The imperial edict Linghu Yunlong held was also known as a private decree. It was drafted by Zhao Huan himself, without the approval of the Council of State and the Privy Council. Now that Zhao Huan's power was absolutely concentrated, no one in the Council of State or the Council of State dared to reject his imperial edict.

Zhao Huan didn't ask the Privy Council and the Council of State to stamp the order because he didn't want to cause too much embarrassment. After all, it was a matter of royal dignity, and he had personally appointed the Imperial Envoy. If the Imperial Edict came and took him down, how would the world view him?

The only way to capture Li Qingyuan and save the royal family's reputation was to use the Imperial Sword. The Imperial Sword was the sword worn by Emperor Taizu. By capturing the envoy in the name of Emperor Taizu, Zhao Huan's reputation was also saved.

Linghu Yunlong smiled and said, "Indeed, the Envoy has His Majesty's imperial decree, but I believe His Majesty is wrong. Zhao Huan, the ninth emperor of the Song Dynasty, appointed a treacherous villain as the Envoy. He distorted right and wrong and fabricated a false case. I am here to get rid of you, this traitor!"

Li Qingyuan was shocked. "You, you dare to insult His Majesty! Come, arrest this disrespectful commander!"

At this time, Kuixian County Magistrate Zhou Guitong rushed in. Li Qingyuan was surprised again when he saw him, and then he realized that it must be Linghu Yunlong who saved him.

"Li Qingyuan, you are plotting to murder an official appointed by the imperial court. I am going to sue you!" Zhou Guitong pointed at him angrily.

A group of officials have gathered around Li Qingyuan to protect their envoy.

Li Qingyuan sneered, "Zhou Guitong, I have the authority to make arbitrary decisions on the spot. You have been dismissed for deserting your post. You claim I harmed you. Do you have any evidence?"

"I, I..." Zhou Guitong was speechless for a moment. The Four Tigers of the Capital were already dead. These four people could only prove that they were Li Qingyuan's men, but they could not prove that they were sent by Li Qingyuan.

Li Qingyuan laughed heartily: "Catch these two!"

"Who dares!" Linghu Yunlong shouted, and no one dared to step forward.

"This man insulted the emperor and was extremely disrespectful to His Majesty. Catch him!" Li Qingyuan also shouted.

With a clang, Linghu Yunlong drew the long sword from his back. A chill immediately filled the air, and the blade's light flickered. "The Grand Master's sword is here. Who dares to be so presumptuous?"

With a whoosh, everyone knelt down. Song Taizu was wearing a sword, so even Zhao Huan had to kneel down respectfully to greet him.

No wonder Linghu Yunlong dared to curse Zhao Huan in such a sarcastic way, because he did it in the name of Taizu. This was a different matter. Zhao Huan appointed the dog official Li Qingyuan and was scolded by Taizu, which not only saved the face of the royal family but also killed the dog official.

Zhou Guitong pointed at the frightened Li Qingyuan and said, "Here is the Taizu's sword. Li Qingyuan, kneel down!"

With a "thump", Li Qingyuan knelt down with his head hung down.

Linghu Yunlong raised his long sword and said, "This is the Imperial Sword bestowed upon me by His Majesty. It is used to execute the imperial family and traitors. Li Qingyuan, His Majesty sent you to Qinghe to investigate the military leak case, not to frame and persecute the innocent! Remove your official uniform, Li Qingyuan, and throw him into prison!"

Now everyone was in a panic. The once high-ranking imperial envoy became a prisoner in the blink of an eye. Several brave officers stood up and began to strip Li Qingyuan's clothes.

"Everyone, follow me to the prison!" Linghu Yunlong raised his sword.

The crowd grumbled as they escorted the prisoner Li Qingyuan to the government jail. Before they got close, they heard screams from inside the jail from afar.

The jailer was whipping the "prisoners" with a whip, and the room was filled with the wailing of these smuggling prisoners.

"Stop!" Linghu Yunlong shouted, and the jailers stopped. They were even more shocked when they saw Li Qingyuan being brought in.

Zhou Guitong said, "This is the commander of the imperial guards sent by His Majesty. He wields the Taizu Imperial Sword, which can behead imperial relatives and slanderous ministers. Li Qingyuan, the Qinghe Envoy, committed crimes and framed people. Why are you aiding and abetting this evil?"

Unexpectedly, the jailers all knelt down, and one of them wept, "Sir, it's not that we tortured you to extract a confession. It was the Imperial Envoy who forced us to do this. Some of our jailers refused to torture us, but were dragged out and beheaded by the Imperial Envoy. I have elderly parents and young children at home, and we dare not disobey this imperial order."

Linghu Yunlong grabbed Li Qingyuan and said, "This is all your fault! Release all the criminals involved in the smuggling. Where is your Qinghe prefect? ​​Why can't I see him?"

An official stepped forward and said, "Commander-in-Chief, the prefect of Qinghe Prefecture has repeatedly advised the envoy that the people who are smuggled are innocent. The envoy refused to listen and instead imprisoned the prefect in the backyard of the government office."

"Go and release him!" Zhou Guitong said angrily.

The officer nodded hurriedly and left.

Linghu Yunlong walked up to the arrested Li Qing and said, "Li Qingyuan, you are so bold! You even dared to arrest the prefect of Qinghe Prefecture. I wonder how you will explain this to His Majesty when you return to the capital!"

"Lord Linghu, save me, Lord Linghu!" Unexpectedly, the arrogant Li Qingyuan actually knelt down and began his performance: "Lord Linghu, I am also doing this for the Song Dynasty and for Your Majesty. This is indeed my fault, but Your Majesty must understand my difficulties. I made this mistake because I wanted to solve the border leak case as soon as possible."

"You have your reasons?" Linghu Yunlong pointed at the prisoners who had been beaten beyond recognition. "What crime did these people commit? They simply exchanged a few sheep and cattle with the Mongols, and you beat them to death. Your Majesty, you know exactly who and what you hate most in your life. When you return to the capital, explain this to Your Majesty in person!"

Li Qingyuan felt a chill in his heart. The emperor hated those who bullied the common people the most, and he hated those who deceived and misled people. He had both of those traits, and the thought of how he would die filled him with dread.

"Zhao Kangping, the prefect of Qinghe Prefecture, greets the imperial commander, Lord Linghu Yunlong." At this time, Zhao Kangping had been released, and he followed the officials to the prison.

Linghu Yunlong nodded at him and said, "Lord Zhao, you must immediately release these innocent people. Find a doctor immediately to treat the seriously injured first. All expenses will be covered by the court. Furthermore, the court must give these innocent people an explanation and compensate them where they are owed. I will bring Li Qingyuan back to the capital and hand him over to His Majesty for personal judgment."

Zhao Kangping was overjoyed: "Great! These innocent people can finally have their injustice redressed. However, Lord Linghu, when you return to the capital, please report to His Majesty and suggest that private transactions be liberalized. In fact, the biggest beneficiary of the Song-Mongol trade is our Great Song. As for the so-called spy leaks, ordinary people are not capable of obtaining military secrets."

Linghu Yunlong said, "I understand. I will tell Your Majesty. However, if the Song and Mongolians go to war, I'm afraid this private trade will be difficult to preserve."

"Alas." Zhao Kangping also sighed deeply: "It would be great if the two sides could live in peace. Once a war breaks out, the people will suffer."