My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

The atmosphere inside the council chamber was deathly silent, almost suffocating.

The blood-dripping golden mace in Qin Qiong's hand hung steadily in front of Cui Hong's throat. If it were pushed forward just half an inch, this arrogant head of the Boling Cui clan would have his throat pierced on the spot.

The terrifying killing intent forged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood stung Cui Hong's skin as if it were a tangible substance.

Cui Hong froze.

On his face, which was swollen and red like a pig's head, an undisguised look of terror finally appeared. He had no doubt that if he dared to utter a single word, this murderous bastard in front of him would smash his head without hesitation!

"Gulp."

Cui Hong swallowed hard, clenching his teeth to swallow back the humiliation and anger in his stomach, not daring to utter a single word.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Just then, a series of dense and orderly clanging sounds of armor clashing came from outside the main hall.

"His Majesty has arrived! The Imperial Guards have sealed off the residence! No one is to move without authorization; violators will be executed without mercy!"

Accompanied by a eunuch's shrill cry.

Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, carrying his unsheathed sword, stormed into the Cui family mansion, accompanied by Cheng Yaojin in his bright armor and hundreds of Imperial Guards.

However, when Li Shimin crossed the front courtyard and walked all the way to the front of the main hall...

The Tang emperor, along with Cheng Yaojin and the other imperial guards following behind him, all gasped in shock and froze on the spot.

The ground was littered with severed limbs, the snow was stained dark red with blood, and the elite Cui clan soldiers lay groaning in the ruins.

"This...this was all done by the four of you?!"

Li Shimin stared wide-eyed at the blood-soaked Crown Prince and the Qin family father and son, his face filled with disbelief.

He had originally thought that he would have to fight a bloody battle to suppress the Cui clan after bringing his troops here. But it turned out to be a one-sided massacre; he didn't even have to clean up the mess!

"Old Deng, you've come at the right time."

Li Chen sat in the grand chair that belonged to the head of the Cui family and yawned lazily.

"The rioters outside have dispersed. The Cui family was the mastermind behind this, and I've already subdued them for you. The rest of the cleanup is up to you."

Li Shimin came to his senses and looked at the Cui family executives who were paralyzed on the ground. A ruthless glint of extreme satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"Men! Seize all the high-ranking members of the Cui clan of Boling!" Li Shimin shouted.

"Wait a minute."

Li Chen raised his hand to stop the ferocious Imperial Guards.

He looked at Cui Hong and held up two fingers.

"You may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. You have startled my entourage tonight, and your Cui family must compensate me for emotional distress."

Li Chen calmly stated his terms: "Twenty prime shops in the East and West Markets of Chang'an, five thousand acres of top-quality paddy fields outside the city, plus half of the gold, silver, and rare medicinal herbs in the family treasury. Deliver the land deeds and inventory to the Prince of Qin's residence before dawn."

"What?!"

Cui Hong abruptly raised his head, his heart bleeding. This was an outrageous demand, directly robbing a third of the Boling Cui clan's resources!

"What? You think it's not enough?"

Li Chen's eyes turned cold as he pointed to the trembling elders beside him.

"Besides property compensation, every single one of the top executives of the Cui family present will cut off one of their own arms! As for Cui Jue, who came up with the idea..."

Li Chen glanced at Cui Jue, who had become a bloody mess, and said, "Cripple his limbs and make him a bedridden cripple for the rest of his life!"

"You—! A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!" an elder roared in grief and indignation.

"Fine, then go die. Huai Dao, grant his wish." Li Chen didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Pfft!"

Qin Huaidao raised his knife and brought it down, the elder's voice stopped abruptly, and his head rolled to the ground.

This ruthless and thunderous approach completely shattered the last psychological defenses of the Cui family.

"I sign... My Cui family is willing to pay compensation! We beg the Immortal Master to show mercy!"

Cui Hong closed his eyes in despair, tears streaming down his face. He knew that if he didn't agree today, the entire Cui clan of Boling would be slaughtered by this madman!

Accompanied by a chilling sound of bones breaking, the Cui family's senior executives screamed as their arms were snapped.

……

Half an hour later.

Li Chen, accompanied by the Crown Prince, Qin family father and son who had washed away the bloodstains, and Qin Wan'er who had come to meet them, strolled leisurely along the quiet streets on their way back to the Qin Prince's residence.

Sizi kept insisting that Qin Wan'er take her to find Li Chen. Having no other choice, Qin Wan'er had to take her.

When Sizi saw Li Chen, she jumped up and down, wanting a hug, and snuggled into Li Chen's arms.

Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin also followed beside him.

The Tang emperor, filled with doubt, finally couldn't help but speak.

"Chen'er, now that the Cui family of Boling has already turned against us, why don't you just nip it in the bud and wipe them out completely?"

Li Shimin frowned and said, "Keeping them alive is tantamount to releasing tigers back into the mountains; they will definitely cause a lot of trouble in the future."

Upon hearing this question...

Li Chen tucked his hands into his sleeves, glanced back at Li Shimin, and let out a sneer.

"Old Deng, you won't admit you're short-sighted."

Li Chen shook his head and began his "Advanced Theory" lesson.

"What will you gain by killing them all, besides venting your anger? Just a bunch of dead things!"

"These powerful families have existed for hundreds of years. The resources, connections, and even the channels for finding rare materials they control are far beyond what our royal family can match."

Li Chen's lips curled into a shrewd, mischievous smile: "Eggs come from chickens! Why kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?"

"In my eyes, they were just a field of extremely lush leeks!"

"We've beaten them into submission today and taken a crop of their wealth. In a while, when we're short of money, food, or some rare medicinal herbs for my alchemy, we'll go and 'politely' pay them a visit, and they'll obediently offer them up with both hands."

"Moreover, if we kill them directly, it will cause unrest, and other powerful families will also be afraid. If they all act desperately, it will be troublesome."

"Although I'm not afraid, it's troublesome! And I might need to use them for something in the future."

Li Chen patted Li Shimin on the shoulder.

"As long as our fists are always stronger than theirs, they'll always be our free resource extraction machine! A never-ending, inexhaustible supply! Isn't that a million times more cost-effective than just killing them?"

boom!

The "harvesting leeks" theory came out.

Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, and Qin Qiong and his son were all stunned.

They looked at each other, their minds replaying those words frantically. The more they thought about it, the more horrified they became, and the more they realized... it really made a damn good point!