Chapter 76

Finally, Li Er came to the eldest son Li Chenggan and quietly looked at him without saying a word.

Li Chenggan, feeling the intense gaze of Li Er, felt uneasy and dared not look at his father, lowering his head.

"Chenggan, be a man and lift your head! Sometimes, if you keep your head down for too long, you won't see the road ahead." Li Er's voice was gentle, and at this moment, he was no longer the mighty King of Qin but a father educating his son.

There is a difference! Li Kuan muttered in his heart. Why did Li Er ignore him and not offer any guidance, even suspecting him, while showing such kindness to this little brat! Unconsciously, Li Kuan started to feel jealous of Li Chenggan, indicating that he was truly beginning to integrate into this feudal aristocratic family. He himself hadn't even noticed this, even before the story of jealousy had unfolded.

"Father, am I useless? Second Brother is so brave and talented, and I..." Little Chenggan's eyes were a bit red.

"Everyone has their own destiny, which cannot be forced! Remember, you are my son, Li Shimin. Do what you should do, and the rest I will handle. Kuan is different from you; he has his own path to walk." Li Er knew that Li Kuan had the support of mysterious scientists and would likely achieve great things, putting a lot of pressure on the eldest son, Li Chenggan.

"I will remember, Father!" Li Chenggan lifted his head and met his father's gaze, no longer avoiding it.

"Good, that's the way a man should be!" Li Er patted his shoulder.

"Report..." A black-armored guard ran from a distance to report the battle situation to Li Er.

"The enemy numbered two hundred, fifty-seven were killed by General Duan, and one hundred and forty-three were captured. Our side lost thirty-two black-armored guards, sixteen were lightly wounded, twelve were seriously wounded, and General Duan was lightly wounded." The soldier knelt on one knee and reported quickly.

"Good! Imprison the captives and bring them back to the camp. Bring the enemy general up!" Li Er listened with his hands behind his back and gave orders.

"Your subordinate will obey!" The soldier stood up and relayed the orders.

Soon, several black-armored guards escorted Xue Wanche to Li Er.

"It's you! Xue Wanche, I didn't expect it to be you leading the troops." Li Er was somewhat surprised. He had been busy visiting Changsun and others and hadn't paid attention to who the Prince had sent. Now, he realized it was Xue Wanche. Had Duan Zhihuan become so powerful?

Xue Wanche's eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at Li Er, kneeling on one knee. "Xue Wanche pays respects to the King of Qin!" He wasn't a fool; if he stood up and shouted something like "I won't kneel, Li Er, you die!" he would be dragged out and chopped into pieces immediately.

"I didn't expect Duan Zhihuan to capture you alive. It seems he has become more capable!" Li Er sighed, still thinking Duan Zhihuan had captured Xue Wanche.

"What Duan Zhihuan? Just him?" Xue Wanche spoke up. If it were Duan Zhihuan, he wouldn't be kneeling before Li Er now but would be receiving rewards from the Prince.

"Oh!" Li Er looked at him with interest, sensing there was more to the story.

"If it weren't for your despicable tactics, how could we have been captured!" Xue Wanche was still不服 (unconvinced), but the victor was the victor, and the loser was the loser. Now he was a prisoner, and no matter what he said, it wouldn't change the fact.

"What tactics?" Li Er was intrigued.

"Your people first blinded me with lime, then ambushed me with flying stones, and finally, I was captured alive by a nine-year-old boy. It's the greatest disgrace for a general!" Xue Wanche's black, bearded face turned red.

"What? You were captured by Kuan?" Li Er was surprised. He had thought only Duan Zhihuan could capture Xue Wanche, and even then, only if he performed exceptionally. But now, Xue Wanche admitted he was captured by Li Kuan, which was unexpected. Seeing Li Kuan's clothes covered in dirt and blood, he had assumed he had killed a few soldiers, not realizing he had captured such a big fish.

"Since I've fallen here, you can do as you please, but please don't use this to humiliate me!" Xue Wanche said bitterly.

"Why would I? Bring General Xue to his feet!" Li Er laughed and ordered his men.

"King of Qin..." Duan Zhihuan was puzzled and spoke up.

"No harm, untie him." Li Er insisted.

"Yes!" Duan Zhihuan had no choice but to obey, drawing his saber and cutting the ropes on Xue Wanche.

