My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 248 Am I getting old?

Li House.

Li Yuan was pacing back and forth in the courtyard, while Li Jiancheng and Li Xuanba stood by his side, watching him quietly.

The courtyard gate was tightly closed, and many warriors stood outside, waiting for Li Yuan's orders.

Li Yuan paced back and forth in the courtyard for a long time, until he himself laughed in exasperation.

"Using such methods to reclaim what one has bestowed upon oneself—even the Xia Jie and Shang Zhou were no better, nor were the rulers of Qi and Song. Hahaha."

Li Jiancheng knew in his heart that his father was truly angry.

In the past, no matter how angry my father was, he was always careful with his words. At most, he would say that he had accomplished a great career, and this great career did not mean rebellion to the ministers. After all, the important ministers of the country could also do many great things, such as defeating enemies beyond the Great Wall like Yuwen Shu, or formulating national strategies like Gao Jiong. These were all considered great achievements.

This was the first time he had ever made such a comment about a sage.

Li Yuan looked at Li Jiancheng and said, "It's one thing to expel him from the Imperial Academy, but now you want to arrest Xuanba and take him to the Ministry of War. You're already planning to take action against my family. Jiancheng, how many men can you gather right now?"

"Grandpa, things haven't come to that yet."

Li Jiancheng said seriously, "The Sage does have suspicions about our family and wants to get rid of them, but Xuan Ba's matter was definitely not ordered by the Sage."

"If the Sage wanted to imprison or deal with Xuanba, why would he need to go through the Ministry of War and go to such great lengths? When Yang Xuangan submitted his memorial earlier, he could have simply given the order. The Sage is impatient by nature and acts in the same way; why would he bother with such a slow and deliberate approach?"

"I know this was done by Yang Xuangan."

"No, Grandpa, this probably wasn't done by Yang Xuangan either."

"Yang Xuangan had just agreed to Duan Wenzhen's request, and then went to find Husi Zheng?"

"Isn't this a serious offense against Lord Duan? No matter how arrogant or domineering Yang Xuangan is, he shouldn't have provoked such a formidable enemy as Lord Duan for no reason, right?"

"I think it's more likely that his younger brothers did it."

"When Yang Su was still alive, he instructed his sons to accept bribes on his behalf, seize farmland, and allow his own children to do many evil deeds. Only Yang Xuangan did not participate. The rest were all more despicable than the last and had no talent whatsoever."

Li Yuan stopped and looked at Li Jiancheng, who was full of confidence. "So what do you mean?"

“Father, there’s no need to worry. Lord Duan will certainly not allow Husi Zheng to bypass him to do things. He will step in. And if Yang Xuangan still cares about his influence in the Ministry of War, he will definitely intervene. I think this matter is not as dangerous as you think.”

"I have already sent people to keep an eye on the Ministry of War and Yang Xuangan. I have also sent people to keep an eye on Yang Xuangan's younger brothers. We will have results soon."

"There's still a chance for this to turn around, I'm not worried, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"The Sage didn't strip Xuanba of his title this time. If he only wanted to punish one of my family members to intimidate my father, he could have simply stripped him of his title and rewards. The fact that he didn't do that means that what he wanted was more than just intimidating my father."

"He wanted to attack me."

Li Yuan spoke each word carefully, his eyes turning somewhat fierce.

Li Jiancheng didn't say anything, he just stood aside.

Li Yuan thought for a long time, then raised his head and looked at Li Jiancheng again. His eyes were complicated, even with a strange distance. "Did you come up with all these things yourself?"

"No, I am not very bright, how could I have thought of so many things? It was all Master who helped me analyze them."

Li Yuan nodded, his eyes gentle, "That's for the best. We must be good at listening to advice and heed the ideas of these wise men."

"I'm no longer worried about Xuanba, but what should we do next?"

“The sage is already hostile towards me; he will surely try to take action.”

Li Xuanba said, "Grandpa, there's one more thing."

"Oh?"

"You said."

Li Xuanba looked at Li Jiancheng, who nodded. Li Xuanba then said, "It's like this. A Taoist priest named Wei Zheng came to seek refuge with me. At that time, my father had not yet returned. Nursery rhymes were spreading everywhere, and we were all very worried about this matter. So we asked this Taoist priest for help to find a Taoist master to assist us."

"That Taoist priest was called Wang Zhiyuan."

"I heard he was a Taoist priest from the south. Before the sage ascended the throne, he summoned him, greatly admired him, and bestowed many rewards upon him."

