Isolated town in northern border region

The entire room fell silent!

Wang Shouchang's originally pale face instantly turned red!

Xiao Lie bullies the Wang family because he is a prince!

Luo Daniu bullied the Wang family, but I swallowed my anger because I didn't want to fight Xiao Lie to the death!

You, a lowly commoner, an illiterate peasant, dare to mock your master like this?

Wang Shoucheng was so angry that his eyes turned red. He didn't care about the injury on his right shoulder for a moment and raised his hand to slap him across the face!

"Snapped!"

This slap contained all the humiliation and anger Wang Shoucheng had felt over the past few days. The man who had made the sarcastic remarks was immediately knocked to the ground, and his left cheek was visibly swollen and red.

At that moment, all the people were stunned.

They discovered a fact—Xiao Lie could touch the Wang family, and Xiao Lie's subordinates could touch them, but they, these lowly commoners, could not!

Just then, Xiao Lie stepped forward and placed the imperial sword bestowed by the late emperor on Wang Shoucheng's shoulder.

"Old Master Wang is indeed in good health."

"In just a few days, he's even started hitting people."

Wang Shoucheng felt the coldness on his shoulder, and reason instantly took over.

"Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

"The Wang family has given us the grain, what else do you want?"

Xiao Lie smiled and kicked Luo Daniu.

"According to the military law of our northern frontier, what is the punishment for attacking a grain transport convoy belonging to military personnel?"

Luo Daniu was stunned for a moment, scratched his head innocently, and then reacted under Xiao Lie's murderous gaze.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

"Attacking a military supply convoy is considered treason!"

"Those who plot rebellion shall have their entire family, including nine generations, exterminated!"

Luo Daniu already had a loud voice, and now, at Xiao Lie's instigation, he shouted even louder. The Wang family members present were shocked, and some of the more timid ones even knelt on the ground.

Xiao Lie drew his sword and looked at Wang Shoucheng with a smile.

Wang Shouchang immediately realized that Xiao Lie's actions were intended to force him to make a mistake!

Xiao Lie's ultimate goal was to make an example of the Wang family, using the destruction of the Wang family to intimidate other powerful families and force them to choose sides!

Wang Shoucheng, being an experienced and shrewd man, immediately forced a smile.

"Your Highness, please do not be angry!"

"It's just a small misunderstanding. It's not that Your Highness has any advice for us. My entire Wang family will certainly do our utmost to help you!"

At this moment, Wang Shoucheng made up his mind that he could not anger Xiao Lie no matter what. Even if he suffered all kinds of humiliation and lost all his wealth, he could not let the Wang family's legacy end in his hands!

Surprisingly, Xiao Lie didn't pressure him or set any conditions. Instead, he asked with a smile.

"A misunderstanding? Would Master Wang prefer to settle this officially or privately?"

"My lord, with a single command from me, the entire royal family, not even a chicken or a dog, will be spared!"

"Let's settle this privately..."

Wang Shoucheng repeatedly bowed, like an old dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy.

"A private settlement? Of course, a private settlement! As long as Your Highness gives the word, none of my Wang family would dare disobey!"

Xiao Lie sneered and squatted down to help the man who had been whipped up.

"You are now my grain transport team, so you can't just take the beating for nothing."

"Slap it back hard!"

"what!"

The man exclaimed in surprise, completely stunned.

What does "pull back" mean?

I, a peasant, a lowly commoner who toils in the soil every day, am the head of a top-tier family in the Great Chu.

No? Me?

Seeing that the man was hesitant, Xiao Lie did not urge him but simply stood aside.

"Rent, interest, land passed down from our ancestors, working from dawn till dusk every day yet only able to eat coarse grains, wild vegetables, and steamed buns, not daring to see a doctor when sick..."

Xiao Lie's voice was calm, but every word he uttered was like a sharp blade piercing the hearts of all the people.

"Smack him!"

Someone shouted in the crowd, and the entire grain transport team erupted into chaos.

"Smash that bastard!"

"We all have two shoulders and one head, so who's afraid of who!"

"Beat him to death! The Wang family took over our land!"

…………

"Damn it! So be it!"

Finally, the man mustered up his courage and slapped back hard!

Perhaps it was because Wang Shoucheng was getting old, but this slap knocked out two of his front teeth!

