My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 193 The Horse's Owner

Zheng Jingang was taken to a luxurious mansion in Luoyang.

He changed his clothes, and his complexion was much better than before, glowing with health. He was more eager than anyone else to see that important person as soon as possible.

After being driven out by Li Jiancheng, he spent a very miserable period in Jingle. Although it was short, it was unforgettable. His right leg was also crippled by Li Jiancheng. It was only because the executioners knew Zheng Jingang that they did not kill him. Otherwise, he probably would not have been able to leave alive after being beaten with fifty strokes.

Just when he was despairing about the future, he encountered a spy who came to investigate the Duke's mansion. The spy's words gave him renewed hope.

It wasn't just about getting back on his feet, but also about the hope of revenge; he harbored immense resentment towards Li Jiancheng.

When Zheng Jingang was brought to this residence, he was extremely excited. The person who brought him here gave an announcement, and a moment later, he was led into the house. There, he saw a dark-skinned young man who was not much older than himself, but he sat there with an imposing presence that commanded respect.

"Greetings, my lord!"

Zheng Jingang quickly bowed and greeted him.

Li Mi nodded, gesturing for him to sit down to the side.

After Zheng Jingang sat down, Li Mi asked, "You said that Loufan also has a Qingzao Village?"

"it is true!"

"Just as winter was approaching, I overheard many people in the restaurant discussing that a village called Qingzao Village had appeared in Chenghou Mountain, and many dead people were going there to seek refuge! I found this strange, because there was also a Qingzao Village in Xingyang."

"later."

"What happened next? Just tell me."

"Later, I had nowhere to go and no way to make a living, so I thought of taking my money and going to join the bandits. I found some local heroes and asked them about the surrounding area. They all said I could go to Qingzao Village. According to them, the village appeared suddenly, grew rapidly, swallowed up the surrounding bandits, and then sent people to contact heroes everywhere and invite them to the mountain."

“Even the dead and thieves from outside Loufan went there to seek refuge.”

"I felt something was wrong then, so I didn't go to seek refuge with them."

As Li Mi listened to his words, his eyes grew even sharper.

When he was ordered to go to Xingyang, there was a village called Qingzao Village in Yeniu Mountain. It suddenly appeared, grew rapidly, and became extremely powerful. It was said that it later defeated Yang Qing. Yang Qing then stopped talking about the village altogether.

Li Mi didn't find it strange at the time, but now, after Li Yuan went to Loufan, Qingzao Village suddenly appeared in Loufan and grew rapidly, also receiving the dead.

Li Mi recalled that when he entered Wild Buffalo Mountain, he had encountered a group of people led by the Third Prince Li Xuanba. Li Xuanba had a group of very capable warriors under his command. Li Yuan's attempt to suppress bandits failed, and someone had leaked the information beforehand.

The more Li Mi thought about it, the more he felt he had grasped something crucial.

Did Li Yuan know about this?
Li Mi looked at Zheng Jingang again and asked, "I also sent quite a few people, so why hasn't anyone heard of this Qingzao Village?"

Zheng Jingang panicked and quickly explained, "I really didn't lie! That's how it was before the New Year! But after the snowstorm, for some reason, everyone started calling it Chenghou Village again."

Li Mi was taken aback, then laughed.

Is that really the case?

"That's absolutely true! If there's even a hint of a lie, may I be struck by lightning!"

"Okay! Okay!"

Li Mi laughed loudly, "This is indeed very important news! You can rest for a while, and I will take you to meet a truly important person! Because of this news, you will be rich and noble for the rest of your life!"

Zheng Jingang was quite excited and thanked him repeatedly.

Li Mi then let him leave.

After seeing the man off, Li Mi quickly took out paper and pen and began to write.

Secretly seizing some farmland is nothing, raising some warriors is nothing, but openly supporting rebel forces that have attacked government officials is a capital offense, far more serious than illegally mining copper or minting coins! This is not something that can be solved by bloodshed; only beheading can appease the emperor's wrath.

