My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 24 My brother is being held here first.

"Comfort the dead?? Save the innocent??"

Li Shimin was also startled at this moment. He stared wide-eyed at his younger brother in front of him.

"Third brother, is this something we can or shouldn't do?"

Li Xuanba said quite seriously, "Brother, principles are not just about saying them, but also about doing them."

Why does that sound so damn familiar?
Li Shimin calmed himself down; he couldn't let this kid use his own words to attack him!

He immediately put on a gentle smile, "Third brother, come on, let's go into the study first, and I'll explain it to you in detail!"

The two brothers sat in the study. Li Shimin looked at the papers placed on either side of him and expressed his satisfaction with his younger brother's hard work and eagerness to learn.

He cleared his throat and began his persuasion efforts.

“Third brother, here’s the thing: bandits are rampant these days, and many wealthy families are leading their strong servants to protect their farms and resist the bandits. This is a very common thing. If we can gather enough men to protect Father’s land, it would be a great act of filial piety. Even if Father returns, he will not punish us.”

"Moreover, this matter may seem difficult, but it is not. I have some money and many friends, plus my father's status in the city. If you also come to help, I am fully confident."

"Let's talk about what you need to do."

"You might not know much about my uncle, but I've heard quite a bit. The recent deaths have infuriated him; he's even considering sending an army to kill those who defy him."

"Who dares to disobey his decree to appease these people? If this matter is leaked, it will be no small matter. Don't think that just because our two families are related, he will be more lenient with us. The closer we are, the more dangerous it is."

"If Father finds out about this, well, he'll probably break our legs."

"You're too young to know the dangers involved."

Li Shimin earnestly explained the current situation to his younger brother, Li Xuanba, who frowned and retorted seriously, "I am not unaware of what you are saying, elder brother."

"However, as I said before, without benevolent governance, thieves will never be killed."

"There are quite a few dead in Xingyang. Yesterday, I followed Old Man Liu to see various parts of the city. Many men had been conscripted, and women and the elderly were working on many plots of land. Carts were full of children's corpses, all being taken out of the city for burial. The remaining men huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, and their eyes were filled with hostility as they looked at passersby."

"The appeasement I'm referring to isn't just about taking in the dead outside; I also want to help the rest of the people inside and outside the city."

“If we do nothing, the number of bandits here will only increase. As my brother just said, my uncle is not a kind person. If bandits frequently break out in Xingyang and cause chaos in the area, won’t my father be punished?”

Li Shimin suddenly fell silent. What this guy said seemed to make some sense.

He frowned and gently stroked his chin.

"But this is not a easy matter to handle."

Although Li Shimin was usually very confident, he was not someone who made decisions rashly.

If they were a little older, around fifteen or sixteen, everything would be much easier. But at their current age, even assembling a cavalry unit seems impossible, let alone pacifying the people inside and outside Xingyang.

"Second brother, you said the other day that if we're talking about taking initiative, I'm not as good as you."

"Alright! If you dare to talk back to me again, I'm going to hit you!"

Li Shimin threatened his third son briefly, then slowly said, "We can try, but this must be done discreetly. I will help you find a way."

"Thank you, brother!"

Liu Chounu drove the carriage at an extremely fast speed, speeding through the streets.

Behind the carriage, four warriors followed on horseback.

Inside the carriage, Li Xuanba looked at Li Shimin with a helpless expression.

After agreeing, Li Shimin hurriedly asked him to go with him to a banquet at the Zheng family's residence.

"Second brother, what exactly is going on with this banquet?"

"Oh, it's the Zheng family who hosted a banquet and formally invited you. Since you're busy, I accepted on your behalf. We need to get there as soon as possible."

Li Shimin began to speak, but his expression was somewhat evasive. Li Xuanba felt that his second brother seemed to have betrayed him.
He then pointed to the little guy beside him, "Then why does Yuanji have to come along too?"

