My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 218 Revenge

The Duke of Chu's Mansion.

Yang Xuan rushed into the inner room. Yang Xuangan, who was plotting with a group of people, also stopped talking and asked everyone to leave first.

As soon as Yang Xuanzong sat down, Yang Xuangan asked, "Well, did you find it?"

"Several groups of people were sent to search, but they all said they couldn't find him. Could something have happened to Li Mi?"

During these days, Yang Xuangan was in a state of great confusion, primarily because of Li Mi's disappearance.

Li Mi had previously claimed that he was going to Nanjun, but shortly afterward, he suddenly lost contact with Yang Xuangan. Yang Xuangan sent people several times but could not find him, which made Yang Xuangan extremely worried, and he searched everywhere.

Li Mi knows too much; if he falls into the hands of others, it will be a major disaster.

Yang Xuangan wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Yang Xuanzong then said, "Brother, I did not come here for Li Mi's sake."

"What's that for?"

"It's Li Jiancheng. He sent me a letter inviting me to his residence tonight, saying that a banquet is being prepared."

"Ok??"

Is this a private dinner invitation for you?

"No, I asked. He hosted a large banquet, mostly people from the Imperial Academy, and some of his friends in Luoyang."

Yang Xuangan narrowed his eyes. "This kid has sensed something's wrong and wants to test our family. Don't panic. He wants you to go, so just go! He wouldn't dare to do anything to you."

"However, you must remember not to get drunk and say anything you shouldn't. I've already sent people to Wild Buffalo Mountain. Once our men catch a few thieves and have them come back to identify them, Li Jiancheng will no longer be able to hide it."

"Brother, what if we can't catch it?"

“How could we not capture them? I sent the most elite warriors, led by Zheng Jingang, a total of more than sixty men! They are not like the local militia.”

Yang Xuangan's original plan was to send someone to contact Li Jiancheng, gain his trust, and then intercept his correspondence to gather evidence. However, Li Mi, the person in charge of this matter, had already disappeared. Yang Xuangan had no choice but to choose a more brutal method: to arrest someone to testify against Li Jiancheng!
Yang Xuangan was full of confidence. The people he had found were all skilled, genuine Longxi warriors, more than sixty elites. They could even win a head-on fight against hundreds of bandits, let alone just a sneak attack and capturing a few people alive. How much skill could those bandits have?
Seeing his elder brother's confidence, Yang Xuanzong's expression softened considerably. He asked, "Then what should I do there?"

"Just treat it as a party at a friend's house, have fun, and don't worry about anything else."

Yang Xuangan had just said one sentence when he suddenly changed his mind, "No."

"Bring more gifts and actively try to curry favor with Li Jiancheng."

Yang Xuanzong was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his head and agreed.

After seeing his younger brother off, Yang Xuangan lowered his head and sighed again.

Where exactly did Li Mi go?
Is the Emperor's departure from Luoyang a good opportunity to launch an uprising?

He called the rest of the group in again to discuss important matters.

The Li residence was unusually lively at this moment.

Li Jiancheng hosted a banquet in his mansion to entertain the young talents of Luoyang. Since the emperor was away, these noble sons were not as restrained as before, and many people came. The carriages almost blocked the road, and there were countless guards and attendants waiting outside.

Li Jiancheng greeted the guests with a smile in the courtyard. Everyone had a very good impression of him and they chatted enthusiastically.

Li Xuanba and Li Shimin were also there, but unlike their elder brother, they couldn't greet the guests individually. Instead, they followed behind Li Jiancheng as his assistants. Li Jiancheng, dressed in brocade, was tall and handsome, truly a refined gentleman. He greeted everyone one by one, becoming the center of attention wherever he went.

Just as Li Jiancheng was smiling and talking to everyone, Feng Li strode in and whispered a few words in Li Jiancheng's ear.

Li Jiancheng laughed and looked at the people around him. "Yang Xuanzong from the Chu State Duke's family has arrived. I heard he brought many gifts, so I must go and greet him personally."

Someone laughed and said, "Young master, it's inappropriate to personally greet someone if you bring a gift, but to have your younger brother greet them if you don't."

