Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

The three family heads did not look well.

Because they hadn't prepared any gifts. In their eyes, the 'war bonds' they bought already amounted to a large sum of money.

Actually, their family asked them yesterday if they wanted any gifts.

As a result, after they learned of the emperor's secret decree, they no longer took Xiao Ce seriously, since they already considered him a dead man.

Kan Zongye reacted the fastest, stepping forward and bowing, saying, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I wrote to my family, and they thought the money used to buy the 'war bonds' was a gift for Your Highness's return to the country! They only brought that much silver, and I have already reprimanded them. I have also arranged for people to procure provisions as soon as possible. We will contribute five million shi of provisions!"

As soon as Kan Zongye spoke, Liu Xuan and Lin Shou chimed in, "That's right, that's right, Your Highness! We have already ordered people to prepare ten million shi (a unit of dry measure)."

"Excellent! I will also order people to prepare ten million shi (a unit of dry measure)!"

When they heard Kan Zongye say five million shi (a unit of dry measure), they knew he was exaggerating; they had discussed it yesterday.

They knew perfectly well that Kan Zongye was just talking nonsense.

Their plan was to appease Xiao Ce, this fool, so that he could leave this place.

The two of them were quite pleased with themselves for their boastful remarks, but Kan Zongye, standing to the side, didn't look too pleased with their expressions!

If Xiao Ce hadn't been there, he would have loved to give those two a good scolding. Is this what they meant by stealing the limelight?

Upon hearing their words, Xiao Ce's expression immediately turned gloomy.

He slammed his hand on the table in front of him.

"Three patriarchs, you were unprepared, so be it! I know you look down on me. But do you think I'm a fool?"

"Patriarch Kan, your preparation of five million shi is already an exaggeration. Liu Xuan, Lin Shou, do you two think I'm a fool? Do you even know how many shi of grain the entire Xiao Kingdom's court can collect in a year?"

"Twenty million shi!"

"Tell me, how did you come up with so much grain? Don't the people in your county eat or drink?"

The head of the Kan family knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Highness, please calm down... I... I didn't lie to you. I know that Your Highness has just arrived here, and the disaster victims and soldiers all need food. I thought of this: rather than letting the Turks plunder it, it's better to give it to Your Highness's soldiers... We must tighten our belts to prevent our soldiers from going hungry..."

Liu Xuan and Lin Shou quickly tried to cover it up: "Your Highness...your Highness, we didn't mean that. We meant to support you overall, but it would need to be done over several years..."

After listening to their explanation, Xiao Ce's expression calmed down.

"So that's how it is! It seems I misunderstood you!"

Seeing that Xiao Ce was no longer angry, the group wiped the sweat from their foreheads.

"Then please get up quickly."

After they got up, Xiao Ce said, "What I hate most in my life is people who treat me like a fool, and I hate even more those who betray me... You wouldn't do that, would you?"

The three of them shook their heads together.

Xiao Ce looked at them and said, "That's good!"

"Alright, it's getting late. Patriarch Kan, you're a smart man, so you can do it. Now, guess who has the remaining three seats?"

Kan Zongye shook his head, his face contorted with a bitter expression: "Your Highness, I truly do not know."

Xiao Ce looked at Lin Shou and Liu Xuan.

Both of them shook their heads.

Xiao Ce then said, "Since you don't know, I won't make you guess. You didn't prepare any gifts for me, but I have prepared gifts for you..."

Xiao Ce glanced at Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu called out according to the rules.

Immediately afterwards, three groups of people walked in from one side. Because of the distance, they could not see who the newcomers were.

However, the prestigious families on the outermost edge all made quite a commotion.

They seemed quite surprised by the identities of the people who came over.

At this moment, Kan Zongye, Liu Xuan, and Lin Shou, who were sitting on one side, all looked at their family members with questioning expressions.

However, their family members also looked bewildered.

So they all craned their necks.

Xiao Ce poured himself a glass of wine with a smug look on his face and took a sip.

Yin Pan'er was very curious, even though she didn't know what was going to happen.

However, given the current atmosphere, he had a feeling that something was about to happen.

"Third brother! What brings you here?"

"Second brother! What brings you here?"

