This made Li Shimin anxious, and he wanted to trade one for one with me.

Cheng Jun nodded. He had heard of eagle training before, and before his transmigration, he even went to the grasslands to experience it firsthand.

Cheng Jun seemed to understand something and asked, "Uncle Li, do you want to leave Qian Jiulong and Han Zhongliang here and not let them attend tomorrow's morning court session?"

Li Jing smiled, finding the young man increasingly pleasing to the eye, and nodded, saying, "That's right. Tonight, I'll help you put them to rest."

After saying this, he summoned two of his men and addressed them separately:

"Go to my study and bring all the books on the desk over here."

"promise!"

After the retainer left, Li Jing turned to Cheng Jun and said:

"His Majesty told me that he is determined to conquer the Turks, and I have been compiling intelligence related to the Turks recently."

"Tonight, I will keep Qian Jiulong and Han Zhongliang here so that they can't attend court tomorrow. If they can't attend the morning court, they naturally won't be able to impeach you."

Cheng Jun asked, "If they can't attend court tomorrow, does that mean you, Uncle Li, can't attend either?"

Li Jing curled the corners of his mouth and said, "What a coincidence, I have a day off tomorrow."

Cheng Jun almost burst out laughing, and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Brilliant!"

Li Jing smiled and said to another of his subordinates:

"Go to Qian Jiulong and Han Zhongliang's residence and invite them over."

"promise!"

Another subordinate clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

Li Jing beckoned to the mansion's steward to serve Cheng Jun tea, and said:

"Sit here and wait. They'll be here in a while. You can leave when they arrive."

This was to put my mind at ease... Cheng Jun sat down very obediently.

After a long while, the sound of horses' hooves rang out outside the mansion, and the Li family retainer who had gone to fetch the man walked over quickly.

Cheng Jun looked behind him and realized that he was the only one who had returned.

Li Jing frowned as well, "What's going on?"

The servant said helplessly, "My lord, I went to the residences of Qian Jiulong and Han Zhongliang and explained my purpose. The steward of the Qian residence said that it was already late and Qian Jiulong had already gone to bed."

"The steward of the Han family said that Han Zhongliang has gone to sleep elsewhere tonight and is not at the mansion."

"I can't get him to come..." Cheng Jun looked at Li Jing.

Li Jing chuckled and said to Cheng Jun, "It seems they know we're in cahoots."

"These two old bastards are shameless."

Li Jing turned to look at the retainer, his eyes turning cold, and said, "Go and invite him again, take all the retainers from your household with you!"

"If you can't come back, don't bother coming back!"

The servant trembled and immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I obey!"

Suddenly, the sound of departing hooves echoed outside the mansion.

Cheng Jun withdrew his gaze from the outside of the main room, looked at Li Jing, and asked, "Uncle Li, is it appropriate to insist on inviting him?"

Li Jing said calmly, "When I hire someone, there's no such thing as suitable or unsuitable; I only look at the result."

"You're really tough..." Cheng Jun thought to himself.

About a quarter of an hour later, the sound of horses' hooves rang out again outside the mansion.

"They're here..." Cheng Jun's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at Li Jing and said, "Uncle Li, shall I go out and take a look?"

Li Jing thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "Let's go together."

Cheng Jun immediately followed behind him, heading towards the gate of the mansion.

As Cheng Jun approached the gate of the mansion, he heard loud shouts from the guards on duty outside.

"Lord Qian, Lord Han, this is the residence of the Minister of War. Please dismount!"

An aged voice, filled with anger, rang out:

"Get out of my way!"

The shout of that servant from the Li family rang out again:

“Duke Qian, we are your troops, guarding the gate of the mansion. If we allow you and Duke Han to trample the Minister’s mansion, even if my Minister does not blame us, how can we face the world?”

"Please dismount, both of you!"

Cheng Jun's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he said, "Uncle Li, you're quite good at training your subordinates."

Li Jing looked at him and said, "I thought you would say they are clever."

