sovbooks Chapter 6: The Dragon Robe Appears in the Eastern Palace, the Emperor and Empress Read the Reverse S
Chapter 6: The Dragon Robe Appears in the Eastern Palace, the Emperor and Empress Read the Reverse S
Yang Jian took a deep breath and slowly sat back down on the dragon throne.
The candlelight inside the hall flickered.
The flickering firelight stretched his shadow long and short, much like the turbulent fate of the Sui Dynasty at this moment.
"Pick it up."
Yang Jian's voice was somewhat hoarse.
Gone was the thunderous rage of before, replaced by a profound and unfathomable depth.
Yang Yue didn't react for a moment.
"I ordered you to pick up the exam paper! Give it to me!"
Yang Jian slammed his hand on the armrest.
"Yes! Yes!"
Yang Yue felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he scrambled over to pick up the crumpled piece of hemp paper.
Just then, a soft yet rhythmic sound of footsteps came from outside the hall.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of tinkling jade pendants.
A faint scent of camphor mixed with the elegant aroma of sandalwood instantly dispelled the stuffy and oppressive atmosphere in the hall.
Outside the palace gate, a row of maids carrying hexagonal palace lanterns stood quietly on both sides.
A woman dressed in a ceremonial robe and wearing a crown with nine dragons and four phoenixes, slowly entered, supported by two female officials.
It was Dugu Jialuo.
Empress Wenxian, who was known as one of the "Two Saints" alongside Yang Jian, was not wearing elaborate court attire at this moment.
She was dressed only in a dark purple robe, embroidered with twelve rows of lifelike pheasant patterns in gold thread.
Her long hair was styled into a beautiful half-updo at the back of her head, secured only by a single openwork phoenix hairpin with a pearl in its bead.
Although she was nearly fifty and had fine lines around her eyes, the composure and majesty she had cultivated over the years at the pinnacle of power made her appear exceptionally calm amidst the mess of the hall.
She didn't look at the trembling eunuchs kneeling on the ground.
She didn't even look at her husband, whose face was ashen.
Her gaze landed precisely on the crumpled piece of hemp paper on the ground.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?"
Dugu Jialuo walked to the imperial desk, her voice clear and cold, yet carrying an undeniable power of reassurance.
She bent down very naturally.
The hands that had helped Yang Jian review countless memorials and even decided the fate of the empire at crucial moments gently picked up the examination paper.
"Why are you so angry all of a sudden? Even Renshou Palace heard it."
As Dugu Jialuo spoke, she placed the wad of hemp paper on the table and smoothed it out with her fingertips.
The movements were elegant and composed.
It was as if she had picked up not a potentially fatal "reverse scale," but a beautiful jade covered in dust.
Yang Jian snorted coldly, picked up the already cold leftover tea and took a sip, his tone stiff.
"Look at yourself! Look at this damned thing that's appeared in Daxing City! How dare it lecture me!"
Upon hearing this, Dugu Jialuo's lips curled into a faint smile.
Teaching the emperor a lesson?
In this great Sui Dynasty, besides her, Dugu Jialuo, who else dares to challenge her?
She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the sharp, bold Wei stele script at the beginning of the scroll.
"The essence of governance lies not in issuing orders, but in maintaining credibility..."
Her gaze gradually shifted from calm to focused, and then from focused to a hint of barely perceptible surprise.
……
Meanwhile, in the side chamber of Jiade Hall in the East Palace of Daxing City.
The cold wind howled, causing the octagonal lanterns under the eaves to sway wildly, casting chaotic light and shadow.
Yang Yan sat alone on the cold couch.
He did not light the lamp.
In the darkness, he was toying with a jade pendant with a dragon pattern that felt warm to the touch.
This is a memento left to him by his birth mother, Yun Zhaoxun, and it is also proof of his royal bloodline.
"By this time, that exam paper should already be in Yang Jian's hands."
Yang Yan gazed at the dark sky outside the window.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of palace walls, revealing the breathtaking power struggle within the Daxing Hall.
He was not afraid.
There was even a hint of the excitement typical of gamblers.
He knew all too well what Yang Jian lacked.
The old man appeared to be incredibly wealthy, but in reality, he was a lonely man trembling with fear, guarding a pile of account books.
He lacks trust, he lacks the truth, and he lacks a sense of security that would allow his massive state apparatus to operate efficiently again.
