LFHYB -Chapter 175 Inviting the Prince of the Commandery to Sit in the Western Capital

During the eras of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Gaozu of Han, Shu had been a great granary that supported their unification of the realm. Only when Guanzhong and Shu were linked together could they sustain armies that campaigned north and south.

However, Shu’s crucial importance in conquering the realm vanished completely after a great earthquake during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han.

The earthquake caused the dammed lake on the Jialing River to collapse, severing the waterway between Ba-Shu and Hanzhong.

Without this water route, even after a lifetime of effort, Marquis Wu of Zhuge could only end up trapped and die in Ba-Shu.

After the Wei and Jin periods, Ba-Shu became a state within a state: “Before the realm falls into chaos, Shu is already in chaos; after the realm is pacified, Shu is pacified last.”

Now the realm was in great turmoil, yet Shu remained peaceful, as if isolated from the world. The Chengdu Plain was still as prosperous as ever.

When Li Jing brought Chai Shao to Chengdu to meet the Governor of Shu Commandery, the governor was utterly bewildered.

What? The Great Sui had already collapsed, and the emperor had been killed by rebels?

When I left the Central Plains to take up my post in Shu Commandery, wasn’t the Great Sui still flourishing?

The last time the Shu governor had heard any news from the court was during Yang Guang’s second campaign against Goguryeo.

Although the first campaign against Goguryeo had sparked popular unrest, when had a feudal dynasty ever been without rebellions? Emperor Wu of Han had reduced the registered households of the realm by half, yet the Former Han had continued just fine. The minor uprisings stirred up by the Sui emperor’s first campaign against Goguryeo would surely be easily suppressed once the Sui armies finished the war and turned back.

The Shu governor did not dare believe Li Jing’s words. But Li Jing produced the seal of the Assistant Magistrate of Mayi Commandery, and Chai Shao—who had succeeded his father as Duke of Julu after his death—also produced his own seal proving his identity. The Shu governor had no choice but to believe them.

“The Duke of Tang has rebelled?!” The Shu governor nearly tore out his own beard.

Li Jing said, “His Majesty is dead. The heroes of the realm are vying for supremacy—how can this be called rebellion? It is simply that the capable will take the throne. But the one I have come to persuade you to support is not the Duke of Tang, but the Champion Marquis, Li Shimin.”

The Shu governor’s eyes widened. “The Champion Marquis?!”

Li Jing recounted Li Shimin’s deeds to him. The Shu governor was struck dumb.

After a long while, he beat his chest and stamped his feet, tears streaming down his face. “What on earth was His Majesty thinking?! If he had just pulled himself together a little, with a general as formidable as the Champion Marquis, how could the Great Sui have failed to revive!”

Anyone who could rise to the rank of governor was no fool. Before taking office, the Shu governor had also spent time in the two capitals as a member of a meritorious aristocratic family. After hearing Li Jing’s account, he immediately guessed what the emperor—who had been fixated on fleeing to Jiangdu—had been thinking.

With the Turks blocked outside the borders by the Champion Marquis, and veteran generals like Zhang Xutuo suppressing unrest in the Central Plains, the situation in the north was not actually that bad. If only the emperor had rallied himself, issued edicts to let the people rest and recover, the Great Sui still had a strong chance of weathering this crisis.

After all, Emperor Wu of Han had already personally demonstrated that it could be done.

But instead, the emperor had chosen to lie flat and give up?!

Was this really the time to give up?! Had the situation truly deteriorated to such a point?!

The Shu governor could only smile bitterly.

Li Jing asked, “Does the governor wish to establish himself independently?”

The Shu governor waved his hands repeatedly. “I don’t know how to wage war, and there are no great generals in Shu.”

Li Jing said, “Then the governor must choose someone to rely on. I ask the governor to discuss this carefully with the officials of Shu Commandery. Within a few days, the Champion Marquis’s delegation should arrive—with troops.”

The Shu governor shuddered. They would come directly with troops?! Should I put up some resistance first?

Li Jing said, “Shu is isolated. If you carve out a separate regime here, it will be difficult to fight outward, while the outside world can grind down any separatist power in Shu through logistics alone. If the people of Shu seek independence, all they gain is a decade or so of living in constant fear.”

