Chapter Seventy-One To Be Continued Tomorrow

  "You... want to lead troops?" Yang Jian was taken aback, his face filled with surprise, as if he had never thought that this young man would have such an idea. He immediately furrowed his brow and waved his sleeve, saying: "Nonsense! Military affairs are a matter of national importance, a matter of life and death, a path to survival or destruction, and cannot be taken lightly. The five elements, the way of heaven, the art of war... at your young age, what do you know about any of these things? This is not like single combat, where one can laugh and talk."

  "Your Majesty has misunderstood." Yang Zhao shook his head and said, "As a grandson, I know that my talent is shallow and I naturally do not dare to be the commander-in-chief of the three armies. However, my martial arts skills are barely passable. Even as a small soldier, I believe I can still handle it. The Yellow Emperor's Dragon Bone was taken away by the King of Shu right before my eyes, no matter what, I must personally take it back. Otherwise, I will not be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life."

  "You have this heart, and that's enough." The Empress Dugu sighed again, turning around to exchange a glance with her husband. Both spouses' eyes were filled with bitterness. No matter what, Yang Xiu was still their biological son. From the standpoint of being parents, even if their son had committed a heinous crime, they could only try to protect him as much as possible. How could they possibly really take action and kill their own flesh and blood?

  However, Yang Jian and Empress Dugu were not ordinary parents, but the emperor and empress of the great Sui dynasty's hundreds of millions of people. Especially Yang Jian, who can be called a wise and brilliant ruler, rare in ancient and modern times. Compared to the three ancient emperors Yao, Shun, and Yu, he is equally without shame. He clearly distinguished between family matters and state affairs. Especially after learning about the significance of the divine land's dragon pulse and the Yellow Emperor's dragon bones, the couple knew that Yang Xiu must die, whether in terms of emotion, reason, or law. Only... only... alas...

  "Righteousness that leads to the extermination of one's relatives" - this majestic four-character slogan is easy to say, but when it comes down to actually doing it, it truly brings heart-piercing and bone-chilling pain.

  Yang Su watched from the side with a cold eye, seeing everything clearly. Strictly speaking, he was not that kind of person who only flattered the emperor either. Although he had intended to manipulate Yang Guang into becoming the supreme ruler himself, towards Yang Jian, this wise and capable monarch, he still maintained some respect and admiration. Now, seeing the difficulties faced by the old couple, his heart also felt some reluctance. At this point, Duke of Yueguo cleared his throat and said: "Your Majesty, the King of Henan has such a kind intention, showing that he is filial, which is truly commendable. However, as for how to resolve the situation in Shu, I think this matter is too important and should not be hastily decided. Today is already late, Your Majesty and the Empress might as well temporarily return to the palace to rest, and wait until tomorrow's court meeting to gather thoughts and come up with a plan that will bring no harm to either the country or the family."

  "This is the best way to do it." Mahayana stood up and clasped his hands together, saying: "The days are long from now on, let's stop here for tonight. Your Majesty, today the Crown Prince's old illness has relapsed, and he's a bit emotionally unstable. If he wakes up again and sees Zhao'er by his side, I'm afraid... uh, to be cautious, it's really not suitable for Zhao'er to stay in the palace tonight. Why don't we let me take him back to the Temple of Ultimate Bliss to spend the night first?"

  Yang Jian nodded and said, "It's okay this way. Sigh... Zhao'er, your father King Wang today although... was like that, but he didn't intentionally do so either. As a child, you mustn't harbor resentment towards your parents because of this, did you hear me clearly?"

  "Grandson naturally dare not." The young master Wang lowered his head and replied with this sentence, which was indeed sincere. Not to mention that there are no parents in the world who are not wronged. Even if he only thought of Yang Guang suffering from headaches and evil diseases, and also losing a soul and being unable to control his body, he could not harbor resentment towards this old father.

  Before the Daxing Imperial Palace, Yang Su made a fist and bowed to Mohaiye, then turned around and got into his own carriage with blue silk, whipping the horse away. Mohaiye gazed at the receding shadow of the carriage, her eyes deep in thought, as if pondering something.

  Actually, the news that Yang Xiu was going to "clear the emperor's side" had already spread to Daxing more than half a month ago. Since Yang Xiu's accusations in his manifesto were all directed at Yang Zhao, and he portrayed himself as extremely wronged, many officials sympathized with him. In comparison, Yang Zhao was indeed too young, although he had made a big splash at the New Year's banquet, but when weighed against Yang Xiu, he still seemed to be lacking in substance. Moreover, he was not in Daxing at the time and could not defend himself. After weighing the pros and cons, some people suggested that they should simply follow Yang Xiu's demands and hand Yang Zhao over to King Shu for severe punishment, so as to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and war, which would harm innocent people and damage the reputation of the Sui dynasty.

  This is of course a rehash of Yuan Ang and Chuang's plan. Yang Jian was not Emperor Jing of Han, and he had long seen through what his subordinates were thinking. Although Yang Zhao was insignificant in the court, after all, he was still the eldest son of the crown prince, and if he was moved, it would be equivalent to the court acknowledging that the young king was indeed unforgivable. And having taught such an unforgivable son, Yang Guang's qualifications as the crown prince would also have a big question mark. Yang Xiu came with great momentum, could it be that within three years, two crown princes were abolished? How could the Great Sui Dynasty withstand such turmoil?

