LFHYB -Chapter 187 Persuading Yao Junsu Alone

Hongnong County was very close to Hedong County, separated only by the Yellow River.

Yao Junsu was fully defending against Li Yuan but had not set up defenses along the riverbank. Yang Daoxuan hadn’t brought a large army to Hedong County; only a few hundred guards accompanied him. The sentries Yao Junsu stationed along the riverbank saw Yang Daoxuan but didn’t stop him—they simply informed Yao Junsu in advance.

Yao Junsu knew that the Sui royal family had little hope of recovery and also knew that the young emperor had hoped to entrust the country to Prince Qin Li Shimin before his self-immolation. The Sui royals had no chance of restoring their dynasty, so they might want to play along, hoping that by surrendering he could give Li Shimin a gesture of allegiance.

But Yao Junsu did not want to become that token of allegiance.

He knew the Sui had fallen, yet the young emperor had died loyal to Sui, so he could not betray his late benefactor, Yang Guang.

Still, Yang Daoxuan was of Sui royal blood.

Yang Guang’s brothers and nephews were either killed by him or fell with him in Jiangdu—he even feared his young nephews. Except for killing the son of the biggest threat, Yang Yong, the rest had been kept close.

Yang Daoxuan was the grandson of Sui Wendi Yang Xian’s brother. While his blood relation to the current emperor was distant, he was now the most suitable candidate for the throne.

Yang Daoxuan wanted to persuade Yao Junsu to surrender; Yao Junsu, in turn, hoped to persuade Yang Daoxuan to establish himself and continue fighting for the Sui together.

With that in mind, Yao Junsu opened the city gates personally to welcome Yang Daoxuan.

He greeted Yang Daoxuan warmly, only to notice something off about his expression.

Yang Daoxuan… hmm, he seemed to be sweating quite a bit on his forehead. Was it because of the heat?

Yang Daoxuan requested a private discussion with Yao Junsu. Yao Junsu led him to the study.

Yao Junsu stayed alone in the study, but Yang Daoxuan brought a frail guard.

He didn’t pay it much mind at first, thinking Yang Daoxuan feared his strength and needed protection. Only, the guard was too thin—could he really protect Yang Daoxuan?

Once the study door was closed but the window opened to prevent eavesdropping, Yang Daoxuan suddenly stood by the couch.

The frail guard sat on the couch.

Yao Junsu frowned.

Li Xuanba bowed slightly: “The young lord disguised as a commoner comes to pay respects to the Hedong Prefect. Forgive my rudeness.”

Yang Daoxuan grumbled inwardly: you are indeed rude, not even willing to stand properly.

Though Li Xuanba’s status didn’t require him to show excessive respect, they were on Yao Junsu’s turf. What if Yao Junsu felt insulted and struck at Li Xuanba?

Yang Daoxuan gripped his sword tighter, sweat streaming down further. He wasn’t sure he could block Yao Junsu.

Yao Junsu’s frown deepened, then he relaxed slightly.

He didn’t bow to Li Xuanba but spoke coldly: “Prince of Jin, did you come to ambush me, cut off my head, and make Hedong County surrender?”

Li Xuanba shook his head: “No need. The Sui has fallen, yet you not only want to die loyal to Sui yourself, you also want to drag Hedong County down with it. I don’t believe you didn’t realize the large supplies you bought from the ‘merchant’ came from Wagang Village.”

He lifted his chin slightly: “I also don’t believe you didn’t guess that Wagang Village, which suddenly abandoned Luoyang, had already submitted to my brother.”

Yao Junsu clenched his fists: “The late emperor did the people of Hedong County a great favor. It is their duty and loyalty to die for him! Hmph. People say Li Shimin and Li Xuanba are loyal ministers of the Sui, yet you collude with Wagang Village. I see you were rebels all along!”

Yang Daoxuan felt sweat trickling down his forehead.

Li Sanlang, you were supposed to persuade him, right? Why are you provoking him now? If Yao Junsu suddenly attacked, I might not be able to stop him!

He remembered Chen Tieniu being fed croton oil by Li Xuanba and collapsing in the toilet before being tied up, he remembered Zong Luohu crying from Hongnong County to Hedong County while mingling with his guards, and he remembered Pei Xingyan at the Hongnong County gate waving a small handkerchief in farewell—possibly his brain scrambled from his father’s beatings…

Yang Daoxuan regretted it—truly, deeply regretted it.