He sighed, wearing an expression of deep concern for the Shu governor. “The Champion Marquis, before even reaching his twenties, carved his name upon Mount Yanran. Can Shu be stronger than the Eastern Turks? Though the Champion Marquis could easily take Shu by force, he respects the governor’s reputation and does not wish to resort to arms. That is why he sent me here first, together with the Duke of Julu, to persuade you to submit. Governor, you must think this through carefully before the delegation arrives.”

The Shu governor left uneasily. He treated Li Jing and Chai Shao with great hospitality, even presenting them with the rare animals originally prepared as tribute for Yang Guang—including the black-ringed white bear—which he gave to the Champion Marquis’s brother-in-law, Duke of Julu Chai Shao.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, white bears had always been tribute items, and the imperial parks had never been without them.

Shu Commandery had highly specialized bear keepers dedicated to raising and training white bears for the imperial enclosures, selecting those with the finest appearance, the gentlest temperament, and the highest obedience to present to the emperor.

Yang Guang was especially fond of building palaces. Since ascending the throne, he had constructed dozens of palaces and detached residences, large and small. All of these palaces required rare beasts to fill them. Every year, Shu Commandery had to select docile white bears to offer as tribute. This year’s tribute of white bears ended up benefiting Chai Shao.

The Governor of Shu Commandery did not hesitate for long before leading the Shu officials in surrender.

Now everyone in Shu Commandery was waiting for the Champion Marquis’s envoy to arrive, so they could formally and ceremoniously hand Shu over to him.

Simply sending people to pledge allegiance was out of the question—there had to be a bit of ritual. After all, they had all once been officials of the Great Sui; they needed to maintain some dignity.

Moreover, the commandery governor was also worried that Li Jing and Chai Shao might be deceiving him. Treating the two to fine food and lodging was, in effect, a form of soft detention. At the same time, he dispatched people out of Shu to investigate the situation.

The more leisurely and at ease Li Jing and Chai Shao appeared, the more the Shu officials believed they were not lying.

But Chai Shao was panicking inside.

The world truly was in chaos, and his wife’s younger brother truly was the Champion Marquis—but he had no idea whether Li Erlang had actually sent an envoy!

What if Li Erlang hadn’t?

Wouldn’t the Shu officials think he had tricked them?

Chai Shao was so anxious his head ached.

Every day he asked Li Jing: was he really sure Li Erlang would send someone?

Li Jing would always answer patiently that if it were the Champion Marquis, he would definitely send people south to Bashu the moment Yang Guang died. Bashu was a place that could be taken with a bit of persuasion; the Champion Marquis would never leave it to others.

Chai Shao remained on edge, finding only a little comfort by holding the white bear cub.

Li Jing’s judgment was not wrong.

In fact, just as Li Jing and Chai Shao had arrived in Chengdu, Li Shimin had already dispatched Changsun Wuji and Li Shou.

When Changsun Wuji reached Jianmen Pass, he thought it would take some effort to enter Shu. To his surprise, officials who had long been waiting respectfully welcomed him inside.

Only then did he learn that Duke of Julu Chai Shao and Deputy Governor of Mayi Commandery Li Jing had already persuaded Bashu to surrender.

Changsun Wuji was shocked inwardly, though outwardly he put on a calm, untroubled expression.

Huh? Hadn’t Chai Shao gone alone to Longxi to seek refuge with us? How did he end up in Chengdu? And what about Li Jing, the deputy governor of Mayi—how did he get mixed up with Chai Shao?

Li Shou was even more stunned.

Although Li Shou had long heard of Li Shimin’s reputation, he had never experienced it firsthand, so his understanding was still shallow.

Li Shimin had sent him and Changsun Wuji to persuade Bashu to surrender. Though Changsun Wuji was nominally the lead and he the deputy, Changsun Wuji was young and previously unknown for his talent. Li Shou himself was Li Shimin’s elder, so he believed that in the end it would still be him who turned the tide.

It wasn’t that Li Shou looked down on Li Shimin. He thought highly of Li Shimin and had already decided to side with him in the succession struggle. But even so, he had underestimated Li Shimin.

So Li Erlang had already sent envoys to persuade Bashu to surrender? The thousands of troops he and Changsun Wuji had brought were merely to take over Bashu, not to persuade it?

Li Shou felt a tight knot in his chest.

How old was Li Shimin, really? This was far too impressive. And not only was he formidable himself—his subordinates were also brimming with talent. He could casually send two people and have them persuade Bashu to surrender.

What astonished Li Shou even more was that Li Shimin seemed not to have worried about failure at all, daring to send only Duke of Julu and Li Jing to Bashu.

