My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 80 No Longer a Child
When Steward Liu brought his three servants into the study, Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng's faces were no longer filled with pride and joy.

Both of them had stern faces and solemn expressions.

Li Xuanba and Li Yuanji walked in, while Li Shimin was carried in. Perhaps to avoid punishment, he grimaced and appeared to be in great pain. He even deliberately mentioned his inconvenience and lack of proper etiquette when he paid his respects.

Li Yuan, however, revealed an angry expression, "You guys are really something!"

"One of them secretly left the city, still hoping to continue serving as the commander of the local militia."

“A local militia was secretly formed without our knowledge.”

"There's also one who hangs out with his older brother all day and doesn't do anything productive."

"Steward Liu, drag these three scoundrels away and give each of them twenty strokes of the cane!!"

Li Yuanji's face changed drastically; he was almost scared to tears and hurriedly begged for mercy.

Li Jiancheng cleared his throat and said, "Grandpa, I have already punished them. They have learned their lesson and will not do it again. Why don't we forgive them this time? This will definitely not happen again."

Li Shimin felt rather helpless. Was it this old trick again?

One plays the good guy, the other plays the bad guy. Li Shimin has been seeing this trick since he was five years old, and he knows it by heart. Why don't you guys know how to improve it?

Although Li Shimin thought this way, he didn't dare to show any disdain. Judging from his appearance, he was even more afraid than Li Yuanji, and he repeatedly shouted, "I dare not do it again."

After Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng had been putting on such a show for a while, Li Yuan finally stopped, seemingly having been persuaded by Li Jiancheng.

"Since your elder brother pleaded for you this time, I will forgive you."

The three brothers quickly bowed in gratitude.

Li Yuanji looked at his elder brother with gratitude in his eyes. Fortunately, his elder brother was there, otherwise he would have been beaten to death today.

From the time the three brothers were young, Li Yuan constantly strengthened the relationship between them, especially focusing on establishing the eldest brother's authority. He rarely reprimanded the eldest brother in front of his brothers, and would deliberately give him opportunities to be a good person and take care of his younger brothers.

After hundreds of years of chaos, the old nobles have learned a great deal from experience, including the lessons learned about discord among brothers.

Disharmony among brothers can truly destroy a large family, no matter how big or small. If their hearts are not united, things will go wrong.

Therefore, the Li family attached great importance to this kind of education. Li Yuan got along very well with his brothers and even raised his nephews by his side, taking care of them as his own children. Of course, Li Yuan also hoped that his next generation could continue to maintain this tradition.

Because the eldest brother was much older than the others, and because of Li Yuan's parenting style, the three brothers were all exceptionally obedient to him and had a very good relationship.

Li Yuan felt that his education was quite successful.

That's how family should be!

Li Yuan spoke again, saying, "Since none of you want to stay at home and all want to go out and do things, then I'll let you do as much as you want!"

"Shimin".

"Grandma!"

“I took a look at that knight. They are quite capable. However, many of them are not good people. You thought you had befriended chivalrous heroes, but the truly righteous ones are actually few and far between. Most of them are greedy for money. I will give you six more men. You can reorganize them and stop extorting money and food from various places. I have all of that here.”

Li Shimin's eyes lit up.

He was extremely excited and quickly got up, forgetting all about pretending to be sick or in pain. "Thank you, Grandpa!"

"Just one thing: don't make decisions on your own anymore, and don't do things secretly. If you want to do something, tell me. Your grandfather isn't dead yet, and he can still help you!"

"Here!!"

"I'm thinking of reorganizing the local militia. You organize your men and become my cavalry captain."

Li Shimin was so happy he almost jumped for joy, and thanked him repeatedly.

Li Yuan wanted to recruit Li Shimin into his local militia, which would be perfect for letting his old men train this guy properly.

He then looked at Xuanba.

"Third brother, you can manage your own Sanlang Army. From now on, your eldest brother and I will no longer interfere. However, just like your second brother, you cannot make decisions on your own. No matter what happens, you must consult your eldest brother and me first."

