This morning, everyone at the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce was still celebrating.

The future belongs to them; the more houses the imperial court builds, the richer they will become.

Shangguan Hongru even boasted that he would buy up land in the four new deputy capitals of the Song Dynasty, including Chengdu Prefecture, Jiangling Prefecture, Jiangning, and Daming Prefecture.

He, Shangguan Hongru, will become the undisputed richest man in the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, the Shangguan family used enormous sums of money to bind together some officials in the court, protecting and supporting him.

The saying "Money makes the world go round" holds true in any era.

However, this morning, Shangguan Hongru couldn't sit still any longer.

Because someone had already informed him that the matter had reached the emperor.

It was originally well concealed, and even Grand Chancellor Xu was unaware of it, but Liu Yanzong, who had just returned to the capital, seized on it and sold it to the emperor as a political bargaining chip.

How ironic!

Shangguan Hongru had no choice but to start sending money around. He sent people to the residences of important officials of the court, using several horse-drawn carriages to carry the money.

Strictly speaking, he did not violate the laws of the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, it's difficult to pinpoint a crime.

But if the emperor wants to charge him with a crime, does he need to ask for the reasons?

Does he think he's the prime minister?

Shangguan Hongru was very clear about this, and he also knew very well that the most important thing now was to send money. Once enough money was sent, he would get those ministers to go to the emperor and persuade him with reason and emotion.

The entire day felt like a hundred years to Shangguan Hongru.

He felt that on this day, the entire city of Tokyo was in a state of dead silence, as if in a vacuum.

It was as if thick, dense clouds were pressing down on the city, making it difficult to even breathe.

Only those on the verge of death—no, those whose families have been wiped out—can truly feel this terrifying sense of suffocation.

After sitting at home all day, in the evening, the Imperial City Guard finally broke down the gates of the Shangguan family's residence.

That very night, Shangguan's residence was raided, and no one knows exactly how much money was confiscated.

Not only that, but that night, the entire Tokyo Chamber of Commerce was razed to the ground, and everyone involved in the land price gouging incident was thrown into prison.

The headline of the Song Dynasty's official gazette the next day was about the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce maliciously driving up land prices, leading to a surge in commodity prices.

Zhao Huan ate a bowl of snacks in the morning and learned that the entire city of Tokyo was talking about the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce, and almost everyone praised the court's decision.

The emperor in the palace seemed eager to resolve the matter, so at noon that day, all the members of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce who had been involved were sent to the Five Dynasties Gate.

He was stabbed in the neck, blood splattered, and his head fell to the ground.

The family members were evicted from their original homes and left to fend for themselves.

On the third, fourth, and fifth days, the official gazettes of the major prefectures throughout the Song Dynasty published reports about the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce's malicious price gouging.

At the same time, the emperor's men rushed to Hangzhou, Jiangling, Chengdu, Chang'an and other places to thoroughly investigate the local land prices and rents.

All those who maliciously inflated prices were thrown into state prison and sentenced to immediate execution!

This storm that swept through the capital city of Tokyo claimed the lives of more than three hundred people in the Song Dynasty in just over half a month.

Moreover, most of these 300-plus people were wealthy businessmen, while some were poor people hoping to turn their lives around.

After the imperial court dealt such a ruthless blow, land prices, which were just beginning to rise in various regions, suddenly plummeted.

So, a month later, a copy of the Song Dynasty's "Real Estate Law" was issued and quickly sent to various prefectures.

Land prices in some major towns of the Song Dynasty were temporarily brought under control.

During this time, Zhao Huan continued to keep a close eye on the war situation in Japan.

Zhao Huan initially thought that once the land price was brought down, there wouldn't be any major problems, but he was wrong.

Reality is like a troublesome delinquent teenager who gets into trouble every now and then.

And every single thing is extremely difficult.

By mid-October, the weather had already turned cold.

Li Defu was an ordinary laborer working on the cement road south of Jingji Road. The imperial court had been building this cement road for a little over a year, and he had been involved in it for just over a year.

At first, I heard that everyone would receive two strings of cash per month, and those who did well could even receive three strings.

This is very attractive to ordinary people.

As a result, many young men from the village stopped loitering around the village and flocked to Tokyo City, registering at various trading companies and being assigned here.

Although very few people receive three strings of cash each month, and even fewer receive two strings, most receive around 1,500 cash.

However, everyone still worked with great enthusiasm.

The imperial court also provided food and drink, so the money could be saved each month and sent home. The wives could then buy things for their children and parents, ensuring they would never go hungry again.

Even in winter, you can still buy a few clothes.

Because these people's family circumstances improved, even the charcoal seller's business improved.

Some businessmen saw this opportunity and recruited a large number of people to mine coal.

It seems everything is fine as long as it's alright.

However, Li Defu and his partner Zhang Chunlai had already discussed it and decided to quit after finishing their work this month and collect their wages.

Because they haven't been paid for five months.

At first, people could tolerate it, but as time went on, many people began to complain.

Li Defu is worried that he may never get his wages back.

That evening, Li Defu drank some wine and got into an argument with the manager, which was witnessed by many people.

The next morning, as soon as people got up and went outside, they saw a wooden stake in the open space in front of them, with a corpse tied to it.

The corpse was Li Defu.

"Old Li!"

Zhang Chunlai cried out in grief. He instinctively rushed forward, wanting to help Li Defu down from the wooden stake, but was struck on the right leg by an iron bar that suddenly appeared from the side, breaking his right leg on the spot.

Zhang Chunlai fell to the ground, clutching his right leg and letting out a heart-wrenching scream.

The manager was a fat man named Zhu Xi. He had a face full of scars and a menacing smile. He said, "Li Defu dared to strike and cause trouble, and even attacked me. This is what will happen to him. Anyone who dares to speak up for him, I will kill them!"

Behind him stood a dozen tall, burly men, each holding a knife.

"You signed a contract of servitude with me, you are my people. Even if you die, you will die here. Anyone who dares to run away, I will catch him and behead him as a warning to others!"

His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Those who had originally planned to go to him for money and go home were all intimidated by him and dared not speak.

Zhang Kaichun lay on the ground writhing in pain; his shinbone was completely broken, but no one paid him any attention.

Zhu Xi said fiercely, "You have to go and work now, or I'll kill you!"