My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 124 Internal and external troubles
"What exactly happened in this city?"

As soon as Li Shimin returned to his residence, he couldn't wait to ask Feng Li about it.

Feng Li simply shook his head. He had come with Li Jiancheng and wasn't very clear about the situation here. He had only gone out to find his brothers because of what Li Jiancheng had said.

When they were led to the main hall, Li Yuan had already left; only Lady Dou and Li Jiancheng remained.

Neither of them looked very good-looking.

Li Shimin glanced at them and knew in his heart that the drama of good guys and bad guys was about to unfold again.

Just as he expected, Madam Dou gave them a severe scolding and decided to punish them, while Li Jiancheng continued to try to rescue them and persuade them with kind words.

Once Lady Dou had calmed down a bit, Li Shimin asked the same question again.

What the hell is going on here?
"The forced labor is to be conscripted, but those who went to perform the labor have not yet returned, so the people are full of complaints. Not long ago, many minor officials were injured."

Madam Dou explained the reason to the children and warned them, "Don't even think about going out during this time. You all stay in the mansion and don't go out, especially you, Erlang. If you dare to take your younger brothers out again, even your elder brother won't be able to protect you!"

Li Shimin had long known that he would be chosen as the leader, so he was not surprised at all by his mother's words and nodded in agreement.

Li Jiancheng had the others escorted out, while he stayed behind to continue his discussions with his mother.

“Mother, just as I said, since corvée labor is unavoidable, we must make up for it in other ways. Every household has no food, yet we are still being forced to requisition it. No method can appease them!”

"Moreover, Loufan has a small population and insufficient arable land. The roads are severely damaged and the people have no food reserves, which is why they rose up in rebellion. If they still had a bite to eat, they wouldn't be in this situation now."

Madam Dou sighed deeply, "Your father knows all this, doesn't he?"

“But as you know, the grain in the granary cannot be distributed to the public at will. Although the sage just rewarded you, he is still somewhat wary of your father. Opening the granary to distribute grain and relieve the people under these circumstances will only cause more trouble.”

Li Jiancheng narrowed his eyes. "Mother, what if we also embark on a large-scale construction project?"

"Ok??"

Li Jiancheng said earnestly, "Many of Loufan's defensive fortifications, city walls, and roads have fallen into disrepair over the years. Since Your Majesty cannot open the granaries to comfort the people, why not use the pretext of repairing and renovating them to petition the court that the construction was carried out by the prefect who conscripted craftsmen and laborers? Then Your Majesty can legitimately distribute grain to them."

Madam Dou was stunned, looking at the young man in front of her in disbelief.

Li Yuan was very fond of his eldest son. He felt that Li Jiancheng, at such a young age, was just like himself, able to make many friends, expand his network, and gain the support of so many people, which showed his great ability.

However, Lady Dou was always worried about her eldest son's future. Li Jiancheng always had a childish air about him, or perhaps Li Yuan had taken too much care of him and helped him too much. This boy had never suffered any hardship, and his temperament was always like that of a child. He was easily carried away when doing things, and his view of problems was very one-sided, seeing things in black and white.

Unlike Li Yuan, Lady Dou valued the second son more, believing that he might truly achieve great things in the future.

This guy is ten years younger than his brother, but judging from his character and words, he is quite mature. Although he is sometimes too reckless, he really will find a way to do what he wants to do.

At this moment, Li Jiancheng suddenly sought her out to discuss the problem, actively wanting to help his father solve it. Madam Dou was both happy and gratified. Regardless of whether her son's idea was good or bad, at least this boy knew he could help his family share the burden and could come up with a solution.

Madam Dou's expression softened considerably. She said, "Your idea is quite good, but you must understand that there is currently a war on the border, requiring the transportation of grain from various places. The Emperor has sent people to various locations to inspect granaries and count the grain supplies. If the Emperor were to learn that your father used so much grain to aid some commoners, he would only assume that your father had embezzled it or was using it to win over the people."

A flash of anger crossed Li Jiancheng's eyes. He remained silent for a moment, then raised his head and looked at Madam Dou.

