Immediately, palace maids and eunuchs pulled up a curtain in front of Empress Xiao's seat. The empress could meet with ministers, but she couldn't see them directly and had to be blocked. There would even be historians present, but not today. This is not a palace, only Empress Xiao.
There were more than a dozen confidant palace maids and eunuchs, and four warriors with strong martial arts standing at the door.
Yang Yuanqing went through layers of searches and finally entered Empress Xiao's room. He took a step forward, knelt down on one knee and saluted, "General Yang Yuanqing from the town of Fengzhou wishes to express his gratitude to the empress, who is a thousand years old!"
"General Yang, no courtesy."
On the other side of the curtain, Empress Xiao's tone was very calm. She had status and would not say anything with status like her son Yang Jian. Although she was extremely dissatisfied with Yang Yuanqing in her heart, it could not be seen on the surface.
"Thank you, ma'am!"
Yang Yuanqing stood up and stood with his hands down. Empress Xiao glanced at Yang Yuanqing across the curtain. Yang Yuanqing was in the light and she was in the dark. She could see Yang Yuanqing's appearance. She saw that he was tall and handsome, but his clothes were a little shabby.
, Empress Xiao had also experienced a poor life and didn't care about Yang Yuanqing's clothes. Fortunately, Yang Yuanqing was not the cunning person with a deer-headed and rat-brained personality as she imagined.
"General Yang, where is the Emperor's Sword given to you by the Holy One? Is it in the hands of the guards outside?"
According to Empress Xiao's idea, she wanted to confiscate the sword and give him a good land and a beautiful house instead. She also hoped that her husband would give him such a reward, but her husband gave him the sword instead. In the end, the sword caused trouble.
Yang Yuanqing saluted and said: "Reporting to the Queen, I know that I cannot bring a sword to the audience, so I did not bring the sword."
After a long while, Empress Xiao said calmly: "That sword represents the Holy One to a certain extent. General Yang has no problem holding it, but I am very worried that if that sword gets into the hands of some people with ulterior motives, it will damage the Holy One's reputation.
, like this! You return the sword to me, and I will give you a good land and a beautiful house."
Yang Yuanqing knew very well the meaning of Empress Xiao's words. It was just about what happened at the door of the house today. He didn't know how King Qi said bad things about him... If he handed over the sword like this, it would be equivalent to admitting King Qi's slander.
He doesn't need the sword...but he must make it clear about this. The sword has a reputation, and he, Yang Yuanqing, also has a reputation.
"Reporting to the Empress, the sword was given to me by the Holy Sage to commend me for my small merits. If the Queen felt it was inappropriate and wanted to take the sword back, I would have nothing to say... But one day, if the Holy Sage asked me... what should I do?
Answer? Please give me a clear explanation."
"If your Majesty asks...I will explain it myself, but you won't take care of it."
"I understand your Majesty's intention, but I can't tell you that the sword was taken back by the Empress. I don't know the specific reason. This is disrespectful to the Empress and disrespectful to the Holy One. I hope the Empress can give me an explanation so that I can rely on it.
Answer the Holy Spirit’s questions truly.”
Yang Yuanqing's tone was very respectful and his words were very tactful, but his attitude was very firm... Empress Xiao could take away his sword, but she must give him an explanation. He would not accept it being taken away by someone with ulterior motives due to poor storage.
Explanation, that explanation is simply untenable.
Any thing given by the Holy One will be taken away by someone with ulterior motives, so why not take back other people's things but his sword? This obviously means that he uses the sword improperly.
At this moment, Qi King Yang Jian suddenly rushed out of the side hall, pointed at Yang Yuanqing and yelled: "You are a bold thief, do you dare to threaten the Queen?"
Yang Zhen was very cowardly. He sent someone to assassinate Yang Yuanqing, but seeing that he was not dead made him feel timid. He didn't know what happened. The eunuch didn't report to him, which made him feel something bad.
"Dang L, it's none of your business, stand down!"
Empress Xiao scolded her son unhappily. She originally wanted to question Yang Yuanqing step by step, but Yang Jian interrupted her train of thought.