Cheng Jun said, "I have a good eye for people."

Li Jing smiled and said, "You have indeed made me look at you in a new light."

As he spoke, he said regretfully, "The retainers in my household are indeed all trained by me, but their foundation is too weak, and they did not read much in their early years."

"Of all the officials in the court, the one I most want to train is you."

Li Jing said with a serious expression.

Cheng Jun said seriously, "I don't like going to the front lines; I prefer staying in the rear."

Li Jing looked at him and said in a meaningful tone:

Sometimes, you don't have a choice.

What does this mean? Is he implying something to me...? Cheng Jun wondered to himself.

Just then, a loud shout rang out from outside the mansion.

"Li Jing, come out here!"

"What do you want by sending men to surround my residence?!"

Seeing that the fire was almost done, Li Jing turned and whispered to Cheng Jun to wait there. He then strode out, looked at the two burly middle-aged men sitting on horseback, and said with a smile:

"Brother Qian, Brother Han, what's all this commotion about?"

Qian Jiulong was fifty-six years old this year, with graying temples. At this moment, due to the anger in his heart, the wrinkles on his forehead were much deeper. Seeing Li Jing come out, he and Han Zhongliang dismounted and walked over, angrily saying:

"Li Jing, what do you mean?"

"In the dead of night, your servants barged into my residence without a word, inviting me here. I ask you, is this an invitation?"

Li Jing frowned and said, "I was just about to praise you when you acted so rashly. What kind of behavior is this!"

"If the Emperor Emeritus saw you like this, I wonder how he would ridicule you."

Qian Jiulong angrily retorted, "Do you even care about the Emperor Emeritus?"

Li Jing put his hands behind his back, glanced up at the moonlight in the deep sky, and said in a calm and unhurried tone:

“During the Wude era, I was deeply trusted by the then-reigning Emperor Emeritus. At that time, the Emperor Emeritus ordered me to accompany His Majesty, who was then the Prince of Qin, to destroy Wang Shichong, and I did so.”

"The Emperor Emeritus ordered me to quell Xiao Xian's rebellion, and I succeeded."

"Therefore, the retired emperor, who was still in power at the time, appointed me as the Grand Pillar of State."

“The Empress Dowager ordered me to pacify Lingnan. I went there, and wherever I went, they surrendered at the mere sight of me.”

“The powerful chieftains of Lingnan, Feng Ang, Li Guangdu, and Ning Changzhen, all sent their sons to pay homage and express their allegiance. In this way, I conquered ninety-six prefectures and gained more than 600,000 households. From then on, ‘Lingnan was completely pacified.’ At that time, I received an imperial edict from the retired emperor to commend me.”

"In the sixth year of the Wude era, Fu Gongshi rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. The retired emperor ordered me to suppress him. I went and captured Fu Gongshi alive."

"Therefore, the Emperor Emeritus said to his ministers: 'Li Jing is the fatal flaw of Xiao Xian and Fu Gongshi. None of the famous generals of ancient times, such as Han Xin, Bai Qi, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing, can compare to Li Jing!'"

"Afterwards, someone in the court reported that Jiangnan had been repeatedly ravaged by war and the people were impoverished. The Emperor Emeritus ordered me to go and pacify the region. I went, and afterwards he praised me for my skillful management, which brought peace to the area."

Li Jing lowered his chin, looked at the two of them, and said:

"You ask me if I have the Emperor Emeritus in my heart? I'll tell you now, I've always held him in the highest esteem. Whatever he asks me to do, I will do. As long as it's his order, I will definitely carry it out."

"I have a clear conscience."

Qian Jiulong was immediately rendered speechless by what he said.

Han Zhongliang suddenly spoke up: "Minister Li, we didn't come here to hear you boast about your achievements. You sent us because of Cheng Jun, didn't you?"

Li Jing raised an eyebrow and said, "He's just a palace censor, how dare he order me around as the Minister of War? Who do you think you are?"