My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 266 The New Khan

Weiwei Temple.

Li Yuan, dressed in official robes, sat majestically in the high seat.

Officials from various government departments stood on either side of him, their attitudes extremely respectful.

After going through so much trouble, Li Yuan can finally enjoy the wonderful life of a court official.

The good news was that the emperor was no longer afraid of Li Yuan and was willing to trust him. The bad news was that the emperor changed the powers of several important departments again. The powers of the Imperial Guard were reformed once again, leaving only the three major privileges of weapons, ceremonial guards, and protection.

All the armories in the country were under Li Yuan's control, as were the tools used in court activities. He could not move the emperor's guards, but he could punish, supervise, or request their replacement, etc. In name, they were still under his jurisdiction.

The extent of the Weiweiqing's power depends entirely on the methods employed by the person holding that position.

Li Yuan was a powerful man. Even though he served as Minister of the Imperial Guards, no one in the court dared to underestimate him. After all, with his position, it was quite easy for him to target a particular person or department. He only needed to make a fuss about the equipment used in major events such as court assemblies.
After finishing his work, Li Yuan stood up and prepared to return to his residence to rest.

Just as Li Yuan reached the door, another group of people walked towards him, and the two groups met.

"Duke!"

The visitor greeted him with a smile and bowed, displaying a very friendly attitude.

Li Yuan looked up and saw that it was Pei Shiju.

Pei Shiju stepped forward with a smile and took Li Yuan's hand, "It's been quite a while since you returned to Luoyang, why hasn't the Duke come to visit even once?"

Li Yuan felt somewhat uncomfortable.

When he was favored by the emperor, this person was very kind to him. Later, when the emperor began to distance himself from him, this person also began to distance himself. Now that the emperor has just shown affection, this person has come back.

However, Li Yuan did not reveal his displeasure, and smiled as he bowed to Pei Shiju, saying, "I would like to pay my respects to Lord Pei, but alas, I am tied up with official duties."

"Ah, the Imperial Guard Temple certainly has a lot of things to do, indeed quite a lot."

"I've already taken care of the matter you entrusted to me a while ago. For something as trivial as a transfer, you could have just given the word. Why bother asking someone else?"

"Lord Pei is busy, how could I dare to disturb you?"

"Between you and me, let's not talk about things that might bother us. Come on, I have something to tell you."

Pei Shiju took Li Yuan's hand and led him back into the temple. As they walked further in, the other officials dared not approach. Pei Shiju said with a smile, "Do you remember that Shi Shu Hu Xi?"

"Which Shi Shu Hu Xi?"

"Hahaha, that's the foreign merchant your son met, you've forgotten?"

"It seems there is such a thing. What happened?"

Pei Shiju and Li Yuan went into a room and sat down. Pei Shiju looked at Li Yuan and said with a smile, "Duke, what you did was not very ethical. Did you send your son to arrest Shi Shu Hu Xi?"

"I just returned to Luoyang. What? Has he been captured?"

Pei Shiju shook his head. "I have been honest with you, so please don't say anything more. I need this person. If you give him to me, I will agree to any conditions."

Li Yuan said with a stern face, "But I really don't know this person."

Pei Shiju narrowed his eyes. "You must know Liu Hongji, right?"

"Liu Hongji?? Who is that??"

Pei Shiju stared wide-eyed at Li Yuan in front of him, a surge of anger rising within him. Was this guy really so shameless? He'd already gone this far, and he still wouldn't admit it?
Pei Shiju said slowly with a stern face, "My men had just found out that Shi Shuhu was in Xicheng, and then he disappeared. Along with him, Liu Hongji and many other wandering knights also disappeared. My men saw them in Xicheng many times, including your second son, Li Shimin. If I'm not mistaken, they should still be with your second son, right?"

"Also, on the day Shi Shu Hu Xi disappeared, I captured several warriors. Those warriors said that there was a child who was very good at throwing hammers, your third son. He seemed to be very good at throwing hammers?"

Li Yuan's face darkened, but he continued to ask, "Is that so?" "Alright!"

