My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 348 Su Wei
"Lord Su!"

When Su Wei entered the tent, Yuwen Shu quickly stood up with a smile on his face.

If Yuwen Shu was the most favored general before, then Su Wei was the most respected minister in the court.

First and foremost is Su Wei's father, Su Chuo.

Su Chuo was Yuwen Tai's chief steward. He can be considered the most capable scholar among the first group of military men who started the dynasty. He single-handedly promoted many reforms in the Northern Zhou Dynasty and was considered a prime minister who assisted the state. Few could match his great achievements. He was a pioneer who set a new precedent for later generations.

Su Chuo was also very morally upright and was loved by almost all the ministers. After his death, he was honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and posthumously granted the title of Duke of Pi.

Su Wei was the son of Su Chuo and the son-in-law of the powerful minister Yuwen Hu.

This was a natural advantage, as he was later valued by the wise minister Gao Jiong and gradually became an important minister by Emperor Wen's side. During this period, he repeatedly advised Emperor Wen to reduce taxes, increase the amount of farmland for the people, reduce the expenses of the ministers, raise the age of corvée labor, reduce extravagance and waste, and not to build the imperial palace, etc.

Indeed, when Emperor Wen of Sui was still alive, Su Wei was a rather outspoken and straightforward official.

Just how far did he go? Once, Emperor Wen of Sui wanted to kill a minister, and Su Wei went in to persuade him. The emperor was furious and wanted to go out and kill the man himself. Su Wei stopped him. When Emperor Wen tried to leave the palace again, Su Wei grabbed him and wouldn't let him go. Emperor Wen had no choice but to go back. Only after his anger subsided did he reward Su Wei and thank him.

Su Wei then served as Minister of Ceremonies, Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, Minister of Justice, Prefect of the Capital, and Grand Censor. This was not the order in which he held these positions, but rather the positions he held all at once. He held five positions simultaneously and performed them all well.

This continued until Emperor Yang of Sui killed Gao Jiong, He Ruobi, and others.

Su Wei was beaten and nearly killed for trying to dissuade Gao Jiong. After that, Su Wei became more aware of his situation and never dared to be as forceful as before. He could only cautiously advise the emperor and dared not jump out to stop him again.

Even so, Su Wei's reputation was undeniable. In Guanzhong, his status was unmatched by anyone. When the people of Guanzhong learned that Su Wei had arrived as an envoy, they felt honored and knelt on the road to welcome him. Outside Guanzhong, ministers also admired his talent, character, and seniority, and treated him with utmost respect.

Therefore, when Li Xuanba was dividing up the official positions in the court, the first person he mentioned was not Yuwen Shu, but Su Wei, and Yuwen Shu had no objection to this.

When Yuwen Shu came to greet him, Su Wei hurriedly lowered his head, looking very respectful.

"Duke Xu".

“How dare I, how dare I, Lord Su, please come with me.”

Yuwen Shu led him intimately into the inner room. The generals all went about their business, leaving only Li Xuanba there, who had not yet left.

Su Wei greeted Li Xuanba with a smile when he saw him.

Yuwen Shu insisted that Su Wei take the seat of honor, but Su Wei, citing the military camp as the reason, allowed Yuwen Shu to sit in the superior position.

After the three were seated, Su Wei praised, "We owe our success to Duke Xu. If it weren't for him, we would have all been harmed by that villain Pei Yun. Duke Xu is truly a pillar of the nation."

Su Wei praised him for a long time, making Yuwen Shu feel a little dizzy.

Yuwen Shu was not one to appreciate flattery, but unfortunately, the person flattering him now was Su Wei!

Su Wei praised for a long time, then looked at Li Xuanba, cleared his throat, and was about to start flattering him.

"Lord Su, there's no need for that."

Li Xuanba, however, was not buying it. “Lord Su, we are not traitors or rebels. You don’t need to compromise your principles.”

"I am merely speaking frankly; what do you mean by compromising?"

"Master Su, before you speak, there are some things I would like you to see."

"Someone come here! Bring it up!!"

When Li Xuanba spoke, Su Wei's heart skipped a beat. He was genuinely afraid that the soldiers would bring another head over.

Fortunately, the soldiers only brought documents, not heads.

The soldiers placed the documents in front of Suwei.

Su Wei picked up the document, somewhat puzzled. "This is..."

