Chapter 51 Hairpin
Although Yang Su had left the capital, Liu Shu and others had become well-behaved. They did not dare to cause trouble at this time. The emperor was suspicious and fickle, but he was not stupid. No one dared to deceive him on such a major military and national issue.

Even though Your Majesty is addicted to alcohol and sex, I think he can still kill someone with his royal stick.

But if Yang Su lost the battle, don't blame them for killing him.

Everyone in the Sui Dynasty was watching Yang Su's battle. If Yang Su continued his undefeated reputation, then no matter how virtuous he was, Gao Zuo would have no need or opportunity to rise again.

There is no room for two Zuo Pushe in the court, and Your Majesty is well aware of this.

Since Gao Zuo could not be revived, the deposed crown prince naturally had no chance either.

Therefore, Yang Guang put all his family fortune on the line. He Ruobi, Changsun Sheng, Huer Yu, Juro Mai, Tie Zhang and Li Yuan all went. Yang Su had strong soldiers and brave generals under his command.

The Sui army was unstoppable, and Yang Su was also trying his best to exploit the enemy this time, using both the positive and the strange to achieve the best result!

But Buqa Khan, who had been defeated twice, was not willing to engage in a head-on battle with the Sui army this time. He retreated all the way and at most sent cavalry to interfere with the food supply route.

Although they fought all the way to places they had never been to before, Yang Su became more and more anxious. How could such a long supply route last long?

He made up his mind to go out in person, leading only two or three of his family generals to follow behind the Turkic troops. He even risked his life to meet alone with the leaders of several major tribes under Buqa Khan.

The danger and difficulty involved are self-evident, but Yang Su finally accomplished the task. More than a dozen tribes including Tiele suddenly rebelled, causing Buga Khan to be attacked from all sides and surrounded by the Sui army that rushed to him at all costs.

Buga Khan had his head chopped off by Yujuro's sword in the battle. Qimin Khan raised the flag and shouted, subduing the rest of the Turkic tribes. Yang Su maintained his undefeated reputation throughout his life.

When the good news came back, the emperor was very pleased. Yang Xuangan was promoted to the rank of Pillar of the State, Xuanzong was made Duke of Huainan County, and the rest of the generals were all rewarded generously. Yu Juluo, who beheaded the Turkic Khan, was promoted to the rank of Senior Pillar of the State.

.........

When Yang Su returned to the capital, the emperor happily gave him a banquet and even played the pipa himself, which showed how happy he was.

There was nothing that a great victory could not alleviate. Yang Su regained his former honor and favor, and the court returned to its former peace. Liu Shu and others fell silent.

But they were waiting, waiting for the emperor's suspicion to arise again.

At the celebratory banquet in the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng met the brave generals under Yang Guang, and Yu Juluo was undoubtedly the most conspicuous one.

He is eight feet tall, has double pupils, and has a loud voice. Although he is a little ugly, his ugliness is also majestic and domineering.

Lai Huer did not look fierce at all. He had a very dignified demeanor, like a scholar. He was also the one who treated Li Jiancheng the best and admired his talent.

Mai Tiezhang was a very interesting person. When he saw Li Jiancheng, he asked, "As long as I'm in Beijing, I won't be afraid of having no wine to drink if I find my husband?"

Li Jiancheng said with a smile: "From today on, you can drink in any wine shop in the city, and no one will ask you for a penny."

Mai Tiezhang laughed loudly: "Then I won't be polite. Otherwise, if I steal something in Beijing and get caught, I'm afraid it will bring shame to His Highness and Lord Yang."

Mai Tiezhang sat next to Li Jiancheng and started chatting with him, telling him about the interesting things that happened when he was a thief.

After the banquet, the core followers of the crown prince stayed. Yang Guang first thanked Yang Su solemnly. Yang Su returned the courtesy and took off his shirt, saying: "I am afraid that it will be difficult for me to fight for Your Highness again." There was a wound on Yang Su's chest that was still bleeding, and there was also a knife wound on his waist. Yang Guang covered him with tears in his eyes and said: "Mr. Yang's contribution will not be in vain!"

