Chapter 151: Problems in the Yang Family

Just after noon, Yang Qi’s residence became bustling. Aside from Yang Qi, Yang Xian, Yang Zhao, Yang Zhu, Yang Chu, and several senior women from the royal family, there were also Yang Xuan, Yang Zhao’s son, Yang Xi, and over twenty other members of the Yang family gathered together. This was a rare assembly for the Yang family in recent years; they rarely came together unless it was absolutely necessary.

The reason was simple: Yang Xian, the second most important figure in the family, had been removed from his position as Minister of the Imperial Household due to the Dong Yan Guang case. This was the biggest setback the Yang family had faced since its rise to power. Everyone felt intense pressure—someone was scheming against them behind the scenes. If it was Yang Xian this time, it could very well be them next.

In the main hall, dozens of angry Yang family members sat in order of seniority, each expressing their opinions loudly.

“Everyone, listen! Although I’ve been removed from my position, the Yang family must not decline because of this. To uncover who’s scheming against us, we must find the real culprit behind Dong Yan Guang’s death. Otherwise, not only will I, Yang Xian, have been unjustly dismissed, but the Yang family will also face a serious threat.”

Yang Xian spoke with all his might. The pain of his dismissal and the frustration of being forced to hand over money erupted at that moment. He refused to accept it—taking money to avoid trouble was an unchanging truth. Everyone could benefit from others, so why couldn’t he?

He was indignant. Why, in the same Dong Yan Guang case, could Yang Zhao be promoted to Military Governor of Jiannan while he was dismissed? How unjust the emperor was! Yet Yang Xian never imagined the role Yang Zhao played behind his downfall.

“Second brother, calm down. Let me speak.”

Yang Qi waved his hand authoritatively. As the eldest son and de facto head of the family—at least that’s what he thought—he needed to maintain his authority at all times. In fact, there was another senior member with a high-ranking position: Yang Xuanzhu, Minister of Rites and Yang Guifei’s uncle. Due to poor health, he had temporarily returned to his hometown to recover. Yang Qi was most worried that once his uncle returned, the position of head of the family might pass to him instead.

“Listen to me all. Our Yang family has risen to prominence because of the Imperial Concubine. A tree that stands out in the forest is bound to be uprooted by the wind. Countless people in the Tang Dynasty envy us and slander us, with endless rumors and accusations. We’re not afraid of any of this. What matters most is that we must stay united internally. We need a family council with sufficient authority to resolve all matters concerning the Yang family. Prestigious families endure because of their deep-rooted family values—everyone strives to protect the family’s interests and obey the head of the family. Our Yang family should be no different…”
“Elder brother, let’s talk about the head of the family later! We’re discussing Dong Yanguang now.”
Yang Xian interrupted Yang Qi’s speech unhappily. This elder brother dreamed of becoming the head of the family—time to wake up!
Yang Qi’s train of thought was disrupted. He opened his mouth but didn’t know where to start discussing Dong Yanguang, as he hadn’t thought about it at all.
Silence fell in the hall. Yang Zhao sat in third place, quietly drinking tea, his heart filled with contempt. A bunch of idiots, still trying to overturn a case that had already been settled! Didn’t they understand why the Emperor had used force to suppress the Dong Yanguang case? That verdict was riddled with flaws, yet no one dared speak up. Had a single word about Dong Yanguang been mentioned in today’s court meeting? Hmph! They kept claiming to want the Yang family to thrive, but when the Emperor removed Yang Xian for the sake of the family’s growth, they all jumped up as if their tails had been stepped on. In their minds, everyone in the Yang family should become prime minister—that was what true favor meant. What fools.
Yang Zhao remained silent. Yang Zhu, who sat below him, spoke up. Yang Zhu was Yang Xian’s younger brother and served as an imperial censor. He was younger and more agile-minded. He stood up and said, “Dong Yanguang was killed, and there are many theories circulating in the court. One says he was killed by Geshu Han, another says by Li Qing’an. But no matter which theory it is, we have no evidence. Evidence is key. Once we find it, we can report to the Emperor and punish this man. Even my second brother could return to court. I suggest we pool our thoughts and consider other possibilities.”
“Could Dong Yanguang have committed suicide out of fear?” one of the Yang family members shouted.
“That’s impossible. How could more than twenty attendants die with him?” another retorted.
“What if it was done by one of Dong Yanguang’s secret enemies? He had some unknown secrets.”
Chaos ensued as everyone spoke over each other.
“Enough!” Yang Huahua finally lost patience. She stood up and shouted, “Shut up all of you!”

