My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 301 Working together
Luoyang.

A carriage stopped in the north of the city. Husi Zheng got off the carriage, looked around, and then quickly walked into the small courtyard in front of him.

After he went inside, several burly servants came out and stood at the door, watching their surroundings warily.

Husi Zheng continued forward until he reached the innermost part of the road, where someone came out to greet him with a smile.

"Lord Husi! You've finally arrived!"

The person walking out was none other than Pei Yun, one of the five most powerful figures in the current court.

This Vice Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs had just been promoted to Imperial Censor by the Emperor, officially becoming a prominent official in the court who could stand on equal footing with Su Wei and others. Hu Sizheng, who was also a Vice Minister, could not be arrogant in front of him at all, and immediately put on a smiling face when he saw him.

"Lord Pei!"

Pei Yun took his hand affectionately, just as he had taken Chen Leng's hand before, and led him into the house.

The two went inside, and servants brought out food.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries.

"I heard that the military officers for the Xiaoguo Guard have been finalized? Has the Ministry of War filed a record with them?"

Pei Yun asked, seemingly unconcerned.

Husi Zheng grinned, "Of course, Lord Pei is indeed sharp-eyed and discerning; nothing can be hidden from you."

"Not at all. I only heard about this by chance. As the Imperial Censor, I naturally have to be vigilant about these things, especially such important matters as the new army. Lord Husi also knows that there are always some treacherous people in the court who will use important national events to seek their own interests."

Husi Zheng took a bite of the meat and said quietly, "This meat is good. I don't know how to repay the kindness that Lord Pei has shown me today."

Pei Yun narrowed her eyes, "We're supporting each other, why are you being so formal?"

"I must say this, Lord Pei. I have always been a person who repays kindness. If I am grateful, I will naturally repay the favor. Mutual support is the proper thing to do, but whether the support can last depends on the relationship."

Pei Yun knew that this guy was different from Chen Leng; he couldn't just back down with empty words.

"I happen to have some impeachments here concerning Minister Duan. I plan to send people to thoroughly investigate this matter in a few days. The reason I'm asking you, Lord Husi, is to ask that you, Husi Zheng, help me in this investigation of Minister Duan, and that you can set aside your friendship with him and stand up for the sake of the country."

"I see."

Husi Zheng said helplessly, "Since it is for the sake of the country, then I have no reason to refuse."

The two reached a deal, and Husi Zheng readily took out the relevant documents from his pocket and handed them to Pei Yun in front of him.

"This is the personnel file I copied down. Please take a look."

Pei Yun excitedly took the item and then quickly opened it to examine it.

He stared at it for a long time, but the smile on his face gradually disappeared.

"These are the military officers Li Xuanba wants to promote? Why are they all commoners? Can't you find a single son of a noble family? Aren't there any with dubious backgrounds?"

"Yes, half of them were recruited from the Right Office, and the other half were selected from the military government in Luoyang. No one was assigned to them, and no one was recruited from outside. Everyone is very reliable and has a good family on the Ministry of War's list."

As Hu Sizheng spoke, his eyes were filled with resentment. He felt that Li Xuanba was wasting his opportunity. He didn't give others a chance to do favors or make money, but just squandered the quota. He really didn't know how to do things properly.

Pei Yun's expression, however, was not very pleasant.

He was just waiting for Li Xuanba to form a new army so he could use his position as Imperial Censor to teach that family a lesson. He never expected that the kid would be so cautious and leave him no leverage.

Husi Zheng sensed something and asked suspiciously, "Lord Pei, do you perhaps want to investigate the situation in the army?"

"That's all, Lord Husi. I'll see you out."

Hu Sizheng shook his head, "Lord Pei, you don't need to hide it from me. To be honest, I also really want to get rid of that bastard Li Xuanba. His Majesty entrusted such an important matter to this brat, but he doesn't respect me at all. Relying on the protection of the Duke of Tang, he dared to bypass me and go to the Minister. This time, I can't get involved in the recruitment, the weapons, or even the venue!!!"

