The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

"Will Xue Yuanshang be appointed as the Prefect of Jingzhao?"

In the Hall of State Affairs, looking at the imperial edict that had just been issued from the palace, Wang Ya frowned slightly and quickly turned his gaze to Li Deyu beside him.

Having served as prime minister for many years, Wang Ya knew most of the officials in the court, if not all of them.

Xue Yuanshang was one of them. He entered officialdom as a vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review and had extensive experience in criminal justice. He was known for his uprightness and integrity and his willingness to offend powerful figures.

Of course, he was also a staunch member of Li's faction and one of Li Deyu's close confidants.

The position of the Prefect of the Capital is not particularly high-ranking, but he is in charge of the security and criminal justice system in the entire capital region and has a small amount of coercive power besides the Shence Army and the Jinwu Guard.

For the chief ministers and high-ranking officials of the imperial court, this has always been one of the most coveted positions.

Li Deyu has only just returned to Beijing, yet he's already eyeing such an important position. It seems that his years of exile haven't diminished his lust for power...

Wang Ya sighed silently to himself, but did not object to the imperial edict.

He wasn't one to seek the limelight, and unless it was a matter of national importance, he preferred to stay out of it.

Regardless of whether Li Deyu's move was to seize power or had some other purpose, since the emperor had already agreed, Wang Ya naturally did not want to risk trouble.

However... for some reason, when Wang Ya signed the edict at the end, he felt a vague unease, as if something was about to happen.

Sure enough, a few days later, on a cloudy afternoon, several simply dressed women suddenly appeared outside the gate of the Jingzhao Yin's residence.

They were guarded by several servants and strong men. They made their way to the grievance drum outside the government office, picked up the heavy drumsticks with great effort, and struck it loudly.

Upon hearing the drumbeat, the gatekeeper immediately went out and shouted.

"Who has dared to sound the grievance drum without authorization?"

Logically, once someone steps in, the drumming should stop.

However, the woman beating the drum seemed not to hear her and continued to beat the drum.

At the same time, another woman who came with her took out a complaint and spoke loudly.

"We two women want to seek justice. We want to sue Zhang Chongwen, the commander of the Shence Army, for instructing his men to lend money at exorbitant interest rates, forcibly buy land, and drive us six households out of our homes and beat us severely in the dead of winter. We will forward your complaint to you, sir, so that you may seek justice for us women."

Seemingly intentionally, the woman spoke very loudly, and it wasn't directed at the two servants, but rather half-shouted towards the street.

As she spoke, the woman was overcome with grief and began to sob.

At this moment, as the sound of the grievance drum rang out, a large number of onlookers had gathered around the Jingzhao Yin Mansion to watch the spectacle.

Upon hearing the name of the Shence Army, the people discussed it excitedly, as if they had heard some gossip.

It should be noted that although the Shence Army was an imperial guard, it was not far removed from the lives of ordinary people.

In the East and West markets, one can often see many drunk soldiers beating people. Many of the various cases that frequently occur in Chang'an City are related to these soldiers.

The common people, while not exactly disgusted by these so-called imperial guards, generally didn't have much affection for them either.

At this moment, upon hearing that someone was going to sue the Shence Army, they immediately became interested and soon gathered a large group of people.

Seeing this, the clerk of the Jingzhao Prefecture realized that something was wrong. Just as he was about to disperse the crowd, he heard a reminder from the guard who had accompanied the two women.

"Officers, this matter is of utmost importance. I think you should report to the magistrate first."

Upon hearing this, the two clerks' expressions changed. They exchanged a glance and immediately turned and went into the yamen.

At this moment, the newly appointed Prefect of Jingzhao, Xue Yuanshang, was sitting in the main hall of his residence, talking with his subordinate, Luo Liyan, the Junior Prefect of Jingzhao, who had managed to retain his official position amidst the Li Xun turmoil.

The two servants briefly explained the situation, and Luo Liyan immediately became restless, standing up abruptly.

