My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

His murderous hand, now so weak, didn't even have the strength to hold the knife; he could only frantically shove the blade back into place.

They originally thought that the fact that there wasn't even a sentry outside the workshop was due to negligence in security.

Who would have thought that His Highness Prince Wei would actually use this place as a weapons testing ground! Those assassins who were blown to a pulp and unrecognizable even to their own mothers were simply there to be free live guinea pigs for human experimentation!

"Your Highness, what... what should we do with these assassins?" The head guard swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

"Find a sack, pack it up, and dump it at the gate of the Lu family's villa in Fanyang overnight."

Li Taihe opened the booklet, casually took off the tin helmet from his head, revealing his chubby face covered with streaks of black ash.

"And please pass on a message to them for me."

Li Tai sneered, "Just say thank you for sending the testing stone. If you send anyone again next time, remember to wear something warmer; I need to test a new formula in a couple of days."

……

Half an hour later.

The gate of the Lu family's villa in Chang'an.

Several blood-soaked sacks were thrown heavily onto the steps.

As the head of the Lu family looked at the mutilated, charred remains in the sack, his originally sinister face instantly lost all color, turning ashen white.

"Completely wiped out...they didn't even get past the gate?"

Manager Lu was trembling all over, gripping the door frame tightly to keep from collapsing.

The most elite assassins in the family were sent! Yet, in a mere instant, they were blown to smithereens by a bizarre mechanism that spewed forth heavenly fire!

That terrifying method, which transcended the understanding of ordinary martial arts, completely shattered the psychological defenses of the person in charge of the Lu family.

"Sorcery... That sorcerer from the Qin Prince's mansion actually set up a potion in the workshop that could summon heavenly thunder and earthly fire?"

Master Lu was panting heavily, his eyes filled with undisguised horror.

"A forceful attack is absolutely out of the question! Go, prepare the carriage immediately! I need to see several high-ranking officials from our clan who hold positions in the imperial court!"

Since assassination and stealing the formula are not viable options, the only option left is to use the weapons that the aristocratic families are most skilled at and that are also the most lethal.

Court infighting!

After the first snowfall, the sky was clear and blue.

In the past few days, the most talked-about topic in the streets and alleys of Chang'an has been that winter essential that costs three copper coins.

The reputation of the Cui family of Qinghe soared like a rocket in the streets and alleys.

The Deyuelou Teahouse, a favorite haunt of the city's high-ranking officials and nobles, was packed with guests on its second floor today.

On stage, a courtesan played the pipa, her singing melodious and graceful, while below, the air was filled with the aroma of tea.

Cui Ming was wearing a slightly worn, faded blue cotton robe, and he didn't even have a decent jade pendant hanging at his waist.

He tucked his hands into his sleeves and slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor, where he sat down at the window table with the best view.

This attire was completely out of place for someone of his status as the head manager of the Cui family in Qinghe.

"Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this Manager Cui from the Cui family of Qinghe?"

A voice filled with sarcasm and sourness came from the next table.

The speaker was Cui Ping, an elder of the Cui clan of Boling. Sitting at the same table was the head of the Lu clan of Fanyang, who had just recovered from his shock.

Cui Ping looked Cui Ming up and down, making no attempt to hide the disdain in his eyes.

"Brother Cui is supposed to be a direct descendant of a prestigious family, so why are you dressed like you just escaped from a refugee camp? Could it be that you've been hanging out with those stinking peasants every day, and have even abandoned the dignity of our thousand-year-old family?"

"that is."

The head of the Lu family picked up his teacup and sneered repeatedly.

"To earn a few worthless copper coins, you've actually stooped so low as to fawn over those lowly commoners. You've utterly disgraced the Cui family of Qinghe."

Hearing this sarcastic remark, Cui Ming not only did not get angry, but instead slowly picked up the hot tea that the waiter had just poured and took a small sip.

He put down his teacup and let out a long sigh.

On that old face, an expression of extreme distress, helplessness, and yet utterly irritating appeared instantly.

"My two brothers, you don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. You have no idea how much I'm suffering right now."

Cui Ming shook his head and pointed to the faded old cotton robe he was wearing.