"Fourth brother! What brings you here?"

As those people approached, Kan Zongye, Liu Xuan, and Lin Shou shouted almost in unison.

The person coming is not someone else.

It was Kan Shanyue, the third son of the Kan family.

Liu Qi, the second son of the Liu family.

Lin Nan, the fourth son of the Lin family!

These people are all enemies of each other, and they have been bullied by them for many years. Xiao Ce met with them last night.

These people ignored them.

Kan Shanyue, accompanied by his family, said: "This humble commoner, Kan Shanyue, along with his wife and children, pays our respects to Your Highness and congratulates you on your ascension to the throne. Although we are members of the Kan family, we do not possess much wealth. We are deeply honored by Your Highness's invitation and have no money to offer generous gifts. Therefore, we have sold our property at a low price in exchange for 800,000 shi of grain to show our welcome to Your Highness."

Liu Qi and Lin Nan followed Kan Shanyue's lead, selling their family property for 800,000 shi of grain. Moreover, this wasn't just empty talk; more than half of it had already arrived, and the rest was on its way.

Kan Zongye and the others did not look good at this moment. Putting everything else aside, the grain and fodder they had obtained could sustain Xiao Ce for a long time.

However, they dared not show it at this moment.

Moreover, they also had a vague sense of unease, because these people were pro-war and had been kept under their control for years.

This news was also told to Xiao Ce by Nie Bing.

These three people were the mortal enemies of the three major clans and had been suppressed by them for many years, so their conditions were not good.

After listening to their words, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "You've sold your home, what are you going to do in the future?"

Kan Shanyue said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, how can we think of a home when the Turks are not yet defeated! I heard that Your Highness is leading 100,000 elite troops to fight against the Turkic barbarians, and I have decided to do something about it! A person's life is nothing more than three meals a day and a bed; everything else is just material possessions. As long as we can help Your Highness fight against those damned Turks, we are willing to eat chaff and wild vegetables!"

Liu Qi and Lin Nan both agreed.

After hearing this, Xiao Ce exclaimed, "Excellent! If the soldiers and civilians of the four northern prefectures all share this sentiment, what do we have to worry about in order to destroy the Turks!"

With that, Xiao Ce asked them to sit down.

Xiao Ce glanced at Kan Zongye and his three families; each of them had an extremely strange expression.

Kan Shanyue's expression was incredibly unpleasant!

Xiao Ce stepped forward immediately, and a messenger then came forward.

Buglers were loud-voiced people; in ancient times, there were no loudspeakers, so their role was the same as that of a loudspeaker.

...

"Gentlemen, today is my banquet to mark my return to the kingdom. To be honest, I didn't originally intend to hold this."

"After all, the people are suffering terribly. However, after careful consideration, I still intend to arrange one!"

"The reason is simple: I am now the ruler of the Northern Desert, and I need to inform all the people of the Northern Desert that I have arrived! Their good days are just around the corner."

"Before I came to the northern desert, I made a grand vow! Within three years, I will drive out the Turkic barbarians, reform the northern desert, and ensure that everyone there has a place to live, clothes to cover their bodies, and food to fill their stomachs. I will also ensure that they have surplus money every year and meat to eat every meal!"

"Today, on the day I 'establish my kingdom' in the northern desert, I have another point to add: that is, to break down those damned class systems... People are born equal. No one is superior just because they are born into a noble family! No one is inferior just because they are born commoners!"

"I will reform the selection of officials and adopt the imperial examination system, so that everyone can change their lives through studying and taking exams."

"Even for those who don't like reading, I will provide many farming models in the future, so that everyone can not only make money through farming, but also get rich through business!"

"As long as you work hard, you can change your destiny through reading! Reading can change your fate!"

"As long as you work hard, you can become rich through your own hard work!"

"As long as you work hard, you can make money through business!"

"As long as I am alive, all the people of the northern desert can change their destiny through hard work!"

Xiao Ce's impassioned speech was relayed throughout the entire square by messengers.

The room fell into a deathly silence. After all, most of the noble families felt they were in trouble after Xiao Ce said that!

On the contrary, the merchants sitting on one side shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

At this moment, dozens of messengers stood on the city wall, accurately conveying Xiao Ce's speech.

