My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 259 Arrest
Li Hun sat inside the room, with Li Min and Li Shanheng sitting on either side of him, listening to Li Hun's complaints.

"That Li Jiancheng is not easy to fool. I originally wanted to trick him into making the first move under the guise of cooperation, and then expose him to gain his trust, but he didn't tell a word of truth, saying that the sage will make his own judgment!"

Li Hun spoke drunkenly, his eyes filled with ferocity.

This fellow was about the same age as Li Yuan, but he didn't look nearly as strong. He was thin, with dark circles under his eyes, and his silk robes were loose and unattractive, clearly a result of excessive indulgence.

After Li Hun murdered his nephew and obtained a title, he began an extremely extravagant life. His mansion became larger and larger, and his clothes became more and more luxurious. Later, even the servants in his house wore brocade and silk. He would only wear any clothes for one day and throw them away the next day. There were more than dozens of cooks in his house who were frequently changed, and the ingredients were extremely precious.

The main reason Li Hun stopped giving Yuwen Shu money was because he himself loved luxury. The main reason he murdered his nephew was because he had borrowed money from his nephew, but his nephew thought his uncle was too extravagant and refused to give him the money.

Li Hun murdered his nephew and seized his title. From then on, he became increasingly extravagant and wasteful. His salary as a duke was not enough to support his own expenses, and he had to resort to other means to amass wealth. He had no ability to share even half of his wealth with Yuwen Shu.

Li Shanheng then spoke up, saying, "Uncle, although Li Jiancheng is not easy to fool, his family is not just about Li Jiancheng. That Li Shimin spends all his time hanging out with chivalrous heroes. Several chivalrous heroes in the city who are close to me said that they have all been invited by this man."

"Perhaps we can accomplish this through Li Shimin."

Li Hun took another sip of wine, squinted his eyes, and cursed, "This is all Yuwen Shu's fault, that bastard! This nursery rhyme must have been spread by Yuwen Shu. I knew that An Jiatuo was close to Yuwen Shu! This fellow must have discovered that His Majesty wanted to give me an important position, so he wanted to deal with me!"

"I still have a bright future ahead of me, and I must resolve this matter as soon as possible. Here's what we'll do: Shanheng, you go find Li Shimin tomorrow. No matter what, you must find a way to break through him. I heard that Husi Zheng of the Ministry of War also has the idea of ​​dealing with the Li family. If all else fails, I'll go find Yang Xuangan and Husi Zheng. If the three of us join forces, are we afraid of Li Yuan alone?"

Both Li Min and Li Shanheng thought this method was feasible.

Li Hun had been feeling quite frustrated these days. Just when the emperor was about to promote him, this nursery rhyme suddenly appeared, abruptly interrupting his promising career. Li Hun was so angry that he couldn't sleep all day and could only vent his frustration on the beauties.

He had previously sent his nephew to Li Xuanba to inform Li Jiancheng, intending to appease Li Jiancheng and make him the scapegoat so he could take the opportunity to betray him and then resolve the issue of Tong Yao, thus securing his current position.

But Li Jiancheng pretended to be stupid and refused to take the bait.

Now it seems the only thing we can do is try and work on their second son.
As Li Hun was pondering this, suddenly, shouts of killing arose outside, along with cries and pleas for mercy, creating a chaotic scene. The three were terrified. Li Hun quickly grabbed his weapon from the wall and led his men out the door.

"What happened?!"

He had barely uttered a shout when he saw many soldiers rushing towards him. These were all imperial guards, and leading the charge was none other than Yuwen Shu. Yuwen Shu's face was contorted with rage as he stared intently at Li Hun with a strange smile, quickening his pace as he charged toward Li Hun.

Li Hun was terrified, his face turning ashen. "Brother, what are you doing?!"

"Hahaha~~"

Yuwen Shu paid no heed to Li Hun. He rushed to Li Hun's side and raised his sword as if to strike. Li Hun was shocked and thrust his sword at Yuwen Shu. Yuwen Shu changed his move and knocked Li Hun's sword away with his long sword. The next moment, the hilt of his sword smashed into Li Hun's abdomen. Li Hun was in great pain, curled up, and fell to the ground.

How could a drunkard like him be a match for Yuwen Shu?

