My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 294 Punishment
"Your Majesty, although General Li is loyal, he is still too young. Moreover, Your Majesty previously said that this powerful army should not be commanded by a nobleman. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

After Li Xuanba left, Yuwen Shu couldn't help but ask.

Yang Guang glanced at Yuwen Shu in front of him, "Does the Duke of Xu mean that you should recommend a few more people to help him?"

Yuwen Shu shook his head. “Such an important matter cannot be recommended by others. If Your Majesty insists on having General Li handle this matter, you can send a capable person to assist him in handling it.”

Yang Guang remained silent.

Since the death of the Crown Prince, Yang Jian's power has grown increasingly stronger. It would have been one thing if only the sons of noble families had followed him, but some of the commanders of the Twelve Guards had frequent dealings with Yang Jian. Yang Jian could even order his soldiers to do his personal errands, which made Yang Guang uneasy.

The Northern and Southern Dynasties had just ended, and the lingering influence made such behavior even more inappropriate.

Yang Guang had previously considered making Yang Jian the crown prince, but Yang Jian was not as good as his elder brother. If it were just his fondness for women, Yang Guang could tolerate it. His biggest problem was his stupidity; he couldn't see himself clearly.

When the Crown Prince was still alive, I told him that he could contact the generals and commanders without worry.

But the Crown Prince is gone, and I have hinted that I will entrust important matters to him, but he has not restrained himself at all. He is still recklessly making friends with nobles and increasing his own power. Recently, he has even launched an offensive against the Duke of Chu and the Duke of Tang, hoping to gain their support.

Even the Duke of Xu in front of us, he himself had no dealings with Yang Jian, but his family members often went to Yang Jian's place.

Yang Guang understood these people all too well. They were all paving the way for their own future, and they all believed that Yang Jian would definitely be the crown prince and the future emperor. So they rushed to curry favor with him, thinking of securing a way out for their descendants.

Yang Jian went further and further astray, yet no one in the entire court dared to expose him.

Yang Guang's anger had actually been building up for quite some time. He originally planned to give Yang Jian a hard time when he went to conquer Goguryeo, to shock him, and at the same time to teach those sycophantic people a lesson.

But he never expected that there would be such a loyal minister as Li Xuanba among the officials.

He was loyal only to the emperor, even at the cost of offending the princes who were most likely to become the crown prince. He was even willing to break into the princes' residences to rescue them for the emperor's sake. He was a sword that was loyal only to himself.

Yang Guang looked at Yuwen Shu in front of him again, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. He gestured for Yuwen Shu to come closer to him.

When Yuwen Shu cautiously approached the emperor, Yang Guang asked in a low voice, "I heard that Yuwen Huaji visited Yang Jian's residence the day before yesterday and brought him many gifts. I think Yuwen Huaji is very capable. He didn't get into trouble despite bringing so many gifts, which shows that he is exceptionally brave. What do you think about letting him assist Li Xuanba?"

"Your Majesty! I know my crime! I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

"forgive!!"

Yuwen Shu was terrified and kowtowed to Yang Guang, repeatedly begging for forgiveness.

"Alright, get up. When will you learn from people like Pei Shiju and be more discreet in your actions? Your gift-giving entourage is so grand, are you afraid others won't know?"

Yang Guang was quite helpless with Yuwen Shu. Yuwen Shu was loyal to him and quite capable, but he was stubborn and careless in his work, and people always found fault with him. When would he ever make any progress?
"Lord Xu, you should handle this matter concerning the rebels."

"I'll have to trouble you to go to Prince Qi's place as well. There are far too many scoundrels following Yang Jian. Take Li Xuanba with you and deal with them properly. Don't be too soft-hearted."

Yuwen Shu suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharp. "Yes, sir!!!"

Prince Qi's Mansion.

When Yang Jian returned to his residence, his legs were weak.

He staggered down from the carriage, trembling all over, and almost fell to the ground. Qiao Ling helped Yang Jian down from the carriage, her face full of worry, "Your Highness?"

"Go in. Go in."

Yang Jian spoke in a low voice, surrounded by many of his confidants who escorted him into the inner room.

When Yang Jian sat down, his face was pale and his eyes were full of terror. It took him a long time to recover. Even though he was the emperor's own son, he still felt great fear when facing the emperor, especially since the emperor's eyes had been so fierce just now.

