LFHYB -Chapter 130 You Are Also His Lord

After the Xue, Pei, and Liu families of Hedong sent one talented man each, other scholars no longer hesitated. They began visiting Li Xuanba and Li Jiancheng, or directly headed to Taiyuan Commandery.

Li Xuanba temporarily closed his doors to guests, letting Li Jiancheng receive the subsequent arrivals, showing a gesture of modesty.

His humility further increased the Hedong scholars’ goodwill toward him.

As Li Xuanba quickly integrated into the Hedong gentry, Li Jiancheng initially felt uncomfortable. But when Li Xuanba yielded, Li Jiancheng breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he took it for granted.

From childhood, it had always been this way: Li Xuanba accomplished great deeds but handed the credit to others, stepping back and not seeking fame or fortune.

As a younger brother, yielding the spotlight to an elder was natural.

Li Shimin must have thought the same about Li Xuanba.

“Ah-choo!” Li Shimin sneezed again.

He looked at the four visitors and scratched his head in puzzlement. “If A-Xuan decides for himself, why do I have to intervene?”

Pei Xingyan, having grown up in military camps and being the son of a high-ranking official, spoke directly: “A lord has only one master. You are also his master.”

Li Shimin said casually, “Alright. Looks like I need to quickly learn how to be a good master. So, what should I do next?”

Liu Heng asked, puzzled, “Isn’t it usually you who decides what comes next?”

Li Shimin smiled. “Isn’t the lord supposed to make decisions? You must make proposals first before I can make a decision. If I personally handle everything, what’s the use of having all these talented ministers and fierce generals under my command?”

Hearing this, everyone present felt a sense of reassurance.

Pei Xingyan said, “Qin Qiong and I want to go to Zhangye now. Should we wait for instructions from Second Master Li?”

Li Shimin said, “It just so happens I need to send a group of civil officials there. Brother Pei, can you escort them and provide protection? As for you, Uncle Qin, stay here for now. When I return to Zhangye, if the journey goes poorly, I’ll need a strong general for protection. I also need to first assess your abilities.”

Qin Qiong respectfully cupped his fists. “Yes, my lord.”

Pei Xingyan pointed at himself. “And me? Don’t you need to assess me?”

Li Shimin sighed helplessly. “What I can teach Qin Qiong, you learned from childhood. You also have experience leading troops. Right now, the urgent task is to go to Zhangye and help. Although Fourth Brother Changsun has guidance from father-in-law, he lacks experience. Luohu, you will go with Brother Pei back to Zhangye, serve as his deputy for now, and assist him properly.”

Luohu, who served as Li Shimin’s bodyguard, cupped his fists. “Understood.”

Li Shimin said to Pei Xingyan, “Luohu is my deputy and is familiar with the right bank of the Yellow River. Please trust him.”

Pei Xingyan hadn’t expected to be entrusted with such responsibility immediately, and felt a bit nervous. “I’ll serve as the deputy then. Don’t worry about my background; I can start from the basics.”

Li Shimin sighed. “It’s not that I care about your background, Brother Pei. Zhangye simply lacks capable people. There are very few under my command who, like you, have been trained from childhood in military texts and martial skills. Luohu and Shixin are natural generals and need guidance in military strategy. Brother Pei, the burden is heavy, but I entrust it to you.”

Li Shimin bowed.

Pei Xingyan felt even more pressure, but as Li Shimin had placed him in this position, and given his pride, he couldn’t refuse. He grit his teeth and agreed.

Li Shimin then said to Liu Heng, “Brother Liu, please stay in Taiyuan for now. Once Fifth Brother’s marriage arrangements are settled, could you also go to Zhangye in advance?”

Liu Heng smiled. “Zhangye is short of officials with administrative experience?”

Li Shimin nodded. “It seems Brother Liu has already realized. I’m really stretched thin.”

Liu Heng said, “I’ll go to Zhangye with Brother Pei. As for Fifth Master’s marriage, I’ve already asked the elders to handle it, so you needn’t worry.”

Li Shimin said, “Then I can be at ease. Fang Xuanling and Du Kemin are talented gentlemen; I’m sure you’ll get along with them well.”

Xue Yuanjing pointed at himself. “And me?”

Li Shimin joked, “That depends on what my nephew is good at.”

Xue Yuanjing: “……”

Pei Xingyan laughed aloud. Qin Qiong and Luohu tried to keep serious faces.

Xue Yuanjing said in grievance, “Although Second Brother and my uncle are close friends, let’s treat this separately. Don’t take advantage of me.”

Li Shimin earnestly said, “Since Bapao (Xue Yuanjing’s father) cares for you, I, as his brother, naturally treat you like my closest nephew. So tell me, what do you want to do?”

Xue Yuanjing: “I’ll return to Hedong now. Farewell.”

Liu Heng couldn’t hold back and turned, shoulders shaking.

Li Shimin reached out, hooking Xue Yuanjing by the neck, winking, “Want to get off this ship now? What dream are you in?”

