BSI Chapter 396 Good and Evil Father and Son
Chapter 396 Good and Evil Father and Son
"Thank you for your concern, Aunt. I will keep your teachings in mind."
Yang You bowed respectfully, feeling that staying any longer would be torture, so he simply turned around and fled towards the carriage.
Just then, a clear, childlike voice drifted into his ears.
"Mother, there are no Turks in Jiangdu, so my third cousin won't be captured again!"
The speaker was Lü Yan. His few words, though not particularly hurtful, were extremely insulting.
Yang You stumbled and nearly tripped over a small pebble on the roadside.
After swaying for a moment and regaining his balance, he plunged headfirst into the carriage.
Seeing this, Yang Tan on the other side dared not go forward to make his presence known.
He bowed to the crowd from afar, performing the junior's greeting, and then quickly boarded another carriage.
"drive!"
With a soft shout from the coachman, the two carriages parted ways, one on the left and one on the right.
The wheels rolled on, gradually disappearing at the end of the official road, leaving only two trails of dust that receded into the distance.
Yang Guang stared at the direction where the carriage had disappeared for a long time, his gaze lingering there. Finally, he let out a soft sigh, his tone filled with emotion and melancholy.
"Zilie, if I had trusted you completely back then, none of this would have happened today."
Today, he finally understands the meaning of "trouble comes from the mouth."
"His Majesty was also thinking of the bigger picture, so it's understandable."
Regarding Yang Guang's actions, Lü Xiao was reminded of Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi.
"I only hope that after this experience, the two of them will not follow the same path that I did back then."
Yang Guang's gaze was distant, as if he had returned to his youth.
He and Yang Yong fought for the throne for many years, both openly and covertly. Although he eventually ascended to the throne, it was a case of brothers killing each other.
He didn't want to see Yang You, and Yang Tan felt the same way.
"Your Majesty, please don't worry too much. There's always a way out. Things will work themselves out."
Lu Xiao offered quiet words of comfort, but said nothing more.
He knew in his heart that even if Yang Tan and Yang You were to be ranked better, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't harbor resentment towards each other in the future.
However, by the time it came to that, Yang Guang would probably have already passed away, so thinking about it further would be pointless.
"You're the one who lives life so wisely, carefree." Yang Guang gave a wry smile, his tone full of envy. "Sometimes, I really want to give up this throne and become a carefree countryman, passing down farming and reading as a family tradition, and not concerning myself with politics."
"Hmph."
Yang Ruyi, who was standing to the side, immediately let out a cold snort, her face clearly saying, "I don't believe it."
"Ruyi, do you have any objections to what I just said?"
Yang Guang's ears twitched, and he immediately noticed his daughter's unusual behavior, glancing at her sideways.
"How dare I?"
Yang Ruyi spoke obediently, but her eyes wandered elsewhere, clearly showing that she was saying one thing and meaning another.
She secretly thought to herself, "Easier said than done!"
If you were really asked to give up the throne and relinquish power, you would be the first to object!
All they ever say are these empty platitudes to deceive people!
"Zilie, are you aware of the recent situation in Liaodong?"
Yang Guang was too lazy to argue with his increasingly rebellious daughter, so he changed the subject and got to the point.
"I understand."
Although Lü Xiao had only recently returned to Dongdu from the northern desert, he had not relaxed his attention to the situation on all sides.
After Luo Yi's death in battle, the imperial court's control over Youzhou plummeted, and large swathes of land in Liaodong gradually slipped out of its grasp.
When Goguryeo was defeated, half of the able-bodied men were taken back to the Central Plains to dig canals.
The rest were enslaved, the entire dynasty was crippled, and it was already on its last legs.
But now, taking advantage of the internal strife and the weakened border defenses of the Sui Dynasty.
The remnants of Goguryeo were stirring up trouble, secretly colluding with their former subordinates in an attempt to reclaim Liaodong and revive their power.
"It's not just Goguryeo." Yang Guang frowned, his tone grave. "The Khitan, Xi, Shiwei, Mohe, and other tribes north of Liaodong are also becoming increasingly restless."
These nomadic tribes were naturally inclined to follow the water and pasture, and were unruly and difficult to tame.
Now that the Sui Dynasty is suffering from war, they are all baring their fangs.
According to an urgent report from Li Yuan in Taiyuan, Khitan cavalry were frequently appearing on the Liaodong border.
Their acts of burning, killing, looting, and acting in secrecy suggest that they may have secretly colluded with Qin Qiong and relied on each other.
"The Eastern Turks and Western Turks were both defeated and subdued, and these nomadic peoples can't cause any real trouble."
When it comes to dealing with foreigners, Lü Xiao is the most qualified person to speak on the matter.
If he remembered correctly, among these tribes, the Khitan were the predecessor of the later Liao Dynasty.
However, at present, they are just a disorganized group, and their strength is far from enough to dominate the northern frontier in the future. They are not worth fearing at all.
"What do you think of the Li family... Li Yuan and his son?"
Yang Guang nodded, then suddenly changed the subject, lowering his voice.
"I am not very good at reading."
Lu Xiao was slightly taken aback, and quickly replied.
He was a military general, and he was unwilling to use his brain.
Instead of letting him think about all this nonsense, it's better to just let him take up a halberd and kill someone.
However, at least on the surface, Li Yuan and his son remained loyal to the Sui Dynasty, guarding Taiyuan and achieving remarkable political success.
Even when the spy Cheng Yaojin sent back intelligence, there was no indication that the Li family had made any other moves.
Everything was in perfect order, and there was nothing wrong with it.
"You rascal, asking you to use your brain is harder than asking you to fight on the battlefield." Yang Guang shook his head helplessly, not pressing him, but just sighed, "Very well, I know what I'm doing."
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the east of the city.
Amidst the rising dust, a man rode a fast horse at breakneck speed.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Upon approaching, the man dismounted, took a package from his back, and then took out two sealed scrolls, raising them high above his head with both hands.
"Your subordinate was ordered to return from Dengzhou to retrieve the portrait as instructed by the Prince!"
"Thanks for your hard work."
Lu Xiao took the drawing board, his fingers trembled slightly, and his expression changed subtly.
This person was sent by him to Dengzhou to retrieve portraits of his and Yang Yu'er's two children.
He had waited and longed for so many days, and finally, it had arrived.
"Let me see! Let me see!"
Yang Ruyi was even more eager than Lü Xiao, and quickly reached out to take the scroll and eagerly opened one of the scrolls.
With a gentle shake, a beautiful silk painting floated down.
In the painting, a boy with delicate features, red lips and white teeth sits upright on a blue stone.
Dressed in a brocade robe, with a dignified demeanor, prominent eyebrows and eyes, and a straight nose, he was a miniature version of Lü Xiao.
In the lower right corner of the portrait, there are two characters: Lü Heng.
"Let me see too."
Yang Guang became interested and quickly reached out to take the portrait. He examined it carefully and repeatedly praised the painter's exquisite skills, saying that it was lifelike.
At a glance, he could tell that the child's eyebrows, nose, and face shape were all strikingly similar to Lü Xiao's.
What's even more remarkable is that Lü Heng in the painting exudes righteousness and integrity, displaying the demeanor of a gentleman.
On the other hand, when I first met Lü Xiao, I could tell that there was an undeniable evil aura hidden in his eyes.
One is righteous, the other is wicked; this perfectly encapsulates the father and son's relationship.