Seeing that Yang Jian's breathing had gradually calmed down, Qiao Lingze hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, what did His Majesty say?"

"He dismissed me from my post and made me stay at home to reflect on my actions."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding confidants were somewhat astonished. They exchanged glances and then began to discuss among themselves, all feeling unconvinced. The position of Governor of Henan was extremely important. When the emperor went on a campaign, the Prince of Qi could use the advantages of being Governor of Henan to stay in Luoyang. Once he was in Luoyang, it would be considered a major breakthrough, since the Crown Prince would be overseeing the country.

But now that the Governor of Henan is gone, the difficulty of overseeing the rear has suddenly increased.

Qiao Ling then reprimanded everyone, "What are you all arguing about?" "Isn't this a good thing?"

"This dismissal from office is only temporary, and there are no other punishments. Isn't that a good thing?"

Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, Liu Qian'an cried out, "Your Highness has never suffered such injustice! Your residence was forcibly broken into, so many people were injured, and instead of offering comfort, His Majesty wants to dismiss you from your post. How can this be allowed?"

"Lord Shedi was utterly loyal to Your Highness, yet he was beaten to death by Li Xuanba! He forcibly entered the mansion and killed someone; shouldn't he be punished?"

"How many of our people did that bastard injure?"

"We must kill him!"

Amidst the commotion, Yang Jian finally raised his head, glaring at them with displeasure, "You still have the nerve to say that!"

"That brat isn't even fifteen yet! A mere child barged into the manor, and no one could stop him! I was even taken hostage. You people, who usually call yourselves warriors, can't even stop a child?"

After a moment of silence, Qiao Lingze took the lead in apologizing to Yang Jian.

Yang Jian's eyes flashed fiercely. "This time, we were caught off guard by this bastard. We'll put up with him for a while. There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with him later. I refuse to believe it."

Just as he was talking to everyone about his future revenge, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

Yang Jian, who had been so defiant just moments before, was now terrified and shrank back, quickly hiding behind several of his confidants. "His Majesty sent men to arrest me!"

A moment later, the door was kicked open.

Li Xuanba, clad in armor and wielding a golden mace, once again entered the place.

Seeing him storm in, the few confidants who had been insulting Li Xuanba were terrified and retreated, exposing Yang Jian. Yang Jian angrily cursed.

Li Xuanba did not make a move; he slowly stood aside and made way for him.

Yuwen Shu swaggered into the house.

"Your Highness! I have come by imperial decree!"

Yuwen Shu said loudly, "Please come out with me, Your Highness."

Yang Jian was even more frightened, but dared not refuse. He led those people, trembling, as they followed Yuwen Shu out of the house and into the courtyard, where a strong smell of blood permeated the air.

Yuwen Shu looked at Li Xuanba and said, "General, you may make your move."

Li Xuanba strode out, followed by several soldiers. To Yang Jian's horror, Li Xuanba dragged Qiao Lingze and the others out. These confidants pleaded with Yang Jian for help, but Yang Jian was powerless to protect them.

Li Xuanba grabbed Qiao Lingze by the neck, pinned him to the ground, and stared at him coldly.

Evil will be punished.

Qiao Ling met his gaze, her eyes widening. "Li?"

"Bang!!!"

The golden mace fell, the skull exploded, and blood splattered everywhere.

Yang Jian only let out a scream, then fell to the ground in fright. The others, seeing this scene, howled like ghosts, their pants all wet. At Li Xuanba's command, the soldiers took action, and the seven or eight confidants around Yang Jian who had acted as his henchmen were all killed on the spot, their eyes wide open in death.

Yuwen Shu slowly stepped forward and helped Yang Jian up.

“Your Highness, killing them is for your own good. These people have done far too many bad things behind your back. How can we appease public anger if they are not killed? His Majesty has already ordered compensation for the abducted woman and has also pardoned her family from corvée labor. You no longer need to worry.”

"I only ask that Your Highness be more careful in the future and not be deceived by such villains again. Eliminating the villains around you is all His Majesty's favor to you, and you should be grateful."

"Your subject, Your subject, Your subject, kowtows in gratitude to Your Majesty, to Heaven's grace."

(End of this chapter)