My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Li Junxian stood aside, watching this miraculous scene, his inner clothes soaked with cold sweat.

His gaze toward the Crown Prince was filled with deep awe.

He beat someone until they broke their bones and vomited blood, then used their family members to inflict the most cruel psychological oppression. This isn't a prince; this is clearly a living Yama who crawled out of the underworld!

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction.

He turned to look at the clerk in charge of taking notes.

"Have you written everything down? Have them sign it."

Once all the statements have been signed,

Li Chengqian waved his hand and ordered the jailer, "Go, prepare some good wine and meat for these honest confessors, and let them have a good meal."

"As for those few stubborn fools who remained loyal to their master until their deaths, let's grant them their wish and send them on their way."

"Your Highness!"

The leader of the assassins stared intently at Li Chengqian, his voice hoarse as he pleaded, "I've told you everything I know. Please, Your Highness, keep your promise and spare my family!"

Li Chengqian stopped at the prison cell door.

He turned around, looked at the leader of the assassins whose face was filled with despair, and suddenly burst out laughing.

"take it easy."

Li Chengqian spread his hands and shrugged innocently.

"I was just teasing you. I'm busy every day, how could I have time to arrest your family?"

"What?!" The leader of the assassins was stunned.

"Those documents were just a list that I had my spies from the Crown Prince's palace buy from the stewards on the Cui family's periphery, after spending some money."

Li Chengqian's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Your mother, wife, and children should still be sleeping soundly in Wannian County. I didn't even touch them."

The leader of the assassins stared blankly at Li Chengqian.

The brain went through a series of emotions, from extreme despair to extreme panic, and then to momentary ecstasy.

This rollercoaster of emotions left him feeling completely exhausted.

Instead of feeling angry at being deceived, he was overwhelmed with an indescribable joy and gratitude.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you for sparing my life!"

The leader of the assassins, dragging his heavily wounded body, frantically kowtowed in Li Chengqian's direction on the rack, his forehead hitting the iron chains with dull thuds.

"Your Highness is merciful! I am willing to be your ox or horse in my next life to repay your kindness!"

Li Junxian and the soldiers of the Hundred Cavalry Division standing nearby were dumbfounded and felt their scalps tingle.

They torment people to the point of wishing they were dead, and in the end, they just casually say, "I was lying to you."

The victim not only didn't hate him, but instead knelt on the ground, showering him with gratitude?!

The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty's methods of manipulating people's hearts are simply outrageous!

……

Half an hour later.

Taiji Palace, Ganlu Hall.

Li Shimin sat behind his large imperial desk, holding the confession that Li Junxian had just presented, as well as a detailed report on the interrogation process.

Looking at the physical explanation of the sentence "While parents are alive, one should not travel far; if one must travel, one should have a fixed destination," and then at the end, the Crown Prince's actions that were both deadly and psychologically damaging.

Li Shimin's lips twitched uncontrollably.

"This...this actually works?!"

Li Shimin stared wide-eyed, and it took him a long time to come to his senses.

He went through the teachings of Confucius in his mind and found that the Crown Prince's explanation was indeed airtight, exuding an irrefutable underworld logic.

"Your Majesty," Li Junxian knelt on one knee, his voice still tinged with lingering fear, "His Highness the Crown Prince's methods are swift and decisive, even... even somewhat chilling. I believe..."

"What do you think you are?!"

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the table, but instead of getting angry, a wildly joyful smile burst onto his face.

"Great! Excellent!"

Li Shimin stood up and paced back and forth in the main hall, then slapped Li Junxian on the shoulder.

"This Tang Dynasty was conquered on horseback! It was forged from piles of corpses! This empire does not need a weak scholar who only knows classical Chinese to inherit it!"

"Chengqian now possesses such decisive and ruthless methods, knowing how to slap someone and then offer a sweet treat. This is what a true ruler should be like! This is what a son of Li Shimin should be like!"

Li Shimin was overjoyed by the Crown Prince's change of heart.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on the confession on the table, his eyes instantly becoming sharp as knives.

"Now that we've obtained their confessions, do you really think my Prince Qin's residence is a public latrine, where you can come and go as you please?"

Li Shimin sneered, "Issue an imperial decree! Immediately summon the leaders of the Cui clan of Qinghe, the Wang clan of Taiyuan, and the Lu clan of Fanyang in the court! Today, I will settle accounts with them thoroughly for this heinous crime of trespassing into a prince's residence and plotting rebellion!"

this day.

The Tang Dynasty court experienced an epic storm.

Holding the irrefutable evidence of the confession, Li Shimin cornered the heads of several powerful families in the imperial study and berated them for two full hours.

The powerful families were in the wrong from the start, and they were terrified that the court had actually captured prisoners alive. They were afraid that Li Shimin would use this as an excuse to directly accuse them of rebellion.

Ultimately, in order to quell the Khan's anger...

The major families had no choice but to grit their teeth and swallow their pride, paying a terrifying price that could be described as a massive financial drain.

That evening.

A spectacular scene unfolded on the streets of the eastern market of Chang'an.

A dozen or so heavy carriages bearing royal flags and pulled by strong horses, escorted by a troop of fully armed imperial guards, drove into the gates of the Prince of Qin's residence in a grand procession.

The backyard of the Prince's Mansion.

Li Chen looked at the large red lacquered wooden boxes displayed in the courtyard.

The box was then opened by the Imperial Guards.

A surge of spiritual energy, so dense it was almost tangible, rushed towards us instantly!

It was filled with top-grade mutton fat jade the size of a baby's fist, thousand-year-old purple blood ginseng emitting a strange fragrance, fist-sized deep-sea ice essence, and even a few pieces of black iron refined gold that were extremely rare even in the cultivation world!

These are all treasured heirlooms accumulated by aristocratic families over hundreds of years, treasures they would never even let anyone glance at.

Today, Li Shimin used this as an excuse to thoroughly search and seize everything, sending every single item to the Prince of Qin's residence.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Li Chen casually picked up a piece of Xuan Tie refined gold, tossed it in his hand, and felt the aura of the top-grade material contained within. The smile on his face was even brighter than the summer sun.

He turned his head, looked at Li Chengqian who was standing to the side with a smug look on his face, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother, you did a great job today."

Li Chen cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the air, his tone filled with sincere expectation.

"I really hope these powerful families can be a little tougher and send more groups of assassins over."

"Welcome, friends from the distinguished family! Please visit my humble abode again next time!"