"Come here, tell all the craftsmen at the construction site next door to stop working. I will buy this piece of land and everything on it for one thousand strings of cash."

Seeing that Yang Jian's servants were afraid to move forward and Yan Lu was lying on the ground groaning, Li Xuan gave orders to his personal guards.

He knew that even if the matter was brought to the attention of Li Longji, it would be resolved into a small matter.

Moreover, if he took the initiative to mention this matter, it would annoy Li Longji.

So treat others the way they have treated you.

Yang Jian likes to use his power to buy things by force, so today he bought Yang Jian’s unfinished mansion.

Even if Yang Jian went to file a complaint, he would end up in a bad situation.

"As ordered!"

After receiving the order, Pei Ying ran to Yang Jian’s homestead with a dozen personal guards.

"Stop..."

"Stop everything..."

The guards rushed to the homestead like bandits, holding swords and knives.

This posture made the nearby craftsmen quickly put down their work and step aside.

They were all confused. How dare these people be so bold? They took up swords in Chang'an City, and dared to provoke Yang Jian.

This is like digging someone's grave.

"What are you doing? Do you know whose place this is?"

The residential land of more than 200 mu is not small, so it can only stop one craftsman.

The supervising servants of Yang Jian noticed something unusual and came running over to scold them. They were not afraid of Pei Ying and the others who were holding swords.

They had no idea what was happening on the other side when King Tianshui arrived.

Moreover, servants have already informed the Jinwu Guards that it is a serious crime to openly display swords in Chang'an City.

"This place has been bought by King Tianshui, stop the work and get out."

Pei Ying said bluntly.

He has matured and replaced Luo Xing and Xue Cuo to become Li Xuan's most capable general.

It's just that the recklessness in my bones cannot be completely changed.

King of Tianshui!
This is a terrifying name.

There are so many princes, but only the Prince of Tianshui is known to everyone, including women and children.

But they were Yang Jian's servants, supervising the work of the craftsmen and only obeying their master's orders.

For most domestic slaves, the master's orders are more important than state laws.

Even if the master rebels, the servants will follow.

This is one of the drawbacks of the slave system.

So the leading servant stood up and said, "In Guangluqing's house, we need Guangluqing's order, otherwise we can't obey!"

"bump!"

Pei Ying kicked the servant over, stepped on his chest, and put the sword on his neck: "I told you to get out of here. Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

The servant was so frightened by the cold blade that he wet his pants.

The other servants had never seen such a scene before, and when they saw the guards raising their swords, they quickly retreated.

This scene quickly spread to the entire homestead, and more and more craftsmen and laborers stopped their work.

"Stop working now. If you dare to delay again, I will chop off your head."

Pei Ying put away the knife and kicked the servant again.

The servant was frightened by the momentum and crawled away.

The title of King of Tianshui was too intimidating, so they had to order the craftsmen and workers to suspend construction and notify Yang Jian, who was temporarily living in Chongrenfang, next to Shengyefang to the west.

Let their masters decide.

The Jinwu Guards who were patrolling the neighborhoods arrived quickly, but when they saw that it was the Queen of Tianshui, they did not dare to interfere. They even stood by to maintain public order and allowed the laborers on the homestead to evacuate in an orderly manner.

"Go back and tell Yang Jian that I will have someone deliver 1,000 strings of cash to his mansion tomorrow. If he dares to send anyone to Shengyefang again, I will break his legs."

Li Xuan spoke to Yan Lu, who was lying on the ground and had not yet stood up, with a calm but threatening tone.

When others heard this, they all thought Li Xuan was serious.

"You...can't...do this..."

Yan Lu's mouth was full of blood and he was speechless. Even if he hated Li Xuan so much, he had to keep his words to himself and not say them out loud.

It was obvious that he wanted to buy Jiang Du’s mansion for one thousand strings of cash.

In the end, the mansion that Yang Jian showed off was bought by Li Xuan for one thousand strings of coins.

For ordinary people, one thousand strings of cash is a huge sum of money enough to live a life of wealth and glory.

But to Yang Jian, the thousand strings of cash was a humiliation, rubbing his face on the ground.

If this house is not returned, Yang Jian will become a laughing stock among the powerful and common people in Chang'an.

