My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 253 Quagmire
royal palace.

Yang Guang took a sip of tea, feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Recent events have all been good, even the nursery rhyme. Yang Guang felt he could use it to his advantage, to suppress the powerful nobles in the country once again and consolidate his position.

He looked at Duan Wenzhen kneeling below, a hint of joy in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

"Lord Duan, I understand what you have said. However, although Husi Zheng is impatient, he is not a bad person. How can he be called an immoral person? However, he is so bold as to act on his own initiative without informing you, the Minister. This is really inappropriate. I will definitely reprimand him. Don't worry, Lord Duan."

Yang Guang used the same old rhetoric.

This was not the first time Duan Wenzhen had brought up Husi Zheng's actions to his face, nor was it the first time Yang Guang had said he would give him a severe reprimand. However, nothing ever happened, and Husi Zheng became increasingly tyrannical.

Duan Wenzhen shook his head at this moment, "Your Majesty, I am not here to impeach Hu Sizheng."

"Oh?"

Yang Guang was taken aback. "Then you just said that you secretly gathered soldiers, intending to take action against Li Yuan."

"Your Majesty, I have only come to inform you that these are not my thoughts, but Husi Zheng's own decisions."

"Oh I got it."

Duan Wenzhen continued, “I am old, and because of Your Majesty’s favor, I have occupied the position of Minister of War despite not having enough talent. Every time I think of this, I feel guilty. Now, I am no longer able to manage the Ministry of War. The officials and soldiers of the Ministry of War no longer obey this old minister. I even have to learn about the affairs of the Ministry of War from other people.”

"This old minister is ashamed. I only beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire to my hometown and live out my remaining years in peace."

Yang Guang paused, holding the teacup, and then looked at Duan Wenzhen, his expression gradually turning cold.

"What does Duan Qing mean by this?"

Duan Wenzhen hurriedly kowtowed, "Your Majesty, this old minister has no intention of disrespecting the Sage, nor does he intend to coerce the Sage through such actions. He would never dare to have such a thought! It is only that I am old and can no longer stop Husi Zheng. This villain is becoming increasingly rampant, and I am worried that he will do things that will bring chaos to the world. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Majesty to replace him with a capable person to stop him."

Yang Guang sneered, "Causing chaos in the world?? Husi's policies??"

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Academy, the National Academy, and other schools are the pillars of the nation in the future. They are all disciples of the sage and should not be disturbed by external affairs. Now, Husi Zheng wants to use Li Xuanba's matter to achieve his own goals! Li Xuanba's matter should have served as a warning to the students, so that they would not follow suit and would instead focus on their studies."

"But if we were to arrest Li Xuanba and even punish him, implicating him in even greater crimes like rebellion, then the situation would be completely different. In that case, it would be that the students of the Imperial Academy were plotting a rebellion! Once this happens, the students will be terrified, which would be detrimental to the country, to the world, and might even affect the reputation of the Sage!"

"The sage loves his students the most, and the students know this. But Husi Zheng is acting so recklessly. Will they think that the sage has tacitly approved of this? If problems arise among the students of the three schools, wouldn't this be an act that brings chaos to the world?"

Duan Wenzhen's words hit the nail on the head, revealing what Yang Guang cared about most: his very character.

As the saying goes, a country may perish, and people may die, but one's public image cannot be destroyed. Yang Guang was very concerned about what others thought.

Duan Wenzhen's words made Yang Guang fall into deep thought.

Although Yang Guang no longer liked Li Yuan and harbored countless suspicions about him, he never actually intended to kill Li Yuan. Yang Guang was not particularly bloodthirsty, unlike the mad kings of previous years who killed indiscriminately. Although he had a history of killing remonstrating officials, it was for political purposes rather than purely out of anger.

The current situation is different from that of Gao Jiong and He Ruobi, and Li Yuan is also different from them. Yang Guang has no reason to kill him, let alone charge into the hands of a few soldiers to kill him for his son. This is not a bad thing.

