My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 143 Extreme Qi
The sky was dark, with rolling dark clouds making the whole world gloomy.

A group of vicious dogs had gathered and were digging something by the roadside.

Suddenly, the vicious dogs began to bark wildly. Without hesitation, they turned and ran, quickly disappearing into the desolate wilderness.

The next moment, the ground began to shake.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder and louder.

A dark mass of knights appeared in the distance.

The powerful warhorses carrying their masters swept in from afar. The knights scattered, cautiously surveying their surroundings, not missing a single thing. Soon after these knights left, another group of knights appeared, following the same route, continuing to gallop along the road.

Several groups of knights passed by before a large, imposing army gradually appeared in the distance.

These knights dared not run at full speed.

They even donned armor and carried various flags as they moved slowly.

Behind them were many large carts, with knights patrolling and protecting them on both sides.

It is so large that you can't see the end of it.

This is how sages travel.

Saints have always been very particular about pomp and circumstance, and the more knights they have, the better; the bigger their carriages, the better; and the louder their musical instruments, the better.

Right in the middle of the procession, Yang Guang was drinking wine while watching several dancers perform.

These dancers were all top-notch in both appearance and figure. When they danced, it was as if they had no bones. Their clothes were also quite revealing. The ministers around Yang Guang did not dare to look up at them at this moment, and their faces were somewhat embarrassed.

Yang Guang, however, watched with great interest.

"Minister Yu, I have long said that we should continue to build the imperial road. Look, it will take several more days to get to Loufan now. After we go back, let's build an imperial road here as well."

These imperial roads were the exclusive routes for the emperor. After Yang Guang ascended the throne, he built many imperial roads, extending from Luoyang in all directions, with the aim of reaching his destination faster and completing his tours more comfortably.

Of course, neither imperial roads nor canals are without significance; however, the price paid is far too high. Countless commoners' corpses are buried beneath each imperial road.

Yu Shiji then spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty is absolutely right; construction should continue."

The young man sitting on the other side frowned.

He said, “Your Majesty, the northern road is already very well-maintained. Although Loufan is an important location, it is not as good as the surrounding area. I think it is unnecessary to rebuild the road specifically for Loufan.”

The man was not very old, had a dignified appearance, and a loud voice.

Upon hearing this, Yang Guang merely glanced at him without saying a word.

Yu Shiji said, "When Your Majesty visited Yulin earlier, Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji accompanied you. However, after arriving at the place, they secretly traded with the Turks without Your Majesty's knowledge. If it weren't for your father, they would have been executed."

"Now that you are following the sage, do not think about the road to prosperity. Think more about your brothers and do not repeat the same mistakes."

This young man was called Yuwen Shiji.

His father was none other than the renowned nobleman, General of the Left Guard, and Duke of Xu, Yuwen Shu.

The Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji mentioned by Yu Shiji were his elder brothers.

His two older brothers are really no good.

Before Yang Guang ascended the throne, Yuwen Huaji served as a Qianniu Beishen (a high-ranking official in charge of guards), and he had frequent contact with Yang Guang, and their relationship was very good. Later, when Yang Guang became the crown prince, Yuwen Huaji served as the crown prince's servant, and their relationship became even better.

However, his character was truly despicable; he was greedy and cruel. He often insulted other officials and accepted bribes. He was dismissed several times, but each time Yang Guang would bail him out.

After becoming emperor, Yang Guang promoted him even more, appointing him as the Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud!

But no one expected that this fellow, while traveling with the emperor, would dare to secretly trade with the Turks with his younger brother. After being caught, Yang Guang was furious and prepared to kill him, but considering his family background and their long-standing friendship, he spared his life and sent him to his father's side as a slave. This third brother, Yuwen Shiji, was arguably the most reliable of the three. Although there were some doubts and rumors about his character, compared to his two older brothers, he was practically a saint!

The eldest brother, Yu Wenhua, liked to ride a big horse, carrying a bow and arrow, galloping along the road, and would shoot any unlucky people he encountered.

