My name is Wei Qing, and I want to fight the Xiongnu.

If they could truly defeat and kill the Xiongnu Chanyu, it would actually be a great contribution to the Han Dynasty.

Furthermore, in recent years, most marriage alliances have involved selecting daughters or granddaughters of various kings, bestowing upon them the title of princess, and then sending them to marry into the Xiongnu barbarian territory.

For hundreds of years, other kings have had their descendants marry into the Xiongnu, but your lineage, Liu Heng's, has never produced one. Shouldn't you show some respect now?

As the daughter of the Crown Prince, Yang Xin was bestowed the title of princess at a young age, and she has already enjoyed the treatment of a princess, so she has not lost out.

Fortunately, Emperor Qi still loved his daughter very much. In addition, there was still some time before the next marriage alliance. Furthermore, Empress Lü also wanted to put Emperor Heng and his son in a bad light and did not really intend to marry Yangxin off to them for the time being. So the matter was eventually put aside for the time being.

However, the fact that Yang Xin could only marry a slave in the future became common knowledge overnight.

Liu Yangxin had considered this matter before, so he specifically asked Qiao Lan to go to Cao Ying and ask Cao Ying to quickly remove Wei Qing from the nationality system.

Once he is freed from slavery, who could guess that Wei Qing was a slave before, just by looking at his appearance, demeanor, and speech?

The problem is that Cao Ying is a bit unreliable; his procrastination is a killer!

Now, in Xiahou Ci's view, Liu Yangxin first caused the death of his most beloved son, and then found a mistress from outside, who was a slave!

What's even more outrageous is that she came to her and asked her lover for a letter of recommendation to get into the Imperial Academy.

Liu Yangxin, don't go too far!

Xiahou Ci did not immediately vent his anger on Wei Qing, which was already a sign of restraint.

However, Wei Qing's next question, "Where is my letter of recommendation?" directly ignited Xiahou Ci's powder keg.

Xiahou Ci gritted his teeth and glared at Wei Qing, saying, "Get out! Get out before I change my mind!"

When Wei Qing saw Xiahou Ci's indignant expression, he understood.

It's perfectly normal for nobles to look down on slaves, so why pretend?

"Get lost?" Wei Qing laughed. He looked at the nobles who were watching the show, and then at Xiahou Ci, who seemed ready to pounce on him at any moment and fight him to the death. He said, "You promised His Highness two days ago that you would give me a letter of recommendation, but today you went back on your word in front of everyone. In the end, it's all because of my status as a slave!"

Chapter Twenty: This kick is to punish your disrespect.

Seeing that Wei Qing had indeed not run away with his tail between his legs, the group of noble sons wished they could send their servants to buy two catties of melon seeds right now.

Say no more, just watch the show!

Hearing Wei Qing speak so confidently, Xiahou Ci laughed angrily: "So you know something? I thought you didn't know anything."

"I understand, what's there to not understand?"

Before Wei Qing arrived, he had already guessed that something unexpected would happen. How could nobles possibly respect slaves?

However, Xiahou Ci's reaction was unexpectedly intense.

Is it really necessary? It's like I stole your daughter-in-law; you seem ready to fight me to the death.

Don't you know your own limitations? If we really fight, I, Wei Zhong, might not be able to leave the Marquis of Ruyin's mansion, but you, Xiahou Ci, will have to go to hell and scout the way for me beforehand.

Wei Qing took a deep breath and strode towards Xiahou Ci and the nobles watching the show. He said with a hint of sarcasm, "Today I've come to ask for your help. Logically speaking, it's a favor if you help me, and it's your right not to."

But as far as I know, the Xiahou family has been responsible for discovering talent and recommending it to the imperial court for four hundred years. Am I right?

Wei Qing has been quite busy these past two days. In his spare time, he has been intensively studying the intelligence on the nobles in Chang'an, so that he can find solutions when he encounters problems in the future.

Wei Qing was right. Recommending talents to the Han Dynasty was both a right and an obligation for the Xiahou family.

You may exercise your power for your own benefit, but you must also fulfill your obligations when they are due.

This is called "being in a position and fulfilling one's duties".

Xiahou Ci laughed when he heard Wei Qing actually talking to him about rules.

You, a lowly slave, dare to reason with me, Xiahou Ci?

If it weren't for Liu Yangxin, you wouldn't even be qualified to see me.

Xiahou Ci said slowly, "Follow the rules? Fine! According to the rules of the Han Dynasty, slaves should kneel before kings and nobles. Kneel down!"

Commoners may not kneel before the king, but slaves do not have this right.

As long as he was not freed from his status, he was still a slave, so Xiahou Ci simply used his status to pressure Wei Qing.

Upon hearing these words, Wei Qing's eyes turned icy cold: "Since you're talking about rules, then I'll explain the rules to you properly."

Upon seeing this, some of the noblewomen involuntarily took a half-step back, trying to distance themselves from him.

This guy has killed people, many people.

Xiahou Ci's hair stood on end. He then remembered what Liu Yangxin had told him: this kid was young, but he had personally killed seven or eight ram-headed shamans, and the ram-headed masks were still hanging in the study in the main courtyard.

Xiahou Ci was certain that Wei Qing would not dare to make a move in the training ground, and even if he did, he would not succeed.

But one can't be too afraid of the unexpected. If Wei Qing loses his mind and does something unwise, wouldn't I become a laughing stock?

While Xiahou Ci was struggling with his inner turmoil, Wei Qing had already arrived at a position less than ten meters away from him.

