"Hahaha! You must be Lord Li Gang, the Minister of War! I've heard so much about you, and I'm quite ashamed—you know my previous situation, Lord Li, which is why I'm only having the pleasure of seeing your magnificent bearing today! Please forgive me if I've caused any offense!"
Zhao Lie was lighthearted and completely at ease, speaking as if it were nothing. He bore no resemblance to the rumors: that the Ninth Prince was shy, cowardly, timid, unable to hold his own, and always kept his head bowed when meeting people.
Yesterday in the Golden Throne Hall, Li Gang had already witnessed Zhao Lie's decisive ruthlessness, his fearlessness in the face of power, and the full display of imperial might, showing a strong momentum that overshadowed the other eight princes.
Seeing him up close today, the Ninth Prince was graceful, handsome, and striking. His words just now were neither servile nor overbearing, concealing a sharp edge beneath an outwardly warm yet inwardly cold demeanor. All of this made him seem like a completely different person from the legendary Ninth Prince.
Li Gang had held a high position for many years and possessed the majesty of a superior, yet facing Zhao Lie now, he always felt that Zhao Lie exuded a fierce aura that inspired a sense of dread.
This was the killing intent radiating from Zhao Lie's entire being. As a former Special Operations Unit commander who had slain countless enemies, his hands naturally bore the blood of countless foes; how could this fail to make one's heart quake with fear?
"Hahaha! The Ninth Prince is too modest. This humble subject pays his respects to the Prince!" Li Gang said as he bowed to Zhao Lie.
Seeing Li Gang pay his respects, Zhao Lie sighed inwardly: *It seems my sharpness has subdued this old fox.* So he hurriedly said, "Lord Li, please dispense with the formalities. By seniority, you are an elder, and I should even call you Father-in-law!"
Hearing these words, Li Gang found them grating, but he forced a smile and said, "I'm afraid my unworthy daughter lacks that blessing!"
Li Gang was merely speaking polite formalities. Now that the annulment of the engagement had reached its final stage, the possibility of them becoming a family was practically zero.
"Hahaha! I, Zhao Lie, am a cursed wretch, while your daughter is so exceptional. To follow Zhao Lie would indeed make you feel wronged in your hearts! Very well, Lord Li, let us dispense with further empty talk. As for this clause, along with the previous one that Lord Li may have heard, if you agree, we shall add this clause and both parties will sign for it to take effect."
Zhao Lie got straight to the point—that was his way of doing things, never beating around the bush. When facing enemies, he went straight for the bayonet without a shred of mercy.
"Very well! This old man shall add the clause the Ninth Prince mentioned right now!" Li Gang said as he picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and swiftly added Zhao Lie's requested clause to the original agreement.
Li Gang only wanted a quick resolution to drag this protracted marriage to an end. He could already see that the Ninth Prince was a difficult figure to deal with. If he didn't comply with his demands, he feared Zhao Lie would report him to Emperor Yuan, making it difficult for the Li Family to survive unscathed. Zhao Lie was a hawk belonging to the pro-war faction, whereas Emperor Yuan's policy diverged from his; the Emperor had merely lacked an excuse to make a move against him. This forced marriage was clearly a scheme by Emperor Yuan, aimed straight at Li Gang to make a fool of him.
After finishing, Li Gang respectfully handed the document to Zhao Lie: "Please review this, Your Highness the Ninth Prince!"
Zhao Lie had already watched Li Gang write down the exact clause he wanted added.
Since it was made in duplicate, naturally both copies had been written upon.
Therefore, Zhao Lie magnanimously feigned generosity, saying, "I needn't look at it. I trust Lord Li has written it down faithfully!"
With that, he signed the two agreements with the characters for "Zhao Lie".
The members of the Li Family—father, daughter, and the maid Xiaoyu—saw that the large signature written by Zhao Lie was truly like soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes, the strokes carrying immense force right through the paper. The three of them were startled once more.
They had only heard that Zhao Lie was barely literate, never that his calligraphy was extraordinary. Today, seeing the signature he wrote, it was no weaker than that of any contemporary master of calligraphy.
