The empress disliked my achievements for overshadowing her own, so she turned her attention to the N

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions drastically. No one had expected that Liu Zong would have such a past.

As Qingyu recounted her story, Liu Zong's expression gradually softened.

"Oh, you mean the family annihilation case from thirteen years ago?"

"Hahaha, I have always acted with integrity and honesty. What I did is what I did. Why should I change my story?"

"Thirteen years have passed, and you still haven't been able to capture me. It's entirely due to the incompetence of your Northern Wei government. How can you blame me for this?"

Liu Zong shrugged, looking completely indifferent.

Seeing him like this, Qingyu became even more furious. Ignoring Chen Nan beside her, she rushed to Liu Zong in two steps, grabbed his collar, and was about to strike him in the face with her right fist.

"Light Feather!"

Just then, Chen Nan shouted, stopping Qingyu, who was blinded by anger.

Upon hearing this, Qingyu turned to look at Chen Nan, tears streaming down her face: "Your Highness, please allow me to kill this traitor! Whatever the punishment, I am willing to accept!"

At this moment, Qingyu was almost going crazy. He saw the enemy who killed his entire village right in front of him, but he couldn't make a move when Chen Nan gave the order.

Seeing that Chen Nan had stopped Qingyu's actions, Liu Zong became even more arrogant, sneering, "Qingyu, right? I'm standing right here, let's see what you can do to me! Hahahaha!"

Liu Zong became increasingly arrogant, and Qingyu's breathing gradually became heavier. He was restraining himself, restraining the overwhelming anger in his heart.

As time passed, Qingyu's eyes gradually turned bloodshot.

Chen Nan could see that if he didn't stop her, Qingyu would eventually become a killing machine.

Chen Nan slowly approached Qing Yu from behind and whispered, "You must understand, we are now considering the future of the entire Northern Wei!"

"You must also know that whether you are a military general or a civil official, you must not let your anger cloud your judgment!"

"As a renowned general of the Northern Wei Dynasty, having spent so much time on the border, do you not have even the slightest memory left?"

After Chen Nan's persuasion, the crimson in Qingyu's eyes gradually diminished.

Then Chen Nan whispered in Qingyu's ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I promise you, you will personally cut off Liu Zong's dog head in the end!"

Perhaps it was Chen Nan's assurance that worked, because the crimson in Qingyu's eyes completely faded, and she turned to smile as she stared at Liu Zong.

Liu Zong, who had been being stared at, had no idea what the two had just said, but Qingyu's gaze made him feel uneasy, and he took a step back.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he stood back in his previous position, his face once again displaying that confident smile: "May I ask, Your Highness, why have you come to my Liu residence in the middle of the night?"

Chen Nan didn't understand why Liu Zong had suddenly become so confident, but he didn't have the mind to think about it.

He stated bluntly, "I want to know why your families are forcibly buying and selling land? Don't you know that buying and selling land in Northern Wei violates the laws of the court?"

Liu Zong was even more surprised. He thought Chen Nan had come to ask them for grain, but he never expected that the other party had come to investigate matters related to land sales.

Liu Zong remained calm: "Your Highness, you have misunderstood us. Those lands were all sold to us voluntarily by those unruly people!"

"Of course we know that buying and selling land in Northern Wei is against the law, but we can't stop others from willingly selling it to us! Moreover, those unruly people even voluntarily signed indentures just to work for my Liu family and become slaves of my Liu family. Can you blame me for this?"

Chen Nan scoffed, "Heh, Patriarch Liu really found a good excuse!"

"If it weren't for you powerful families deliberately suppressing grain prices in the market, making it so that the people can't get a good price for the grain they've worked so hard to grow all year, would they really be willing to buy and sell land?"

"And what about those who voluntarily became slaves in your Liu household? Isn't that even more ridiculous?"

"I ask you, Patriarch Liu, if you weren't truly desperate, who would willingly lower themselves to become a slave in someone else's hands?"

"So, they became slaves of your Liu family just for that tiny bit of grain a month? Have you paid the people their wages? Can you guarantee their livelihood?"

"Or was it that when Patriarch Liu massacred the entire village thirteen years ago, it was entirely for his own selfish desires?"

Liu Zong was taken aback. He didn't understand why Chen Nan had brought up the incident from thirteen years ago again.

However, he completely ignored what Chen Nan said, and instead focused on the problem in the other's words: "Your Highness, please don't say so much. I only know that the imperial court stipulates that pedestrians are not allowed on the streets after sunset!"

“My Liu family strictly follows this regulation. However, the prince led a large army to my Liu residence in the middle of the night without informing us in advance.”

"Then may I ask Your Highness, can I, according to the regulations issued by the imperial court, regard Your Highness and others as traitors and execute them?"

As he finished speaking, a strange smile appeared on Liu Zong's lips.

However, Chen Nan also smiled, only his smile was even brighter.

"Master Liu is saying that the imperial court did not notify you in advance, right?"

Liu Zong nodded firmly; he wanted to see how Chen Nan would handle this question.

Mo Bai interjected, "Your Highness, don't argue with him. He's nothing but a traitor hiding in our Northern Wei court. Why do you do this, Your Highness!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zong was unwilling and immediately retorted, "What kind of talk is this general giving?"

"Although I massacred a village thirteen years ago, the Northern Wei regime had not yet been established at that time."

"I came to the capital of Northern Wei after its establishment and founded my family. How could I be a traitor hiding in Northern Wei?"

These words made Mo Bai's face turn pale; he had wanted to help Chen Nan out of a predicament.

Unexpectedly, he was no match for Liu Zong in verbal sparring, and instead, the other party gained the upper hand.

"Alright, Mo Bai, why waste words with this kind of person!"

Chen Nan snorted coldly, then took out an iron token from his pocket.

He placed the token in front of Liu Zong and said loudly, "Didn't you say that I didn't inform you beforehand?"

"This is my token. I am now officially informing you."

"Your Liu family is suspected of forcibly seizing land. I have personally led people to investigate. I hereby order your Liu family to open your gates and accept the stationing of the army!"

"During the inspection, everyone from the Liu family must report to the garrison before entering or leaving. No one may enter or leave without the garrison's permission!"

Chen Nan spoke slowly and deliberately until the very end, when Liu Zong's face turned as ugly as if he had eaten shit.

He never expected that Chen Nan would use such methods to force him to open the gates of the Liu residence.

Even if he massacred a village thirteen years ago, there's no need to treat him like this!