Li Min and Li Shanheng on either side looked terrified and dared not step forward. Yuwen Shu easily knocked them both to the ground. When the soldiers rushed over, the three of them were lying on the ground groaning. Yuwen Shu's eyes were full of disdain. He ordered everyone to arrest them, and then, humming a tune, he left with a smile.

Li Hun's other relatives were also arrested, including Yuwen Shu's sister and several nephews, but Yuwen Shu didn't care about them at all.

When he had his argument with Li Hun, none of his sister or nephews spoke up for him. His nephews even went so far as to say that he was greedy and extorting money from his family.

Since it's 'their family', then it has nothing to do with me.

Yuwen Shu was in high spirits. After capturing these people, he sent them to be imprisoned.

Yuwen Shu did not take the opportunity to kill them because he had other plans.

On the day Li Hun and his close family members were arrested, a huge uproar swept through Luoyang. Everyone speculated, and the emperor quickly dispatched Pei Yun to oversee the interrogation and thoroughly investigate the Li Hun family. (Li residence.)

Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng stood at the gate, smiling as they greeted the arriving minister, Pei Yun.

Pei Yun looked completely different from the crude and uncouth warriors like Yuwen Shu. He was refined in appearance and dressed appropriately. Although he was old, he was full of energy. After getting off the carriage, he looked at Li Yuan and his son with a friendly gaze.

"Congratulations to the Duke of Tang!"

The two had just greeted each other when Pei Yun spoke with a smile.

Li Yuan asked in surprise, "What brings you this joy?"

"Duke, that nursery rhyme was very unfavorable to you before. Now that Duke Shen has been arrested and the nursery rhyme has come true, doesn't that prove your innocence?"

Li Yuan frowned. "The emergence of such a traitor within the country is hardly a cause for celebration."

Pei Yun narrowed his eyes, "They may not necessarily be traitors."

He then looked at Li Jiancheng, "This is the Prince of Tang. He is indeed a very handsome man. May I ask where he holds a position?"

Li Jiancheng was taken aback, but Li Yuan quickly said, "My son is dull-witted and has not yet reached the age to serve in office."

"Oh, so that's it."

Pei Yun smiled, but his words seemed to carry a hidden meaning. Li Jiancheng became very wary. This guy looked respectable, but he was full of bad intentions. He was not greedy, did not accept bribes, and was not cruel. He had a good reputation, but Li Jiancheng felt that this guy was even worse than Yuwen Shu.

Pei Yun was a talented beast. He used to be a minister of the Chen state. Seeing that Yang Jian was powerful, he sent someone ahead of time to deliver a message saying that he was willing to be an inside agent. After the fall of the Chen state, he was given an important position. He always kept to himself and worked very diligently. After Yang Guang came to power, he stopped pretending. He first completed several of Yang Guang's corvée labor tasks excellently, achieving the best political achievements in the country, and thus entered the court.

Then, he advised Yang Guang that the music of the past was too simple and did not match his status, so he immediately expanded the number of musicians to 30,000 to provide music services for Yang Guang.

Yang Guang was overjoyed and appointed him as the Minister of Revenue.

After becoming Minister of Revenue, his first memorial to the throne was that he felt the people of the world were deceiving the emperor by lying about their age to avoid corvée labor, and he requested a thorough investigation. As a result, more than 400,000 new able-bodied men were conscripted for the emperor.

Among the five powerful figures around Yang Guang, this one was the most detestable. He blindly climbed the ranks, completely disregarding the fate of the nation.

Later, when Su Wei reminded Yang Guang that there were many thieves in the world and that even grain transport caravans were being robbed, Yang Guang even advised the emperor to kill Su Wei and impeach him for lying and deceiving the emperor, asking where all these thieves came from.
Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng welcomed the man into the mansion, and the three of them sat down together.

Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng exchanged a glance, both of them somewhat unsure of Pei Yun's intentions.

This Lord Pei is neither greedy for money nor lustful, yet he came to visit me first, now that he is in charge of the trial of Li Hun. What is his purpose?

Li Yuan exchanged a few pleasantries with Pei Yun, but Pei Yun maintained a lukewarm attitude throughout.

After exchanging a few words, Pei Yun slowly asked, "I've heard that you, young master, have met with Li Hun?"

Yes, I have seen him.

"Is the young master plotting a rebellion with him?"

(End of this chapter)