Seeing the three members of the Li Family staring dumbfounded, Zhao Lie naturally knew they had been conquered by the iron-hook and silver-stroke power of his brushwork.
So Zhao Lie smiled and reminded them, "Lord Li, which of you will sign? You drafted this agreement, and the phrasing is yours as well. Please sign!"
"This... let my unworthy daughter sign! She is the principal party involved!"
"Hehe! That won't do. If your Li Family goes back on this later and my Imperial Father holds someone accountable, wouldn't you, the instigator, be left off the hook?" Zhao Lie said with an ambiguous smile.
"Your Highness, what do you mean by this? Are you intentionally making things difficult for this old man?" Li Gang said with displeasure.
"Oh! Lord Li, listen to yourself. My Imperial Father bestowed this marriage, yet your Li Family openly defied the imperial decree and forced me into this annulment—I am merely an accessory! When my Imperial Father investigates later, not only will I lose the princely title I just acquired, but I'm afraid I won't even keep my head!
"Therefore, since I am taking such a huge risk, Lord Li cannot just stand aside and watch! This is called sharing adversity and blessings alike! Thus, not only must your daughter sign this agreement, but you must sign it too, and the lowly maid called Xiaoyu present here must sign as well!" Zhao Lie said in a firm tone.
"What?" The three master and servants of the Li Family asked in near-unison, staring at Zhao Lie in shock. This completely subverted their understanding.
Li Gang glared at Zhao Lie, looking at him as if he were some sort of monster.
Yet Zhao Lie wore a completely harmless expression: "Why? Because these are this Prince's rules! Since your Li Family is unwilling to marry this Prince, you must bear the risks and consequences! You're all adults—don't you even understand this basic common sense?"
"Hahaha! This old man understands, this old man understands. I'll sign right now!" Li Gang swiftly picked up the brush and signed his name in large characters.
Then he handed the brush to his daughter, Li Lihua. Li Lihua took the brush and looked at Zhao Lie, only to find that Zhao Lie was looking right back at her.
Li Lihua felt that Zhao Lie's gaze was like that of a hunter, viewing the three of them from the Li Family as mere prey.
This was a gaze full of confidence, composure, ambition, and overflowing with killing intent.
Seeing this look from Zhao Lie, the three members of the Li Family couldn't help but shudder.
The three of them signed one after another, feeling thoroughly ill at ease throughout. Especially Li Gang: as a high-ranking military official accustomed to thunderous methods, even when facing Emperor Yuan, he could calmly handle whatever came his way and counter every move.
Yet before the Ninth Prince Zhao Lie, he felt as though he possessed ten thousand catties of strength, only to strike a thick pile of cotton—he couldn't muster any force at all and was left entirely at Zhao Lie's mercy.
"Very well! Lord Li truly is a decisive man! Hand over that two hundred thousand taels of compensation!" Zhao Lie demanded unceremoniously.
He controlled the entire atmosphere, speaking to the Li Family father and daughter entirely from the standpoint of a prince.
Condescending, looking down at people with cold eyes.
Hearing Zhao Lie's words, Li Lihua could not help but look toward her father, Li Gang.
Li Gang nodded and said, "Give the money to the Prince! Consider it travel expenses for the Prince's journey to Yelang!"
Li Lihua took out two bank notes and handed them to Zhao Lie.
Zhao Lie took the notes, glanced at the denomination on the face, and tucked them straight into his robe, giving them a pat as well.
"Hahaha! The Ninth Prince is truly bold and heroic. You didn't even check if the notes were genuine before stuffing them into your robe—aren't you afraid the bank notes might be fake?" Li Gang asked with a smile.
Zhao Lie laughed heartily and said, "Would Lord Li dare to use fake bank notes in front of this Prince? I suppose Lord Li doesn't have the guts! What's more, mere hundreds of thousands of taels of silver is something Lord Li could handle with a flick of his wrist—why would he bother offending a discarded prince like me?"
Hearing this, Li Gang broke out in a cold sweat. This Ninth Prince clearly had him cornered; if he had tried to fool him with fake bank notes, who knew, his head might really have rolled.
"This humble subject wouldn't dare!" Li Gang joined in, laughing heartily along with Zhao Lie.