King Yan gazed at his fourth son, covered in blood, and smiled, “You fought and killed all night. Go back and rest for a while. I wronged you last night, and I will make up for it later.”
“Serving you is my blessing; you don’t need to make up for anything.”
King Yan waved his hand, saying “Go rest, and I have an errand for you later.”
Wei Xuan then excused himself.
The hall fell into silence. Wei Yang glanced at Cui Yu and asked in a low voice, “You asked for Feng Su, Feng Teng, and Yin Yong’s grandson to come here. What’s your plan?”
King Yan threw the question back at him, “If you were in my place, what would you do?”
Wei Yang understood that his father was testing him. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “The Imperial Court is accusing you under the pretext that Feng Teng and his son harmed innocent people, and you favored them. You are also charged with framing lies about Yin Wen.”
King Yan nodded with satisfaction, “Yes, what else?”
Wei Yang continued, “The private affairs of the two families have caused significant trouble for you. It’s worth noting that the Feng family can make up for it with military exploits, but the Yin family…”
The Yin family lacked military officers, and their contribution could only come in the form of monetary compensation.
Yan Wang prompted, “When they arrive later, will you convey just that?”
Wei Yang was stunned.
King Yan smiled, and asked Wei Yang to report to Princess Xu, so that she could rest assured.
After Wei Yang left, King Yan looked at Cui Yu with regret and said, “If my son is half as intelligent as you, I can entrust Pingcheng to him.”
Cui Yu responded, “Pingcheng has long had a virtuous reputation, and he will be able to defend the city without fear.”
King Yan snorted, “He wouldn’t have brought a singer back from the capital as if there were no beauties in Pingcheng. He didn’t dare to be lustful in front of me, so he indulged once when he arrived in the capital. In the end, he met someone he couldn’t let go of, so he brought her back.”
“Let’s eat first,” King Yan continued, quickly suppressing the old grudges in his heart. There were still many tasks to attend to.
Outside the palace, Wei Luo sent someone to find Liao Shisan, who promptly arrived at the Yin Mansion. Although it was not yet dawn, Yin Yong and Yin Lang were already awake. Upon hearing that Wei Luo was coming, they both hurried out.
Uncle De stood guard in the distance, and when the three of them approached the screen wall, Yin Yong asked in a low voice, “Third Master, why did you suddenly come?”
The prince had hinted that they should be prepared, but Yin Yong didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
Wei Luo looked at him and explained, “Yin Wen is in the capital. He accused the Feng family of harming innocent people and my father of engaging in malpractice for personal gain. On the 20th, the Imperial Court sent a secret report to arrest my father for these crimes.”
Yin Yong was stunned. He never thought that the prodigal grandson who ran away from home would “respect” him in such a manner from a thousand miles away.hat was because he abolished him. So he wanted the entire Yin family and even Yan Palace to be abolished with him?
That child! He had done so many bad things, and he did not repent, yet he even took revenge on his closest relatives!
“Grandfather, please take care of your health.” Yin Lang was worried that the old man would not be able to bear the blow, so he supported Yin Yong in time and gently patted his back.
Yin Yong was not that weak. It had already happened. It was useless to get angry and blame Yin Wen.
Yin Yong asked Wei Luo again, “What did the lord say?”
Wei Luo replied, “He just asked you to come over to meet him.”
While the people were still hiding in their houses and guessing what would happen in Pingcheng, the three of them rode fast horses and went straight to the palace.
King Yan had already moved to Cunxin Hall, and civil and military officials in the hall came in and out. Wei Luo waited outside the hall with Yin Yong’s grandchild.
Soon Liao Shisan also came.
After waiting for a long time, Feng Su and his son rushed over panting. They had been stationed outside the city with Zhang Xi. Zhang Xi knew that Feng Su was the most important commander of King Yan. After the incident, he took the initiative to reveal the secret edict to Feng Su.
Feng Su had already whipped Feng Teng a few times, and seeing the third master and Yin Yong, he felt even more ashamed.
Yin Yong smiled wryly, “It’s because this old man doesn’t know how to teach his grandson, which hurt you.”
Feng Teng stood between them irritably and said in a loud voice, “If the Prince wants to punish me, I will accept it.”
“Don’t regret it!”
When Feng Su raised his foot to kick his son again, Liao Shisan grabbed his son-in-law and pulled him aside, and he was kicked by Feng Su himself.
Feng Su: …
At that moment, King Yan told them to go in.
Only King Yan was in the inner hall, and even Cui Yu, who was always by his side, was gone.
Feng Su, Feng Teng, Liao Shisan, Yin Yong, and Yin Lang all knelt down and pleaded guilty.
King Yan smiled and said, “Get up. I didn’t ask you to come here to inquire about crimes. I just want to know what’s going on so that I can clarify to the court.”
Liao Shisan’s face changed slightly.
Yin Yong didn’t want Liao Qiuniang’s incident to be known to the world. He first presented the argument that he and Liao Shisan had been on good terms with Feng Teng. He mentioned that he beat Yin Wen due to an old dispute that had angered Liao Shisan. Following this incident, Liao Shisan left the Yin family, and later, the Liao family married into the Feng family. Yin Wen spoke rudely, and when Feng Teng learned about it, he went over to confront and beat him up.
Concerning Liao Qiuniang’s reputation, Feng Teng reacted quickly and provided a similar narrative.
In fact, King Yan was already aware of the underlying story, and he didn’t mind the fabricated story told by them to preserve the woman’s reputation.
He nodded and said, “Well, I understand. You can proceed with what you have to do.”
He showed no intention to pursue the matter further.
Feng Su pleaded guilty multiple times, and there was little left to say. The prince did not hold them responsible, and they could now only serve the prince on the battlefield.
Liao Shisan, having duties at the city gate, left promptly with the Feng family after expressing his remorse.
In the hall, only King Yan, Wei Luo, the grandfather, and grandson remained.
Yin Yong knelt on the ground, suddenly wiping away bitter tears, and informed King Yan about Yin Wen’s attempt to harm Yin Lang. He expressed regret for being preoccupied with business in earlier years, neglecting the upbringing of his grandson.
King Yan assisted him to stand and sighed, “Don’t blame yourself. You can’t be held responsible for their actions. If someone insists on going astray, can you still tie them down?”
Yin Yong wiped away his tears and looked at him.
Addressing King Yan, he said, “My lord, my Yin family fell apart because of those external matters. Not only did my family break up, but I also almost brought trouble to you. I’ve realized today that wealth, if not handled properly, can become a disaster. I don’t want this fate for my children and grandchildren.”
“Burdened by family wealth again, I would like to donate the silver saved in the family as the military salary of the Yan army…”
King Yan was shocked, “How can this…”
Yin Yong responded, “So it is. The silver of the Yin family was also acquired from the people, and now it will be handed over to you. It can be considered as accumulating blessings for the descendants of the Yin family if it is used to protect the family and defend the country. I also ask the prince to help me settle this matter!”
King Yan couldn’t refuse, so he had to agree.