Chapter 121 Nature

The concubines who slept with the emperor naturally did not know the nickname of the emperor's nephew's husband, and Yang Guang did not ask anyone else, but he had already determined in his heart that it was him.

His father and grandfather were both prominent people. After his father, Li Chong, the governor of Youzhou, died in the battlefield, he was raised in the palace by the previous emperor. Later, he married Yuwen Eying, the only daughter of Princess Leping Yang Lihua.

Regarding the Yuwen Family and the Li Family, Yang Guang's face was cold. In fact, he also knew that such things were not credible, but since they had disturbed him and he could not sleep, it was a way to his death.

In the mansion of Duke Tang, Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng did not tell their family about this matter, which only added to their troubles, but the two of them could not fall asleep for a while.

As loyal followers who had followed the emperor in the fight for the throne, they knew only too well how willful the emperor could be. Li Jiancheng silently calculated the chances of his escape if something really happened.

It’s too low. If the emperor is not here, he can be 80% sure. But if the emperor is in the capital, then he will not even be 20% sure.

Some of the arrangements made under the imperial power seemed particularly fragile. Fortunately, as long as they could survive this period, Yang Guang would go to conquer Goguryeo again.

"Jiancheng, what do you think, Your Majesty?"

Li Jiancheng heard the hidden meaning of his father's words and shook his head, saying, "Li is a famous family. We are not the only family in the court. Besides, my father and I have no official positions now. Your Majesty will not doubt us first."

"Suspicion first, does that mean you will doubt our family sooner or later?"

"If the expedition to Goguryeo goes smoothly, this matter can be resolved. If it doesn't go smoothly, His Majesty will always be suspicious. This is also my fault. If I hadn't made friends everywhere these years, I should have..."

Li Yuan waved his hand and said, "You have done a good job. The family is prosperous because of this, but you should always find a way."

"The kid has already made up his mind, and will arrange it once the storm has passed."

In this kind of situation, it is impossible to regain trust by performance. The only way is to rely on magic to defeat magic, using nursery rhymes to counter nursery rhymes and prophecies to counter prophecies.

……

There are many rules for the mourning period. The mourning clothes cannot be taken off before the time is up. No music or singing or dancing is allowed. It is also forbidden to have children during the mourning period.

Therefore, the four brothers Li Jiancheng rarely had the opportunity to get together every day. The youngest, Li Yuanji, was only eleven years old and was already a big boy.

Although Li Yuanji was the youngest, his martial arts strength was second only to Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng was able to win because he was older and had never slacked off in his riding and shooting, so his muscles and bones were naturally stronger than those of them who had not yet grown up.

But it seems that he will be surpassed by the fourth brother in a few years. As for Li Shimin's skills, they are almost the same as Li Jiancheng's in the past, and his skills will not be much better than others when his muscles and bones grow stronger in the future.

As for Li Xuanba's martial arts skills, they are at the bottom. He has been weak and kind-hearted since childhood. He doesn't like to go out of the city for horse riding and hunting, let alone the means of fighting on the battlefield.

"Yuanji!"

Li Yuanji's stick stopped at Li Shimin's shoulder. If his elder brother had not stopped him, he would have definitely hit him with the stick.

The second child had bullied him since he was a child, relying on his parents' love, but now he is no match for him.

Li Yuan treated his sons equally, but Dou, perhaps because she almost died giving birth to Li Yuanji, had never been fond of her youngest son, and favored the second and third sons more.

Li Yuanji disdained to compete with the frail and sickly Li Xuanba, but he was openly hostile to Li Shimin and wanted to compete with him in everything.

Li Shimin pushed away the stick hanging on his shoulder with a unhappy look on his face. He was defeated by his younger brother who was several years younger than him. This made the always proud Li Shimin very dissatisfied, and of course more so towards himself.

Li Yuanji put away his stick and turned to leave. Li Jiancheng whispered, "What are you going to do?" Li Yuanji was still somewhat in awe of his elder brother, but he was still stubborn and did not look back. He just stopped and said, "Go shoot some arrows."

"At your age, you are already good enough in the use of sticks, riding and archery. You should make up for the shortcomings. Even if you don't like literary allusions, you should read more military books. Otherwise, you will only be brave and aggressive. How can you achieve great things?"

Li Yuanji did not say anything. He obviously felt that as long as he was brave enough, there was no battle he could not win. However, he did not dare to disobey his elder brother and responded reluctantly.

Every time Li Jiancheng came back, he treated his three younger brothers equally. This might seem insignificant to others, but in Li Yuanji's eyes, it was extremely fair and kind.

Li Shimin patted his linen clothes and was about to leave without saying a word. Li Jiancheng asked helplessly, "Where are you going now?"

"Go find a coach to practice with the gun and the stick."

"Stupid! Yuanji is three or four years younger than you, but he is a bit stronger than you are now. It is obvious that he is born with greater strength than ordinary people. You have no chance of winning if you compete with him here."

Li Xuanba also advised: "Second brother is the best at military tactics and strategies. No one in the entire capital can compare with him when it comes to the art of war. This is where fourth brother is far behind."

Li Shimin was not convinced: "Isn't that where we should make up for the shortcomings?"

"Although Yuanji is strong, he is still far from being a god. If he continues to wield swords and clubs, he will only be as powerful as Shen Guang. If he can learn military tactics and strategies, he may be able to lead an army."

Li Shimin could not help but say proudly: "The art of war is not something that can be learned. With his brain, he will not be able to comprehend the essence even if he reads it a hundred times. He can only recite it by heart. He will surely fail on the battlefield."

Li Jiancheng reached out and tapped his forehead: "Be careful not to be arrogant or impatient. If you don't calm down, you will be no more than Zhao Kuo who only talks big but does nothing."

"No way, I must be Zhuge Wuhou!"

Li Jiancheng originally thought that at Li Shimin's age, he would definitely admire the champion marquis Huo Qubing more, but he didn't expect that this kid was wholeheartedly admiring Zhuge Liang.

But it's not just Li Shimin, also Li Jing and Li Xiaogong.

…………

The emperor summoned Li Min because Li Yuan and his son did not reveal any news after returning home, and the people around the emperor could not reach him. Only a very small number of well-informed and powerful people got the news vaguely.

Li Min held a high position in the imperial court. He was the General of the Left Tunwei, the Chief Architect, and the Grand Master of Imperial Households. After inheriting the fiefdom of his mother-in-law Yang Lihua, he was granted a fief of 5,000 households.

You have to know that even Yang Su, the Duke of Chu who was a high-ranking official, only had 3,000 households.

His position was absolutely high, and his wealth was real, but he had no power. It had never been delegated to the local areas. He just did some errands in the court, so he came to see the emperor with a confused look on his face.

Yang Guang first asked him about his recent movements, and then frankly told Li Min about the nursery rhyme and the dream. Li Min was so scared that he hit his forehead and bled.

The emperor smiled and ordered his men to help him up: "No need to do that. Since I have told you, go back and change your nickname, and don't let anyone call you that from now on."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely change my name when I return. I will no longer be called Li Min, but Zhong!"

...............

(End of this chapter)