"Oh, I can't shake him off. He said he would tell my older brother if I didn't take him with me."

Li Yuanji, sitting opposite them, shouted, "Don't forget our agreement! You can't abandon me!"

Just moments ago, Li Xuanba was brimming with confidence, but now he was starting to waver: Second brother, you're being way too unreliable!
Their destination was the same familiar place, the same place where Li Xuanba had attended the banquet last time.

Both Li Shimin and Li Yuanji were visiting this place for the first time. Li Shimin was fine, but Li Yuanji was full of curiosity about everything and looked around curiously.

This time was different from the last. When Li Xuanba arrived before, only Zheng Yuanrui and Zheng Xuanfan came to greet him. But this time, the door was crowded with people, about a dozen of them, and their attitude was much friendlier, with everyone wearing smiles.

Li Shimin stepped forward with a smile, bowed to everyone, and took Zheng Yuanrui's hand. The two chatted very harmoniously.

They chatted and laughed like old friends, and then Li Shimin talked with the others.

Li Xuanba stood not far away, watching this scene in a daze.

He remembered that just the day before, his second brother had told him not to get too close to these people. And when did you first become acquainted with them?

Isn't this development a bit too fast?
"Sanlang, Silang, come quickly and greet everyone!"

Li Xuanba gave his second brother a lot of face, stepping forward to greet him, while Li Yuanji just looked at them coldly, ignoring his second brother.

However, these people certainly didn't care about Li Yuanji; they only had eyes for Li Xuanba.

Zheng Yuanrui's attitude was even more amiable than last time, almost to the point of being obsequious.

He hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Li Xuanba's hand, "Even my father heard about Sanlang's matter and wrote to me, telling me to get closer to Sanlang. I was not good at entertaining him at the last banquet, so I must make sure to entertain him well this time."

A group of people surrounded the three brothers and walked into the courtyard in a grand manner.

It was the same pavilion as last time, but this time no one touched their chopsticks; they seemed to be waiting for them.

The Zheng family's attitude was also quite strange, unusually friendly.

Li Xuanba felt that this was no longer just a matter of seeking advice on classical texts; there might be something else involved.

After everyone took their seats, Zheng Yuanrui introduced everyone to Li Xuanba and the others in a very serious manner, unlike last time when he was perfunctory. Everyone chatted happily, and Li Shimin quickly took over the conversation from Zheng Yuanrui and inexplicably became the leader. Although he was sitting next to Zheng Yuanrui, everyone centered their attention on him.

He sat there, talking freely, discussing everything from entertainment to world events, gossip, and even scandalous topics.

Moreover, listening to him speak is never boring. Even about very ordinary things, he can talk about them with great passion, making them quite fascinating to listen to.

"I've already seen that concubine you're talking about. Everyone said she was beautiful, but I didn't quite believe it, so I made a bet that same day I found the farmer who delivered vegetables to their house. I gave him a lot of money, pretended to be his nephew, and sneaked into their home."

Everyone listened in stunned silence. Even Li Xuanba was somewhat surprised. When others discussed these matters, it was quite vulgar, but when his second brother spoke of it, it sounded almost like a chivalrous knight-errant?

Li Shimin brought the banquet atmosphere to a whole new climax, and everyone was extremely excited.

Everyone ate, drank, chatted, and laughed, enjoying themselves immensely.

Just as the banquet was at its most lively, Li Xuanba saw his second brother holding Zheng Yuanrui's hand and walking to a slightly secluded corner.

He saw his second brother point at him, then smile and pat Zheng Yuanrui on the shoulder, while Zheng Yuanrui kept nodding.

Li Xuanba moved a little closer.

"That's settled then, he'll stay here!"

He only heard this one sentence, and then Li Shimin looked at him with a smile, "Sanlang, you stay here and talk to everyone about the classics. I have some things to take care of. See you later!"

Li Xuanba was now certain.

The second brother did indeed sell himself out.

(End of this chapter)