Zhao Huan's face was clouded with gloom, and the atmosphere in the court suddenly froze.
"Wu Min! How dare you!"
Zhao Huan's majestic voice seemed to come from the heavens above, shaking everyone to their core.
Wu Min's voice trembled: "Your Majesty! I am innocent!"
"Injustice? Xu Bingzhe has already explained everything clearly in this confession! Open your dog eyes and let me see it clearly!"
Zhao Huan hurled the memorial at Wu Min, roaring, "The court pays high salaries to its officials! And yet, it has produced traitors like you!"
Liu Yanzong immediately added, "Your Majesty, I also have a reconnaissance report from the Imperial City Guard of Yanyun. According to Liu Lin, the son of Liu Yu, who was captured by the Imperial City Guard, when Wanyan Zongwang went south last year, Wu Min secretly wrote to Wanyan Zongwang, informing him of the defense of Dongjing City!"
Wu Min's face was as pale as paper, utterly despairing.
He was puzzled. He was very clean in his work and would never leave any evidence against him. Xu Bingzhe was also very clean in his work.
What exactly went wrong?
"Your Majesty, Xu Bingzhe has confessed that Wu Min was the one who instigated the implementation of the Jiaozi value-added tax! He intended to provoke Your Majesty and have the innocent killed in a fit of rage!"
Zhao Huan took the document and immediately ordered, "Guards! Drag Wu Min away and execute her by slow slicing!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life..."
None of the ministers dared to speak up, and even Li Gang remained silent, standing to the side.
The young emperor roared menacingly, "Liu Yanzong! You will investigate this thoroughly! All those who have colluded with the Jurchens will be executed by slow slicing! Not a single one will be spared!"
"I obey the decree!"
After the court session ended, the emperor returned to his study.
Liu Yanzong, Li Gang, Xu Churen, and other important officials followed him into the emperor's study.
Zhao Huan never expected that Wu Min's collusion with the Jin traitors and her behind-the-scenes manipulation of the paper money case would bring forth a new hidden danger.
Yin Yuanshe!
What exactly is this Hidden Origin Society?
Zhao Huan was unaware that, standing at the highest point of the empire, he only interacted with ministers in the court and occasionally strolled around the capital city of Tokyo.
The Imperial City Guard also failed to find out.
This shows just how well the Hidden Origin Society was hidden.
It wasn't until Xu Bingzhe confessed the whole story of the Jiaozi case that the truth came out.
Zhao Huan was shocked to discover that there was such a powerful organization among the common people of the Song Dynasty that could collude with the ministers in the imperial court.
Take the Jiaozi case for example. The Shangguan Qi family was wiped out, and it was the Yinyuan Society that carried it out behind the scenes. All the clues that He Liming was investigating were cut off, and it was also the Yinyuan Society that carried it out behind the scenes!
Upon learning of the existence of a grassroots organization like the Yin Yuan Society, Zhao Huan's murderous intent surged to the brink of explosion!
"Wang Kui'an, you tell us about this Hidden Origin Society!"
Wang Kuian said, "Your Majesty, when I was in the Northwest with Commander Yao and Commander Zhe expelling the Dangxiang, I heard that there was a mysterious society in the Northwest called the Yin Yuan Society, which specifically recruits civilians and retired soldiers to commit murder, intercept goods, and sell intelligence. It is also involved in smuggling contraband, children, and women..."
"I have also heard that many women from our Great Song Dynasty have been sold to Western Xia to be entertained by the Tangut people, and this company is behind it all!"
"They'll do anything for money!"
"No one knows who the leader of this society is. They live in the night, and everyone calls the leader of the Hidden Origin Society..."
Wang Kui paused for a moment, then dared not continue.
Zhao Huan frowned, his eyes flashing with what seemed like lightning: "Speak!"
"Your subject dares not!"
"I forgive you for your crime!"
"People call the leader of the Hidden Origin Society...the Night Emperor!"
Wang Kui'an's palms were sweating, and the atmosphere in the imperial study almost froze as soon as he said this.
There can be no two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in a country.
The emperor's power was divinely ordained, and he was the universally recognized ruler, known as the Son of Heaven.
Not only is he the highest authority in the empire, but he is also the orthodox figure in terms of etiquette and belief, making him unique.
Even if Wanyan Aguda were to declare himself emperor, this would be absolutely unacceptable within the orthodox Chinese tradition.
When people in the Song Dynasty mentioned Wanyan Aguda or Wanyan Sheng, they would refer to them as "false emperors" or "enemy chieftains," and would never say "Emperor of the Jin Dynasty" or "Emperor of the Western Xia Dynasty."
Because there was only one emperor, the Son of Heaven in the Imperial Palace of Tokyo.
Within the four seas and eight wastelands, there is only one Son of Heaven, and there will never be a second one. Even if someone claims to be emperor, he is a false emperor!
But now, someone actually dares to call himself the Night Emperor!
What is this all about? Does it mean it wants to share the world with me?
To interfere with my ministers and betray my people!
"Go on!"
Wang Kuian's palms and back were sweaty as he continued, "The headquarters of the Hidden Origin Society is in the Northwest, but it is said that its influence extends throughout the Central Plains."
There were some things that Wang Kui'an couldn't say directly.
For example, many local officials also have dealings with the Yin Yuan Society. Things that the government cannot easily do are usually handed over to the Yin Yuan Society to handle.
Zhao Huan said impatiently, "Tell me everything. Let's bring this matter to the surface today. No more hiding it!"
"I've heard that some local officials in the Northwest sometimes delegate certain matters to the Yin Yuan Society!"
Wang Kui'an spent some time in the Northwest. Due to the war, he had to go deep into the grassroots. He overheard someone mentioning it, but he didn't know anything about other places.
However, based on the situation in the Northwest, it can be inferred that other places must be similar to the Northwest.
In fact, there are some things that are indeed inconvenient for the government to handle, and in many places, the government will use local underground forces to deal with them.
Zhao Huan could understand this, after all, everything has yin and yang, day and night.
What Zhao Huan truly cared about was that there was such a powerful organization among the common people!
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