novelAbuy Chapter 75 You father and son are truly pitiful.
Chapter 75 You father and son are truly pitiful.
"It's entirely up to Grandmother Empress!" Yang Yan replied resolutely, even trying to appear apprehensive.
Since Dugu Jialuo brought it up at this moment, she must have already discussed it with Yang Jian, so she has no right to refuse. Since that's the case, there's no point in being coy.
"Your grandson is currently a criminal, yet Your Majesty not only did not abandon him but also arranged his marriage. Your grandson is deeply grateful! As long as it is for the sake of the Great Sui Dynasty, let alone getting married, even if it means going through fire and water, your grandson will not hesitate!"
He agreed so quickly and decisively that even Dugu Jialuo was stunned for a moment. After all, the Xian family of Lingnan was a family that no noble family in Guanzhong would look down upon, yet Yang Yan agreed to it directly!
Just then, Yang Jun, who had been dragged out earlier, limped in.
The hem of his python robe was slightly disheveled, his face was streaked with tears, and his features were contorted in agony from the pain in his buttocks.
Clearly, those twenty blows, though not solid, definitely gave him a hard time.
But as soon as he entered the door, he heard Yang Yan say, "Absolutely no doubt about it."
"No! Absolutely not!"
Yang Jun, disregarding his apology to Yang Jian, glared at Yang Yan with wide eyes and cried out in anguish, "Mother! Yan'er is the eldest grandson of our royal family! He is of noble birth! What kind of place is Lingnan? It's a barbaric land! Although the Xian family has rendered meritorious service to the country, they are ultimately... a barbarian tribe! How can they be worthy of the eldest grandson of our Great Sui Dynasty?!"
Although Yang Jun himself was unreliable, he had an almost obsessive insistence on this concept of lineage and social status.
In his view, letting Yang Yan marry a native of Lingnan was like throwing a phoenix into a chicken coop; it was not only a disgrace to Yang Yan, but also a disgrace to the entire Yang family.
"Shut up!"
Dugu Jialuo glared, slamming her teacup heavily on the table. "Who gives you the right to speak here? Didn't you get enough of that beating? If you say another word, it won't be twenty, it'll be fifty! I'll let you go to Lingnan sideways!"
Yang Jun shrank back, instantly falling silent from his mother's murderous aura. He could only cover his bottom pitifully and frantically signal to Yang Yan with his eyes: Nephew, are you crazy?! Don't agree!
Yang Yan looked at his third uncle, who was grimacing in pain but still trying to maintain "royal dignity," and felt both amused and touched.
He turned around, bowed deeply to Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo, his expression solemn, and said in a loud voice:
"I appreciate your kind intentions, Third Imperial Uncle. But I believe this marriage is a wonderful thing!"
"Although the Lingnan region has submitted, the hearts of the people are still unsettled. Lady Xian has served three emperors and held sway over the Baiyue people, serving as a pillar of stability in the southern frontier. If my grandson can marry a woman from the Xian family, it will be a declaration to the thousands of Li and Liao people in Lingnan that the court regards them as its subjects, not as outsiders!"
Yang Yan's voice echoed in the warm pavilion, each word resounding: "This move will help consolidate border stability, turn swords into plowshares, and ensure that the people of Lingnan are spared from the ravages of war. It is a superior policy that benefits both the country and its people! Compared to this greater cause, what do personal honor and family status matter?"
Yang Jun stared wide-eyed at Dugu Jialuo, then at Yang Yan, who had a righteous expression on his face, his mind completely blank.
He suddenly felt that he had been unfairly punished with those twenty lashes.
So you think I'm the only one with low awareness?
Am I just an ordinary person?
Yang Jian, who had been silent all along, finally raised his head.
His gaze towards Yang Yan revealed undisguised admiration.
"Good! Well said!"
Yang Jian stood up, hands behind his back, his imperial aura once again unmistakable: "In that case, the matter is settled. You shall prepare immediately and depart for Lingnan soon. Meet him first, and if it is a suitable match, then finalize the marriage."
