My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 99 Prepare early
Yang Guang asked Zhao Yuanshu many questions about Xingyang. Zhao Yuanshu spoke very earnestly, but Yang Guang's mind was clearly not on Xingyang Prefecture. He listened in a daze, while Zhao Yuanshu dared not stop, talking until her throat was dry.

Yang Guang suddenly interrupted him and asked, "Is the situation of agriculture and sericulture in this place really as bad as those treacherous villains say?"

Zhao Yuanshu quickly straightened up and said earnestly, "No, the world is prosperous, the people live in peace and contentment, and every family is grateful for the Emperor's benevolence."

"That's not what I'm asking."

Yang Guang interrupted him again, "In your opinion, how much grain can we harvest this year? They say that corvée labor is bad for farmers. Will there be any problems with this year's autumn harvest?"

Zhao Yuanshu swallowed hard. "It shouldn't be."

"should?"

Yang Guang's eyes turned cold again.

If he were an ordinary minister, he would have acted differently, but Zhao Yuanshu was favored by him, so he did not directly turn against her.

Zhao Yuanshu quickly replied, "Absolutely not! This year's grain harvest will definitely be more than last year's!"

Yang Guang was satisfied with the answer, and then asked, "When you were collecting the grain, how many days did it take you to collect it all?"

"I only need ten days!!"

"The people's homes are full of grain; it's just that some unruly people are unwilling to pay. As long as we send people to collect it, we can gather all the grain in the country within ten days!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Guang finally showed his most genuine smile; he was extremely happy.

He couldn't help but take Zhao Yuanshu's hand and say, "If all the officials in the court could be like Minister Zhao, able to share my burdens and solve my problems, why would I have to work so hard?"

"I am determined to undertake great tasks, but among the treacherous officials in this court, not a single one is fit to be my advisor! To accomplish great things, we need food, money, and many other things, but these people are selfish and self-serving. Am I undertaking these great tasks only for my own enjoyment?"

"Wasn't I doing this all for the sake of this world?"

"But these people only think of themselves; none of them are willing to follow me and work together for the sake of the world!"

“Every time I think of this, I am heartbroken! In ancient times, there were ministers like Xiao He, Zhuge Liang, and Wang Meng who were devoted to the public good. Why can’t we see them now?”

Zhao Yuanshu glanced at him furtively. Wasn't the one hailed as a 'wise prime minister' already killed by you?

But he couldn't say those words aloud, and could only weep, lamenting that his sage had no more wise ministers to serve him.

Yang Guang released some of his emotions, but quickly regained them, demonstrating remarkable composure.

Speaking of virtuous ministers, Yang Guang suddenly remembered something and asked, "Li Yuan also mentioned his third son in his memorial to the throne. Are you aware of this?"

Zhao Yuanshu cleared her throat. "I also heard about this matter in Xingyang. I heard that the third son of the Duke of Tang was the first to discover the Zheng family's private mine and the first to defeat the bandits."

"Break through?"

Yang Guang looked on with suspicion, "How old is he?"

Around ten years old.

"I've heard that his son is quite remarkable. He was born very sickly and extremely weak, but after he started practicing martial arts, his health began to improve, and now he far surpasses his peers. To be honest, when I came here, Li Yuan even asked me to put in a good word for his son before His Majesty, saying he wanted to secure him the position of Qianniu."

Upon hearing this, Yang Guang was overjoyed and burst into laughter.

"Speaking of which, those third sons are actually my relatives. Li Yuan is just too impatient. The children are so young, yet he's already thinking of making them officials?"

Zhao Yuanshu then forced a smile.

Zhao Yuanshu was naturally unwilling to stay there for long, and Yang Guang also seemed a bit tired, so he let Zhao Yuanshu go back, without giving her any reward.

It is quite difficult to receive a reward from His Majesty.

After he ascended the throne, he took far more than he bestowed, and all the meritorious officials were thoroughly purged. After seeing Zhao Yuanshu off, Yang Guang sat alone in the palace and casually flipped through a few more memorials.

Among these memorials, those submitted by important ministers were often placed at the top, while those that were less important were placed at the bottom.

Yang Guang was quite casual, looking at this and that, when suddenly he noticed something, and his expression immediately changed.