"King of Qin, aren't you afraid I'll escape?" Xue Wanche was confused by Li Er's actions.

"Not at all! I've already spread the news that you were captured by me. It's probably known throughout Chang'an. Where could you go? Back to the Prince? Would my elder brother trust you? If none of the two hundred escaped, but you did, wouldn't he think you were turned by me? Even if my elder brother could tolerate you, what about my third brother?" Li Er said with a smile.

"This..." Xue Wanche was stunned. He had nowhere to go. He could try to find his brother Xue Wanren secretly, but that wasn't entirely safe, knowing that the Prince and Prince of Qi had many spies around them.

"You have two choices now: either join me directly, or escape Chang'an and live the rest of your life in hiding. But a true man should achieve great things and not be buried in the wilderness or die in obscurity. Think about it, General Xue!" Li Er left without waiting for a response.

The first rays of morning sunlight pierced the dawn, illuminating the earth. The events of last night in Chang'an became the topic of the day. Countless people in Chang'an gossiped and speculated about the battle, each boasting to their neighbors about how they had witnessed it or how their relatives were there. They spoke with great confidence, but their stories were far from the truth.

In the Buzheng Fang, a large three-compound courtyard, the red gates were flanked by red lanterns, and the stone lions guarding the house were imposing. A plaque above the gate read "Cui Family" in gold and silver, exuding the grandeur of a wealthy family.

In the main hall, a lean old man in a light blue robe sat on a cushion, which was intricately woven from the finest rush grass, golden in color.

Below him, two middle-aged scholars were also kneeling, their bodies straight like tall pines.

"Last night, the Prince sent troops to attack the King of Qin's residence, but they were ambushed by the King of Qin's forces. The court is now in turmoil. Where should our Cui family stand? Do you have any thoughts?" The old man was the current Minister of Revenue, Cui Xiang, the representative of the Cui family in the court. The two men below were the leaders of the second generation of the Cui family, Cui Jing and Cui Hao. They belonged to the eldest and third branches of the Cui family, respectively. One was a Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Works, and the other was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue, following Cui Xiang.

"Support the King of Qin. He commands a large army, while the Prince has only a few hundred troops. The Six Armies of the Prince and the Sixteen Guards are under the Emperor's control. Even if the Prince has infiltrated, he can only control a third at most." Cui Jing, though in the Ministry of Works and only a fourth-rank official, had excellent political insight. In just seven or eight years, he had risen from a seventh-rank official to his current position, entirely on his own merit, despite being from the eldest branch. He always addressed Cui Xiang as "Uncle."

"I agree with Brother Jing. The King of Qin's rise to power is inevitable. Not only does he have the army, but he also has the Emperor's support!" Cui Hao also spoke up. Born into a lesser branch of the Cui family, he had shown exceptional talent from a young age and received support from the main family, rising through the ranks with the help of his uncle, Cui Xiang, to become a leader of the Cui family in the court.

"Seems you both support the King of Qin. But don't forget, the King of Qin is a capable ruler. Will such an emperor be what our Cui family needs? When the imperial power conflicts with the interests of the aristocratic families, we might suffer under such a ruler." Cui Xiang was concerned.

"Uncle, that's a future concern. The King of Qin is already in a strong position. If he acts decisively, he could eliminate the Prince and the Prince of Qi. If we obstruct him now, we might not have the strength to do so." Cui Jing reminded him.

"Can our Cui family alone stop him? What if we join forces with the Cui family of Boling, the Lu family of FanYang, and the Zheng family of XingYang?" Cui Xiang stroked his beard.

"That... would be difficult. The empire has just stabilized, and the new aristocratic families are at their peak. If we act now, we might provoke a backlash from these new families. We hold the highest academic authority, but these new families are mostly uneducated and might resort to violence. We might win, but at a great cost." Cui Jing was skeptical.

"That..." Cui Xiang hesitated. As his nephew said, these new aristocratic families were not like their own, with centuries of tradition and etiquette. They were ruthless and might resort to violence, leading to a Pyrrhic victory for the old families.

"Let it be, then! But we can compile a 'Record of Clans' to test the King of Qin's attitude. It will help us prepare mentally!" Cui Xiang decided after a moment's thought.

PS: Thanks to wghyuki, King of Lihai, and the Fifth Young Master of the Xie family for your support! I bow in gratitude!

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