Why hadn’t he firmly refused the position of Governor of Hongnong Commandery? No, he shouldn’t have allowed himself to be morally pressured by his clan in the first place to help defend and govern Hongnong.

If he hadn’t given in to their moral coercion, he wouldn’t have gone to welcome Li Xuanba. He wouldn’t have been pressured again by Li Xuanba into becoming Governor of Hongnong. And he certainly wouldn’t have been tricked by Li Xuanba into “personally persuading Yao Junsu to surrender.”

Now, Yang Daoxuan despised his former self who, upon receiving this assignment, had merely complained inwardly that “this mission is a bit dangerous.”

He should have acted more righteous and resolute, insisting on going alone.

He would rather have gone without a single guard than brought Li Xuanba along!

Where is Li Shimin? Come save me! Your little brother didn’t bring an army to Hedong, and even provoked Yao Junsu with his words—do you know that?!

---

Just as Li Shimin arrived at the main camp of Wagang Stronghold and was cheerfully inspecting the grain supplies at Luokou Granary, he suddenly sneezed loudly.

Rubbing his nose, he said to Qin Qiong, “I wonder what kind of bad things A-Xuan is up to now.”

Qin Qiong said nothing.

Even you, his twin brother, don’t know—how could I? The strategist does plenty of bad things.

Li Shimin shared the same thought and sighed.

“Forget it. A-Xuan does so many questionable things that even I don’t know how many pieces he’s placed across the realm. Other strategists place one chess piece at a time—he just dumps the whole jar all over the board. I often wonder if that even counts as strategy. What’s more confusing is… it actually works.”

As he spoke, he began laughing.

“With him throwing pieces around like that, he still gets called ‘infallible in his plans’? How is that ‘leaving nothing unaccounted for’?”

Gao Biaoren interjected, “If it’s all calculated by His Eminence, then it counts as ‘infallible.’”

Li Shimin chuckled. “Alright, I’ll accept that. I just wonder who A-Xuan plans to ‘calculate’ this time.”

Gao Biaoren said, “Isn’t His Eminence going to persuade Yao Junsu to surrender?”

Li Shimin stroked his short beard and nodded.

“Oh, right. I wonder how he’ll do that. Hahaha. Knowing his personality, he’ll probably scold Yao Junsu first and anger him so much that he wants to beat him up. But with Chen Tieniu and Zong Luohe around, Yao Junsu probably won’t succeed.”

Gao Biaoren and Qin Qiong thought the same.

But they never expected that they had only guessed half of it.

---

In the study of the Hedong Governor’s Residence, after listening to Yao Junsu’s furious rebuke, Li Xuanba merely gave him a mocking smile.

He said leisurely,

“Governor Yao has followed the late emperor for many years and probably never suffered hardship. But even the late emperor once complained that the corpses of laborers by the roadside were an eyesore. You can’t be so blind that you never saw what even he saw.”

“I’m really curious. Whether it was digging canals or building palaces, constructing dragon boats or the Great Wall, not to mention the three disastrous campaigns against Goguryeo—the burden of corvée labor was enormous. Hedong is so close to the Eastern Capital; it must have suffered the worst.”

He sneered.

“Where is the late emperor’s kindness toward the people of Hedong? In mass graves? Oh—those who died from exhaustion and illness probably didn’t even make it there. They just turned into dry bones by the roadside.”

Yao Junsu stood up and shouted angrily, “Li Xuanba! You—”

Li Xuanba cut him off with a cold laugh.

“As for ‘loyal ministers of the Great Sui’… Hmph. When my second brother and I were still children accompanying the emperor on his southern tour, we advised him not to overwork the laborers. Did you ever remonstrate against his harmful policies?”

“When His Majesty failed in his campaign against Tuyuhun, my brother and I, to repay his grace, led only a few hundred retainers to assassinate Murong Fuyun, cutting off Tuyuhun’s chance of revival. Did you ever relieve His Majesty’s worries?”

He stood as well. Though Yao Junsu was half a head taller, Li Xuanba held his head high, while Yao’s unconsciously lowered.

“Later, when His Majesty was trapped in Yanmen, my brother and I rushed thousands of miles to rescue him. With just a few thousand men, I forced Shibi Khan’s hundreds of thousands to retreat. My brother, without any imperial support, went deep into the Turkic camp and captured two khans in one battle.”

“We not only saved the emperor, but also wiped away the humiliation Sui suffered at the hands of the Turks.”

“Where were you then?” Li Xuanba sneered.

