My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 188 Honesty
Inside a dilapidated house in the north of the city, Liu Shanbo took a sip of hot tea, his whole body still trembling.

This is one of Li Shimin's many strongholds, just like Li Xuanba's Dade Farm. Although Li Shimin did not have a similar large stronghold, he had many small, scattered strongholds, all for the convenience of his business.

The door was closed, but it wasn't too cold inside.

Seeing that Liu Shanbo had warmed up, Li Shimin continued to ask, "So, the one who was killed just now was a high-ranking Turkic official?"

"Yes, the Yabghu of the Turks is equivalent to our governor or prefect, and it is usually held by members of the royal family or nobles, just like the Duke of Tang of Loufan."

Li Shimin's face darkened, and he almost cursed aloud.

Li Shimin did nothing to Liu Shanbo; he simply brought him here and offered him hot tea to warm him up.

Liu Shanbo then told him everything he knew.

They even explained in detail how they colluded with the Turks to amass wealth.

Liu Shanbo was filled with fear.

He still doesn't know who these people in front of him are, or whether he will survive, but he is unwilling to miss any opportunity.

Li Shimin said softly, "If you are such a high-ranking official, how come you only brought such a small number of people and dared to venture into the heart of the territory?"

"I really don't know! Sir, I'm telling the truth!"

"I don't know who the owners of those horses are, nor do I know where they are being sent. The Yabghu only told me that their Great Khan is seriously ill, that the Great Khan's children are not getting along well, and that the nobles in the country all have their own ideas."

"The Khan's eldest son, Dujishi, wanted the support of the court, so he sent this man. I think it should be a gift for a high-ranking official in the court, but I really don't know who it's for."

Li Shimin's thoughts became increasingly clear.

After screening, only two qualified candidates remained.

Yang Xuangan and Yuwen Shu.

The suspicion against Yang Xuangan stemmed from the black horse. Yang Xuangan was known as the Xiang Yu of his time, and people said that the black horse was personally requested by a nobleman, making him a prime suspect. Moreover, his father and elder brother often discussed him, saying that he might be planning a rebellion. It was plausible that someone planning a rebellion would collude with the Turks, as Yang Xuangan held considerable influence in the court and was involved in the important affairs of the new Turkic Khan.

Suspicion of Yuwen Shu stemmed from his precedent: his son, Yuwen Huaji, had been punished for colluding with the Turks and engaging in secret trade. Yuwen Shu himself was also known for his greed, frequent acceptance of bribes, considerable influence in the court, and fondness for horses.
But no matter who it was, Li Shimin was not afraid.

This steed is already mine; no one can take it away from me.

He looked at Liu Shanbo in front of him, but hesitated. He narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Liu Shanbo seemed to realize something, and he quickly said, "Sir, I have plenty of wealth, I only ask to live! If you spare my life, I am willing to offer you my entire fortune! From now on, I will serve you like a slave!"

"I can write to my grandfather right now, instructing him to sell his property, convert the proceeds into gold, and give it all to you, sir!!"

He spoke very quickly, without the slightest hesitation.

Li Shimin laughed and stood up. "Don't worry, I'm not a robber, nor do I want your property. Just rest here for a while, and I'll report to the bandit king before deciding what to do."

Li Shimin soon appeared in front of his own residence. He jumped off his horse, habitually looked around, and then quickly rushed into the courtyard.

At this moment, Li Yuan was discussing important matters with Liu Xuan when a fine Turkic horse suddenly appeared in their territory. This made Li Yuan extremely uneasy, so he summoned Liu Xuan to discuss the matter. At the moment, the two of them knew too little about the situation.

Based on currently available information, Li Yuan and Liu Xuan speculate that someone in Hedong may be conspiring with the Turks, which could cause great trouble for Loufan.

Just as they were having a heated discussion, Li Shimin, just like the fourth prince before him, barged in.

"Grandma!"

Seeing his son, who was also panting and had excited eyes, Li Yuan was taken aback.

"You didn't happen to pick up a good horse too, did you?"

