My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 144: Disrespect

Previously, Yang Guang felt that the local governors did not respect him enough because the gifts they brought were not generous enough.

This road would make even Emperor Yang Guang laugh.

This isn't just a lack of respect; it's a complete disregard for one's own dignity.

Yang Guang suddenly laughed, and his laughter was quite loud. He gestured to the side, and Yu Shiji hurriedly walked to his side.

"His Majesty."

Which prefecture does this road belong to?

Loufan County.

"Is this a nuisance?"

Yang Guang said a few words, "Hahaha, you said before that Li Yuan would definitely prepare a gift for the meeting, but I didn't expect that he would present the gift so early. Good road, not bad, very good."

"Keep going!"

Yang Guang gave the order, then turned and returned to his carriage. Yu Shiji wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the road in front of him, and understood what was going on.

The emperor set off in such a hurry that Li Yuan had no time to make repairs.
Yu Shiji knew that the emperor was furious, so he could only wish Li Yuan good luck in his heart.

The emperor's carriage continued forward.

At this moment, his escorting knights had already met up with Li Yuan. Li Yuan, along with all the officials of the prefecture, came out of the city for more than ten miles to greet them, but there was no one behind them.

The officials who had come out with Li Yuan were now ashen-faced, and they all felt that they were doomed.

Yuwen Shiji, who was leading the way, frowned when he saw that Li Yuan had only brought his officials to greet him.

"Yuwen Jun, I wonder how General Yuwen is doing?"

Li Yuan smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Yuwen Shiji. Yuwen Shiji did not reply, but said worriedly, "Duke, now is not the time for pleasantries. Please send someone to summon some commoners and bring some musicians. We cannot welcome the Emperor like this!"

"The road to this building is damaged, which has already displeased the Emperor. If you greet him like this, I'm afraid something terrible will happen!"

The relationship between the Yuwen family and the Li family was actually quite good. Yuwen Shu's father, Yuwen Sheng, was an old man who had followed Yuwen Tai and was one of the Pillars of State. Yuwen Shu himself had even helped Wei Xiaokuan quell a rebellion. And Old Wei had connections with the Dugu family.

Upon hearing Yuwen Shiji's words, Li Yuan simply shook his head slightly, "No need."

Yuwen Shiji then stopped trying to persuade him.

After confiscating their weapons, checking their bodies, and confirming that they posed no threat, Yuwen Shiji then ordered the knights to lead the officials to greet him.

"Your subject Li Yuan pays homage to Your Majesty!!"

From a distance, Li Yuan performed the kowtow, his voice extremely loud, which was heard by the knights in the distance, who couldn't help but look.

A moment later, Yang Guang stepped down from the carriage, which swayed precariously as he rode it, his face filled with anger.

When he got off the carriage, he saw Li Yuan in the distance, and officials even further away. Apart from them, there were no other people accompanying him, no elders, no famous scholars, and no musicians.

Yang Guang stared straight at Li Yuan without returning the greeting.

"Is this how you greet me?"

Li Yuan seemed completely oblivious to the emperor's displeasure, and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I have made preparations within the city and have been waiting for you for a long time."

Yang Guang had already walked to Li Yuan's side. He grabbed Li Yuan and looked towards the distant city, coldly asking, "Are all the people in your city dead?"

"Your Majesty! Loufan is newly established, and I have only been serving as its governor for a few months. I govern only three counties. Among the northern prefectures, Loufan produces the least grain, has the fewest able-bodied men, suffers damage in various places, and has low mineral resources. However, the people in the city are extremely excited to hear that Your Majesty is coming!"

"The people in the city have spontaneously gone outside the city and are working hard to cultivate the land, while the people in the countryside have gone to the mines and are actively digging and mining!"

"They say they are determined to make Loufan the richest prefecture in the north by next year, producing large quantities of grain, iron, and coal to relieve the needs of the border and share His Majesty's burdens!"

When Li Yuan first began to complain, Yang Guang was extremely angry. But when Li Yuan talked about what the people were doing, Yang Guang was somewhat surprised. He looked at Li Yuan suspiciously and asked, "Is that really so?"

