My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 195: Doing Great Things but Being Cherished

The sky was overcast.

Yang Xuangan sat in his study with a dark expression, staring at the pile of documents in front of him. Veins bulged on his forehead as he grew increasingly angry.

This saint is completely untrustworthy.

Previously, Yang Xuangan followed Li Mi's advice and "returned" the rewards. The emperor was so moved at the time that he even rewarded several of Yang Xuangan's sons and brothers. Yang Xuangan and Li Mi both thought that the matter was over. Who would have thought that the emperor accepted the money but did not change his mind about a thorough investigation? Su Wei continued the investigation, and for a time, officials in Guanzhong were filled with lamentations.

A large amount of public land could no longer be identified, and the tax revenue was completely inconsistent with the accounts, leading many officials to choose suicide.

Many of Yang Xuangan's farmland and estates were also seized. Although someone took the blame, his assets were severely reduced, and he lost a large number of farms in a short period of time.

This made Yang Xuangan somewhat dissatisfied with Li Mi.

Li Mi had confidently told him that as long as the rewards were returned and the emperor was at ease, there would be no need to worry about a thorough investigation. But now? The gifts had been sent, but the emperor had not stopped. If the investigation continued like this, wouldn't his family's decades of accumulation in Guanzhong be destroyed in an instant?
The sage's actions made Yang Xuangan somewhat unable to restrain himself.

He recalled his brother's strategy and seized the opportunity to assassinate the emperor.

The emperor loved to travel, so if he could wait for a good opportunity...
Just as Yang Xuangan was plotting something big, Li Mi arrived with his men.

Upon learning of Li Mi's arrival, Yang Xuangan's dejected mood finally calmed down somewhat.

He had previously learned that his men sent to Loufan had achieved good results, seemingly uncovering some important information. The person who had put him in this predicament was Li Yuan. If he could take revenge, Yang Xuangan would be more than happy to do so.

Soon, Li Mi brought the limping Zheng Jingang into the study.

At this moment, Zheng Jingang had already learned the identity of the important person in front of him, and he was even more excited.

"Greetings, Duke of Chu!!"

Zheng Jingang performed a deep bow.

Yang Xuangan nodded slightly in return and gestured for the two of them to sit down.

Zheng Jingang was excited to see the person in question. Before Yang Xuangan could say anything, he told him everything he knew. Yang Xuangan frowned and listened attentively. After Zheng Jingang finished explaining his many guesses, Yang Xuangan chuckled.

He looked at Li Mi beside him, only to find that Li Mi had a stern face and no other emotion.

Yang Xuangan asked a few more questions, then told Zheng Jingang to go and rest, leaving only Li Mi behind.

"Mysterious? What do you think is wrong?"

Li Mi smiled and looked at Yang Xuangan, "Duke, you've discovered it too?"

"Ok?"

Li Mi's rhetorical question left Yang Xuangan somewhat bewildered. He hesitated before saying, "I do feel that something is amiss."

"Think of Li Yuan, how cunning and treacherous he is! If he wanted to support rebels, would he openly reveal such an obvious flaw?"

"If he were really so easy to deal with, and so muddle-headed, why did we tolerate him before, and why did we suffer such a great loss because of him?"

"I share the same concerns as the Duke. I fear that Li Yuan is deliberately exposing a weakness to lure us into making a move. I don't know what backup plans he has, but I have a feeling that something is amiss."

Yang Xuangan followed Li Mi's words to examine the matter, and was then greatly surprised, "This is Li Yuan's conspiracy??"

"That's quite possible, Duke. If you were Li Yuan, serving as a governor, would you support some bandits to set up camp in the mountains as your own allies?"

Yang Xuangan shook his head. "Of course not."

"Would you still act so blatantly after offending so many people?"

"Won't."

"This is exactly what I was worried about. Li Yuan's behavior is far too abnormal! I don't doubt Zheng Jingang himself, I just suspect that Li Yuan has some other ulterior motive!"

"Now is the crucial moment. If we can secure the task of supervising the delivery of grain, then our major task this year can be accomplished."

"At such a crucial moment, Li Yuan suddenly did something so absurd. Could it be that he is intentionally trying to ruin our important plans?"

