Nominally, Li Xuanba is the third son of the Tang Mansion, and Li Yuan is his father. But Li Xuanba's soul does not belong here, and he can't really regard Li Yuan as his relative. Even Yang Guang, who is the emperor, spends far more time with Li Xuanba than Li Yuan.

Li Xuanba attaches great importance to love and righteousness, but it does not mean that he does not distinguish between right and wrong, he is very grateful to Yang Guang for his love and trust, but these do not make him completely loyal to Yang Guang. To put it bluntly, Li Xuanba's thinking is different from Zhang Xutuo and Yang Yichen.

There is neither the love of father and son, nor the righteousness of a monarch and a minister, his visit to Taiyuan this time is more like a transaction. Knowing that Li Yuan's purpose was not to change the dynasty, the transaction went smoothly. Li Xuanba tried to buy some time for Li Yuan, and Li Yuan provided Li Xuanba with some soldiers and horses.

After discussing the matter, Li Xuanba suddenly remembered a person, and he asked with some uncertainty: "Under my father's account, is there a person named Li Jing?" ”

"Even you've heard of this guy?" Li Yuan was surprised and said: "He was originally a county prince of Mayi, and when Liu Wuzhou rebelled, he fled to Taiyuan to deliver a letter and has not yet left. "Li Jing was born in a family of eunuchs, and he is the nephew of the famous general Han Baohu, plus he himself is dignified, talented and strategic, and he is quite famous in Taiyuan, but Li Yuan didn't expect that even Li Xuanba had heard of Li Jing.

"There are many capable people under my father's command, can you let Li Jing go back to Xingyang with me?" Li Xuanba suppressed the excitement in his heart, and said with a calm face: "There is no shortage of generals in Xingyang, but they can only kill on the battlefield, and they can't be alone. ”

"I'm willing to give you even 10,000 soldiers and horses, do you still care about just one Li Jing?" Li Yuan agreed without hesitation, which surprised Li Xuanba. However, considering that although Li Jing has a slight reputation, he has not yet shown his talent, it is not surprising that Li Yuan made such a decision.

In fact, there was another reason why Li Yuan agreed to let Li Jing leave with Li Xuanba.

Li Jing was loyal to the imperial court, and after coming to Taiyuan, he kept persuading Li Yuan to send troops to exterminate Liu Wuzhou, and Li Yuan was already overwhelmed. Moreover, Li Yuan secretly recruited troops and horses, after all, he couldn't hide it from everyone, if Li Jing was aware of it, it was very likely to delay the big event, so it was better to take this opportunity to send Li Jing to Xingyang.

Because he had no feelings, Li Xuanba left Jinyang Palace after finishing his business, and Li Yuan sent someone to lead Li Xuanba to Li Mansion. Now Li Yuan's identity is different, and the Li Mansion in Taiyuan is naturally much more magnificent than the Li Mansion in Hedong. When Li Xuanba saw Wan's, he couldn't help but show an excited look.

The size of the Li Mansion has changed, the layout has changed, but the Wan family has not changed at all. When Li Xuanba saw Wan's, she was fiddling with flowers and plants in the courtyard. Wan Shi also noticed Li Xuanba's figure, her expression was still indifferent, the corners of her mouth were delicate and slightly upturned, lined with the greenery of the courtyard, which was even more charming.

"You're back." Li Xuanba walked to Wan's side, bowed down to greet him, Wan touched Li Xuanba's head, and said softly: "Have you eaten?" ”

It was a very simple greeting, but it made Li Xuanba burst into tears, he secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and replied with a smile: "The child misses his mother's craftsmanship and has been coming back with an empty stomach." Li Xuanba did not regard Li Yuan as his father, but regarded Wan as his mother.

After eating in the side hall, the subordinates cleaned up, and then left them all, leaving the side hall to Wan and Li Xuanba.

