After returning to the imperial palace and changing his clothes, all the officials, big and small, of Chang'an were waiting for the emperor outside the palace.

They trembled with fear upon learning that their superior had been executed by the emperor in the street, and they were all terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat.

But I have no choice but to stand here obediently.

After changing into a long robe, Zhao Huan went out.

Zhang Hao said worriedly, "Your Majesty, you must be tired from the long journey. Please rest for a while before continuing, so as not to harm your health."

Zhao Huan, his face grim, glanced at the officials outside and roared, "What rest? My people have no time to rest; they are all racing against death!"

His anger wasn't directed at Zhang Hao, but rather at these officials.

He walked down and kicked the magistrate of Chang'an County, sending him rolling on the ground with a scream.

"Look at you all, so fat and bloated! Where have all your Confucian classics gone! Where are the Confucian classics that establish the destiny of heaven and earth!"

The officials immediately prostrated themselves on the ground and cried out in unison, "Your Majesty, please forgive us!"

"With the dynasty supporting a bunch of parasites like you, how can my new policies possibly survive!"

Zhao Huan took a deep breath, mounted his horse, and Zhang Hao led the Imperial Guards closely behind.

Xue Jin rode up on horseback and said, "Your Majesty, my elder brother is currently in Chang'an County. He will come to see you immediately after he has made some preparations."

"Have Xue Donglai wait for me at the place in the city where you collect grain!"

"yes!"

During this time, Ma Bangyuan dug deep into the ground in Jingzhao Prefecture, but he never expected that Xue Donglai would be hiding right under his nose.

Everything on the streets became orderly, and squads of soldiers were using carts to transport grain to the entrance of the military governor's mansion in the center of the city.

Most of this grain came from the residences of officials.

These officials hoarded a considerable amount of grain.

It's truly a case of "the rich feasting on meat and wine while the poor freeze to death on the streets!"

Zhao Huan took a deep breath.

Duan Zhijie said from the side, "Your Majesty, the King of Liao is blinded by power, causing chaos in the land. I suggest that a proclamation be issued immediately to punish the traitor and call on all people of wisdom in the land to eliminate the King of Liao."

Zhao Huan remained silent.

Unlike revolutions, any attempt to seize power is caused by the imbalance of power and ambition among various parties in the distribution of interests.

This will inevitably cause interest groups with pent-up resentment to bare their fangs once they seize the opportunity.

If we simplify the complex issues, the contradictions of the Song Dynasty become quite clear.

On one hand, there are the newly emerging chaebols who have risen to prominence with the new policies, and they possess enormous wealth.

One side consists of those in the imperial court or local government who are eyeing greater power.

The other side consists of ordinary people.

As the reforms of the Jingkang New Deal deepened and wealth accumulated further, the distribution of benefits among these three parties became increasingly uneven, leading to increasingly deeper contradictions.

For example, these newly rich and powerful figures in the Song Dynasty have undergone an ideological shift. They believe that the current policies of the imperial court have not only failed to help them, but have also greatly restricted their development.

They wanted to break free from these restrictions, and their infiltration of officials began in previous years, but they were firmly suppressed by the emperor and could not carry out their plans.

Meanwhile, a considerable number of officials in the imperial court and local governments have already aligned themselves ideologically with the newly rich.

Some of them may have been simply bought off by the newly rich, or their interests were aligned with those of the newly rich, such as Sun Bangyuan, the military commissioner of Shaanxi.

Others felt that the future of the Song Dynasty needed the power of these newly rich, and that the court should not continue to restrict them.

Finally, there are the ordinary people.

Of these three forces, the common people are the least powerful, but they are the most important.

The newly rich wanted to change the tax policies and commercial management policies of the new government, allowing commerce to develop freely and weakening the government's control over commerce. In this way, they could exploit ordinary people without restraint. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Moreover, with the large-scale construction projects over the past decade or so, ordinary people in the Song Dynasty have accumulated some wealth.

The newly rich and powerful have long been eyeing the pockets of ordinary people.

Therefore, in this situation, the newly rich found a representative of power: Zhao Chen!

At this time, external forces also got involved, which helped Zhao Chen seize the opportunity of the emperor's western expedition and started the Liaodong Rebellion in the fifteenth year of Jingkang.

This is the true nature of this rebellion.

It's not as simple as Duan Zhijie said, that the Liao King was blinded by power and that the rebellion could be quelled simply by eliminating the Liao King in Youzhou.

If it were really that simple, Zhao Huan would have deposed Zhao Chen years ago, and the current situation wouldn't have arisen.

This is not the rebellion of one person, but the rebellion of an entire interest group!

They plotted to overthrow the foundation of the dynasty.

Even if Zhao Huan issues a proclamation to punish the traitors, it still cannot immediately change the situation.

Since the vested interests have already exposed themselves, they can no longer turn around and deal with Zhao Chen; otherwise, they would be shooting themselves in the foot or cutting off their own flesh.

There are ways to quell the unrest.

We'll just sweep through with our army!

Those gentry who escaped the bloodshed at the beginning of the new policies have transformed into wealthy merchants and nouveau riche, and now they are launching a counterattack and rebellion.

The best approach is to eradicate the remaining cancer completely, and also to serve as a warning to the merchants of the dynasty.

They didn't even bother to issue a manifesto; the most important thing was to collect a list to prevent anyone from changing their identity and escaping unscathed.

Soon, Zhao Huan arrived at the entrance of the military governor's mansion.

Yue Yun was organizing his soldiers to distribute food to the people when he saw the emperor arrive. He hurriedly prepared to go and pay his respects, but was interrupted by Zhao Huan.

Before long, Xue Dong arrived.

Xue Donglai, who had been hiding in Chang'an County for several months, had lost a lot of weight.

The last time Zhao Huan saw him was when he returned from Sailiuzhu, on the banks of the Chu River.

Unexpectedly, when they met this time, the Song Dynasty was in turmoil.

It feels like a lifetime ago.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"No need for formalities." Zhao Huan looked at Xue Donglai and sighed, "You've suffered."

"Your Majesty works harder than I do."

"Xue Donglai, Ma Bangyuan has already been executed by me in the street. The Jingzhao Prefecture cannot be without a military commissioner for even a day. I am now appointing you to this critical mission!"

Xue Donglai was slightly taken aback, and quickly said, "What merit or ability do I, a humble commoner, possess!"

The military commissioner was no minor official; he was a high-ranking official in charge of the military and political affairs of the entire Shaanxi region. Xue Donglai had only ever been a merchant and had never been involved in politics before, so he was understandably nervous.

"Enough nonsense. The most important thing now is to stabilize Jingzhao Prefecture." Zhao Huan pointed with his riding whip at the people queuing to receive food. "Look, there are still many people who can't even get enough to eat. I want them to survive this winter. As long as they survive this winter, everything will be alright."

Zhao Huan suddenly stared blankly at the hazy horizon in the distance and said softly, "Winter has passed, and spring will surely come."