My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 251 Cousin and Younger Cousin

Inside the Li Mansion.

Li Yuan sat in the upper seat, with his trusted confidants sitting on either side.

Liu Xuan was the closest.

Li Yuan has regained his spirits and is full of vigor.

“Yang Xuangan, that villain, spreads rumors and plots to harm my family. This is something I cannot tolerate. I have decided to fight back. However, the Emperor is temporarily deceived by this villain and no longer trusts me.”

"I think that if we want to free the emperor from the deception of petty people, we need trustworthy ministers to advise him. At present, the emperor's most trusted ministers are only Su Wei and Yuwen Shu."

"I hope to get through this crisis with Su Gong's help."

"On my way back, I had some contact with Lord Su. He advised me to be more patient and take the initiative to retreat. Arriving in the capital too early might not be a good thing. If I could retreat to the countryside and stay away from the court, Yang Xuangan would definitely cause trouble again."

Li Yuan's solution was to bow his head and retreat.

When he was in the provinces, the emperor trusted him quite a bit. But now that he has come to Luoyang and gained real power, the emperor has suddenly become wary of him. Now, the emperor is even considering getting rid of him. The imperial court is too dangerous; the provinces are the safest place.

It would be better to back down and let that scoundrel Yang Xuangan do as he pleases. Once his ambitions are exposed, the emperor will naturally understand the extent of the framing and injustice he has suffered. At that time, his life will surely improve.

Ultimately, his method was similar to the one Yang Yue gave Yang Xuangan: to lie low and patiently wait for the other to make a mistake first, a contest of who could endure more. However, Yang Yue was more astute; he not only had Yang Xuangan lie low, but also had him actively improve his relationship with Li Yuan and many other nobles.

If things change in the future, I will step forward if I can, and if I cannot, I will follow whoever does. The Yang family will still be able to maintain its noble status.

However, under Yang Su's exemplary teaching, his sons became more and more arrogant. Putting aside Yang Su's character, his abilities were truly unmatched. He could lead troops into battle, govern the country and bring prosperity, and seize power and support the emperor. He was an all-around person, and he had the right to be arrogant. But his sons, apart from Yang Xuangan who inherited his bravery, were extremely mediocre.

Some, despite having a large troop advantage, followed their fathers and brothers into battle and died charging into the fray; some fled the battlefield and caused trouble; some attempted suicide but failed and were captured alive; some responded to their elder brother's call only to be killed by their subordinates; and some were captured and executed before they could even respond. It can be said that a gathering of wise men, each with their own merits.

After Li Yuan finished explaining his thoughts, everyone seemed to be deep in thought.

Liu Xuan frowned and said helplessly, "Duke, being patient doesn't necessarily mean retreating to the provinces. Moving from the provinces to the court is not a simple matter. If we just wait for Yang Xuangan to make a mistake and wait for the Emperor to change his mind, then the fate of this important matter will be out of our hands and handed over to the other side, which will be quite disadvantageous for us."

"But what other options are there?"

Li Yuan said helplessly, "It's not that I'm unaware of the drawbacks, but these nursery rhymes are spreading more and more rampantly, and we can't stop them no matter what we do. The Emperor hears these words every day, and he's afraid of them."

Just as everyone was discussing, someone came in and told them that Li Shimin requested an audience, as he had important matters to report.

Li Yuan then ordered him to come in.

A moment later, Li Shimin walked in with a big smile on his face and quickly greeted everyone.

"Shimin, I am discussing important matters. What is it that you are in such a hurry to bother me at this time?"

Li Shimin solemnly said, "Father, our previous judgment was wrong. The Turkic envoy was not in league with Yang Xuangan, but with Yuwen Shu. The assassination attempt at the Imperial Academy was also orchestrated by this Shi Shu Hu Xi. His real target was Xuanba. Yang Jijiu just happened to run into him by chance."

Li Shimin told Li Yuan everything he knew.

