LFHYB -Chapter 156 Yuwen Huaji’s Anger

Originally, Yuwen Huaji could not inherit Yuwen Shu’s title anyway.

Yuwen Shu had three sons. The eldest, Yuwen Huaji, and the second, Yuwen Zhiji, were both lawless troublemakers. Only the third son, Yuwen Shiji, who had become Yang Guang’s son-in-law, could be considered somewhat lazy but basically a good man.

Yuwen Huaji had once served in Yang Guang’s personal guard and had grown up alongside him, so when Yang Guang ascended the throne, Huaji used their friendship to behave arrogantly.

Yuwen Zhiji was not only arrogant but also cruel—born bad. Yuwen Shu had even once considered killing his own sons, often saying that Yuwen Zhiji would ruin the whole family.

But Yuwen Shiji cared deeply for his brothers and repeatedly defended them in front of their father and Yang Guang. With Princess Nanyang mediating, the two sons were never severely punished and became even bolder in their actions.

Eventually, while Yang Guang was traveling north to Yulin, Yuwen Huaji, spurred on by Yuwen Zhiji, secretly made a deal with the Turks. This finally angered Yang Guang, who ordered Huaji’s execution for colluding with the Turks.

Although Yuwen Shiji and Princess Nanyang interceded again, Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji were spared execution but were demoted to slaves—cough—slaves under their own father, Yuwen Shu.

Only Yang Guang could pull off such a thing—making two sons slaves to their own father.

The ministers clearly understood that this was likely the cunning plan of the old fox, Yuwen Shu.

Yuwen Shu realized that Yuwen Huaji was too stupid, Yuwen Zhiji too bad, and he could not personally kill his sons. So he devised this clumsy plan. Once Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji were demoted to slaves, they could no longer hold office, and serving as slaves to their father wouldn’t be harsh—they would spend their lives as idle rich men.

As for his own title, Yuwen Shu figured the emperor would naturally let his son-in-law Yuwen Shiji inherit it.

After dying in service to protect the emperor, Yuwen Shu moved Yang Guang so much that Yang Guang pardoned both Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji.

By logic, this pardon should have meant that Yuwen Huaji, as the eldest, would inherit the Duke of Xu title.

But Yuwen Shu’s final words angered Yang Guang.

In his life, there were two names Yang Guang could never hear mentioned: his elder brother, the deposed Crown Prince Yang Yong, and his son, the deposed Crown Prince Yang Xian.

These two deposed crown princes were his imperial irises; even a few words of praise would enrage him.

Yuwen Shu understood Yang Guang’s temperament, but a man about to die speaks well. He truly was a loyal minister, and after considering his own situation, he spoke the words that other colleagues dared not utter.

He knew that dying while protecting the emperor, even if Yang Guang felt uneasy, his words would not bring trouble to his descendants. Moreover, Yang Guang had always favored Yuwen Shiji, so even if he was annoyed, he would not target Shiji.

Since speaking the truth would not harm his own family, he said it on his deathbed.

As for his eldest and second sons, Yuwen Shu did not want the emperor to think of them. By angering the emperor on his deathbed, the petty-minded emperor might not pardon the two sons—a double benefit.

Yet, Yang Guang truly loved Yuwen Shu. Although very angry, he still pardoned Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji, and even appointed Yuwen Huaji as General of the Right Guard.

But he was also displeased, so he stripped Yuwen Shu of the Duke of Xu title.

Yang Guang thought: using the “Duke of Xu” title to exchange for two sons already demoted to slaves, elevating them to high-ranking officials—Yuwen Shu would surely be moved in heaven.

As for the title itself, Yang Guang thought the Yuwen family would not mind. After all, his son-in-law Yuwen Shiji had long been granted the title of Duke of Xincheng thanks to Yuwen Shu’s merits.

However, Yang Guang was not refusing the “Duke of Xu” title entirely.

He was genuinely forgiving toward Yuwen Shu, just postponing it a few years to calm himself.

He told Yuwen Huaji: “Although I pardon you because of your father’s merits, as the eldest you should inherit the Duke of Xu title. But your past behavior was too reckless—even your father would not have trusted you with the title. I give you a few years to prove yourself. If you behave well, I will grant the title; if you behave poorly, then forget it.”

