My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 131 Done!

Li Yuan was busy all day and didn't return to his residence until evening.

Li Yuan went to the north to investigate whether there was any illegal trade with the Turks in the area.

The imperial court did not allow ordinary people to do business with the Turks on their own. Just like mining, it had to be done in cities that were officially permitted, and at the same time, rules had to be followed. Some things could be sold, and some things could not.

Private markets were quite common in this region, and many people risked their lives to do business with the Hu people from outside, mainly because the profits were too high!

How large are these profits?
Previously, a wealthy family in Jingle brought a cartload of goods, mostly silk and porcelain, and traded them with the Turks for ten magnificent horses! One of these horses could be exchanged for the most luxurious mansion in the capital, and many nobles longed to own such a horse.

Of course, this person was discovered; not only was his horse gone, but he himself was also gone.

Selling only silk and porcelain would be fine, but I'm worried about those selling maps and the location of Yingyang Prefecture.
When Li Yuan returned to his residence, exhausted, Li Xuanba had been waiting for him for a long time.

Upon seeing his third son, Li Yuan felt much of his weariness disappear. Of all his children, he liked his third son the most.

Before the third prince could even pay his respects, Li Yuan picked him up and carried him into the house.

The third son was getting old, but Li Yuan still held him steadily in his arms.

Once inside the house, Li Yuan placed the boy on the ground and sat down in the seat of honor with a smile.

"What, are you here to plead for the fourth brother?"

"Grandpa, it's for something even more important."

"You said."

Li Xuanba hurriedly pulled out the testimony from his pocket and handed it to Li Yuan, saying, "I sent people to investigate the local private mines, and we found that there really are a few."

Li Yuan paused for a moment, picked up the document, glanced at it a few times, and then smiled at Li Xuanba.

"You scoundrel, so you've been plotting this with your retainers all these days."

"What, you want me to get promoted again through private mining?"

Li Yuan shook his head gently and said earnestly, "Sanlang, I appreciate your kindness, but behind these mines are people who can challenge your grandfather. Even the Zheng family in Xingyang has a Duke in their family."

“Back in Xingyang, things had already reached that point, and it was a copper mine, so there was no way to back out. But things are different now. There are actually many people involved in this private mining business; it’s a big business for them.”

"If I were to take action against these people now, I might actually get promoted, but my colleagues in the court would all be gritting their teeth at me. If so many people were to attack me together, wouldn't my future be even more difficult?"

"I've discussed the principle of 'those who are virtuous receive much help' with you before, do you remember?"

Li Xuanba remained calm. "I remember."

“This crackdown on illegal mines is only the first step. The second step is for you to write to the Emperor and ask him to punish these people. The Emperor sent you here to trouble yourself, which means he wants you to continue searching for mines for him.”

"If the Emperor knew that my father had offended so many court officials because of him, he would be very happy and would no longer be so wary of my father. That's one point."

"I heard my second brother say that the people in the city are poor and have no food. My eldest brother wants my father to recruit people to do things."

"If this can please the Emperor, then the Emperor will not hesitate to recruit people and carry out tasks for Father."

"The people's hearts, as perceived by the sages, are not those of the common people, but those of the powerful clans and the soldiers."

"The third step is for Grandpa to redistribute these mineral resources to the locals, clean up the bureaucracy, and let them hire local people to work. Many people in the city do not have farmland, so this way they can all have jobs and at least not starve to death."

"In this way, Loufan will surely be stable, and the people will all benefit."

Li Yuan asked, "I can find a way to settle things down in Loufan now, so why should I offend those powerful clans for the sake of these commoners?"

Li Xuanba said seriously, "My father told me before that if I wanted people to help me, I had to share some benefits with them. I felt that was not right at the time, and after thinking about it many times and consulting with my teacher several times, I finally understood." "Grandpa is right. If you want others to help you, you need to share some benefits with them. You can't just talk the talk."

“Right now, the thousands of households in Loufan need your help, sir. If you can share some benefits with them, they will naturally help you.”