Xue Yuanjing glanced at Li Shimin with disdain.

Li Shimin laughed. “Bapao says your literary talent slightly surpasses his. Actually, the best place for you is to assist A-Xuan. But since A-Xuan sent you here, he must have his reasons. I can’t guess, can you?”

Xue Yuanjing thought for a moment. “Perhaps my lord needs me to handle some writing tasks?”

Li Shimin’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! From now on, you’ll handle all my official documents.”

After battles, Li Shimin still had to sit at his desk to organize official records.

Fighting a war isn’t over once the fighting stops. Every aspect of logistics and operations needs documentation for management and review. If the records are messy, logistics and orders become chaotic.

Previously, Li Shimin did everything himself, occasionally with Li Xuanba helping a little. Though Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui helped somewhat later, they had more important duties. He had forgotten that such work should have been entrusted to a reliable clerk.

Li Shimin sighed, “A-Xuan always complains that my team is like an amateur troupe. With you all here, it’s finally not an amateur troupe anymore.”

Although none of them had heard the term “amateur troupe,” they could roughly guess its meaning.

Pei Xingyan laughed. “Stop complaining. You achieved this at sixteen; what is there to complain about?”

Li Shimin feigned grievance. “It’s precisely because I achieved this at sixteen that I complain! Clearly, I’ve endured more effort and difficulty than others.”

Everyone looked at Li Shimin’s shameless expression and couldn’t help but laugh.

Qin Qiong didn’t want to laugh but couldn’t resist either.

He glanced at Luohu, who was laughing heartily beside him.

Luohu said, “The lord is like this. Laugh as you like; he won’t get angry. He only says these things to make us laugh.”

Qin Qiong: “……” Strange person, but not unpleasant.

After some playful banter, Li Shimin quickly bonded with everyone and asked about Li Xuanba and Hedong.

Upon learning that Li Xuanba had closed his doors to guests, leaving the limelight to Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin’s smile held a hint of mockery. “A-Xuan has always been humble before his eldest brother. I bet the eldest brother didn’t thank him, taking it all for granted. Hmph, it seems Hedong is almost ready; A-Xuan should be returning. If he doesn’t, perhaps the eldest brother will force him to entertain guests.”

Li Xuanba always fell ill during seasonal changes. With July approaching, Li Shimin grew anxious.

Though his younger brother now had a sister-in-law to care for him, Li Shimin still worried.

Xue Yuanjing reassured him, “Third Brother seems healthy. My lord, don’t worry. If anything happens, Hedong is less than five hundred li from Taiyuan; a fast horse can carry a letter there in two or three days.”

Li Shimin said, “True enough. But why haven’t Hangu and Wudi’s letters arrived yet? They wouldn’t be lingering with A-Xuan, refusing to leave, would they?”

Just as Li Shimin fretted, Hangu finally returned.

As soon as it came back, it squawked loudly, rolling on the ground after its letter had been taken. Li Shimin almost thought he had mistaken it for Wudi returning.

While soothing Hangu, he opened the letter.

As if reading each other’s minds, the opening lines of Li Xuanba’s letter already mentioned how neither Wudi nor Hangu wanted to deliver the letters.

“I made Wudi and Hangu compete: whoever retrieved the meat hanging on the tree first would stay in Hedong Commandery. Who knew Wudi actually grabbed a handful of dirt in its claws and threw it at Hangu, taking the lead… Heaven, who taught it that? Was it you?!”

Li Shimin rubbed his nose. Yep, that would be me.

He said to Hangu lying on the ground, “I already told you: when facing an enemy, you must use every means. Since you’re competing with Wudi, treat it as your foe. Feeling disadvantaged now, huh?”

Hangu flipped over and turned its rear toward Li Shimin.

Li Shimin chuckled and continued reading the letter.

After teasing the young eagle a bit, Li Xuanba wrote that his health was good and that Li Shimin need not worry, before moving on to serious matters.

Li Xuanba emphasized the abilities of those who came to serve, giving Li Shimin a clear sense of their strengths.

He specifically mentioned asking Li Shimin to remind Liu Wenjing, boasting that it was Yuwen Zhu who had reminded him.

Li Shimin read the letter several times and memorized its contents before burning it.

“Should I pretend to be ill to avoid attention? Hopefully Li Jiancheng will be sensible,” Li Shimin said, patting the back of the young eagle beside him. “Help me deliver this letter—this time try to have Wudi deliver it. You stay behind.”

Hangu propped itself up with its wings and stood at attention. “Squawk!”

Li Shimin laughed. “Good spirit!”

…

When Hangu returned to Hedong Commandery, Li Xuanba had just finished dealing with Li Jiancheng’s banquet.

As Li Shimin had predicted, after keeping his doors closed for a few days, Li Xuanba could only attend the banquet of the one person he couldn’t refuse: Li Jiancheng.

Li Xuanba had to give face to his elder brother, so he visited once in a while.

After all, he just silently observed the guests drinking and dancing from a corner. Apart from being a little bored, there was nothing else to it.