Yuwen Huaji thanked him profusely and then asked Yuwen Zhiji: “Does the emperor mean to give the Duke of Xu title to the third brother?”

Yuwen Zhiji shook his head: “Even if the emperor gives it to the third brother, he wouldn’t want it. I think the emperor means the Yuwen family’s Duke of Xu title is gone.”

Yuwen Huaji, shocked and angry, exclaimed: “How can this be?”

Yuwen Zhiji said: “On our father’s deathbed, only the third brother was with the emperor. I saw the emperor leave the room, anger overriding sorrow. Perhaps our father’s last words provoked him. Why not ask the third brother?”

Yuwen Huaji hurriedly called for Yuwen Shiji.

Yuwen Shiji sighed: “You knowing too much isn’t good.”

Yuwen Huaji cursed: “Our family is about to lose the Duke title, and you say this?!”

Yuwen Shiji replied: “From my understanding of the emperor, he will not refuse our family the Duke title, only delay it a few years until he calms down.”

Yuwen Zhiji frowned: “What exactly did father say to enrage the emperor? If we don’t know, next time we might anger him again.”

Yuwen Shiji, pure-hearted and devoted to his brothers, agreed: “Father advised the emperor to rehabilitate the deposed Crown Prince Yang Xian.”

Both Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji stiffened.

Yuwen Shiji sighed: “Father was truly loyal to the emperor.”

The two brothers exchanged a glance, both filled with anger.

Yuwen Zhiji tugged Yuwen Huaji’s sleeve and said first: “I see. Then these few years we must keep a low profile, until the emperor cools down.”

Yuwen Shiji nodded. “Your Majesty will surely calm down, believe me. And with the princess pleading on our behalf, His Majesty won’t stay angry for long.”

Yuwen Huaji forced a stiff smile. “Once again we trouble the princess. Third brother, you’ve lost quite a bit of weight. Even while mourning father, you should take care of your health.”

Yuwen Shiji said, “I’m fine. Both of you older brothers must also take care of yourselves.”

The three brothers chatted casually for a while. Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji personally escorted Yuwen Shiji to the door. Even though the period of strict mourning had passed, Yuwen Shiji would still return to the princess’s residence to rest after visiting the ancestral hall daily, rather than staying at the Yuwen household.

Once Yuwen Shiji left, Yuwen Huaji slammed the door and cursed, “Yang Guang is truly inhuman!”

Yuwen Zhiji crossed his arms and snorted coldly. “Since when has he ever been humane? In his youth, Yang Guang was close friends with our elder brother, sharing everything. Yet just because we exchanged a few things with the Turks, he wanted to execute us. Then he speaks of forgiveness…”

Yuwen Zhiji scoffed. “Forgiveness? If it were really just strict enforcement of the law, he would have exiled us to the borderlands and pardoned us after a few years. Demoted to slaves… demoted to slaves…”

Clenching his teeth, Yuwen Zhiji’s rage surged uncontrollably.

He and his elder brother had once been the most glamorous, high-spirited young nobles in Daxing. They dared even to look down on the court officials.

Yang Guang had actually reduced them to slaves, serving their own father—a humiliation worse than death!

Yuwen Huaji clenched his fist and slammed the table hard, his eyes filled with both humiliation and hatred, as if they were about to spill out.

Hearing that their father had died saving the emperor, Yuwen Huaji felt both sorrow and excitement. He had thought that his father’s heroic deed in protecting the emperor would at least offset the minor offense of him and his brother smuggling some items.

Who could have expected Yang Guang to insult them again? Though he pardoned them, he stripped the Yuwen family of their noble title.

Despite being demoted to their father’s slaves for years, Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji actually had a good relationship with their younger brother Yuwen Shiji, who was still very prominent in Yang Guang’s eyes.

If Yang Guang thought they, having once been guilty, could not inherit the title, and that Yuwen Shiji should inherit the duke’s title, they would not have been so furious.

But their father had done such great service, and yet the Yuwen family’s dukedom was taken away?

“Observe for a few years,” they said. Since when did anyone need to be observed for years before inheriting their father’s title? Their father had braved an arrow rain to survive and died gravely injured—no matter the excuse, the Yuwen dukedom should not have been withheld!

“Back in the day, Duke Yang Su of Chu was loyal to the emperor and was forced to death. The emperor has probably long feared our family,” Yuwen Zhiji said. “Brother, we cannot let our guard down.”

