My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 79 Too Desirable to Improve
Li Yuan casually tugged at the cloth, observing Zhao Yuanshu's reaction as he spoke.

In fact, Zhao Yuanshu's current reaction is quite strange.

When Li Yuan suddenly came in, Zhao Yuanshu was clearly frightened and looked flustered. When Li Yuan talked about arresting people, Zhao Yuanshu looked even more nervous.

Zhao Yuanshu was initially only worried that Li Mi would make a mistake, but now he was thinking about even more serious consequences.

Could Li Mi have been arrested?

Otherwise, why would Li Yuan have sought him out to discuss these matters?

If Li Mi and his men are captured and reveal certain things, it could expose their grand scheme.
Zhao Yuanshu was not a staunch traitor.

He befriended Yang Xuangan for two reasons: firstly, because he had followed Yang Su, and secondly, because Yang Xuangan had given him so much and helped him climb the ranks.

Yang Xuangan spent a lot of time and effort to gather the strength to accomplish great things. He actively contacted all available people and had already amassed a considerable force. Everyone hoped to befriend him and get promoted and make a fortune.

For Zhao Yuanshu, however, neither gratitude nor promotion and wealth seemed worthwhile compared to the loss of her life.

Rebellion is a capital offense!

Just as Zhao Yuanshu was feeling extremely uneasy, Li Yuan waved to the attendant at the door. The next moment, the attendant stepped forward and placed a wooden box in front of Zhao Yuanshu.

Zhao Yuanshu slowly opened the wooden box, which was filled with money.

Zhao Yuanshu was stunned for a moment.

He looked up at Li Yuan, who laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but this time I have discovered a hidden copper mine. This is a tremendous piece of good news."

Zhao Yuanshu pointed to the wooden box in front of her, "Is this what you confiscated?"

"Oh, that's not the case. These are my own. Mr. Zhao has come from afar and there are many places here where he needs money, so these are just what I need for you."

Zhao Yuanshu was quite surprised.

This attitude is a bit off.

Just a few days ago they were making sarcastic remarks and trying to get rid of me, so why are they giving me money now?

Zhao Yuanshu thought for a moment and immediately understood what the other party was thinking.

Is Li Yuan trying to curry favor with him after he's rendered meritorious service, hoping I'll put in a good word for him when he returns to court?

Realizing this, Zhao Yuanshu immediately understood that Li Yuan hadn't discovered those things. Relieved, his expression softened considerably. He smiled and declined, saying, "How could I dare? How could I allow the Duke to go to such lengths?"

"It's alright. We should be closer anyway. I was just too busy before and didn't have the time. In a few days, I'd like to host a banquet at my residence to entertain Lord Zhao!"

Li Yuan spoke enthusiastically and gestured for Liu Xuan to join in. Although Liu Xuan disliked Zhao Yuanshu intensely, he also joined in at this moment, talking about some classics and explaining the principles behind them to the two of them. Zhao Yuanshu was in a great mood!
He never expected that Li Mi's plan would have such benefits.

He was no longer worried and agreed to attend Li Yuan's banquet. They chatted enthusiastically, just like old friends.

They agreed on a date for the banquet, and only then did Li Yuan leave with Liu Xuan.

As the two rode their horses along the road, Liu Xuan suddenly asked, "Does the Duke no longer wish to investigate?"

"You saw the change in his expression just now, didn't you? Is there any need to investigate that?"

Li Yuan spoke softly, but Liu Xuan frowned, "If Zhao Yuanshu and the one who guided Xuanba were both from Chu..."

"cough."

Li Yuan coughed, his eyes bright, and looked at Liu Xuan. "This matter is very clear. The Zheng family's enemies wanted to deal with the Zheng family, but we punished them with our own hands! What do you think, Liu Jun?"

Liu Xuan thought for a moment and nodded, "It seems that's indeed the case."

"However, isn't the Duke afraid that befriending Zhao Yuanshu might cause trouble in the future?"

"He was sent by a sage. If I don't curry favor with him, what else can I do? Even if something goes wrong later, can he use my hospitality towards the sage's envoy as an excuse to deal with me?"

Liu Xuan nodded again.

Li Yuan had been keeping his distance from Zhao Yuanshu because the emperor had taken notice of him, and he wanted Zhao Yuanshu to scold him in front of the emperor to put the emperor at ease. But now, there was no need for that.