“Mother, I will speak frankly.”

“That dog Yang Guang is petty and narrow-minded, and he fears everyone. Even if I do nothing, he will still fear me. This dog is capricious. If he wants to punish someone, he will punish them even if they have committed no crime. If he doesn’t want to punish someone, I will swallow the grain without a care.”

When he addressed her in that way, Madam Dou was startled.

"How dare you be so rebellious!"

“Mother, I’m not a child. I wouldn’t say that in front of others. I know you hate him too, and so does Grandpa.”

"As Grandpa just said, nearly 30% of the able-bodied men in the three counties of Loufan have just finished their corvée labor and are still on their way home. The city is mostly populated by old men and children. Now they want to conscript more labor and collect grain. I really don't know how many people will be left in the city. If we don't do something, I'm afraid this place will become a ghost town." After Madam Dou's reprimand and admonition, the children had no desire to go out.

They could only wander around this mansion.

Li Xuanba had no objection to this, nor did he find it boring. His past life was even more monotonous, as he could only stay indoors to read and was afraid of being exposed to the wind when he went out. Now that he could practice martial arts in the courtyard and also study, he was quite happy.

With his appetite greatly increased, and after several months of exercise, Li Yuanba was no longer as thin as a rake.

He doesn't look particularly strong, but you can see some flesh when he stretches out.

As Liu Xuan instructed, when he felt that lifting the stone weight was no longer difficult, he would find someone to bring him a heavier one or increase the number of times he could lift it.

Li Xuanba is an easily satisfied child; even if he only lifts the ball three more times than yesterday, he will cheer with joy.

On this day, when the utterly shameless Li Shimin walked into Li Xuanba's courtyard with his head hanging low, Li Xuanba was carrying a huge stone load, lifting it up and putting it down repeatedly.

Li Shimin stood curiously to the side, hands on his hips, watching his younger brother train like this.

Li Xuanba silently counted in his mind, and after counting for who knows how many times, he finally slowly placed the stone load on the ground.

He was panting as he looked at Li Shimin, "Brother."

Li Shimin looked around at the things scattered around him and smiled wryly, "You seem to be living a very comfortable life."

"I'm so worried!"

"It's been four days already. We've been stuck in the manor all day, unable to go anywhere. My elder brother, on the other hand, can go out, but we haven't seen him all day. I wonder what he's busy with. I thought this place was much better than Xingyang, but I never expected it to be like this!"

Hearing his brother's complaints, Li Xuanba smiled and comforted him, "They don't allow us to go out because they're worried about us encountering danger. You've seen what's happening in the city, brother. I think Grandfather is trying to find a solution, and I estimate that we'll be able to go out soon."

Li Shimin complained again, bent down to pick up the stone load, and suddenly exerted force.

The stone support slowly rose a little.

Li Xuanba was taken aback and quickly said, "Brother, you can't grab it like that, put it down immediately!"

Li Shimin slowly placed the stone load on the ground. He straightened his body, his face flushed, but casually clapped his hands and said, "It's nothing special. I thought it would be much heavier when I saw how much effort you were putting in!"

As Li Shimin spoke, he subtly placed his hands behind his back, his hands trembling slightly.

Li Xuanba breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that my brother is alright."

Li Shimin smiled and nodded.

"Keep practicing, don't rush, I have some things to do."

Without waiting for Li Xuanba's reply, Li Shimin turned and walked out. Li Xuanba stood there, stunned, watching him leave.

After leaving the courtyard, Li Shimin walked for a long time before stopping, looking at his hands with a pained and ferocious expression.

"Sigh~~~"

"What's wrong with this brat? Is Master Liu really that powerful?"

He had wanted to test the weight of the stone pole, but when he lifted it, he almost lost face in front of his younger brother. Li Shimin hadn't expected it to be so heavy. Now, when he recalled his brother getting up again and again to carry the stone pole, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

Just as he was considering whether he should also work on his strength, a servant suddenly came running towards him.

"The patriarch is back! The patriarch is back!"

(End of this chapter)