“You neither dared to remonstrate against his mistakes, nor could you ease his troubles, nor bring glory to Sui. Compared to our loyalty, are you worthy? Or is flattery enough to count as loyalty?”

“If so, then history has wronged many traitors and sycophants—they were the greatest loyalists of all.”

Yao Junsu’s face flushed crimson as he stepped forward.

Yang Daoxuan hurriedly stepped in front of Li Xuanba and shouted, “Step back!”

From behind him, Li Xuanba continued,

“As Governor of Hedong, you know the people’s suffering yet disregard their lives, insisting they die alongside a tyrant—you are inhumane.”

“As a close minister, you neither remonstrate nor achieve merit, only talk grandly—you are disloyal.”

“The Great Sui is already dead. My cousin, for the last dignity of the imperial house, entrusted the realm to my second brother Li Shimin, just as King Ziying of Qin entrusted the empire to Liu Bang.”

“All the Sui royal clan supports my brother. They will have a place in the new court, and the imperial bloodline will not be cut off.”

“But you want to persuade Yang Daoxuan to become emperor, dragging all the royal clans to their deaths, erasing every branch of your patron’s family.”

“And now you claim loyalty to Sui? Ha! Loyal to what?”

“To tarnishing the young emperor’s final noble act? To forcing the surviving royal clan onto a dead end?”

“Or are you waiting for the people of Hedong, driven to cannibalism by famine, to finally behead you—so your ‘loyalty’ can be fulfilled?”

Yao Junsu stepped forward again.

Startled, Yang Daoxuan struck him on the head with his sheathed sword.

To his surprise, Yao Junsu neither dodged nor blocked. Blood burst from his forehead.

With his face covered in blood, Yao Junsu roared: “Then what should I do?! What am I supposed to do?! How can I act in a way worthy of my late lord and of the world?!”

He roared and roared, and tears overflowed from his eyes, mixing with the blood on his face into a stream of bloody tears.

After his furious roar, Yao Junsu’s head sank even lower, and his tall frame seemed to hunch.

His back bent little by little, his knees bent little by little, as if being hammered down gradually by a giant mallet, twisted and painfully kneeling on the ground.

“What can I do?” Yao Junsu cried. “I know the late emperor erred, but I cannot admonish him; I know the people are innocent, but I cannot save them; I wish to repay the emperor’s grace, yet my strength is limited; the Sui has already fallen, and I should have followed the late sovereign in death, but I cannot bear that everyone in the world calls the late emperor a tyrant and a fool, with not a single person remembering him…”

Li Xuanba said coldly, “You know the late emperor oppressed and harmed the people, yet you still want the people to remember him. Why?”

Yao Junsu only cried and did not reply.

He certainly knew the “why,” and he had asked himself the same question.

But he was a man blindly loyal to Yang Guang; he knew it was wrong, yet he would do it anyway.

Yao Junsu told his subordinates that when Hedong Commandery could no longer hold out, they could behead him and surrender to someone else—but he himself would not.

He knew the Sui had already fallen; the Sui emperor had long since lost the hearts of the people.

He knew everything.

He just couldn’t act.

Now Li Xuanba had torn everything open. Originally, he wanted to kill Li Xuanba to vent his anger.

Yes, he knew that killing Li Xuanba now would be useless. The emperor of the realm was Li Shimin; Li Xuanba was only Li Shimin’s brother. Now that Li Shimin’s power was established, Li Xuanba was insignificant.

Killing Li Xuanba would be pure venting—simply because he did not want this “traitor minister” to continue living.

But Li Xuanba appeared before him, scolding Yao Junsu as the real traitor, and claiming that he himself was the true loyal minister of the Sui.

He had advised, fought for, and saved the emperor; even after Yang Guang died and Li Yuan had rebelled, he did not raise the banner of treason against the Sui. Instead, he defended the borders, repelled the Turks, and suppressed the crazed bandits rising in the Central Plains.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba could honestly say that they had been loyal to the Sui, loyal to the emperor, and loyal to the people.

Even the young Sui emperor believed Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had served him faithfully, issuing an imperial edict before the city fell to entrust the realm to Li Shimin.

The ministers of the Luoyang court agreed with the young emperor’s edict, showing that they too believed Li Shimin could inherit the Sui dynasty, just as Han Gaozu Liu Bang inherited the realm after Qin.

And now, in going against the world’s current, was he really a loyal minister of the Sui, not a traitor?

Yao Junsu, who had always been steadfast in his loyalty to the late sovereign, now wavered.

Was he really not a traitor? Was he truly acting for the Sui and the emperor?

