The moment the door closed, he heard Yao Jingyi's voice coming from inside. It was very soft and only said two words: "Sit down."
The atmosphere in the study room changed.
Yao Jingyi The politeness on his face disappeared, replaced by a deep pressure.
He leaned back in the chair, put his fingers on the armrests, and tapped slowly.
This is his habit. He keeps tapping the armrest when negotiating or thinking about something.
Yao Qing stood there and sat down without listening to Yao Jingyi.
There was a desk between father and son, on which were laid out memorials, account books, and a lamp that was about to burn out.
The light danced a few times, casting uncertain shadows on their faces.
Yao Jingyi spoke first, not loudly:
"What do you want?"
A rhetorical question.
Anyone who negotiates frequently knows this.
What does it mean to say a rhetorical question at the negotiation table.
This is not asking for your thoughts, it is clarifying the bottom line and speaking harshly.
I'm already impatient. Don't push your nose and face.
Yao Qing looked at him.
Suddenly I felt a little ridiculous.
He has called the father in front of him for more than forty years, but he feels like a fake father.
He brought the evidence in front of him again, and he was still the same.
It looks like Chancellor.
My patience is limited and I can end this conversation at any time.
Yao Qing took a deep breath and spoke, "Brother killed someone, he should admit it."
Yao Jingyi's fingers paused.
"Recognize?" He repeated the word, with the corners of his mouth raised slightly, as if he was hearing a joke, "How do you admit it? Let Shuntian Prefecture catch him? Let the civil and military officials of the whole court watch Yao Family's joke?"
This is his usual trick, first with a mocking rhetorical question, and then with an old fatherly sneer.
In the past, Yao Qing would have been scared off by this smile.
But not today. He took a step forward and raised his voice a little higher. "Everything was done by Yao Ke."
"When he asked Liu Wenyuan to drug Guiyuan Hall, did he ever think about the Yao Family's joke?"
"When he killed Liu Wenyuan and spread rumors about the Guiyuan Hall, did you ever think about the joke about the Yao Family?"
Yao Jingyi's smile froze on his face.
He looked at Yao Qing again, his eyes swept across Yao Qing's face, fell on his clenched fists, and then fell on his straight back.
He has never taken a serious look at this son.
When Lin'an was issued ten years ago, he thought it was waste.
Now that he is back in Beijing, he has given several properties to be used as chess pieces for the purpose of beating Yao Ke.
But the Yao Qing standing in front of him at this moment was completely different from the obedient second son in his memory.
Yao Jingyi was silent for a moment, and his tone was a little softer when he spoke, but still did not give in. "Hu Zhong, take it with you, Liu Wenyuan's case ends here, your brother... I will handle it."
"How to deal with it?"
"Half a year's suspension."
Yao Qing did not answer the call.
He just looked at Yao Jingyi, with disappointment, anger, and the grievance that had been suppressed for forty years in his eyes.
Yao Jingyi felt a little uncomfortable with this look.
He looked away and picked up the tea cup on the table. He found that the tea had gone cold, so he put it down again.
"Father." Yao Qing spoke, his voice a little lower than before, but every word carried weight, "I have been back in Beijing for three months."
Yao Jingyi raised his eyes and looked at him.
"Treasure Pavilion, Shi Donglai delayed the handover for a month. I asked Zhou Qi to solve it."
"Guiyuan Hall, Sun Zhonghe threw the bad debts to me, and I used two thousand spirit stones to buy back the favor of those people."
"Liu Wenyuan died, and the whole capital was scolding Guiyuan Hall. It was I who went to Liu Residence to plead guilty, destroyed the elixir in the street, and saved Guiyuan Hall's reputation."
Yao Qing said so much in one breath, his voice getting louder and louder, and in the end he almost shouted, "I have done so much, father, have you ever praised me?"
The study was quiet for a moment.
Yao Jingyi said nothing.
He looked at Yao Qing, and there was something complicated in his eyes. It was not anger or guilt, but a kind of scrutiny.