Yuwen Huaji’s face darkened. “I know.”

The two brothers discussed all night, pulling together a large sum of money to bribe the generals of the Xiaoguo Army.

The Xiaoguo Army had already been purged of many innocent low- and mid-level officers over the deposition of Crown Prince Yang Jun, leaving them resentful of Yang Guang. Later, they fought bravely at the Siege of Yanmen under Yang Guang’s manipulative orders, only to have their rewards withheld—further fueling their dissatisfaction. Now, after Yang Guang was attacked, the demoralized Xiaoguo Army was punished for failing to protect him, pushing their resentment to a critical point.

After Yuwen Huaji was promoted to General of the Right Guard, he succeeded Yuwen Shu as the supreme commander of the Xiaoguo Army.

He approached the troops with a humble demeanor, offering a large sum of money and claiming inexperience in leading troops, asking the soldiers for their guidance.

“Before father passed, he always cared about the Xiaoguo soldiers who fought alongside him and instructed us to give the remaining family wealth to you,” Yuwen Huaji said gently. “We will also cover the pensions for the fallen soldiers of the Xiaoguo Army.”

Before doing this, Yuwen Huaji informed Yang Guang.

Although he hated Yang Guang in his heart, having known him for so many years, he understood Yang Guang’s character well enough not to be blinded by arrogance.

He said to Yang Guang: “I have deeply realized my past mistakes and wish to wholeheartedly serve Your Majesty anew. Now that my father has just passed, I should observe the mourning period for Your Majesty’s sake. I am anxious and do not wish to use family wealth, preferring to live simply in filial mourning. Knowing the imperial treasury is empty, I am willing to donate my family wealth to support Your Majesty’s army. Though it may be a small contribution, it is my way of serving Your Majesty on behalf of my father.”

The Sui imperial treasury and Yang Guang’s personal treasury were indeed empty; even the rewards from the Battle of Yanmen could not be fully gathered. But by pooling some resources, it could still be done. Yang Guang, however, blamed the Xiaoguo Army for not protecting him and did not want to reward the fallen soldiers.

Yuwen Huaji anticipated his concerns. Yang Guang felt reassured, as if Yuwen Shu had returned to his side.

He praised Yuwen Huaji’s actions highly and decided that once Yuwen Huaji’s three-year mourning period ended, he would restore his title.

Why not restore it immediately? Because changing his mind so quickly would make him seem somewhat embarrassed.

Moreover, he was still annoyed at Yuwen Shu for mentioning the deposition of Crown Prince Yang Jun before his death.

Previously, Yuwen Shu had also criticized Yang Jun. Now, having Yang Guang reverse the decision, what were his intentions?

If Yuwen Shu had not died saving the emperor, Yang Guang might have even doubted his loyalty.

Someone he had always trusted now seemed insufficiently loyal—a mental thorn in his heart that would not heal quickly.

Still, he trusted Yuwen Huaji, so he entrusted him with command over the imperial guards.

…

“Completely incomprehensible.” One month later, when Li Shimin learned the news from Luoyang, he was plunged into deep confusion.

Li Xuanba, frustrated by his elder brother’s scolding, put down his book and said, “Yang Guang just wants to test the Yuwen family’s loyalty. What’s so hard to understand?”

Li Shimin said, “Testing loyalty implies Yang Guang thinks the Yuwen family is disloyal. Then why would he give the Xiaoguo Army to Yuwen Huaji?”

Li Xuanba said, “He tested the Yuwen family’s loyalty, but still believes they are his most loyal subjects.”

Li Shimin: “…What the heck?”

Li Xuanba sighed: “I mean, he thinks the Yuwen family is very loyal, but he still wants to test them. And he believes that this little test won’t make the Yuwen family disloyal. Got it?”

Li Shimin shook his head vigorously: “I don’t get it. I even think he’s crazy.”

Li Xuanba said: “If you don’t understand, fine. It’s normal for a person not to understand the mind of a mentally ill person. The problem is when you do understand.”

Li Shimin leaned in: “But A-Xuan, you understand, right?”

Li Xuanba: “Mm, so I have a problem.”

Li Shimin doubled over laughing: “Hahahahahaha!”

Li Zhiyun looked at his second brother in confusion.

