Chapter 49 Chen Family
Li Jiancheng walked closer and saw that the man was not very old, probably even younger than him, but his skills were real.

"My dear young master, you are very skilled. I wonder if I could invite you to sit at the same table and drink with me?"

At that time, it was okay for a seven or eight-year-old child to drink some wine, so he stepped forward and invited him generously.

This was the first time Li Jiancheng met Shen Guang, but he had heard of his reputation a lot after Shen Guang came to Beijing. Seeing that the dignified Li Langjun was also impressed by his abilities, he happily agreed.

A group of people walked towards the West Market in a mighty procession. From time to time they met some acquaintances on the way and they were all dragged along. In the end, they all sat down happily.

Without any instructions, good wine and meat were served. The wine servants, singing girls, dancing girls and musicians came here almost every day, so there was no need for special instructions. Everything was in order.

Shen Guang was capable, but he was still young after all, and he soon explained his family background. His father used to be the Minister of Personnel in the Chen Dynasty, but now he had no official position and was quite destitute. His father and brother made a living by copying books for others.

Shen Guang disdained the little money earned from writing, so he associated with some playboys in Beijing, often participating in competitions for them, and earning some money to supplement his family income.

Among the people who came there were those who had seen Shen Guang racing horses, and they praised him as riding a horse at a gallop, with all four hooves flying in the air, like a meteor chasing the moon, which no one could match!

If they had heard it before, everyone would have thought that he was just a knight with better riding skills. How could he be stronger than the Turks who grew up on horseback?

But the people who had witnessed another unique skill of Shen Guang today did not think so. But after all, they were a group of officials and nobles, and they did not regard Shen Guang as a big shot. They just wanted to use him to give them more topics to talk about in front of outsiders.

The world is at peace and the Turks have been defeated. So what if he is good at riding? Can he be better than the former Dunhuang garrison commander? Even the garrison commander respected by General Shi Wansui found it difficult to make a name for himself in the court, let alone the son of the former Minister Chen.

But Li Jiancheng admired this man very much. The future might not be peaceful. He had such skills at such a young age. When he grew up, he would at least be a brave cavalry general. Now he was still in trouble, so he had to recruit him.

He held her hand and talked with her. While she was changing her clothes, he told Li Xiaogong who was following him: "Go to the shop at home and get three hundred strings of cash and two carts of silk to send to Shen's house. Then ask the kitchen to pack some fine wine and meat and send them over together."

Li Xiaogong agreed and said, "Brother, even if you want to win over this person, you shouldn't give so much at once. How can you reward him later?"

Li Jiancheng said with a smile, "Just now in the temple, quite a few people threw away their rewards. I saw a few accessories that were quite valuable, worth a hundred or so strings of cash in total, but he didn't pick them up. It's clear that such a proud person can't be won over by money alone."

"The gift I want to give is wine, meat and delicious food for his father and brother. The rest is just extra."

"Xiao Gong, you are my closest relative and the person I trust the most. Only if you do these things for me can the sincerity of my Li family be demonstrated."

"Yes."

Although Li Xiaogong felt that Shen Guang was not worth the trouble, since his brother said so, he would definitely make serious preparations.

Li Jiancheng looked at his back and smiled. Xiaogong was a good boy. Although he did not like to show off on weekdays, he was a very talented person with the talent of a commander. In Li Jiancheng's heart, he was far more important than a cavalry general.

Back at the banquet, just as they were happily chatting, a servant of the Li family suddenly came upstairs. Li Jiancheng saw his expression and knew that he was here to report something about outsiders, so he said, "These are all my close friends and confidants. There is nothing to hide from them. Just speak frankly."

The servant responded and told him what had just happened in the court, as well as the imperial decree given by His Majesty to the Left Prime Minister.

Everyone at the banquet held their breath and cast their eyes on Li Jiancheng, who was sitting cross-legged in the main seat. No one dared to talk or laugh. Most of them were the second sons in the family, with older brothers inheriting the family business.

They were not short of wealth, but they had no chance to enter the government so early. Even if they did, they could not get involved in such a major event concerning the left servant of the imperial court. Li Jiancheng had a calm face, and lowered his head slightly in thought, while everyone waited for him to speak in silence. Shen Guang, who saw this scene for the first time, was dumbfounded, just like everyone else when they watched his performance just now.

Although Shen Guang had heard of Li Jiancheng's reputation, he never expected that the children of the nobles in this city would be so reverent to him. Many of them were legitimate sons of dukes and county dukes.

Shen Guang's original pride was somewhat shattered. Thinking back to his arrogance when facing Li Langjun just now, it seemed extremely ridiculous at this moment.

At this time, another person came upstairs and saluted Li Jiancheng and said, "My dear, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince invites you to come over."

"Oh, I'll be there right away."

Li Jiancheng stood up and said to the older ones, "Brothers, please entertain the guests for me and make sure everyone has a good time."

"Okay, business is more important. Jiancheng, you go over there. We are here to take care of it."

The others also hurriedly stood up to see him off. Li Jiancheng said to the somewhat shy Shen Guang: "It's my first time meeting you, my dear. I regret that we couldn't drink and chat until we were done. I hope we can meet again in the future."

"sure."

Li Jiancheng bowed to everyone and walked down the stairs calmly. He mounted his horse and headed straight for the palace. Everyone waited until he was out of sight, and then, at the invitation of a few older people, they went back to continue eating and drinking.

But the topic couldn't help but fall on this matter. Everyone expressed their opinions and it was very lively. They wished they could make a fuss in the court.

Li Jiancheng took his seat in the East Palace, and almost everyone except Yang Su had arrived.

Yang Guang was a little anxious. The biggest helpers in his ascension to the throne of crown prince were the empress and Yang Su. Now that the empress was gone and Yang Su was being suspected, how could his position remain unshakable?

Li Jiancheng said, "Your Highness, the Duke of Yue cannot make any further moves at this time. The key is to defend instead of attack and slowly regain the trust of His Majesty. Right now, no one in the court can replace the Duke of Yue. We still have time."

Yang Guang nodded slightly. Although he still had the Right Prime Minister Su Wei under his command, this man had not been involved in the fight for the throne, and had no grudges against the deposed crown prince and the King of Han. How could such a man be pushed to that important position?

The others offered suggestions, but most of them were nonsense. Yuwen Shu, whom Yang Guang trusted, had returned to Jiangnan. Only Yuwen Huaji came on behalf of his father, and he was still clamoring to kill Liu Shu directly.

Yang Guang had a headache after hearing this. Seeing that Li Jiancheng had nothing to say except the beginning, it was obvious that there were things that he could not say in public. So Yang Guang dismissed everyone and only kept a few people, all of whom were his most trusted confidants.

"Jiancheng, do you have anything to say?"

"Uncle, we cannot do without help in the palace. I heard that Concubine Chen is the most favored by His Majesty now."

As the legitimate son of the empress, Yang Guang naturally disdained to flatter his father's concubine, but he knew that Li Jiancheng was right. If he allowed Liu Shu and A Wu to whisper in his father's ears every day, there would be a big chaos.

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

(End of this chapter)