bayedsolid Chapter 290 Dong Yan is taken away
Chapter 290 Dong Yan is taken away
"Hanger-on" originally referred to a group of people of low social status and limited means who followed around playboys, freeloading off them.
You can't be from a very low social class, otherwise you won't have the opportunity to meet rich and spoiled kids, and they won't include you in their social circle.
His family background must not be very good, otherwise he wouldn't be making a living by flattering and fawning over others.
Those spoiled brats who are always surrounded by lackeys are not respectable.
No matter how many lackeys you have, they're still just household servants, which lowers your status.
A playboy is respected for having a few hangers-on when he goes out; the class of his hangers reflects his power and influence.
For example, you might not know a certain playboy, but you recognize that the hanger-on around him is the son of a sixth or seventh-rank official.
Without a doubt, this kid is at least the son of a fourth-rank official or the nephew or niece of a second or third-rank official.
Later, this gradually became a trend, and some casinos and brothels in the community also began to contact these kinds of hangers-on.
The hangers-on are broke, but the rich playboys they fawn over are.
He would either lure people into gambling or prostitution, and of course, he would receive a share of the profits.
When Xiao Yuan mentioned helping Yu Sheng, he also started to think about it, as Dong Yan's behavior was indeed very similar.
The hangers-on will encourage people to gamble, and if they win, they'll laugh and flatter them, giving them a bonus or asking them to treat them to drinks and meals.
If you lose the bet, the turtle shrinks its neck and you can't find anyone; your fate is in your own hands.
Isn't Dong Yan one of them?
If the Second Prince succeeds in his rebellion, then as the chief strategist, he will certainly receive the greatest credit for supporting the prince, if not be promoted to prime minister.
The second prince was defeated, and he ran away faster than anyone else, but when he came to me, he was still treated like an honored guest.
What did he lose?
It seems not, we just ate at a different place.
But the second prince, who lost the bet, also dragged down the Yu family's main branch.
Now he's instigating his own rebellion, gambling with the lives of his entire family for the possibility of him and his cronies rising to power!
Many things are best left unthought. After removing the filter of "loyal servant," Yu Sheng was finally able to see Dong Yan as a person correctly.
Since he arrived, the advice he's been giving me seems to be nothing but bad news. It's either asking me to marry off my daughter to other powers or to send someone to assassinate me in the capital.
To be honest, he was starting to waver.
The thought that the imperial court had a martial arts master like the Lady of the Marquis of Zhenguo made him feel terrified.
Thank goodness he didn't intervene, otherwise his entire family would have been wiped out in no time.
The imperial court was only struggling with the military when it fought the Quanrong, but the Quanrong could have easily wiped out its leader without even moving its main army from Sichuan and Chongqing.
Yu Sheng's eldest son also felt that what Xiao Yuan and his wife said made sense.
Regardless of whether the old man was the one who assassinated my sister today, he cannot be allowed to live because he keeps instigating my father to rebel.
He's disliked that guy ever since that old man came.
At first, he even tried to sow discord between himself and his second brother, saying that their father valued his second brother too much and that his position as heir was unstable.
Ha, if my father hadn't said that he had served the Yu family since my grandfather's time, he would have beaten someone up long ago.
Now that I see it, it really is a piece of trash.
It's possible that he instigated the discord among Yu's cousins.
Yu Dalang used to frequently accompany his father back to the capital to pay homage to the emperor, and during those times he would naturally stay at the Yu residence.
At that time, he felt that his uncle's cousins were fighting like fighting cocks every day, which was outrageous.
He also lamented that his uncle was not as loving as his father and did not know how to balance the relationship between his brothers.
Only now, after hearing what the Marquis of Zhenguo said, do I understand that there was a traitor in the family stirring up trouble.
The second branch of the Yu family has always been harmonious. Yu Sheng is also someone who listens to advice. His son and daughter both say that Dong Yan is not good, and he has decided to give up on this person.
He was quite cunning, saying that since Dong Yan was involved in the Second Prince's rebellion, he should hand him over to the Eastern Depot for disposal.