He was already used to his third brother always being like this. But he could never understand what was so funny to his second brother. What’s the joke here?

Fang Qiao slammed the Chinese document in his hands onto the desk: “My lord, can you stop slacking off! Official business is piling up like a mountain, and you still have time to worry about what the emperor is thinking?!”

Li Shimin rubbed his aching stomach and his sore laughing face: “Alright, alright, I’m done laughing. Is there anything that needs my seal?”

Du Ruhui rubbed his forehead: “Can you take a closer look before stamping?! And Li San, can you stop slacking off too!”

Li Xuanba said: “I’m sick. I can’t expend too much energy.”

Li Shimin: “I trust you guys, you see. ‘Fang plans, Du decides.’ It’s just a small matter like the autumn harvest—if you plan and decide it, why do I need to review it?”

Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui both gave him a look that could hide a knife.

Li Xuanba: “Shouldn’t the Xue uncle and nephew help? Besides, isn’t Liu Jiali not back yet?”

Fang Qiao: “The Xue uncle and nephew write documents well, but they still need experience in governance. Liu Jiali hasn’t returned to Hedong, so no word from him yet.”

Li Shimin helplessly: “Bapao just came back, and Jiali has gone missing again. Why do the scholars under my command always go missing?”

Li Xuanba: “Liu Jiali isn’t missing, he’s busy with Xiao Wu’s marriage arrangements.”

Li Shimin said to Li Zhiyun: “It’s all your fault. Because of you, your second brother here lost an assistant.”

Li Zhiyun rolled his eyes at his second brother, too lazy to respond to Li Shimin.

Liu Jiali, also called Liu Heng, had arranged the marriage between Li Zhiyun and the Hedong Liu family. But since Li Zhiyun’s survival was uncertain, the Hedong Liu family hesitated.

At that time, everyone thought Li Xuanba and Li Zhiyun were both dead. The Hedong Liu family couldn’t very well make their daughter mourn for a fiancé who might already be dead.

However, since Li Zhiyun had only just disappeared, it would have been unfair for the Hedong Liu family to cancel the engagement immediately. So they only went to discuss with Li Yuan and Dou Huiming: if six months later Li Zhiyun still had no trace, then the families could separate amicably.

Six months later, Li Zhiyun still hadn’t appeared, so the Hedong Liu family floated the idea of remarrying their daughter. But when a matchmaker came to inquire, they refused, saying at least wait a year for Li Zhiyun. Everyone praised the Hedong Liu family for being loyal to their commitments. Naturally, this meant more matchmakers would come after six months.

This was no big deal. The Tang Guogong Mansion couldn’t expect a fiancée who hadn’t yet married to mourn. The Hedong Liu family had given them enough face; they held no grudge.

But now that Li Zhiyun had returned, the situation had to change.

Li Zhiyun himself had no objection. If it had been his sisters, he would have jumped up and down to make them cancel the engagement.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba also understood. If the Hedong Liu family was willing, the marriage would proceed as planned.

However, Liu Heng felt burdened. Before Li Shimin and Li Xuanba returned, he hurried back to Hedong to handle the matter.

Coincidentally, Li Jiancheng was getting married. Li Shimin, Li Xuanba, and Li Zhiyun couldn’t attend because they were leading troops in Dunhuang. So they entrusted Liu Heng to deliver the wedding gifts.

Li Shimin, Li Xuanba, and Li Zhiyun were fighting fiercely in Dunhuang, completely unable to break away, so they truly couldn’t return to Hedong. It was regrettable.

“Perhaps it’s just not time for Li Jiancheng’s wedding yet; he can’t come back now,” Li Xuanba said. “Hopefully, when he does return, he can bring Xue Bapao back. Once Xue Bapao is back, Xuánlíng and Kèmíng will be a little more at ease.”

Currently, governance of the Longyou Circuit rested entirely on Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui. The Longyou Circuit was huge—already comparable to the strong states of the Spring and Autumn or Warring States periods.

Its economy was chaotic due to Yang Guang’s campaigns against Tuyuhun. Later, Yang Guang disliked returning to Daxing, so the Longyou Circuit was largely neglected by the court. Roads, waterworks, and other infrastructure were badly damaged.

Now that East and West Turkic and Tuyuhun were quiet, the main task was restoring livelihoods and giving the people a break.