"These are all the incriminating evidence Pei Yun found for you, Lord Su. They are evidence of your entire family's crimes and have been reviewed by His Majesty. They originally planned to punish you according to these crimes after returning home, and to behead your whole family." Su Wei's expression hardened, and he put down the documents in his hand.

"Lord Su, do you not believe me?"

"I believe it. What is Pei Yun, that despicable man, incapable of doing anything?"

Su Wei replied with a smile.

"What about Your Majesty?"

Li Xuanba pressed for an answer.

Su Wei was speechless for a moment. He did not look at Li Xuanba again, but instead looked at Yuwen Shu beside him. "Throughout my life, I have worked diligently for the country and have never done anything wrong. Even if I have made a small mistake, His Majesty will surely forgive me and will not punish me because of the words of that villain Pei Yun."

Yuwen Shu narrowed his eyes and did not answer.

Su Wei's thoughts were in disarray. He began to reorganize his ideas. After Li Xuanba brought over these documents, Su Wei's prepared remarks were all ruined.

Su Wei knew that Li Xuanba was not lying. Perhaps Pei Yun really wanted to get rid of him through the emperor, which made Su Wei feel a little disheartened, but he had no choice.

"Duke Xu, His Majesty just kept me behind to inquire about the situation outside. He is also very worried about the current situation."

"However, I have already persuaded him to stop, and told him the truth about Pei Yun's many crimes. His Majesty believed me."

"Now, the most important thing is to summon the ministers and then announce Pei Yun's evil deeds in person."

As Su Wei spoke earnestly, Li Xuanba suddenly asked, "Does His Majesty truly believe Lord Su?"

Su Wei stroked his beard and looked at Yuwen Shu, "Duke Xu, there are some things I would like to discuss with you privately."

Yuwen Shu laughed, “Lord Su, Xuanba is just young and ignorant. If he has offended you in any way, please don’t blame him. Let him stay here.”

Yuwen Shu then looked at Li Xuanba, "You must not be disrespectful to Lord Su!"

Su Wei felt a headache coming on.

Li Yuan was a decent man; how could he have fathered such a lawless son?
Su Wei had no choice but to change his strategy. He said softly, "Duke Xu, among the generals, you are the most favored by His Majesty. His Majesty has appointed you as the Grand General of four guards. Out of the twelve Grand General positions, you occupy four. If we're talking about favor, nothing can compare to this."

"In terms of power, status, wealth, or anything else, Duke Xu has reached the pinnacle. However, the current situation is extremely critical. If a misunderstanding leads to a major disaster, wouldn't Duke Xu's illustrious reputation be ruined in an instant?"

"In my opinion, Duke Xu's campaign this time was outstanding. He broke through the west bank, seized Liaodong, and killed the rebels. His Majesty has already decided to reward those who have made meritorious contributions. Duke Xu should be the one who has made the greatest contribution! Duke Xu, we have reached this age, and our sons are not capable. I don't know if they will be able to inherit our position in the future."

"The achievements you have made are just right to be handed over to your three sons, neither too many nor too few. I have heard that when people get old, they have to think about their affairs after death. Those who are content are always happy."

"Both Duke Xu and I are old ministers, and I have said some disrespectful things without hesitation. I hope the Duke will forgive me."

"If Duke Xu intends to seize power in this opportunity, he will have no way out! Leaving aside whether he can succeed, even if he does, how long can we live at our age? Duke Xu has high prestige and strong power, so he can give it a try. But when it comes to his descendants, I wonder who Duke Xu thinks can inherit his position?"

“If things are not handled properly, it will implicate the entire family, including you. Do you not know about Huo Guang’s affairs, Duke Xu?”

"Some people insist on having you take action, and I think they've got this in mind. They want you to take the risks first, so that once things settle down, they can take your place. It's like someone wants you to be Erzhu Rong while they themselves want to be Gao Huan."

Su Wei said this with a pointed remark.

Yuwen Shu pointed to Li Xuanba in the distance, "Is Lord Su referring to him?"

"Whoever Duke Xu thinks it is, then it is."

Yuwen Shu looked at Li Xuanba, "Xuanba, what do you think?"

“When I was young, I heard my elder brother and father praise Su Gong many times. After I read books, I also admired the Duke of Pi and thought that I should follow his example in governing the world. However, I never expected that Su Gong would be such a short-sighted person.”

(End of this chapter)