Tianquan, Luo Tianyi and the others were adopted by Luo Yuheng. Could there be some secret hidden in this?
Speaking of which, all the children in the Luo family have the surname Luo.

This is not normal!

Luo Tianquan, Luo Tianyang, Luo Tianyi, Luo Qingyi, and Luo Caiyi were adopted children, but Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianxuan were the biological children of Luo Yuheng and her husband, so why did they also have the surname Luo?

Song Yan felt that he had discovered a blind spot.

Rumors abounded that Luo Yuheng and her husband were deeply in love. If the husband hadn't been killed by Emperor Ning, they would have been the enviable couple of a lifetime. But now it seems that this isn't the case at all. If Luo Yuheng truly loved her husband, why would she have changed her child's surname immediately after his death? In this world, changing a surname is no different than leaving her husband without an heir.
Thinking back carefully, the three brothers of the Luo family all had some similarities in their features. Luo Tianshu was his biological son, while Luo Tianquan and Luo Tianyang were adopted. This didn't make sense.

Could it be that all these young men and women of the Luo family are actually... all Luo Yuheng's biological children?

Luo Yuheng opposed Emperor Ning, and used this as an excuse to keep his own children by his side?

My goodness, how many green hats did that deceased prince consort have on his head?

Thinking of this, Song Yan couldn't help but feel a little pity for his father-in-law, whom he had never met and whose head had been chopped off.

But soon, Song Yan frowned slightly. Things couldn't be that simple. Even if Luo Yuheng really cheated on the Prince Consort, what did this have to do with Song Hongtao?
No matter how you look at it, this matter is just a royal scandal. There are countless such scandals throughout the dynasties. Princesses keeping lovers are endless, just like Princess Yincheng and Princess Fengyang in the Han Dynasty, both of them were very extravagant... It is said that Princess Fengyang really dared to let her husband do all the favors for her.

If a princess keeps a lover, at most it will only cause the royal family to lose face, but it is not a big deal.

Perhaps, there are other secrets involved here, and the Luo family's waters are probably much deeper than imagined.

While Song Yan was thinking, Song Hongtao spoke again: "You are a son-in-law, I have arranged for four old maids to follow you. With them taking care of you, you won't be bullied."

take care of?

I'm afraid it's surveillance?
The father and son's night talk was almost over. Song Yan stood up and left. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and said, "Father, will you really let me be your legitimate son when the time comes?"

"Of course, of course. After this is accomplished, you will be my only legitimate son, the future Duke."

"I see."

Looking at the back of his young son, the smile on Song Hongtao's face gradually disappeared, and what was left was only disdain. Bah, he's just a bastard's son, and he really wants to be a duke?
On the other side, with his back to Song Hongtao, the blush on Song Yan's face quickly faded, and a look of disdainful mockery appeared at the corner of his mouth. Bah, do you really think that I'm easy to fool?

Outside the main courtyard, there were four old maids, including Yang Guifang. These were the people arranged by Song Hongtao, and they were all his confidants.

They both arranged people, but the one arranged for the future mother-in-law was a 25-year-old gentle older sister in the prime of her life, while Song Hongtao arranged for four old men.

What a difference.

Song Yan smiled and shook his head. He said nothing and walked straight towards Qingzhu Courtyard.

Qingzhu Courtyard was in a state of commotion, and many of the maids had unhappy expressions on their faces. After all, no one would feel good about living comfortably in Qingzhu Courtyard and suddenly having to move out.

Some people were muttering quietly, complaining a lot, but they didn't dare to say too much. However, one voice seemed particularly sharp:
"How dare he ask us to make room for him? Why? I'm the Fifth Young Master's maid. I'm just a bastard born to a lowly concubine. Do you really think that by marrying into the Luo family, you'll be able to climb up the ladder and become a phoenix? Bah! In the end, I'm still just a son-in-law. I don't even have the right to sit at the table for dinner."

Song Yan raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the voice. It was a maidservant of eighteen or nineteen years old. The girl's body exuded the temptation of youth, her face was fair, and there was a hint of charm between her eyebrows. She was obviously a maidservant of a wealthy family, but she revealed some of the seductive behavior of a prostitute. It seemed that she served Song Zhen a lot on weekdays.

Seeing Song Yan appear, the other maids immediately shut up, but the maid named Xiao Cui was obviously different. Perhaps it was because she had been with Song Zhen for so many years that she had developed an arrogant and domineering personality. Even if she offended someone, what could she do? The Fifth Young Master would always be there to help her. The worst that could happen was that she would just be more dedicated and attentive when serving the Fifth Young Master with her mouth next time.

When Xiao Cui found Song Yan staring at her, she raised her eyebrows and said, "What are you looking at? Do you believe that the Fifth Young Master will dig out your eyes?"

She was smart and didn't dare say that she wanted to dig out Song Yan's eyes.