Li Jing aside—he wasn’t very familiar with him. But Chai Shao was Li Shimin’s brother-in-law. Li Shimin would never send Chai Shao off to die.

After Li Zhao raised troops and merged with the soldiers Li Shou had recruited, Li Shou naturally knew about Chai Shao going alone to Longxi to seek refuge.

So Chai Shao had already met Li Shimin and been entrusted with a secret mission?

Li Shou sighed deeply, feeling as though he hadn’t even had the chance to stand firmly before being swept away by the next generation.

Changsun Wuji was also deeply unsettled.

As Li Shimin’s childhood friend, he naturally knew Chai Shao’s abilities.

Chai Shao was certainly a capable man; with some polishing, he would be more than qualified to command troops on his own.

But Changsun Wuji did not believe Chai Shao was capable enough to enter Shu alone and persuade the governor to surrender the city.

How could Chai Shao have known Li Erlang would send people to Shu? And why would he take such a risk?

As Li Erlang’s brother-in-law, once he reached Longxi he would enjoy inexhaustible wealth and honor. There was no need for him to risk his life to earn merit.

Changsun Wuji immediately, by instinct, locked onto Li Jing.

This must have been led by Li Jing!

Chai Shao would be heavily used even without seeking merit—but Li Jing would not. Therefore, the one willing to take risks to gain merit had to be Li Jing.

How had Li Jing persuaded Chai Shao? And how had he been certain that Li Erlang would swiftly send people to Shu to persuade surrender?

A sense of crisis inevitably welled up in Changsun Wuji’s heart.

Li Erlang already had a wealth of talented people under him; it was hard enough to snatch a share of merit. And now another great talent had come to pledge himself voluntarily?

Still, Changsun Wuji only felt uneasy for a moment before quickly suppressing the discomfort.

He recalled Li Xuanba’s admonition to him.

Li Xuanba had said that he was narrow-minded and overly attached to power. As the full elder brother of the future empress, his authority would be second only to one person and above ten thousand others—no one could surpass him. “Yet even at this position you still cling to power and remain small-minded. Do you want to surpass the very last person pressing down on your head?”

Li Xuanba was also Changsun Wuji’s childhood friend, so he could speak bluntly without restraint.

Changsun Wuji had rolled his eyes at him and replied, “Second only to one person? Isn’t it second to two people? In this world, aside from the emperor, the person with the greatest power can only be you.”

Li Xuanba answered, “But I’m lazy. I wish I could lie flat and do nothing. Can you? Right, Second Brother?”

Li Shimin, who was nearby gnawing on some fruit, looked up and gave them a ‘What are you talking about? I didn’t hear a thing’ expression.

When Changsun Wuji came back from his memories, he chuckled silently.

He muttered under his breath, “Li San, Li San—you really do understand me.”

Since he could never become that single most powerful person “beneath one man,” Changsun Wuji felt much more at ease.

“This is a rare talent—we must firmly tie him to my brother-in-law.”

Changsun Wuji made his decision at once.

He first praised Li Jing within his own army, saying that Li Jing had always been Li Shimin’s man, that he had endured in silence for a long time, and that this time he had finally astonished everyone in one spectacular move.

Then, when speaking to the officials from Shu who had come to welcome them, he brought up the Battle of Yanmen Pass—how the former emperor Yang Guang had been beaten to the point of wailing in panic, and how the brothers Li Erlang and Li Sanlang had joined forces to rout the Turks. It was at that time, he said, that the deputy magistrate of Mayi Commandery, Li Jing, had become close friends with Li Er and Li San.

“Although my lord sent him to Shu, it was only because he thought Li Jing could temporarily stabilize the Shu Commandery governor. I was supposed to be the real envoy. Who would have thought I’d end up just riding along to share in the credit?” Changsun Wuji laughed loudly and said to Li Shou. “Fortunately, you are my lord’s uncle, and I am my lord’s wife’s elder brother. We don’t need to earn any merit to enjoy wealth and honor.”

Li Shou had been a little disgruntled at first, but upon hearing this, he stroked his beard and laughed. “That’s true.”

He no longer felt bothered.

Li Jing had earned such great merit because he needed achievements to obtain a title. As for himself, in the future he could do absolutely nothing and still hold a princely rank. There was indeed no need to compete with others for credit.

A talent like Li Jing serving under Erlang was a good thing. It meant the Li family was one step closer to ruling the world.