Among the Five Yangs, it is impossible to raise your head again.

If Yan Lu went back to report to Yang Jian, Yang Jian would definitely vent his anger on him.

This is the reason for Yan Yu's anger and fear.

But if one lacks self-awareness, he will suffer the consequences sooner or later.

If Yan Lu was just a small-time messenger, Li Xuan would not lower himself to argue with Yan Lu.

Who made Yan Lu act so aggressively?
"Get out of here...If he can't walk, carry him away."

Li Xuan scolded these blue-clothed servants.

The green-clothed servants were terrified and wanted to leave as soon as possible. They didn't care whether Yan Lu could get up or not. Several green-clothed servants stepped forward, some raised their feet, some raised their arms, and left in a panic.

Completely disregarding Yan Lu's feelings.

At Yang Jian’s residence, which was bustling with activity just now, all the noises quickly stopped and the construction tools were scattered all around.

There were also many people stopping to watch. These were the descendants of meritorious officials and dignitaries who had passed down the throne since the early Tang Dynasty.

They gathered together and talked a lot.

"What? The King of Tianshui claimed to buy Yang Jian's homestead for 1,000 guan? Not to mention 1,000 guan, even 100,000 guan can't buy this place! Yang Jian's mansion has already been partially built!"

"Yes! Prince Tianshui just came back from the Western Regions, why would he be unhappy with Yang? But Guanglu Qing will definitely not agree to this."

"I have guessed some reasons. It is said that Guanglu Qing is not satisfied with the size of the mansion and wants to continue to expand. A few days ago, Ma and Liu in the west were forced by Guanglu Qing's power to sell the mansion covering three or four acres to Guanglu Qing for one hundred strings of cash. And to the east is Jiang Mansion. If Guanglu Qing's mansion wants to expand eastward, it must occupy Jiang Mansion. With the rampant Guanglu Qing's evil slaves, they must want to buy Jiang Mansion at a very low price. Although Jiang Shaoqing lost power because of the Li Linfu incident, don't forget that his daughter is the concubine of Tianshui Wang and gave birth to a son for Tianshui Wang. Tianshui Wang is a kind, loyal, honest, and hates greed and flattery. How could he sit back and do nothing? Guanglu Qing kicked on the iron plate. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that Tianshui Wang bought Yang Jian's mansion with one thousand strings of cash!"

"How could this happen? The mansion is already so big, but the Minister of Imperial Household wants to expand it. I think sooner or later he will occupy our house. This time I support the Prince of Tianshui..."

"The current imperial concubine is favored, and the Yang family is already very rich, so why don't they restrain themselves? Don't they read history books?"

"Jiang Shaoqing is also very lucky. He had Li Linfu before, and now he has the King of Tianshui..."

The onlookers soon figured out the reason, even though some of the powerful people hated Li Xuan.

But they disliked the Five Yangs even more.

In their view, Li Xuan's treatment of Yang Jian was just a case of evil being punished by evil, and they could just watch the fire from the other side of the river.

Such a big thing will soon spread throughout Chang'an City.

Li Xuan had already entered Jiang Du's mansion carrying Li Song.

"My father-in-law is frightened."

Li Xuan comforted Jiang Du.

"It's okay! Thank you, King Tianshui, for standing up for me. Otherwise, this house would have been lost."

After things calmed down temporarily, Jiang Du said with emotion.

In the end, it was the "son-in-law" that he was resentful about who stepped forward, otherwise he really didn't know what to do!
The Shaoqing of Taichang seems to be an official position of the fourth rank, but in fact it is nothing in front of Yang.

After the sage "took a high position and did nothing" and entrusted all government affairs to Yang Guozhong, he did not even have the qualifications to enter Xingqing Palace to meet the sage.

"Yang Jian is so audacious that he actually bullied you, my father-in-law. I can't just sit there and watch. Otherwise, how can I explain to Yueyao? If you have any problems in the future, just come to me. Even if I'm not in Chang'an, you can find my father. As long as it doesn't violate the principles, I will do my best to help you."

Li Xuan said to Jiang Du.

After all, he is Jiang Yueyao's father, Li Xuan is not a heartless person.

