Li Gang frowned deeply as he carefully examined all the confessions brought by Liu Yanzong.

From the Jurchen nobles to the princes and dukes of the Bohai people, and then to the wealthy and powerful Han people.

Those who invited Liu Yanzong to prostitutes were almost all arrested.

Even Li Gang couldn't help but curse inwardly: How shameless!

Shameless as it may be, this method is very effective.

Anyway, Liu Yusi is someone who has never cared about saving face.

"Master Li, these fields are probably just a drop in the ocean. After all, these people don't manage the family finances and don't know the true amount."

Li Gang became increasingly alarmed as he read on. In the eleventh year of the Jingkang era, the taxes collected from Liaodong were the lowest, even less than those from Jiaozhou.

You can spot the problem by looking at the tax returns.

But if I hadn't come to investigate myself, I wouldn't have known that the situation had become so dire.

In this light, the land situation in Liaodong was almost exactly the same as that of the Song Dynasty in the first year of the Jingkang era.

Han Chinese aristocratic families, Jurchen nobles, and Bohai nobles almost monopolized the vast majority of social resources, including land, commerce, and transportation.

The entire officialdom in Liaodong was filled with countless old and outdated officials.

Over the past year, Tang Ke has spent most of his time building schools, applying for bank loans, using mortgages for infrastructure projects, and balancing the conflicts between various factions.

After all, we have just experienced a war, and ordinary people can't even afford to eat. Maintaining stability is indeed of paramount importance.

But the current situation is much more favorable.

At least Tang Ke did something very important: he built large granaries in major towns such as Shangjing, Shenzhou, and Xianzhou.

They also purchased and stockpiled large quantities of grain from the Central Plains and Zhejiang regions.

As long as there is food, ordinary people will not panic.

Once the foundation is stable, then we can make changes without disrupting the overall situation.

But no one can predict the final outcome.

The best outcome, of course, would be to dismantle the power of aristocratic families and nobles, purge the Liaodong officialdom, and ensure that the imperial decrees could be issued smoothly.

But the worst outcome might be an inevitable war, resulting in many more deaths, and could even lead to the complete collapse of Liaodong's already fragile economy.

Once the economy of Liaodong collapses, there will certainly be criticisms of Li Gang in the imperial court.

This is also why Tang Ke was unwilling to take drastic measures. Tang Ke was tactful and mild-mannered, and if there was room for maneuver, he would never resort to desperate measures.

Li Gang was different.

“All the granaries are heavily guarded. The capital, Shenzhou, and Xianzhou are all now guarded by elite troops.” Li Gang sighed. “Since we’ve already torn off the mask, let’s investigate thoroughly.”

Liu Yanzong was waiting for Li Gang to say those words.

On a snowy night, the streets of the capital were sparsely populated.

The Censorate's surprise attack stirred up a huge wave in the capital city, which had been gradually stabilizing.

The morale of all parties is wavering.

No one expected the storm to come so quickly, and no one knew that this was only the beginning.

A group of people dressed in black uniforms sped through the streets, moving with lightning speed.

Shen Cui, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial City Guard stationed in Liaodong, led his men to the residence of Lan Yongchang, the prefect of Shangjing.

The gate to Lan Yongchang's residence was almost kicked open violently.

The Imperial Guards and the Censorate forcibly broke in.

The Lan residence quickly went from being completely dark to being brightly lit.

Lan Yongchang, dressed in his official robes, walked out of the main hall and saw Shen Cui sitting in the center of his hall. His expression darkened.

"Shangguan Shen, what is the meaning of this?"

"I don't mean anything by it, I just wanted to invite you to come over for a visit."

"Shangguan Shen, is there some misunderstanding?"

"There's no misunderstanding," Shen Cui said in a deep voice. "Guards, take him away!"

"Who dares!"

Lan Yongchang's personal guards immediately rushed forward, drew their swords, and shielded Lan Yongchang in the middle.

call out……

A sharp arrow suddenly flew by and pierced the neck of a guard. Blood splattered everywhere, and the guard fell to the ground dead.

Chen Cui stared at Lan Yongchang with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, and said in a deep voice, "Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be killed without mercy!"

At his command, the Imperial Guards in black robes embroidered with gold thread surrounded him, their actions ruthless.

The blade slashed down, tearing across Lan Yongchang's guard's head, slicing open his skull, and sending his brains flying through the air along with the blade.

A cold moon hung behind the layers of clouds on the horizon, as if an eye was indifferently watching the capital city.

Screams echoed from inside the Imperial City Guard office.

The transport commissioner, Guo Huaiyi, had been tortured beyond recognition.

"Liu Yanzong, I am the Transport Commissioner, a third-rank official of the imperial court. Not only have you arrested me without authorization, but you have also used torture on me! Where is your respect for the law and the dignity of the court? Where is your respect for His Majesty's authority?"

Liu Yanzong sipped his tea happily, ignoring Guo Huaiyi.

Before long, Lan Yongchang entered, trembling with fear.

"This humble official pays his respects to Imperial Censor Liu!"

"Hey, bro, you're here!"

"They're here, they're here."

Liu Yanzong waved his hand and said, "Come, come, tell our Guo Cao how much he embezzled from the year-end tax revenue three months ago?"

"Bullshit! Liu Yanzong! You'll die a horrible death! You've slandered me! I demand an audience with His Majesty!"

He had barely finished speaking when his kneecap was smashed to pieces.

Click...

The sound made Lan Yongchang kneel down on the ground, his face as pale as paper.

"Liu Yusi, it's all Guo Huaiyi's fault, it's all Guo Huaiyi's fault! I am innocent!"

"Don't be nervous, we have enough time to talk about life."

At this moment, the Shi family mansion was brightly lit.

Shi Li'ai, who was already very old and could not even stand up, was sitting on a recliner. All the main figures of the Shi family were gathered here.

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