As for those who wanted to “provoke” him, show off their talents, or even step on him to rise in status, Li Xuanba could only use his scholarly abilities to suppress these truly talented people.

He felt genuinely sorry for these talents—he had no sense of morality.

Li Jiancheng and Li Xuanba’s interactions felt like when Li Xuanba was a child, with the older brother leading friends to show off his clever younger sibling.

Li Shimin repeatedly requested Li Yuan to allow Li Xuanba to return to Taiyuan Commandery.

But after hesitating, Li Yuan let Li Xuanba remain in Hedong Commandery.

He knew that although Li Jiancheng now had a bustling household, without Li Xuanba’s support, it would still be difficult to win over Hedong’s outstanding talents.

Li Yuan said to Li Shimin, “Next spring, Dade will return to Zhangye with you. Now, forming connections with talented people in Hedong is also beneficial for him. You gather talent in Taiyuan, Dade in Hedong; only then can we truly bring the finest talents of Shanxi and Hedong into our grasp.”

Li Shimin said, “But I worry about A-Xuan’s health. Every season change, he inevitably falls ill.”

Li Yuan reassured him, “He is married now. Zhu-niang is a skilled physician, already revered by the gentry of Hedong. You have no medical skills; worrying won’t help. Besides, the climate in Hedong is milder than Taiyuan. Because A-Xuan is frail, he should stay in Hedong.”

Li Shimin, hearing this, was reluctantly persuaded.

Indeed, Hedong’s climate was milder than Taiyuan’s; it might be better for A-Xuan to recuperate there during seasonal changes.

Li Shimin said, “If A-Xuan won’t come back, then I’ll go to Hedong!”

Li Yuan slapped his second son on the back of his head, half laughing and half crying. “Both you and Dade are grown, yet still so clingy? He just got married; he should be bonding with his wife. You stay in Taiyuan; Yeye can’t do without you here.”

Li Yuan marveled at his second son’s social ability. People he couldn’t attract willingly would form enduring friendships with his second son after a single meeting.

From a young age, his second son was likable; making friends was as natural to him as eating and drinking.

Coupled with Li Shimin’s excellent talent and experience in warfare, Li Yuan could focus more on managing Taiyuan while leaving military matters to Li Shimin.

Li Yuan finally felt a little relieved. Six months later, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba would return to Zhangye. Before that, with their help, he needed to gain full control over Shanxi and Hedong.

If it weren’t for his attachment to the foundation already laid in the region of He-you, Li Yuan would have wanted Li Shimin and Li Xuanba to stay as his left and right arms.

Thus, during seasonal changes, Li Xuanba recuperated in Hedong Commandery.

Li Jiancheng visited with newly made friends several times, but Yuwen Zhu could no longer tolerate it. In front of Li Jiancheng’s guests, she asked him to stop disturbing Li Xuanba’s recovery.

“My husband is worried about the brotherly bond; I am the villain here,” Yuwen Zhu said. “We’ve politely refused many times. He needs rest—he must rest!”

Yuwen Zhu sobbed quietly, and the guests all left, embarrassed.

Li Jiancheng lost face and never visited Li Xuanba again.

After a day of deep sleep, Li Xuanba learned that Yuwen Zhu had sent Li Jiancheng and the guests away. Feeling guilty, he said, “It’s my fault; I should have sent my elder brother away myself. He must be blaming you now.”

Yuwen Zhu snapped, “Let him blame me! I’m fed up. We politely refused countless times, but he insisted on coming, thinking we’d be too embarrassed to turn him away. He kept disturbing you again and again. If he were like your second brother and could care for you while sick, I’d be happy for him to stay here every day!”

Yuwen Zhu was utterly exasperated. You bring a crowd to fuss over someone, and even after the husband goes to bed, you wake him up to “check in”—isn’t that intentionally tormenting him!

Li Xuanba looked at Yuwen Zhu’s flushed, angry face and smiled. “This is how he learned to ‘visit the sick’ when he was young. He’s used to doing it this way, and I’m used to it too. I just forgot that now I actually have the confidence to refuse his visits.”

Yuwen Zhu felt a sour ache in her heart. “Sanlang has suffered.”

Li Xuanba closed his eyes. “With you protecting me, how could I be suffering? It’s you, Zhuniang, who has worked hard.”

Yuwen Zhu placed her hand over Li Xuanba’s eyes. “Sleep now. I’ll stay right here.”

“Mhm.” Li Xuanba let his consciousness sink into sleep.

At last, he could truly rest and have a good night’s sleep.

Li Xuanba did not tell Li Shimin that he was ill.

And while he was sick, the situation under heaven suddenly changed with alarming speed.

The Crown Prince, Yang Xian, plotted rebellion and forced his way into the palace, but was subdued by the emperor.

The emperor wanted to execute the crown prince, and all the discerning men of the realm cried out to plead for him.

The emperor flew into a rage; more than a hundred people were implicated and thrown into prison.