"My son thinks it’s better to give the chance to speak to the brothers below than to let these people sit high in their hall and talk without feeling the pain,"
Yang Yinghao looked at his eldest son in shock, "You’re thinking of starting a rebellion to usurp power?"
"Look at what you’re saying, haven’t I already staged a coup and seized power?"
Yang Tiansheng laughed with a ’hehehe’: "What my son means is, let’s not bother with what those old and obstinate fools have to say; let’s just offer a contingent of troops to the imperial court, to test the waters, set an example!"
"There are three benefits to doing this:"
"First, it lets the brothers below see that they can put down their swords and live a peaceful life, suppressing the voices of those old fools from the bottom up."
"Second, if we start offering troops, who else can accuse us of harboring ill intentions and talking without feeling the pain?"
"Third, the imperial court’s words sound nice, but who knows what they really mean? If we first offer a contingent of troops, in case the court turns its back on us, we won’t have doomed the other branches’ brothers... Of course, I believe the likelihood of the court turning on us is extremely small; after all, if they don’t respect us, they still have to respect the face of Yang Ge."
Yang Yinghao knitted his brows tightly and pondered for a long time before saying, "First tell me, which contingent of troops do you plan to offer to the imperial court."
Yang Tiansheng: "Of course, it’s my Qingmu Hall. This is something I’ve been advocating, and if we’re to offer troops, it should naturally start with me. Besides, most of the brothers in my Qingmu Hall are heroes who fought the Japanese pirates with me and Yang Ge in Zhoushan. Even if the imperial court grew a couple more guts, they wouldn’t dare to harm my Qingmu Hall’s brothers..."
"I don’t agree with this!"
Before Yang Tiansheng could finish, Yang Yinghao had already cut him off firmly, "Yang Ge treats you like his own brother and always thinks of you, Yang Tiansheng, even goes to great lengths to help you without asking for anything in return, and yet you always want to take advantage of his clout? Is this how you treat a friend?"
"Besides, right now your position as Heavenly King is nothing but an empty title; without Qingmu Hall to back you, you’re nobody in the Sect, you wouldn’t even make a sound if you farted, do you really think those who hold the real power would listen to you? I’ve read so many books, and I’ve never seen anyone who tries to accomplish great things by first crippling themselves. Where’s your brain? Are you so flattered by people’s praise of Yang Tiansheng that you’ve forgotten who you are?"
Yang Tiansheng: "Dad, don’t get worked up, let’s discuss this slowly..."
Yang Yinghao, irately waving his hand, said, "I said I don’t agree, and that’s that. Qingmu Hall is our Yang Family’s biggest asset. You, this spendthrift, want to offer Qingmu Hall to the imperial court with just a few careless words? We can talk about other things, but not this one!"
Yang Tiansheng took a deep breath, tried to calm his emotions, and spoke as calmly as possible to his father, "Dad, you are the person who knows best why your son is so eager to facilitate this amnesty. But now, even you are unwilling to offer the men, so how can we convince the leaders of other branches to offer their men?"
Yang Yinghao’s face turned stern, and he remained silent.
Yang Tiansheng glanced at his father and continued, "Dad, times have changed. Having more people doesn’t necessarily mean having more strength... Let’s not even mention Yang Ge, just look at me. Did I earn my position as Heavenly King because I have a lot of men in Qingmu Hall? No, it’s because I have the real power! Do you believe that, given another two years, I could hang Yang Potian up and beat him?"
Yang Yinghao waved his hand impatiently, "Your martial skills might indeed catch up to Yang Potian, but can you guarantee that your descendants will have the same talent as you? Dad doesn’t ask that you make a fortune for our Yang Family, only that you don’t squander our family’s legacy. Is that too much to ask for?"
Yang Tiansheng: "Dad, if we really have our descendants’ interests at heart, we shouldn’t just think about how to leave them a protective fortune; we should find ways to create a stable and happy world for them!"
"Of course, you have the final say in this household. If you insist on not allowing your son to hand over the Qingmu Hall brothers to the imperial court, I cannot disobey your wishes."
"But please also understand your son. You and mom gave me this strong and healthy body, and I don’t want to waste it on petty squabbles over power and profit. I want to do more meaningful things in my lifetime, to not fail the kindness of my parents, and to not waste my journey in this world!"
Having said this, he stood up, bowed respectfully to his father, and then strode out.
Yang Yinghao’s expression struggled as he watched him leave until Yang Tiansheng stepped out of the study. Only then did he speak in a deep voice, "Come back here!"
Yang Tiansheng paused, immediately turned around, and returned to the study. He bowed humbly to his father and said, "Do you have further instructions?"
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Yang Yinghao glared at him with a grim expression, "Where were you planning to go?"
Yang Tiansheng looked up, his eyes faintly shining, "To the northern frontier, the southern border, overseas... Dad, the world is vast, and Ming Sect is just a small pond, even a stagnant one at that. If we always stay in this small pond looking out, we’ll be like frogs at the bottom of a well, seeing only a tiny slice of the sky!"
"You think you’re in a position to lecture me?"
All of a sudden, Yang Yinghao exploded in anger, waving his hand, "Just go, go, go, do whatever the hell you want, I’m done with this, I’m through!"
Yang Tiansheng carefully watched his father’s face, "Dad, you’re not objecting to me offering Qingmu Hall to the imperial court anymore?"