"Here!"

Li Xuanba stood up and answered.

Li Yuanji looked at Li Yuan with great interest, waiting for him to assign him a task. Unfortunately, Li Yuan ignored him and said with a serious face, "You are not children anymore, and you should know some principles. The situation is not peaceful right now, so you should think carefully before you act and not act recklessly. Now that I have assigned you tasks, you should act according to the rules for adults from now on."

His gaze sharpened as he stared at Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, and he said in a low voice, "If they make another mistake, it won't just be a beating or a scolding."

"If you are afraid, you can say it now."

Li Shimin quickly said, "Father, we remember, we will never cause trouble for the family."

After disciplining the few scoundrels, Li Yuan then let Li Jiancheng take them out, as he had other matters to attend to.

Li Shimin was no longer showing any signs of injury; he was lively and energetic, already fantasizing about his wonderful life ahead.

Li Jiancheng couldn't help but glance at him. "What? Your butt doesn't hurt anymore?"

Li Shimin then remembered his injury, and he said awkwardly, "In this great joy, I actually forgot the pain!"

Li Jiancheng once again earnestly persuaded his two younger brothers.

He was actually quite opposed to letting his younger brother go out and do things. Li Shimin had always been a troublemaker, and now he had corrupted Xuanba. These two had caused him so much trouble these days. If they were to be officially let do things, Li Jiancheng didn't even dare to think what might happen.

However, Li Yuan thought highly of them, and he felt that since he couldn't keep an eye on these two boys, it would be safer to let them do things openly and honestly.

The second brother hurriedly agreed to the eldest brother's request, promising that he would not make a mistake, and then left excitedly.

With his father's permission, he could finally act boldly without having to hide anymore!

The third and fourth brothers stayed behind.

"Brother, why am I the only one who's not allowed to do anything?"

Li Yuanji spoke up, feeling wronged.

"If Shimin and Third Brother can both get things done, why can't I?"

Li Jiancheng patted his head and said, "You are still too young. If you want to do great things like your older brother, you must first learn how to do things. Otherwise, how can your grandfather dare to let you do things?"

"From now on, you should learn more from your third brother and study hard."

Li Yuanji only heard the phrase "learn from your third brother" at that moment, and he left thoughtfully.

Only the eldest and the third brother remained.

The eldest brother was still very lenient towards the third brother. He felt that the third brother would not cause any trouble. Even this time, he felt that it was not the third brother's fault. The third brother had handled the situation very well. He did not take action, did not send people to ask for help, and when confronting others, he rationally chose to withdraw on his own instead of fighting to the end.

In his opinion, if the second brother hadn't arrived suddenly, Zheng's soldiers might not have been alerted. Of course, it was hard to say whether those people would actually make a move. The second brother was also worried about the third brother, so Li Jiancheng didn't blame him.

Li Xuanba frowned and suddenly asked, "Brother, who exactly is that dark-faced man?"

"Don't worry about these things, we'll take care of them."

Li Jiancheng replied, then added, "In a few days, Master will be hosting a banquet for Zhao Yuanshu. He said you must attend."

"Huh? Didn't my elder brother say that Grandpa didn't want to get too close to Zhao Yuanshu?"

"That's all in the past. Now that my father has the opportunity to make a contribution, he no longer worries about the Emperor's punishment and can finally do his job with peace of mind."

Although Li Jiancheng did not tell his younger brother the contents of his secret conversation with their father, he was willing to share some things with his brother that did not need to be kept secret. He did not want his younger brother to become reckless and impulsive; he hoped that his brother would be both literate and skilled in martial arts and know more about the world.

Li Xuanba listened attentively to his elder brother's words, and after Li Jiancheng finished speaking, he suddenly spoke up.

"Big brother, I have an idea."

"Oh? What do you think?"

"Could those farming tools you made be offered to the sage?"

Li Jiancheng's eyes widened. "Why?"

"My elder brother said that those things are very useful and can help many people. If they are offered to a saint, wouldn't everyone in the world benefit?"

"Um"

(End of this chapter)