My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 169: Like a duck in water
In the courtyard of the Li residence.

Liu Xuan strode into the courtyard with an arrogant air, and Li Xuanba hurriedly got up to greet him. Liu Xuan then sat down in his usual seat.

In recent days, Liu Xuan has become increasingly favored by Li Yuan, and his status in the Li family has risen accordingly. His standard of living has also improved dramatically. Already arrogant, he now has even more reason to be arrogant, and he walks with an air of disregard for family and friends.

He sat in the seat of honor and looked at Li Xuanba, who was already prepared.

Li Xuanba has become increasingly studious, and now he focuses his mind on the skills of governance. He no longer makes any harsh remarks in front of Liu Xuan, such as wanting to kill Yang Guang. Liu Xuan is very satisfied, as he has finally put the child on the right track.

He cleared his throat. "Where did I leave off last time?"

"You mentioned the Overlord's Mansion."

"Okay, then I'll tell you more about the place."

Li Xuanba quickly picked up a pen and began to take notes.

“At the local level, the first thing is household registration. You see, townships, counties, and prefectures are all based on household registration. Only those that meet the standards can be called counties. Take the mountain village as an example. Why is it a township head? Because of the restrictions on household registration. Different household registrations require different official positions.”

"The number of officials should be neither too many nor too few; adjusting them according to the household registration is the best approach at present."

Li Xuanba began to take notes diligently. The knowledge his teacher had imparted over the past few days had broadened his horizons and improved his administrative skills.

In the past, Li Xuanba had many people around him, but none of them had official positions or division of labor. They were assigned and arranged haphazardly.

However, after formally learning from Liu Xuan, Li Xuanba realized that what he was doing was wrong.

He then divided the tasks little by little according to the teacher's instructions.

The imperial court's setup was too extravagant for him to handle, so he could only start with the form of a powerful government. He divided his people around him and assigned them different tasks based on their strengths.

At the same time, he continuously recruited talented individuals from among those who were loyal to him, strengthening his own faction.

Li Xuanba's current team is still quite rudimentary, consisting of a few people temporarily assembled to handle various matters such as finance, criminal law, and supervision. None of them are very proficient in these areas.

However, after the division of labor, many things became easier.

Li Xuanba no longer needs to do everything personally, and can handle many things at the same time.

Some important matters have also progressed rapidly.

This made Li Xuanba admire Liu Xuan even more, and he looked forward to his teacher's arrival every day so that he could teach him.

Today, Liu Xuan gave a detailed account of the local system, going all the way down to the county level, and Li Xuanba listened with great interest.

Seeing that it was almost time, Liu Xuan stood up and ended today's lessons.

Li Xuanba hurriedly stepped forward.

"teacher!"

“These days you have listened very attentively, and I am very pleased. You see, learning governance is the true path. You are so young, yet you already have a title, and His Majesty knows about you. Within five years, he will surely summon you. I think that by the time you reach adulthood, you will be able to become a high-ranking official in a region, and by the time you reach your grandfather's age, you will probably be able to enter the imperial court and become a powerful minister!”

"If you could reach that position, wouldn't you be able to save even more people?"

Liu Xuan offered a few words of advice, then left with a smile.

Not everything I said was true, but it was enough to appease the child.

There's no need to worry about me anymore. Now I can continue to plan important matters with the Duke.

No sooner had Liu Xuan left than Li Xiuning arrived.

Li Xuanba was about to go out when he saw his sister arrive and hurriedly went to greet her.

Li Xiuning was panting heavily and covered in sweat.

"Go, go, get me some water!"

Li Xuanba hurriedly ran into the house and returned a moment later with a bowl of water. Li Xiuning picked up the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and then wiped her mouth with her hand, quite boldly. She returned the bowl to Li Xuanba and then stared at him.

"Third brother, how have I treated you on a daily basis?"

My older sister is very good to me.

"Then you have to do something for me, but you can't tell anyone."

"Sister, just tell me! What happened?"

Li Xiuning said through gritted teeth, her face stern, "I actually suffered a great loss!"

"Early this morning, I was walking around the city with some men, drinking with a few friends, when we ran into a scoundrel. That thief, after drinking, started complaining about my family to others! I couldn't stand it, so I immediately went to confront him. This scoundrel is really something! Seven or eight of my men couldn't even get close to him, it's truly shameful!"

Li Xuanba suddenly stood up, "Was my elder sister hurt?!"

"I didn't fight that guy!"

"My men are watching him. I know you have many men under your command. Help me capture him. I must find out why he spoke ill of my family and apologize to me!"

