Isolated town in northern border region

As soon as Wang Shoucheng finished speaking, the members of the surrounding aristocratic families immediately started making a fuss.

"Could it be that the prince's achievements were just boasting?"

"Exactly! If you can't even stand this little bit of bloodshed, you're either a saint or a coward!"

Xiao Lie smiled and slowly walked up to Wang Shoucheng.

"Grandpa Wang, you have hosted such a grand literary gathering and prepared such a wonderful program. I, Wang, cannot fail to express my gratitude."

"Unfortunately, I have nothing of value except this precious sword bestowed upon me by the late emperor. Why not take this opportunity to show it to everyone?"

As he spoke, Xiao Lie took the sword from his waist and presented it to Wang Shoucheng with both hands.

Wang Shoucheng was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening.

In his view, Xiao Lie had given in.

Since ancient times, emperors and aristocratic families have jointly ruled the country. Emperors changed every year, but the aristocratic families remained the same.

If Xiao Lie wanted to seize power from the Chu Emperor, he had to rely on the power of aristocratic families.

Wang Shoucheng laughed loudly.

"Hahaha!"

"Then thank you very much for your kindness, Your Highness!"

The young masters from prominent families around him were also extremely smug, raising their glasses to toast each other, their eyes full of mockery as they looked at Xiao Lie.

Just as Wang Shoucheng grasped the sword sheath, Xiao Lie twisted his wrist, drew the sword from its sheath with his right hand, and with his left hand, he grabbed Wang Shoucheng's arm and slammed him onto the table.

Jiang Min rolled her eyes and quickly turned her head away.

Based on her understanding of Xiao Lie, she knew that the prince was about to lose his temper.

really!

Xiao Lie stabbed Wang Shoucheng through the shoulder blade with a single sword strike, pinning him to the table!

"what!"

"Xiao Lie!"

Wang Shoucheng cried out in pain, and the surrounding guests also spoke up indignantly.

"How dare you! Xiao Lie, are you insane?!"

"They even dared to mess with Old Master Wang!"

"How can someone so violent be worthy of being a prince!"

Xiao Lie looked around and asked with an innocent expression.

"This is a precious sword bestowed upon me by the late Emperor. I kindly brought it out for you all to appreciate, yet this old bastard dared to touch it!"

"This is utterly disrespectful!"

"Even if I were to chop him up right now, it would be perfectly reasonable!"

"The crime of disrespect deserves the extermination of nine generations of one's family!"

"Many of you are related to the Wang family, aren't you?"

Xiao Lie laughed heartily, each word pressing on everyone's chests, making it hard for them to breathe.

Wang Shouchang's face was deathly pale, and he lay sprawled on the table like a dead dog.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"This is no joke!"

"You were the one who first took out the sword and handed it to me, how can you say I'm being disrespectful!"

Xiao Lie turned the sword hilt, and Wang Shoucheng grimaced in pain.

"Oh? That's strange."

"Weren't those loan agreements and contracts also handed to the people by your own initiative?"

"Why is the final interest rate completely different from the initial one?"

"Old man, since you enjoy playing this game, I'll play along!"

Jiang Min subtly moved back, afraid that she might get splattered with blood later.

Since Xiao Lie usually speaks like that, the matter is definitely not over yet!

Sure enough, Xiao Lie straightened his back, placed one foot on the hilt of his sword, like a general stepping on the head of an enemy chieftain on the battlefield.

He looked around and grinned.

"Alas, since today is a literary gathering, I do not wish to make a fuss over nothing. Let this offense of disrespect be forgiven."

"However, once we started fighting, I actually found myself inspired to write poetry!"

"Listen up, everyone!"

The poem is titled "Satirizing the Noble Families of Yongzhou!"

"At the grand banquet in the mansion, music and revelry fill the air; golden cups and jade plates gleam with amber light."

"At the literary gathering, people act like horses; behind the high walls, bones turn to frost."

"Read thousands of volumes of sage books, yet still have to repay countless debts owed to tenants."