If that fellow wasn't lying, Li Mi was basically certain that the Duke of Tang's family was connected to these rebel forces. At least, someone in their family had been in contact with these people. Otherwise, how could the village appear wherever Li Yuan went? If they wanted to investigate this matter, it would be easy. It was just an ordinary den of thieves. They could simply send some people to arrest them and find out about the collusion between the bandits and the Duke of Tang.

But is it really necessary to do this?

Li Mi suddenly hesitated.

According to Li Mi's plan, the most important thing at the moment is to take up an important position as soon as possible.

The position Li Mi sought for Yang Xuangan was to appoint him as the logistics officer of the Northwest Army, in charge of provisions and weapons. At present, the generals are still fighting against Tuyuhun, and the war is unlikely to end easily.

If he could successfully take office, the chances would be enormous. With a large amount of grain and military equipment, he could quickly gather troops through Yang Xuangan's reputation and old friends, find a pretext to block the roads, isolate the imperial army in the northwest, cut off their food supply, and then sweep through Guanzhong, aiming for Luoyang.

However, Yang Xuangan increasingly ignored the advice of those around him, including Li Mi's suggestions.

He remained engrossed in the banquets, constantly cultivating relationships with nobles who might be of use, and frequently reprimanded Li Yuan in front of them, arguing that Li Yuan had betrayed them, the Guanlong nobles, by flattering the emperor.

If the Duke were to see this thing
Li Mi's expression became somewhat hesitant, and the joy on his face faded considerably.

Through his previous actions, the Duke of Tang had won the emperor's favor. The emperor had said several times in court that he wanted Li Yuan to serve in the court, and even addressed Li Yuan as his younger brother in front of the imperial clan.

Putting aside the difficulty of killing Li Yuan, even if Li Yuan were killed, the benefits would not be great. On the contrary, it would attract a large number of enemies, including the Emperor. If the Emperor were to start to miss Li Yuan one day and regret killing him, his own family would be doomed.

After thinking for a long time, Li Mi finally made a decision.

He then tore up the letter in his hand, rewrote it, and then called Zheng Jingang over, preparing to take him to see Yang Xuangan.

Just as Li Mi and his group left Luoyang and headed towards Daxing.

Shi Shu also arrived in Luoyang with his caravan.

Strangely enough, the sage valued these foreign merchants quite a bit. He strictly instructed the local generals not to make things difficult for them, and even set up special post stations to serve them, welcoming these foreign merchants from beyond the Great Wall.

Shi Shu didn't even encounter any trouble on his way here.

He did not enter Luoyang City, but let everyone rest outside the city. He took only two trusted men with him and went to a large manor.

This manor was enormous, with nearly a thousand servants; it was practically a city outside the city walls.

When Shi Shu arrived and revealed his identity, the warriors led him into the manor. They walked in circles for a long time before he was taken to a small courtyard, where the warriors roughly pushed him inside.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged man, dressed in military uniform, sat casually, wiping his sword.

The man was rather thin, with narrow eyes and a somewhat sinister appearance.

He slowly raised his head and stared at the foreign merchant in front of him.

"Where is the horse I asked for, Shi Shuhu?"

"Twelve days have passed since the agreed time, and the Turks are already so untrustworthy?"

"No, no, it's not that we broke our promise, it's just that we encountered misfortune on the way, which is beyond redemption. I have no choice but to come here in person to apologize to Brother Yuwen!"

"Apologize?!"

"You fucking dare to show your face in front of me?!"

The man flew into a rage and leaped in one step to stand in front of Shi Shu Hu Xi, his sword already pressed against the man's chest.

"Because of you, my brother and I were almost executed by the Emperor! Because of you, I am now confined to this small courtyard, living like pigs and dogs! Because of you, I have suffered so much humiliation and hardship! My grandfather told me to focus on important matters, but you should never have appeared before me!!"

"Do you think I wouldn't dare kill you? Your master now needs my grandfather's help. Even if I kill you now, what can you do about it?"

(End of this chapter)