You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

After Liu Qi received the order and hurriedly left, the imperial study returned to silence, but the atmosphere was even more somber than before.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating Lu Zuo's deep profile.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, as if to himself, or as if asking Li Qingzhao, who had been standing quietly beside him: "Qingzhao, in your opinion, what if a high-ranking official in the court and his cronies suddenly disappeared?"

"Who in the imperial court is capable of taking over and stabilizing the situation?"

Li Qingzhao was refilling Lu Zuo's tea when she heard this and her wrist trembled almost imperceptibly.

She was incredibly intelligent and immediately understood who the "certain important minister" His Majesty was referring to was.

She put down the teapot, pondered for a moment, and did not directly answer the question about the candidate. Instead, she said softly, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Qin's protégés and former associates are all over the court and the country, and he also has influence in the Six Ministries."

"If suddenly..."

"This could cause considerable upheaval. It would require the intervention of a respected and relatively upright senior official to temporarily reassure the public and ensure a smooth transition."

Lu Zuo tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips, making a rhythmic tapping sound.

The previous inaction was intended to lay a long-term plan, uprooting Qin Hui's faction completely, clarifying all connections, and preventing any lingering harm.

But now it seems that the extent of their collusion with the Jin dynasty and the viciousness of their actions far exceeded expectations.

Tantric masters have infiltrated Yingtian and begun targeting the Imperial Guard generals. This is an attempt to cripple my arm and disrupt my foundation!

Can't wait any longer!

We must strike first and eliminate the known, most vocal core members of Qin Hui's faction to disrupt their plans. Otherwise, who knows what even bigger trouble these ruthless scoundrels might cause!

Political turmoil?

It's better than having a knife to your throat!

Having made up his mind, he looked at Li Qingzhao: "To be more specific, who are they?"

Li Qingzhao composed herself, knowing that her suggestion was crucial at this moment. After careful consideration, she said slowly, "In terms of seniority and reputation, and because they are not aligned with Prime Minister Qin's faction..."

"Li Guang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was an upright man with a reputation for integrity."

"Hu Quan, a compiler in the Privy Council, may not hold a high position, but he has a firm stance on war and is sharp-tongued, making him quite influential among scholars."

"Although former Prime Minister Li Gang is now retired and at home, he still retains his prestige, and his advocacy for war is known throughout the land."

"And there's Zhao Ding, the current Vice Chancellor, who is relatively fair in his dealings, unlike Prime Minister Qin Tiegan..."

"These few people may be able to temporarily stabilize the situation and prevent the central government from being completely paralyzed."

Lu Zuo nodded slightly, memorizing these names.

Li Gang, Zhao Ding, Hu Quan, Li Guang...

They were all well-known pro-war figures or relatively upright officials in the early Southern Song Dynasty, so Li Qingzhao's recommendation was indeed apt.

But what's more urgent right now is dealing with those eighty-odd esoteric Buddhist masters lurking in the shadows.

Although the Imperial Guard commanders were on guard, ordinary soldiers might have some lapses in their protection against martial arts masters skilled in stealth and assassination, especially the enigmatic Tantric lamas.

The attack on Liu Qi is clear evidence of this.

If Huang Yaoshi hadn't happened to pass by, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

A force skilled in江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) methods and adept at dealing with such situations must be deployed.

Thinking of this, Lu Zuo no longer hesitated and stood up abruptly: "Prepare everyday clothes, I need to go out of the palace."

Li Qingzhao was startled: "Your Majesty, it is late at night, and it may not be safe outside the palace..."

Lu Zuo waved his hand to interrupt: "It's alright, I'll be right back."

"Some things need to be handled by people from the martial arts world."

.....

Half an hour later, Lu Zuo appeared silently outside the secluded courtyard where Hong Qigong was recuperating.

He didn't alert many people, only having Lu Mang secretly escort him.

Inside the house, after several days of recuperation, Hong Qigong...

With the best medicines used by the imperial physicians of the Lu Zuo faction, his injuries had healed by about 70-80%, and he was discussing something with Lu Mang and several other core disciples of the Beggars' Sect.

