Liu Yuan is a vengeful person. He was injured by Yang Zaixing and dreamed of killing Yang Zaixing.

He really had a dream in which Yang Zaixing knelt down and begged for mercy, and then he killed him.

In his dream, Yue Fei was imprisoned by Qin Hui, the military inspector of the Censorate, and sentenced to death for the crime of unauthorized troop deployment.

In his dream, he continued to make his fortune.

Deng Yue's words made Liu Yuan completely arrogant.

On this day, as was customary, He Yuanshan, the transport commissioner of Jiangling Prefecture, convened a meeting of important officials in Jiangling Prefecture.

Before the meeting, He Yuanshan had someone read aloud the new policies of the court for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and then he randomly selected people to check.

After answering one round of questions, He Yuanshan will begin the main topic of today's meeting.

Those who participated in the meeting included Luo Cong, the prefect of Jiangling; Deng Yue, the judicial commissioner; and Liu Yuan, the commander of the local army.

Zheng Zhimin, the prefect of Tanzhou in Jinghu South Road, also rushed over, as did Shi Xuecheng, the prefect of Xiangyang.

Of course, there was also Gu Yun, the Commissioner of Ever-Normal Granaries.

Li Biqi, the magistrate of Jinghu Road.

Of course, there was also Xu Qing, the prefect of Jiangling Prefecture.

At the very beginning of the meeting, He Yuanshan brought up the topic of the recent drought and did not shy away from speaking out about the crimes of some people who abused their power for personal gain.

He was already in his sixties, but he spoke with a righteous and upright air.

However, he was interrupted after only ten sentences.

This has never happened before.

"Commander He, I am truly sorry, I interrupted your meeting."

Surrounded by a group of Imperial Guards, Xiao Jiangwei swaggered in and said casually, "Take down Liu Jundu, Deng Xiansi, Xu Zhizhou, Zheng Zhifu, and Li Tongpan."

Liu Yuan's face immediately turned ashen. He roared, "Sir Xiao, we are here to discuss matters. What do you mean by this? Do you think the Commissioner of the Imperial Transport Commission is not here?!"

In terms of rank, He Yuanshan's rank is definitely higher than Xiao Jiangwei's.

Xiao Jiangwei laughed and said, "Let's do it!"

The Imperial Guards then swarmed forward.

He Yuanshan asked, "Xiao Zhongguan, what do you mean by this?"

"Officer He, these people are all involved in the grain embezzlement case. I will take them back and question them thoroughly."

He Yuanshan said, "Xiao Zhongguan is wholeheartedly devoted to the Song Dynasty and is my role model. I have long admired Xiao Zhongguan and often use his character as an example to spur myself on."

When He Yuanshan speaks, he is always gentle and kind, with the appearance of a benevolent old man. He never acts arrogantly because of his age and is very respectful to everyone.

Xiao Jiangwei, being so stubborn, naturally wouldn't really believe that his character was so noble.

These henchmen of the emperor all work for the emperor. Every task the imperial family has to do is one that involves cutting flesh and drawing blood.

Talking about character?

Sorry, I don't have any.

This is a famous quote from Xie Dahai, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial City Guard: "Talking about character? Sorry, I don't have any."

This famous saying was regarded as a profound truth by the Imperial City Guard offices throughout the country.

The Imperial City Guard requires absolute loyalty to the Emperor.

Xiao Jiangwei said, "Thank you for your kind words, Commissioner He!"

Then he turned his head and said, "Take them all away!"

“Xiao Zhongguan, since October of the fifth year of Jingkang, the arrest of officials of the court requires not only witnesses, but also physical evidence. The evidence must be irrefutable, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.”

"Oh dear, thanks for the reminder, Inspector He. I happen to have them all here," Xiao Jiangwei laughed. "Take them away. Anyone who dares to resist will be executed on the spot on charges of rebellion!"

Liu Yuan almost jumped up: "Xiao Jiangwei, how dare you! We are all officials of Jiangling Prefecture. You have no evidence whatsoever. What right do you have to arrest us!"

"Because I have an account book that is exactly the same as the ones you have!"

As soon as Xiao Jiangwei said this, the room became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Liu Yuan opened his mouth wide. He glanced at Deng Yue, who also tried to remain calm.

"take away!"

The Imperial Guards began to forcibly detain Liu Yuan, who tried to resist but was slapped hard across the face.

Deng Yue said, "I am the Commissioner of the Ministry of Justice, under the jurisdiction of the Censorate. You have no right to arrest me!"

"You better get this straight first, I'm the emperor's personal guard, the evidence is irrefutable, I don't care who you are!"

...

After the man was arrested, He Yuanshan immediately began writing a memorial to the throne.

He certainly didn't want the emperor to accuse Xiao Jiangwei, but rather to confess his guilt to the emperor.

It wasn't that he admitted to participating in any shady dealings, but rather that he had failed to exercise strict control during his tenure and requested to resign and retire to his hometown.

He wrote a memorial to the throne and ordered it to be sent to the capital.

He then secretly wrote another letter and ordered it to be delivered to the Prince of Ji's residence.

At the same time, he secretly wrote a letter to the Duke of Lu in Yingtian Prefecture and another to the Duke of Wei in Luoyang.

Almost all the members of the royal family with any significant influence received the letter.

Even after Liu Yuan and the others were arrested and taken to the Imperial City Guard, Liu Yuan was still cursing loudly.

But then several Imperial Guards revealed sinister smiles.

Liu Yuan was tied to a wooden stake in various ways. First, one of his fingernails was pulled out, causing him excruciating pain. Then, a sharp knife was used to cut away the flesh from his fingernail piece by piece.

Seeing this, Deng Yue and the others around him turned pale and trembled all over.

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! It was Deng Yue, Deng Xiansi, who made us do it!"

"Liu Yuan, don't you dare make false accusations!"

As soon as Deng Yue finished speaking, a guard from the Imperial City Guard walked up to him, holding a red-hot iron in his hand. He first struck Deng Yue on the thigh, and Deng Yue let out a pig-like scream.

Xiao Jiangwei had two purposes in bringing them back: one was to get them to confess, and the other was to expose the person behind it all.

These officials, usually so delicate and frail, couldn't withstand such turmoil. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they had said everything they needed to say.

Based on the outcome of this trial, was the case closed with Deng Yue, the Superintendent of Criminal Justice, as the highest-ranking official in charge?

This time, the enormous amount of imperial grain was transported to the north, and where it was subsequently transported to is difficult to trace, as it was switched several times.

Xiao Jiangwei began writing memorials to the emperor, clearly writing down all the information he possessed.

Deng Yue couldn't help but ask, "Sir Xiao, we've confessed everything we were supposed to. Please escort us to the capital so I can see His Majesty."

Xiao Jiangwei ignored him and instead asked Liu Yuan, "At this time, is the He Cao Si aware of this?"

"He Cao Si was unaware of this."

Xiao Jiangwei said, "Don't worry, your family has already been brought to the Imperial City Guard by me. As long as you tell me, I can petition the Emperor to treat you leniently."

Liu Yuan persisted, "But He Cao Si was unaware of this."

Deng Yue and Li Biqi, who were standing to the side, couldn't sit still any longer. Deng Yue said, "Liu Jundu, that's not what you said back then. You said there were people above you!"

"Deng Yue, don't talk nonsense!"

Liu Yuan was startled. He was still hoping that the people above would get him out of trouble. If this matter were exposed, it would be bad for everyone.

There are indeed people in the upper echelons, and this matter is already connected to the royal family.

If this matter is discovered, the emperor will surely follow the clues, and then the political landscape of the court will be completely changed.