The second son, Yuwen Zhiji, liked to gather wandering knights, fight everywhere, and rape women.
Emperor Yang Guang probably knew this too. He betrothed his eldest daughter to Yuwen Shiji, making him his son-in-law. In addition, he appointed Yuwen Shiji as Shangnian Fengyu and took him with him when he went out.

No matter what, this son-in-law is practically family.

After Yu Shiji made his sarcastic remarks, Yang Guang said softly, "Don't say that. What does his brother's crime have to do with him?"

Yu Shiji bowed his head and agreed.

Yang Guang then spoke to Yuwen Shiji, saying, "Renren, you are still young and do not know the importance of things. Do not blame Yu Qing. Yu Qing is an upright person and has always been like this."

Yuwen Shiji also bowed his head and agreed.

Yang Guang then laughed, stroking his beard, and told Yuwen Shiji to take his men out.

After everyone else had left, leaving only Yu Shiji, Yang Guang hurriedly asked, "I have heard many times that the Duke of Tang's family has fine horses. Are you aware of this?"

Yu Shiji instantly understood the sage's meaning and hurriedly replied, "I have also heard of this matter. It is said that the breeding began during the time of Duke Xiang of Tang. Each of these horses is one in ten thousand. I heard that when Duke Jingwu of Chu was still alive, Li Yuan once gave him one."

Yang Guang suddenly frowned. "Yang Su has already collected a whole bolt? How come I haven't seen it?"

Yu Shiji fell silent.

Yu Shiji had no connection with Li Yuan. He was a southerner and couldn't get along with these northerners. However, Yu Shiji wasn't actually a bad person. He used to be quite willing to offer advice and had a very good reputation in the court and among the people.

Before Yang Guang killed Gao Jiong and He Ruobi, Yu Shiji had also advised the emperor several times to reduce corvée labor and military campaigns.

The deaths of those important officials truly terrified Yu Shiji.

From then on, he never dared to disobey any of Yang Guang's edicts again, and would do whatever Yang Guang said to appease him.

As a result, his reputation worsened, his moral standards dropped, and he became increasingly inclined to become a treacherous official.

Nevertheless, Yu Shiji was still reluctant to harm others. If Yang Guang wanted to harm people, he could act as a henchman, but if the emperor did not express any specific intentions, he would not actively plot against others.

Yu Shiji then said, "Li Yuan has been living away from home for a long time, so he probably hasn't had the opportunity to present the horse."

Yang Guang said with a smile, "I have always loved fine horses. The more precious the horse, the more I like it."

Yu Shiji understood that this was an attempt to get him to ask Li Yuan to present a horse, so he quickly said, "Your Majesty is renowned for your martial prowess, and Li Yuan must have already prepared a fine horse to present to Your Majesty."

Yang Guang then laughed triumphantly.

"There is one more thing. You can send someone now to have the governors of the neighboring northern regions go to Loufan. I want to have a good talk with them!"

"Here!"

The closer they got to Loufan, the more difficult the road became. After discovering the problem, the knights immediately prepared to capture people from the surrounding area to repair the road. However, there were few people in Loufan, and it seemed that the saint would have to wait a long time for the road to be repaired before they could proceed.

The knights were terrified and rallied their brothers at the rear to repair the road, cursing under their breath!

What a terrible place!
In the past, whenever they heard that a sage was going to visit a place, roads would be repaired overnight. Even if some parts were damaged, they could fix them by arresting people or doing it themselves. But this road... it's finished. They're going to be beheaded. The officials here are fucking inhuman!

Yang Guang was clearly unwilling to wait, so he kept walking, leaving the knights with no choice but to give up on repairing the road. If they had advised the emperor to stop and wait for them to repair the road, they would probably have been killed.

When Yang Guang first experienced the roads of Loufan, his eyes were filled with astonishment.

He actually felt the shaking!

In the past, even when going to Yulin or the border regions, the roads were very flat and tidy.

Yang Guang was so shocked that he got out of the carriage to see what was going on. When he saw the dilapidated road in front of him, he froze on the spot. What was going on?
(End of this chapter)