"Duke, let me be frank with you. The Emperor knows about Shi Shuhu's affairs. He entrusted me with this matter because I originally wanted to find out who was behind him. But you struck first. What is your purpose? Are you trying to silence him?"

"Duke, this person is of great importance; I desperately need him!!"

Li Yuan looked at him with a cold gaze, "I don't know this person, I've never seen him before. My sons are all still young and would never kidnap a Hu person in the city. If you think I'm colluding with the Hu people, you can go and impeach me to the Emperor right now."

Pei Shiju met his gaze for a moment, then finally softened, "Why must the Duke do this? Our two families should live in harmony."

Li Yuan's expression was still not very good.

"Lord Pei, since I came to the court, I have endured many things and I have tolerated them. However, I am by no means easy to bully. If anyone insists on going against me, I will give up this official position and drag him down with me. Anyway, I can wait. In ten or twenty years, the emperor will surely reinstate me. What do you think, Lord Pei?"

Pei Shiju stood up. "Duke, I will no longer concern myself with this matter."

"However, my family can still maintain frequent contact in the future. As fellow ministers, we should work together to assist the holy king."

"Of course, I will definitely pay you a visit in a few days."

School grounds.

"Form ranks!!"

Yuan Li shouted again, and the guards, including Li Xuanba, quickly formed ranks and rushed outside to take their positions.

Sima Dekan and Yuan Li were already fully armored and armed. Sima Dekan glared fiercely at the crowd, "Follow me to Qianyang Palace! Split into two groups! Depart immediately!!"

No one dared to hesitate or ask any questions. They hurriedly followed behind Sima Dekan and ran out of the training ground. They rushed all the way to the location of Qianyang Hall. Sima Dekan quickly made arrangements. The warriors went up the steps, leaving two people to guard every few steps. They entered the hall and Li Xuanba was placed inside.

They all wielded thousand-ox knives and guarded this place.

After they lined up, officials began to walk briskly from a distance and entered the hall one after another.

Li Xuanba stood at a distance. He saw several familiar faces in the crowd, including his grandfather, Yang Xuangan, and Pei Shiju. Li Yuan seemed to have noticed him as well, but didn't look at him for long and quickly went to his seat.

After all the officials had arrived, the Left Guards escorted Yang Guang to the palace. Like Li Xuanba, they were all from noble families. After escorting the emperor in, they quickly stood next to the Right Guards, facing each other in pairs.

Once everyone had arrived, Yang Guang sat on the throne, gazing down at the assembled officials.

Li Xuanba dared not look to the side, his mind filled with curiosity as to why the emperor would suddenly summon his ministers.

As he was thinking, he saw many Hu people running in from outside the door. They first loudly announced their identities, that they were all Turkic envoys, and when they came before the emperor, they began to weep.

They came here only to report one thing to the emperor: the Turkic Khan, Rangan, had passed away.

The sage's expression was slightly sorrowful.

During the years that Ran Gan was in power, he was extremely respectful to the Sage, obeyed his edicts completely, did not break his promises, and knew how to discipline his people. The situation on the border improved greatly, and the Sage was able to confidently gather troops to attack the enemies in the northwest.

Yang Guang reassured the envoys and then ordered the Ministry of Rites to posthumously confer titles and rewards upon Ran Gan.

At that moment, the envoy finally voiced another request.

"Your Majesty! Before his death, the Khan left a will, hoping that his eldest son, Duji, would succeed him as Khan! We beseech Your Majesty to bestow the title of Khan upon his eldest son, Duji!!"

It was obvious that the person who arrived in Luoyang first was an envoy sent by the eldest prince.

Yang Guang looked at Pei Shiju among the officials and saw Pei Shiju step forward and say with grief, "When the Khan was alive, he made so many contributions. Now that he has just passed away, it is the time to determine his posthumous title and bestow honors. His children should be observing mourning for their father and keeping vigil. How can the matter of bestowing honors be done in such a hasty manner?!"

The envoy suddenly looked up at Pei Shiju, his eyes wide with astonishment.

Posthumous title? Mourning period?
Are you trying to pick a fight?
(End of this chapter)