My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 156 Benefits
After Yang Wengan left, only the craftsmen who remained were left behind.

Most of them were older, with few young men, and all had families to support, including wives and children. Li Jiancheng provided them with resettlement funds so that they could temporarily support their families.

They didn't speak at this moment, they just stood there silently, looking around.

Li Xuanba watched Yang Wengan leave, but he felt very uneasy.

Li Xuanba didn't really like the people around his elder brother. Why did they always do things like this?
As Li Xuanba was pondering this, Zhang Du suddenly said, "Young Master, what you've done is truly wrong! You previously allowed your warriors to force their way into the government office, and now you're condoning such a petty person spouting nonsense here! You're clearly treating the Lord like a child!"

One of the warriors said with discontent, "I have heard that when a lord is humiliated, a subject should die for his cause! If this happens again, I will kill him, take his head to the lord's gate, and commit suicide!"

Li Xuanba looked at them in disbelief, "How can you say such a thing?!"

He was just thinking about how rude Li Jiancheng's people were, and now his own people are saying the same thing?

Zhang Du quickly lowered his head, "My lord, we do not intend to be villains who sow discord among brothers. It's just that the people around the young master are really going too far. My lord, you may not know this, but when we first arrived in Loufan, the young master let some of us stay in his mansion, but the people around him were extremely rude to us."

"They found a pretext to seize the residence that the young master had originally arranged for us, made us live next to the stables, and treated us like servants, which was very humiliating."

Li Xuanba was taken aback. "How come I didn't know about this?"

Zhang Du said earnestly, "Within the Li residence, the young master is the master, and they are his attendants. We dare not say anything more, nor do we wish to cause trouble for the lord, so we have not mentioned it."

"However, Your Excellency is also a ruler, and as a nobleman, how can you allow yourself to be humiliated by them? This is something we cannot accept!"

Li Xuanba couldn't understand why his subordinates harbored such resentment towards each other, since they had no grudges against anyone around him or his elder brother, and they had little opportunity to interact with each other. He had an excellent relationship with his elder brother.
With a stern face, he said very seriously, "My elder brother is like a father to me. I have been loved by him since I was a child, and I dare not be disrespectful to him in the slightest. I will never allow anyone to speak ill of my brother in my presence!"

Zhang Du and the others hurriedly apologized.

Li Xuanba continued, "From now on, if anyone around my brother insults you again, do not argue with them, and certainly do not talk about fighting. Just tell me! I don't want to hear that absurd talk again!"

"Here!"

Everyone said yes.

Li Xuanba originally wanted to say something to the craftsmen, but he was in a really bad mood, so he asked Zhang Du to make arrangements for the craftsmen first, and then turned around and went back into his tent. His small courtyard was fine for everyone to sit and chat, but it wasn't suitable for them to rest.

Sitting inside the tent, Li Xuanba was still somewhat sullen.

At this moment, Liu Chounu, who had been involved but remained silent throughout, suddenly spoke up, "My lord, this is nothing serious, there's no need to take it to heart."

"Old man, I really don't understand why the people around my brother are hostile towards me. It's not just Yang Wengan, it was like that before, and then there was Feng Li. Now they're not as friendly to me as they used to be."

Liu Chounu laughed. "They're afraid, they're jealous."

"Fear? Jealousy?"

"The Duke dotes on the Marquis the most, far more so than on his other children. And the Marquis is truly extraordinary. This time, when the Emperor came, even the young master was not summoned, but he met the Marquis and was even rewarded with a royal bow."

Li Xuanba's eyes widened. "Are they afraid I'll steal my elder brother's title?!"

He stood up angrily, "Absurd!! Shameless!"

Li Xuanba's face immediately turned red. He seemed to feel extremely humiliated, and his voice trembled.

Liu Chounu said, "It's not necessarily because he's afraid that you, my lord, will seize his position. After all, you already have a title. However, you must be a little unhappy. Your son is still a commoner and hasn't acquired his own property. Even when the emperor came, he didn't get the chance to pay homage. But you, my lord, at such a young age, have already received a title, acquired a lot of private property, and received rewards." "Your lord need not be angry. Just keep your subordinates in check, help your son more, and let those around your son know that you, my lord, are not an enemy, but a great help to your son. That's enough. There's no need to worry about anything else."

