My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 307 Cunning
royal palace.

Yang Guang sat on the throne, looking at the memorials before him, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

He turned his head and looked at Pei Yun beside him.

"Is it true that Governor Pei's new army plundered villages and harmed the people?"

Pei Yun shook his head, saying helplessly, "This is clearly His Highness framing me. His Highness had a falling out with the General, and after being reinstated, he couldn't wait to send people to deal with General Li. This is truly... sigh."

Pei Yun sighed, “When I was ordered to pardon Prince Qi, I told Your Highness to be careful about the people around you, not to associate with nobles, and to befriend scholars. I never expected that this would cause such a mess.”

Upon hearing Pei Yun's words, Yang Guang's expression softened considerably.

Yang Guang's mind is now focused on conquering Liaodong. At this time, he will not allow anyone to cause trouble for the army. Even if Li Xuanba really sends people to plunder villages, he will not allow them to harass them!

If Pei Yun had just echoed Yang Jian's demand to punish Li Xuanba, then Yang Guang would probably have fired this new censor.

His current answer is in line with Yang Guang's wishes.

Yang Guang tossed the memorial aside and asked, "What is the meaning of Governor Pei bringing these before me?"

"This was submitted by the Governor of Henan. I dare not make decisions on my own. Naturally, I must consult Your Majesty's opinion. All lawsuits in the world should be decided by Your Majesty. I am merely following orders."

Yang Guang narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

Is that really the case?

Pei Yun replied without hesitation, "Your subject dares not speak presumptuously."

Yang Guang spoke up, "Zhang Heng from Jiangdu actually went to the trouble of speaking up for Xue Daoheng in private, and even said that my frequent issuance of corvée labor and construction of palaces everywhere is extremely inappropriate behavior. Does Governor Pei think this person is guilty?"

Pei Yun said solemnly, "Zhang Heng is a man who acts recklessly because he is favored by the emperor. I beg Your Majesty to give me ten days. Within ten days, I will definitely list his crimes and escort him to Luoyang for punishment."

"Hmm, to what extent can it be done?"

"Your Majesty decides my life and death. Whatever Your Majesty commands, I will do!"

"it is good!!"

Yang Guang was overjoyed to hear this.

Although there is a hierarchy between the emperor and his ministers, there is also an antagonism between them, especially in the judicial field. If the emperor wants to deal with or protect someone, he still needs the support of his ministers. This new censor has made his position clear: he has no position, he just follows the emperor. Whoever the emperor wants to kill, he kills; whoever the emperor wants to punish, he punishes.

Yang Guang then instructed him to prepare for this matter, and then looked at the documents on the ground, "Tell me, what should we do about the impeachment of the Prince of Qi?"

"Your Majesty, now is the time to wage war. We cannot let such matters affect the morale of the army."

“We can send someone to appease Li Xuanba and reprimand Prince Qi, telling him not to do such a thing again. In addition, I believe that no matter what Prince Qi is like, he is still His Majesty’s son. It is also very inappropriate for the people sent by Prince Qi to be publicly humiliated and beaten by General Guoyi at the new army training ground!”

"Your Majesty would be better off reconsidering the selection of the General of the Righteous Army. Yuan Li was recommended by Li Xuanba. He is too close to him and can be ordered by him to beat up officials. I think this is not appropriate."

Yang Guang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Who do you think is suitable for this position?"

"Your Majesty should make the decision. General Li is loyal, but he is still too young. At least someone who can keep an eye on him should be appointed to take on this role."

Yang Guang looked troubled. He didn't really want more sons of nobles to join the new army, but if they weren't nobles, it seemed they couldn't keep Li Xuanba in check. Who would be more suitable to send?

Yang Guang thought for a long time and then asked, "What about Yuwen Huaji?"

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Xu is very close to the Duke of Tang, and I've heard that Yuwen Huaji often associates with Li Jiancheng. I believe it would be best to find someone who is not so close."

Yang Guang was in a dilemma. He needed to keep Li Xuanba in check, but he also couldn't get too close to Li Yuan. Suddenly, Yang Guang's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "I know who to use."

Pei Yun looked at him blankly, "Your Majesty is preparing to..."

"Isn't Yang Xuangan's younger brother serving as a Tiger-like General?"

Pei Yun's eyes lit up, and her gaze towards the emperor became even more admiring. "Your Majesty is wise!!"

