Inside Pure Elegance Hall, the banquet had been laid out in neat rows. The delicacies were refined yet simple, without extravagant display, fully revealing the Pei Family's understated household style.
Yet the atmosphere throughout the hall wasn't relaxed in the slightest.
The gazes of more than a dozen Pei Residence elders fixed upon Li Xuancang, an invisible pressure shrouding him.
Had an ordinary person been seated here, they would have long since become exceedingly restrained, not daring to say much.
Yet Li Xuancang sat upright, his expression calm.
Neither deliberately currying favor nor putting on an air of lofty pride, he sat at ease and quietly awaited the questions from the table.
The first to speak was the Pei Family's old patriarch, seated in the place of honor.
"Thousand-Man Commander Li became renowned at a young age. In only a few months, you repeatedly destroyed evil entities, brought peace to the countryside, and shook Peace Prefecture with your great reputation."
"Having suddenly won such great merit and the support of the masses, have you ever felt pride in your heart? Have you ever thought the veteran generals in the army were mediocre, and that rules only bound your hands?"
The old man's voice was aged and slow, yet every word carried great weight. It bore the authority of someone who had judged people and settled matters for decades. The moment he spoke, he struck straight at the heart of the matter, razor-sharp.
This question was exceedingly tricky.
Any slight misstep in his answer would earn him the judgment of being "young and reckless, falsely affected, disrespectful toward elders, and without regard for rules."
The elders throughout the hall sharpened their gazes, all eyes falling on Li Xuancang.
Li Xuancang's expression remained unchanged. He calmly raised a hand, open and steady.