For example, this time I came to visit Jiang Du, it was also sincere.

"King Tianshui, if you want to buy Yang Jian's mansion for one thousand strings of cash, he will not give up. This is related to his reputation in Chang'an."

Jiang Du was even more moved, and he did not forget to remind Li Xuan.

In recent years, Yang Guozhong's power has been stable, but the Yang family has changed.

No matter what they do, the saints turn a blind eye.

"Don't worry, father-in-law. Yang can't do anything to me!"

Li Xuan assured Jiang Du.

Jiang Du said no more. Prince Tianshui was indeed the only one who could shock the Yang family.

After Li Xuan chatted with Jiang Du for a while, he visited Jiang Yueyao's mother to reassure her.

Li Song also received gifts from his grandparents.

Before the gate closed, Li Xuan returned to the Tianshui Palace.

The next morning, Li Xuan sent someone to deliver a thousand strings of cash to the mansion where Yang Jian was temporarily staying, and threw the money directly in front of Yang Jian's door.

He was also told to deliver the title deed of Shengyefang to the Tianshui Palace as soon as possible.

"Too deceiving!"

Yang Jian was so angry that he gnashed his teeth at home. He invited Lady Guo, Lady Qin, Lady Han, Yang Guozhong, Yang Qi and others to his mansion to discuss countermeasures.

At the same time, he sent another thousand strings of cash back to the Tianshui Palace.

But as soon as Yang Jian's servant brought the money to Tianshui Palace, he was beaten up by Pei Ying and his men, and had to take the money back obediently.

"Why would you mess with him when you can mess with anyone else? Don't you know that he is like a mad dog and will bite us Yang family if he gets caught?"

When Yang Guozhong learned about this, he felt very disappointed.

Now he has turned over and become the number one male in the Yang family. He can turn against Tiangang and scold his brother Yang Jian in turn.

After learning the whole story, Yang Guozhong was very depressed.

He recently persuaded Lady Guoguo to report An Lushan's rebellion to the emperor, and it would be best if he could persuade Yang Yuhuan. As long as Yang Yuhuan reported An Lushan, An Lushan would definitely not be able to return.

All in all, Yang Guozhong put in a lot of effort.

But Lady Guoguo received huge benefits from An Lushan, and An Lushan always spoke sweet words and acted harmless, which made Lady Guoguo happy.

So Lady Guoguo did not listen to Yang Guozhong. She thought that Yang Guozhong was at odds with An Lushan and wanted to use her.

Yang Guozhong was very upset because his clansmen did not listen to his important matters, and he took it out on Yang Jian.

"Who would have thought that Li Xuan would stand up for Jiang Du! I certainly didn't expect Li Xuan to come to Jiang Du's residence in person..."

Yang Jian held back his anger and defended himself.

It’s not his fault, it’s Li Xuan’s fault.

"Confused! That's all I can think of."

Yang Guozhong continued to curse and swear, not only did he not help him deal with An Lushan, but he also kept holding him back.

"Li Xuan is determined to oppose us. I will ask the Saint and Yuhuan to let Li Xuan return my brother's house."

Lady Guoguo spoke.

She used to like Li Xuan very much, but now Li Xuan has become the person she hates.

She is irrational, doesn't care about right or wrong, and only stands on Yang's side. It can also be said that she does things based on her own preferences, regardless of the consequences.

"Yes, it seems that Li Xuan will not return the house to brother. We can only ask Yuhuan and the saint to make the decision."

Mrs. Korea thinks so too.

Normally they would simply send out their evil slaves in blue to rob, but this tactic obviously didn't work against Li Xuan.

"Oh! You guys handle it!" Yang Guozhong didn't care anymore, he turned around and left.

What he cares about most now are two things. One is the victory of the second expedition against Nanzhao.

The second was to kill An Lushan and consolidate his own power.

Through various observations, Yang Guozhong believed that there was an 80% chance that An Lushan would rebel.

However, the Saint, the Imperial Concubine, and Lady Guoguo all didn't believe it. For both public and private reasons, Yang Guozhong had to kill An Lushan.

Just easing the conflict with Li Xuan is not feasible for the time being.