  It is certain that Yang Zhao cannot be handed over. However, the palm of the hand is also flesh, and the back of the hand is also flesh. At that time, Yang Jian, who did not know about the Divine State Dragon Pulse, was really in a dilemma as to how to appease Yang Xiu and calm down this military uprising. He couldn't make up his mind, so naturally, the people below him were arguing endlessly. The officials who usually got close to Yang Xiu, plus the party of the deposed crown prince Yang Yong, and the officials who supported Yang Guang, came to accuse each other day after day, you have your reason, I also have my reason, in short, it was a big fuss.

  So this morning, the news of Yang Zhao's return spread to the palace, immediately causing a huge stir. Everyone was arguing with each other, citing classics and precedents, while leaving the young prince alone in the side hall, completely ignored. If it weren't for Crown Princess Xiao being heartbroken over her son, and Yang Guang coming over, seething with anger, to scold his own child, it would have led to a big fuss, and even after three days and nights of arguing, they still wouldn't be done.

  Yang Su and Mahayana Ye were originally both part of Yang Guang's faction. Yang Zhao was also a disciple of Mahayana Ye, so the master of the Pure Land sect naturally wanted to protect the young king. However, Yang Su's attitude in this great dispute was ambiguous, neither clearly supporting nor strongly opposing handing over Yang Zhao, which seemed a bit off. Mahayana Ye had sharp intuition and had already sensed something. Although the Pure Land sect was now the state religion, its foundation was still too shallow. While it dominated the court, among the common people, it still couldn't compare to the four orthodox Buddhist schools of Tiantai, Sanlun, Huayan, and Chan. Therefore, before Yang Guang formally ascended the throne, Mahayana Ye also couldn't afford to offend Yang Su.

  Although the crack has been generated, it is still far from truly parting ways. The master of the Extremely Joyful Sect had an idea in his mind, but it was not convenient to reveal it to anyone at this time. He shook his head and turned to walk towards his carriage, calling out: "Zhao'er, come up here."

  This is the second time. Thinking of what happened after riding with Mohui Ye last time, Yang Zhao couldn't help but sigh a little in his heart. However, it was just a fleeting thought. The young master put aside that thought and followed his teacher onto the carriage, closing the door behind him. The space inside the carriage wasn't big, so for convenience, he took off the Yin-Yang Command on his back and placed it horizontally on his knees. Mohui Ye glanced at the pair of heavenly soldiers and waved her hand to tell the coachman to start driving. She said in a condensed voice: "It seems you've gained quite a bit from this trip. Although the Yin-Yang Command is not as good as the Tiger Soul, it's still a rare treasure."

  "Although I obtained the Yin Yang Order, I couldn't keep the Yellow Emperor's Dragon Bone. If only I hadn't killed those two Qilin back then..." Young Master Wang sighed in self-reproach and said in a low voice: "Now that Zhao'er thinks about it, she really regrets it."

  "Being my disciple, don't say such self-pitying and disheartening words. Lift up your head, the two eyes in life are for looking forward, not backward."

  Xiao Wangye's heart skipped a beat, and his slightly dazed eyes instantly cleared up. He nodded vigorously and said, "Zhao'er understands. However, Master, this mess was created by Zhao'er himself. No matter what the reason is, Zhao'er really wants to clean it up personally. As for the Emperor's side..."

  "Let's talk about it. Your Majesty has made up his mind, and there is no need for others to say anything." Mahayana interrupted the young king's words in a low voice, with piercing eyes, and asked: "By the way, your martial arts skills have indeed improved a lot compared to before you left. The move that countered the Tiger Soul Knife Technique's Seven Great Limits wasn't bad at all, what's going on? Tell me about it."

  Just now in the Ganlu Temple, Yang Zhao only spoke of being washed away by a mudslide to the bottom of the mountain, and then stopped. At this time, his master asked him, and he continued to speak. He told how he and Fan Qinghui divided the two elixirs of the Qilin, how they groped for a way out at the bottom of the earth, how they found the Tiankeng Valley, and how they fought with Jiuchangsheng. After Moheye finished listening, he thought for a moment and said slowly: "The 'Wordless True Classic' is the source of all martial arts in the world. I also heard about Jiuchangsheng's reputation back then. Unfortunately, my 'Six Spirits Incantation' was not yet fully developed at that time, so I couldn't exchange blows with him. It's really a pity. You, Zhao, have had this encounter, which is indeed a rare opportunity."

  The master of the Orthodox Sect paused for a moment, then said: "You can understand the law of reversal and pursuit from the 'Mysterious Mirror of Changes', and create the four images and two instruments. This understanding is indeed good. However, the 'Mysterious Mirror of Changes' is the king's way of learning, mainly based on flat and harmonious numbers. The power of Qianyang Gong is strong, but it is biased towards Yang Gang, which is quite different from what you have learned. Now that you are new to learning, the flaws are not obvious, but they will be very troublesome when your cultivation is deepened later. Zhao Er, recite the self-understood gong and Qianyang Gong heart method for me, and let me study it carefully."