My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 33 The Sage's Little Mood
"Brother, the Zheng family is currently eager to increase its strength, isn't that right?"

"Ok?"

"My elder brother told me earlier that the world is about to descend into chaos, and the Zheng family has foreseen this, which is why they are eager to increase their strength."

Before Li Xuanba could finish speaking, Li Jiancheng quickly covered his mouth.

That kid! He's got some nerve!

I should have known better than to say these things to him. This kid is young. If he says these things to others in the future, our family will be doomed.
Li Jiancheng quickly put on a stern face and said, "Nonsense!"

"Our Great Sui Dynasty is at its peak; what harm is there in undertaking some construction projects?"

"From now on, don't say these things in front of outsiders. No, you must never say them to anyone!"

Li Xuanba nodded slightly, and Li Jiancheng then released his hand. Li Xuanba immediately said, "But, elder brother, the Zheng family can be our help right now."

"Assistance?"

“My brother also wants to provide relief to the people and to appease the people both inside and outside the region, but we are, after all, outsiders. How can we accomplish anything here by ourselves? Master Liu told me that having a name but no concrete implementers is worse than having implementers but no name.”

“My father has the authority, so the Zheng family can get things done.”

"Master Liu told me that all the officials in Xingyang were connected with the Zheng family. Since locals could not serve as officials in their hometowns, the Zheng family manipulated the local area through these officials. The officials in the prefectures, counties, and countryside were either related to them or had already submitted to them."

"Therefore, if officials want to get things done, they must cooperate with the local powerful families."

Li Jiancheng's face was full of helplessness.

"If you're trying to persuade me to collude with powerful clans, you're trying to persuade the wrong person. I'm a commoner; you should be persuading my grandfather, who is the local official."

"Brother, what I mean is, since they also want to increase their strength, why not cooperate with them? You said it yourself, the biggest problem right now is the lack of able-bodied men, but there are plenty of able-bodied men outside the city!"

"If the Zheng family is willing to help, they can take in these able-bodied men. They will be responsible for carrying out the tasks, and our family will be responsible for providing cover."

Li Jiancheng's expression grew increasingly complicated.

"Are you trying to persuade me to cooperate with powerful clans to seize land and exploit tenant farmers?"

"Sanlang, you don't know, these powerful clans are no good. Don't be fooled by their talk of passing down poetry and books, or about upholding benevolence and righteousness. In reality, they are the most dangerous group of people. They eat meat without spitting out the bones."

"But at least the dead can come back to life!"

Li Xuanba frowned. "Big brother, I heard from second brother that the servants of those big families live in extreme misery. Many of them work hard for a year and still don't have enough to eat. But at least they can survive. If no one takes them in, they will really die."

"Moreover, Father returned this time on orders to deal with the dead and thieves around Xingyang."

“As long as the forced labor continues, these people will never be completely killed. If Father cannot complete the task, how could the Sage let him go?”

"Moreover, if you want to distribute these new farm tools, brother, I'm afraid you'll need the Zheng family's help. I met Wang Zanwu before, and he doesn't seem like the kind of person who can help you with things."

Li Jiancheng pondered for a moment, then interrupted his younger brother.

"I understand your point of view."

"However, as you've seen, the Zheng family has plotted to harm us. If you take me to them now and tell them these things, aren't you just giving them leverage?"

“Brother, our conflict with the Zheng family is merely a struggle for interests, not a deep-seated hatred. On the contrary, Zheng Jibo and Father have a very good relationship. Since they are so eager to increase their strength, wouldn't appeasing those dead outside help them increase their strength even faster?”

"Isn't this what they always do? Drive people to the brink of death, seize their farmland, and turn them into tenants. Now that a sage is helping, they don't even need to bother bankrupting others. How could they let such a good opportunity slip by?"

Li Jiancheng pondered for a long time, "This is such an important matter, perhaps we should wait for Father to return before we can make a decision."

"When Father returns, I'm afraid he'll go on a killing spree, and there will be no room for reconciliation."

Li Jiancheng hesitated for a moment, then stood up.

"Alright, I'll take you to meet this Zheng Jibo."