So, the Yang brothers and sisters entered the palace together to meet the saintly concubine.

They were the evil ones who filed the complaint first, and recounted the whole story in a truncated manner.

Li Longji frowned and immediately summoned Li Xuan into Xingqing Palace.

He knew that Li Xuan had always had conflicts with the Five Yangs.

Agarwood Pavilion.

The waves of Longchi are rippling with autumn colors, the trees are dyed with all colors, and the autumn atmosphere is in full swing.

"Qilang, the Minister of Imperial Households said that you used 1,000 strings of cash to buy his house and even beat up his servants. Is that true?"

Li Longji sat on the first floor of the Chenxiang Pavilion, with Yang Jian and Yang Qi serving him on his left and right, and on the other side the three Yang sisters surrounding Yang Yuhuan.

Yang Yuhuan also set her sights on Li Xuan. Unlike Li Longji, she understood her brothers and sisters and knew that they might exaggerate their conflicts with Li Xuan.

"Your Majesty, it was the Guangluqing who asked his servant to buy my father-in-law's house for 1,000 strings of cash, and insulted him, and had it demolished in seven days. The Guangluqing's house is already over 200 acres, and it is still being expanded. I think it will be larger than Xingqing Palace sooner or later. So I just bought it."

Li Xuan replied to Li Longji calmly.

He always thought that Wu Yang was stupid, and he guessed that they would exaggerate the complaint.

Gao Lishi could easily find out the right and wrong. As long as Li Xuan could enter the palace, they would not be able to hide it.

"Is Qilang's father-in-law Pei Yaoqing's son?"

Li Longji looked annoyed. He had forgotten the name of Li Xuan's father-in-law. He only remembered that Li Xuan married Pei Yaoqing's granddaughter.

However, after hearing Li Xuan's explanation, he believed Li Xuan's words even more.

He knew that Yang had built a mansion, but he didn't expect it to cover an area of ​​200 acres.

Although Shengyefang is large, it already occupies one tenth of it.

"No! It was Jiang Du, Junior Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. It was the Holy Lord who personally issued an edict, allowing his daughter to be my concubine."

Li Xuan replied to Li Longji.

"I see! Yang Jian, why did you want to occupy Jiang Du's mansion?"

Li Longji questioned Yang Jian who was standing beside him.

Li Linfu was still alive at that time, and at Li Linfu's request, he decided to give Jiang Yueyao to Li Xuan as a concubine.

"I am going to give Jiang Shaoqing two thousand strings of cash, not to seize it by force."

Yang Jian immediately bowed down and said to Li Longji.

"Your Majesty, the steward of the Guangluqing only promised a thousand guan from the beginning to the end, and he arrogantly wanted to demolish the Jiang Mansion. I beat him because he insulted me. A servant insulted the Tianshui King personally appointed by the saint. Shouldn't he be punished for his crimes? Besides, my father-in-law's house is worth a million guan. My father-in-law is a fourth-rank official appointed by the court. Even if he had a million guan, he had to get my father-in-law's consent, not coercion."

Li Xuan interrupted Yang Jian and bowed to Li Longji, saying that his argument was well-founded.

"That's outrageous! Apologize to the Minister of Rites immediately after you return."

Li Longji scolded Yang Jian.

At this time, Lady Guoguo pulled Yang Yuhuan's clothes, wanting her to say something good for Yang Jian, but Yang Yuhuan ignored Lady Guoguo's actions.

She couldn't bear to blame the Five Yangs, but since it was related to Li Xuan, she chose to stand on Li Xuan's side.

Moreover, Yang Yuhuan had a better relationship with her sisters and an average relationship with her cousins.

Lady Guoguo saw that Yang Yuhuan was indifferent, so she could not come forward directly. Everything they had was based on the saint's favor for Yang Yuhuan.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Rites has already accepted one thousand strings of cash from me. Please order him to give me the title deed to the mansion in Shengyefang."

Li Xuan took the opportunity to ask Li Longji for orders, as he saw that Li Longji wanted to handle the matter with caution again.

He had thought about how to argue his case. Even if he couldn't get it, he would make Yang Jian lose it.

