The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

Swish!

Ying Taotie appeared out of thin air in the courtyard, knelt down in front of Chu Xiu, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Lord Marquis."

He was deeply shocked.

Previously, he felt that since he was hiding in the shadows, Chu Xiu should not be able to find him.

Of course, it's also possible that Chu Xiu discovered it, but unlike now, he seems to be completely within Chu Xiu's sight, with no secrets whatsoever.

"Ying Taotie, I have two things I need you to do."

Chu Xiu glanced at Ying Taotie and said calmly.

"Please give your orders, my lord."

Ying Taotie said solemnly.

"The first thing to do is to dispatch Shadow Guards to Xuzhou as quickly as possible to supervise Yang Xuance, the governor of Xuzhou!"

"Investigate thoroughly to find out exactly how much power Yang Xuance commands."

Chu Xiu pondered for a moment, then spoke to Ying Taotie.

It wasn't that he didn't want to lead more than 8,000 elite Imperial Guards to Xuzhou and capture Yang Xuance directly.

It has been some time since Yang Yan's residence was taken over.

In other words, they destroyed the ancestral home of the Yang clan in Hongnong in the shortest possible time.

If we delay any longer, the ancestral home of the Yang family in Hongnong may have already received the news.

But now, even if he rushed to Xuzhou, it would definitely be too late.

It's possible that Yang Xuance has already received the news and has raised an army in rebellion.

"Yes, Your Excellency obeys!"

Ying Taotie's eyes narrowed, and he spoke with a firm and powerful voice.

"The second thing is the Dongyang family in Xuzhou."

"Investigate the full extent of the Dongyang family's strength."

Chu Xiu said in a deep and powerful voice.

The Dongyang family is one of the nine great families in the martial arts world.

The nine great families of the martial arts world are the Qin family, the Zhao family, the Qi family, the Li family, the Dongfang family, the Dongyang family, the Gongyang family, the Kunwu family, and the Huangfu family.

The Qin family is the Qin clan of Huaiyin.

Among the nine great families, the Dongyang family's overall strength is even greater than that of the Qin family.

The Dongyang family is a prominent family in the Jianghu (martial arts world) of Xuzhou.

The Dongyang family has always maintained a very close relationship with the Hongnong Yang family, and can be considered a Jianghu family that is close to the Hongnong Yang family.

If he wasn't mistaken, the Dongyang family had long been bound together with the Hongnong Yang family.

If Yang Xuance rebels, the Dongyang family will certainly serve him.

Yang Xuance had three forces under his command: the Hongnong Yang Clan from which he came, the Tianjian Sect, and the Dongyang Family.

Even the ancestral home of the Yang clan in Hongnong and the Heavenly Sword Sect were destroyed by him.

However, Yang Xuance still had many experts from the Hongnong Yang Clan and the Tianjian Sect under his command.

He knew more about these two families, but not much about the Dongyang family.

It is true that the Dongyang family is one of the nine great families, but the Dongyang family has always kept a very low profile. In addition, it is a Jianghu (martial arts world) force, so even the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) do not know much about the Dongyang family.

"Yes, I understand."

Ying Taotie understood immediately and said...

In fact, even if Chu Xiu hadn't said anything, Ying Taotie would have still investigated the Dongyang family.

I wouldn't dare say I've investigated the full extent of the Dongyang family's strength, but I've at least uncovered most of it.

"Alright, that's all. You may leave."

Chu Xiu waved to Ying Taotie and said.

"Yes, I resign from my humble position."

Ying Taotie bowed and disappeared from the spot.

Qin Tianjian.

An Imperial Guard soldier entered the Imperial Observatory and arrived outside the main building. Looking at Yan Qingfeng, who was still kneeling on the ground, a hint of sympathy appeared on his face, and he walked towards the main building of the Imperial Observatory.

"and many more!"

When Yan Qingfeng saw that the Imperial Guard was about to enter the main building of the Imperial Observatory, he quickly stopped him.

"Master Yan."

The Imperial Guards turned around and spoke respectfully to Yan Qingfeng.