"I was ordered to go to Qi Commandery, where I witnessed the calamity caused by local militias along the way."

Among the many documents praising his achievements, Yang Guang surprisingly discovered a document containing advice and remonstrance!
Yang Guang's expression changed drastically. He frowned and looked at it several times. Then he checked the identity of the person who presented the memorial. When he saw the identity of the person who presented the memorial, Yang Guang wanted to laugh.

A fourth-rank prefectural magistrate?

Yang Guang was about to call someone in when he suddenly remembered his conversation with Zhao Yuanshu.

He frowned and thought for a moment.

"These treacherous dogs in the court all think that I can't stand honest advice, so they all tell lies and can't be as straightforward as Zhao Yuanshu. Although he is a minor official, he dares to speak frankly and is a loyal person."

Thinking about it this way, Yang Guang's expression immediately improved. He looked at it several more times with a smile, nodding from time to time.

It seems it's time to bestow some rewards.

Meanwhile, Xingyang County became exceptionally lively.

Since sending Zhao Yuanshu away, Li Yuan has had few concerns. There are many things he can't stand. He wanted to punish them before but didn't dare to, but now he has no more scruples and wants to deal with them severely.

Li Yuan's first move was to reorganize the local militia throughout the prefecture. He sent people to search various places, and if there were any militia with a bad record, he ordered the arrest of their organizers, dismissed the rest of their families, and even had the word "bad" engraved on their household registers to prevent them from organizing militias to protect themselves.

As for the local government troops and soldiers in various counties and townships, Li Yuan sent his trusted confidants to train them, eliminating those fake soldiers who were occupying quotas, re-registering their numbers, equipment, food supplies, etc., and warning local officials not to let their troops plunder and harm the people.

The previous actions of Li Xuanba and others were indeed considered minor troubles by Li Yuan. After Li Yuan's rectification, the entire prefecture was in a state of solemnity.

The local strongmen who used to organize local militias and run rampant everywhere were powerless to fight back when faced with the Duke's wrath.

During Emperor Wen's reign, the titles of nobility were somewhat excessive, and many people received them. But things are different now. After the emperor ascended the throne, he abolished many titles and revoked them. Those who still retain their titles are not to be trifled with; they all come from powerful families. Moreover, some are dukes. Even if they don't have a title and are just ordinary prefects, they are not people that any powerful clan can resist.

In addition, the Zheng family, the most powerful force in the area at this time, had been completely subdued. Li Yuan had long ago sent people to keep them under guard, just waiting for the imperial edict to decide whether to kill or release them.

The local area had lost its ability to resist and was completely at Li Yuan's mercy.

The situation in Xingyang has greatly improved. The local militia, who were once lawless and even worse than thieves, have disappeared. Most of the previous thieves have also been eliminated. In a short time, both scourges have been eliminated from the area. The people like the current governor very much, and he is the heart of the people.

However, a version of "Li Sanlang advising his father" also emerged among the common people and spread to various places.

The present time is quite special because Buddhism flourished in the past, and many eminent monks made the stories in the Buddhist scriptures more accessible to the public in order to spread the Dharma and make it easier for people to understand the principles. This formed what is known as popular storytelling, which is one of the development processes of storytelling.

Many folk artists and actors liked to sing these stories in exchange for food and a little money. Several of Li Xuanba's stories had already begun to be sung by many artists in Xingyang. These stories were now meant for the lower classes, and the lower-class people of Xingyang quite liked them.

While Li Yuan was displaying his talents, his sons were also quite busy.

Li Xuanba is currently undertaking a major task.

He is secretly active in the Wild Buffalo Mountain area—or, as it is now commonly known, the Funiu Mountain area.

He built a camp here and secretly stockpiled a lot of supplies.

This is also preparation for the future. Xingyang seems to be doing well now, but that's because the autumn harvest hasn't come yet. When the harvest comes and the government starts collecting grain, Li Xuanba predicts that the current peace will collapse instantly, and a large number of bandits and dead will emerge again. In order to suppress these, the number of local militia will increase again, which will then create two more problems.

He wanted to make preparations in advance so that Qingzao Village could build more settlements in these continuous mountains, take in more poor people, and let them continue to live, waiting for the day when the world changes.

(End of this chapter)