Yao Junsu lifted his head, his face completely covered with blood and tears. “Your Highness the Prince of Jin, why risk entering the city to advise me? You should have stayed outside and let me bring about my own ruin.”

Li Xuanba stepped over Yang Daoxuan, who was frozen in shock from seeing Yao Junsu’s bloodied face.

He half-squatted, half-kneeling in front of Yao Junsu, using his sleeve to wipe the blood from Yao Junsu’s face so he could see clearly and meet his gaze.

“I truly do not care whether you live or die, but I care about the lives of the people of Hedong Commandery,” Li Xuanba said coldly. “I’ve made it clear: the people of Hedong Commandery have already paid the price for the late emperor’s obsession with grandeur and luxury—men are dead, most women are dead or injured, only the elderly and weak remain in the city. And yet, with all this land, you do not even have enough grain.”

Li Xuanba stood up, brushing his half-bloodied sleeve. “If you wish to die for the Sui, go ahead—but the people of Hedong Commandery cannot die with you. For that, I am willing to go alone into danger. This is my last loyalty to the Sui. And you?”

Yao Junsu was silent for a long moment, then kowtowed. “I…”

The wound on his forehead ached, but Yao Junsu only felt numb.

“I am willing to surrender.”

Blood and tears covered his face once more.

Li Xuanba said calmly, “Good.”

Yang Daoxuan, dazed, followed Li Xuanba’s glance, hastily dropping his sword and helping Yao Junsu to his feet.

Yao Junsu’s mind was dazed, his face pale with a deathly look.

Li Xuanba’s words severed Yao Junsu’s desire to drag others to die for the Sui, but strengthened his own resolve to die for the Sui.

It was as if only this way could his long-held ideals remain intact.

If Yao Junsu surrendered for the sake of the people of Hedong, while Li Xuanba died for the Sui, his future reputation might even surpass that of the historical “Last Loyal Minister of the Sui, Yao Junsu.”

But Li Xuanba was not a man to care for empty fame.

Living was painful; dying might bring ease and reputation? Nothing was that simple.

Because Yao Junsu was a die-hard loyalist to the Sui, he would never ally with nobles. As long as he had not harmed the people, Li Xuanba would not let him die.

The strategy described by Master Gao, of propping up Sui imperial clan members as a political force, also required loyalists like Yao Junsu to contribute.

Li Xuanba approached Yao Junsu and whispered into his ear: “Yang Tong and Yang You have already been saved by me and live anonymously in Zhangye. In the future, they will enter the court as descendants of the Hongnong Yang clan. They will have new lives. But I fear ambitious men may exploit them, disrupting the peace that my second brother and I worked hard to secure. If you truly owe the late emperor, live well and protect the last bloodline of the late sovereign.”

The deathly pallor on Yao Junsu’s face vanished, and he stared at Li Xuanba in disbelief.

Yang Daoxuan thought, “…Perhaps Li Xuanba’s rescue of Yang You and Yang Tong wasn’t purely altruistic.”

Li Xuanba raised a finger to his lips, then pushed open the door, preparing to take control of Hedong Commandery as Prince of Jin.

Yao Junsu turned to Yang Daoxuan with difficulty, as if he were looking at a wooden doll.

Yang Daoxuan slightly nodded, his voice barely audible: “The Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin are indeed loyal ministers of the Sui.”

Yao Junsu wept like a torrential rain, choking back his sobs.

He pulled his hand from Yang Daoxuan’s supportive grip on his arm, slowly but resolutely knelt down, and slammed his forehead toward the direction Li Xuanba had left.

One knock, two knocks, three… tears streamed like rain, blood flowed like a river.

“I am willing to surrender! I am willing to surrender! I—I am willing to surrender!”

“Thank you, Prince Jin! Thank you, Prince Qin!”

“Thank you… thank you… thank you, sob sob sob…”

Yao Junsu collapsed, crying helplessly, while Yang Daoxuan sighed endlessly.

He hadn’t expected that there were truly people loyal to Yang Guang—people willing to die for him, and also willing to survive for him.

For a petty, heartless, ungrateful, ruthless tyrant like Yang Guang, it was shocking that he still had loyal subjects. Was there any justice in the world?

Yang Daoxuan cursed inwardly but felt only wry pity—he wasn’t moved in the slightest.

Yao Taishou (Governor Yao) was confused. Yang Guang truly didn’t deserve this!

Yet Yao Junsu had received Yang Guang’s favors all his life, and he believed Yang Guang was worthy.

