The way the Prince of Xiliang handled Wuning Commandery was somewhat delicate, which was something Wang Yunze was worried about.
Wartime control!
To put it bluntly, this place is still in a special situation, and any strategic adjustments in the future are entirely possible. If one makes the wrong choice, it could sow the seeds of future trouble.
If it were Emperor Li Anlan, he could still be fooled, since Li Anlan wouldn't target the powerful families for the sake of the bigger picture.
However, he dared not be the slightest bit negligent towards Lin Yi, this powerful king. The strength of Lin Yi's army was simply outrageous. If the Little Wang dared to provoke him, they would almost certainly be wiped out.
However, ignoring this matter is not an option either, as it would make me appear somewhat incompetent.
After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "Spread the word that the Prince of Xiliang is the supreme ruler of Wuning Commandery. Just obey His Highness the Prince of Xiliang in everything. As for any guidance, don't come to me, Wang Yunze. Read the * All Under Heaven Daily * more often!"
"Understood, I'll take care of it right away!" The butler nodded and quickly went to make the arrangements.
Watching his retreating figure, Wang Yunze's face darkened. This was a precarious situation, and he was having a tough time.
Wang Yunze's wife couldn't help but say with some worry, "Husband, now that you have submitted to the Prince of Xiliang and become the Prefect of Wuning Commandery, I'm afraid something bad is going to happen to the Wang Clan!"
With their own men surrendering, the emperor will definitely kill them without hesitation.
"Don't worry, I wrote to my father a long time ago and told him that the Wang Clan family had already withdrawn from Chang'an. Only my father is still in the capital. He has experienced decades of hardship and will definitely find a way to preserve himself." Wang Yunze took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm.
Madam Wang sighed. She was already in dire straits herself and couldn't care less about anything else.
Fortunately, the Prince of Xiliang is currently treating his husband quite well, so perhaps there's still a chance.
Just then, a servant rushed in, looking flustered.
"Master, something terrible has happened! A major incident occurred in the capital last night; the strongholds of several powerful families were wiped out!" the servant said in a terrified voice.
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Yunze's expression changed drastically, and he almost fell to the ground. Did this mean that his Wang Clan would also be wiped out?
He gritted his teeth and said, "What did this happen? How could anyone be so audacious?"
"The news says it was the work of the Xiliang's Net a powerful military organization), and later His Majesty even dispatched 200,000 imperial guards to suppress Net!" the servant explained.
Upon hearing this, Wang Yunze instantly understood and gritted his teeth, saying, " Li Anlan, you bastard, you're truly ruthless! You're openly plundering the powerful families by using the name of the Prince of Xiliang!"
That's all nonsense, what kind of Net they're talking about.
The Net is an intelligence organization. Is it reasonable for you to use 200,000 troops to suppress the Net? It's clearly an attempt to kill them to silence them and eliminate them completely.
"The Emperor did this?" Madam Wang's pupils shrank, and she asked incredulously.
Wang Yunze took a deep breath and said coldly, "Now that the Prince of Xiliang army is approaching the capital, and other regions are also teetering on the brink of collapse, how could Li Anlan not be anxious?"
This tactic of plundering powerful families is a desperate act!
Having acquired the assets of several powerful families in the capital, Li Anlan's wealth has exploded. His next step will probably be a frenzy of recruiting soldiers.
Unfortunately, Xiliang was about to send troops, and it was too late for him.
But a problem arose: his father and uncle were probably in grave danger.
Just as he was about to send someone to contact his father, he heard footsteps outside again, and the person who entered was the butler.
"Master, something terrible has happened! It seems the people from the Net took several people away from our doorstep earlier. I think I saw the head of the family!" the steward exclaimed in shock.
"Master?"
Wang Yunze's pupils contracted. His uncle had actually escaped and even come to his place. This was good news.
However, a problem has arisen: I just said I wanted to keep a low profile, and now he's coming over, isn't he just making things worse?
The heads of several powerful families are all here. The Prince of Xiliang will certainly not let go of this opportunity to control these families, so this is a very dangerous matter, and it may even implicate him.
I must explain myself, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable, and I could easily be eliminated by the Prince of Xiliang.
Thinking of this, he said in a deep voice, "Take all the gifts those people left behind and go to visit the Prince of Xiliang, otherwise, something terrible will happen!"
He soon arrived at the temporary residence of the Prince of Xiliang, which had previously been the residence of Prefect Li Ke, but had now been requisitioned.
Looking at the guards at the entrance of the mansion, he couldn't help but take a deep breath and slowly walked over.
Even though he was just a guard, he dared not be disrespectful in the slightest. Instead, he respectfully handed over his calling card and a silver note from the Xiliang Bank.
"Brother, please help me present this visiting card, saying that Wang Yunze requests an audience with His Highness!"
" Wang Yunze?"
The guard returned the silver note to him, then looked him over carefully before saying in a deep voice, "Then you wait here. I'll go in and inform him. But whether the lord will see you or not, I don't know!"
He had seen many powerful and influential families, but even they had to bow their heads before the Prince of Xiliang. Such arrogance did not exist here.
Looking at the silver note returned to his hand, Wang Yunze's face stiffened. There were even people who didn't want money. The people of the Prince of Xiliang were indeed different.
The guard returned quickly. He glanced at the carriages behind Wang Yunze and said in a deep voice, "Alright, the prince has agreed to see you. Come in with me!"
"Brother, this is a gift from the people of Wuning Commandery to His Highness. Please help me check it."
After handing the gift lists to the guards, Wang Yunze followed them into the hall. As expected, he saw his uncle as soon as he entered, which made his expression change.
It really was them; Zhang Wanhao and his group also came.
Seeing the expressionless face of the Prince of Xiliang, he steeled himself and stepped forward, solemnly saying, "Your subordinate greets Your Highness!"
"Shouldn't Prefect Wang be comforting the people right now? Why does he want to see me?" Lin Yi glanced at him and said coldly.
Grunt!
Wang Yunze's heart sank, and he said dryly, "Your Highness, please forgive me. Those noble families and wealthy merchants are grateful for Your Highness's benevolence, so they sent a large number of gifts. I dared not linger and quickly delivered them to you."
Tsk tsk!
A smile suddenly appeared on Lin Yi's face, and he said softly, "Isn't it for something else?"
"Bang!"
Wang Yunze immediately knelt down and said with a wry smile, "I can't hide it from Your Highness. I heard that there have been changes in my Wang Clan in the capital, and that my eldest uncle has come to Wuning Commandery, so I came here."