Unless he was in a very bad mood and Li Yuan had run into trouble, Yang Guang would probably not have ordered Li Yuan's execution. But things were going well in the country at the moment, and Yang Guang was happy every day. Why would he want to kill someone?
Furthermore, from Duan Wenzhen's advice, Yang Guang also sensed something amiss. Duan Wenzhen, such a cautious person, needed to use the semi-threatening method of retiring to his hometown to persuade him to keep an eye on Husi Zheng. Could it be that he had been too biased in the past, allowing Husi Zheng to completely control the Ministry of War?

This won't do, it's not balanced!
Yang Guang's expression softened, and he said helplessly, "I personally sent Li Xuanba to the Imperial Academy. Because of my favor, he became unruly and committed wrongdoings. If Husi Zheng wants to punish him because of this, then I should also be punished."

Duan Wenzhen was shocked. "His Majesty is a perfect man! How could he say such a thing!"

"I already know about this matter. You may go back now. Do not mention retiring to your hometown again."

Duan Wenzhen then bowed and left the palace.

Half an hour after Duan Wenzhen left, Husi Zheng arrived at the palace and requested an audience. Yang Guang really wanted to see him, so he pretended to know nothing and had someone bring him in.

"His Majesty!!"

Husi Zheng was very excited from the start.

"What happened? Why are you so agitated?"

Husi Zheng's eyes were bloodshot. "Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Li Xuanba, the son of Duke Li Yuan of Tang and Marquis of Bocheng!"

"He attacked the soldiers without cause. The soldiers showed mercy because of his status, but were killed by the villain. Two of them were unable to get up, one was unable to hold an arrow, and another was almost blind. Attacking soldiers is tantamount to treason. Even if they are young, they cannot be pardoned. I sent someone to inform Li Yuan about this, but Li Yuan refused to see me. His eldest son is arrogant and shows contempt."

"Your Majesty, please allow me to arrest this person and bring him to justice!"

Yang Guang nodded slightly, and then asked, "Did Minister Duan know about this matter?"

Husi Zheng paused, "I haven't told him yet."

"What about the officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review?"

"They...your subjects."

"You're in charge of domestic military personnel transfers. How come you're in charge of arresting Li Xuanba for assaulting soldiers? What, are all the soldiers in the country now your private army?"

Yang Guang asked with a smile.

At this moment, Husi Zheng felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his whole body was ice cold, and he suddenly began to kowtow, his forehead almost bleeding.

"How dare I! How dare I! I only wish to repay the Emperor!"

Seeing Husi Zheng kowtowing repeatedly, Yang Guang did not try to persuade him, but just stared at him coldly.

Blood began to flow from Husi Zheng's forehead, and his kowtowing movements gradually slowed down.

But even as he fainted, Yang Guang simply watched without saying a word.

Upon seeing that Husi Zheng had fainted, Yang Guang then ordered him to be sent back to his residence, without saying anything else.

The news spread very quickly.

Husi Zheng was not the only one who fainted; another person was also beaten unconscious.

Inside the Yang residence, Yang Xuangan signaled his men to carry his younger brother, who had been flogged, out.

When Yang Xuanzong returned to Yang Xuangan's side with a smile and told him how loyal Husi Zheng was and how he was willing to take the blame for him, Yang Xuangan ordered the attack to begin without saying a word.

Yang Xuanzong was beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding, but even when he was knocked unconscious, he still didn't understand why his older brother had hit him.

Yang Xuangan sat in his study, his face full of helplessness.

After he was dismissed, his father's old subordinates and those close to him began to waver. Hu Sizheng was the most obvious example. He stopped pretending and stopped taking the blame for his own family. He was actually making the Yang family take the blame for him!

Originally, Husi Zheng was in charge of military registers in the Ministry of War and was Yang Xuangan's most powerful helper, which greatly helped his rebellion. However, after this incident, Yang Xuangan no longer dared to trust him. He had already become contemptuous of this fellow. What if he were betrayed by him?

All the things piling up at once gave Yang Xuan a terrible headache.

He was momentarily lost, completely unsure of what to do next, as if he were stuck in a quagmire.

(End of this chapter)