The old emperor only desires immortality; you must not rebel.

"What is Prefect Jiang up to?"

"Why are you calling us here at this time?"

Outside the Jiangning Prefectural Government Office, middle-aged men dressed in brocade robes stepped out of luxurious carriages.

They were all from prominent families in Jiangnan, wielding considerable influence within Jiangning Prefecture and controlling half of Jiangnan's wealth.

Of all the areas in Jiangnan, Jiangning Prefecture was the wealthiest.

This is a group of people who claim to have "money that can move mountains"!

The wealth of any one person is enough to cover the taxes of an entire region.

If the visitor hadn't been a trusted subordinate of Prefect Jiang, they would never have made such a large fuss to come here.

"Officer Zhang, what exactly does Prefect Jiang want with us?"

Master Lin looked at Constable Zhang beside him and asked with a frown.

"what!"

Officer Zhang was taken aback, and quickly shook his head, saying, "I...I don't know."

"The master only said he had important matters to discuss!"

The group looked at Constable Zhang with suspicion.

I felt that this constable was acting strangely today, as if he had been possessed.

"Alright!"

"Let's go, we'll see once we go inside!"

A man in brocade robes spoke calmly.

Upon hearing the man speak, everyone suppressed their doubts and felt somewhat reassured.

This is because the man was born into the Wang family of Jiangnan, one of the five prominent families and seven noble clans!

After the major families were removed from the Qing Kingdom, the Wang family of Jiangnan became the leader of the entire Jiangnan region and the leader of many other families.

The Wang family of Jiangnan was once so powerful that one person could rival the three great families.

They were able to survive under the Emperor's harsh policies thanks to the Wang family's decisive action.

Seeing everyone push open the door and enter the government office, Constable Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief and grinned foolishly.

"real?"

"I!"

That is clearly the Holy Emperor!

The moment the group entered the government office, a pungent smell of blood assaulted their nostrils.

Inside the courtyard, rotten flesh was scattered all over the ground, and the blood had not yet dried under the scorching sun.

In front of the courtyard, there was a huanghuali wood armchair, upon which leaned a dignified man dressed in a dark-colored long robe.

Everyone's expression changed instantly!

The moment they turned around, Zhang, the head constable, had already closed the gate and knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty, please have mercy!"

Officer Zhang slammed his head heavily to the ground, and what he said shocked everyone.

His Majesty?

In an instant, everyone turned around again, looking up at the man in black with disbelief.

Emperor Daqing?

That legendary Holy Emperor?

They had long heard countless legends about him.

In the mouths of the people in the southeast and southwest, he was like the sun, a figure from mythology.

Those traveling merchants, if they heard anyone dare to disrespect the Holy Emperor, would immediately turn hostile and even resort to violence.

Throughout the Jiangnan region, while people were cursing the Holy Emperor, they also held a sense of awe.

Everyone stared at the figure, momentarily caught in a dilemma: should they bow in respect?

In an instant, everyone's attention turned to the second master of the Wang family, a martial arts master who held half of the Wang family's wealth and was a Grandmaster.

Master Wang had seen the portrait of the Holy Emperor.

Therefore, he recognized at a glance that the figure sitting there was the current ruler of Daqing, the legendary Holy Emperor.

After a long silence, Master Wang Er bowed and said, "This humble subject, Wang Jing, greets Your Majesty!"

Although the rumors were extremely exaggerated, he was cautious by nature and unwilling to take any risks.

Upon seeing this, the others quickly bowed.

"You recognize me?"

The Holy Emperor didn't care that his identity had been recognized; instead, he looked at Wang Jing with great interest.

Wang Jing cupped his hands and said, "This humble subject has the honor of seeing Your Majesty's portrait."

It wasn't by chance, but rather by deliberately spending a high price to buy a portrait of the Holy Emperor.

As the collector of the heads of aristocratic families, the Holy Emperor had a notorious reputation among them.

At this moment, the gate of the government office was suddenly pushed open.

"What do you all want from me in broad daylight?"

The gates of the government office were pushed open, and the Prefect of Jiangning strode in from outside.

Officer Zhang faithfully carried out the Emperor's orders.

He not only tricked the lords in the city, but also his own superior.

Upon seeing the scene in the courtyard, he paused in his steps, his expression changing slightly.

When his gaze fell upon the Holy Emperor, he became even more horrified.

"Holy...Holy Emperor!"

Prefect Jiang was shocked.

The Holy Emperor cast a noble gaze toward the Prefect of Jiangning.

He wanted to see what kind of person this person, who was rumored to be related to his harem, really was.

When the Holy Emperor looked over, he immediately sensed a faint blood connection.

That is a bloodline that originates from the same lineage, yet is extremely distant!

"I heard you're related to me?"

The Holy Emperor's tone was extremely calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Yes……"

The prefect of Jiangning hesitated and said, "Your Majesty's birth mother is my aunt."

The Holy Emperor began searching his memories, finally managing to find a few fragments from the most obscure corners.

The Holy Emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Xiaorende, was from the Jiang clan, and indeed came from the Jiangnan region, but was a woman from a small clan.

The memory is too distant; the Holy Emperor has long forgotten what his birth mother looked like.

The current emperor's younger cousin is indeed someone many people would readily grant him.

The Emperor slowly rose to his feet, looked directly at Prefect Jiang, and said with a gentle smile, "I'm preparing to execute you. Do you have any objections?"

The holy emperor cannot bear to see the people suffer.

Throwing young, unmarried women into the river every day—what kind of happy life is that?

It's absolutely rotten!

Prefect Jiang's expression changed, his initial timidity quickly turning into ruthlessness: "Your Majesty, perhaps I would have been afraid of you before!"

"But I am not afraid now!"

Prefect Jiang sneered and said coldly, "This isn't the North!"

"You have slaughtered officials, levied exorbitant taxes, and competed with the people for profit; this great Qing dynasty will surely perish in your hands!"

The Holy Emperor looked at his relative in surprise.

The last people to be this brave were those professional trolls in the imperial court!

Prefect Jiang decided to drop the pretense and lay his cards on the table!

"The taxes collected from Jiangning Prefecture were embezzled by me!"

"I colluded with these powerful families to seize all the land!"

"Those lowly commoners were also killed by my own men!"

"Even the act of having people insult the emperor was ordered by me in secret!"

Prefect Jiang spread his hands and sneered, "What can you do about it?"

The members of the prominent families stared at Prefect Jiang in astonishment, looking as if they had seen a ghost.

No, how did you end up linking this to the concept of nine generations of relatives?

They were a bit greedy, but they only liked money and had no intention of rebelling.

After all, rebellion costs money, and they only want the money to go into their own pockets.

The Holy Emperor said calmly, "I only want to ask you, what's the matter with the River God?"

"The River God?" Magistrate Jiang exclaimed in realization, "Oh, that one."

"I have no idea!"

Prefect Jiang shook his head indifferently and said calmly, "How could such a trivial matter be worth my attention?"