Li Yuan was stunned for a moment. "Wang Zhiyuan, I know this person. Is that Taoist priest named Wei Zheng also a southerner?" "No, he is a northerner. Wang Zhiyuan has been spreading Taoism in the Central Plains for many years. Wei Zheng met him in the Central Plains."

"Wei Zheng has already sent someone to inform me that he has taken this Taoist priest to Luoyang and they will arrive in Luoyang within ten days."

"If this Taoist priest could step in and help, perhaps the matter could be resolved!"

Li Yuan looked at him and Li Jiancheng with displeasure. "Wang Zhiyuan is a very aloof person. The emperor once bestowed many gifts upon him, but he refused them all. He also refused the official position offered to him. Instead, he preached among the common people. Would such a person speak up for my family? Have you two been deceived by some quack Taoist priest?"

Li Jiancheng shook his head. "Absolutely impossible. Wei Zheng isn't that kind of person. If he says he's invited, then he definitely has."

"Even if we can invite him, what can Wang Zhiyuan do?"

“Father, Wei Zheng’s idea is to have Wang Zhiyuan pay a direct audience with His Majesty, claim that he heard the nursery rhyme, made a divination, and then interpret the prophecy in a way that is favorable to us.”

"Ha, easier said than done."

Li Yuan shook his head. "I don't think this is a good idea."

Li Jiancheng continued, "Grandpa, I sent someone to contact Li Hun's nephew. Li Hun is also very concerned about this matter. He hopes that we can work together to resolve it. I learned a lot from him."

"He took a lot of money and gave it to that swindler Pan Dan. He learned the inside story from Pan Dan. An Jiatuo disliked Li Hun, supposedly because he was closer to Yuwen Shu. But Pan Dan was a money-grubbing scoundrel. Li Hun planned to bribe Pan Dan. When Pan Dan and Wang Zhiyuan explained together, the emperor would surely be swayed!"

"Given the sage's character, even if he doesn't fully believe it, he will certainly hesitate and won't rush to attack my family. At that time, we..."

"enough!!"

Li Yuan rudely interrupted Li Jiancheng.

Li Jiancheng's eyes showed a hint of surprise, while Li Yuan was extremely angry. "You even sent someone to contact Li Hun? Why didn't I know about this? And I didn't know about Wei Zheng and Wang Zhiyuan either!! How many other things are I unaware of?!"

"What have you all been doing behind the scenes?"

"Grandpa, it was you who asked me to find a way earlier."

"Li Jiancheng! What do you take these things for? Are they some games for you kids? These are matters of national importance! They concern the lives of all of us, not something you can do as you please and be smug about!"

Li Xuanba was shocked and quickly said, "Grandpa, my elder brother has not taken this matter lightly. He hasn't rested for several days and has been busy for you."

"Get out!! Everyone get out!!"

Li Yuan waved his hand dismissively, his attitude rude.

Li Jiancheng was puzzled. He bowed to Li Yuan, then pulled Li Xuanba along and quickly walked out of the place.

After his two sons left, Li Yuan slowly sat down, his eyes filled with indescribable resentment and anger, his brows furrowed, seemingly lost in thought.

"Husband."

Lady Dou slowly sat down beside Li Yuan and used the cloth in her hand to wipe the sweat from Li Yuan's forehead.

Li Yuan stared blankly ahead, then reached out and touched his forehead.

"Grandma's Noodles, Grandma's Noodles. Madam."

"Ok?"

Am I getting old?

"My husband is strong and healthy, in the prime of his life. How can you say he's old?"

“I built him up on his own initiative, without consulting me, and he did things without respecting me as his father at all. And Xuanba, he even sided with his elder brother to refute me. The emperor wants to punish me, and my colleagues refuse to get close to me.”

Lady Dou simply held Li Yuan's hand tightly. "Husband, the children have grown up. We should be happy. They can relieve our worries now. Isn't that wonderful? There are some things that Jiancheng had no choice but to do. He dared not tell you, but it was not because he looked down on you. Now our whole family is in the most dangerous situation, and it is precisely when we need you to step forward."

“The reason why those children dared to do this is because they have husbands, so they have a strong support system and something to rely on.”

“My husband is the pillar of our family. If he can only sit here lamenting that he is getting old, who can we rely on?”

Li Yuan's eyes gradually brightened.

"Haha, you're right."

(End of this chapter)