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

The chill in Yang Xuan's eyes flashed for only a moment.

The next moment, he suddenly flipped his wrist.

The full cup of wine drew a sharp arc under the lamplight, carrying a strong smell of alcohol, and was splashed solidly onto An Lushan's fat face covered with fat!

"Whoosh—"

The drinks splashed everywhere.

A few drops even splashed onto the newly bestowed brocade robe on An Lushan's chest, slowly trickling down along the gold embroidery, making him look utterly disheveled.

The entire Hua'e Xianghui Tower suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Even the wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner seemed to pause for a moment.

The courtiers, who had been smiling obsequiously just moments before, all froze.

Someone was holding a wine cup, but the movement stopped in mid-air.

Some people stared with their mouths agape, not even having a chance to utter a cry of surprise.

Even the musicians, dancers, and palace maids standing on both sides were frozen in place, as if they had been put to rest.

No one thought of it.

Nobody expected this.

This纨绔大郎 (son of a spoiled brat) of the Yang family, who had always only known how to drink and listen to music, actually dared to throw a cup of wine in An Lushan's face right in front of the emperor, under the very noses of Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang!

An Lushan's smile froze.

Then it disappears little by little.

The wine trickled down his forehead, past his brow bone, onto the tip of his nose, and finally splashed onto the table.

That chubby face, which had previously been filled with flattery and a憨态 (simple and honest demeanor), revealed its true colors to everyone for the first time.

cold.

It wasn't the coldness of an ordinary person when they were angry.

It's the chilling feeling of a hungry wolf on the grassland, its eyes fixed on its prey, as if it wants to pounce and tear its throat open immediately.

Looking at him, Yang Xuan felt a little relieved.

at last.

Finally, a corner of this mask was torn away.

But there was no hint of smugness on his face. Instead, amidst everyone's horrified gazes, he took another step forward.

"What is this toast to you?"

Yang Xuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was like iron scraping against a stone, making one's eardrums ache.

"I respect you for being a non-Han person, yet you portray yourself as a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty?"

"You command troops in three towns, yet you dare to feign innocence before the Emperor?"

"Or is it because you knelt here just now, calling everyone 'Mother,' treating all these officials like they were deaf and blind, making a fool of them all?!"

As the last sentence fell, the first gasp finally erupted in the Hua'e Xianghui Tower.

"hiss--"

Several officials in scarlet robes sitting at the back turned pale instantly.

Yang Xuan is no longer going crazy.

This is going to rip the sky apart!

"How dare you!"

An Lushan finally spoke.

He didn't immediately lash out, but slowly raised his hand and wiped the wine off his face with his sleeve.

The movements were slow, even carrying a strange composure, but as he wiped his face, the veins on the back of his hands bulged out one by one.

"Yang Family Eldest Son".

An Lushan raised his head and stared at him, his eyes so sinister they seemed to drip with venom.

"Are you drunk, or have you lost your mind?"

"To behave so disrespectfully before His Majesty, are you perhaps tired of living?"

Yang Xuan gave a cold laugh.

"If I thought my life was too long, I wouldn't have thrown this cup of wine out today."

"But you, An Lushan."

"You keep saying His Majesty treats you like his own son, but what son commands 200,000 border troops and still thinks about sharpening his sword even more day and night?"

"What son, upon seeing the emperor, wouldn't first think of how to serve his country loyally, but instead cry and complain about being wronged?"

"Which family's son is it that, while acknowledging his mother, manages the three towns of Hebei as if they were his own private property, refusing to let the Secretariat and Chancellery even know a fraction of the military horses and provisions?"

One sentence after another.

Not a single word was left unsaid.

What's even more deadly is that every word he uttered was not some empty insult, but rather directly hit the most sensitive spot in the court, the one that could not be openly discussed before the emperor.

Many people at the table looked beyond just grim.

Because everyone knows what these words mean.

They knew it, but no one dared to say it.

Who would dare to overturn the table in the emperor's most cherished "loyal ministers and filial sons" drama?

