Great Xia: At the start, summon the Net of Heaven to suppress the martial arts world.

Then, as if he had just thought of something, Jiang Huan took out a secret letter from his pocket and handed it to Xuanwu.

"There's one more thing I need you to do!"

"His Highness takes the case of the three newly appointed prefects of Yongning Prefecture who disappeared on their way to the morning court session yesterday very seriously."

"Just now, a secret agent from the Zhenwu Division sent a letter stating that the case in Yongning Prefecture was committed by the prefect and deputy prefect of Yongning Prefecture in collusion with local powerful families."

"His Highness's instructions: Based on the information from the Zhenwu Division's spies, thoroughly investigate the Tongzhi and local powerful families, and resolve this matter strictly, severely, and swiftly."

"As for the matters in the capital, leave them to Qinglong and the others. You take your men and travel through the night to handle this matter."

Upon hearing that Xia Taige was personally overseeing the task, Xuanwu's expression immediately brightened, and he solemnly said:

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had gradually become corrupt and its supervision was ineffective. In some remote areas, where the emperor was far away, such incidents occurred frequently.

The Yongning Prefecture case is neither the first nor the last.

To permanently and completely eradicate this matter, the Embroidered Uniform Guard must increase its oversight, acting as a deterrent, similar to the Zhenwu Division.

Sometimes, deterrence is far more effective in preventing crime than punishment after the fact.

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, a solemn and dignified atmosphere prevailed.

When Xia Taige and Jiang Huan rushed over, all the civil and military officials had already gathered together.

However, unlike in the past, as soon as Xia Taige stepped into the main hall, he noticed that the hall seemed somewhat empty.

The atmosphere in the main hall grew increasingly heavy and oppressive. No one spoke, and everyone wore a solemn expression, as if they each harbored unspeakable thoughts.

Xia Taige stood tall and walked with light steps, leading Jiang Huan unhurriedly through the crowd of ministers.

Wherever they went, the ministers bowed and paid their respects.

Even the future father-in-law nodded slightly to show respect.

After all, Xia Taige now wields immense power, and his reputation shakes the court and the public.

Now, Xia Taige holds the reins of the Zhenwu Division and uses his iron-fisted methods to suppress the forces of the martial arts world, making all the heroes of the world bow down and obey his orders.

The formidable power of the Zhenwu Division remains fresh in people's memories to this day.

With his other hand, he controlled the Embroidered Uniform Guard, monitored all officials, and acted first and reported later.

Last night, the capital was ravaged by the Imperial Guards, leaving countless officials terrified.

At this point, no minister dared to show the slightest disrespect to Xia Taige as Cai Zhiquan had in the past.

Shortly after Xia Taige arrived, a loud shout was heard:

"Your Majesty is here!"

Subsequently, under Wei Yong's loud announcement of the ceremony, Emperor Xia strode into the main hall.

Upon seeing this, the officials quickly bowed and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Jiang Huan stood behind Xia Taige. Normally, a third-rank official like the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard shouldn't be standing so close to the front, but Xia Taige was currently very powerful, so no one dared to question it.

"Rise!" Emperor Xia ordered after taking his seat.

"Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned!" With Wei Yong's shout, the morning court session began.

Among the group below, a minister, after some internal struggle, slowly stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, I, Yang Kuan, the Imperial Censor, have something to report!"

"I have heard that last night, without His Majesty's decree or any document from the Ministry of Justice, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard privately ordered the confiscation of the homes of the Minister of Rites, a high-ranking official of the second rank, and the Duke of Lu."

"I believe this action is a serious violation of the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty and has severely damaged the reputation of officials."

"I believe that the actions of the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in disregarding the laws of the country must be investigated and punished. Otherwise, the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, which have been established over many years, will be destroyed."

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that he be dismissed from his post and investigated, so as to uphold the law and maintain order in the court!"

"Your Majesty, I am filled with fear and humbly request your judgment!"

Upon hearing this, the entire Qin Zheng Hall fell silent.

Emperor Xia sat upright on his dragon throne, staring expressionlessly at the Imperial Censor before him for a long time before finally speaking:

Where is the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Upon hearing the Emperor's inquiry, Jiang Huan stepped forward and bowed, saying:

"Your humble servant, Jiang Huan, the newly appointed Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Looking at the composed and unassuming Jiang Huan before him, Emperor Xia glanced subtly at Wei Yong beside him, and saw that Wei Yong nodded slightly with a serious expression.

Emperor Xia immediately understood. Only a Grandmaster at the peak could make Wei Yong so serious.

Emperor Xia was no longer surprised by these suddenly appearing experts.

As you can see, not long ago a powerful expert at the Land Immortal Realm emerged. Compared to him, both of them were only at the third rank. Jiang Huan, at the peak of the Grandmaster Realm, was somewhat disappointing to Emperor Xia.

Emperor Xia was getting a little carried away.

"What defense do you have against the accusations made by Censor-in-Chief Yang Kuan?" Emperor Xia asked Jiang Huan, looking at him after regaining his senses.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Lu and the Minister of Rites are guilty of heinous crimes. As the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I have the authority to supervise all officials and to execute first and report later. Naturally, I cannot stand by and watch the two of them go unpunished!"

"This time, I am handling the case in accordance with the law. I wonder where the Censor-in-Chief's claim of violating the law comes from?"

Before Yang Kuan could answer, Xia Taige interrupted him.

"Your Majesty, I was ordered yesterday to reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard and immediately began investigating officials of all ranks in the capital!"

"I did not know until I investigated. After some investigation, I found that half of the officials in the capital had not resisted the temptation and had embarked on the path of corruption."

"What's worse, last night they actually mobilized the army and openly resisted the investigation. This is an heinous crime. I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict to investigate thoroughly and uphold the dignity of the nation!"

As soon as Xia Taige said this, the hall became even quieter, as if even the sound of breathing had disappeared.

The ministers below the stage held their breath in silence, afraid of making any noise that might attract attention.

Some of the corrupt officials were now trembling uncontrollably.

The bloodshed of last night may very well be their only way out. Faced with the life and death of their entire families, who could remain calm?

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia was both furious at the corruption of these officials and astonished by the intelligence gathering capabilities of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Although Emperor Xia didn't know everything about these corrupt officials, he had a general idea.

After all, how could he not know this after sitting on the throne for so many years?

The lack of action over a long period of time suggests that even if a different official were appointed, the likelihood of corruption would likely remain the same.

What's the point of doing that? So, as long as it's not too outrageous, the Xia Emperor usually turns a blind eye.

If we want to take this person down someday, we won't need to go through so much trouble.

However, relying solely on such expedient measures cannot fundamentally solve the problem.

The current recommendation system has many drawbacks, making it difficult to curb corruption in officialdom.

To truly reverse this situation and achieve thorough change, the only way is probably to implement reforms.

Only by continuously introducing fresh blood, allowing more talented, ambitious, and honest individuals to serve in the court, can a healthy competitive atmosphere be created.

In this environment, officials in the court will face the pressure of survival of the fittest. Those incompetent and greedy officials will naturally be eliminated, while outstanding officials will be able to stand out.