The emperor is short of money, and with the copper mine incident, he has another excuse to ask for money. His lingering resentment will likely be dispelled. Under these circumstances, Li Yuan naturally doesn't need to worry about arousing suspicion.

I've been in the local area long enough; maybe this time I can finally step into the halls of power?

As for the matter of the dark-faced man, Li Yuan was unwilling to investigate further. He was afraid that if he continued to investigate, he might actually find something out.

Zhao Yuanshu's flustered expression made Li Yuan realize that the Duke of Chu might be even more anxious than he had thought.

Is he worried that my staying in Xingyang will hinder his important business, which is why he wants me to leave?

First, they framed him; when that failed, they helped him gain merit.
Yang Xuangan's maternal clan seems to be from the Zheng family. Did someone provide this information?

Li Yuan thought of many things, but he didn't want to pay attention to them.

If Yang Su wanted to do such a big thing, he might be tempted, but if it was Yang Xuangan, then forget it.

Moreover, those people almost injured his own son by pointing a crossbow at him.

Unfortunately, now is not the time for revenge.

I should just focus on finding a way to get promoted.

When Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu were both alive, Li Yuan was greatly favored, just like Li Xuanba is now. He was loved by the officials and his promotion was so fast that no one else dared to imagine it. He started as a Qianniu Beishen, the emperor's personal bodyguard.

Later, at a young age, he served as the governor of three different prefectures.

However, after the emperor ascended to the throne, Li Yuan's treatment of him clearly declined significantly and was not as good as before.

But Li Yuan still longed to improve.

After bidding farewell to Liu Xuan, Li Yuan was in a much better mood when he returned to his residence. He walked in, handed his horse to a servant, and strode towards his study with Li Jiancheng, who was waiting at the door.

The two entered the study one after the other.

Li Jiancheng reported first: "Grandpa, I sent people to Zhang Village to inquire, and the names were all fake, but the people did appear. My men searched various places and found that such a group of people did exist. I even found the place where they originally hid, but it was deserted. I'm preparing..."

"Alright, no need to investigate any further."

Li Yuan interrupted his son.

Li Jiancheng was taken aback. He frowned and his face turned solemn.

"Grandpa, why have you stopped investigating?"

"These people dared to lay a hand on Shimin and Xuanba, how can they be let off so easily?!"

"I suspect this matter is related to Yang Xuangan."

In front of his son, Li Yuan did not hide anything and spoke quite frankly, directly revealing his guesses.

Upon hearing his grandfather's words, Li Jiancheng was also surprised. He remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

Li Yuan advised, "Let's not investigate this matter any further. If it's really as I predict, it will only bring us more trouble!"

He then told his eldest son about his plans to host a banquet for Zhao Yuanshu and his desire for advancement.

The two hid in the study and plotted for a long time, deciding on some things.

"By the way, what about your younger brothers?"

“I locked them up and punished them.”

Li Yuan hummed in agreement, then suddenly laughed, “I used to think your younger brothers were too young to be of any help to us, but now it seems they are quite capable. Do you know that they defeated three times their number of Zheng family private soldiers in a direct confrontation!”

"I heard from them that both Erlang and Sanlang drew blood. Erlang remained calm in the face of battle, commanding everyone to launch an attack while he led the cavalry to harass from the flank, throwing Zheng's army into chaos. Sanlang was even more valiant. Hahaha, he captured Zheng Qilin alive! He's truly my son!!"

Li Yuan dared not show any pride in front of the children, for fear that they would repeat the mistake in the future.

But in front of his eldest son, he did not hide what had happened at the copper mine, which angered, worried, and surprised him, but also made him extremely proud.

Over the past hundred years, the sons of various military families have been going to war at a very young age. Some became generals at the age of fourteen, and some were sent to kill people at the age of thirteen. But whose children can compare to these two?
Li Jiancheng listened to his father's words, and a hint of joy appeared in his eyes. He nodded.

“I’m not surprised by Xuanba’s situation. He is incredibly strong. Once he recovers, no one can stop him. Let alone three times the number of enemies, even three hundred times the number wouldn’t be able to stop him.”

"What surprised me was Erlang. I never expected that this fellow would actually learn how to command battles."

Li Yuan said with a smile, "In the future, perhaps we can let them try to do things and get involved earlier."

(End of this chapter)