"What did you say? Who are they going to sue? The Shence Army?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, these two women not only named the Shence Army, but they also started reading their complaint aloud in front of many people outside. Now, a large crowd has gathered outside the government office."

The two servants were so frightened that they became even more terrified and started stammering.

Seeing this, Luo Liyan became even more panicked.

He himself had obtained his position as Junior Magistrate by currying favor with Li Xun. Now that Li Xun had fallen from power, he had lost his backer and dared not offend anyone.

Who would have thought that after just two days of calm, such a major case would emerge.

Immediately, Luo Liyan said, "Bring them in, no, drive them away. Tell them this isn't our business. Go now..."

Perhaps it was because he had been acting as the prefect for too long, or perhaps he was too panicked, but Luo Liyan forgot that there was still a proper prefect sitting above him.

"Luo Shaoyin, what are you panicking about?"

At this moment, the prefect finally spoke, his tone full of composure.

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Liyan realized that he had done something wrong and hurriedly said in a panic.

"Please forgive me, Your Excellency. I was flustered and overstepped my bounds."

Seeing this, Xue Yuanshang waved his hand gently, without saying anything more, only saying...

"According to established regulations, when a commoner strikes the drum to appeal for justice, the Prefectural Governor's Office of the Capital should accept the petition. How can they possibly drive the person away?"

"But..." Luo Liyan was anxious and disregarded etiquette as he tried to dissuade him.

However, Xue Yuanshang resolutely said, "I know what you're going to say. The Shence Army is indeed not under the jurisdiction of the Jingzhao Prefecture, but now that the petition has been presented to us, we should at least read its contents before making a decision."

"If it truly exceeds the jurisdiction of the Prefectural Governor's Office, then we should send it wherever it is appropriate. But to ignore it would be a dereliction of duty on our part."

"Come, lead me out to have a look."

After saying that, he stood up and prepared to walk out.

Seeing this, Luo Liyan quickly stopped him, saying, "My lord, this matter involves the Shence Army, so it's probably not advisable to make it public. Even if you want to see it, it's best to bring the person in first, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Xue Yuanshang's tone was somewhat cold, clearly indicating his dissatisfaction with Luo Liyan's repeated obstruction.

"We are both officials appointed by the imperial court. What's so shameful about interrogating cases? Or is it that you, Luo Shaoyin, have some connection with the Shence Army, which is why you're making such a fuss?"

His tone was rather stern, prompting Luo Liyan to shout repeatedly.

"This humble official dares not."

Seeing this, Xue Yuanshang was too lazy to waste words with him. He ordered the two clerks to leave the yamen together.

Although not much time had passed, a large crowd had already gathered outside, with various discussions taking place, and some people had even begun to curse the Shence Army.

For a moment, the area in front of the government office was as noisy as a bustling market.

Just then, Xue Yuanshang emerged, surrounded by a group of servants.

Seeing this, the woman who was beating the drum finally put down her drumsticks, and together with another woman, knelt on the ground, handed over the confession, and said.

"We, the women, beg Your Excellency to do us justice."

Xue Yuanshang remained silent, but glanced at Luo Liyan out of the corner of his eye. The latter was taken aback at first, then seemed to understand something and stepped forward.

"If you want to sue the Shence Army, you should go to the Northern Army's garrison. There are specialists there who will handle it. Our Jingzhao Prefecture..."

However, before he could finish speaking, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.

"Why shouldn't they do anything? If someone is killed in the capital, won't the Prefectural Governor's Office do nothing?"

"Exactly! So what if they're from the Shence Army? They're killing people in the street. Just because they're soldiers, does that mean we can't do anything about it?"

It's unclear who it was, but their constant chatter stirred up the crowd, who began shouting.

"Let's accept the lawsuit..."

"Please, Your Excellency, do justice for them..."

The scene quickly became chaotic.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Xue Yuanshang stepped forward and said.

"Please rest assured, since I have been granted the position of Prefect of the Capital by the grace of the Emperor, I will certainly not stand idly by and watch such a public killing occur."

"Today, in front of you all, I must say this: regardless of whether the Shence Army is involved or not, I will accept this petition!"