However, Yang Yuanqing seized the opportunity, took off the military badge from his waist, put it in front of him, and said, neither humble nor overbearing: "This is my military badge, please take it back together with the Queen."
Empress Xiao was stunned, and she immediately said with great dissatisfaction: "General Yang, what do you mean by this? Are you threatening me?"
Yang Yuanqing shook his head, "Wei Chen did not dare to threaten the Queen. Wei Chen just listened to the Queen's words and thought about His Highness the King of Qi. Wei Chen thought that the Queen must not want His Highness the King of Qi to be charged with assassinating a court official.
.,.
Yang Yuanqing's words were extremely sharp and frank. Empress Xiao's face changed. She glared at her son fiercely. Yang Jian lowered his head. He felt weak in his heart. According to his character, he must have refuted it immediately.
He did not admit that this happened, but the eunuch did not come to reply to him. He suspected that it had fallen into the hands of Yang Yuanqing, and he might have written some confession. At this time, he did not dare to expand the matter. This was also his cleverness.
Empress Xiao was an extremely smart woman. She immediately heard something behind Yang Yuanqing's words. She also knew that her son had always been misbehaving, to the extent that he wanted to assassinate Yang Yuanqing. It was estimated that the matter was not as simple as him complaining to her.
She also realized that she was being used by her son, but this was her most precious son.
There was a minister on one side and her son on the other, which made her very embarrassed. Empress Xiao turned around and looked at her son. There was a pleading look in Yang Jian's eyes, which was the expression he often had when he was naughty when he was a child. Empress Xiao's heart palpitated. She
She seemed to see her son learning to talk when he was a child again, and she sighed when she saw her son smiling sweetly in the cradle.
After pondering for a moment, the emotional balance in her heart finally tipped towards her son.
"General Yang, I don't want to get involved in other matters. I will discuss the matter as it is. Military cards are a matter for the court and have nothing to do with me. Take it back. You must hand back that sword immediately. Do you understand?"
Yang Yuanqing saw that Empress Xiao would not even talk about the most basic right and wrong for the sake of her son, which meant that even if she was killed by Yang Jian, she would still protect him.
He can understand this and maternal love, which is understandable for ordinary women, but Empress Xiao is different. She is the empress of the world, and everyone in the world is her people. She can also choose to remain silent and not interfere with the relationship between King Qi and Yang Yuanqing.
However, she did not do that. She still ordered herself to hand over the sword and protect her son. Between the conflict between the minister and her son, she lost the most basic fairness.
The shame and anger of Yihe being insulted ignited in Yang Yuanqing's heart, and the bravery in his bones was stirred. He slowly shook his head and said: "Please take away the military plaque, the Queen. I will hand over the sword as well. If the Queen is unwilling to accept it,
If you take the military card, that humble minister is still a side general of the Great Sui Dynasty. I should return this sword to your Majesty."
"Be bold!"
Empress Xiao scolded angrily, "Yang Yuanqing, don't think I dare not kill you, come here!"
Several guards standing at the door agreed and were about to pounce on Yang Yuanqing. At this moment, a eunuch shouted from outside: "Princess Leping has arrived!"
Footsteps sounded, and Princess Yang Lihua of Leping had appeared at the door. She could hear Empress Xiao's angry scolding from a distance. She had already heard Yang Zhao talk about the conflict between Yang Yuanqing and Yang Kan. In fact, this was the fight between Yang Lian and Yang Zhao.
Just changed the way.
"Queen, what is it that makes you so angry?"
Yang Lihua walked slowly to Yang Yuanqing's side, glanced at Yang Yuanqing, and asked lightly: "Q...Qing, did you offend the Queen?"
"I don't dare!" Yang Yuanqing said as he went to the market.
When Empress Xiao heard Yang Lihua call Yang Yuanqing 'Yuanqing', she couldn't help but feel slightly startled. Her tone seemed to have something to do with Yang Yuanqing.
Empress Xiao knew very well that this princess had a strong character and tough methods, and was not someone to be trifled with. She was even more worried that her son would have some leverage in Yang Yuanqing's hands.
