My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 89 Three Dragons and One Tiger

Madam Dou held Li Xuanba in her arms and looked up at her other sons.

Her face showed less gentleness and more seriousness.

Li Yuan was usually very busy, and even when he had free time, he was not very willing to take care of the children's affairs, unless Lady Dou asked him to step in and take care of them.

Therefore, Madam Dou was the one who taught the children most of the time. The children were more afraid of her than their father. Unlike the strict father and kind mother in ordinary families, their family was the opposite, with a strict mother and a kind father.

The children were all afraid of Madam Dou, and Madam Dou was quite strict with them, except for Li Xuanba, of course.

However, Mrs. Dou is in a good mood now.

Having been away from home for so long, and missing her children dearly, she smiled and said, "Come in, all of you. You're always putting on an act."

Li Jiancheng laughed, then led his brothers in quickly and sat down next to Madam Dou.

Lady Dou's eyes scanned Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin.

"Xuanba told me a lot about Jiancheng. You've managed this family quite well."

"Oh, Mother, I..."

Li Jiancheng was a little nervous and didn't know how to answer. Since Li Jiancheng got older, Li Yuan rarely beat him. Even when he did beat him, he would only kick him a few times and give him face. But his mother would beat him without hesitation. He was already this old and really didn't want to be beaten by his mother like a little child anymore.

Li Shimin couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"Shimin, how's your cavalry training going?"

The smile on Li Shimin's face vanished instantly, and he glanced at Xuanba.

You traitor!

How dare you betray your own brother?!

He quickly put on a wronged expression and explained, "Mother, Grandpa made me do it! I don't know anything!"

"I've only been gone a short time, and so much trouble has already arisen. Your grandfather is really something, just letting you run wild like this. Jiancheng, your younger brothers are no longer going to Zheng Family School, are you just going to ignore them? Are you just going to let them play outside like this? Don't they need to study anymore?"

"No, Mother, I have already invited several renowned scholars."

"Why bother inviting famous scholars? I think that Master Liu who taught Xuanba is quite good. Let Shimin learn from him too. They are still young, and now is the time to accumulate knowledge. We can't force them to grow too fast, as that would be detrimental to their future achievements."

"Here!"

Madam Dou still subconsciously gave him a few words of instruction, and then he looked at the servants beside her.

Soon, servants brought out several packages.

Mrs. Dou smiled as she distributed gifts to her sons, who were overjoyed and gathered around their mother, chatting and laughing.

Li Yuanji stood awkwardly a short distance away, forcing a stiff smile, his hands rubbing together unnaturally, staring longingly at the large package.

He knew from a young age that his mother did not like him.

His older brothers were all raised by their mother, and only after they grew a little older did they hire wet nurses to take care of their daily lives. Only Li Yuanji was raised by a wet nurse from a young age.

As he grew a little older, Li Yuanji learned from others that his mother had wanted to abandon him when he was just born, and that his wet nurse had hidden him until his father returned, thus saving his life.

When the mother returned, she looked at each of her sons, but never glanced at herself.

His mother never really cared for him growing up.

He tried many ways to get his mother's attention, but none of them worked. Instead, they only made his mother dislike him more.

The atmosphere inside the house was exceptionally joyful and warm, with the family enjoying themselves immensely. However, Li Yuanji lingered outside of this warmth.

He dared not make a fuss, dared not cry, for he was afraid that his mother would abandon him again.

Li Shimin's loud voice rang out continuously, causing his mother to burst into laughter.

Li Yuanji blinked; the voice was somewhat grating.

Lady Dou brought many gifts, but unlike Li Yuan who received one each, she brought back a whole bunch of things for the children to choose from.

Soon someone came to report that Li Yuan had returned to his residence.

Lady Dou asked the children to wait a while, as she was going to take Li Xiuning to see Li Yuan. The couple had a lot to talk about at that moment.

After their mother left, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba happily played with the gifts.

Li Jiancheng sat to the side with a smile. Li Xuanba suddenly noticed something, picked up a small toy, and quickly walked over to Li Yuanji's side. "Look, this little wooden figure's head can even turn!"

"for you!"

Li Yuanji raised his head and looked at his gentle third brother, then gently shook his head.

"I don't want it."

"Then let's go pick something else fun, let's go."