They were all startled to see Lu Zuo suddenly visit late at night and quickly stood up to greet him.

"Your Majesty's arrival so late at night, what important matter brings you here?"

Lu Zuo didn't beat around the bush and briefly recounted Liu Qi's attack, his and Liu Qi's speculations, and Han Shizhong's secret report about a hundred Tantric masters infiltrating the area.

"Outrageous! Colluding with foreign invaders, assassinating loyal officials, and attempting to undermine the very foundation of our Great Song Dynasty!"

"These wicked monks, and that mastermind behind it all, truly deserve to die!"

Upon hearing this, Hong Qigong flew into a rage and slammed his fist on the table.

The Beggars' Sect masters, including Lu Mang, were also filled with righteous indignation and pleaded, "Your Majesty!"

"We, the disciples of the Beggars' Sect, are willing to obey His Majesty's orders, secretly protecting the generals and tracking down the whereabouts of those treacherous Tantric monks!"

Lu Zuo nodded and said, "As for the Imperial Guards, Liu Qi has already arranged for trusted confidants to secretly protect his colleagues, but there may be oversights. The Beggars' Sect will need to put in a lot of effort to secretly check for and fill any gaps."

"We must keep a close eye on Qin Hui's residence. If those lamas need to hide or pass messages, Qin Hui's place is likely to be a key point, and we might be able to follow the clues to find out more."

Mentioning Qin Hui, Lu Mang seemed to suddenly remember something, and pulled out a folded, slightly dirty slip of paper from his pocket, presenting it to Lu Zuo with both hands:

"Your Majesty, speaking of Qin Hui, I happen to have a list here that might be of use to you."

"Oh?"

Lu Zuo took the slip of paper and unfolded it. There were more than a dozen names written on it in crooked handwriting. Some of them had their official titles simply marked after them. There were censors, doctors, and even two names with the words "pro-war" written after them.

This list is clearly not the result of a recent investigation.

"What is this?" Lu Zuo looked up at Lu Mang.

Lu Mang hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty is wise. The net of justice has just been set up, and we have indeed not had time to conduct a thorough investigation."

"This list was actually compiled by me overnight from reliable Beggar Clan disciples in Yingtian Prefecture after receiving His Majesty's order."

"This was provided by several old brothers when I instructed them to closely monitor Qin Hui and his cronies from this day forward."

He paused, then continued, "We Beggars' Sect disciples usually roam the streets and alleys, dealing with all sorts of people. We have sharp eyes and keen ears."

"The officials on this list are those whom the brothers have witnessed on multiple occasions in the past secretly meeting with Qin Hui or his confidants, behaving furtively, and we have made a record of them."

"Some of the brothers worked as waiters in restaurants and teahouses, while others begged or did odd jobs near the residences of officials. I saw it all clearly."

"I thought it might be useful, so I compiled and wrote it down."

"As for the two marked 'pro-war'..."

Lu Mang scratched his head, somewhat uncertainly saying, "According to the brothers, those two are outwardly pro-war, and they vehemently criticize Qin Hui, but someone personally witnessed them entering and leaving Qin Hui's residence through a side door late at night..."

"Therefore, I have noted it down as well, and I beseech Your Majesty for your judgment."

Lu Zuo looked at the list in his hand and his mind lit up.

No matter how secretive Qin Hui's faction was, it was impossible for them to completely escape the eyes of the common people.

The Beggars' Sect members are spread throughout the lower classes, and what they see is often the most authentic and undisguised side of society.

"Excellent! Elder Lu, this list is very timely and valuable!"

Lu Zuo praised, carefully putting away the list: "It seems that Qin Hui's faction is more deeply entrenched than I imagined, and there may even be his people among the 'pro-war faction'."

"You will continue to keep watch in secret, especially on the people on the list and Qin Hui's residence. Report any suspicious activity to me immediately."

"The matter of protecting all the generals must also be expedited."

"Your Majesty, rest assured! The entire Beggars' Sect will do its utmost!" Hong Qigong and Lu Mang and the others solemnly agreed.

Leaving the courtyard, Lu Zuo returned to the palace under the cover of night.