As the Grand Chancellor and the head of the Eastern Palace, Xu Churen naturally couldn't refuse; otherwise, what would the emperor do with his high salary?

He had no choice but to bite the bullet, though he was more lenient than Li Gang and Zhong Shidao: "Your Majesty, I believe that tax revenue is the foundation of the nation's economy. As a prince, Prince Su knowingly broke the law, so his crime is naturally more serious. He should be demoted to baron to rectify the foundation of the nation!"

Being demoted directly from a prince to a baron is like falling from heaven to earth.

The other ministers knew that Xu Churen's seemingly direct suggestion for a verdict was actually an attempt to save face for Prince Su, rather than having the emperor depose him as a commoner or even kill him outright.

The emperor glanced at Tang Ke, He Yi, and the others, and asked, "Where are the others?"

"We, your humble servants, second this proposal: Prince Su's crime should be compounded; he should be stripped of his title of Prince, demoted to Baron, and banished from the capital!"

Liu Yanzong glanced at the emperor discreetly and quickly stepped forward, saying, "I believe this is unacceptable! As a member of the imperial family, Prince Su should set an example for the nation! However, he has poisoned the country; if he is not killed, how can we warn the world?"

The moment he uttered the word "kill," the ministers' expressions changed. Some wanted to stand up and object, but Liu Yanzong spoke first. His tone was extremely firm, and he even knelt down, shouting, "Our Great Song Dynasty has stood for a hundred years, but the laws have collapsed, and the powerful and wealthy have no regard for the law. Their poison is growing stronger. Someone wants to corrupt the clear sky and cloud the eyes of the emperor. Since I took charge of the Censorate, I have thought of this constantly, and I cannot eat or sleep. I am deeply saddened that I cannot share the burden of the Holy Emperor. Therefore, the Censorate has already sentenced Prince Su to death. I risk my life to beg Your Majesty to approve the execution of Prince Su to restore the foundation of the nation! Otherwise, the laws of the Great Song Dynasty will surely be destroyed, the four corners of the earth will collapse, and the bright sun and moon will fall with a crash!"

"Liu Yanzong, how dare you!" Wang Boyan roared from the side, "Since the founding of our Great Song Dynasty, the country has been peaceful and prosperous, and the whole world is at peace. Emperor Renzong even set up the Dragon Head Guillotine and Tiger Head Guillotine in Kaifeng Prefecture to execute imperial relatives and treacherous officials. How can there be talk of the collapse of the law, or the fall of the sun and moon! You spread heresies and curse the emperor. Your heart deserves to be punished!"

Tang Ke said, "Liu Yanzong, you say that the laws of our Great Song Dynasty have collapsed and that the powerful and wealthy disregard the law. Do you have any evidence?"

Liu Yanzong immediately presented the prepared items, saying, "Your Majesty, please take a look."

The eunuch presented the document in Liu Yanzong's hand to the emperor. Liu Yanzong said, "Speaking of the Zhang family in Dongjing, the Zhang family is considered a powerful family related to the emperor. In recent years, they have been seizing large amounts of fertile land in Jingxi Road and Jinghu North Road, oppressing the people. Several families have been wiped out by the forces under Prince Su. Gao Chuchang from Gaojia Village in Jinghu Road wanted to go to the capital to appeal to the emperor, but Tang Weilin sent people to pretend to be bandits and wipe out the village. The people dared not speak out! Jinghu is the granary of our Great Song Dynasty. There is a saying that when the two lakes are ripe, the whole world knows. However, the people of Jinghu are suffering. They work day and night and in the end, they have no choice but to sell their wives and daughters and live a miserable life!"

Liu Yanzong accused Zhang Jia and Tang Weilin of being henchmen of Prince Su, who were acting recklessly behind the emperor's back.

At this point, Liu Yanzong, a performer and artist who cares for fallen women, suddenly burst into tears: "Your Majesty, I am not wise, but even if I have to risk my old life, I will do my best to bring justice to the people of Jinghu and Jingxi! I beg Your Majesty to kill Prince Su! To rectify the foundation of the country! To give the people of the world an explanation!"

