Chapter 1578 – Attack on Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (116)
The writing style was clear and upright, much like emerald bamboo, unmistakably from the pen of Yang Tao—yes, it was written by Shaoyang!
“Shaoyang is still alive—”
Yang Tao’s grin was just emerging when, upon reading further, it froze mid-smile.
Qian Su probed, “My lord, could it be that Shaoyang intends to…”
Even though Qian Su thought it was unlikely that Yan Lin would persuade Yang Tao to surrender, given the current situation, it seemed to be the only possibility.
“The letter states simply, ‘Under no circumstances should you bow your head to the villain An Huan for the matter of the lady…'”
Yang Tao felt lost. He had been despondent these past few days, torn between thoughts of surrendering to An Huan for the sake of his wife and sisters.
If it were possible, he would want to fight till death, but that would have no meaning.
He still had over twenty thousand remnants of soldiers behind him, yet supplies and provisions were critically short, almost all were injured—how could they resist the rebel army outside?
If they fought to the bitter end, not only would it cost their lives, but his wife, children, and sister would become sacrifices for the enemy to raise their flags.
Yang Tao didn’t know the right choice; with Yan Lin not by his side, he could only rely on his own judgment.
Qian Su asked, “What does Shaoyang mean by this? Could it be he genuinely wants to abandon the lady and others?”
Yang Tao shook his head, “Impossible. Shaoyang is not that kind of person; he has his reasons for doing this.”
Qian Su hesitated, “But… it’s also possible that this letter was forged by someone under Liu Xi.”
Yang Tao shook his head again, “Shaoyang has a bad habit in his writing. If it were a forgery, there would be flaws. While the handwriting might be imitated, that habit is rarely noted except by those who are extremely familiar with him. This letter should indeed be penned by Shaoyang himself.”
Qian Su: “…”
He had a good friendship with Shaoyang, so why didn’t he know that Yan Shaoyang had a bad handwriting habit?
Does that mean their friendship hasn’t reached a certain depth?
“So… what do you plan to do, my lord?”
Yang Tao declared, “Naturally, I’ll trust Shaoyang; he wouldn’t be wrong.”
Qian Su: “…”
If Yan Lin had a one-meter-thick fan filter for Yang Tao, then Yang Tao’s fan filter for Yan Lin must be twice that thickness.
Perhaps overly eager to risk his life, Yang Si found every reason to visit Yan Lin, hoping to glean the content of the letter from him.
In the beginning, Yan Lin remained calm, but after Yang Si showed up seven or eight days in a row, disturbing his rest, he couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Though I am a prisoner, I shouldn’t be treated this way, right?”
Didn’t they know that the hot afternoon after lunch is when one is most prone to drowsiness?
Yang Si turned a blind eye to this, bringing enough people along made him confident, so he didn’t fear Yan Lin’s “threats.”
Eventually, Yan Lin was at a loss, revealing crucial information.
Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia had become close friends in their boudoir due to the relationships with their brothers, sharing similar hobbies.
Before they left their homes, they basically managed their family’s businesses.
Noble families often owned various enterprises, like rice shops, taverns, restaurants, and the more profitable textile and cosmetics businesses.
Yang Roujia was lively, yet Yang Jian was quite strict with his daughter. To enjoy herself outside, she and Yan Shuyao played around with the “disguise method” from the novels they read. Yan Lin wanted to tell the two ladies that this so-called disguise technique was a trick concocted by wandering rogues.
To his surprise, they had actually grasped some of its essence.
With just some rouge and powder, their faces could transform drastically.
Of course, the real effect of makeup can’t compare to real faces, but in dim light, it was extremely deceptive.
Yang Si found it unbelievable, “Just how much of a change can that make?”
Yan Lin sighed, “My wife once mischievously dressed as you, my lord, during twilight, and even I was almost deceived.”
Yang Si temporarily accepted that premise, saying, “You’re stalling for time to give them a chance to save themselves?”
“The women of the Yang and Yan families are by no means weak or incapable.” Yan Lin said calmly with a hint of pride, “The more my lord values them, the more important they become in the eyes of the Southern Sheng rebel forces, making them easier to guard closely. Conversely, their chances of escape increase.”
Yang Si said, “What if you miscalculate…”
“A gamble still offers a chance of survival; doing nothing guarantees death.” Yan Lin said softly, “The Southern Sheng rebels are easily swayed by An Huan; do you think they would have any goodwill towards my lord? Even if my lord wishes to surrender, they would not let it slide easily, looking for any excuse to eliminate him. What does it matter if outsiders know they stained their hands? They cannot be touched—”
Taking advantage of the enemy’s negligence to intercept the families of captives as a bargaining chip is utterly despicable!
If they can do something this shameless, could they be expected to have any basic morality?
In these chaotic times, warlords can fight as they please; who would target innocent women and children?
Yan Lin lamented, “Even Lan Ting and Liu Xi wouldn’t stoop to this level.”
Yang Si: “…”
Doesn’t that have some insinuation? Isn’t it a bit excessive to mock his lord in front of him?
Did his lord eat Yan Lin’s rice or something?
“Hmph, my lord is a righteous man; he wouldn’t engage in such barbaric acts.”
It turned out that Yan Lin’s knowledge of his sister-in-law and wife was quite profound; both women were not weak or powerless women confined to the inner house. Once they were deceived by the rebels, they quickly sensed something was wrong but dared not speak out, lest the thugs resort to murder.
Because they also had children to care for, the rebels did not separate them, thinking that the two women wouldn’t stir up much trouble anyway.
They tested the rebels and found their tolerance was fairly high; as long as they didn’t leave, many of their demands could be met.
Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia came up with a plan.
“What makeup supplies do we want today? What silks and satins do we want tomorrow? If they don’t comply, we’ll throw a tantrum like shrewish women, cursing whatever comes to mind.”
“Just two women, utterly annoying, indeed. I truly wonder if Yang Zhengze and Yan Shaoyang are blind, choosing such coarse and vulgar women.” This situation reached the authorities, and those who watched over them felt a mixture of disgust and ridicule, waving their hands as if dismissing beggars, “They’ll be dead in a few days anyway. Fulfill whatever demands they make; just keep their mouths shut.”
Thus, the days of the two women being imprisoned went comfortably and pleasantly.
The maids and housekeepers who had initially sympathized grew to despise them. Their husbands were missing, and these two ungrateful women were unmoved. They even ignored when their children cried for milk. They had seen heartless individuals, but never such heartless ones.
“Truly unforgivable!”
The housemaids muttered among themselves.
Not only did Yan Shuyao and her friend enjoy toying with feminine trinkets, but they also loved dragging the serving maids to their side, often calling them over.
Several maids were on the verge of madness from the torment.