Li Yuan looked at his son and asked again, "Do you think the common people of Loufan are more important than those powerful clans?"

“Grandpa, when we first arrived in the city, we went out for a stroll with my second brother. At that time, some people stopped us. My brother was frightened by them. When they got angry, even the officials had to leave the city and dared not go to see them. Sometimes the Eagle Banner Prefecture had to be mobilized.”

“I discussed this matter with my brother, and talked to him about Xunzi’s saying, ‘Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.’”

“I was discussing the ‘people’ in Mencius with my teacher. When I was studying at the Zheng family’s school, my teacher Zheng said that the ‘people’ refers to good families like theirs, not the common people. But my teacher Liu told me that the ‘people’ are neither scholars nor slaves; the ‘people’ are those who are governed.”

"Master Liu also gave me other examples. Mencius mentioned the people many times, but he was thinking about how to feed them and keep them from freezing and starving, rather than how to get the 'people' involved in state affairs."

He said that misinterpreting Mencius's inner meaning is a remnant of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and that the nobles of that time misinterpreted Mencius and combined it with metaphysics for their own use.

Li Xuanba spoke with utmost seriousness, “Therefore, when my father asked me which was more important, the common people or the powerful clans, I could only say that the common people are the most valuable.”

Li Yuan was somewhat speechless. He had also studied the classics, but clearly not as well as his son.

"This is not a decision that can be made easily. How about this, you go back first, and I'll think about it some more."

"Here."

Li Xuanba stood up and added, "Grandpa, it's not easy to share benefits with powerful clans. They want too much and are never satisfied. But it's not difficult to share benefits with the common people. They don't want much; they just want something to eat."

After saying that, Li Xuanba turned and left with a flourish.

When the father and son first discussed important matters in Xingyang, Li Xuanba was rendered speechless by Li Yuan's words. However, not long after, Li Xuanba had gained the upper hand, and Li Yuan was somewhat swayed by his words.

After thinking for a while, Li Yuan sent someone to summon Li Jiancheng.

He wanted to hear his eldest son's opinion.

"The powerful clan?? The powerful clan is a dog."

Li Jiancheng was about to start cursing when he remembered that he was asking his grandfather, so he quickly shut his mouth. He said seriously, "Xuanba is right! Grandfather, never underestimate these common people. The common people are the most important. What are those powerful families? Why would Grandfather worry about them?"

"Back then, Yang Su was so arrogant. What kind of powerful families did he think he was? If you wanted to see him, you had to pay him first. Let alone minerals, even real estate and ancestral homes, Yang Su would take them if he wanted them. Did any of those powerful families dare to refuse?"

"These days, sages are so tyrannical, they practically rob people outright. Do any powerful clans dare to resist?"

"Why be afraid of offending them! The foundation of this world lies in the common people. As long as we let them live well and gain their support, these powerful clans can be wiped out by the Second Prince leading his men!"

Li Jiancheng wholeheartedly agreed with his third brother's view. "I really didn't expect that my third brother would say such a thing. Father, the world is about to be in turmoil. The real trouble will not come from these powerful clans, but from the common people who can't survive. If we can gain the support of these people, then our great cause will be half successful!"

“I actually have many, many ways to improve the lives of the people, Father. I think there’s no need to hesitate about this!”

Li Yuan was also surprised that his eldest son was even more radical than his third son.

With both of his sons thinking the same way, Li Yuan began to waver.

In the past, he always made friends and never deliberately offended any powerful families, hoping to rise to a high position through their support.

If we take action against these private mines, the Emperor will be the happiest. In the future, whether we ask him to reduce local taxes or corvée labor, or recruit people to work, the Emperor probably won't object. But if we do that, I will really become a sycophant who flatters the Emperor, and my reputation will probably fall to the same level as Zhao Yuanshu in an instant.
But he quickly thought of Yang Su, Yuwen Shu, and others who also had terrible reputations.
The next moment, Li Yuan suddenly clenched his fists.

"Done!!"

(End of this chapter)