That exam paper, on the surface, was criticizing him for "breaking his promise," but in reality, it was handing him a knife.
A knife called "institutional reconstruction of trust".
It's a big gamble.
The stakes were his life.
If he wins, he can escape this doomed game and gain the first foundation for establishing himself in this chaotic world.
We lost...
Yang Yan's lips curled into a cold smile as he clenched the jade pendant tightly into his palm.
It hurts terribly.
Even if you lose, it's just death.
According to the course of history, he will have to die along with his cheap father in a few years. What difference does it make whether he dies sooner or later?
Why not take a big gamble?
Just then, a series of hurried and disorderly footsteps came from outside the door.
That was the sound of shoes scraping desperately against the frozen ground.
Immediately afterwards, the door was kicked open with a "bang".
"My lord! My lord, something terrible has happened!"
Yu Wen stumbled in, completely disregarding manners.
That usually smiling face was now filled with terror, as pale as paper, and his lips trembled so much that he could barely utter a complete sentence.
"What's the panic! Is the sky falling down?"
Yang Yan remained seated, his voice deep and resonant.
Yu Wen gasped for breath, his voice trembling with tears, and cried out, "It really collapsed! His Highness the Crown Prince... His Highness the Crown Prince was drunk and acting crazy in the front hall, he... he..."
"What's wrong with him?"
"He drank the entire jar of 'Transparent Fragrance' bestowed upon him by His Majesty, and then shouted at the musicians, saying... saying that since Father Emperor dislikes it, he might as well make the decision himself..."
Yu Wen lowered his voice to the lowest possible level, as if the word was too hot to swallow.
"And then, he actually put on... put on a dragon robe!"
What?!
Wearing a dragon robe in private?!
Yang Yan felt a chill instantly rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
A flicker of disgust for Yang Yong flashed in his eyes.
But that emotion was instantly replaced by a chillingly calm killing intent.
History books only say that Yang Yong was "stubborn and short-sighted, and failed to understand the times," but they never wrote that he was so hopelessly stupid!
Wearing a dragon robe in private?
What is its nature?
This is treason!
This is like handing Yang Guang a demon-headed knife that doesn't even need sharpening; it can chop off the entire head of the Eastern Palace!
His cheapskate father is really hopeless!
Was there an error in the historical records?
Or was it due to the butterfly effect caused by his own time travel?
No, none of that matters anymore.
The important thing is that if this gets out tonight, tomorrow morning when the sun rises, it will be the day the Crown Prince's palace is drenched in blood.
Let alone being exiled to Lingnan.
He, the "traitorous grandson," will be dragged to the Meridian Gate and executed by being cut in half at the waist.
That exam paper, on which he had placed such high hopes, would instantly become irrefutable proof of "disloyalty and lack of respect for the emperor and father"!
Yang Yong can die if he wants, but he can't drag Yang Yan down with him!
"Yu Wen!"
Yang Yan's sharp shout interrupted the servant's trembling.
He strode up to Yu Wen, staring intently into his eyes, speaking rapidly, each word like a knife.
"Right now, take those ten servants who have been with me since childhood and go guard all the exits of the front hall!"
His voice was low, but it was filled with an undeniable ruthlessness.
"Remember, seal all doors and windows, and forbid anyone from entering or leaving! Especially those spies who usually flirt with the Prince of Jin's residence; if even a fly dares to get out—"
Yang Yan made a clean and decisive downward cut, his eyes filled with malice.
"Just kill them! I'll take responsibility for whatever happens!"
"Kill...killed?"
Yu Wen was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.
"If you don't want your whole family to be executed, do as I say! Go now!"
Yang Yan kicked Yu Wen in the butt, his voice filled with impatient anger.
Yang Yan stood alone in the darkness of the hall, the faint sounds of his father's frenzied singing and dancing drifting from afar.
He raised his head, his gaze once again piercing through the void, looking towards the direction of the Daxing Palace.
"Grandfather, your test has come. Mine has come too."
Almost simultaneously, inside the Daxing Hall, Dugu Jialuo, who was smoothing out the examination papers, paused slightly on a certain line of text with her fingertips. She raised her head and met Yang Jian's gaze, whose expression was uncertain. They looked at each other without saying a word.
Outside the hall, a fierce wind was blowing.