"Do you think I wanted to wear these tattered clothes? I was forced into it by the neighbors!"

Cui Ming slapped his thigh, his face showing utter agony.

"The other day, I simply went out wearing a piece of Hangzhou brocade, which was a tribute item, and as soon as I reached the street corner, a whole bunch of people suddenly knelt down. Several old men insisted on stuffing freshly roasted, juicy sweet potatoes into my arms, and I couldn't stop them!"

As Cui Ming spoke, he gestured with his fingers to indicate the name.

"Those scalding hot sweet potato marks ruined my hundred-tael silver brocade! And those farm eggs and old hens were hanging all over the carriage shaft, leaving no room to step!"

"I really don't dare to go out dressed properly now, for fear that those enthusiastic people will try to stuff some local specialties into my hands again."

Cui Ming turned his head and looked at Cui Ping and Manager Lu, whose faces were starting to turn pale, his eyes filled with undisguised envy.

"Ah, I'm so envious of you two."

Cui Ming clasped his hands in a fist salute, his tone as sincere as could be.

"Look at you all, you go out quietly every day, dressed in fine silks and satins, and nobody pays you any attention. Your doorstep is so clean that even a stray dog ​​wouldn't bother to poop there. I've always dreamed of this idyllic life where no one bothers you!"

Quiet.

The private rooms on the second floor of Deyuelou seemed to have been instantly emptied of air.

This "Versailles" speech, which can be described as the pinnacle of perfection, was like a series of invisible, resounding slaps to the faces of Cui Ping and Lu, the person in charge!

What does it mean to kill someone by destroying their spirit? This is what it means to kill someone by destroying their spirit!

On the surface, he was complaining, but in reality, he was frantically showing off the popularity and influence of the Cui family of Qinghe!

The phrase "the doorway is so clean that even stray dogs don't go near it" completely exposed the miserable state of these two families, which are now deserted!

"You...you are an utter disgrace to civilization! Shameless!"

Cui Ping was so angry that he trembled all over. He pointed at Cui Ming's nose and could only manage to utter this one sentence after a long time.

"Exactly! Is it really worth being so smug about the ignorant flattery of commoners?"

Manager Lu slammed his teacup heavily onto the table, splashing tea all over the floor.

"Since ancient times, the social hierarchy has been strictly divided into scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants! Your Cui family of Qinghe is willing to lower yourselves to engage in such lowly trades; sooner or later, you will incur the wrath of the imperial court!"

"Will this backfire?"

Cui Ming dropped the mockery on his face, and a sharp glint of someone who had long held a high position gradually appeared in his eyes.

He slowly stood up, placed his hands on the table, and looked down at the two defeated dogs.

"The will of the people is like water; it can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. This is a truth that even the current emperor understands."

Cui Ming's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable weight.

"Our Cui family of Qinghe has saved the people from freezing to death; that is the greatest dignity! It's far better than you parasites who leech off the people while claiming to be virtuous!"

"There's no point in talking when we don't see eye to eye. This tea is on me. Please savor the refined and unassuming spirit of your noble families."

After saying that, Cui Ming waved his sleeves and, surrounded by a group of guards, strode down the stairs, leaving Cui Ping and Steward Lu sitting there, their faces alternating between pale and flushed, as if they had swallowed a live fly.

"Bang!"

Manager Lu slammed his fist on the table, his eyes brimming with resentment.

"Excellent! Excellent is the Cui family of Qinghe! Excellent is the people's unwavering loyalty!"

Manager Lu gritted his teeth and looked coldly at Cui Ping across from him.

"Since they're determined to push things to the extreme, then don't blame us for being ruthless! Elder Cui, contact all our spies and officials within the Censorate!"

"At tomorrow's morning court, even if it means being punished by His Majesty, we must jointly impeach Prince Wei, Li Tai! Impeach him for being a prince who dares to compete with the people for profit and tarnish the dignity of the royal family!"

Chief Lu's face was contorted with rage, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

"I'd like to see whether his so-called popular support can protect his lowly furnace business in the face of the mighty laws of the Tang Dynasty and the unanimous opinions of the court officials!"