Yang Yue said at this time: "Your Highness, don't forget to be prepared for danger in times of peace. If you think about it, you will be prepared. If you are prepared, you will not be in danger."

"I am afraid that Your Majesty will write back to Liu Shu and others soon. How should we respond then?"

Yang Yue's words touched Yang Guang's heart. He was unwilling to endure this kind of fearful life any longer. He glanced at everyone with a determined look on his face.

"Then please work together!"

Yang Su was well aware that power should not be invalidated after it expires, so he reinstated the deposed prince's cronies.

Li Yuan was also promoted to the rank of General of Cavalry, a fourth-rank official. With his skills in riding and shooting, he accompanied the army on this expedition and collected more than a hundred heads of Turks in his tent, including many heads of Turkish nobles.

.........

In the second year of Renshou, Li Fuzi, the leader of the Li people in Jiaozhi, rebelled and occupied the old city of the King of Yue. He sent his nephew to occupy Longbian City and Li Puding, the other commander, to occupy Wuyan City. He wanted to restore the Wanchun Kingdom and call himself the Emperor of Nanyue.

The Sui Dynasty could not tolerate this, so the Zuo Pushe Yang Su recommended Liu Fang as the marching commander of Jiaozhou Road, and asked him to lead an army of 27 battalions to quell the rebellion.

Soon Li Fuzi surrendered, and in one fell swoop he regained control of the entire Indochina Peninsula.

The complacent emperor suddenly issued an edict to abolish central and local schools, retaining only 72 students in the Imperial Academy. He then ordered people to build a life-size statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and sent 30 eminent monks to various states to distribute relics.

Buddhism flourished throughout the world at that time, and the story that the emperor grew up in a temple when he was young and was predicted by a nun that he would flourish Buddhism as an emperor became widely circulated.

Even Japan sent envoys to "hear that the Bodhisattva King of Haixi was reviving Buddhism, so they sent envoys to pay homage, and dozens of monks came to learn Buddhism."

What the superior likes, the subordinates will like even more. Li Jiancheng clearly found that now that he was not familiar with some Buddhist scriptures, he had nothing to talk about at banquets. Moreover, recently, fewer people went out of the city to hunt because they were afraid of being criticized.

But he had no time to care about these things. Miss Xiao was going to reach the age of 15 this year. According to etiquette, since they were already engaged, the hairpin she would receive as a gift should be given by him.

Li Jiancheng did not go looking for expensive hairpins, which were made of gold and silver and were not precious to the two families. He specifically went to ask for the hairpin that Mrs. Pei, the wife of the Minister of Works Zhao Yan, used when she came of age.

This lady can be said to be blessed with everything. She has parents, parents-in-law, sons and daughters, a loving husband and wife, friendly brothers, and a prosperous family. Her life has been smooth sailing.

In other words, Li Jiancheng had many friends, and this lady's youngest son was often taken care of by Li Jiancheng. Otherwise, such a hairpin with great significance must have been passed down in the family or buried with the deceased. How could it be given to an outsider?

The Duke of Ju's Mansion selected the date for the ceremony and the person who would carry the tray through divination, and then three days before the ceremony, divined a female elder with great virtue and talent to serve as the main guest.

So the divination happened to reveal the Crown Princess, and then they began to make formal preparations. Except for asking Li Jiancheng to prepare a hairpin, all other clothing gifts were prepared personally by Duke of Ju Xiao Cong and his wife.

On the day of the ceremony, Li Jiancheng's family, including Sanlang who was not even one year old yet, all came. Lanling Xiao family's in-laws and old friends also crowded the house. It was obvious that the whole family attached great importance to it, and it was no less important than the ceremony of capping the eldest son.

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(End of this chapter)