Pei Yun seemed to have given the choice to the emperor, but he had added conditions: he was at odds with Li Yuan and they were equals. That left Yang Xuangan as the only choice, but Yang Guang didn't think so. Seeing the way Pei Yun looked at him, he smiled even more happily.

Seeing that the emperor was in a good mood, Pei Yun seized the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing, but I am not sure if I should say it!" "Please speak frankly."

"Your Majesty, the official from Sili who previously attempted to protect Xue Daoheng has already been dismissed. As for the officials under the Governor of Henan, they are so incompetent that they have suffered such humiliation and are completely unfit to handle important matters!"

"I believe that we should appropriately reduce the number of local officials and establish more censors!"

"These censors obey only His Majesty's orders. On the one hand, they supervise the local areas, and on the other hand, they urge the army on. No one dares to neglect their duties. The affairs of the local governments and the military are presented to His Majesty fairly. No one dares to deceive His Majesty with lies anymore."

Pei Yun's voice was extremely loud and righteous.

He said, trembling, "Even if Your Majesty mistakenly believes that I am trying to increase my own power, I must say it: these people are not worthy of being trusted! The previous thorough investigation of the household registration already showed that they were all trying to deceive Your Majesty. They are not diligent enough in their work. A task that can be completed in ten days takes a hundred days, simply because there are too few people monitoring them!"

After this whole ordeal, Yang Guang was completely disoriented.

"Alas, with a virtuous and capable minister like Pei by my side, what do I have to worry about?"

"Okay, let's do it your way."

Yang Guang agreed, and then instructed him to complete the remaining tasks.

These measures included reprimanding the Prince of Qi, appeasing Li Xuanba, appointing Yang Xuanzong, and establishing additional censors.
When Pei Yun walked out of the palace, his face was so relaxed and he felt so comfortable.

He merely hinted at it to Yang Jian, and all the ideas in his mind were fulfilled.

These brutes are utterly ignorant; do they really think they can fight me?

He's just taking advantage of the chaos to gain a position he doesn't deserve; he'll be forced to step down sooner or later. Only virtuous people can govern this world well.

The Duke of Chu's Mansion.

Yang Xuangan looked at Pei Yun excitedly and quickly gestured to the servants beside him.

The servant went out and soon returned.

He held a tray in his hand, which was filled with glittering goldware, all shaped like tableware, including bowls, chopsticks, cups, and so on, all made of gold and quite expensive.

Pei Yun sat opposite Yang Xuangan, coldly watching the tray in the servant's hands.

"Duke of Chu, what does this mean?"

"This is a small gift from me. I've also prepared something for Luoyang."

"Is this an attempt to bribe me?!"

Pei Yun frowned, her face looking quite grim.

"Bribing an imperial censor? That's unheard of!"

Seeing Pei Yun so angry, Yang Xuangan quickly ordered his men to put the items away, then stood up and bowed, saying, "Imperial Censor Pei, please don't be angry. It was my fault, my fault. I shouldn't have humiliated the governor like that. I will never do it again."

Pei Yun looked at him coldly, "Duke of Chu, it was His Majesty who appointed your brother as a Langjiang, not me. If you want to express your gratitude, you can go and thank His Majesty. This gift should also be given to His Majesty. What is the point of giving it to me?"

"Prefect Pei is absolutely right! I will personally take the gifts and go to the palace to express my gratitude to His Majesty!"

Yang Xuangan said many kind words, and Pei Yun finally calmed down.

"There's no need to say more. I need to take your younger brother to the training ground. I'll wait outside. Duke, please give your brother a few more words of advice. I heard he's at odds with the general. We can't let that happen again when we get to the training ground."

"it is good."

Pei Yun left temporarily, and Yang Xuanzong felt annoyed but dared not retaliate. Looking at his elder brother, he said, "Brother, this guy is getting more and more presumptuous. He doesn't take us seriously at all. We need to find a chance to teach him a lesson!"

"Ha, without him, could you have entered the new army?"

Yang Xuangan glared at him and lowered his voice, "Don't be rude to this person. He's not a kind person. If he holds a grudge, it will cause big trouble. Also, after you get to the training ground, don't get into any conflicts with Li Xuanba. Take the opportunity to win over everyone and make them all listen to you! Prepare for the big event! Understand?"

"Don't worry, brother! That little brat doesn't know how to win over soldiers! Within six months, I will make sure the entire army obeys our orders!"

(End of this chapter)