"If you ask how much conscience is worth, just laugh and point to the land deed and talk about literature."

"How is it? Are you all satisfied, my esteemed scholars?"

For a moment, the room was eerily quiet; no one dared to speak up.

Just as Jiang Min was about to chime in and smooth things over, Xiao Lie turned his head and glared at him.

"Your Highness, you are the most talented woman in the world, so there's no need for you to comment on my pretentious poem."

After saying that, Xiao Lie leaned down and whispered in Wang Shoucheng's ear.

"Grandpa Wang, what do you think of this poem?"

Wang Shoucheng was like a fish on a chopping board at this moment, how could he dare to comment, he could only keep praising.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Not only is the prince exceptionally skilled in martial arts, but his literary talent is also unparalleled!"

"Every word of this poem is worth a thousand pieces of gold!"

Xiao Lie smiled smugly.

"Then why don't you send someone to copy it down and post it out?"

At this point, Wang Shoucheng fell silent.

As long as it's at a literary gathering, no matter what Xiao Lie does, he can ensure that no one outside will hear a word about it. But if this poem is posted out, the reputation of his Yongzhou royal family will be completely ruined!

This poem is extremely simple, without any pedantry. Even an uneducated person could tell who it was cursing after hearing it just once!

If this poem were to circulate, not only the Wang family, but the entire aristocratic family of Yongzhou would lose all semblance of dignity!

Just as Wang Shoucheng hesitated, Xiao Lie stomped his foot hard!

"what!"

"Your Highness, spare my life!"

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and post the Prince's masterpiece!"

Xiao Lie chuckled, drew his sword, and turned to look at Jiang Min.

"Princess, if I had known fame was this easy, I would have been the greatest scholar in the land long ago!"

"Hahaha!"

Jiang Min pouted and muttered to herself.

"You brute, you've disgraced all culture!"

In just a short while, the steward had helped Wang Shoucheng up, and the servants had just gone to fetch a doctor.

Wang Shoucheng clutched his chest, glaring fiercely at Xiao Lie.

"King of the Northern Frontier! Are you declaring war on my clan?"

Xiao Lie glanced at Wang Shoucheng as if he were an old dog.

"Hmph! War?"

"You think you're worthy?"

Just then, a servant stumbled into the hall, his face ashen.

"Master! Something terrible has happened! Several granaries outside the city have been vandalized! The cloth shop has also been burned down!"

"The people in the village say... that it's a mob that came from who-knows-where, smashing everything in sight, looting every grain they see, and they can't be stopped!"

The hall erupted in uproar, and the scions of prominent families all stood up.

Wang Shoucheng's face turned ashen.

"Rebellion? They dare! They dare touch my estate?"

The next moment, he realized that all of this must be related to Xiao Lie!

He turned to look at Xiao Lie, about to speak...

Xiao Lie had already reached the center of the hall.

Xiao Lie stood in the brightest spot, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the young noblemen one by one, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"You all just mentioned that civil and military affairs should be compatible?"

"I've looked for a long time, but I haven't seen anything about literature or martial arts..."

"All I see is a bunch of beasts dressed in silk!"

The room was completely silent.

"You say that Yongzhou is wealthy."

Xiao Lie's voice wasn't loud, but the blood on his sword made everyone listen intently.

"Before I came here, I also thought that Yongzhou was prosperous."

"But what I see on the streets are children being sold off with straw tags, and tenant farmers killing each other to pay off their debts."

"So the wealth of Yongzhou is in your granaries, but the poverty is in the stomachs of the people."

He paused.

"All the books of sages and saints you've read have gone to waste."

Wang Shouchang's face turned ashen.

"Your Highness, you must provide evidence before you speak..."

"evidence?"

Xiao Lie chuckled.

"Your blood stained the late emperor's sword; isn't that evidence of utter disrespect?"

He turned around and faced everyone.

"I'm giving you one month!"

"Return all the land you have seized by force to the people."

"If you fail to comply by the deadline, I will personally come to collect the interest!"