"Anyway, be careful what you say and try not to give him any leverage. But don't be afraid. The Zheng family is powerful, but my family is not weak either!"

Li Jiancheng had a rough idea of ​​what to do. He quickly finished his meal and then took his younger brother out the door. On the official road outside Luoyang, knights were marching swiftly.

These knights were clearly highly trained riders, and the horses they rode were extremely tall, shaking the ground.

The convoy sped eastward along the road.

Right next to the procession, there were many laborers, far outnumbering the knights. They stretched as far as the eye could see, with no end in sight.

In the very middle of the line, a tall, burly middle-aged man was observing the laborers in the distance.

The man had a thick beard, regular features, and a majestic appearance, which made everyone dare not underestimate him.

This man was none other than Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, who was preparing to return to Xingyang.

Beside Li Yuan were two people.

One of them, even more rugged and robust than Li Yuan, was also looking at the people in the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

The other person was much thinner, dressed as a scholar, muttering something under his breath, his face full of reluctance.

Li Yuan looked at the scholar and said, "Zhao Jun, can you still ride a horse? If not, I can get you a carriage."

The man quickly put on a smile, but the forced, insincere smile was really unpleasant.

"There's no need to trouble the Duke. I'm already extremely grateful that you're giving me a ride along the way. How could I possibly delay your journey home?"

Li Yuan smiled and then pointed into the distance.

"Lord Zhao, look, the laborers from all over are on the road, and there's no one to be found in the fields. I'm afraid your assignment this time won't be easy."

The man surnamed Zhao immediately raised his head and said firmly, "The Great Sui Dynasty is in its golden age, with wise and virtuous rulers, and the world is at peace!"

When talking about sages, this person did not forget to bow respectfully.

"I have been ordered by the Sage to oversee the spring planting in the five prefectures. The Sage's emphasis on agriculture and sericulture is unprecedented. With such a benevolent ruler, how dare we not do our utmost? How dare the local officials delay? How dare the people slack off?!"

This man is called Zhao Yuanshu, and he was just promoted to Minister of Agriculture this year.

This time, he was ordered to supervise agriculture and sericulture, which, to put it bluntly, meant urging all localities to pay attention to agriculture and sericulture, not to be lazy, and to be more diligent. But the problem is, with everyone gone this year for spring planting, how can he still supervise it?

Li Yuan sometimes couldn't see through this person. He always felt that Zhao Yuanshu was mocking the emperor, but looking at his confident demeanor, was this person even deceiving himself?

Li Yuan could get along with anyone and had a wide network of connections, but at this moment, he was not very willing to say much to this person.

Just as he was about to return to Xingyang, the Emperor suddenly asked this man to accompany him, saying that he wanted to supervise agricultural affairs. This made Li Yuan feel uneasy. The Emperor seemed to favor this guy very much, and this meeting with the Emperor made him quite uneasy.

The sage seemed to be questioning, as if he was somewhat dissatisfied with himself, which was completely different from before.

Li Yuan couldn't understand what he had done wrong. The last time he met the Sage, he was so friendly to him. He always felt that this person was sent by the Sage to cause trouble, or perhaps he wanted to bring him down?
what is the reason behind the scene?

Although Li Yuan couldn't understand it, a shadow still fell over his heart.

The sage's personality changed drastically, becoming completely different from how he was before ascending the throne.

He used to treat everyone with kindness, but now he is full of fear. This is not only true for himself, but also for others. This time when he returned to Beijing, he did not dare to meet with his old friends, and most of his old friends were too scared to go out.

It seems I need to be even more careful and absolutely cannot give anyone any leverage over me.

Otherwise, the sage's sword would fall on his own body.

Zhao Yuanshu suddenly spoke up, "By the way, Duke, I heard that your sons are all very intelligent. The Emperor has been kind enough to let them go to Xingyang with you. I heard that you found great scholars to teach them the classics? How are they doing?"

Just as Li Yuan was about to answer, he suddenly became alert.

Could it be because I've been getting too close to the Zheng family?
not good!

If I make even the slightest mistake, the Sage will probably take action!

(End of this chapter)