In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

Inside the Hua'e Xianghui Tower, it was so quiet that even breathing became shallow.

Many people were secretly astonished.

ruthless.

That's too harsh.

The son stabbed him in the back in front of the emperor, and the father immediately asked the emperor to punish him with flogging.

Moreover, in front of the entire court, he asked the emperor to severely punish his eldest son to prove his innocence.

This cut not only severed Yang Xuan's skin and flesh, but also the last shred of decency between the Yang family father and son.

An Lushan knelt on the mat, the wine on his face wiped away by the servants, and his face returned to its fearful and aggrieved expression.

But a sinister smile flickered in his lowered eyes.

it is good.

The Yang family father and son started fighting.

Although I endured a cup of wine and a scolding at today's banquet, if I can take this opportunity to cause chaos in Yang Guozhong's family, it won't be a complete waste.

However, he still dared not say anything more.

His earlier remark, "Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" had already earned him a glance from Emperor Xuanzong.

He could never forget the chill in that glance.

The best course of action right now is not to add fuel to the fire, but to feign innocence.

An Lushan lowered his head, feigning reluctance to speak, and wiped his forehead with his sleeve, as if he was still shaken.

Emperor Xuanzong remained silent for a moment.

His gaze first fell on Yang Guozhong, then swept over An Lushan, and finally settled on Yang Xuan, who was being held captive.

a long time.

"allow."

Just one word.

Yang Guozhong slammed his forehead heavily against the ground.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your wise decision."

Emperor Xuanzong did not look at him again, but only added a few words:

"Gao Lishi".

"This old servant is here."

"Thirty strokes of the cane outside the building. After that, hand him over to the authorities."

Gao Lishi's eyelids twitched slightly, and he bowed in agreement.

Thirty strokes of the cane.

If the fight were to be truly successful, it wouldn't be difficult to kill a son of a high-ranking official who had angered the emperor and held no official position.

Emperor Xuanzong only said, "After the beating, hand it over to the relevant authorities," but did not specify whether it was to kill or to beat to death.

This means that the rod must be used forcefully and with great fanfare, but the degree of force used is in the hands of the person carrying it out.

Gao Lishi understood the situation.

At this moment, Yang Xuan finally felt truly relieved.

Thirty strokes of the cane.

It was heavier than he had expected.

But it's better if it's heavy.

It was so serious that the entire court believed that his act of overturning the table in front of the emperor was not at the behest of Yang Guozhong, nor was it a performance by the Yang family; rather, it was a genuine act that had disqualified him from the position of prime minister.

However, the physical pain was no exaggeration.

The moment the thought flashed through his mind, he was already being escorted out of the Hua'e Xianghui Tower by the Imperial Guards.

Outside the building, palace lanterns lined up in a row, but the night wind was cold.

Just moments ago, the building was filled with singing and dancing, and dazzling with pearls and jade, but outside, it was filled with armored soldiers and eunuchs, creating a tense atmosphere as if they were in two different worlds.

Under the eaves and in front of the steps, many low-ranking officials, servants, and palace attendants who had not yet had time to attend the banquet also heard about the disaster inside, and they all craned their necks to look in this direction.

They all wanted to see what fate awaited the eldest son of the Prime Minister's family, who dared to throw a cup of wine at An Lushan in front of the Emperor, publicly curse the Right Chancellor, and even stab his own father before leaving.

Soon, the torture bench was brought out.

The court cane, as thick as a child's arm, was also supported on the ground by two soldiers.

The heavy thud of the wooden staff hitting the ground sent shivers down many people's spines.

Gao Lishi stood under the eaves, his whisk resting on his wrist, his expression indifferent.

Yang Guozhong also followed.

He didn't look at his son, but only at Gao Lishi, and said in a low voice, "General Gao, there are proper etiquettes before the Emperor. Today's matter cannot be taken lightly."

Gao Lishi turned and glanced at him.

That glance was neither warm nor cold.

"Right Chancellor, rest assured. The Emperor has given the order, and this old servant dares not compromise it in the slightest."

Yang Guozhong sensed the subtle rebuff in his words, his lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing more.

When Yang Xuan was pressed onto the stool, he truly felt the hardness and coldness of the wooden stool.

