The Song Dynasty was a strange dynasty. Although the power of the prime minister was severely restricted and he could not wield absolute power, he was very strong in spirit. This strength did not come from his position or power, but from the ancestral system of the Zhao Song Dynasty, which stipulated that no one would be punished for speaking out and that no scholar-official would be killed.

When it came to Wen Yanbo, he simply said that the monarch and the scholar-officials should govern the world together.

The delicate status of civil officials has been summarized, and the emperors of the Song Dynasty accepted it and were willing to give civil officials such high positions. Even if they were paid high prices and even if they were prone to corruption and bribery, at least they wouldn't rebel!

With this spiritual core, the scholar-officials naturally became arrogant and overbearing.

However, Xu Churen's actions this time have shown that his core values ​​have collapsed. He knew that the new policies were being implemented too quickly and too aggressively, which triggered a backlash in the Central Plains, but he still pretended to be hypocritical and said what the emperor wanted.

This also tells He and Tang Ke that the Eastern Prefecture must absolutely implement the emperor's decrees, stand on the same front as the emperor, and resolutely convey the emperor's ideas to the officials below.

Zhao Huan was very satisfied with Xu Churen's answer. Anyone who dared to say that the new policies were problematic would have to leave with their head in their hands.

Zhao Huan then asked the others, and they all said that the officials of Jingdong Road and Jingxi Road were corrupt, misbehaving, and plotting rebellion!

Zhao Huan naturally knew that Xu Churen did not think that way. He did not care what Xu Churen thought. He wanted Xu Churen to set an example, and Xu Churen's words and deeds greatly influenced the officials below him.

Zhao Huan knew very well that it was impossible for one person to quickly influence or change the thoughts of others in a short period of time, but he could use some means to change their words and actions. He started by focusing on their words and actions, and at least if their words and actions were consistent, he could reduce a lot of internal obstacles.

All the ministers had a question in their minds: why did the retired emperor appear at this time?

Zhao Huan said, "You are all right. They are all traitors and rebels who should be eliminated. What kind of loyalist army is this, or the purge of the emperor's inner circle? What nonsense! Wanyan Zongwang's army is at the gates of Tokyo, where are the Xinyang and Huaiyang armies?"

Li Gang quickly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, please forgive us. It was our incompetence that we failed to handle the reform of the military system properly."

Zhao Huan waved his hand: "Minister Li, this matter has nothing to do with you. I think you and Zhong Shidao did a great job on the proposal to reform the military system in the Privy Council! The Xinyang Army and Huaiyang Army actually only have 20,000 men, yet they have the audacity to report 100,000 to the court! They are shameless to the extreme! I have wanted to execute them for a long time! Do they really think my money is nothing!"

Li Gang and Zhong Shidao had long suspected that the emperor's return from the northern expedition, with only the new army, clearly indicated his intention to weaken the imperial guards around the capital and strengthen the new army, essentially creating a new imperial guard for the Song Dynasty!

The simultaneous rebellion of the two routes was not only due to issues of taxation and corvée labor, but also to the issue of military system reform. Otherwise, how could the local administrative officials and landlords of the two routes have persuaded the Huaiyang Army and the Xinyang Army?

A month earlier, the Privy Council had issued an order to reduce the Imperial Guards, with the Huaiyang and Xinyang armies being the first to be affected. These two areas had the most serious problems with the Imperial Guards, and the most people were receiving salaries without working.

The emperor's intention was to drastically streamline the administration and reduce the number of troops. However, the emperor's goal was not simply to reform the system. He was clearly trying to provoke these local powers so that they would make the first move. This would give the emperor a legitimate excuse to use his power to wipe them out completely.

Zhao Huan then said, "He, tell me, what exactly do they mean by 'purging the court of corrupt officials' and 'supporting the king'? Whom do they mean to purge? And whose king do they mean to support?"

He was slightly taken aback, and sweat began to bead on his back. The emperor asking him such a question to his face was practically forcing him to his death!

Who else could be purged if the emperor were to purge his inner circle? It would definitely be the supporters of the new policies. Who else could be brought to serve the emperor? It certainly wouldn't be you, the emperor, but only the retired emperor.

When Zhao Huan asked this question, the atmosphere immediately turned icy. The ministers finally understood why the emperor had brought out the retired emperor.

This emperor's style of doing things is truly unique. Previous emperors of the Song Dynasty might have avoided, shifted, or covered up problems when they encountered them, but this emperor seems to thrive on chaos, tranquility, and the absence of problems!

The emperor usually confronts problems head-on and then crushes them in a way that none of his ministers could have imagined. As long as the problem can be solved, the emperor doesn't care how many people die.

He felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board, his mind racing for a moment before he made up his mind: "Purging the court of traitors means to identify the ministers who support His Majesty's new policies, while 'serving the king' means to support His Majesty's ascension to the throne."

As soon as he said this, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of the emperor pouring tea clearly audible.

Zhao Ji's face turned extremely ugly. He's words were very direct, tearing away the veil of secrecy between ruler and subject. He directly stated that he was on Zhao Huan's side, a lackey of Zhao Huan, and completely severed ties with Zhao Ji. As for those idiots who gathered troops to rebel, let them go to serve the king. Those good-for-nothings who only know how to drink and chase women all day, trying to rebel, it's laughable.

Seeing the intense murderous intent between the emperor's brows, the prime ministers all felt that the emperor was really going to unleash a massacre this time!

Zhao Ji finally understood why his son had suddenly brought him here and summoned the important officials of the two offices, as well as the emperor's new favorites.

The emperor was demonstrating his power to them and forcing the prime ministers to take sides. Anyone who answered the emperor's questions, even slightly belittling the new policies, favoring the retired emperor, or speaking on the side of the traitors, would lose their head today.

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