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

Emperor Xuanzong's face darkened suddenly.

He was furious that Yang Xuan overturned the table, but he was even more furious at An Lushan's words, "I dare to kill you."

This is the Hua'e Xianghui Tower, not the Fanyang military camp.

No matter how favored you are, An Lushan, you cannot display such a fierce demeanor before the emperor.

Gao Lishi's eyes turned cold, and he immediately shouted, "Governor An! How dare you lose your composure before the Emperor!"

An Lushan's chest heaved violently, and he finally seemed to come to his senses, quickly lowering his head.

"I made a mistake! I made a mistake!"

But the murderous intent in his eyes hadn't diminished at all.

Yang Xuan saw all of this, and his mind settled down.

It became.

It's at least half done.

From this moment on, no matter how much Emperor Xuanzong favored An Lushan, he had to admit one thing—this barbarian general was inherently vicious.

And this is precisely what Yang Xuan is risking his life to reveal to everyone today.

"His Majesty!"

Seizing the opportunity, Yang Guozhong immediately kowtowed, saying, "My son is arrogant and unruly, offending Governor An and disturbing Your Majesty. I request that he be immediately arrested and brought to trial!"

He spoke these words urgently and harshly.

It's not an act.

He genuinely wanted to drag Yang Xuan away first, lest this wretched child continue to open his mouth and utter some more deadly words.

Emperor Xuanzong did not answer immediately.

He looked at Yang Xuan kneeling below the steps, then at An Lushan with a gloomy face and Yang Guozhong covered in cold sweat, and remained silent for a long time.

He was weighing his options.

Weighing this incident, was it simply a young man's madness, or the court's factional strife finally tearing itself apart right in front of him?

Also weighing the options—

Although Yang Xuan's curses were harsh, the murderous intent that An Lushan had revealed in that moment of losing control was not fake.

The longer the silence lasts, the more agonizing it becomes for those kneeling below.

The officials and nobles in the building were holding their breath to a minimum.

Finally, Emperor Xuanzong slowly spoke.

"Yang Xuan".

"Your subject is here."

"Do you know what your punishment is for what you have done today?"

Yang Xuan pressed his forehead to the ground and answered very quickly.

"Your subject understands."

"To behave improperly before the emperor and to insult border officials is a crime deserving of severe punishment."

Emperor Xuanzong squinted at him: "Since you knew you deserved to die, why did you still do it?"

Yang Xuan remained silent for a moment.

When he spoke again, his voice was much calmer than before.

"Because I am afraid."

Even Emperor Xuanzong was taken aback when those two words were uttered.

"Afraid?"

"Yes," Yang Xuan said. "I fear that if I do not speak today, I will never have the chance to speak again. I am even more afraid that everyone in the Tang Dynasty knows that some things are wrong, but everyone keeps quiet. If even a good-for-nothing playboy like me does not dare to spill the wine, then in the future, I am afraid that no one in the entire court will dare to say a word against His Majesty's wishes."

These words went beyond simply criticizing An Lushan.

It was also a criticism of the entire court.

They wouldn't dare tell the truth even if you scolded them.

They were criticized for only daring to watch the show.

The officials who had just been pretending to be dead suddenly looked even more disgusted.

But ironically, no one dared to jump out and refute this at this moment.

Because whoever speaks out becomes the one who gets criticized.

Emperor Xuanzong stared at Yang Xuan, his expression complex for a moment.

He dislikes criticism.

But emperors can be quite strange at times.

When everyone in the court agrees with you, the sudden appearance of a reckless madman will inevitably draw attention.

But it was just a glance.

The dignity of serving the emperor must ultimately be preserved.

The next moment, Xuanzong's expression turned cold again.

"Gao Lishi".

"This old servant is here."

"Take Yang Xuan down."

"Drag him out of the Hua'e Xianghui Tower and hand him over to the officials for trial."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the building felt a jolt in their hearts.

coming.

Finally came.

Several Imperial Guards responded and entered, their armor clanging as they headed straight for Yang Xuan.