"Your Majesty, I did not accept it. It was the King of Tianshui who had his guards force the thousand strings of cash into my mansion."

Yang Jian said aggrievedly.

They were ready to be reprimanded by the saint, but the Shengyefang mansion had to be taken back, otherwise how could he survive in Chang'an?

When Li Xuan asked Du Fu to punish Yang Jian's distant cousin, Yang Jian had already lost face.

"Brother, let's forget about this! Why didn't you report to the Saint when you forcefully bought Jiang Shaoqing's mansion? It's not like you don't have a house to live in."

Just when Li Longji wanted Li Xuan to return Yang Qi's land, Yang Yuhuan spoke up.

She rarely scolded Yang Jian.

Seeing Yang Yuhuan's attitude, Li Longji changed his mind instantly and said to Yang Jian: "Since you are the brother of the imperial concubine, I will only tolerate you this time. Otherwise, the Dali Temple should investigate."

The meaning is very clear, why did you provoke him?

When Li Xuan argued with reason, even Li Longji felt uncomfortable.

For Li Longji, it didn’t matter who got the housing land, as long as his wife Yuhuan was happy.

Li Xuan glanced at the mature and charming Yang Yuhuan. It was unexpected that Yang Yuhuan could scold Yang Jian.

It went more smoothly than he had imagined, but it also disrupted his train of thought.

Yang Yuhuan also looked back at Li Xuan with a charming look. She just wanted to help Li Xuan and didn't think too much about it.

Yang Jian went too far. He knew that Jiang Du was Li Qilang's father-in-law, but he still wanted to bully him. He deserved it.

"I obey your order. I will never do it again. Thank you for your forgiveness, Saint!"

Seeing this, Yang Jian wanted to cry but had no tears.

He originally had a chance to get back the homestead, but now Yang Yuhuan's words have ruined everything, and he has to hand over the land deed.

He couldn't understand why the imperial concubine would side with an outsider.

Even Lady Guo, Lady Han and others were very depressed.

But they did not think about the fact that An Lushan was also an outsider and someone that Yang Guozhong dreamed of eliminating, but Lady Guoguo tried her best to protect him.

"I have one more request to the Saint."

After this incident, Li Xuan calmed down and said to Li Longji.

"Qi Lang, please speak!"

Li Longji asked Li Xuan to speak frankly.

"I have been blessed with the grace of the Saint and have received many rewards. I have lived a life of wealth and honor. I only want to die for the Saint. But the mansion that the Saint built for me in Shengyefang is completely unnecessary. I ask the Saint to revoke the order and use the funds for building the mansion in Jishengtang and Ciyoutang. This way, the Saint's reputation for benevolence can be reflected, and the country can save a lot of money. It's the best of both worlds."

Li Xuan said with great emotion.

Building a mansion has no meaning to Li Xuan and will also damage his prestige.

He never missed any opportunity to gain prestige.

That mansion is of no use to him, either now or in the future.

"Qilang's achievements are unprecedented in history. The Tianshui Palace is no longer worthy of you, so you naturally have to live in a mansion to show off your status."

Although Li Xuan spoke well, Li Longji at this time did not feel anything about the saved silk money.

Spend money like water without any care!
"I have no means of repaying the saint's grace. When I have watered my horse in the Mediterranean and let the saint's might and virtue resound in foreign lands, you can build a mansion for me."

Seeing that Li Longji was willing to sacrifice manpower and financial resources, Li Xuan came up with a compromise.

"Yes! Qilang is a noble man. In that case, let's put the mansion aside for now. I will build a more magnificent house for Qilang in the future."

Seeing that Li Xuan was determined and spoke beautifully, Li Longji no longer forced it.

He ordered the eunuchs to inform the Chief Construction Officer to cancel the construction of the new Tianshui Palace in Shengyefang and announced that the money would be used on Ciyutang and Jishengtang.

Now, the five Yangs present were even more embarrassed.

Li Xuan slapped them in the face invisibly, but they couldn't get angry.

"Qi Lang, don't leave. Come play Chupu with me."

Li Longji did not let Li Xuan leave and continued to have fun.

The Five Yangs accompanied Li Longji with sad faces. When Li Longji was happy on the Chupu, they also had to force themselves to smile. They were on pins and needles throughout the whole game and the banquet after Li Longji was tired of playing.