But Yang Xuan dared to do it.

Moreover, it happened in such a setting, at such an opportune moment, in front of all the civil and military officials and palace eunuchs, and they did it fiercely.

The smile on Emperor Xuanzong's face had completely vanished.

He leaned back on his throne, his eyelids slowly drooping, and for the first time, a distinct chill appeared in his gaze as he looked at Yang Xuan.

Gao Lishi stood to the side, his brows slightly furrowed, his right hand subtly raised.

That was a sign that he was about to have someone arrest him.

But Emperor Xuanzong didn't give any orders, so he didn't dare to move.

Yang Guifei was also stunned.

She looked at Yang Xuan standing in front of An Lushan's table, her eyes first showing astonishment, then a hint of unfamiliarity.

Is this still the nephew she remembers who would smile obsequiously at her and say frivolous things under the influence of alcohol to win her over?

No.

The person in front of me had none of the airs of a spoiled brat he once had. Instead, he was like a knife that had been cornered and was now being drawn to draw blood.

At this moment, the person who suffered the most was neither Emperor Xuanzong nor An Lushan.

It's Yang Guozhong.

Yang Guozhong had already stood up from his seat.

His face was ashen, and his lips were trembling slightly.

At first, when he saw Yang Xuan bring the wine forward, he was annoyed but also secretly hoped that his son had finally come to his senses and would do as he pleased, thus digging a pit for An Lushan in front of the emperor.

But he never expected this.

This wicked creature didn't dig a pit.

This set the entire building on fire!

And after ordering, he also casually put the father on the fire to roast as well.

Because everyone in the court knew that Yang Xuan was Yang Guozhong's son.

Whether Yang Guozhong taught him to say those words in front of the emperor or not, Yang Guozhong cannot escape the blame.

"The traitor!"

Yang Guozhong finally shouted out in a stern voice.

This sound, like a thunderclap, cleaved the deathly silence in the room.

"Who gave you the audacity to spout such nonsense before the Emperor!"

Yang Xuan turned her head and glanced at him.

This glance was very brief.

But seeing this, Yang Guozhong's heart sank suddenly.

Because he suddenly realized that there was no panic, no drunkenness, and no trace of the usual panic that comes with instinctively seeking a backer after causing trouble.

There is only one thing that is extremely cold and hard.

It's as if they never intended to turn back from the very beginning.

"nonsense?"

Yang Xuan repeated it, then suddenly laughed.

"Didn't Father just tell me to follow your lead and ask what I wanted to ask?"

"Why are you scared now that your son has actually asked?"

boom!

This sentence is even harsher than that glass of wine.

Many officials at the table had a sudden change in expression and almost instinctively lowered their heads.

broken.

This time it's really bad.

If we say that Yang Xuan's act of throwing wine was just a personal tantrum, it could be barely explained as a drunken loss of control or youthful arrogance.

However, this phrase "following your lead" was tantamount to dragging Yang Guozhong into the mess as well.

Yang Guozhong's pupils contracted sharply, his chest heaved violently, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

"you--"

That's enough.

On the throne, Emperor Xuanzong finally spoke.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a bucket of ice water being poured over someone's head, and the entire building instantly fell silent again.

Emperor Xuanzong looked at Yang Xuan with a gloomy expression.

"I am hosting this banquet today to bid farewell to Minister An, not for you to get drunk and act recklessly."

"As the son of a foreign official, you dared to throw wine and insult others in front of me and the Imperial Concubine, and even dared to speak recklessly about the military and political affairs of the border garrison. Who taught you manners?"

As he spoke, his gaze shifted from Yang Xuan to Yang Guozhong's face, then slowly moved away.

That single glance, though brief, carried a terrifying weight.

Sweat immediately broke out on Yang Guozhong's forehead.

Because he understood it.

What angered the emperor most at this moment was not only Yang Xuan's trouble-making.

What's even more infuriating is that someone openly undermines him in his own venue.

And this "someone" is no longer just Yang Xuan.