When he reached his position as an official, he rarely talked about relationships.
Yao Qing didn't stop, her voice was trembling, but every word was ringing:
"Where's the elder brother? He embezzled Treasure Pavilion's spiritual stone, you know."
"He forced Liu Wenyuan to frame Guiyuan Hall, you know."
"He killed Liu Wenyuan, and you know it."
"But what did you do? You didn't do anything."
"Father, I gave in for forty years. When he was a kid, he snatched my things. You said he was the eldest brother, so you gave in to him."
"He intercepted my Cultivation Resources. You said he is the eldest son, so let him go."
"He assigned me to Lin'an City for ten years, and you told me to endure it for the sake of Lineage's reputation."
Yao Qing's eyes were red, but she didn't shed tears.
He gritted his teeth and said word by word, "Now that he has killed someone, you still want me to give in? Do you want me to take the blame?"
Yao Jingyi's fingers stopped on the armrest.
He looked at Yao Qing and was silent for a long time.
Then Yao Jingyi stood up.
He did not go to Yao Qing, but walked to the wall and looked at the Great Yong territory map.
The location of each state and county is marked on the map, Blackstone City, Western Profound City, Yongjing City, all circled with red pen.
Next to Blackstone City, someone lightly drew a cross with a charcoal pencil.
He turned his back to Yao Qing, and his voice was very soft, as if he was talking to himself. "Do you think I don't know?"
Yao Qing was stunned.
Yao Jingyi turned around and looked into his eyes. "You think I don't know what Yao Ke did? You think I don't know what you did?"
After he walked back to the desk, he did not sit down, but stood there with his hands on the table and his body leaning forward slightly, like an old wolf finally showing its fangs.
"I know it all."
His voice was not loud, but every word was like a nail driven into Yao Qing's ears:
"I know about the Treasure Pavilion."
"I know about the Guiyuan Hall."
"I also know about Liu Wenyuan."
" I know exactly what Yao Ke did and what you did."
Yao Qing was stunned.
Yao Jingyi looked at him, his eyes as sharp as a knife. "Do you think I didn't deal with Yao Ke because of partiality?"
He didn't wait for Yao Qing to answer, and continued, "Yao Ke is the eldest son I have raised for forty years. When people in the court mention Yao Family, he is the first person they think of. If something happens to him, the whole Yao Family will tremble."
"Tell me, what should I do with him?"
Yao Qing clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles turning white.
Yao Jingyi's voice slowed down, but was still cold. "You think I didn't see what you did? Treasure Pavilion, Guiyuan Hall, you did a good job, I know."
"But so what? You are Yao Family's second young master, and you should do well."
"Do you want me to give you a plaque and hang it at the door for everyone to see?"
"Father!" Yao Qing's voice was high-pitched and trembling, "I don't want a plaque! I don't want you to praise me! What I want is..."
Yao Qing paused. Now that he was talking, he found that he no longer needed his father's approval.
After pausing for a few breaths, Yao Qing raised his head and looked directly into Yao Jingyi's eyes. "What I want is justice. Yao Ke killed someone. If you lose, you should admit it. This is not a matter of favoritism or not, it is a matter of winning or losing!"
Yao Jingyi stared at him and remained silent for a few breaths.
"Justice? Do you want to talk to me about justice?"
Yao Jingyi walked around the desk and walked to Yao Qing. There were only two steps between father and son.
He was shorter than Yao Qing, but standing there at the moment, his momentum was so overwhelming that Yao Qing could hardly breathe.
"Who do you think you are? Minister of the Ministry of Punishment? Minister of Dali Temple? You are Yao Family's second young master. Your justice is Yao Family's face. If Yao Ke pleads guilty, where will Yao Family's face go?"
Yao Qing did not return.
He stood there, looking at his father, with a hoarse but firm voice. "What about Liu Wenyuan? If he dies, what will happen to his wife and children? What will happen to the Guiyuan Hall's reputation?"
" Do I have to bear the blame for the sins Yao Ke has done?!"