If there is really a clue and Yang Lihua catches it, once the clue is made public, it will be detrimental to her son's reputation, and the matter will be a bit serious. Especially during this time, the emperor is considering the prince's affairs, and she does not want her second son to lose points for these things.
Although she was very angry with Yang Yuanqing in her heart, she had to calm down at this moment. She restrained her anger and smiled calmly and said: "It's nothing, this little general is not very polite. I am teaching him a lesson."
"It's a mountain"
Yang Lihua glanced at Yang Yuanqing, sighed and said: "This child is still young. He has been in the frontier for a long time. He doesn't know how to deal with officialdom, let alone the rules of the palace. It is inevitable to be disrespectful. The empress is a mother of the world, so don't care about him too much.
"
"He is fifteen years old and is no longer a child!" Empress Xiao stared at Yang Lihua with sharp eyes.
"But to us, he is still a child."
Yang Lihua's eyes were as deep as the sea, and Empress Xiao's sharp gaze did not make any waves in her eyes. She said to Yang Yuanqing and Yan Yuese: "Yuanqing, you still haven't apologized to the Queen!"
Yang Yuanqing immediately knelt down on one knee, performed a military salute and said: "I am humble in my position and do not understand etiquette. I have contradicted the Queen, please forgive me."
Yang Lihua's soft power of water and Yang Yuanqing cooperated in time. No matter how angry Empress Xiao was, she couldn't express it. She had to give Yang Lihua a face and nodded, "Forget it, just like the princess said, you are still the same to me.
A... child, I shouldn’t argue with you, and you have saved me, so forget about today’s matter and go!”
"Thank you so much, Queen Mother, I will resign from my humiliating position!"
Yang Yuanqing saluted Yang Lihua again, "Thank you, Your Highness, Princess."
He slowly stepped back, and Yang Lihua kept watching his back as he walked away, and then she said to Empress Xiao in a sincere tone: "This boy values love and justice, and is kind to me. I like him very much, but he is offensive to the empress."
, I hope the empress will spare him this time for my sake."
Yang Lihua did her job flawlessly and blocked the way for Empress Xiao to take revenge on Yang Yuanqing afterwards, forcing Empress Xiao to let go of the matter and said, "Where did the princess go? I am the majestic Empress of the Sui Dynasty, how could I be with Yang Yuanqing?"
One, with the knowledge of a child, the matter is over."
Yang Lihua bowed to her and said with a smile: "I am the host today and have many affairs, so I will take my leave first. I will buy wine later to apologize to the empress."
Empress Xiao held her hand affectionately and said with a smile: "It's such a trivial matter, do we need to apologize to each other? I know that eldest sister is very busy, so I won't keep eldest sister."
Yang Lihua nodded and walked lightly. From beginning to end, she didn't say a word to Yang Jian next to her, as if she didn't know him.
Yang Jian originally thought that he could use his mother's power to deal with Yang Fangqing, but he didn't expect to get anything in the end, which made him extremely unwilling. He said angrily: "If Yang Yuanqing commits such a crime, mother, should we forget it?"
"This matter has nothing to do with me, don't involve me!"
Empress Xiao glanced at him coldly, "The East Palace has not yet been decided, Laer, I advise you not to offend the imperial concubine at this time."
Yang Jian felt frustrated and resigned with a guilty conscience. Xiao Hou paced around the palace with her hands behind her back. Although she had promised Yang Lihua not to ask anything more about the matter, what happened today still made her feel very unhappy, especially when Yang Yuanqing borrowed money from her husband.
He pressed her down and made her feel like a lump in her throat.
At this time, the old eunuch Zhao Jinxian next to him said: "Queen, I feel that Yang Yuanqing lacks family education!"
One sentence reminded Empress Xiao, yes! She may not cause trouble with Yang Yuanqing, but Yang Xuangan and his wife Zheng are not strict in raising their children, and they are responsible.
"Go to the main hall and invite Yang Yuanqing's mother, Mrs. Zheng, to come to me. I want to have a good talk with her about parenting."