My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 372 Duke Tang, Something Terrible Has Happened
The emperor was finally able to rest in the palace for the time being.

Zhuojun had an imperial palace called Linshuo Palace, where the emperor used to rest before leading his army on expeditions.

Now that the emperor has returned to Linshuo Palace, the situation is completely different from when he left.

Although they had left the deadly carriage, they were simply in a different place, and their situation remained extremely dangerous.

The General of the Xiaoguo Guard concluded that General Li Jing of the Right Wuwei Guard was attempting to exonerate Pei Yun and plotting a rebellion, and formally convicted him. At this moment, his army was given the opportunity to return home.

Li Jing's death still dealt a great blow to the generals of the Twelve Guards.

They could vaguely sense that times were changing, and if they still adhered to the old rules, they might die even more tragically than Li Jing. Everyone began to promote their own confidants and began to be wary of the fierce generals around them.

They naturally had no power to promote anyone, so they could only achieve their goals by submitting petitions to the emperor to claim credit.

This is where things started to get a little off.

At least in times of peace and prosperity, generals would not dare to promote their cronies in this way. The promotion of officials and generals should be handled by the imperial court. How could generals appoint their own people?
The expeditionary force has returned in full force, and the major events that have occurred on the Liaodong front can no longer be concealed. They are spreading rapidly to all sides.

Luoyang, Weiwei Temple.

The officials in the prefecture were quite busy, coming and going. As the agency that managed the national arsenal, their workload increased significantly when the expedition was underway. They needed to tally the consumption of military equipment, continue to replenish the arsenal's reserves, and also continuously supply military equipment to Zhuojun.

The officials of the Imperial Guard were distributed from Luoyang to the vicinity of the front line, working day and night. As the highest official there, Li Yuan had a huge number of orders to sign every day, and expenditures and allocations all required his signature. Since the army set off, Li Yuan seemed to be trapped in the Imperial Guard Temple, working from day to night, and was exhausted.

Inside the study, Li Yuan held pen and ink, looking down at the documents sent by officials. Orders like these, which concerned finance, military equipment, and food, could not be signed off without careful verification. Any mistake would cause a major upheaval, and the emperor would never forgive him.

Li Yuan was engrossed in his work when a minor official suddenly walked in.

"Just leave it there."

Li Yuan didn't even look up, but simply gave his orders. The clerk hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, someone has come to your residence. They say they have something to tell you."

Li Yuan was taken aback, then looked up helplessly, his face showing some displeasure. "What urgent matter could there be at home? Why do you have to bother me when I'm at my busiest?"

But he still put down his pen and said, "Let them in."

The minor official hurriedly left.

Li Yuan waited with a stern face.

A moment later, a person hurriedly walked in and quickly bowed to greet him.

When Li Yuan saw the person who had arrived, he was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise, "Liu Chounu? What are you doing here?"

The visitor was none other than Liu Chounu, whose hair was now completely white. Liu Chounu raised his head, his face solemn. "Master, the young master sent a letter. After the mistress read it, she ordered me to invite the Duke back, saying that there was something extremely urgent!"

Li Yuan quickly stood up and demanded, "What trouble has this brat gotten me into this time?!"

"Please do not hesitate, Duke, return to your residence immediately."

Li Yuan knew Liu Chounu's character well. Seeing his solemn expression, he knew something big must have happened. Without hesitation, he quickly followed Liu Chounu outside. When they came out, several officials looked at them in astonishment. Li Yuan said, "My youngest son at home has fallen seriously ill. I have to go back. I will be back soon. You must not delay."

"Here!!"

Li Yuan went out and saw that Fang Xuanling had already prepared the carriage. Li Yuan got into the carriage and quickly left the government office.

When Li Yuan returned to his residence, everyone inside was packing their belongings, which both surprised and angered him.

Li Yuan hurriedly entered the main hall, where Lady Dou was ordering the servants to tidy up the place.

"What happened?!"

Li Yuan asked, and when Madam Dou saw him return, she hurriedly stepped forward, took his hand, and the two quickly went into the inner room. Madam Dou closed the door, her face unusually solemn.