Thanks to Changsun Wuji’s energetic promotion, everyone—whether in Shu Commandery or among the people he had brought with him—accepted the idea that Li Jing was a close friend of Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, and had always been one of Li Shimin’s trusted confidants.

When Li Jing learned that he had suddenly become a “close friend” of Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, he was stunned.

Chai Shao asked in confusion, “So you already knew Li Erlang and Li Sanlang?”

Li Jing was silent for a moment, then sighed. “Unfortunately, I never had the chance to make their acquaintance.”

Chai Shao was even more puzzled. Never had? But Changsun Wuji… ah, he understood.

Chai Shao was no fool; of course he grasped the implication behind Changsun Wuji’s public declarations.

Smiling, he cupped his hands to Li Jing in congratulations. “Changsun Silang is Li Erlang’s wife’s elder brother. What he says and does represents Li Erlang’s intentions. Since he rushed to draw you into Li Erlang’s camp, from now on you truly are Li Erlang’s trusted confidant.”

Li Jing smiled faintly and returned the salute.

Lowering his hands, he reminded Chai Shao, “Although the Marquis of Guanjun is the brother-in-law of the Duke of Julu, in public the Duke of Julu should still address him as ‘my lord.’”

Chai Shao sighed. “‘My lord’… then what about my father-in-law?”

Li Jing said, “If my lord were not so young, would it have been the Tang Duke’s turn to claim the throne? The realm was originally my lord’s. It’s only because the Tang Duke is his father that he had no choice but to step back. But no matter how much my lord yields, the position of ruler of the realm is something he cannot yield.”

Chai Shao replied, “I know. Li Erlang already controls nearly a third of the empire. If he doesn’t become emperor, which emperor could possibly tolerate him?”

He smiled, then cupped his hands to Li Jing once more. “I understand now. Thank you for the guidance, Yaoshi. When Changsun Silang arrives, I’ll also address Li Erlang as ‘my lord.’”

Li Jing nodded.

Chai Shao was no fool. It seemed he could continue to maintain a good relationship with Chai Shao in the future.

Although he could not form cliques for personal gain, he still needed one or two close friends at court—otherwise, standing alone would be difficult. As an imperial relative with both ability and virtue, Chai Shao was one of the best possible choices.

Of course, Li Jing did not approve of Chai Shao as a friend merely because of his status. Friends and allies were different. Over the past few months, he had genuinely come to recognize Chai Shao as a person.

When persuading the Shu Commandery governor to surrender, Chai Shao had contributed greatly. Aside from the flaw of saying “I miss my wife” dozens of times a day, there was little to criticize in the way Chai Shao conducted himself.

Li Jing also often discussed military strategy with Chai Shao, and the conversations were extremely satisfying. Although Chai Shao had never commanded troops before, Li Jing could tell that he would be capable of leading soldiers well.

Though the two traveled together, they had actually remained wary of each other.

Now that everything was settled and they truly became colleagues, they finally let down their guard, and their friendship advanced by leaps and bounds.

Li Jing advised Chai Shao that in the future he must treat Li Shimin with proper ruler–subject etiquette. Li Yuan’s power was now far inferior to Li Shimin’s; he could not suppress Li Shimin. There was no room for a “neutral” stance among the officials—once one chose a side, one had to choose clearly and decisively, without wavering.

Chai Shao, in turn, reminded Li Jing not to focus solely on Li Shimin. The sickly strategist Li Xuanba, hidden behind Li Shimin, was of crucial importance.

Li Jing asked curiously, “I’ve heard of Li Sanlang’s talent, but I don’t know what his temperament is like in private.”

Chai Shao’s expression turned nostalgic. “Li Sanlang… he’s probably like one of those unorthodox, rebellious eccentrics from the Wei–Jin period.”

…

“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!” Li Xuanba sneezed three times in a row, then shuddered violently.

He felt an intense wave of malice!

Li Shimin was startled by the sneezing. He sprang up from the couch barefoot, jumped to the floor, and rushed next door to fetch an outer robe for Li Xuanba.

Li Xuanba stretched out both arms to refuse the thick robe, like a puffed-up cat rejecting anyone who came near.

“It’s so hot—are you trying to give me heat rash?!”

Li Shimin said, “You’re sneezing! You must have caught a chill!”

Li Xuanba replied, “No. Someone must be speaking ill of me—very maliciously ill of me!”

Li Shimin looked suspicious. “How malicious can it be??”

Li Xuanba said, “No idea.”