Yang Guozhong secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Regardless, let's stall this scoundrel for now; there's always room for maneuver later.

An Lushan narrowed his eyes, clearly not satisfied with such a light punishment as "handing the matter over to the authorities for deliberation."

But he dared not speak again.

That momentary loss of composure had already sown a thorn in Xuanzong's side; if he pressed further, it would only backfire.

Two Imperial Guards had already walked to Yang Xuan's side and pressed down on his shoulders, one on each side.

Yang Xuan did not resist.

He even stood up.

After standing up, he didn't look at the Imperial Guards or An Lushan, but instead looked at Yang Guozhong first.

That glance was surprisingly calm.

Yang Guozhong's heart skipped a beat when he saw him.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Xuan suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint.

But it cut straight down like a blade.

"Father."

He spoke softly in front of the entire court of officials.

"Are you satisfied with today's game?"

Inside the Hua'e Xianghui Tower, the breath that had just begun to catch in was jolted back up by this casual question.

Yang Guozhong's face turned white in an instant, and then blue in the next.

He never expected that, even at this point, this rebellious son would still dare to speak so bluntly to him in front of the emperor and all the officials.

This is not a question.

This is a knife.

Even as he was being dragged away, he didn't forget to turn back and deliver one last blow.

At that moment, the officials in the building finally understood everything.

The cup of wine earlier was splashed on An Lushan's face.

But these words struck a nerve with Yang Guozhong.

Before the emperor, the son dragged his father down with him, to the point that even a defense seemed futile. This was beyond mere arrogance; it was a complete and utter overthrow of the proper relationship between father and son, the dignity of the family, and the prestige of the prime minister's family.

The anger on Emperor Xuanzong's face deepened as a result.

He initially thought this was just an arrogant and ignorant son of the prime minister, who had lost his mind and gone mad in front of the emperor, relying on his youthful vigor to try to speak frankly.

But now it seems that this madness is not targeting An Lushan alone.

He even wanted to tear his own father apart.

Such people are either extremely stupid.

Either they are extremely cunning.

Regardless of the reason, we must not let this go lightly today.

"Drag him away."

Emperor Xuanzong's voice was not loud.

But as soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the building immediately became solemn.

The two Imperial Guards holding Yang Xuan's shoulders did not hesitate any longer and were about to take him away.

Yang Xuan did not struggle.

Even as he was being led around, he still looked at Yang Guozhong, his eyes showing no anger or fear, but rather a hint of a gentle smile.

The more this happened, the colder Yang Guozhong felt.

He suddenly realized that his eldest son, who had always been regarded as a good-for-nothing who only knew how to fight cocks and ride horses, was not just having a momentary outburst of madness today.

Every word and every action has been calculated.

He first used his own words to gain momentum, then threw wine and overturned the table in front of the emperor, forcing An Lushan to reveal his ferocious nature, and finally turned around and stabbed himself in the back.

It wasn't a mistake.

It's about layout.

This realization sent a chill down Yang Guozhong's spine.

But after the chill comes an even deeper danger.

We can't let him speak anymore.

If this wretched child continues, what will be torn apart today is not only the dignity of father and son, but also the little respect I have in the eyes of the sage.

"His Majesty!"

Yang Guozhong suddenly prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed, his voice trembling but extremely loud.

"I have failed in my duty to educate my son, resulting in this scoundrel's disrespect before the Emperor, alarming Your Majesty and disgracing your banquet. The blame lies with me!"

Upon hearing this, many people felt a chill run down their spines.

coming.

The Right Chancellor is trying to take the blame for "failing to properly educate his son" upon himself first, making a gesture of apology, and then he can take the opportunity to cut Yang Xuan to death.

really.

Yang Guozhong raised his head, his face filled with grief and indignation, his voice hoarse:

"However, the laws of the state and the family must be understood. Simply handing the case over to the relevant officials for deliberation would be insufficient to set the record straight, and even less sufficient to demonstrate His Majesty's authority!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you have this child flogged outside the building as a form of punishment. If I utter even the slightest word of favoritism, I will gladly accept the same fate!"