Previously, the court not only neglected the Longyou Circuit but also continuously demanded taxes. Restoring livelihoods was not easy.

Li Shimin lied about needing to mobilize troops against the Western Turks, which convinced Yang Guang to allow the Longyou Circuit to withhold taxes for military expenses.

Taxes alone couldn’t fully fund a campaign against the Western Turks. When the court made this decision, both Yang Guang and the ministers felt guilty toward Li Shimin.

With taxes withheld, restoring livelihoods became easier. But Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui had to create false accounts to show that the taxes were indeed used for military purposes, which was a huge amount of work.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were both slacking off. Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui were angry but helpless—they couldn’t push the reunited twin brothers too hard to fully commit.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba weren’t deliberately tormenting their friends; Li Shimin simply had no mood, and Li Xuanba’s body really couldn’t hold up.

Didn’t they bring Li Zhiyun along?

Li Zhiyun could only snicker coldly and give both older brothers the finger.

What real skill did he have? Aside from serving tea, grinding ink, and copying documents for Brothers Fang and Du, what else could he do?

In the end, Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui still carried the entire workload. The Xue uncle and nephew traveled across counties, collecting data, calming the populace, and gaining experience in local administration.

Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin were literarily talented, but lacked administrative experience. They had never interacted directly with the common people or junior officials. Their knowledge remained superficial.

Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui had both served as county magistrates and had experience at the grassroots level, but they did not get along well with Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin. Following Li Xuanba’s suggestion, they sent Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin back to the local regions.

Although Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin were dissatisfied, Li Shimin encouraged them: “How can one govern a country if one cannot govern a single county? A-Xuan and I also started with just a few hundred households when leading troops. If you can manage a region successfully during chaotic times, then when the world is at peace, with your talents, you will certainly rise to high office.”

Enticed by the promise painted by their young lord, Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin left in high spirits.

Li Xuanba counted on his fingers for his elder brother, tallying how many people he had promised to appoint as ministers.

Li Shimin waved his hand grandly: “The Three Departments and Six Ministries—each head of a department is a chancellor, rotated every three years. Within ten years, there will have been nine rotations; there’s no shortage of positions. Doubling that number wouldn’t be a problem either!”

Li Xuanba was actually persuaded, thinking his elder brother’s reckless method made sense.

Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui gritted their teeth, while Li Shimin, giving the excuse that “A-Xuan needs a walk,” pushed his brother’s wheelchair out. Inside, the others ground their teeth in frustration.

After leaving, Li Shimin complained: “It’s not like I’m doing nothing. I still have to train the troops and arrange for Shixin and the others to raid the steppe. I’m extremely busy. If they hadn’t prevented me from leaving, I would have already gone to the steppe.”

Although the Western Turks’ attack on Dunhuang was fake, their eastward intentions were real. Li Shimin frequently sent troops to the steppe to intimidate them.

Moreover, resources in the Longyou Circuit were insufficient, making it very difficult to maintain a standing army of over ten thousand. The tens of thousands of troops led by Changsun Wuji were either borrowed from the Western Turks or temporarily assembled—they were not regular troops. As for the Sui dynasty’s household troops in Longyou, they had nearly lost their combat effectiveness and even needed newly recruited soldiers just to suppress bandits.

Li Shimin expanded his own armored cavalry to two thousand, moving toward three thousand. Besides what Li Xuanba diligently earned through business, the rest was all seized from the Turks.

Without plundering the Turks’ cattle, sheep, and horses, how could Li Shimin’s elite troops eat meat every day?

He even had several tribes raise horses, cattle, and sheep for him. Well-trained cavalrymen mostly lived on the steppe, leading a life similar to the Turks, with animal milk as a staple.

This was Li Shimin’s idea.

Since the Turks could live on the steppe and train strong soldiers, his cavalry should be able to do the same. If the army could be sustained through herding and plundering, A-Xuan wouldn’t have to worry about military expenses.

The troops were still adjusting to this, so training plans needed continuous modification. Li Shimin had to go out to the steppe periodically.

If it weren’t for plundering Turkic tribes, he would have taken his brother to live in the more temperate Wuwei Commandery rather than returning to Zhangye Commandery.

As for leaving Li Xuanba alone in Wuwei to recuperate, Li Shimin had never even considered it.