Li Shimin asked, “Who’s badmouthing you? Jieli Khagan? Li Jiancheng?”

Li Xuanba rolled his eyes. “How would I know?”

Li Shimin circled his brother twice. “Not sneezing anymore?”

Li Xuanba said, “Not anymore.”

His nose still itched a little, but he held it in.

Li Shimin finally relaxed. He tossed the robe back onto the couch and, not caring about the dust on his feet, sat cross-legged again and continued working.

After executing Liang Shidu’s entire family, although the surrendered generals and soldiers were unsettled, the common people of Shuofang Commandery seemed to have been infused with a soul, becoming lively and energetic. The once lifeless Shuofang Commandery finally showed signs of vitality.

Li Xuanba’s cruel act of desecrating corpses spread far and wide. News of his brutality traveled thousands of miles—so much so that even refugees hiding in the mountains had heard of Li Xuanba’s fearsome reputation.

They all went down the mountain to pledge themselves to the Champion Marquis, willing to receive land in Shuofang Commandery and return to being farmers.

Oh—now he was no longer the Champion Marquis with his strategist brother, but the Prince of Longxi and his brother, the Prince of Taiyuan.

Even with the same rank of nobility, different titles signified different levels of status.

For example, princely titles often used the names of states from the Spring and Autumn or Warring States periods. Among them, “Qin” and “Jin” were in a class of their own—generally granted to legitimate second sons or meritorious eldest sons born of concubines, who would be made Prince of Qin or Prince of Jin. Below “Qin” and “Jin” came the remaining six major Warring States plus “Han”; after that were the various Spring and Autumn states.

Both Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were commandery princes. Li Shimin’s title was “Longxi,” encompassing an entire circuit, while Li Xuanba’s was merely “Taiyuan,” a single commandery. Thus, although their formal rank was the same, Li Shimin’s status was slightly higher.

Once news spread across the realm that the two brothers had been enfeoffed as commandery princes, everyone understood which of the brothers was the true leader.

Still, having a title was better than having none. Li Xuanba, too, gained many followers. Some even harbored ulterior motives, subtly hinting that they could help Li Xuanba seize power.

Li Xuanba accepted everyone without discrimination. As long as they were capable, no matter what motives they had, he assigned them work heavy enough to keep them fully occupied.

For example: re-registering the household records of Shuofang Commandery, or rebuilding Wuyuan and Yulin Commanderies.

Li Xuanba complained to Li Shimin, “These people are just too idle. Once they’re so busy their feet barely touch the ground, they won’t have the energy to sow discord.”

Li Shimin laughed until he doubled over.

The civil officials dispatched from Longxi had not yet arrived, and with the growing number of commoners and scholars coming to join them, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba—despite now bearing the title of commandery princes—could not immediately leave Shuofang.

They had to arrange summer replanting, ensuring there would be a harvest before winter, before they could leave Shuofang with peace of mind.

Li Shimin remained stationed in Shuofang, overseeing all affairs and receiving the scholars who came to offer their service. Li Xuanba dumped all the social obligations onto his second brother, then rode across Shuofang on horseback. Taking along the remaining clansmen of Yuwen Kai, he used his rudimentary knowledge of natural science to guide them in digging canals, building waterwheels, and constructing small-scale irrigation works.

Shuofang Commandery lay beside what would later be the Mu Us Desert.

Because of excessive grazing during the Northern Dynasties, land that had once been rich in water and grass suffered severe soil erosion. By the time of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, this region already had shifting sand dunes and was turning into desert.

The climate here was dry. Li Xuanba had originally thought that finding places to grow millet and beans would already be good enough, and that in the long run they might have to return to pastoralism and avoid excessive cultivation. After surveying the land in person, however, he discovered that although Shuofang had little rainfall, it possessed the richest water resources in the surrounding area and was actually very suitable for agriculture.

Li Xuanba did not know that Shuofang corresponded to Jingbian County of modern Yulin City, with six rivers—the Luh River, Hei River, Xingzi River, Hongliu River, Dali River, and Zhou River—and thirty-five reservoirs, making it the most water-rich area in Shaanxi Province.

But even without scientific statistics, just by observing the abundance of rivers, Li Xuanba could infer as much.

Unfortunately, Shuofang’s terrain was relatively fragmented, mostly hills and ravines. Otherwise, even rice could have been grown.

In later times, Jingbian County’s primary crop was corn suited to mountainous terrain, followed by various tubers. Only in scattered river valleys with good land was rice grown, while wheat—common in northern drylands—was planted less. The terrain constrained agricultural development.