Li Xuanba fell into deep thought. Should he help his elder brother?
But what can I do to help my older brother?
After thinking for a moment, Li Xuanba seemed to have some ideas. He looked at Liu Chounu and said, "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, sir."

"I dare not, I dare not. Although you have done many things, you are still young. Many of these things are unreasonable and cannot be learned from books. Haha, when I was young, I witnessed many absurd things. Some of these stories, you might not even believe!"

After the old man and the young man chatted for a while, a smile returned to Li Xuanba's face.

He drank some water to moisten his throat and then prepared to go find the craftsmen.

Liu Chounu followed behind him.

Zhang Du had just settled these craftsmen in the farm. There weren't too many craftsmen, and Zhang Du had them live in the westernmost corner of the farm, where many thatched huts had been temporarily built. Although they were thatched huts, they were much better than the houses that Li Xuanba and the others had seen when they first arrived. At least they didn't have to worry about being crushed to death by their own houses in the middle of the night.

When Li Xuanba arrived, they were resting. Upon seeing Li Xuanba, several people quickly got up and walked to him.

The craftsmen were led by a burly old man.

This man looked to be about the same age as Liu Chounu, tall and slender with a hunched back. He must have been an extremely tall man in his youth. He didn't seem to be from a humble background. Upon seeing Li Xuanba, he showed no fear, but instead took the lead in bowing, his voice full of vigor, "This humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Li Xuanba quickly helped him up, saying, "Old man, there's no need for that."

Li Xuanba looked at the rest of the group behind the old craftsman. Their eyes were filled with fear and unease, and they dared not meet Li Xuanba's gaze. Li Xuanba said softly, "Do not be afraid, everyone. I am not a despicable playboy. Everyone here is kind and there is no evil person. As long as you work diligently, you will have no shortage of food and salary in the future."

The old craftsman hurriedly said, "The prefect is benevolent, as everyone in the prefecture knows. We have long heard that you, my lord, have the same qualities as your father, so why would we be afraid? It is just that you, my lord, are mighty. We country folk have never seen such a hero before, and we respect and fear you!"

"From this day forward, I will serve you with all my might and will not slacken my efforts."

Li Xuanba was increasingly surprised. This old craftsman didn't sound like someone from a craftsman background at all.

"Everyone, please rest for now. There's no need to rush into anything. Once you're all ready, someone will come and let you know when it's time to get to work."

The craftsmen all bowed in gratitude, but Li Xuanba kept the old craftsman with him.

"May I ask your honorable name, sir?"

"I dare not. My surname is Dugu, and my given name is Luo. You may call me by my full name, Lord."

"Old Master Dugu".

Li Xuanba asked curiously, "I see that all the people who have come are old craftsmen. Why don't I see any young and strong ones?"

Dugu Luo sighed and explained, "My lord, in the past six or seven years, the old craftsman has traveled far and wide, enduring countless hardships and corvée labor. The people are also impoverished and unable to make a living, so no one wants to learn his craft anymore. Even his own children are unwilling to teach him this skill."

Everyone in the world suffers from corvée labor, but the suffering of craftsmen ranks first. Carpenters and bricklayers need no further explanation; they are the first to be assigned to construction and building. Even blacksmiths are given priority, since they can forge tools. When performing corvée labor, people bring their own food, and in some places, they even have to bring their own tools. But if the tools are worn out, they can't work with their bare hands.

At times like these, a large number of craftsmen are needed to work day and night to manufacture tools so that everyone can work better.

With the economy destroyed by corvée labor and heavy taxes, the people had nothing to eat. These artisans could no longer make a living through their skills, so they had no choice but to work for others and become servants and slaves exclusively for the rich.

It's the same reason they're coming to seek refuge with Li Xuanba now.

(End of this chapter)