After sharing what he knew, he then began to express his own thoughts.

"Grandpa, this is an excellent opportunity! I've captured Shi Shuhu, and Yuwen Shu doesn't even know where he is. We can send someone to contact Yuwen Shu now and ask him to come forward and help us."

"Yuwen Shu is currently enjoying great power and influence, and the Emperor almost completely obeys him. If he were to intervene..."

Li Shimin was happily sharing his thoughts, completely unaware that Li Yuan's face had darkened. He stared intently at his son, occasionally clenching his fist.

Liu Xuan sat to the side, listening to Li Shimin's story, his eyes growing brighter. "Good!"

"Although Su Wei is favored, he is timid and doesn't dare to do big things. But Yuwen Shu is different. If we can get Yuwen Shu to help, we can be sure of success. It just so happens that Li Hun and Yuwen Shu have a very bad relationship. If we can get Yuwen Shu to turn his attention to Li Hun, then this crisis can be resolved!"

"Don't be in a hurry."

Li Yuan interrupted Liu Xuan and Li Shimin, frowning and remaining silent for a moment, "Where is Shi Shuhu Xiren?"

"This man was cunning; I have already killed him."

"I've never even met him, why are you in such a hurry to kill him?"

“Grandpa, many people are watching him. After he disappears, various forces will definitely come to search for him. Killing him and then burying him is the safest course of action. No one else will know whether he is alive or dead.”

"Did you handle such a big thing all by yourself?"

"No, I already informed my elder brother, and he knew about this. It was he who gave the order."

"All right."

Li Yuan interrupted Li Shimin once again. Li Shimin's eyes were full of surprise. He had thought that his father would be very happy to hear this news and would reward and praise him. But no matter how he looked at it, he didn't think his father looked happy. Why was that?
Liu Xuan then spoke up, "Duke, this is an excellent opportunity! The Second Prince has done a superb job. In the past, we could only act based on guesswork, but now everything is clear, and everything we do will go smoothly. We can take the initiative and guide Yang Xuangan, Yuwen Shu, the Turks, and others."

Li Yuan remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "What Lord Liu said makes sense."

"It is indeed a good opportunity."

Li Yuan ended the negotiations, and everyone left except for Li Shimin.

"Grandpa? Is something wrong?"

Li Shimin asked in confusion. Li Yuan just looked at him for a long time, then laughed, "There's nothing wrong with it. My son has made great progress. This matter has been giving me a headache, but I didn't expect you to have a solution. However, don't keep it to yourself like this in the future. You should tell me in time, understand?"

"Here!"

Li Yuan smiled and said with admiration, "At such a young age, your talent has already surpassed that of your elder brother. Not bad. In the future, if there is anything, you can come directly to me to report, without having to go through your elder brother anymore."

"I'm entrusting you with managing several businesses in Guanzhong as a reward. From now on, you must study even harder and improve your abilities, understand?"

Li Shimin was overjoyed, as this was the first time his father had recognized him so highly, and he quickly bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you, Father! I will certainly do my best!!"

Li Yuan then smiled and let him leave. As soon as Li Shimin stepped out, he rushed to his third son's side. His third son was waiting for him. Upon seeing Li Xuanba, Li Shimin burst into laughter and quickly began to recount his father's rewards and high regard for him.

"I finally have my own business. From now on, I'll have my own money, and I can boldly make friends with the people I want to befriend. I can also help out heroes in distress, just like my elder brother, and build up my own power!"

Li Xuanba was genuinely happy for his second brother.

“This is what you deserve, brother. You deserve the most credit for escaping this calamity.”

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing at all. If you ever need money in the future, just ask, as much as you want! I'm thinking of buying a large mansion outside the city and bringing Liu Hongji and all those heroes there to live. I don't have anything else to do right now, so I can hunt and ride with them, practice martial arts, and make more friends with warriors."

Young Li Shimin dreamed of the future, his eyes full of longing.

(End of this chapter)