Clearly, the emperor did not want to escalate the matter.

Even if Zheng Min is indeed guilty later, the evidence is irrefutable.

Moreover, this matter needs to be considered comprehensively!

"Lord Xu, go back and rest. Take good care of yourself. I still have many things to do for you."

After hearing the emperor's words, Xu Churen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally calmed down a little.

He was quite saddened, and his tone was sorrowful: "Your subject is guilty!"

Zhao Huan walked over and helped Xu Churen up: "Prime Minister Xu is my wise prime minister. The Great Song Dynasty is in dire need of rebuilding. Prime Minister Xu, go ahead and do your job. With you here, I am at ease."

Xu Churen was so moved that tears streamed down his face, and he almost knelt down: "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!"

"We are like ruler and subject, we know each other well, why should we do this? Go back and rest."

After Xu Churen left, Liu Yanzong shamelessly stayed there.

The emperor neither said that his criticism of Xu Churen was wrong nor right; he simply remained silent.

Remaining silent is tantamount to tacit agreement. This tacit agreement is not that Xu Churen is guilty, but that Liu Yanzong's rebuttal was justified.

But don't go too far and affect the overall situation.

Zheng Min doesn't know how to act recklessly now.

I need to spend money everywhere right now. The situation in Jiangling Prefecture is excellent, and the accounts submitted to the court every year are very impressive. Don't mess with this matter!

Liu Yanzong understood the emperor's meaning.

Liu Yanzong sighed inwardly. He really wanted to send his own people to a good place like Jiangling Prefecture, but it was difficult!

Zheng Min was a capable official, and the emperor would not risk replacing him casually.

Liu Yanzong started to have ideas about Lu.

He's been in the Song Dynasty for five years now, and it's time for him to cultivate his own loyal followers there.

This was a minor friction between factions in the Song Dynasty court.

However, in some areas, the social unrest caused by the large number of flood victims migrating south is indeed a problem.

The next day, the emperor still slept until the afternoon.

After the meal, he changed his clothes and received Shi Xun, a Hanlin Academician.

"Ziming, are you aware of the murder case in Jiangling Prefecture?"

"Your Majesty, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has already told me that I will definitely investigate the matter thoroughly."

While fiddling with a model of the latest warship of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Huan sipped his tea and said, "Then I'll trouble you to make the trip."

"Serving Your Majesty is my duty!"

"Ziming, there is something I don't understand. Tell me."

"Whatever Your Majesty needs, I will answer without reservation."

What are your thoughts on the Jiangling Prefecture massacre?

"The murderer has violated the laws of the Great Song Dynasty and must not be tolerated. However, the rulers should also reflect on the fact that the people are uneducated and have become a mob! They should be admonished by the law and educated by morality!"

Shi Ziming continued, "At the same time, we must also ensure the prosperity of all industries. If people have something to do, a stable income, and can live and work in peace, then the number of illegal acts will naturally decrease."

"Ziming is right!"

The reason Zhao Huan sent Shi Xun to investigate this matter was to allow him to go to the local areas and gain a deeper understanding of the current state of affairs in the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty had the most scholars of any dynasty. Before the Song Dynasty, knowledge was monopolized by aristocratic families.

However, in this dynasty, it is no longer unusual for prime ministers to come from humble backgrounds.

However, considering the overall population, there are still too few educated people, and education is still inadequate.

The law is the last line of defense for morality. Cultural literacy cannot eliminate crime, but it can greatly reduce the crime rate.

This is also a heavy responsibility for Shi Xun.

"Ziming, have the first batch of university students completed their studies?"

"Your Majesty, this year happens to be the year that the first batch of university students complete their studies."

"Those with university degree certificates should be given priority for positions in relevant government departments. We should also try to bring in a number of them from private businesses. You should discuss this matter with Tang Ke."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"There's one more thing. I've heard that the massacre of the entire family in Jiangling Prefecture was committed by a powerful and influential faction in the area!"

"Your Majesty, this is exactly what I was about to discuss with you. Since the court quelled the internal strife in Hedong and Hebei two years ago, the court has further strengthened its air power over villages and towns. However, in other places, Your Majesty's orders may not be able to be carried out! This is largely because village gentry and officials collude with local gangsters to deceive the emperor and oppress the people!"

"Four years ago, during the chaos in the south, Your Majesty revitalized the south. However, county officials and those below them are still holding their positions without doing their jobs. Your Majesty should investigate this matter thoroughly!"

In reality, the biggest problem with the Song court was that imperial power did not extend to the countryside.

The imperial court had very weak control over administrative regions below the county level. Although town supervisors were set up, they were basically useless.

Otherwise, the local gentry in the Hedong region wouldn't have acted so recklessly and plotted a rebellion two years ago.

In recent years, Zhao Huan has never stopped replacing local officials. The Song Dynasty was too big, and ancient transportation and information transmission were inconvenient.

This is a challenging task.

When a new official takes office, the county magistrates, town supervisors, and even village heads below him must be replaced.

But precisely because there are so many chassis components, it's unknown how much of the cost has been inflated.

In the past two years, Zhao Huan has been busy with the turmoil in the northwest and the campaign against Xia.

The floods on Jingdong Road also thoroughly exposed the problem that officials under the new policies still lack integrity.

The incident in Jiangling Prefecture also exposed the weakness and lack of power at the grassroots level.

Why did Shi Xun suddenly bring this up?

He encountered tremendous resistance when he carried out the campaign of sending the Song Dynasty official gazette to the countryside.

This resistance did not come from the people, but from the local officials.

The official gazette of the Song Dynasty was like a pair of eyes, planted in the towns and villages.

The court's vision is good; the official gazette is sent to the villages so that every citizen can know about the court's latest policies that benefit the people.

But this made local officials very uneasy.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!