Yang Yuhuan also liked this feeling of being close yet distant with Li Xuan. She hoped that when Li Xuan was in Chang'an, he could come to Xingqing Palace often.

When everyone was drunk, it was Li Xuan who reminded Li Longji that the heroic medals of generals such as Che Shensai and Li Siye needed to be awarded by the saint in person at a court meeting.

Only then did Li Longji agree to attend the court meeting the next day.

At the court meeting the next day, Li Longji simply awarded the hero medal to Che Shensai and Li Siye, gave them some rewards, and then started a banquet.

As for political affairs, they were all handled by Yang Guozhong.

The generals were also very disappointed when they saw the saint's extravagance and Yang Guozhong's abuse of power.

Why couldn’t Li Shuai become prime minister?
Why would the saint employ a clown in disguise and condone the Five Yangs' evil deeds?
Li Xuan had already buried some emotions deep in his heart, and he didn't know what to do.

The generals under Li Xuan's command were easily ignited.

Even though they were awarded hero medals by Li Longji himself, they were awarded these medals because Li Xuan created opportunities for them.

The people of Chang'an applauded the fact that Yang Jian was disciplined by Li Xuan. They could clearly feel that after Li Xuan returned to Chang'an, the arrogance of the Yang family was temporarily curbed.

Li Xuan gave up his mansion and used the funds to support Ciyutang and Jishengtang, making the people of Chang'an feel that Li Xuan was a man of high moral character.

Countless people hoped that Li Xuan could stay in Chang'an this time, but it was destined not to happen.

Except Li Xuan, no one dared to take over Yang Jian's homestead.

Li Xuan will leave sooner or later. They are afraid of Yang's revenge. Yang Jian will lose face and will definitely do whatever it takes.

So Li Xuan just put his mark on the residential land and left it alone.

Soon after, Li Longji announced that he would go to Huaqing Palace to warm up in late October, and asked all civil and military officials, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Imperial Kitchen, and the Imperial Guards to make preparations for the journey.

This year he went earlier and was more lazier.

Li Xuan asked Li Longji to take his wife to Anxi in late October, but Li Longji asked Li Xuan to stay until next spring.

But he didn't want to stay in Chang'an for long!

In desperation, Li Xuan entered Xingqing Palace again to watch the Cuju game, and requested again on the grounds of training soldiers, preparing for the Western Expedition, and destroying the Arabs.

Li Longji agreed only after thinking of his immortal contributions.

During this period, Li Xuan basically stayed at home with his wife and children, except for visiting his other father-in-law Pei Fan and going to the Mansion of Duke Song.

He was a frontier general who refused to talk to other officials and even refused visits from his former subordinates.

The people they were supposed to meet had already been met at the banquet, so Li Xuan didn't talk much.

Whether he is an enemy or a friend, we will know when we come back next time.

"The autumn bushes around the house are like those of Tao's, and the sun is setting around the fence. It's not that I prefer chrysanthemums among flowers, but when this flower blooms, there are no other flowers!"

One day in early October, Li Xuan made an appointment with Wang Wei and Du Fu to go for an autumn outing to Bailuyuan west of Chang'an City.

Du Fu had no official position, Wang Wei was half official and half hermit, and Li Xuan held the highest position among ministers.

Du Fu was concerned about his country and his people, and was eager to realize his ambitions but was unable to do so.

Wang Wei was disheartened and sought seclusion in Wangchuan.

Li Xuan is about to take action to rebel, and he may be condemned by thousands of people and bear the infamy.

But his determination to break free from the shackles of feudal ideology made him desperate.

Ten years of keeping a low profile, with psychological ups and downs. In the end, he must withstand the test.

When they passed by a small courtyard with chrysanthemums in full bloom on Bailuyuan, Li Xuan chanted this "Chrysanthemum Appreciation Poem" which became popular in later generations.

The line “It’s not that I prefer chrysanthemums among flowers, it’s just that there are no other flowers after this one blooms” is evocative and represents Li Xuan’s mood at the moment.

It also resonated with Du Fu and Wang Wei.

(End of this chapter)