Wang Kui'an did not find Liu Yanzong at Liu Yanzong's residence. Wang Kui'an went to various brothels in Tokyo to look for him. Bingjingwu's men found this Liu Yusi in a brothel in the south of the city.

When the door was kicked open, Liu Yusi was comforting a beautiful 18-year-old girl. He was talking to her about life and ideals, from the autumn moon to the winter snow, and from the winter snow to the spring flowers. As he talked, perhaps because it was too hot in autumn, he started to help her take off her clothes.

Just as he took off one piece of clothing, the door was kicked open.

Just as Liu Yanzong was about to lose his temper, he saw that it was the Imperial City Guard who had arrived, and it was Wang Kui'an, who was by the emperor's side, who had come in person. He immediately wanted to go crazy.

What is this emperor up to? Does he not allow people to find the beauty in life?!

Wang Kui'an smiled faintly, a smile playing on his lips: "Liu Yusi, the Emperor summons you for an audience immediately, without fail."

Liu Yanzong immediately put on his clothes without saying a word. There was nothing more to say; since Wang Kuian had come to invite him personally, something big must have happened again.

It's really never-ending! Why are there so many trivial matters in the Song Dynasty? There weren't nearly as many problems in the Liao Dynasty! And in the Jin Dynasty, it was even simpler; those savages were content as long as they had food to eat and women to sleep with.

Unlike the emperors of the Song Dynasty, who change their minds every day, it's truly torturous.

Despite his inner complaints, Liu Yanzong moved with remarkable speed. Before leaving, he turned around and revealed a creepy, uncle-like smile: "Xiao Hong, wait for me to come back."

Mounting the horse prepared by Wang Kui'an, Liu Yanzong galloped towards the palace as fast as he could.

When Liu Yanzong arrived at the palace gate, he found that the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and other ministers were all rushing to the palace.

Strange, isn't today a day off? These officials are all in a panic, looking like they're about to cry. What happened?

Liu Yanzong ignored them and entered the palace, while the officials were stopped.

When Yang Shi of the Hanlin Academy saw Liu Yanzong, he looked at him as if he had seen a savior, crying and shouting, "Liu Yusi, save me, save me..."

Liu Yanzong walked quickly, saying, "Scholar Yang, you flatter me. You are a veteran of three reigns, and I dare not presume to presume upon you."

He walked quickly, but his mind was racing. Something terrible had really happened. What had happened?

Zhao Huan had just changed his clothes and drunk a cup of tea.

Qin Hui was already waiting outside the Wende Hall. When he saw Liu Yanzong rushing over, Qin Hui bowed and said, "Imperial Censor Liu."

"What exactly happened?"

Qin Hui said with a wry smile, "They've really stirred up a hornet's nest! The Qian family has really stirred up a hornet's nest in Tokyo!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanzong frowned immediately: "The Qian family? They've come to Tokyo?"

"Not only did they come, but they also presented the Emperor with a great gift upon their arrival."

"Old Master Qian isn't the kind of person who can't keep his temper in check, this is impossible!"

"There can be no lie. Qian Yu was caught red-handed by the Emperor while drinking and causing trouble at Chunhua Tower."

"It's nothing, the Emperor won't do anything just because Qian Yu threw a tantrum. The Emperor is tolerant in this regard."

Qin Hui chuckled and said, "That's nothing, but he gathered many sons of ministers from the two ministries and caused trouble at Chunhua Tower. He even publicly defied the emperor and oppressed the people. How arrogant he was!"

Liu Yanzong took a deep breath: "Huizhi, what exactly does the Qian family mean? How could someone as intelligent as Old Master Qian send that idiot Qian Yu to Tokyo?"

"How could I possibly know? The Emperor is currently in a rage and has summoned us here; it must be to discuss matters in the Southeast."

The Central Plains have already been cleansed by the emperor. Hebei and Hedong have been weakened by war, and the emperor's army is stationed there, so no local power can cause any trouble. Yan and Yun are even less affected, as they are all under the emperor's control. In the north, only Shaanxi is in a special situation because it is located on the northwest frontier and is related to national defense, so the emperor has not taken action for the time being.

The remaining area is south of the Yangtze River, and among them, the Qian family in the southeast is the largest. Not only is it the most prestigious in the southeast, but it is also a famous noble family in the Song Dynasty, with wealth comparable to that of a country. More importantly, many ministers in the court have connections with the Qian family.

The new policies were in full swing in the Central Plains. Although the South did not implement the new policies, the aristocratic families were not stupid. They knew that the emperor was solving problems one by one, and once the problems in the Central Plains were solved, the land would belong to them.

Abolishing corvée labor and reducing taxes were tantamount to bleeding and tearing flesh from the landlords, so naturally they were a hundred times unwilling.

But since the emperor hasn't taken direct action yet, they have no reason to make a fuss. Otherwise, they would be brain-dead if someone arbitrarily accused them of disobedience.

However, they were not to be underestimated. They planned ahead and made ample preparations before the emperor actually took action.

If the southern gentry wanted to oppose the imperial court, the best option would be to bring in the Qian family of the southeast, who were the wealthiest and controlled the vital maritime trade routes of the Song Dynasty. This was extremely important to the Song Dynasty, and bringing the Qian family over would provide them with considerable leverage in negotiations with the emperor.

Unfortunately, the old master of the Qian family was a shrewd man who also upheld the family precepts well, maintained a good relationship with the Zhao family, and tried his best to meet all of the Zhao family's needs.

Therefore, it was not easy to win over the Qian family. Fortunately, at this time, the head of the Qian family, Qian Zhengchun, fell ill. Although the old master was in charge, the old man was over eighty years old and did not have many years left to live. This was naturally the best time for external forces to intervene.

In fact, they also targeted Qian Yu, who was always arrogant and power-hungry. Through various channels, they secretly arranged for the Qian family to send Qian Yu to the capital. Their purpose was clear: to completely sever the relationship between the Zhao and Qian families and put them on the opposite side. Only in this way would the Qian family stand with these southern gentry families to oppose the court.

At worst, the two sides could fight to the death, and the south could break away from the Song dynasty and become its own country. In short, we must not allow Zhao Huan's new policies to affect the south, as that would be tantamount to killing them.

Wang Kui'an came out of the Wende Hall and said, "Liu Yusi, His Majesty invites you, Prime Minister Qin. Please wait outside the hall for a moment."

Qin Hui bowed to Wang Kui'an and said, "It's alright."

Liu Yanzong was determined. He came from the Liao and Jin dynasties, and this very identity made him unacceptable to the civil officials of the Song Dynasty. Moreover, he was now the head of the Censorate, which was responsible for impeachment, while he was responsible for investigation. He was a thorn in the side of those ministers, and he could be said to have formed his own faction in the Song Dynasty.

In cases like the Qian family's, the Censorate wouldn't give them any leeway. They'd list as many charges as possible and just kill them outright. It didn't matter how good the Qian family was to the people in the southeast; they were the emperor's henchmen, not the Qian family's henchmen.

"Your humble servant kowtows to the Emperor."

"No need for formalities," Zhao Huan said, getting straight to the point. "What suggestions do you have for dealing with the Qian family in the southeast?"