"My mother has always hoped that you can stay away from the court and live quietly." After all the subordinates went out, Wan Shi opened his mouth and said: "What is the general trend of the world, my mother is not very clear, but the notoriety of Wagang thieves, my mother has still heard of it, even General Zhang Xutuo can't help them, why do you put yourself in danger?" ”

"Zhiyun is only fourteen years old, and he can follow his eldest brother everywhere, Xuanba is already eighteen years old, and his mother is still not at ease?" Li Xuanba said with a smile: "Besides, Xuanba is no longer the idiot he used to be, so my mother doesn't have to worry about the child." ”

Wan's eyes dimmed a little, and he sighed, "Yes, you have all grown up and have your own ideas. After a pause, thinking that Li Xuanba was already in a high position, he asked: "Your Majesty appointed you as the general guard of Xingyang, since you have been ordered by the emperor, how can you have time to run to Taiyuan?" ”

"Xingyang is short of troops, and Xuanba came to borrow troops from his father." Li Xuanba was afraid that Wan's would worry, so he didn't dare to say anything about Li Yuan's preparation for raising troops, and lied: "Fang Cai Xuanba has already met his father, and his father promised to borrow 10,000 soldiers. The city of Xingyang is strong, and the Wagang thieves did not dare to attack it, but now that they have reinforcements, their mother can rest assured and do not have to worry about the safety of Xuanba. ”

"So, you'll be back to Xingyang soon." Wan Shi said a little sadly: "My mother came to Taiyuan from Hedong, I thought that the family could be reunited, but I didn't expect you children to still run around, alas. ”

When Li Xuanba heard this, he frowned lightly and said, "You mean, the eldest brother is not in the house?" ”

"Your father said that he had sent someone to inform them to return." Wan nodded and said, "But it's been so long, and none of Jiancheng, Yuanji, and Zhiyun have come back. Shimin was sent out by your father on an errand again, and the house was very deserted. ”

While the two were chatting, the sound of a woman laughing came from the courtyard, Wan's face changed slightly, and Li Xuanba looked out suspiciously. Wan is obedient by nature, and Li Xuanba has never seen her show such a look.

Wan was obviously reluctant to explain, she quickly came to her senses, looked at Li Xuanba and said, "How are you and the princess?" ”

"Your Majesty is in Jiangdu, how can you have time to pay attention to the child's marriage?" Li Xuanba smiled awkwardly and said, "The child and her haven't seen each other for a while, and I am planning to go to Luoyang to see her on the way back this time." ”

"It's a shame for Shizuka, this kid." Wan Shi never forgot to say: "It's a pity that her family is in Hedong, and she didn't come with her mother, otherwise you can still meet here." ”

Li Xuanba didn't know how to answer, so he pretended not to understand and sat there silently. Wan Shi understood that he couldn't force Li Xuanba and Shizuka to walk together, so he said a pity and asked Li Xuanba to go to the room to rest.

On the way to the room with Li Xuanba, Li Xuanba saw two dressed women playing in the courtyard, the two of them were handsome, good-looking, and looked only seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Who are they?" Li Xuanba stopped and asked casually. The servant replied respectfully, "They are the concubines of the master." At this time, the two women also saw Li Xuanba and the others, and they were stunned.

It is not strange that Li Yuan, as a Taiyuan Tongshou, has several concubines, but Li Xuanba knows Li Yuan's personality and knows that he is not a womanizer.

"When did this happen?" Li Xuanba asked coldly.

"Returning to the prince, after the master defeated Zhen Zhai'er, Master Pei dedicated them to the mansion." The man replied.

Later generations had different opinions about the reasons why Li Yuan raised troops to rebel, Li Xuanba had heard many versions, he sneered, walked to the two women, and arched his hand and said: "Can the two concubines get used to living in the mansion?" ”

The two women looked nervous, bowed their heads and said nothing, Li Xuanba understood in his heart, and did not say hello, turned around and left, and took Liang Xiao back to the room.