The nobles who had been watching the show earlier could no longer sit still.

Is this kid really crazy?

Should we take action to stop him?

No need. Even if Xiahou Ci is not good enough, he is still a match for ten thousand men. Even if he is old and his strength is not as good as before, he should have no problem dealing with a strongman.

This is the source of the nobility's confidence: resources that the poor and common people could never dream of. Even a useless person could be forcibly built up by abundant resources.

"Wei Qing, what are you trying to do?!"

Xiahou Ci questioned him with a fierce but weak expression. The two were now less than seven meters apart. If Wei Qing had truly killed the ram-headed shaman with his own strength, then at such close range, he might not be a match for him.

Wei Qing's tone became even more sinister: "Kneel down and pay your respects. It's not appropriate to be too far away."

As he spoke, Wei Qing leaped out. Because he was so fast, everyone except a few who could fight ten thousand men saw only a blur and couldn't even see Wei Qing's move.

As Wei Qing suddenly attacked, Xiahou Ci also turned and retreated.

Xiahou Ci's ability to defeat ten thousand men was mainly due to his resources. In addition, he was old and his legs were not agile. How could he possibly be comparable to Wei Qing?

The moment Wei Qing got close to Xiahou Ci, he kicked him in the stomach, and Xiahou Ci flew out like a kite with a broken string.

Splash splash splash splash.

The tables and chairs inside were smashed to pieces, and the ink that had just been ground was spilled all over Xiahou Ci's face.

Wei Qing held back with that kick, and Xiahou Ci's physique wouldn't cause any problems, but he completely lost face.

Wei Qing shouted sternly, "Even Uncle Cao has never made me kneel, who do you think you are? This kick is to provoke your disrespect for elders!"

When Wei Qing said "disrespectful to elders," he was not referring to himself, but to Cao Can.

Xiahou Ci, who had just gotten up from the ground, had cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

Are you kidding me? You call Prime Minister Cao "uncle"?

Would Prime Minister Cao recognize a slave as his nephew?

Are you kidding me?

The nobles watching from the sidelines were also stunned. This is possible?

No wonder a slave dared to lay a hand on the grandson of the Marquis of Ruyin.

With this relationship in place, Xiahou Ci dared to make Wei Qing kneel before him, and he deserved to be beaten.

Xiahou Ying and Cao Can were not only of the same generation, but also fellow townsmen from Fengyi in Pei County. They were Liu Bang's right-hand men during his uprising.

Regardless of how close their relationship is, at least when they meet, they still address each other as brothers.

Making your grandfather's brother recognize your nephew and kneel before you, Xiahou Ci, you have such great power!

Xiahou Ci was bitter inside. Liu Yangxin had never told him that Wei Qing and Cao Can had this kind of relationship.

If he had known, he would never have said such a stupid thing as asking Wei Qing to kneel down.

Liu Yangxin was also wronged; what could she tell Xiahou Ci?

To put it simply, Wei Qing called Cao Can "uncle" in Pingyang County?

Xiahou Ci must have believed that Liu Yangxin was using Cao Shen to pressure him.

After making his move, Wei Qing dropped the pretense and confronted Xiahou Ci directly, saying, "Today, the right to recommend me is in your hands, Xiahou Ci. You look down on me, Wei Qing, as a good-for-nothing, and don't want to give me a letter of recommendation because you're afraid I'll tarnish your reputation at the Imperial Academy. No problem, that's your right. But I just want to ask one more question: if you're not giving me the letter of recommendation, are you planning to give it to this bunch of good-for-nothings?"

The noble sons standing nearby, upon hearing Wei Qing call them trash, thought to themselves, "What's it to me? I'm just a bystander."

Having been insulted, they should logically stand up and demand an explanation for their reputation, but these sons of nobles actually stood still as steady as Mount Tai.

He showed no resentment whatsoever for being humiliated, as if it were a matter of course, highlighting his lazy and indifferent nature.

These noble sons aren't stupid; not to mention that Wei Qing's burst of speed just now was terrifying.

That dazzling speed is more than enough to take on ten of myself.

Based solely on Wei Qing's statement that he addressed Cao Cao as "uncle," these people had no reason not to choose to protect themselves.

As a person, one must have self-awareness and be content to simply observe and enjoy the show.

Chapter Twenty-One: I Want to Try

Xiahou Ci nearly had a stroke when he saw the noble sons continuing to watch the drama unfold. "Don't you guys have any backbone? You can't even get angry when someone insults you to your face?"

The sons of Xun Gui silently agreed, saying they had no temper.

We really do eat like a master chef.

They could also see that Wei Qing was not only strong, but more terrifyingly, he had killed many people. He was definitely not the kind of genius who relied on resources or teachers to become a genius. They estimated that he was probably a desperate criminal who survived by fighting on the battlefield.

These kinds of guys are incredibly dangerous and incredibly resilient; you should definitely avoid them if you encounter them.

A true man can bend and stretch. A man who jumps out and makes a scene after being scolded is a coward. The sons of noble families are educated from a young age to be arrogant when they should be arrogant and to be patient when they should be patient.

The truly useless members of the family would have been sent to their fiefdoms to become local tyrants long ago; they wouldn't dare stay in Chang'an, the capital city.

Besides, people used to say that fortunes change every thirty years, but now even thirty years is too long. The three-year period is already over, and who knows, they might just stage a "Dragon King Returns" for you.

Xiahou Ci knew that using his status to intimidate others wouldn't work, but he couldn't swallow the thought of giving Wei Qing a letter of recommendation.