After Li Xuanba’s furious scolding, Yao Junsu surrendered, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

The soldiers and civilians of Hedong Commandery heaved a sigh of relief.

The Sui Dynasty had fallen; even Luoyang had been taken. They really didn’t want to die alongside the Sui.

But Yao Junsu had indeed been a good governor—fair to both soldiers and civilians, a rare clean force in this chaotic era. So, unless Hedong Commandery were pushed to utter desperation, where people might turn on each other to survive, the soldiers and civilians would not betray Yao Junsu.

Historically, this was also the case: after Yang Guang died, Hedong Commandery’s grain ran out, and when soldiers and civilians began to eat each other, subordinates finally beheaded Yao Junsu to surrender. Before that, Yao Junsu had suggested that his subordinates kill him to surrender for the Sui.

Yao Junsu had truly fulfilled all duties toward Yang Guang, which earned him praise from the Tang court.

But Li Xuanba did not want Hedong Commandery to descend into a human disaster just because of Yao Junsu’s loyalty.

Later, Zhang Xun in the Battle of Suiyang “ate people to defend the city,” holding Suiyang for thirteen months with Central Plains and Jiangnan at his back. If he hadn’t held, millions of civilians would have perished.

Suiyang had tens of thousands of people, yet Zhang Xun had fewer than seven thousand soldiers. By the end, only hundreds survived, yet not a single subordinate betrayed him. Even though he “ate people,” the civilians still fought to the death alongside him. It was tragic, yet heroic.

Later generations both cursed and revered Zhang Xun.

But Yao Junsu “eating people to defend the city” would have been entirely unnecessary.

Hedong Commandery could not save the Sui. Moreover, it faced a more benevolent and righteous ruler than the Sui emperor. Defending the city would only be Yao Junsu’s personal “loyalty,” bringing no benefit to the world or the people.

Li Xuanba did not intend to glorify such a person.

“Third Young Master, what if Yao Junsu really kills you?” Zong Luohu cried, his body trembling like a quail thrown into water, utterly pitiful.

He thought that when the master returned, he would be hung upside down from a tree.

As for Chen Tieniu, he guessed someone would ask again, “Were you killed in battle?”

Li Xuanba said, “I’m certain he won’t kill me. Since he is a loyal minister of the Sui, how could he kill someone who is even more loyal to the Sui than he is? I’ve planted many spies in Hedong Commandery. He has always admired me and Second Brother, treating us as role models.”

Li Xuanba sighed. “It looks risky, but truly, there’s no danger. So don’t go tattle-taling to Second Brother.”

Zong Luohu continued crying. I don’t believe it!

Whether Zong Luohu believed it or not, and no matter how sour-faced Chen Tieniu looked, Li Xuanba didn’t care.

He was now the commander; not a single complaint could reach outside. Zong Luohu and Chen Tieniu would have to wait for Second Brother to arrive to complain in person. By then, it would be too late, and Second Brother wouldn’t be too angry.

Moreover, Hedong Commandery had already surrendered, and the road to Taiyuan Commandery was open. Soon he could hide behind his mother; Second Brother was not a threat.

After spending a day organizing Hedong Commandery, the capable Li Xuanba handed over follow-up affairs to Yang Daoxuan and personally led troops to Taiyuan Commandery.

Hedong Commandery was still a distance from Taiyuan Commandery. As Li Xuanba marched north, along the way Jiang Commandery, Linfen Commandery, Longquan Commandery, and Lishi Commandery all opened their gates to surrender.

The subordinates in Longquan and Lishi Commanderies felt rather wronged.

When Li Shimin had crushed Liang Shidu and campaigned north and south, he had already conquered Yan’an Commandery. Longquan and Lishi were only separated by the Yellow River.

The officials and gentry of the two commanderies had already been prepared to surrender. Who knew Li Xuanba would run to the front lines and drag his Second Brother back?

The officials and gentry of Longquan and Lishi still remained restrained at the time. Since Li Shimin hadn’t come, they would not shamelessly offer their cities.

Li Shimin’s father, Li Yuan, was still in Taiyuan Commandery. He granted over a thousand positions to the cities, but they hadn’t supported him. Li Shimin gave them no benefits—how could they surrender directly?

Now they felt regretful and aggrieved.

Those thousand-plus official posts would surely never be realized. How could they compare to following the future emperor early and becoming half of the “founding elites”?

Back then, when Li Shimin was about to reach their gates, he only held Longxi, and Guanzhong hadn’t fully submitted. If they had surrendered to him, they would have been half veteran-level figures.