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

"This is a letter sent by Dalang. Take a look."

Li Yuan cursed under his breath, "I knew this bastard would cause big trouble sooner or later!"

He reached for the letter again, looked down and began to read it. After just one glance, Li Yuan froze on the spot, his whole body stiff and motionless.

"Husband! Husband!"

Lady Dou called out twice before Li Yuan finally came to his senses. He clutched the letter in his hand, trembling all over. "You...you...you scoundrel!! How...how...how dare you!!" After reading the contents of the letter, Li Yuan was completely dumbfounded.

What do you mean my son launched a military coup? What do you mean my son killed Pei Yun, Fan Zigai, and Wei Xuan with a hammer?
Kidnapping the emperor? Controlling the court?
Li Yuan felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat.

Even a strong man like him was now in a state of mental blankness, at a loss, his whole body numb, unable to move.

Lady Dou said, "Husband, what Eldest Brother said makes sense! That Yang Jian is a vicious scoundrel. Once he finds out what's going on, he will definitely attack us. Now we can only follow Eldest Brother's arrangements and evacuate Luoyang!"

Li Yuan took a deep breath, and the next moment, he also came to his senses.

He no longer blamed Dalang, nor did he reprimand Sanlang's behavior. He became extremely calm, his eyes cold.

"Madam, you should take Yuanji and the rest of the group and leave first."

"Given the current situation, Luoyang cannot be easily abandoned! I need to stay; at the very least, I must make proper arrangements for the armory. I cannot let my son fight empty-handed."

Li Yuan when the situation was favorable and Li Yuan when the situation was critical were very different people.

Madam Dou hurriedly grabbed his hand, "Husband, the current situation is extremely critical. We don't know much about what's happening outside. We shouldn't take any risks. Let's get out of danger first and then make a decision after we understand what's going on outside!"

"If my husband wants to go back at that time, I will never stop him!"

Li Yuan pondered for a moment, and then agreed.

He instructed, "Don't take anything, just take the person out. If we go out together, it might arouse suspicion. Have the servants go out separately."

The two discussed the matter for a while, and then decided to leave immediately.

Zhang Du was in charge of leading the way. Li Yuan, Lady Dou, and the family members went out first, while the servants went out in batches, leaving through different city gates.

Li Yuan sat inside the carriage, saying nothing.

Li Yuanji sat opposite, looked at his mother, then at his father, and asked in confusion, "Where are we going?"

“You are ill. We will go outside the city to find a wise man to pray for your recovery.”

"Am I sick???"

Confusion flickered in Li Yuanji's small eyes as he looked at his mother, "Mother?"

Madam Dou countered, "Don't you have a headache?"

Li Yuanji was stunned for a long time. After a while, he touched his forehead and said, "It really does seem to hurt a little."

Li Yuan chuckled. At this critical juncture, he was surprisingly calm.

"Just bear with it a little longer. Once you leave the city, your condition will improve."

"it is good"

Li Yuanji seemed to understand something, and sat down thoughtfully to the side, pondering it.

When they arrived at the city gate, the soldiers there did not dare to make things difficult for them. Upon learning that they were the family of the Duke of Tang, they did not dare to ask any questions and let them pass directly. Li Yuan left Luoyang with Lady Dou and, led by Zhang Du, headed towards Mangshan.

Li Yuan quietly peered through the carriage curtain at the situation outside, but countless thoughts surged in his mind, which he could not suppress.

The incident happened suddenly, and it was such a major event that Li Yuan couldn't help but think about the possibilities ahead.

It's practically a done deal that his son has rebelled. There's no possibility of reconciliation with the Yang family. He'll either successfully control the country or flatten Luoyang and establish a new dynasty.

At this moment, Li Yuan couldn't help but recall the sorcerer's words from the past, and the strange occurrences that had happened to his son.

He looked at Madam Dou.

Madam Dou looked up and met her husband's gaze.

She saw a change in her husband's eyes, and her long-buried feelings seemed to be rekindled.

"Isn't this destiny?"

(End of this chapter)