At this point, Yang Jian glanced at Yang Jun, who was still in a daze, and snorted coldly.
"As for the King of Qin, you will be sent to govern Lingnan. Let me experience firsthand what the hardships of the common people are like! Stop letting your head be filled with nothing but mush!"
After Yang Jian finished speaking, Yang Yan was now dumbfounded: "What do you mean? Yang Jun, the governor of Lingnan, wants me to go on a blind date?"
"Your son... Your subject obeys the decree." Yang Jun hurriedly knelt down, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp again.
"Step down."
Yang Jian waved his hand, seemingly exhausted, and turned to walk towards the inner hall, no longer looking at the uncle and nephew.
"Your grandson (your subject) takes his leave."
……
The two walked out of the Liangyi Hall; it was noon.
"well……"
A long, mournful sigh came from beside me.
Yang Jun, with one hand supporting his waist and the other on the little eunuch's shoulder, walked with a limp, his handsome face etched with the words "life is meaningless".
Only after walking quite a distance and being certain that there were no more of his father's spies around did Yang Jun stop, turn around, and look at Yang Yan with an extremely complicated expression.
In those eyes, there was sympathy, pity, and a sorrowful sense of shared suffering.
"My dear nephew..."
Yang Jun reached out and patted Yang Yan's shoulder heavily, saying earnestly, "You...you shouldn't be too sad. Think positively. Although she was a barbarian woman, and I've heard that women in Lingnan have dark skin and like facial tattoos...but...but maybe that Xian family's daughter is an exception? What if she's a beauty?"
Yang Yan's lips twitched slightly: "Third Imperial Uncle, actually I think this marriage..."
"Alright, stop pretending." Yang Jun interrupted him, giving him a "I understand you" look, and lowered his voice, saying, "I know you're sacrificing yourself to please Father and Mother, for the greater good. In that respect, you're exactly the same as your poor father."
At this point, Yang Jun seemed somewhat dazed, looking at Yang Yan's face, and murmured, "Brother, you really cried back then, marrying someone you didn't like... Later you found someone you did like, but Mother hated you. Now your son is going to marry a barbarian woman... Sigh, brother, why is your life so bitter..."
Yang Yan was speechless.
Does he see him as his father, Yang Yong? Or does he see the two men from the Eastern Palace as unlucky guys who "sacrifice themselves for women (or are sacrificed by women)"?
"Third Imperial Uncle, I am Yang Yan," Yang Yan reminded him helplessly.
"Huh? Oh, right, you're Yan'er." Yang Jun came to his senses and scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ouch... Ouch..."
As soon as he stepped out of the palace gates and away from the oppressive Liangyi Hall, Yang Jun could no longer hold back.
His princely demeanor crumbled instantly. He held his aching back with one hand and clung tightly to Yang Yan's arm with the other, practically hanging on his nephew, whimpering like a wronged wife.
"What kind of nonsense is this! I praised him as a great emperor of all time, and wanted him to eat well so he could live a long and healthy life. Not only did he not acknowledge my filial piety, but he also gave me twenty lashes!"
"Nephew, you be the judge! Is there no law in this world? Am I even his biological son? And what about my mother? Never mind, I'd better not mention her..."
As Yang Jun limped along, he grumbled indignantly, his face displaying a variety of expressions.
"That radish strip was so salty it still hurts my throat, like I swallowed a handful of sand! And that corn rice, is that for humans? That's for livestock!"
"Watch your mouth," Yang Yan quickly covered Yang Jun's mouth.
He's starting to understand his third uncle's thought process a little better now. It's mainly his mouth that's causing the problem. He keeps saying that it's the Sui Dynasty now, but if it were the Ming or Qing Dynasty, people wouldn't even know how they died!
"Let's go! Get in the car! Come with me to my residence!"
As the two reached the palace gate, Yang Jun, without saying a word, dragged and pulled Yang Yan into his overly ornately decorated carriage.