"Is there any news about the Marquis?"

Yan Qingfeng slowly stood up, dusted himself off, and looked at the Imperial Guards, asking them a question.

"Reporting to Lord Yan, the Marquis has returned."

"According to the news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Marquis not only wiped out the ancestral home of the Yang family in Hongnong, but also went to the Heavenly Sword Sect and razed the entire Heavenly Sword Sect to the ground."

After a moment's thought, the Imperial Guard soldiers spoke solemnly.

"The Heavenly Sword Sect was razed to the ground by the Marquis?"

Yan Qingfeng was stunned for a moment, then looked at the Imperial Guards with a shocked expression and asked.

As Qi Tianchen's disciple, he naturally knew just how powerful the Heavenly Sword Sect was.

This sacred place of swordsmanship has actually been trampled to the ground by the Marquis?

"Lord Marquis wiped out the entire Heavenly Sword Sect with just one strike."

"The entire Heavenly Sword Sect is utterly powerless to resist!"

The Imperial Guards soldiers spoke with expressions of admiration.

"..."

Yan Qingfeng stared at the Imperial Guards in astonishment. If Chu Xiu's annihilation of the Heavenly Sword Sect, a sacred place of swordsmanship, was enough to shock him, then the fact that he had wiped out the Heavenly Sword Sect with a single strike made him wonder if he had misheard.

If Chu Xiu was able to annihilate the Heavenly Sword Sect with a single strike, wouldn't that mean he was even stronger than his teacher?

From this moment forward, the number one expert in the Great Zhou Dynasty will no longer be his teacher, but Chu Xiu.

"The three chief guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have returned. With the help of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's killing blade formation, the Marquis wiped out the Heavenly Sword Sect with a single strike."

The Imperial Guards noticed Yan Qingfeng's shock and explained to him.

"Killing Blade Array?"

"That's no wonder."

Yan Qingfeng breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away a bead of cold sweat.

"Moreover, I heard that all the experts in the entire Heavenly Sword Sect who have reached the third level of the Earth Immortal Realm have disappeared, including the sect master and the Heavenly Sword Ancestor. None of them are in the Heavenly Sword Sect."

The Imperial Guard hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Disappeared?"

Yan Qingfeng frowned, then suddenly realized something. His expression changed slightly, and he blurted out, "Xuzhou!"

The Imperial Guards lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Alright, you may leave now. I will personally report this matter to the teacher."

Yan Qingfeng waved his sleeve at the Imperial Guards and said.

"Yes."

The Imperial Guard soldiers responded and turned to leave.

Yan Qingfeng then strode into the main building of the Imperial Observatory.

The Imperial Palace, Taiji Palace.

A palace maid entered the Taiji Palace, approached Pei Guanyin, handed her a note, and quietly withdrew.

Pei Guanyin glanced at Empress Murong Si, who was engrossed in reviewing memorials, and slowly unfolded the slip of paper in her hand to read it.

Since learning that Chu Xiu had enough power to suppress the Yang clan of Hongnong, Murong Si felt relieved and began to deal with political affairs.

Jiang Wan'er also witnessed this scene, so she went over to read the contents of the note together.

Pei Guanyin and Jiang Wan'er quickly finished reading the contents of the note. They remained silent for a while before exchanging a glance.

"Your Majesty, I have something important to report."

Pei Guanyin clenched her right hand, and the note in her hand turned into dust. She bowed to Murong Si and said...

"Speak, but has Minister Chu already exterminated the Yang clan of Hongnong?"

Murong Si said without looking up.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis not only exterminated the Yang family of Hongnong, but also went to the Heavenly Sword Sect and razed it to the ground."

"However, both the Hongnong Yang Clan and the Tianjian Sect have lost a large number of experts."

"Among them, their most trusted and strongest experts are all absent."

Pei Guanyin said cautiously.

"Oh?"

Murong Si put down the white jade wolf-hair brush in her hand, raised her head, and looked at Pei Guanyin with slightly furrowed brows.