I am the snake demon!

"Perhaps, but now that they've made their move, we must respond. Hongxiu, go and invite the eldest princess over so we can discuss the compensation together." Li Daoyan glanced at Hongxiu beside him.

Hongxiu turned to look at Bai Xuan, who nodded slightly, and then Hongxiu went over.

Bai Xuan sat there, frowning in thought.

Seeing Bai Xuan's condition, Li Daoyan didn't disturb him. If it really came down to dealing with this matter, it wasn't difficult.

If all else fails, just suppress it.

With the Crimson Wolf Riders, Flying Bear Army, and Xiliang Iron Cavalry under our control, these infantrymen can't cause any real trouble.

Ultimately, the elite Red Blood Wolf Riders are the foundation upon which the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion stands.

Under the tutelage of the array masters, each of these elite troops is a mobile array!

The reputation may not be good, but it will fade over time.

I'll make up for it when I have the money.

When the time comes, a scapegoat will be brought out, and Bai Xuan will kill him with righteous indignation, and that will be about right.

While they waited, someone else respectfully delivered information about Gao Feng and the others.

Li Daoyan handed it over to Bai Xuan.

These things are not difficult to investigate.

Bai Xuan took it and looked at it. After reading it, he gave the information to Li Daoyan and said, "The Xu family is not without problems."

This intelligence even contained information that Sun Ke'er and the others didn't know.

All they knew was that Gao Feng and He Rang had a conflict.

Little did they know that He Rang was a confidant of Xu Yanque, the leader of the younger generation of the Xu family.

At the time, Xu Yanque wanted Gao Feng to release the man, but Xu Yanque was the leader of the Xu family in this generation, and his status was not ordinary. It was inconvenient for him to personally intervene and do something as dishonorable as asking someone to show favoritism. So he asked He Rang to step forward and use the name of the Xu family to try to get Gao Feng to turn a blind eye. However, Gao Feng was inflexible and strictly adhered to military law, giving the Xu family's collateral branch twenty lashes.

Xu Yanque was furious, but the military law of the Northern Border was as solid as a mountain, and Xu Yanque couldn't say anything. In particular, Gao Feng was the only son in his family, and if one person was full, the whole family wouldn't go hungry, so Xu Yanque couldn't retaliate.

This time, Xu Yanque finally got his chance.

He doesn't need to do anything; he just needs to convey the meaning, and someone in the military will naturally take care of it for him.

After all, it is a fact that the pension is insufficient, and it is an objective fact that some people cannot receive it.

No one else could say it was wrong.

He Rang seized the opportunity and devised a plan specifically targeting Gao Feng's battalion. He forced those with some assets to sell their land, and those without assets, like Sun Ke'er, to first lend her money, then lend her money at exorbitant interest rates, forcing Sun Ke'er to sell herself.

They even hired thugs to lure the families into depravity, and then plotted against them.

Firstly, to satisfy his own selfish desires, and secondly, to curry favor with Xu Yanque.

"But legally speaking, he is still innocent," Li Daoyan said.

"Whether someone is guilty or not is not for them to decide." A faint glint of cold light flashed in Bai Xuan's eyes.

Seeing this, Li Daoyan's eyes flickered slightly. Just as he was about to speak, a series of footsteps approached, and Xu Yuhua arrived with Hongxiu and Zijuan.

"Eldest sister," Bai Xuan said, looking at Xu Yuhua.

"Hongxiu has already told me everything. It's alright, we'll handle it slowly. At worst, we can sell off the Wangfu's properties." Xu Yuhua gave a gentle smile.

"Sister, it hasn't come to that point yet. If it really does, it will be telling everyone that our royal family is weak," Bai Xuan said.

"This is the only way we can do it, Mr. Li. Do you have any ideas on how to increase revenue and reduce expenditure?" Xu Yuhua asked Li Daoyan with a helpless expression.

The issue of compensation has been troubling her these days, but even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients.

"If I had it, I would have told you long ago. How about we hold an auction and I'll auction off the array plate I gave you?" Li Daoyan said helplessly.

He is good at strategizing, but lacks the ability to manage finances.

