Li Zhu sneered and said even more arrogantly.
"I even killed Shi Jingtang, a pillar of the state. What makes you, someone who works for a pillar of the state, so arrogant? Believe me or not, I'll kill you right now."
"You dare?"
Wang Yanzhang then realized that Li Zhu was not joking, because he had really killed a pillar of the state and would not take him seriously. However, this was the Wang family, not the imperial court. Here were the elites of the Wang family, and if a conflict broke out, the Wang family would have an absolute chance of winning!
"Your Highness..."
Snap!
Everyone was stunned. They didn't expect Li Zhu to actually make a move, and to use such an extremely humiliating method as slapping a military officer on someone else's turf!
"I chose you..."
As he spoke, Wang Yanzhang was about to use his spear to stab Li Zhu, but seeing that things were getting out of control, Director Wang quickly shouted a reprimand.
"Enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough already...?"
"Master, even if he is the Crown Prince, he cannot humiliate me like this. I am a meritorious official who fought for the New Tang Dynasty..."
Wang Yanzhang roared in frustration, clearly on the verge of losing his temper. A general, slapped in the face...
"A meritorious official? Is it merit that overshadows the ruler, or merit that surpasses the ruler?"
Li Zhu smiled and looked at Wang Yanzhang, asking, "..."
"I am…"
"shut up…"
Before Wang Yanzhang could finish speaking, Director Wang immediately scolded him to shut up. Which of these two choices was better? Either way, it would mean certain death. How dare he accept such a retort? He shouldn't die like this…
"Your Highness is joking. Our Wang family is fighting for the stability of the new Tang Dynasty; it's an act we do willingly. How could we dare to claim credit for it..."
After reprimanding Wang Yanzhang, Wang Dao immediately turned to Li Zhu and explained, "The Crown Prince is not scary. What's scary are the marquises and princes around him. They are the emperor's number one lackeys. Whether they admit to being too powerful or too influential, they will bring about the extermination of their clan!"
The reason the Wang family has remained standing is not because they always make the right choices, but because they choose to spread their bets widely. No matter which side wins, the Wang family can survive!
After years of war, Wang Xianzhi's branch had been wiped out, and the Wang family's strength had been reduced by half. If this branch were to cause any more trouble, they would be completely annihilated!
Wang Yanzhang wasn't stupid; he quickly realized that Li Zhu was setting a trap for him. A cold sweat broke out on his back at the thought, and a barely perceptible fear flickered in his eyes as he looked at Li Zhu. He thought to himself, "This guy is terrifying. I don't know when I'll get tricked." He resolved to confront Li Zhu whenever he had the chance, and never give him a chance to speak…
"Grand Tutor, as the Emperor's teacher, even my father believes your words, so naturally I believe them even more. Otherwise, my father wouldn't have sent me to seek your guidance. I wonder when you would have the time to instruct this junior like myself..."
Li Zhu replied politely, but his words were full of traps, especially regarding the emperor. If the Grand Tutor arrogantly admitted it, he would be sowing the seeds of his own downfall. Every emperor is proud and would not tolerate anyone being able to control him, not even the emperor's teacher.
"Your Highness, you are so learned and knowledgeable. I am ashamed to have failed Your Majesty's grace and have nothing to teach you..."
Director Wang said modestly, his words filled with refusal!
Li Zhu glanced at the other people in the room, all of whom had expressions of amusement on their faces. Clearly, this was the Wang family's attitude; they had no intention of getting involved with him whatsoever!
"His Highness the Crown Prince has already made a name for himself throughout the land with just two lines of poetry. Everyone says that the Crown Prince is another poetic genius after Li Bai. Why would such a learned person need to come to my Wang family to study? Our Wang family is too small to accommodate such a great figure as the Crown Prince..."
A middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table spoke up. Although every word he uttered was a compliment to Li Zhu, every word he said was also a rejection of Li Zhu, leaving one with no excuse to get angry!
Who is this?
"Your Highness, I am Wang Boxue, the eldest son of the Grand Tutor..."
Wang Boxue replied politely, exuding the air of a Confucian scholar, giving people a feeling of warmth and comfort. It was clear that this eldest son of the Grand Tutor was also a man of great learning!
"He truly is an outstanding individual. Why didn't Uncle Wang become an official in the imperial court?"
Li Zhu praised!
"Your Highness flatters me. I am accustomed to a life of leisure and have no desire to participate in the intrigues of the court..."
Upon hearing the other person's words, Li Zhu couldn't help but give him a thumbs up; this was a truly insightful person…
"Fame and fortune are like fleeting clouds to me; that's truly a wonderful state of mind..."
The two chatted casually like old friends, leaving the others completely bewildered, whispering amongst themselves about what was going on...
"Brother, why waste time talking to him? Let me just take him on..."
Wang Yanzhang roared impatiently, his face burning with pain, a reminder of the humiliation he had just suffered. He had to get his revenge!
Wang Boxue rolled his eyes at his brother. The other side was practically begging for his intervention, so the royal family would have an excuse to deal with the Wang family…
"Nonsense! Get out of here..."
Wang Boxue gave Wang Yanzhang a wink, signaling him to stop fooling around, but Wang Yanzhang acted as if he hadn't seen it and continued to stare fiercely at Li Zhu, still wondering why the patriarch hadn't given the order yet.
"General Wang is truly exceptionally brave..."
Li Zhu suddenly spoke up, praising him!
Wang Yanzhang was stunned for a moment, and the other members of the Wang family were also puzzled. You were just looking down on the other party, how come your tone suddenly changed?
"My bravery is known throughout the land; I don't need you to confirm it..."
Wang Yanzhang retorted firmly...
"Since General Wang is so eager to challenge me, I'll give you a chance. Everyone knows I'm a good-for-nothing. I wonder if General Wang has the guts to test his strength against this good-for-nothing?"
Hearing Li Zhu's words, everyone was even more confused, wondering what he was up to. His situation was indeed known to all: a person with no talent for martial arts was going to compete with a powerful general in martial arts.
No matter how you look at it, it seems like Li Zhu is just throwing his life away. Even Wang Yanzhang, who had been clamoring to challenge him, was completely dumbfounded. He was even more excited, thinking to himself, "Has happiness come so suddenly?"
"Your Highness, this is absolutely unacceptable..."
Whatever Li Zhu wants to do, he must be stopped. If Wang Yanzhang accidentally defeats Li Zhu, things will get really messy…
"Grand Tutor, I know what you're worried about. I also want to use this competition to see what level the generals of the new Tang Dynasty are really at. If you're still not at ease, how about we lower the difficulty of the competition and simply compare strength instead of swords and spears?"
"this…"
The Grand Tutor still wanted to refuse, but Wang Yanzhang wouldn't have it; how could he let go of such a good opportunity to vent his anger...
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