These past two days, Tokyo City remains Tokyo City, a bustling city that never sleeps, but the autumn wind has tinged it with a touch of melancholy. Since the news from Hedong Road came back, I heard that the current emperor is deeply grieved and has not eaten for three days.

The people wept upon hearing this, all praising the emperor's benevolence and virtue, saying that the rebels had no conscience whatsoever, given such a benevolent ruler.

News of the emperor's grief and inability to eat spread to other parts of the Central Plains, and the people were moved to think: "The emperor is the emperor of our great Song Dynasty."

Consequently, many people went to the newly opened Song Dynasty Gazette office to offer their advice, hoping that the emperor would take good care of his health.

Some commoners also brought their own belongings to the palace gates and knelt down. An old woman said to the guards at the palace gates, "The people cannot live without the emperor. These are some eggs that I just boiled. I hope the general can help me deliver them to the emperor."

One child said, "This is my new toy; it can make the emperor happy."

"..."

The guards were at a loss for what to do. The matter quickly reached the palace, and Xu Churen personally went to the palace gate and said, "On behalf of the Emperor, I thank you all. The Emperor has said that the people's wealth should not be taken. The Emperor has appreciated your intentions. This is an important place for the government to conduct business. I hope you will return."

Xu Churen pleaded with them earnestly, and finally the people dispersed.

Xu Churen was filled with mixed feelings. The emperor had killed the prime minister in the court and massacred local gentry. He had also established the Imperial City Guard. Most of the ministers in the court privately criticized the emperor for his cruelty, yet he was loved by the people. Was he a tyrant or a sage?

At this moment, Zhao Huan was reviewing a list, which included Liu Yanzong, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, He Ye, the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and Xie Dahai, the Director of the Imperial City Guard.

The incense burner on the emperor's desk was burning brightly. The emperor's brows furrowed slightly, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

At the very top of the list was a name Zhao Huan recognized: He!

This matter involved not only the East Mansion, but also many officials from the twelve branches of the West Mansion, as well as the Hanlin Academy scholars and even a secretary from the Ministry of Rites.

The emperor said calmly, "Arrest them all and execute them together in three days."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The emperor himself gave the order, and the formal procedures still had to be followed. On this day, the Censorate drafted a memorial impeaching Prime Minister He. The entire Imperial City Guard of the entire capital city of Tokyo was mobilized, and all officials on the list, as well as those not currently in office involved, were arrested.

The Censorate opened a case and submitted it to the Emperor for approval.

In the newly established central systems, the Censorate has extraordinary authority. After Liu Yanzong filed a case, he could directly submit it to the emperor for final approval. If the Ministry of Personnel of the Eastern Palace wanted to select, assess or reward officials, and money was involved, the detailed reasons had to be written down and submitted to the Three Departments for financial approval. Only after the Zhou Dynasty approved it could it reach the emperor. This was not only the case for the Eastern Palace, but also for the staffing of the Hanlin Academy.

The title of the head of the Three Departments, "Minister of Finance," is not without reason. In the Zhou Dynasty, this Minister of Finance was more like an old lady who could meddle in everything.

On this day, the Censorate was in a state of chaos, with more than 500 people being placed under investigation by the Censorate in the capital alone.

When the Imperial Guards entered He's residence, they found that this powerful figure from the Eastern Prefecture had already hanged himself inside.

This great purge, known in historical records as the "Two Capitals Case," implicated over ten thousand people, excluding the rebellious imperial guards. Most of them were powerful landlords, officials in the capital, and non-official personnel with academic titles.

The emperor continued to clear out officials, landlords, and most wealthy merchants in the Jingdong and Jingxi circuits. People who were originally idle in the capital and whose official positions were even uncertain suddenly received appointment letters and rushed to their posts with great joy.

With fresh blood being injected, the officialdom on both sides was revitalized.

In the capital, however, more than two thousand people lost their heads. All the officers of the rebel army were executed by slow slicing, especially Cao Sheng, who was sliced ​​into pieces 2,500 times before dying. When he died, only his bones remained, and the executioners rubbed his bones for a long time.

The amount of money confiscated in this incident was as high as 30 million strings of cash, all of which was put into the national treasury. One million hectares of fertile land were taken over by the imperial court.

The remaining offenders were all exiled to the southwest to build fortified cities. Some people have noticed that the court has recently exiled a large number of criminals to the southwest, which must have a purpose.

Besides the bloodshed and killings in the capital, a new power structure was also being rapidly established in the court. The elimination of redundant officials, spearheaded by Xu Churen, was being vigorously implemented with the assistance of Liu Yanzong. When the use of force was involved, the emperor's henchmen, the Imperial City Guards, would personally come to the capital.

The corvée labor and taxes imposed under the new policies, along with the land issues that arose, provoked a rebellion by the gentry in Jingdong Road and Jingxi Road. This rebellion was quickly suppressed, but the problems that emerged were the most important and needed to be resolved by the court as soon as possible.

The imperial court has gained control of most of the fertile land in the capital region, western region, and eastern region. Farmers are currently cultivating this land, but the question of how to manage it uniformly in the future has been raised, and this is the most important issue.

Now the emperor wants to relocate 200,000 people from Jingji Road to Tokyo City. After that, Tokyo City's demand for food supply will become more and more urgent. If there are problems with the management of fertile fields, not only will the people of Jingxi Road and Jingdong Road go hungry, but Tokyo City will also be affected.

Therefore, this purge of the rebellion was only the first step in implementing the new policies, and did not mean that the emperor's new policies had truly succeeded.

The emperor personally welcomed the triumphant return of the new army and bestowed rewards upon them.

The next day, at the morning court, the emperor sat in the center of the hall. In the court today, most of the ministers from the time of Emperor Huizong of Song have been purged by Zhao Huan. Which one of the remaining ministers does not follow Zhao Huan's lead?

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