Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 986 - 53: The Old Stories About the Yang Family

The past history of the Yang Family is like a black box to ordinary people.

Of course, this is quite normal. Ordinary people’s understanding of noble families is almost non-existent. The big villains in past drama scripts were never noble families, and history books wouldn’t record them, leaving no channels to understand such information.

Even in future times, at most, you might hear a marketing account copy-paste a few articles or take a look at an online novel, and that’s about it.

The dark history of the Yang Family, if elaborated, would exceed ten thousand words. To summarize concisely based on the information collected by Wang Yunxiao from various aspects, it can be summed up as follows—

The origin of the Yang Family can earliest be traced back to the Northern Song Dynasty. Since then, many family members have served as officials in the Imperial Court. Regardless of dynastic changes and generational shifts, the family lineage has never ceased. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

By the time of the Tianle Era, which was sixty years ago, with the rise of modern ocean trade, the Yang Family’s power expanded rapidly, occupying a corner of its own in Guangdong Province, while the family fleet dominated the Southeast Asia region. Saying they amassed gold daily would be humble; it was truly like a sea of gold and silver.

During this period, the three main commodities in international trade were corn, opium, and black corn.

The Yang Family did not miss out on any of these businesses, only they localized some adaptations compared to Foreigners.

Mainly dealing in opium, opium, and opium again.

The famous "Three Sheep’s Auspicious Start" brand at that time was renowned in East Asia.

The so-called three sheep refer to Sheep City, the Yang Family, and Foreign Coins.

The profit from this business was terrifyingly high, leading to the subsequent "Malacca Naval Battle" event.

At that time, the Black Tortoise Fleet stationed at the Strait of Malacca was ordered by the Imperial Court to close the strait and ban opium.

The Yang Family colluded with Foreigners, secretly sabotaging the fleet’s defense hub, burying the entire ocean-going fleet under the cannons of Foreign warships, leading the Foreign warships to advance north, approaching Tianmen.

These old events have now been compiled into scripts of the "Three Great Cases," widely circulated in market streets.

These are the "Skin-Peeling Case," "Mercury Case," and "Dragon Talisman Case."

Simply put, the so-called Skin-Peeling Case involved a member of the Yang Family serving as a ship captain in the Black Tortoise Fleet, holding core secrets.

But a characteristic of the Yang Family, which can also be considered a strength sustaining its family for a millennium, is their loyal service to their lord.

This is also a characteristic of noble families; the family is large, with many members, not putting all eggs in one basket.

For example, during the Three Kingdoms period, the Zhuge Family had three brothers who served different lords, each loyal to their duties.

The rule itself wasn’t problematic, but the Yang Family played it wrongly.

The Yang-named ship captain refused to consent to his clansmen’s request for smuggling opium, so his family tricked him into returning home, poisoned him, and peeled off his face. A cousin pretended to be him, boarded the ship, and acted as a mole at a critical moment.

As for the Mercury Case, after this battle, the Yang Family, to cover up their crimes, threw all the dirt on the fleet’s command, falsely accused them of embezzling military funds, causing weaponry laxity. Then, they colluded top and bottom, tortured confessions, and executed all thousands of military dependents and related personnel in the South Ocean Fleet’s home port.

Finally, the Dragon Talisman Case, Emperor Tianle appointed the Brocade-Clothed Guard garrison commander Yang Zhenshan—yes, also a Yang Family member, to the South to investigate the truth. The question is, even though the truth was uncovered, the Yang Family still couldn’t handle it. After several struggles, it ultimately resulted in the entire clan being executed for Yang Zhenshan’s failure in duty, causing a massive uproar across the land, leading to the decline of the Brocade-Clothed Guard Yamen, never to regain its former prestige.

The barren earth atop the ancestors’ graves was stirred due to this.

These old affairs from the Former Dynasty can now be dug out and become topics for people’s idle chats after meals.

One of the main reasons is that someone has already dealt with the Yang Family.

Over a hundred members of the main family’s direct line were wiped out so thoroughly that not even bone shards were left. The Yang Family mansion has now become the famous Nine Nether Ghost Ground of Guangdong Province, with the souls of the dead refined into magic artifacts, doomed never to be reborn.

The second main reason is that although Yang Zhenshan was executed with his whole clan back then, a trace of bloodline remained. This descendant is the current Marshal of the Northern Navy, Yang Qiming.

Yang Qiming’s attitude towards the Yang Family can be summed up in one word—kill!

Killing without asking for reasons.

The navy must not recruit anyone with the surname Yang. Once found, they’re directly dragged out and shot.

He even set an example, spending his life unmarried and without any offspring.

Given the aforementioned historical reasons, everyone thinks this rule he established is unproblematic.

As the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.

The Yang Family has been passed down for a thousand years, deeply rooted, with widespread branches. Even if the main lineage is cut off, various branches still maintain vigorous vitality.

For instance, in Tianmen, Wang Yunxiao knows of at least three branches.

Yang Tianyu’s family in school, Yang Youxuan of the Red Lantern Society, and the Yang Family behind the Extensive Knowledge Society.

Besides these, there’s another person, Yang Yuqi, who commands the Liuye Camp.

This person is elusive like a dragon, having dealt with the Liuye Camp several times, Wang Yunxiao never met this person’s true form.

And now, to hear from Song Wushang’s mouth that he’s also a descendant of Yang Zhenshan?

Wang Yunxiao’s first reaction was disbelief.

The second reaction was, could this be due to historical issues caused by the Temporal Tide?

The third reaction was that Song Wushang was lying.

This old thing doesn’t utter a single truthful word.

Since Liuye Camp is specifically responsible for internal investigations, why don’t they investigate others, only investigating you?

Having talked this far, Song Wushang seemed carefree, but on the most crucial issue, he didn’t mention a single word, which is, what exactly did they do.

Don’t pull any nonsense about whether the Fusang People deserve to die.

That’s trickery aimed at fooling hot-blooded young people.

If all the assimilated Fusang People died, who would guard the Outer Islands Chain?

If you truly had the mind for it, why not apply for a transfer to Fusang Autonomous Prefecture?

"Although I also dislike him, but since it’s his job to do this..."

Despite his thoughts, Wang Yunxiao remained expressionless on the surface, continuing the conversation following Song Wushang’s words.

Talking about himself would certainly make him vigilant, but discussing others, like the notoriously disliked Yang Yuqi, would easily open the chatterbox.

"The so-called flies don’t buzz off seamless eggs. Could you really have second thoughts?"

"Shut your mother’s stinking mouth!"

Song Wushang was enraged upon hearing this: "I’ve been loyal to the nation all my life, unwavering and steadfast!"

"I know, I know!"

Wang Yunxiao hurriedly consoled with kind words: "But there must be a reason, right? Out of the blue, with no reason at all, he comes to investigate you. If it were me, I wouldn’t endure it, would have shot him long ago!"

Song Wushang snorted coldly: "That grandson is a bastard, do you think I don’t want to shoot him? Do you know what he said, he actually thought we supported the President too much, damn it, in these times, unwavering loyalty has become a fault?"

Oh...

Wang Yunxiao keenly caught the key point in this sentence.

You were "too" loyal.