Li Mi knew Yang Xuangan all too well. He didn't present any evidence, but instead vaguely pointed out suspicious aspects, leaving it to Yang's discretion. He was certain that this Duke of Chu, often called the Xiang Yu of his time, lacked the decisive courage of Xiang Yu and was prone to hesitation and indecision. Just as Li Mi had predicted, upon hearing these things, Yang Xuangan's mind was filled with suspicion. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became, and his earlier excitement vanished.

Li Mi pressed his advantage, "Duke, Yuwen Shu is leading a large army to attack, and the Emperor seems to be interested in going to the Northwest. This is a golden opportunity. If we cannot determine Li Yuan's true strength, we should put his affairs aside for now and focus all our efforts on this important matter!"

Yang Xuangan hesitated again, unable to make up his mind for a long time.

Li Mi didn't urge him, and just waited quietly.

Yang Xuangan suddenly stood up and said, "I am also willing to take on this important task of supervising the delivery of grain, but it seems that the Sage has other ideas. I have sent people to the Sage several times to talk about this matter, but the Sage has not paid any attention to me."

"Wouldn't it backfire if we went over there to say it?"

Li Mi hurriedly said, "Duke! This matter requires your personal attention! The Emperor will not hastily listen to others' advice on such an important matter. Only if you personally come to the Emperor's side and express your thoughts will the Emperor believe you and give you important responsibilities! Even if he has concerns, he will never ignore you."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"The Emperor previously dismissed many nobles and then took over the local militia and promoted people from the south. Many old nobles in Guanzhong were extremely dissatisfied with this. Although the Emperor did not say it explicitly, he was trying to appease them. At this time, if the Duke spoke frankly, the Emperor would find it difficult to refuse. He also had to consider the thoughts of the nobles in Guanzhong, as this is the foundation of the country."

"But what if he thinks I'm taking advantage of the situation to coerce him?"

"Duke!"

Li Mi was speechless for a moment. "Are you so addicted to playing the loyal minister? You're about to do something big, and you're still worried about making a bad impression on the emperor?! We're going to rebel!!"

His face flushed red with suppressed anger. "We can't just consider the Sage. If even the Duke can't speak to the Sage face to face, how can the many nobles continue to follow you?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Xuangan realized that it truly made sense!

He clapped his hands sharply, "If it weren't for Xuan Sui, we would have almost ruined everything!"

"I'll head there right away!"

Yang Xuangan hurriedly prepared to get up and go out. Just then, Yang Xuanzong rushed back from outside and almost bumped into Yang Xuangan.

Yang Xuangan looked at his flustered younger brother and asked, "Second Brother, why are you in such a panic?"

Yang Xuanzong said angrily, "Brother! You still don't know!"

"The Emperor summoned Yu Shiji, Su Wei, and others today! They are discussing appointing Li Yuan as the Minister of the Imperial Guard! He will be in charge of overseeing the delivery of provisions and weapons to the front-line army in Jincheng Commandery!"

"My brother was too soft-hearted back then and didn't eliminate this threat in time! Now, this threat is ruining our great cause!"

Yang Xuangan was furious. "What? You want Li Yuan to take responsibility?!"

"Brother! We must get rid of him!"

Sitting in the distance, Li Mi stared wide-eyed as Yang Xuanzong's few words completely thwarted all his long-held advice. He was so angry that his beard was trembling.

He rushed to the two brothers' side, "Duke! You mustn't!"

"Since the Emperor has not given any order, this matter can be corrected. As long as the Duke goes to see the Emperor now and explains his demands, he will surely be able to change the Emperor's mind! We must not plot against the Duke of Tang!"

"The Duke of Tang?"

Yang Xuanzong glared angrily at Li Mi, "I've heard that your ancestors were very close to Li Yuan's ancestors, and the two families have had a long-standing friendship. Now you've repeatedly tried to dissuade them, could it be that you're hesitant to act because of your friendship with their family?"

"what?!"

Li Mi's dark face instantly turned red.

He was no ordinary servant of Yang Xuangan; his ancestors were among the Eight Pillars of State, and he came from a top-tier noble family. He would never tolerate such humiliation. He abruptly swung his sleeve and turned to leave in anger, but Yang Xuangan quickly grabbed his hand.

"Xuansui! Don't get angry! Don't get angry!"

"Erlang! What nonsense are you spouting? Apologize to Xuansui right now!!"

(End of this chapter)