The Song Dynasty had twelve ranks of nobility: King, Heir Apparent King, Prince of a Commandery, Duke of a State, Duke of a Commandery, Duke of the Founding State, Duke of the Founding State Commandery, Duke of the Founding State County, Marquis of the Founding State, Earl of the Founding State, Viscount of the Founding State, and Baron of the Founding State.

According to the official ranks of the Song Dynasty, the Duke of Lu was a second-rank official, the same level as the prime minister!

He was a descendant of the founding emperor, and the title of Duke of the County had been retained and would not be abolished due to the passage of time. However, each generation of Duke of the County had to accept the title again.

Duke Zhao Hongyi of Lu County lived a secluded life in Yingtian Prefecture, but his reputation was quite prominent there.

Yingtian Prefecture was the former Nanjing of the Song Dynasty, and there were some prominent families here.

Zhao Hongyi held a very high position in the hearts of these prominent figures.

People praised Duke Lu for his refined character, benevolence, and virtue, and were willing to befriend him.

Every time, the Duke's mansion would be packed with guests, whether they were relatives of the prime minister or wealthy merchants and powerful figures, they would all vie to be the first to arrive.

However, this is the impression Zhao Hongyi gives to outsiders. With money and power, who wouldn't try to embellish their image?

He also had another image in the emperor's eyes: a traitor who embezzled fertile land, disregarded human life, was domineering and cruel, and failed to properly educate his children...

No matter how powerful or wealthy their ancestors were, corruption will eventually occur after generations of prosperity.

This has nothing to do with genes, nor with the legendary power of bloodlines.

Every person is an ordinary human being. It is difficult for an ordinary human being to walk the right path, but it is very easy to walk the wrong path.

Moreover, on a detour, one often goes further and further astray.

Zhao Hongyi is a typical example. His father was an upright and honest duke with many noble qualities, but by his generation, they had all become mere formalities.

He had a particular fondness for women from the Western Regions.

Women from the Western Regions all have high noses and deep-set eyes, which was a fatal attraction for Zhao Hongyi.

Throughout his life, he spent countless sums of money to find beautiful women for him from the Western Regions. The women he found were then kept in the manor he built.

Every day, he would go to the manor to have fun with the beautiful women.

His son was different from him. His son liked demure and gentle women, but his son Zhao Zifang had a perverted hobby: killing women.

After sleeping with a woman, he would always kill her, probably because he didn't want her to have any future entanglements with other men.

These quirks wouldn't have much of an impact on nobles like them; many things could be settled with money or suppressed by their status.

Normally, no matter how much trouble they cause, as long as they don't betray the country or stir up trouble, their messy affairs in the localities naturally won't reach the capital, and the emperor won't have much time to care.

But things are different now. Zhao Zhongcong suddenly became exceptionally diligent and meticulous, and he sent people to thoroughly investigate the imperial clan.

Even the heinous act of someone scaring a child to tears on the roadside was recorded, and then it was written in bold: This scoundrel is ruthless!

Zhao Zifang went to the Sith Manor to find his father, feeling very worried.

The Sith Manor is named after the Western country of Persia. At this moment, Zhao Hongyi is by the manor's pool with several fair-skinned, brown-haired, and blue-eyed beauties, doing some indescribable things.

But he was interrupted by his own son, who was very displeased: "How dare you! You dare to force your way in without my summons!"

"Father! Zhao Zhongcong's men have arrived in Yingtian and are currently questioning people at the manor!"

"You can't even handle this little thing?"

"Father, you've also read the letter from Jiangling Prefecture. The matter of the imperial grain embezzlement has been exposed!"

Zhao Hongyi chased the women away, dressed, and said to Zhao Zifang, "What are you afraid of? Go get ten thousand strings of cash, transport it to the capital in several carts, and send it to Zhao Zhongcong's residence. Then this matter is settled."

"But I heard that Zhao Zhongcong is desperately pleading with the emperor in the capital to arrest us!"

A sly glint flashed in Zhao Hongyi's eyes: "That's him putting pressure on us to negotiate a price! If 10,000 strings of cash isn't enough, give him 20,000 to shut his mouth!"

"Father, could this matter really escalate? My friend in the capital said that the court and the public are watching the Emperor's attitude."

"The Emperor's attitude?" Zhao Hongyi sneered. "This matter isn't just about us getting involved; the Duke of Wei from Luoyang and his group are also involved. No wonder the Emperor wants to arrest us all and execute us members of the imperial family like those ministers did."

"If that's really the case, how can he face Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong!"

"Royal matters have their own methods. Go and give Zhao Zhongcong's men some money, and let Zhao Zhongcong handle this matter!"

After being told what her father said, Zhao Zifang, who was initially panicked, immediately calmed down.

He felt that his father was right. Although the matter had been exposed, the emperor could not possibly treat them the same way he treated his ministers.

They are descendants of the founding emperor, members of the imperial family!

Once Zhao Zifang felt a little more at ease, he returned from his father's manor. He had already decided to give Zhao Zhongcong's men a sum of money and send them back to the capital.

Tonight, Zhao Zifang is going to find a few pretty young women to have some fun and soothe his frightened heart.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zifang was grabbed as soon as he stepped inside. Before he could struggle, he was pinned against the wall and tied up in various ways!

"What are you doing! How dare you! Do you know who I am?!"

"Lord County Magistrate, I'm sorry, but the Grand Secretary has ordered your arrest and that of Lord Lu, to be taken to the capital for trial!"

"Why should he?! My father is the Duke of Lu, his rank is higher than his, what right does he have to arrest us and take us to the capital! Even if he uses clan rules to pressure us, he can't possibly send us to the capital for trial!"

"Lord County Magistrate, His Majesty has already agreed to this matter; it can be considered His Majesty's decree!"

These words instantly drained Zhao Zifang of all her strength: "What? That's impossible!"

The man clearly didn't want to continue arguing with him, so he said, "Where is the Duke of Lu at this time? The county magistrate can remain silent, but we will find him soon."

Zhao Zifang became worried and sighed, "My father is currently at his estate."

When Zhao Shuren, the Duke of Wei County, learned of the news from the capital, his reaction was not much different from that of Zhao Hongyi. After all, since the founding of the Song Dynasty, members of the imperial family had always been treated with preferential treatment.

Only a few years ago, Prince Su displeased the emperor and was sentenced to death.

He believed that the emperor would not really make things difficult for them because of the imperial grain case. After all, if the matter were seriously investigated, members of the imperial family in Yingtian Prefecture, Luoyang, and Dongjing City would all be involved.

This is the principle of "the law does not punish the masses." At most, everyone will be more restrained in the future, but as for He Yuanshan, there's no way to protect him!

But when the people from the capital arrived in Luoyang, the entire Duke's mansion was in an uproar.

This matter was, after all, a family scandal of the royal family, and it was not appropriate to publicize it to outsiders. Zhao Hongyi and others were quickly escorted to the capital for trial.

At this moment, Prince Ji, Zhao Xu, was kneeling outside the emperor's study, begging to see the emperor.

P.S.: I got up at 5:30 this morning to start writing, I'm really going all out! This will be my daily plan from now on! I'll increase the update frequency quickly!

So, I'm asking for your monthly votes! Give them all to me!