If we were to compare him to the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty, he was similar to Zhang Liang and could devise strategies, but he was not like Xiao He, who could govern the country, pacify the people, provide supplies, and ensure uninterrupted supply lines.

To be precise, Xiao He did not exist within the political framework of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.

The Prince of Zhenbei was merely the late emperor's Han Xin, only his fate was much better than Han Xin's.

"Uncle, elder sister, don't worry so much. I have two solutions that should resolve the current problem," Bai Xuan said.

"Two methods?" Li Daoyan and Xu Yuhua looked at Bai Xuan with some surprise. There were already two?

"Elder sister, how much liquid capital do we have in our palace's accounts?" Bai Xuan smiled faintly.

"If we don't count the treasures, it's around 300,000 taels," Xu Yuhua said.

"So little?" Bai Xuan asked instinctively.

Xu Yuhua glanced at Bai Xuan with a hint of resentment, "You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household."

Putting aside other things, the demon wolves of the Crimson Blood Wolf Riders eat meat, with each wolf consuming ten pounds a day.

And the servants in the royal palace, their salaries must also be paid in full.

Three hundred thousand taels—that was all painstakingly saved.

"Then I'll trouble you, elder sister, to secretly withdraw these 300,000 taels tomorrow and then place your bet on Bai Xuan at Zhenlongxuan," Bai Xuan said.

"You want to participate in the Zhenlong Chess Tournament?" Xu Yuhua asked in surprise.

"That's right, I used Bai Xuan's name to place the bet. He's an unknown nobody, so the odds must be high. Won't it double then?" Bai Xuan said.

"But can you win? Xu Yanque from the Xu family already has nine seals, just one step away from entering the Illumination Realm." Li Daoyan looked at Bai Xuan with suspicion.

"Uncle, what are you thinking? I am the Prince of Zhenbei. If Elder Lu holds a knife to Xu Yanque's neck, would he dare to beat me?" Bai Xuan looked at him with a "Are you kidding me?" expression.

I am the Prince of Zhenbei.

On my turf, who dares to beat me?

Believe it or not, I'll show you what a chess master from the North really is.

"Cough cough~"

Lu Zhanqiu, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, coughed upon hearing his name called, staring wide-eyed at Bai Xuandao, "Shi'an, what are you talking about?"

He, Lu Zhanqiu, was once ranked second on the Martial Arts Ranking.

The Ninth Grade Heavenly Realm.

I'd be shameless to threaten a kid in his early twenties into cheating.

"Elder Lu, not counting the wounded, there are tens of thousands of fallen soldiers. Each soldier is the breadwinner of a family. If we consider a family of three, our compensation is related to the survival of at least 100,000 people. If we include the wounded, the number is astronomical. I've heard that you, Elder Lu, were once a chivalrous hero, a legendary swordsman. Are you now going to worry about empty reputations?" Bai Xuan said, looking at Lu Zhanqiu.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhanqiu frowned and said, "You're right. We should send Li Daoyan. He can make the same, or even better, results. He's more cunning than me."

Bai Xuan is right, but he's a little embarrassed to admit it, and besides, it's not like he absolutely needs him.

Isn't Li Daoyan more intimidating?

Upon hearing this, Li Daoyan's face twitched slightly. He looked at Bai Xuan and said, "Apart from Lu Zhanqiu, you can send anyone you want. Also, after you leave, don't mention that I taught you your formation techniques."

"Don't worry," Bai Xuan said with a smile.

"Third brother, it might be unseemly to do this in front of everyone and make us a laughingstock," Xu Yuhua said.

"What's a few copper coins worth in terms of manners? It's more important to provide compensation. Our soldiers in the North cannot shed blood and tears at the same time," Bai Xuan said without hesitation.

Besides, it's only nine seals, I already have twelve.

However, I usually use Lone Wolf's Shadow and don't have the opportunity to use the Twelve Seals.

At worst, I'll just lay out my cards on the street.

Actually, I am a peerless genius.

They are not outstanding individuals, but rather those who are about to transform into dragons.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuhua's expression shifted slightly, and she said, "I was wrong. I am not as good as you, Third Brother. I will go with you to the Zhenlong Chess Tournament."