Two Imperial Guards, one on each side, held him down firmly.

The night wind rushed down my back, lifting my thin robe, and a chill crept up my spine.

The crowd was completely silent.

Everyone knew that this first blow would not only strike a member of the Yang family, but also damage the reputation of the Right Chancellor.

Gao Lishi raised his hand.

"Execute."

The words had barely left his mouth when the first blow came crashing down.

"Bang!"

The sound was so dull it felt like it was hitting someone in the chest.

Yang Xuan's vision suddenly went black, and his teeth almost shattered in an instant.

pain.

It wasn't the pain I imagined; it felt as if my entire spine had been smashed by a red-hot iron rod. Before my skin and flesh could even react, my bones were already throbbing with a dull ache.

His body tensed instinctively, but he was held down firmly by the soldiers on both sides.

The second strike followed immediately.

The third strike.

The fourth staff.

Each strike was solid and firm.

After a few blows, my back was burning hot, and even breathing was painful.

Among the onlookers, some palace servants could no longer bear to watch and quietly turned their faces away.

Some people sighed inwardly, thinking that Yang's eldest son was probably doomed today.

But just as the sixth blow landed, Yang Xuan suddenly raised his head.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat, his face was frighteningly pale, but a slight smile still lingered on his lips.

When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, but it was loud enough for those nearby to hear clearly.

"Right Chancellor..."

Everyone was startled.

Does he still dare to speak at this point?

Yang Guozhong turned his head sharply, his eyes almost spitting fire.

Yang Xuan, however, acted as if he hadn't seen it, gritting his teeth and saying each word clearly:

"Aren't you afraid... that someone might suspect I'm acting under orders today?"

"Then open your eyes wide...and watch carefully."

"After these thirty strokes of the cane today—"

He suddenly took a deep breath, his voice rising sharply, almost shouting at the people in the corridor, at Yang Guozhong, and at all the onlookers:

"I, Yang Xuan, hereby sever all ties with Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong, effective from this day forward!"

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Even the soldiers carrying out the execution paused for a moment, subconsciously.

Yang Guozhong felt a buzzing in his head, and blood rushed to his head.

This wretched child!

It's fine if it's said in front of the emperor.

Once outside the building, and under the cane, he still dared to shout the words "severing all ties" in public!

This is not torture.

This is a performance of severing ties between father and son through the use of the cane, staged for everyone to see!

"Keep fighting!"

Yang Guozhong finally lost his composure as prime minister and shouted sternly, "You arrogant scoundrel before the emperor, how dare you spout such nonsense again!"

Gao Lishi frowned slightly, but did not stop him.

The seventh strike came down heavily.

Yang Xuan felt dizzy and his chest heaved. A mouthful of metallic taste almost rose to his throat, but he managed to suppress it.

He knew he couldn't let this beating go unpunished.

The harsher the punishment, the more secure the gate through which he will be banished from Chang'an will be.

Therefore, he not only cannot back down, but must also make the fire burn even bigger.

When the tenth blow landed, blood had already seeped through the inner garment.

The white background dyed red was particularly glaring under the palace lanterns.

Someone took a soft breath.

Even the soldiers holding him down couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed.

But Yang Xuan smiled again at that very moment.

He laughed very softly.

"Father……"

His voice trembled and broke off, but it sounded like he was deliberately trying to drive nails into Yang Guozhong's face.

"You did a good job asking for the cane today."

"Much harsher than when he forced me to bite An Lushan in the study..."

Yang Guozhong's face turned deathly pale.

This shouldn't be thought about too much.

Upon closer examination, it becomes a source of endless trouble.

The study, coercion, biting An Lushan—these phrases, taken individually, are insignificant, but when put together, they are enough to arouse much suspicion among the courtiers who were originally just watching the spectacle.

Sure enough, several officials who had left late in the corridor exchanged glances, their expressions subtly changing.

Yang Guozhong disregarded everything else and knelt down again with a thud, shouting loudly towards the inside of the building:

"Your Majesty, please be wise! This rebellious son has lost his mind after being flogged and is spouting nonsense. I would never dare to give him any instructions!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi could only sigh inwardly.

In the end, I was dragged into it anyway.

Whether the sage believes it or not, after tonight, the nail has been driven in.