At the sound of that voice, the men kneeling on the ground relaxed. Their grandmother had arrived. They were saved.
Hearing her voice, the old stick-in-the-mud hurried to his feet and went to greet the elderly lady, supporting her by the arm.
"Mother, what brings you here?"
"Hmph! If I hadn't come, you'd have turned the heavens upside down!"
"Mother, I haven't!"
"Kneel."
"Yes."
The old stick-in-the-mud obediently knelt.
The elderly lady said to her grandsons,
"My grandsons, get up at once!"
They did not rise, instead looking toward their father.
The old stick-in-the-mud glared at them and said,
"Didn't you hear your grandmother?"
"Yes.
Thank you, Father. Thank you, Grandmother!"
The elderly lady hurriedly said,
"Get up already!"
Only then did they stand.
The elderly lady looked at the old stick-in-the-mud and said,
"I heard you intend to drag all hundred-plus members of our household off to meet our ancestors?"
"Mother, I don't!"
"You don't?
I heard you saying you wouldn't pledge allegiance from far away!
Isn't that dragging our entire household into the grave with you?
I've toiled for most of my life and finally reached this age. I thought I could enjoy a few peaceful days at last.
Who would have thought I'd end up being buried alongside my own son instead!
What sin did I commit to deserve this?"
"Mother, I don't!"
"You do! You most certainly do!
What have we ever done to wrong you, that you would treat your own flesh and blood like this?"
"Mother, I really don't!"
"Aren't you usually so eloquent? Why is 'I don't' all you can say now?
Go on, tell me why you're driving us to our deaths!
Today, I want to hear just what you have to say for yourself!"
"Mother, that decree is ordering us to