Although Li Xuanba knew little about agronomy, he did know that hillsides were probably best suited for corn and potatoes.

Once the realm was pacified, he would need to raise funds to go to the Americas.

The climate was currently in a warm period, with little pack ice in the Bering Strait. By establishing supply points along the northern land route and gradually pushing forward, he should be able, within his lifetime, to reach South America and obtain corn and potatoes.

South American agricultural civilizations were highly developed, and corn and potatoes were already well domesticated. Although Li Xuanba did not know how to farm, the South American states were still slave societies—he could simply buy more slaves who knew how to farm and bring them back.

For now, all he could do was build rudimentary irrigation facilities and plant as much rice as possible wherever conditions allowed.

Rice yielded more than millet or beans, so the more he could plant, the better.

Li Xuanba also visited the area that would later become the Mu Us Desert. At present, there was still pasture there, suitable for grazing.

When the Sui dynasty was strong, Shuofang was inhabited by a mix of Han and non-Han peoples, and many commoners practiced animal husbandry.

Li Xuanba enclosed land to build horse pastures and hired people in Shuofang to raise horses.

Zhangye also had horse pastures. The Shandan Military Horse Ranch established by Huo Qubing in the Hexi Corridor remained one of the Central Plains dynasty’s main horse-breeding grounds even now. When Li Shimin skipped work, eight or nine times out of ten he could be found wandering around the Shandan Horse Ranch.

But Hexi was far from the Central Plains. When his second brother marched into the heartland in the future, there should also be a horse ranch in Shaanxi.

As for desertification, aside from instructing rotational grazing and sowing grass seeds, Li Xuanba had little else he could do. He didn’t know much.

In any case, future generations would clean up the mess. He remembered that in his previous life the Mu Us Desert had almost disappeared—there was no reason not to trust posterity.

After Li Xuanba had arranged everything in Shuofang, Liu Heng finally arrived, fashionably late.

By then, Li Shimin had already taken Lingwu Commandery, Yanchuan Commandery, Yan’an Commandery, and other areas around Shuofang. If Liu Heng had delayed any longer, Li Shimin would have been heading toward the vicinity of Taiyuan Commandery.

Li Xuanba followed behind Li Shimin, panting as he organized household registers. Exhausted, he finally snapped one day, ran to the front lines, beat his brother up, and ordered him to slow the offensive and wait for people from Longyou to arrive. Otherwise, what was the point of conquering territory with no one to govern it?

Liu Heng arrived at just the right moment. After Li Xuanba dragged his second brother around to appoint commandery governors and county magistrates, Li Shimin granted Liu Heng the title of Grand Commander, and the two brothers promptly dropped everything and ran off.

Liu Heng was left utterly bewildered, buried in paperwork.

When Liu Heng finally clawed his way out of the documents, after staying up several nights to read them all, he nearly wanted to grab a sword and chase down Li Xuanba.

“Li Third Young Master, what is wrong with you?! We’ve only just started conquering the realm, and you’re already building irrigation works and horse ranches? Can’t these things wait until the world is pacified?! Grain and manpower should be prioritized for warfare!”

But Li Xuanba had already completed half the work. Liu Heng could only continue; otherwise, all the previous expenditures would be wasted.

What barely comforted Liu Heng was that everything Li Xuanba had arranged was done within their means. Tightening their belts, it could still be accomplished—though manpower was insufficient, and he now had to do the work of many people alone.

Huh?

So that’s why Li San ran so fast?!

Liu Heng was both furious and exhausted. His vision went black and he almost fainted.

“A-Xuan, do you think we might have wronged Liu Jiali a bit?”

“Second Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? You entrusted him with such an important responsibility—he should be thanking us.”

“Alright then.”

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba dumped a massive pile of work and headed straight for the Western Capital.

Wei Xuan, the acting governor left in charge of the Western Capital, was practically dragged out by the city’s nobles and officials to greet them, inviting the Prince of Longxi and the Prince of Taiyuan into the city.

The nobles and officials of the Western Capital said that Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were commandery princes personally enfeoffed by the Sui emperor. Since the imperial grandson had been lost and there wasn’t a single member of the Sui imperial clan left in the city, of course they could only welcome these two princes to come to Daxing and take charge.

Wei Xuan cried so hard he could barely breathe.

Your Majesty, you are utterly muddle-headed!