The lobby fell silent instantly, all eyes turning to her. Yang Huahua said with a stern face, “I’ve never seen people like you who only talk and never act.”
Yang Qi coughed and drawled, “Third sister, aren’t we all discussing this?”
“Discussing what? We’re just fixated on Dong Yanguang. The second brother was removed from his position for accepting bribes. If we want to intercede, we have to go to the emperor. What’s the point of discussing Dong Yanguang here? Can he possibly crawl out of his coffin to promote you?”
Yang Xian said awkwardly, “Third sister, whether I get promoted or not isn’t important. What matters is finding out who’s behind this against our Yang family. The real culprit who killed Dong Yanguang is the key, that’s why we’re discussing it.”
Yang Huahua slowly stepped forward and sneered, “Instead of gathering here and talking nonsense, it’s better to split up and get to work.”
She pointed at Yang Xi and Yang Xuan, saying, “You two often go to brothels and taverns. Go and gather information around Chang’an. Most official news is false; folk rumors are more reliable.”
“Third brother, and you too.”
Yang Huahua pointed at Yang Zhao, who immediately stood up with a smile and said, “Third sister, please give your orders.”
“Dong Yanguang isn’t from a noble family either. How could he have no backers? Third brother, you have many connections in the court. Find out who his backers are. Starting from them will definitely lead us to the truth.”
Yang Huahua assigned tasks here and there, and in no time, she had distributed everything. The younger members were already tired of such meetings and quickly agreed, slipping out of the mansion. Yang Zhao also bid farewell with a smile and left first.
Seeing most people had left, Yang Qi’s face darkened greatly. He snorted and said, “Third sister assigned everyone else. What are you going to do?”
Yang Huahua smiled leisurely and said, “As for me! I’ll go see the emperor and ask for some information. Maybe he knows something.”
…
While the Yang family was gathered, Li Qing’an also returned to Gao Lishi’s mansion. As soon as he entered, dozens of subordinates rushed up around him, congratulating him loudly.
“General, congratulations on your promotion!”
“General, we’re going to Beiting too, right?”
“A military governor! The general has finally made it!”
Everyone was overjoyed. If Li Qing’an became the military governor of Beiting, it meant better days were ahead for them. Li Qing’an waved his hand smilingly and said, “Go gather the men together. I have something to announce.”
A few soldiers rushed to the courtyard. In a moment, more than 200 of Li Qing’an’s subordinates gathered there. They whispered among themselves, guessing what he was about to announce.

Li Qing’an stood on a large rock, waved his hand, and said with a smile, “Let me ask first—among you, are there any whose families are from Beiting?” After a while, a Tang soldier raised his hand and said, “General, my family is in Luntai, Beiting. My parents and brother are all there.” Li Qing’an recognized this man as Han Yue, another veteran from the Anxi Scout Camp. He nodded and smiled, saying, “Good! I’ll talk to you later. Brothers, please be quiet for now.” The courtyard fell silent, and Li Qing’an continued, “This morning, I was officially appointed as the deputy commander of Beiting. The chief commander is Prime Minister Li. In fact, I’m in charge of military and administrative affairs in Beiting. Once I receive the official assignment from the Ministry of War, I’ll head to Beiting to take up my post. You all fought alongside me through many battles, so I certainly won’t treat you poorly. But I also don’t want to force anyone. Those who wish to follow me to Beiting to guard the border and build our own futures can do so. Those who don’t want to go won’t be forced. I’ll reward you generously and allow you to leave the military to live ordinary lives. Those who don’t want to go now can raise their hands.” After a moment, a young soldier from Jiangdu in the back shyly raised his hand. Everyone glared at him angrily, saying, “Eleven Lang, are you trying to betray the general?” The Tang soldier named Eleven Lang suddenly burst into tears. He ran out of the crowd, knelt in front of Li Qing’an, and cried softly, “General, I don’t want to leave everyone either, but my brother has died in battle. I have a younger sister at home, and my mother is old. She misses her hometown of Jiangdu and doesn’t want to go to Anxi. I can’t fulfill both my duties of loyalty and filial piety. I beg for your forgiveness, General.” Li Qing’an quickly helped him up and said with a smile, “Stop talking. We all saw your mother that day. It’s of course most important that you show filial piety to her. After we fight together, I’ll reward you with 200 taels of silver. Once the imperial rewards are distributed, I’ll help you leave the military. I’ll also talk to the governor of Yangzhou to take care of you. Then you can take your mother and sister back to your hometown to live a good life!” Eleven Lang knelt on the ground, crying uncontrollably. The other Tang soldiers watched him silently, their eyes filled with sorrow. Then Li Qing’an said to everyone, “I hope everyone will move their families to Beiting. I’ll provide land and houses for everyone. This time, the imperial court rewarded me with 5,000 taels of silver and 3,000 bolts of silk. I won’t keep a single penny of it; I’ll give it all to you. In short, if you follow me, Li Qing’an, I’ll never treat you badly!” Applause rang out in the courtyard. Nan Jiyun said loudly, “General, we don’t want any rewards. Give them to the brothers who died in battle! Their families need them more.” “Yes! General, we don’t want any rewards. Give them to the fallen brothers!”

Li Qing’an waved his hand and smiled again, saying, “For the brothers who fell in battle, I’ll make other arrangements. I won’t let them rest in peace. The silver and silk will be delivered this afternoon, and General Nan will distribute them to everyone so that we can all celebrate the Shangyuan Festival properly.”
The courtyard immediately erupted in cheers. After the crowd dispersed, Li Qing’an gave a few instructions to Nan Jiyun before hurrying to the courtyard gate, where butler Luo had been waiting for a long time.
“What’s the matter?”
“General Li, that girl at the gate is here again. She refuses to come in.”
“The one with the painted face from last time…”
“I know.”
Li Qing’an smiled and headed toward the gate. It was obviously Mingzhu.
At the gate, Mingzhu was kicking a stone with her hands behind her back, looking somewhat restless. The bloodstain makeup from her face had been washed off, and she had her hair styled in twin buns. Her skin was as fair as jade, and her features were delicate and beautiful.
“Mingzhu, what brings you here?”
“Brother Li, do you have time this afternoon?”
“Tell me first what’s the matter.”
“No! Tell me first if you don’t have time.”
Li Qing’an pinched her nose and laughed, “I have time. Go ahead, what is it?”
Hearing that Li Qing’an had time, Mingzhu jumped for joy, shook his arm, and said with a smile, “I’ll take you to a place you’re sure to like.”