After saying that, he added, "Your Majesty, I dare to speak frankly: the reason why the ministers of the court do not want Prince Su to die is because they have the same dealings with him!"

Upon hearing this, many people's expressions changed drastically, and they broke out in a cold sweat.

He Ye immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, please execute Prince Su! To restore order to the nation!"

Qin Hui immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, please execute Prince Su! To restore order to the nation!"

Zhong Shidao stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please execute Prince Su! To restore order to the nation!"

Li Gang then stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please execute Prince Su! To rectify the foundation of the nation!"

For a moment, no minister in the court dared to speak. According to Liu Yanzong, anyone who dared to debate at this time was guilty of the same thing as Prince Su, and the emperor would definitely investigate him first.

Zhao Huan remained silent for a moment, which almost froze the atmosphere in the court. The ministers were all tense, and their palms were sweating profusely.

Zhao Huan finally spoke: "I am very pleased that Minister Liu is loyal to the emperor and the country. The other ministers are also my key ministers who serve the country and the people. I am equally pleased with them. Prince Su, as a member of the imperial family, oppresses the people, evades taxes, and poisons the country. His crime is more serious. He is hereby given a white silk ribbon and his mansion is to be confiscated!"

The ministers, who had been terrified, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the emperor's words. They dared not argue further about the Prince Su case and all said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The next day, newsboys on the streets of Tokyo were shouting again: "Prince Su has been ordered to commit suicide, and his mansion has been raided! The Zhang family has been exiled, and the entire clan has been banished to Lingnan!"

The Tokyo gazette sold very well; it sold out as soon as it was made available to the general public.

The front page headline was about the case of Prince Su. Prince Su was originally involved in the grain transport case, but it also implicated a tax evasion case and the massacre of a village on Jinghu Road. These cases were bloody and shocked the court and the public, causing heated discussions in the capital city of Tokyo.

Some ministers privately expressed their dissatisfaction with the Jinzouyuan's approach, arguing that matters of national importance and the dignity of the court should not be made public and allowed to become a laughing stock for ordinary people. They questioned how the scholar-officials and nobles would maintain their dignity in the future.

Some passionate young people believe that this is His Majesty's intention, to tell the officials in the court that the world belongs to His Majesty and also to all the people. If princes and officials commit crimes, they are no different from commoners!

The case of Prince Su involves far more than this. Just take the Zhang family, who have been entrenched in Tokyo for many years, as an example. They have made connections with powerful and influential people like fish crossing a river. The matter of seizing fertile land involves countless people.

News of the Prince Su incident spread from Tokyo to the entire country, causing widespread shock.

Those with a keen political sense have already sensed an impending political storm. Before it arrives, there will inevitably be a period of stillness and stagnation, but unrest will prevail in all regions, and various forces will be looking around cautiously. The recent months of good fortune in the Song Dynasty are even faster than the more than 100 years since its founding.

After Prince Su died, the entire Song Dynasty knew about the existence of the Censorate, and the entire Song Dynasty also knew about Liu Yanzong.

It can be said that the Censorate used the lives of the people of Prince Su's mansion to announce the arrival of its era.

On this day, after discussing Qin Hui's ideas with him, Zhao Huan rode in the imperial carriage and, escorted by the Imperial Guards, arrived outside the capital city of Tokyo and went to the training camp of the new army.

Knowing that the emperor was coming, Zong Ze had already been waiting with Han Shizhong, Yue Fei and others.

Seeing Zong Ze and the others gave Zhao Huan a sense of security.

Using Prince Su as a sacrifice this time will surely anger many people. The number of people who will lose their heads will be no less than those who lost their heads in the grain transport case. Zhao Huan's solid backing is the Imperial City Guard and the army.

With a seasoned veteran like Zong Ze, Zhao Huan had few concerns. Moreover, two of the four generals who revived the dynasty were now present.

"Your subject pays respects to the Emperor."

"Please, sir, do not stand on ceremony."

The emperor personally grasped Zong Ze's arm: "I have come here to see how the new army is training. Minister Zong, please show me."

"Please, Your Majesty!"