How did Li Shimin get dragged away by Li Xuanba?!

Now… well, better than nothing. At least half the country remained unconquered; they still had a chance to achieve glory with the new emperor.

When Li Xuanba left Lishi Commandery for neighboring Taiyuan Commandery, Li Shimin had already taken control of Qilu and was sending reports of attacks against Dou Jiande’s southern stronghold to Shanxi.

The new governor of Lishi Commandery showed a relieved smile.

Luckily, I surrendered quickly this time. Even faster than Qilu!

“Next, most of the counties should surrender at the mere rumor. There won’t be many tough battles left for Second Brother.”

Li Xuanba calculated quietly: Luo Yi, holding Yan territory, was an opportunist. After a few more victories by Second Brother, he would surely come to surrender. Yuwen Shi couldn’t defeat Dou Jiande; his end was near. Du Fuwei was entrusted to Li Jing. The “God of War of the Tang Army” surely wouldn’t disappoint.

As for Liu Wuzhou, Wei Dao’er, and other fragmented rebel kings who had nominally submitted to the Turks, they were mere trifles.

The only real concern was Dou Jiande… Well, at this point, Dou Jiande’s reputation for benevolence and righteousness was even weaker than Wang Bo’s, who had already “set sail.” The new leader of Wang Bo’s righteous army was Wei Zheng, and since Wei Zheng submitted to the Second Brother, the mantle of righteousness was inherited by him. With Wei Zheng caring for the people, and Second Brother striking Dou Jiande’s old stronghold before Dou returned, there wasn’t much to worry about.

Poor Dou Jiande. Hopefully, he would see reason, surrender quickly, and perhaps one day become one of the famed ministers of the Tang Dynasty, competing alongside the many proud ministers and formidable generals.

Thinking along those lines, the only real trouble…

Li Xuanba dismounted and bowed formally, then looked up.

Li Yuan’s expression was as solemn as still water, his face weary. “Third Son, you’ve finally come.”

Li Xuanba: “Your son comes too late to save his father… Mother?”

Li Yuan remained silent, a hint of embarrassment flickering across his face.

Although Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had already conquered most of the empire, they still did not come to aid Taiyuan Commandery. After successive battles, Li Yuan’s strength was exhausted; he held out in Taiyuan, unwilling to leave the city for some time.

Anxious beyond measure, he finally heeded the advice of Li Jiancheng and his father-in-law—placing Lady Dou and Aunt Wan under house arrest, using filial piety to coerce his three sons to come to the rescue.

Even though the three sons had long since lost affection for him, they surely still cared for their biological mother.

Yet, as soon as Li Yuan ordered Lady Dou and Lady Wan confined, both fell ill. Before half a day had passed, Li Xuanba had already arrived—before even sending a single letter.

This created quite the awkward situation.

“Your mother… caught a slight cold and is resting,” Li Yuan hesitated briefly before answering.

Li Xuanba’s gaze shifted to Li Jiancheng beside Li Yuan.

“Back then, when Li Yuanji falsely accused me, you went along with his slander and harmed me; the Hedong Prefecture official Ding Rong didn’t believe Li Yuanji’s lies, letting you come to find me and take Li Zhiyun away from Hedong—but you fled on your own, not caring in the slightest for your younger brother’s life.” Li Xuanba sneered. “Fine, that’s just how you are; I never expected anything from you. But Li Jiancheng, you secretly raised troops, damaging Father’s reputation and wounding him; and now, fearing that Second Brother and I would not come to your aid, you even harmed Mother and Aunt Wan…”

“Beast.”

Li Xuanba walked between Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng, his voice low but audible enough to be heard clearly by everyone present.

“Your duty to protect Father has been hard; come with me into the city, and I will duly record your merits.”

Leaving Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng behind, Li Xuanba strode into Taiyuan Commandery.

The generals of Taiyuan—Liu Wenjing, Changsun Shunde, Liu Hongji, Liu Zhenghui, Yin Qiao, Wang Changxie, and others—rose and fell in step behind Li Xuanba, eyes fixed ahead, entering the city together.

Li Yuan’s face, heavy with worry, and Li Jiancheng’s flushed with anger, instantly drained of color.

Li Yuan stiffly turned to his confidant, Pei Ji.

Pei Ji let out a long sigh.

Li Yuan withdrew his gaze, a look of relief softening his expression.

Thankfully, trusty Pei Ji had always stood firmly by his side.