He took him in for a while out of consideration for their past acquaintance, and in order to make amends, he was willing to donate 20 taels of silver to support the front lines.
Yu Sheng understood that the court wasn't taking action against him because it was too troublesome for them to deal with him and they didn't have the resources to deal with the Sichuan and Chongqing region.
If their family wants to have a good life, they should be humble enough to win the court's trust within a few years.
Regardless of whether the marriage alliance with the regent succeeds or not, the fact that the Marquis of Zhenguo and his wife didn't kill them is already a great favor to their family.
He sent Dong Yan out and gave him some money as a gesture of goodwill, thus establishing a connection between the two families.
Putting everything else aside, even if it's just about giving a gift, it's a case of choosing the right temple.
When the Yu family fell from power, he did consider sending his son to the capital with generous gifts to seek connections.
But he was too sensitive at the time, and fearing that his son might not return, he didn't dare to do anything rash.
It's unbelievable that Xiao Yuan, even after becoming a marquis, could still leave the capital. It's just that their family wasn't meant to die.
It is estimated that the ancestors of the Yu family went to great lengths to preserve their lineage.
Yu Sheng was a man of action, and soon had someone bring him 20 taels of silver notes and a small box of gold and silver jewelry.
He knew how to deal with henpecked husbands; all he had to do was send gifts to his wife, and he was sure to succeed.
Xiao Yuan and Jiang Xinyu did not refuse.
If they didn't accept Yu Sheng at this point, they would feel uneasy. Since they already intended to be on good terms, there was no need to be too distant.
There's plenty of time ahead; reciprocity is the key to a lasting relationship.
It was late at night, and Yu Sheng wanted the couple to stay, but they refused, so he didn't insist.
Otherwise, people might think he has ulterior motives.
When Xiao Yuan and his group left the Yu family, they took Dong Yan, 20 taels of silver notes, and a box of precious jewelry with them.
Back in the rented courtyard, he was interrogated overnight.
After they finish things here, they are going to the frontier. It's impossible for them to take Dong Yan, such a burden, on such a long journey.
This interrogation is a matter of life or death; if we can get some confessions out, that would be better. If we can't get any, we'll just kill them.
The matter of the rebellion, which began with the execution of the second prince, has been settled.
An advisor's testimony is dispensable.
Dong Yan never expected to suffer such a calamity, or rather, he never imagined that he would be sold to the imperial court by Yu Sheng in Bashu.
Haha, just wait.
No emperor could tolerate his rebellious elder brother's uncle holding a large army.
It's only a matter of time. Your second branch of the Yu family won't survive for many more years. I'll be watching your fate unfold from the fields.
Dong Yan was quite resilient, insisting that Yu Sheng was planning a rebellion and that he was merely following orders.
He pretended to be terrified of being beaten and begged for mercy repeatedly, refusing to tell the truth.
The Eastern Depot agents didn't stop until they had sucked blood from the man's body, and Dong Yan, with his head bowed, felt smug.
He's probably dying soon, but this frame-up must have been very successful before he died.
A dying man's words are often truthful; having endured such severe torture, what he said must be the truth.
The people of the imperial court will never trust Yu Sheng.
It would be better if I died.
Even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner. His brutal torture and eventual tragic death clearly demonstrate the court's attitude towards Sheng.
Despite having sold himself out, Yu Sheng still has some trust in this old man of the Yu family.
When the other party produced his false confession, Yu Sheng could not possibly believe it was his confession; he simply thought it was obtained through torture.
This temporary reconciliation between Yu Sheng and the imperial court has sown the seeds of discord, as mutual distrust means the alliance could be broken at the slightest sign of trouble.
Unfortunately, Dong Yan's laughter stopped halfway through, because the Eastern Depot agent bowed to those behind him.
"Second Master Yu, if we continue interrogating this man, he will die. The Chief Supervisor's orders are to hand him over to you for disposal after the interrogation is completed."
Dong Yan then realized that the person standing in the shadows was none other than the second young master of the Yu family.