"Big sister is just in time to see my heroic figure," Bai Xuan said proudly.

"What if Xu Yanque is willing to risk his life?" Li Daoyan interrupted the two of them.

The plan still needs to be more careful.

"That means the Xu family isn't being honest. Since they're not being honest, they'll use the second method: enact a property tax, which is free for farmers, and then taxes are levied on merchants based on their property. For every two thousand coins of property a merchant owns, they have to pay one hundred and twenty coins in tax," Bai Xuan said with a smile.

"The Xu family's assets exceed 100 million. If you continue like this, wouldn't you have to pay millions in taxes?" Xu Yuhua asked in shock.

"That's right," Bai Xuan nodded.

According to existing laws, the Xu family has not committed any crime.

In principle, that is indeed the case.

But sorry, in the North, I am the principle!

"But the problem is how to calculate assets? There will inevitably be many people who hide their assets," Li Daoyan asked.

"If a neighbor reports something, and it is confirmed that someone has concealed or lied about it, then the person who concealed it will have their property confiscated, and half of it will be given to the informant," Bai Xuan said.

"Hiss~"

Upon hearing this, Li Daoyan gasped, looking at Bai Xuandao in disbelief. "You're the one who should be called the Poison Master!"

How could someone come up with such a ruthless idea?

Bai Xuan gave an innocent look, "It's not my fault."

I'm just imitating Emperor Wu of Han.

The method of calculating and reporting wealth.

One of Emperor Wu of Han's methods of accumulating wealth.

It must be said that when it comes to making money, Emperor Wu of Han was a top-tier emperor among all dynasties.

Many people believe that the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing left Emperor Wu of Han with a full treasury, and then Emperor Wu used the wealth accumulated by his ancestors to launch large-scale wars. Emperor Wu's money all came from the accumulation of his grandfather's generation.

Actually, that's not the case. With Emperor Wu of Han's sweeping reforms, the accumulated resources of the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing were hardly enough for him.

The greatest benefit of the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing to Emperor Wu of Han was that it truly enabled the people to accumulate wealth, restored the national strength of the Han Dynasty, and created powerful clans, giving Emperor Wu a target to exploit.

Without the accumulation of the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, Emperor Wu of Han would have had no one to exploit if he wanted to. But if it were someone else instead of Emperor Wu, it would have been extremely difficult to exploit them in this way.

After all, not everyone is as loving as Emperor Wu of Han, who indiscriminately exploited all classes of people in the Han Dynasty except for himself.

The method of calculating and reporting wealth was extremely profitable, with historical records stating that it "gained hundreds of millions of people's wealth, tens of millions of slaves, and hundreds of acres of land in large counties and over a hundred acres in small counties."

"But once this law is implemented, commerce will likely struggle to flourish," Xu Yuhua said, frowning.

"That's why I said it was out of desperation. We'll see if they behave themselves. If that doesn't work, we'll try another method. After the Zhenlong Chess Tournament ends, I'll go to Zhenlong Pavilion to play chess, and then secretly plot to assassinate me there. If I'm assassinated on Xu family territory, can we say that the Xu family has nothing to do with it? We can just arrest them and throw them in jail. What can't we have?" Bai Xuan said.

This approach can generate revenue, but the consequences can be significant.

It's a last resort, a method that has no other choice.

But if someone wants to play dirty tricks, they'll always find some.

The knife is in his hand.

"They should behave themselves. If they don't, I'll step in. Shi'an, in the future, when you encounter such important matters, consult with us more often," Li Daoyan said earnestly.

He has become utterly unscrupulous and reckless in his actions, even resorting to any means to achieve his goals, earning him a notorious reputation.

But Bai Xuan's bottom line seems to be even lower than his.

They're always thinking of unethical methods.

No way, this will make it easy to have children without dermatitis. But you're giving birth to the future Prince of Zhenbei!

It's really strange. Bai Xuan was raised in Yuzhen Temple since he was a child. He must have had plenty of food and clothing and lived a happy life. How come he looks so much like him?