roccoschili Chapter 52 Yang Yong's suggestion was truly courageous.
Chapter 52 Yang Yong's suggestion was truly courageous.
Yang Yan looked at the roster. First, there were full-body portraits drawn in traditional Chinese painting, and then the next page contained detailed information.
"Li family of Longxi, Danyang branch, granddaughter of Li Delin, sixteen years old, skilled in poetry and literature, gentle and kind..."
"The Yang family of Hongnong, the niece of Yang Su, the Duke of Yue, was fifteen years old. She was skilled in riding and archery and had a cheerful and outgoing personality..."
"The Cui family of Qinghe, daughter of Cui Zhongfang, the prefect of Zhengzhou, was seventeen years old. She was skilled in music and had a beautiful appearance..."
Yang Yan's fingers gently caressed the paper, a playful sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
That's quite a grand gesture.
This is hardly a list of candidates for imperial concubines; it's clearly an elaborately woven political trap!
Li Delin was an old nobleman from Guanzhong, Yang Su was a favorite of the emperor, and Cui Zhongfang was a representative of the Shandong gentry.
These three names represent the three most powerful forces in the imperial court.
"What on earth is going on? Your grandmother's thoughts are unfathomable. This isn't a selection of concubines; it's clearly putting you on the hot seat!"
"Your imperial grandmother sent this to you, saying that you can choose one to be your principal wife."
Yang Yong slumped into the armchair, clutching his head and groaning in pain, "What on earth is going on? Your Empress Dowager's mind is unfathomable. This isn't a selection of concubines; it's clearly putting you on the hot seat!"
"The Li family of Longxi represents the old nobles... The Yang family of Hongnong are Yang Su's people... As for the Cui family of Qinghe... Although the Shandong gentry are noble, they are outsiders in the eyes of the Guanzhong clique, and choosing them would please neither side!"
"If you choose either side, you will offend the other two! My son, why is your mother suddenly arranging this marriage for you?!"
Although Yang Yong suffered repeated defeats in political struggles, he had been the crown prince for twenty years, so he still possessed the most basic political sensitivity.
This is a question that could cost you your life.
Choosing either one is a mistake.
However, Yang Yan remained unusually calm in the face of his father's panic.
He casually flipped through two pages before tossing the priceless register onto a nearby table like trash.
"Father, there is no need to worry. I already know about this matter."
Yang Yan walked to the side, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp to suppress the dryness in his throat.
"My grandmother's focus is not on selecting concubines, but on testing my stance and, more importantly, on putting pressure on the Crown Prince."
He put down his teacup: "She is very particular about rules and hates it when others act cleverly. I have already told her in person that 'my grandson is young and everything is up to my grandmother to decide.'"
"Since she set the question, let her solve it herself."
Yang Yan turned around, looked at Yang Yong, and said with a coldness beyond his years: "No matter who she points to me, even if it's a beggar on the street, I will marry him in a grand manner and treat him like a goddess. As long as she chooses him, he is right and the best."
"If I don't choose, I have no stance. Without a stance, I won't make mistakes."
Yang Yong was stunned.
He looked at his sixteen-year-old son in front of him and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
Is this kind of effortless skill, this kind of composure that allows one to dance on the edge of a knife without flinching, really the same Yan'er who only knows how to study?
"It's all up to... her?"
Yang Yong muttered to himself, as if pondering the deeper meaning of those words.
Suddenly, his previously gloomy eyes lit up, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed instantly, as if he had figured out some wonderful secret.
"Yeah...yes! As long as we don't interfere, she won't find fault! Let's put the ball back in her court!"
Yang Yong slapped his thigh and stood up excitedly. He walked around the room twice, his previous dejection completely gone, replaced by a self-righteous shrewdness.
"Excellent! Excellent plan! If Mother chooses Yang Su's niece, we'll say it's for the sake of family harmony; if she chooses the Li family, it's because Mother is showing affection for the past. In any case, it won't be our fault!"
He leaned closer to Yang Yan, lowered his voice, and revealed a slightly lewd smile that most men would understand:
"If you don't like that principal wife later, you can just take a few more concubines! After all, you're a prince, so who can interfere with your affairs if you take a few more beautiful concubines? As long as you retain the title of principal wife, it'll be fine on the surface!"
Yang Yan's hand, which was about to reach for the teacup, froze in mid-air.
He stared incredulously at the "Crown Prince of the Sui Dynasty" before him.
It's come to this! A knife's to his throat!
This man actually thought he could take a concubine later?
Yang Yan felt a surge of absurdity rush to his head.
He finally understood why Yang Yong was so severely deposed in history, and why Yang Guang was able to manipulate him so easily.
This is no longer a matter of stupidity, but an extreme disregard for political rules and a crazy test of Empress Dugu's bottom line!
"Father."
Yang Yan's voice turned cold. He slowly stood up, his gaze sharp as a knife, and for the first time, he no longer concealed the disappointment in his eyes.
"Why do you think the Empress Dowager dislikes you so much? Why does she refuse to even step into the gates of the Eastern Palace all year round?"
Yang Yong felt a chill run down his spine from his son's gaze and paused for a moment before saying, "This... is naturally because that treacherous second son has been slandering me behind my back..."
"No!"
Yang Yan interrupted him, his voice low but each word like a hammer blow: "It's because you favor your concubine over your wife! It's because you've disrupted the proper order of seniority between嫡庶 (legitimate and illegitimate children)!"
"The fact that the Grandfather and Grandmother were monogamous throughout their lives is a well-known story and the bottom line that the Grandmother was most proud of. In her eyes, the principal wife was the heavens, the unshakable foundation."
Yang Yan stepped forward, pointing to the register: "Back then, you neglected Consort Yuan and favored Consort Yun, even allowing her to manage the internal affairs of the Eastern Palace and dress beyond the prescribed limits. Consort Yuan died with resentment, a thorn that will forever remain in the heart of our Imperial Grandmother!"
"And now you're actually teaching me that 'I don't like taking multiple concubines'?"
"Do you want our Crown Prince to die not quickly enough? Do you want the Empress Dowager to think that my father and I are birds of a feather, both shameless scoundrels who only know how to lust after women?"
These words were spoken with extreme seriousness.
Under the Sui Dynasty's principle of governing the country through filial piety, it was considered extremely disrespectful for a son to lecture his father in this way.
But Yang Yan couldn't care less. If he didn't scold this muddle-headed father awake, the entire Eastern Palace would be buried with him!
Yang Yong was speechless after being scolded, his face turning red and white in turns. He wanted to get angry and assert his fatherly authority, but in front of Yang Yan's all-knowing eyes, he inexplicably felt guilty.
"Well... then you can handle this matter, Yan'er..." Yang Yong hesitated for a long time, and finally could only flick his sleeves and no longer mention the bad idea of taking a concubine.
Yang Yan took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and shook his head: "Father, if there is nothing else, then I will take my leave."
"Yan'er, wait a minute!"
Seeing that Yang Yan was about to leave, Yang Yong became anxious again. Although he had just been scolded by his son and lost face, he found that he had no one to talk to except his son.
He strode up to Yang Yan, forced a smile, and abruptly changed the subject:
"Since you can handle the selection of a concubine, I have another important matter to attend to!"
Yang Yong looked around to make sure the doors and windows were tightly closed before lowering his voice, his tone filled with a hint of urgent excitement, as if he had grasped a lifeline to turn the tide: "Tomorrow is the court meeting for the conquest of Liao. Since Father King wants you to go with him, your suggestion that night must be to his liking."