Li Xuanba grabbed Li Yuanji and pulled him to the innermost part of the room, then excitedly started picking out toys for his younger brother.

Li Shimin was standing next to Li Jiancheng, talking to his boss.

"Brother, I might have to get married and start a family."

"Um???"

Li Jiancheng slowly lowered his head and looked at Li Shimin, his brows furrowing slightly. "You brat, you wouldn't happen to be..."

"Before Mother left, I overheard her talking to Grandfather about drawing up a marriage contract or something. Brother, think about it, Grandfather had previously said he would take a concubine for you. If he wanted to discuss marriage for you, he certainly wouldn't have said that. So it seems that it was probably for me."

"I wonder if that girl is pretty, and if she can have a son."

Li Shimin said sternly with a straight face, "After I get married, I will have to take care of my own affairs. As for other matters in the family, I will have to take care of them myself, brother."

"Haha~~"

Li Jiancheng couldn't help but laugh when he saw this rascal deliberately putting on such a mature act.

"I'm not even married yet, and you're already eyeing me?"

"There's plenty of time! Don't rush!"

Lady Dou was also meeting Li Yuan with Li Xiuning at this moment.

When Li Yuan saw his wife and daughter whom he hadn't seen for several days, he was quite excited. He instinctively wanted to pick up his daughter and throw her into the air, but then he remembered that his daughter had grown up and had to give up.

Li Xiuning clearly preferred her grandfather, and at this moment she held Li Yuan's hand, complaining about the boring journey.

Madam Dou did not scold her, but simply sat quietly to the side.

Li Xiuning was not too young and understood the situation. After exchanging pleasantries with her father for a while, she took the initiative to say goodbye, allowing her parents to spend time alone.

Li Yuan chuckled and took Lady Dou's hand, about to say some sweet words, when Lady Dou suddenly asked, "What exactly happened to Sanlang? Was it the jade pendant's effect? ​​Or Liu Xuan's doing? Or did the medicine he took earlier work?"

Li Yuan also became serious. He stroked his beard and slowly said, "I picked up that jade pendant and looked at it several times afterward. It didn't seem any different. It was the same as before. I didn't notice anything unusual. As for Liu Xuan, he is indeed well-read and knowledgeable, but we can't say it was all his doing."

"I can't say for sure. This matter is quite mysterious, but no matter what, it's a good thing. Xuanba hasn't had a relapse for many days. Doctor Wang told me that Xuanba's physique is getting stronger and stronger, and his pulse is normal. He doesn't look like he's suffering from any illness at all."

Li Yuan grinned.

"Perhaps it's because I've done so many good deeds that I'm blessed by the gods."

Madam Dou rolled her eyes at him, but also breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that you're getting better, it's good that you're getting better."

Li Yuan cleared his throat. "During the days you were away, I was teaching them how to be good people and how to do things. The eldest brother can now help me with things. He has made many friends, and there are some things that I didn't even know, but he knew them first."

"Moreover, his personality has become much more stable. He treats those from poor backgrounds with courtesy and has even found some craftsmen to make some nice things."

"Sometimes, he can say some astonishing things that surprise me. He even seems to have a long-term perspective. This kid told me that the world is about to descend into chaos, and that farmers who can't survive will rebel and sweep across the country."

Madam Dou was startled. She quickly looked around and reminded him, "Keep your voice down! The more important the matter, the more careful we must be! Doesn't my husband know this?"

"I know, I'm only saying this to you, I haven't said it to anyone else!"

"The second son is even more remarkable. This kid is a born general! He really took after me. The old soldiers I sent to teach him said they had never seen such a bright child as the second son. He learns everything in no time. He can find seven or eight bandit dens just by looking at a map a few times. The old soldiers were all stunned. I don't even dare to tell anyone about such talent!"

"The most precious one is the third one!"

"This brat is getting better and better at his studies. Liu Xuan said that his knowledge of the classics has reached the level of the young scholars in the Imperial Academy! I heard him express his opinion before, and he really doesn't seem like a child. He just lacks experience. Moreover, he is no longer as timid as before. He even dares to shout for war!"

"Even the fourth son has changed; that brat actually knows to bring things to give as alms and do good deeds!"

Li Yuan became more and more excited as he spoke.

"My family has three dragons and one tiger. Isn't this a sign from heaven?"

(End of this chapter)