Zhao Huan, surrounded by a group of Imperial City Guards, headed towards Lingxiao Palace, where Zhao Ji was located.

Upon arriving at Lingxiao Palace, Zhao Huan stopped the eunuch from announcing the arrival, but then heard voices coming from inside.

"Your Majesty, that Zhao Huan is truly a tyrannical ruler like Jie and Zhou. It's a pity that the Grand Tutor, already in his seventies, was brutally killed by him in front of the court officials right there in the main hall!"

"Your Majesty, if the Grand Tutor is killed today, it will be us tomorrow. We are Your Majesty's subjects, not Zhao Huan's subjects. Even if you want to kill us, it is Your Majesty's word that matters. We will die without regret!"

"Your Majesty, if we allow Zhao Huan to act recklessly, the Song Dynasty will surely be destroyed by his hand!"

"..."

Zhao Huan heard everything clearly outside, but a cold smile appeared on his face.

He stood there for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but he didn't hear Emperor Huizong say anything. Feeling strange, he simply stepped inside.

Just as Xie Dahai had known, the people kneeling at the gate of Lingxiao Palace were Liang Shicheng, Zhu Mian, and Li Yan, along with the officials they had promoted.

The moment the emperor arrived, the three of them paled instantly, looking like innocent young girls being dragged into a corner by a creepy old man, terrified and completely disoriented.

The minister immediately knelt and bowed, saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty. May the Holy Emperor be well."

At that moment, light snowflakes were falling, but the sun was shining brightly.

Lingxiao Palace was bustling with activity, with eunuchs and palace maids running around, carrying all sorts of jewelry, jade, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques.

When Li Changyuan saw the emperor arrive, he immediately knelt down, and the eunuchs and palace maids also knelt down.

Zhao Huan didn't even glance at Li Changyuan and walked straight in. Xie Dahai and Wang Kuian followed him in, but were stopped by Li Changyuan.

Xie Dahai roared, "Insolence! Li Changyuan, I am the Emperor's bodyguard, how dare you presume to oppose me!"

"Xie Dahai, this is His Majesty the Dao Lord's sleeping quarters. You are just a boorish warrior, so don't cause trouble!"

"Li Changyuan, if something were to happen to the Holy Emperor, could you bear the responsibility?"

“If anything were to happen to His Majesty the Daoist, I would be truly unable to bear the responsibility.”

Zhao Huan had already stepped inside when he pulled his foot back. He glanced at Li Changyuan and the guards of Bingjingwu around him, then walked up to Li Changyuan. Li Changyuan, however, became defiant. With Emperor Huizong of Song backing him up, he was not afraid of Zhao Huan.

The three men kneeling on the ground, Zhu Mian, Liang Shicheng, and Li Yan, smiled. "You, Zhao Huanchu, have been acting recklessly since you first ascended the throne. Now you've met your match. The late emperor only passed the throne to you for one day, and you've already become so arrogant. If we don't deal with you, who will we deal with?"

Zhao Huan slapped Li Changyuan hard across the face with a crisp sound. Li Changyuan was stunned and stared blankly at the emperor, never expecting that the emperor would actually hit him!

The emperor personally beating someone in the palace is something that has never happened before in history.

Zhao Huan was physically weak, but he had used a lot of strength just now, leaving five finger marks on Li Changyuan's face. He stared coldly at Li Changyuan, who was immediately frightened by Zhao Huan's stare and knelt down on the ground, burying his head.

Zhao Huan gestured to Wang Kui'an, who quickly replied, "Li Changyuan of Bingjingwu has publicly offended the Holy Emperor; he deserves to die! He shall be executed on the spot!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Changyuan was jolted and looked up, but it was too late; Xie Dahai's knife was too fast.

Li Changyuan was originally a skilled fighter with considerable martial arts ability, but he was intimidated and lost the initiative. Xie Dahai chopped off his head with a single stroke, and blood gushed out from his smooth neck like a jet of water.

Upon hearing the sound of a knife cutting through bone, the ministers turned deathly pale, their palms and backs sweating profusely with fear.

Zhao Huan stared intently at Li Changyuan's head rolling on the ground, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

The eunuchs and palace maids around them were so frightened that they could barely kneel.

When the guards of Bingjingwu saw that their leader had been killed, they were all ready to make a move. Xie Dahai shouted angrily, "The Holy Emperor is here. Are you rebelling?"

His roar caused the guards he brought with him to draw their swords, their aura even more ferocious than that of Bingjingwu's group.

Zhao Huan said, "The entire Bingjingwu group is innocent. Li Changyuan has committed treason and should be beheaded and his entire clan exterminated!"

The emperor's meaning was clear: I am only targeting Li Changyuan, so you should not get involved. This combination of power and pardon was extremely well-executed.

The guards at the Ice Well were quick to understand; since the emperor had spoken, they immediately knelt down, shouting, "Long live the Holy Emperor! Long live the Holy Emperor! Long live the Holy Emperor!"

Zhao Huan led his men straight into Lingxiao Palace, where Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, was at his desk arranging his calligraphy and paintings with great satisfaction, completely oblivious to what was happening outside.

Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, is a legendary emperor in later historical records. Later generations commented that he was good at everything except being a good emperor. For example, several key ministers were beheaded by Zhao Huan, but he was still writing and painting here.

In fact, Zhu Mian and his group made a mistake in their predictions, and even Zhao Huan made a mistake in his predictions.

Emperor Huizong of Song was far more cowardly than Zhao Huan could have imagined. At this moment, he was busy preparing to flee south, ostensibly to escape the cold. As for whether Cai Jing and others had been killed, he wanted to know, but he thought that the Jin army had already crossed the Yellow River, so why should he care?

If Emperor Huizong of Song had truly possessed even a shred of backbone, he would never have relinquished his imperial throne. He is the only emperor in history to have refused the throne upon hearing of an enemy invasion.

Moreover, he himself had no real feelings for Cai Jing and others. He merely manipulated Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and others to keep those matters under his control and prevent them from bothering him, so that he could peacefully be a pleasure-seeking emperor.

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