Outside the city, a large number of people, upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Over the course of these days, they became increasingly certain that Xiao Ce was not just talking; they had truly experienced the benefits of the reforms firsthand.

...

Seeing the silence in the room, Xiao Ce continued.

"Gentlemen, you so-called noble families, you need not be afraid. This king is not targeting you!"

"My reforms are equal for everyone! The same applies to you; on the contrary, you have an advantage over the people outside."

“You have more connections and more money than the common people. As long as you support me and abide by the law, I will not take these away from you. Because these are the wealth accumulated by your ancestors! I am not a robber!”

"The only thing you need to do is change. If you don't work hard in the future, your family will only decline, and you might even be surpassed by ordinary people decades later! Don't blame anyone for this; the opportunity is the same for everyone. On the contrary, if you have the ability and seize the opportunity, you can rise to a higher level in the future!"

"In short, you can choose to lie low! But lying low will only lead to the decline of your clan. Only through hard work and struggle can your clan rise to new heights. Follow me, and if you are wolves, you will eat meat with me! If you are dogs, you will only be able to eat shit!"

"What I've said is impossible for me to achieve alone! I need your help. Would you be willing to come with me?"

Some of the members of minor prominent families stood up and said, "We are willing!"

More and more prestigious families are rising up, and although many people harbor resentment, they dare not remain silent.

"And you all remember, don't you? I said that the people of the Northern Desert are above all else! Anyone who dares to harm the people of the Northern Desert, no matter who you are, I will not let them go! No matter who you are, even if I have harmed the people of the Northern Desert, please come and cut off my head!"

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, everyone became solemn.

Xiao Ce said loudly, "However, just a few days ago, I received a secret letter. Someone wants to harm our people in the northern desert!"

"Bao An's remaining followers are inciting His Majesty and smearing me! They want to trap and starve our four northern prefectures! They now have 20,000 troops stationed outside Yanmen Pass, preventing any grain or caravans from entering the four northern prefectures!"

As Xiao Ce spoke, he turned to look at the people from the three major clans.

These people were immediately thrown into chaos, their faces turned ashen, and Xiao Ce didn't even get to say what he was going to say next.

"Your Majesty, with the remnants of Bao An's faction, falsely issued an imperial edict, and together with Kan Zongye, Liu Xuan, and Lin Shou's family, attempted to collude with the Turks to starve the 300,000 refugees I brought, as well as the 100,000 anti-Turk warriors!"

"These are rubbings of their correspondence with their accomplices!"

As they spoke, many servants distributed stacks of rubbings of their replies throughout the mansion, including a letter from Xiao Yang.

The prominent families were also indignant upon seeing the letter, because if they followed its contents, their interests would also be harmed.

Xiao Ce turned his head and looked at the people from the three major clans.

"I gave you a chance! But you didn't cherish it! Guards, arrest the entire families of Kan Zongye, Liu Xuan, and Lin Shou! Execute them and display their heads as a warning to others!"

Xiao Ce said sternly, and many soldiers appeared from one side.

"Xiao Ce! How dare you! You are the traitor... You conspired with the King of Zhen to betray the country... We were given a secret decree by His Majesty to rid the Great Xiao Kingdom of this scourge!"

"You are not allowed to move! We have His Majesty's secret decree! Xiao Ce is a traitor...! Anyone who dares to move will have their entire family executed!"

Seeing this, Lin Shou and Liu Xuan completely dropped their pretense and took out the letters from their bodies!

They didn't know how Xiao Ce knew!

However, they were now helpless! They used the secret letter from the emperor to threaten him.

Even the usually calm Kan Zongye's face hardened as he said, "Xiao Ce, you're a smart man. You were right not to kill us before! Do you know what the consequences will be if you kill us?"

Xiao Ce snorted coldly: "You will all die today!"

"All of you, listen to my command! The Emperor has secretly decreed the capture of the traitor Xiao Ce! Whoever captures this traitor alive will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold! If you surrender now, I will reward you with a hundred taels of gold and spare your lives! You must know whose domain the Northern Desert is! Surrender now! I will spare your lives!"