Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 220: Someone Can’t Stop Thinking About You
Luo Fubang jumped when he saw Song Lianhe slap the silver note he had given her back onto the table.
"Why did you bring the silver back? Did... did they refuse to sell?"
Before he could get angry, Song Lianhe took a sip of her chilled tea and shook her head. "He wants to open a franchise of my Medical Clinic. This is the franchise fee."
Luo Fubang’s brows knitted. He stroked his little mustache, asking in disbelief, "So you’re saying we got two hundred fine warhorses without spending a single piece of silver?"
"There’s more," Da Xi added, presenting Song Lianhe with her favorite dried fruit. "Old Master, don’t forget about the man locked in the dungeon."
"Kong Yu? Heh... Heheh... Ha... Haha... HAHAHAHA..."
Luo Fubang put his hands on his hips and threw his head back, roaring with laughter.
It wasn’t that he was being arrogant; it was just too damn satisfying!
Ever since Emperor Cheng Xiao had sent Biwu to conquer Yu State, the Court had been quietly suppressing Sui Bei. Add to that this year’s sharp decline in the grain harvest—a matter of the people’s very livelihood—and every one of these issues weighed heavily on Luo Fubang’s heart. There hadn’t been a single day without this heavy burden.
But now, things were looking up. There was finally some headway on the food crisis, and on top of that, they had just obtained a fine stock of warhorses from the Wu Qi Country for free!
And then there was Kong Yu. Leaving aside whether he had any treasure, the very act of capturing him alive was enough to serve as a powerful deterrent for Sui Bei and the Luo Family!
And all of this was thanks to the young woman standing right before him!
This made Luo Fubang not only happy but also immensely proud. This was his grandson’s wife, after all!
Now when he looked at Song Lianhe, he found everything about her perfect. No matter how he saw it, she and his boy were a match made in heaven! ’With their cunning minds combined, one outwitting the other, what kind of children would they have?!’
"However, we have to let Kong Yu go."
Song Lianhe said, munching on her snack.
Luo Fubang sat down and looked at her. "Why?"
Kong Yu was a man so hated by the Three Kingdoms that they gnashed their teeth at the mere mention of his name. Forget releasing him; they’d want him to suffer death by a thousand cuts! 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Song Lianhe looked up. "Think about it. Why has the Fengming Gang been able to occupy the Genosa River for so many years without being dismantled? Is it just because of the treacherous terrain?"
How could Luo Fubang not understand what she was implying? He looked at Song Lianhe, his eyes filled with renewed admiration.
"Exactly. So we can’t touch him; we have to send him back. With him there, he serves as an invisible barrier to Da Cheng, Nanchen, and Wu Qi. No one can easily cross it."
"I agree as well."
Zhong Shimin walked in. "Furthermore, in all the years since Kong Yu took over the Fengming Gang, they’ve only ever stolen cargo, never taken a life. This shows he isn’t a ruthless man. The same can’t be said for the other members of the Fengming Gang, however."
He glanced at Song Lianhe before approaching Luo Fubang and bowing. "My Lord."
Song Lianhe smiled. "So, you have to fight fire with fire. Kong Yu is quite capable, both at taming eagles and managing his men." She thought for a moment before concluding, "Although his eagle taming is more impressive."
At that, Da Xi couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, "I don’t think he’s nearly as capable as you are. You’re the one giving him a run for his money."
Song Lianhe glanced back. "Let’s be modest."
In any case, these two hundred warhorses were a huge boon for Sui Bei.
Luo Fubang had mentioned offhandedly before that Zhou Biwu wanted to form a light cavalry unit specifically for surprise attacks. Unfortunately, they lacked suitable horses.
There was just one problem.
The finer the horse, the fiercer its temperament, making it difficult to tame. They would need skilled Horse Trainers, like those in the Wu Qi Country, who were adept at judging horses and Taming Horses.
"Heh, what’s so difficult about that?"
Song Lianhe said with a grin, "Don’t we have a ready-made Beast Tamer right here in the Prince Mansion?"
Zhong Shimin caught on. "Kong Yu?"
"Exactly," Song Lianhe added. "And besides him, I know someone else. He’s a young man I rescued in Ling’an City. He may be young now, but I guarantee he will become the greatest horse master of all!"
The original novel mentioned that Chao Junyu was good at raising and Taming Horses; his family had been Horse Trainers for generations, but the Chao Family had few descendants and eventually fell into decline. The male protagonist, Zhou Junlin, was ultimately able to defeat the villain and become nearly invincible, and Chao Junyu’s contribution was indispensable. The warhorses he tamed helped Zhou Junlin’s cavalry launch surprise attacks and win a great victory.
Having spent so much time with Chao Junyu, Song Lianhe already considered him one of her own and wanted to help him carry on his family’s legacy.
Luo Fubang now had complete faith in her words. He immediately ordered Zhong Shimin, "Bring this person back at once!"
"Yes."
The next step was to deal with the man in the cells.
Zhong Shimin went to speak with him personally. As long as he helped with Taming Horses for a period of one year, his freedom would be returned to him.
"Or, I could have someone else come talk to you." Zhong Shimin stood outside the cell door, his face devoid of expression. "There is someone who remains quite... fixated on that body of yours. Whether you’re alive or not is completely irrelevant to them."
Kong Yu, who had been wearing a frivolous smile, froze when he heard those words.
He immediately cursed under his breath. After pacing a few circles in the cell while clutching the tattered cloth around his waist, he said reluctantly, "Zhong Shimin, you’re the only one I trust."
Zhong Shimin nodded. "I guarantee it with my life."
He scratched his head. "And what about my Fengming Gang...?"
Knowing what he was worried about, Zhong Shimin said, "Rest assured, we won’t take advantage of your situation. I’ll also periodically leak information to ensure your men know you’re still alive. As for what might happen within your gang... that’s not something I can control."
For instance, someone might seize the opportunity to "usurp the throne" while Kong Yu is in the Prince Mansion.
"After all... hasn’t your Fengming Gang been rife with infighting for a while now? Without us, your future would have been grim. This is a perfect opportunity for you to get away."
Zhong Shimin said calmly, "Your raid on Sui Ning City was just a means to escape the Genosa River, wasn’t it?"
Kong Yu’s expression gradually turned grim. "Heh, you live up to your name as the Tiger Beak Leader. Those bastards want to usurp my position? It won’t be that easy! When I go back, I’ll feed them to my eagles!"
Zhong Shimin wasn’t surprised that Kong Yu agreed.
Staying at the Genosa River was a dead end for him sooner or later. The members of the Fengming Gang were no saints, and Kong Yu’s own rise to power hadn’t been honorable. Under these circumstances, it was better for him to escape and seek other opportunities.
"I’ll have someone come for you shortly."
Zhong Shimin turned to leave, but then stopped. "Oh, right. Someone asked me to give you a message: You may be immune to all poisons, but you don’t have skin of bronze and bones of iron. Since you’ve agreed, don’t get any funny ideas. Otherwise, she has plenty of ways to deal with you, and she guarantees you’ll be left begging for both life and death."
’Those familiar words, that infuriating tone!’
Kong Yu knew instantly who it was.
’Damn it! That woman! It’s either her or me!’
