Xu Ming's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His expression was as if he had seen a ghost. A scream was squeezed out of his throat, sharp and piercing.

Everyone around was stunned. That was the young master of the Xu family! He was the one who usually trampled on others. They had never seen such an arrogant person before. Not only did he not give any face, but he also chopped off the young master Xu's arm right away!

Next to Hou Shijie, a guard from the Imperial City Guard struck again, and Xu Ming's head flew into the air, spurting blood. Xu Ming's head rolled to the ground, startling everyone around, who screamed in terror. Five corpses fell to the ground.

Xu Ming's head rolled to Hou Shijie's feet, his eyes still wide open, refusing to believe that these people dared to kill him.

Hou Shijie didn't even glance at him, kicked his head onto the grass, and shouted, "The head of the Xu family, get out here!"

Such a commotion had already alerted everyone inside.

A middle-aged man rushed out with a group of people, followed closely by an elderly man with gray hair.

The middle-aged man, dressed in luxurious clothes, was none other than Xu Huaishan, the patriarch of the Xu family. He was a renowned wealthy merchant and landowner in Qingzhou. It was said that there was a chamber of commerce in Qingzhou, and he was its president. He had united many large landowners and merchants and had almost monopolized half of Jingdong Road.

When Xu Huaishan arrived and saw He Liren, he was first taken aback. Then, when he saw the group of men in black brocade robes beside He Liren, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly bowed deeply: "This humble subject kowtows to the Emperor's special envoy!"

His gaze darted around and landed on his son's headless corpse and head rolling onto the lawn. A surge of anger rose within him, but he quickly suppressed it, thinking to himself: This unfilial son, I've wasted my time raising you! You almost got me killed!

But Xu Huaishan's wife didn't think so. Her son had been hacked to death at home, and she was extremely shocked. She screamed and threw herself on her son's body, grieving.

"The Emperor's special envoy is here; do not be rude, and return immediately!"

"Master, our son is dead! Our son is dead! Kill these people! Kill them all! Avenge our son!"

Xu Huaishan's face turned pale. That spendthrift woman!

Xu Huaishan shouted angrily, "Come back quickly! This beast must have committed a heinous crime. Don't protect him!"

Hou Shijie laughed and said, "Master Xu, it's nothing else. We arrested two people from the Xu family. These two people said that you ordered them to kill Gu Shun and Zheng Erniang. We just wanted to find out the truth."

Xu Huaishan's heart skipped a beat, and he respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Emperor's special envoy, I have never heard of Gu Shun and Zheng Erniang, nor have I ever hired anyone to kill them. I have no grudge against them."

"Whether there is any grudge or not is none of my concern. I will ask you one last time: did you order someone to do this?"

"Special Envoy, please be aware that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with my Xu family."

Hou Shijie walked around twice and said, "Arrest him!"

Xu Huaishan was startled: "What does the special envoy mean by this? This matter has nothing to do with my Xu family!"

Hou Shijie ignored him and beckoned his subordinates to bring over all the investigation documents: "What do you mean? Do you think the Imperial Guards are fools? This is our investigation into Gu Shun and Zheng Erniang's past. They were tenant farmers of your Xu family. According to the latest laws of the Great Song Dynasty, the tax for June only needs to be paid at one-tenth of the previous year's rate. All the tenant farmers of the Xu family have been paying their taxes according to the laws of the court. But some people are being charged according to the old rate. You killed Gu Shun and Zheng Erniang to make an example of them, didn't you?"

Xu Huaishan, a cunning old fox who had been in the game for many years, remained calm and composed, saying, "Special Envoy, you are wise to investigate; there is absolutely no such thing!"

"Absolutely not! Someone came to the Imperial City Guard today to report this matter. Should I summon them?"

Ignoring Xu Huaishan's pale face, Hou Shijie then said to He Liren, "Prefect He, you're quite something too. You take the Emperor's salary and do things that deceive the Emperor. Your killing of Gu Shun and Zheng Erniang isn't just making an example of them; in my opinion, it's killing the common people to warn the Emperor! You're incredibly audacious, daring to disregard the laws of the court! Daring to challenge the mighty Emperor!"

He Liren was terrified and sweating profusely, but he forced himself to remain composed: "This humble official does not know what the Commander-in-Chief's intentions are, but this humble official's loyalty to the court is as clear as the sun and moon!"

"Can it bear witness to the sun and moon?" Hou Shijie beckoned to someone nearby to take out another stack of documents, and sneered at He Liren, "Prefect He, this contains all the evidence of how you colluded with the Xu family, oppressed the people, seized fertile land, and treated human life like dirt. Do you think the Imperial City Guard doesn't conduct investigations before handling matters? The taxes collected in Qingzhou this June are not a single drop less than before! Corvée labor continues as usual! Are you trying to force the Emperor to reveal the sharpness of his sword?"

He Liren finally couldn't hold on any longer and knelt on the ground, kowtowing: "Shangguan, spare my life! Shangguan, spare my life! It was all Xu Huaishan's doing! It was all Xu Huaishan's doing!"

Xu Huaishan's expression changed drastically: "Prefect He, why are you slandering me!"

Hou Shijie kicked He Liren and said angrily, "You are an official of the imperial court, governing Qingzhou on behalf of the emperor, yet you are being played by a mere Xu family. You are truly bringing honor to the emperor!"

Xu Huaishan immediately knelt down: "Special Envoy, please investigate! It was all He Liren who framed me!"

"Don't cry foul. The Imperial City Guard won't let a single one escape. Qingzhou City is now sealed off, and not a single member of the Qingzhou Chamber of Commerce can escape. All those who have committed blood debts will have to pay with blood!"

"Guards! Throw everyone in the Xu household into prison, and imprison He Liren, the prefect of Qingzhou. Send him to the capital overnight for the Emperor's decision!"

As night deepened, unlike the usual tranquility, someone from the Dazaifu hurriedly came out, boarded a carriage, and headed towards the imperial palace.

Xu Churen felt that he had truly been struck by misfortune. The Xu family in Qingzhou had virtually no relation to him except for sharing the same ancestors; they were distant relatives. He hadn't paid much attention to what the Xu family did in Qingzhou, though he had once sent someone to warn them not to use his reputation for reckless behavior.

I never expected such a big thing to happen!

Damn it! What a bunch of idiots! Did they think the Emperor's army was joking when they suppressed the Luoyang riots?! Did they think their families were comparable to the Confucius family?!

The emperor dares to kill even the descendants of sages, and you, a mere Xu family, dare to openly collect taxes as before? Who do you think you are!

Xu Churen finally experienced what it meant to be cheated by a pig; this was damn awful!

At this moment, Xu Churen also threw the so-called Confucian righteousness to the winds, and saving his life was the most important thing!

When Xu Churen entered the palace to meet the emperor, he saw someone who had not appeared for a long time: Wang Kui'an!

After the emperor returned from his northern expedition, Wang Kuian was ordered to go to the northwest. Yao Pingzhong, Zhe Keqiu and others were fighting each other with the Dangxiang in the northwest. Wang Kuian's return at this time indicates that the situation in the northwest has stabilized!

Xu Churen saw the memorial on the emperor's desk. He vaguely caught sight of the words "Qingzhou," and his eyelids twitched. He immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

In the Song Dynasty, one did not need to kneel when paying respects to the emperor. However, when Xu Churen arrived, he knelt on the ground and buried his head before he could even speak.

Zhao Huan feigned surprise and asked, "What do you mean by this, Minister Xu?"

Although the emperor was puzzled, he did not allow Xu Churen to get up, which indicated that the emperor had already received the urgent report from 800 li away and knew about the Qingzhou case.