Originally, it was because Hedong Commandery’s climate was better for his brother’s health than Taiyuan’s—and that’s how he lost him.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba discussed adjustments to cavalry training plans and then turned to affairs in the Central Plains.

Li Shimin sneered: “Yang Xuangan fancies himself the leader of the anti-Sui coalition, but as soon as the emperor returned to Luoyang, the so-called allied forces scattered. Yang Xuangan’s leadership was pathetic. It seems his strategist Li Mi is also no great talent.”

Li Xuanba said: “Even if Li Mi’s plans are brilliant, if the army isn’t strong, there’s nothing he can do. Li Mi is very proud. After Yang Xuangan’s repeated failures, I think Li Mi is about to grow distant from him.”

Li Shimin asked: “Is Li Mi planning to establish his own power?”

Li Xuanba shook his head: “He doesn’t have that ability. He would probably just usurp someone else’s position. Whether he takes over Yang Xuangan’s position or serves another master is uncertain.”

They had already contacted Wagang Fort in advance and had Wei Zheng subtly inform Zhai Rang that the person attacking him might be Li Mi. If Zhai Rang accepted Li Mi, it would put him against Li Shimin and Li Xuanba. If Zhai Rang allowed Li Mi to usurp a position, then fate itself was hard to change.

Li Shimin asked: “Why would Yang Xuangan and his brothers allow Li Mi to usurp their position?”

Li Xuanba replied: “I don’t know. If Li Mi had nowhere else to go, he might stay on this ship indefinitely.”

When Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had communicated in their dreams, they had analyzed that only someone familiar with court affairs and once influential in government could execute a plan to drive a wedge between Li Yuan and Yang Guang, forcing the unprepared Li Yuan to rebel. Only such a person could place agents in Hedong’s Yingyang Mansion.

By the time they reached this conclusion, their target had already pointed to Yang Xuangan.

Yang Xuangan inherited Yang Su’s residual influence. If he could rally the aristocracy when raising troops, he could certainly place agents in Yingyang Mansions across the regions.

Li Xuanba had not confirmed this yet. Historically, Yang Xuangan was defeated too decisively and never demonstrated the abilities of a “Prince of Chu.” Compared with the later “Prince of Tang,” who could rally forces similarly, he fell far short.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had successively sent people to investigate. Even with help from the Liu, Pei, and Xue families of Hedong, the opposition’s movements were too clean, leaving no evidence.

It was only when they learned that Li Jiancheng had secretly informed Li Yuan that the Longxi Li clan had sent envoys to contact him—and that he could act on Li Yuan’s behalf to gain Longxi Li support—that a name immediately came to Li Shimin and Li Xuanba’s minds: Li Mi!

Li Mi was not a Longxi Li descendant but a legitimate aristocrat of the Guanzhong-Longxi elite. His grandfather had been one of the Eight Pillars of Western Wei, his father a senior minister of Sui, and he inherited the title of Duke of Pushan Commandery.

Li Mi had nothing to do with the Longxi Li clan. According to Li Jiancheng, it was supposedly a Longxi Li descendant who persuaded him to rebel. Neither Li Yuan nor Li Jiancheng realized Li Mi’s involvement.

When Yang Guang ascended the throne, Li Mi served as a palace guard, but later, because Yang Guang disliked his appearance and demeanor, he retired to study. He likely had met Li Jiancheng before. However, one, he had no personal ties to Li Jiancheng; two, so many years had passed; and three, he must have disguised himself. It was normal that Li Jiancheng didn’t recognize him. Li Jiancheng also couldn’t confront the Longxi Li clan, because they would never admit to sending a descendant to provoke the rebellion against the Prince of Tang.

Li Mi appeared to be flawless in his schemes, but the plan itself contained the greatest oversight.

When Li Xuanba heard his second brother’s speculation, he rolled his eyes. “He’s joining Li Jiancheng? Isn’t that even better? He always thinks himself brilliant, but in reality, he loves scheming too much, and things often go contrary to his wishes. I truly hope he joins Li Jiancheng—let Li Jiancheng make a big mistake so we can deal with both of them together, cleanly and properly.”

Li Shimin nodded. “Makes sense.”

He helped Li Xuanba up from his wheelchair and began their daily walk and physical training to recover his strength.