Song Yan wasn't angry either. He chuckled and took a step forward to Xiao Cui. Although Xiao Cui was tall, she was still shorter than Song Yan. She looked down at the maidservant in front of her with wide eyes. Song Yan raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Just now, were you the one who insulted my biological mother?"

Xiao Cui snorted coldly, "So what? Your mother was just a maid. Everyone knows that she shamelessly climbed into the master's bed..."

"Snapped!"

Before she could finish, Song Yan slapped Xiao Cui hard in the face, causing her body to tilt and fall to the ground. The slap was so heavy that half of her face swelled up instantly, and a trace of bright red blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.

In an instant, the surroundings fell silent, and all the maids looked at Song Yan with surprise. Who could have thought that the usually timid and cowardly Ninth Young Master would actually dare to hit someone, and hit Song Zhen's people.

Is the sun rising from the west? But it's night now.

Song Yan has his own plans. Since you want to use me and I am the only one who can use me, why not show off a little bit of my skills?

Perhaps this kind of arrogant behavior once in power is more in line with the role he plays now.

Xiao Cui lay on the ground, covering her burning face. A sweet and fishy taste filled her mouth. She even felt one of her teeth loose. She was suddenly shocked and angry: "You, you dare to hit me..."

"I am the fifth young master's maid. The fifth young master will not let you go."

Song Yan's eyes were cold: "You insulted my mother, so why not kill you?"

Xiao Cui covered half of her face, stared at Song Yan with hatred, and screamed. The commotion here quickly attracted other people. Soon, an old man in his fifties or sixties appeared. He was the steward Wang of the Duke's Mansion.

This housekeeper Wang is Song Hongtao's most trusted confidant. In the Duke's Mansion, even Yang has to give him some face. However, housekeeper Wang is very experienced and always puts himself in the position of a servant. Not to mention the legitimate son of the Duke's Mansion, he will not neglect even the concubines, illegitimate sons and daughters, and no one can find any fault with him.

Seeing Butler Wang appear, Xiao Cui thought she had a backer, so she got up from the ground, grabbed Butler Wang's arm and started to criticize Song Yan.

As he listened, Butler Wang frowned and looked at Xiao Cui as if she were a fool.

"Butler Wang, how do you think we should handle this?" Song Yan asked coldly.

Steward Wang sighed, too lazy to bother with a maid, and waved his hand casually. Two guards followed him:

"You are just a servant girl. Who gave you the courage to insult the young master of the mansion?"

"The Duke's Mansion doesn't need a servant like you who doesn't know the difference between high and low. Drag him away and beat him to death."

The excited expression on Xiao Cui's face suddenly froze, and she looked at Butler Wang in disbelief. She could never have imagined that Butler Wang, who was always smiling, would actually order her to be beaten to death. It was not until the two guards grabbed Xiao Cui's arms and dragged her out that Xiao Cui finally reacted.

In extreme fear, Xiao Cui couldn't help screaming: "No, you...you can't do this to me, I'm the fifth young master's maid, you can't..."

You can lose your life just because of a word. This world is so cruel.

Xiao Cui's indenture contract is held by the Duke's Mansion. Even if she is beaten to death, the government will not intervene. In a wealthy family like the Duke's Mansion, there will always be a few maids and servants who die.

On normal days, given Butler Wang's personality, he would have just scolded Song Yan and consoled him with a few words, and the matter would have been over. But now the Duke needed Song Yan, and Song Yan had obviously been fooled by the Duke's big meal and was at a loss as to what to do. If he was treated with care at this time, there was no guarantee that Song Yan would not have some thoughts in his mind.

A group of timid maids were trembling with fear. Who would have thought that they would lose their lives in the end just by complaining a few words?

I'm afraid that things are really going to change in the Duke's Mansion.

There was a scream from the distance, but it ended quickly. Xiao Cui was probably dead.

"Young Master Jiu, are you satisfied?" After taking a deep breath, Butler Wang looked at Song Yan, his old face blooming like a chrysanthemum.

"Satisfied, very satisfied."

Song Yan laughed and turned away.

There were also a few more maids serving in Qingzhu Courtyard. These maids had obviously seen what had just happened. They all lowered their heads and dared not say a word.

Song Yan didn't care about those things. He pushed the door open and went into his bedroom.

The bedroom was spacious, and even a single room was as big as the small courtyard where he had been imprisoned before. A few beeswax candles were lit in the room, and the dim candlelight flickered gently, casting shadows in the room. A special fragrance wafted through the air, which seemed to be the pure body fragrance of a young girl, adding a bit of charm.

A figure sat quietly beside the bed. It was Gu Banxia, ​​the maid left behind by the Luo family.

Her beautiful eyes were slightly raised, and there seemed to be a layer of mist in them. Her fair cheeks were blushing, as if she was shy and timid. She pursed her cherry lips and spoke slowly:
"Sir, it's time to undress."

A chapter is six thousand words long, and I always end up writing too much involuntarily. It’s embarrassing. If you have any recommendations, please give me a vote.

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(End of this chapter)