“You are all about the same age as me, so it wouldn’t be impolite to have my younger brother greet you. But this Master Yang is almost ten years older than us, and his children are all the same age as my younger brother. How can we let them go to greet us?”

Everyone laughed.

When Li Jiancheng came out, Yang Xuanzong was looking around. Seeing Li Jiancheng emerge, Yang Xuanzong was taken aback. He had seen Li Jiancheng many years ago, but he was very young then. He hadn't expected Li Jiancheng to be so old now. "Brother!"

Li Jiancheng addressed him affectionately and took Yang Xuanzong's hand, saying, "I'm already very happy that you came, brother. Why did you bring so many gifts?"

Yang Xuanzong smiled and said, "It's rare for you to return to Luoyang, so I'll naturally treat you well. These gifts are nothing. My younger brother will be getting married soon, and I'm afraid you'll send even more gifts then!"

The two walked inside laughing, looking like old friends.

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, turned to look at Li Xuanba, and raised an eyebrow.

Li Xuanba nodded slightly.

When everyone had almost arrived, Li Jiancheng invited them into the hall and served them a lot of food. Everyone sat down according to their status and age. Then, dancers and musicians came, and the atmosphere became even more lively.

Just then, Li Xuanba suddenly stood up and walked to Li Jiancheng's side.

"Brother, I have something to tell you."

Li Jiancheng feigned surprise, "Xuanba, what's wrong?"

Li Xuanba suddenly pointed at Yang Xuanzong in the distance and said, "Brother, please drive this person out."

The once bustling lobby fell silent in an instant, completely still.

Those classmates who were familiar with Li Xuanba were also dumbfounded at this moment.

Yang Xuanzong himself was no exception.

Li Jiancheng roared in fury, "You scoundrel! What kind of talk is that?!"

“Brother, you don’t know this! When I first arrived at the Imperial Academy, Lai Yuan, Yang Gongdao and others blocked my way and threatened me, demanding that I confess that you were colluding with bandits and plotting a rebellion. They made me write it down and give it to them. Although I was young, I knew the seriousness of the matter, so I sent people to investigate and found that these two people were always in contact with Yang Xuanzong.”

The hall erupted in an uproar.

Yang Xuanzong's face turned pale, and he looked at the two brothers opposite him in disbelief. "You dare to say this out loud?"

Li Jiancheng frowned and glanced at Yang Xuanzong again.

Yang Xuanzong suddenly stood up. "Outrageous! I was invited here as a guest, and this is how you treat your guests?! Listen to this brat's nonsense and rubbish!!"

Li Xuanba pointed to his classmates, "They can all testify, at least they can testify that Lai Yuan once slandered me and tried to deal with me, and Yang Gongdao frequently came to see me. The two of them joined forces to try to get rid of me."

Several hot-tempered men had already stood up. "Yes, that's right!"

Li Jiancheng looked at Li Shimin beside him and said, "Take this brat away!"

Li Shimin said "Yes" and hurriedly pulled Li Xuanba away from there. Li Jiancheng stood up with a smile and looked at Yang Xuanzong beside him, "Brother, please don't mind. My younger brother is still young. I apologize to you on his behalf."

Yang Xuanzong's expression did not soften; he remained angry.

Li Jiancheng continued, "After I arrived in Luoyang, I heard some rumors that I was colluding with bandits. I was quite surprised to hear that most of the people around me came from prominent families. I really don't know where these bandits came from."

“I usually make many friends and have never offended anyone, so I really don’t know who wants to harm me.”

"However, you need not worry about me. I have already informed the Dali Temple about this matter and asked them to make a decision for me."

"It seems that no matter who did it, they can hardly escape it."

Li Jiancheng smiled and then glanced at Yang Xuanzong.

Yang Xuanzong sneered, "Young Master, do you really believe that brat's nonsense and think that I did all this?"

"What I think is unimportant; what matters most is what Judge Liang of the Dali Temple thinks."

Yang Xuanzong's face turned pale instantly.

This is because Liang Jingzhen, the current Chief Justice of Dali, has a deep-seated grudge against Yang Xuangan's family.

(End of this chapter)