"Hmm? Who picked up the horse?" Li Shimin didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to his father without waiting for him to speak.

"Grandpa, I have something urgent to attend to!"

"You said."

“A few days ago, I took a few people hunting at Wushankou and ran into a group of people. When they saw me, they drew their bows and arrows and attacked me. I didn’t tolerate them and immediately fought back and defeated them.”

"After those thieves left, I saw that they had left behind many horses, but several escaped. I only captured eight. I gave one to Xuanba, and the other seven are still in my possession."

Li Shimin did not choose to hide anything; he honestly told everyone everything: "I just felt that something was strange about this matter, and I suspected that these fine horses had been stolen, so I wanted to find their owner."

"As it turned out, I learned that Old Man Wu in the city was helping a man surnamed Liu from Mayi find a horse. I felt something was amiss, so I secretly sent someone to deliver a letter to him, arranging a meeting place. I originally intended to return the horse to them, but unexpectedly, the man surnamed Liu brought a lot of Hu people with him. Fortunately, I am brave and killed those warriors. I captured the man surnamed Liu, and he is now being held outside the city."

"I learned from that person that a Turkic Yabghu (chieftain) secretly led these horses into Loufan to deliver them to a nobleman in his country."

Li Shimin told Li Yuan the whole story.

Li Yuan and Liu Xuan were dumbfounded.

Liu Xuan, in particular, stared in astonishment at Li Shimin in front of him. If he remembered correctly, the child in front of him should only be twelve years old.
Are the things he just mentioned really something a twelve-year-old could accomplish?

Back in the pseudo-Qi era, there were many madmen who did great things in their teens, but that was the 'excellent' inheritance of the family. What's going on with this Li Erlang?

Where did he find so many men? How did he acquire the weapons? How did he ambush those Turkic warriors? How did he capture them? Liu Xuan couldn't believe it. He couldn't help but say, "Second Master, you can't lie to me like this."

Li Yuan looked at Liu Xuan and said, "Although my son is unruly, he is different from the fourth son and will not talk nonsense."

He looked at Li Shimin again, his expression extremely solemn. "Where is that person?"

"Keep him outside the city. It's best if you don't let him into the city. You can secretly go to see him and ask him questions."

"Turkic Khan."

Li Shimin continued, "However, Father probably won't be able to get any more information out of him. This Liu Shanbo is just an ordinary merchant and doesn't know many secrets. I should have kept some Turks alive, but they refused to surrender and fought to the very end, so there was nothing I could do."

“Grandpa, I think this is true. Otherwise, there’s no way to explain the sudden appearance of so many horses in Loufan. I believe Yang Xuangan and Yuwen Shu are the most suspicious at the moment.”

Li Shimin voiced his guess, then excitedly exclaimed, "Father, this matter is of immense benefit to us!"

"What good can it do?"

Li Shimin laughed, "Isn't Father worried about offending many people?"

“During the previous winter, they were already stirring with the desire for revenge.”

"Now we've discovered this."

"Next, whoever makes the first move against Grandpa will own all these horses."

“Your father can select a few good horses, some treasures, good bows and swords, and secretly send them to the emperor. Then tell him that when your local militia were patrolling the border, they discovered that someone was secretly colluding with the Turks. You have already caught them, killed many people, and seized these things, but you have not been able to find out who did it.”

"Tell the Sage that the people whose supplies were intercepted are furious and want to take action against him, so that someone more controllable can take charge of Loufan. The first person to attack him will be the owner of these supplies."

“The Sage has always hated those who secretly associate with the Turks. My father has also shown his loyalty and sent him a fine horse. He will surely believe that anyone who dares to gather a crowd to attack my father will die a terrible death.”

Li Yuan stared wide-eyed at his son, speechless for a long time.

Liu Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Who taught Erlangjun this?!"

“Lord Liu, even my fourth brother could come up with such a despicable scheme. But my family has always upheld loyalty and righteousness, and we do things with integrity. We disdain such things. Among my brothers, I am the least capable, which is why I came up with these ideas. Please do not underestimate me.”

(End of this chapter)