"Absolutely true!"

Yang Guang waved his hand, letting Li Yuan get into the carriage with him, and then ordered the army to continue forward.

"Tell the knights ahead that if they encounter civilians outside the city, they should not drive them away."

Yang Guang gave an order.

Li Yuan knelt to one side with a smile, looking at Yang Guang with eager eyes. "Your Majesty, I have only been in office for a short time, and I have caused you suffering. Next year, the road will definitely not be like this!"

"At that time, I request Your Majesty to visit again!"

Yang Guang fell silent. He had been to many places, and the officials who greeted him were all trembling with fear. No one dared to let him continue. Li Yuan was the first one to do so.

Yang Guang didn't say much, but asked about the mineral resources, which Li Yuan answered one by one.

Soon, the group reached the outskirts of the city, where a knight came to report that they had encountered a large number of civilians.

Curious, Yang Guang immediately pulled Li Yuan out of the carriage, and the two walked together into the distance.

On the vast plains outside the city, a large number of people had gathered. They were all holding farm tools and standing in the distance, gazing at the scene. When the knights shouted "Long live the knights!", they reacted and knelt down in worship.

Surrounded by the crowd, Yang Guang strode up to them.

He looked around and saw that they were indeed developing farmland.

Yang Guang casually looked around the crowd, then suddenly pointed at one of them and said, "Let that person come over here."

A knight grabbed a man and quickly brought him before Yang Guang. The man was pale and trembling.

"What are you doing here?"

"To be honest, I don't blame you."

"Your Majesty's grace is boundless. We are cultivating this land, hoping to grow more grain."

Upon hearing this, Yang Guang was suddenly moved.

He sighed deeply and looked at Yu Shiji beside him, "If all the people of the world could understand my good intentions and were willing to serve in this way, how could the world not be well governed? Reward them, reward them!"

Yu Shiji dared not delay and quickly rewarded the farmer. The farmer kowtowed repeatedly and was then led away by the knight.

Yang Guang looked at Li Yuan beside him, his expression very gentle.

"Minister Li, you have done very well, very well. Every time I go on an excursion, the officials send people to greet me. These are all elderly people from the city, to express their loyalty. But what kind of loyalty can compare to this?"

"Isn't it good that everyone in the world does their job and does their best?"

"What your Majesty said is absolutely true!"

Yang Guang smiled and took Li Yuan's hand, never mentioning the road again, but simply asked Li Yuan to lead him into the city.

No special arrangements were made in the city; the roads were simply swept. The dilapidated areas remained dilapidated, but Yang Guang did not punish him at all. He only expressed his admiration for Li Yuan's hardships and instructed Li Yuan to make sure the city was well-developed.

Long before the emperor entered the city, his knights had already taken control of the entire city, and then the governor's mansion. Li Yuan's troops and the local militia were all disarmed and taken to the same place for safekeeping.

The sage's measures to prevent theft were quite effective.

When the emperor sat on the throne and looked at the incredibly sumptuous meal before him, he smiled and invited Li Yuan to eat with him.

Li Yuan also saw an opportunity and immediately said, "Your Majesty, I have a gift I wish to present. May I ask what it may be?"

"Oh? A gift?"

"Give it to me!"

Li Yuan hurriedly went down, found a follower, and spoke a few words to him.

A moment later, Yang Guang heard the sound of horses neighing outside. Li Yuan smiled and invited him to go out and see.

As the two walked out of the main hall, they saw ten fine horses being led by servants.

Yang Guang's eyes widened when he saw these horses.

He happily walked forward, stroking each of the horses and asking their names, his face growing increasingly joyful.

Li Yuan then said, “Your Majesty, my family has been raising fine horses since my grandfather’s time. We have a total of fourteen horses. The other four are too small, and these ten are the strongest. So we are presenting them to Your Majesty. As for the other four, we will present them to Your Majesty after they have grown up!”

"Haha, why bother? Don't you have four children? Leave those ponies to them!"

Yang Guang was very generous; he was genuinely happy at that moment.

Li Yuan was extremely pleased with these things.

How can such a talented person only be a prefect?
(End of this chapter)