Li Xuanba frowned. His sister was so angry; that person must have said some very unpleasant things. He quickly summoned Liu Chounu and gave him a few instructions. They waited for a long time before the knights from Dade Farm finally arrived, numbering more than ten. Li Xuanba then had his sister lead the way, and the group quickly went out.

They arrived near the South Gate, where there was hardly anyone on the road. Li Xiuning's men quickly came out and informed them of the man's whereabouts. They continued their pursuit, exiting the South Gate and heading forward until they finally caught up with the man by the roadside.

Li Xiuning, with her sharp eyes, spotted the man and immediately shouted, "It's him! It's him!!"

The man also heard the shouting and turned around. He was followed by several people who quickly drew their short weapons and watched the pursuers warily.

Li Xuanba and his men reined in their horses and stopped. Li Xuanba then sized up the man in the distance.

Li Xuanba had never seen such a tall person before. The man was obviously not very old, but his appearance—broad forehead, square face, tiger-like eyes, and thick eyebrows—was very intimidating. He was glaring angrily at Li Xuanba and the others.

"How dare you humiliate me to this extent?!"

"Come on! All of you, attack together! Do you really think I'm afraid to kill?!"

His voice was extremely loud, like thunder. Liu Chounu's expression turned somewhat off at this moment. He stepped forward slightly, fearing that Li Xuanba would rush out.

Li Xuanba glared at the man, but he wasn't afraid.

"I'm asking you, why did you hit someone?!"

"I hit someone? Those people clearly started it!"

"Then why did you humiliate my family? Why did you speak ill of my family!"

The man snorted coldly, "I've heard that the eldest son of the Duke of Tang is in Jingle, recruiting talented people and befriending capable individuals. He says he has gathered many craftsmen, and anyone who comes will be rewarded!"

“I abandoned my livelihood and came here with my brothers to seek refuge, but I couldn’t even see them, let alone receive any reward. They even talked about gathering craftsmen, which is utter nonsense! Am I wrong to say that the Duke’s son is all talk and no action?!”

Li Xuanba was taken aback and looked at Li Xiuning beside him.

Li Xiuning was clearly also somewhat surprised. She asked, "Is that really so? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"What did you say?! Your people came up and tried to pull me away, and you expect me to bow down and beg for mercy?"

Li Xiuning said earnestly, "My elder brother has always been respectful and courteous to scholars. He has made many friends in Xingyang and Loufan, including many craftsmen. He would never neglect a guest. My elder brother is not in the city these days, so please don't misunderstand."

The man waved his hand. "No need for further words. Just tell me if you want to fight me or let me go!"

Li Xiuning hesitated for a moment, then said, "Since there's a reason for this, I don't want to force you to stay any longer. However, my brother is definitely not the kind of person you're describing. He's definitely not in the city. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone else."

"Since you won't force me to stay, I'll leave!"

Without saying a word, the man turned around and was about to leave.

Li Xiuning wanted to say something more, but then she shut her mouth.

Just as the man was about to leave, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

A moment later, those people revealed themselves, and the one charging ahead was none other than Li Shimin.

Li Shimin walked extremely fast, rushing over. He looked at the two groups of people confronting each other in the distance and was furious.

Just as he left Yingyang Mansion, he heard from a friend who was returning from the city that he saw a woman leading a group of people fighting with a burly man, but they couldn't win. It was truly a strange thing!

Upon hearing their description, Li Shimin immediately sensed something was wrong; someone was trying to bully his sister!
He was furious and quickly led his men to help!
Upon seeing the group confront each other, Li Shimin instantly identified his target.

"You wicked scoundrel! Don't you dare hurt my sister!!"

Li Shimin roared and charged straight at the man!

Li Shimin swung the wooden spear in his hand. This thing was only used for training, but if used correctly, it could knock people down and easily subdue them!

Li Xiuning was shocked, "Second brother!! Don't do it!!"

Li Shimin's spear had already been swung towards the opponent!
"Oh!"

With a loud thud, the burly man grabbed the lance, and Li Shimin fell off his horse. Li Xiuning rushed over and helped him up.

Li Shimin's eyes were filled with confusion.

Seize the spear? ??

He hastily brushed the dust off his clothes, stood up, and prepared to attack again, but Li Xiuning quickly said, "Don't attack! This person is not an enemy, that's already been made clear!"

Upon hearing his elder sister's words, Li Shimin finally realized what was happening. His eyes immediately brightened, and he looked intently at the burly man holding the spear.

"What a brave warrior!"

"May I ask your name?!"

"My name is Yuchi Gong! What do you want?!"

(End of this chapter)