“I heard that His Majesty intends to continue building up the army, and the number of new troops will not be small. If Li Xuanba continues to be in charge, the Ministry of War will eventually fall apart under his control. If you share the same idea as me, then we can cooperate not only this once, but also continue to cooperate in the future.”

Pei Yun sized up Hu Sizheng beside him, and the two stared at each other for a moment. "To be honest, the person I'm dealing with isn't Li Xuanba, but Li Yuan."

"Li Yuan is not easy to deal with. I think it would be better for Lord Husi to stay out of it."

"Ha, what's there to be afraid of about Li Yuan? Ever since he took control of the armory, my troubles have only increased day by day! Does Lord Pei's refusal of me stem from a lack of trust in me, or from a contempt for me?"

Pei Yun smiled and said, "How could I dare? If Lord Husi is willing to help me, that would be wonderful!"

He had some more drinks brought out again.

After the two had a few sips of wine, Pei Yun said in a low voice, "Li Yuan is a cunning man. He has already set his sights on me. It will be very difficult to get to him. His eldest son, Li Jiancheng, is also not easy to deal with. The only one we can target is his third son, Li Xuanba. He seems kind, but he is actually tyrannical, belligerent, and cruel. He is a true Guanzhong warrior!"

Upon hearing the words "Guanlong warriors," Husi Zheng's expression became slightly unnatural, but he quickly regained his composure.

"That's what you said."

"But how should we deal with him?"

"This will require you to keep a close eye on Li Xuanba's every move in the Ministry of War. To defeat Li Yuan, the two of us alone are not enough; we need someone else to help us with all their might."

"who??"

"King Qi."

Inside the palace.

Yang Guang was looking at the map in front of him. He gently stroked his chin, picked up a pen, and wrote something on it.

While he was busy, Pei Yun came to pay his respects.

Yang Guang then let him in. Pei Yun sat to the side, watching the emperor write down the battle plan, not daring to disturb him. Only after the emperor finished his work did he step forward and say considerately, "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, but you must also take care of your health and not ruin it."

"Haha, no, Minister Pei, you've come at the right time. Su Wei told me that if we were to conscript a million laborers to fight, the country would be in a precarious situation. You are in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so you know more about local affairs. What do you think?"

Pei Yun hurriedly said, "In my opinion, the Sui Dynasty is so powerful that even if we send three or four million laborers to fight alongside us, let alone a million, there would be no risk."

Yang Guangda laughed, "Not everyone around me is a fool."

Yang Guang was pleased and naturally became more agreeable. He looked at Pei Yun and asked about her purpose in coming.

Pei Yun then picked up some memorials and handed them to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, I have investigated the matter concerning the Prince of Qi. These are all pieces of evidence. The Prince of Qi was unaware of many of these things. They were done by those people using his name. The Prince of Qi repeatedly advised them and asked them to return the looted items. They agreed on the surface, but secretly kept them.”

"King Qi has also punished many evildoers and provided subsidies to the victims. Therefore, it seems that this incident was not King Qi's fault."

Yang Guang was furious. "He can't even control his own servants. Those people dare to bring women into his mansion and rape them. How can he say he's without fault?"

"Your Majesty, this is because there are too many people following Prince Qi, which allowed so many traitors to infiltrate. With this lesson learned, the traitors around Your Highness have been eliminated, and such a situation should not happen again. I request Your Majesty to send someone to urge Prince Qi to keep an eye on his subordinates and prevent them from making such a mistake again."

Yang Guang then nodded, agreeing with his statement.

"Then do it."

“Your Majesty, the Prince of Qi’s mistakes cannot go unpunished. However, the Prince of Qi is, after all, a prince, and he is usually very filial to Your Majesty. Your Majesty’s severe punishment of the Prince of Qi has already shown the world Your Majesty’s justice. I think Your Majesty could pardon his crimes a little, so that the world can see Your Majesty’s magnanimity!”

"Alas, I had high hopes for him in the past, but I never expected this. Oh well, let him be reinstated to his original position. Go and announce it!"

“Here!!!”

When Pei Yun walked out of the palace, his eyes were full of ferocity.

The Prefect of Henan, the Grand Censor, and the Vice Minister of War. Ha, let's see how you hide this time.

(End of this chapter)