My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 241 Five Nobles
The sun was blazing overhead, and the heat was intense.

Li Yuan rode his tall horse forward with the procession. The sun on the horizon was dazzling, but Li Yuan felt little warmth. His whole body was cold, and his hands holding the reins were trembling slightly.

In just a few days, Li Yuan's situation changed dramatically.

The emperor suddenly changed his attitude towards Li Yuan. Li Yuan had just been promoted to the imperial court, assumed an important position, supervised the delivery of grain and made great contributions. He was about to become a favorite of the future leaders of the nobility, but at this moment he was suddenly isolated.

Even that old scoundrel Pei Shiju dared not travel with Li Yuan anymore.

Previously, his place was so lively, with countless ministers coming to pay their respects. He couldn't go to bed until very late every night, and when he went out, everyone wanted to go with him. Even Yuwen Shu sent people to bring him refreshing fruits to show his closeness.

But ever since Yang Guang publicly revealed his malice, none of these people dared to come again.

Sitting on horseback, Li Yuan felt only aggrieved.

He had never suffered such humiliation in his life. Born into nobility, his career had been smooth sailing. He became a Qianniu Guard at the age of twenty, a Prefect at the age of thirty, and a high-ranking official in the court in his early forties. Among the many nobles in the court, no one could compare to him except Yang Xuangan, who was about the same age as him.

Li Yuan grew angrier the more he thought about it. Ever since Yang Guang publicly humiliated him that day, he felt that everyone was mocking or ridiculing him.

For the proud and arrogant Li Yuan, this was the most distressing thing ever.

Just as Li Yuan was sulking, a warrior came to him and asked him to follow him to see his master.

Li Yuan was in a fit of anger and wanted to refuse, but considering his current situation, he suppressed his emotions and agreed to the warrior's request.

The pomp and circumstance of the emperor's travels increased year by year.

When the emperor first ascended the throne, he would go on inspection tours with only about a thousand soldiers and one or two trusted ministers.

Two years after ascending to the throne, he began to bring along concubines, eunuchs, and important officials, with his entourage reaching tens of thousands.

By the fifth year of the Daye era, the emperor's entourage had grown even larger. When they went to the northwest, the total number of people accompanying him was thirty to forty thousand. Following the emperor's habit, this number would likely continue to increase rather than decrease in the future.

The younger generation is actually doing alright, but it's the older, more experienced officials who are suffering.

Take, for example, the old minister Su Wei, who is meeting with Li Yuan now.

Su Wei was a seasoned official who had seen many storms.

As the son-in-law of Yuwen Hu, who did not wear a helmet, he personally experienced almost all the struggles from the Northern Zhou Dynasty to Yang Guang.

After Li Yuan arrived, he got into Su Wei's carriage and greeted him.

Su Wei was a very amiable old man. Unlike Pei Shiju, who was gentle and kind, Su Wei's kindness was more genuine. After Li Yuan bowed and sat down, Su Wei finally spoke, "I really admire your ability to refute Pei Shiju's proposal."

"Pei Shiju's proposal is disastrous for the country and its people. Throughout history, the imperial court has either appeased or intimidated the border regions. The two have coexisted, but there has always been a difference in the order of their actions. I have never heard of doing them at the same time."

"The Emperor thought Pei Shiju's plan was brilliant, and the court officials all agreed. But why didn't they consider how much it would cost to collect grain and goods from various counties in the Northwest and transport them to the borderlands? The cost would be in the trillions every year!"

"The journey is long and arduous, with bandits roaming the roads. Even livestock cannot make it to safety. If they cannot reach their destination, the counties will conscript again. If this continues, within two years, no one in the northwestern counties will be spared. The people here will be unable to make a living, and this place will become a land of bandits, beyond the control of the government."

Su Wei looked worried and continued, "What worries me even more is that Pei Shiju was rewarded for this suggestion, and others are trying to follow suit."