At this moment, the people discovered something else—the patriarch of the powerful family seemed to be a human being too!

Xiao Lie stood to the side with a big smile on his face.

He achieved his goal; these people finally dared to challenge the tyranny of the powerful families!

He waved his hand, and the grain transport continued.

Throughout the rest of the process, everyone in the Wang family stood by like statues, not daring to utter a sound, for fear of angering Xiao Lie.

Only after emptying the Wang family's granary did Xiao Lie feign a gesture of respect and cup his hands in greeting.

"The noble character of the Yongzhou royal family is something I will never forget!"

Luo Daniu also clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Hey old bastard, thanks."

Wang Shoucheng was so angry that his eyelids twitched and veins bulged on his forehead.

"Your Highness! There is still law in this world. Aren't you afraid of His Majesty's wrath for your reckless behavior?"

Xiao Lie shrugged.

"Go ahead and sue me. Let's see if I, or your royal family, will suffer first."

For the next two weeks, Xiao Lie rotated the population of people to act as grain transport teams every day, and all the major families in Yongzhou were dealt with one by one!

Many of them had fiery tempers and directly led their servants to take action.

Xiao Lie didn't tolerate it at all. He led the people back and fought back. After the fight, he even made those noble families apologize!

After half a month, all the people of Yongzhou had come to accept one fact.

So even powerful families can be afraid!

It turns out that when ordinary people unite as one, they can defeat powerful families so badly that they can't even hold their heads up!

Of course, it wasn't that no powerful families filed complaints.

But when the Chu emperor received the memorial, he was overjoyed.

He wrote a comment: "The King of Northern Frontier acted expediently in an emergency to raise military provisions, which is understandable," and then stopped asking about it.

He waited for the powerful families to completely side with him, for Xiao Lie and the powerful families to suffer mutual losses, and for him to reap the benefits.

But what the Chu Emperor didn't know was...

Xiao Lie didn't care which side the aristocratic families sided with.

As long as the powerful families fall, that's all that matters!

Xiao Lie felt he had done enough, so he gathered everyone together.

"Xiao Xiong, you will be in charge of the defense outside Yongzhou City from now on. Whenever you see a powerful family's convoy, intercept it first!"

"Here you go!"

Xiao Xiong bowed and accepted the order, then sat down to one side.

Xiao Lie looked at Luo Daniu, about to say something, but then swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"You...first copy the Northern Frontier Military Code a hundred times!"

"Damn it, the atmosphere and momentum I painstakingly built up were almost ruined by your pig brain!"

Luo Daniu wanted to argue, but Xiao Lie glared at him and shut him up as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Two hundred times!"

"If you move your lips even once more, that's three hundred times!"

"Here you go!"

Luo Daniu dejectedly accepted the order, but Xiao Lie casually remarked something.

"It moved, three hundred times!"

Everyone laughed when he said this, and Qian Wanli patted Luo Daniu on the shoulder.

"Da Niu, look how angry you've made the Prince! Go and copy it! If you keep standing here, even the Four Treasures of the Study in Yongzhou won't be enough for you!"

Luo Daniu pouted and sat down silently to the side, looking as aggrieved as a 200-pound baby.

Xiao Lie smiled and shook his head, then looked at Qian Wanli.

"Are all the machines ready in northern Xinjiang?"

Qian Wanli bowed in response.

"The machines, raw materials, and manpower are all ready. Zhou Xun has already led a team to test it out, and the efficiency is astonishing!"

"Moreover, the raw materials are practically free for us in northern Xinjiang; the profits are astonishing!"

Xiao Lie nodded.

"Don't pursue profits at the moment; keep prices as low as possible while maintaining all expenses."

"I don't have time to waste on these powerful families. Let's get this over with as quickly as possible."

After a moment's thought, Qian Wanli bowed and accepted the order.

"Yes, Your Highness, I will finish the budget tonight and we can open for business tomorrow."

Xiao Lie nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Jiang Min, who had not spoken until now, tapped her teacup, drawing Xiao Lie's attention.

"Your Highness, I think you should not be impatient. These powerful families have been operating in Yongzhou for many years and have accumulated considerable influence. It would be better to be cautious."

Xiao Lie had just nodded when Luo Daniu stood up with a smug look on his face.

"Jiwei? He could crush it with two stomps!"

Xiao Lie's face darkened.

"Four hundred times!"