"Just today, Pei Yun, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, submitted a memorial to the Emperor, stating that the rosters and household registers in the countryside are all falsified."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan was somewhat surprised. He looked up at Su Wei, realizing that this was indeed true; there were serious problems with these household registration lists. How dare Pei Yun tell the truth?
Su Wei looked at Li Yuan, "I know what you're thinking, but Pei Yun didn't say that." "Pei Yun said that the world is very wealthy now, but the people are cunning. They've hidden farmland and able-bodied men, colluding with officials to create false household registers. The actual number of names and households should be much greater than what's recorded."

"He suggested that the sage send people to investigate and check the household registers and rosters, increase the number of able-bodied men and taxes, and prevent the cunning people from escaping."

He also proposed that if the case could not be solved, the local officials should be held accountable, and if someone could expose a able-bodied man, the exposed man could be made to perform corvée labor and pay taxes in place of the whistleblower.

Su Wei shook his head in frustration. "I tried several times to dissuade him from doing this. If such an order is given, the officials will definitely act recklessly in order to increase their political achievements and avoid being held accountable, which will make the country more chaotic. But the sage simply won't listen."

Perhaps because Li Yuan had previously joined Su Wei in refuting Anse's proposal, Su Wei felt a greater affinity for this young man and spoke to him about these worrying matters.

Su Wei was not an upright official; he was cowardly and afraid of death.

His advice was often disguised; he dared not directly tell the emperor that something was wrong, so he would first flatter the emperor for being very capable, and then offer subtle reminders and advice.

In the present day, there are five ministers with the greatest power in the world, known as the Five Nobles of the World.

These five men were Su Wei, Yuwen Shu, Pei Shiju, Pei Yun, and Yu Shiji. They were all in charge of confidential matters, participated in court affairs, and made important decisions for the emperor.

None of these five people could be considered good people; they were all sycophants who would do anything to please the emperor. However, among these five, Su Wei was probably the better one. Although he was a bit timid, he could at least offer some advice from time to time, and he still cared about the people of the world to some extent.

Hearing Su Wei's words, Li Yuan didn't really care.

He said, "I have lost His Majesty's favor, and there is nothing I can do about this."

Su Wei said, "I summoned you here not to ask you to advise the sage."

“You are still young and have never experienced setbacks. When we were discussing important matters earlier, I saw that you were very angry, so I asked you to come here so that I could have a few words with you.”

"Please speak frankly, Lord Su."

“A wise ruler will not punish his ministers based on momentary likes or dislikes. Although the Sui Dynasty is strong today, many hidden dangers are becoming increasingly apparent. I think Yang Xuangan is crude and simple, not wise. Now he has obtained a position beyond his virtue by relying on his father’s legacy. I am afraid that his ambition will grow and cause trouble.”

"Therefore, I hope that the Duke will not worry or feel afraid."

"The current Duke is disliked by His Majesty because of Yang Xuangan. Yang Xuangan can deceive the Sage for a while, but he cannot hide it for long."

Li Yuan instantly understood Su Wei's thoughts. He shook his head and said, "Now that Yang Yue is here to help him, and His Majesty almost saw through his intentions, I'm afraid he won't have such thoughts again."

Su Wei looked troubled. "If it were really as you say, that would be wonderful. The world would be at peace, with no war. But I know Yang Xuangan very well. If Yang Yue were still alive, he could still restrain himself. But if Yang Yue is dead, and His Majesty lets him go, not only will he not restrain himself, but he will also think that His Majesty is easy to bully, and he will become even more unscrupulous."

“We are all getting old. The important affairs of the world still need a young man like you to worry about. No matter what setbacks you encounter, do not get angry or slack off. When Yang Xuangan’s true colors are revealed, His Majesty will naturally reflect on his actions, and you will advance further.”

Regardless of Su Wei's motives for saying these things, Li Yuan's mood did indeed improve considerably.

That makes sense. The emperor is wary of him now because of Yang Xuangan's affair, but the more he suppresses him now, the more he will regret it when Yang Xuangan causes trouble later.
Li Yuan immediately rallied and bowed to Su Wei in gratitude.

"There's no need for that. The current court is lacking in capable ministers like you who are dedicated to the country. You don't need to worry about not being given important positions. As for the nursery rhyme, I will speak to the Emperor about it again. You don't need to worry."

"Thank you!"

(End of this chapter)