Feng Wei's lips moved, and he lifted his eyes to glance at Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming was also looking at him; his gaze was as calm as an unruffled mirror, carrying no intention of exerting pressure.

He took a deep breath, was the first to lift the hem of his court robes, and knelt down, his forehead striking the golden brick floor with a heavy thud:

"Your subject... will respectfully obey the imperial will!"

The officials behind him seemed to have their last lingering hesitations swept away by that sound; they all lifted their robes, knelt down, and kowtowed in unison:

"Respectfully obeying the imperial will! Your Majesty is wise!"

Empress Su Mingyue slowly withdrew her gaze from the officials in the hall and turned toward Zhou Ming.

She reached out and gripped the hilt of the longsword stuck into the imperial steps in front of the dragon throne. With a slight exertion of her wrist, the longsword was drawn with a metallic clang.

The blade traced a cold, sharp arc in the morning light, and the moment the tip left the golden brick, it emitted a clear, lingering hum.

She held the sword horizontally before her, her gaze as calm as water.

"Zhou Ming, I bestow upon you my personal sword. From high-ranking nobles to the common people."

"Anyone who does not obey the new laws may be executed with this sword."

Zhou Ming accepted the longsword handed over by Chunlan, held it with both hands, bowed, and saluted.

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty. I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust and will push forward the new policies as soon as possible."

Empress Su Mingyue nodded without speaking further, and Chunlan, who was nearby, called out in a loud voice:

"Court is dismissed."

Carrying the personal sword bestowed by Empress Su Mingyue, Zhou Ming did not return to his residence but went straight to the garrison camp outside the city.

Upon arriving at the military camp and meeting the garrison commander, Zhou Ming dispensed with unnecessary pleasantries and directly slammed the tiger tally for mobilizing troops onto the table, ordering the assembly of five thousand soldiers.

Five thousand armored and armed soldiers of the Youzhou Army finished forming ranks in the camp.

Zhou Ming vaulted onto his horse and said only two words:

"Move out."

The five thousand troops marched imposingly into Yongning City, their horse hooves creating a dull, rhythmic echo against the bluestone street surface.

The common people along the way retreated in succession, though some bold ones stood on tiptoe to peer into the ranks.

Upon catching sight of Zhou Ming riding at the very front, they were so frightened that they quickly pulled their heads back and shut their windows tightly once more.

Once the troops had passed, the city's commoners began to gossip.

"What is Steward Zhou up to again?"

"Could it be that he is going to confiscate someone's property again?"

"Very likely..."

"Exactly, the last time he brought troops into the city, it was to confiscate property."

"Indeed, it's not just Yongning City; several noble families in other cities have been wiped out as well."

"Hmm, it's fortunate that he only destroys noble families and doesn't harm us common folk."

Zhou Ming led the five thousand men straight to the west side of the city, surrounding the entire district where the noble families resided so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

Every alley entrance, along with the back and side doors of every residence, was completely sealed off. The soldiers stood in formation along the district walls, their armor forming a cold, iron wall.

The order Zhou Ming gave consisted of only eight characters: Only allowed to enter, not allowed to leave.

After setting up the outer defensive line, Zhou Ming took a thousand soldiers and a group of Ministry of Justice officials, marched straight through the deserted main street, and surrounded the Zheng Family residence until it was airtight.

The Zheng residence was the largest estate in the west of the city. The vermilion-lacquered main gate was over a zhang tall, and a gilded plaque hung above the lintel. At the entrance, two stone lions crouched on white marble pedestals, looking imposing and majestic.

But at this moment, these two stone lions were surrounded by black-armored soldiers, looking for all the world like two trapped beasts inside an iron cage.

The main gate swung open, and Zheng Yaoming strode out from within, followed by a dense crowd of servants and guards wielding swords and blades.

His gaze swept over the faces of the soldiers surrounding the estate and finally landed on Zhou Ming; his turbid old eyes seemed almost ready to spit fire.

His legitimate second son had been thrown out of the Ministry of Rites by Zhou Ming like garbage, becoming the laughingstock of the entire city. His own face had been trampled into the ground and ground repeatedly by Zhou Ming in the court.

Now, Zhou Ming had brought troops to surround his home as well. He had lived for over sixty years and had never been bullied to this extent.

He stood on the steps before the gate, pointing a finger at Zhou Ming. His voice was hoarse and shrill, filled with uncontrollable rage:

"Zhou Ming! You have some nerve! How dare you openly surround an official of the imperial court! Are you trying to rebel!"

The voice echoed along the long street; no matter what, he could not understand how someone who came from a mere servant background dared to challenge his Zheng Family like this.

If this were the period of the Great Xia Dynasty, while his Zheng Family might not have ranked high in the entire Nine Provinces, they would still have counted as a prestigious and influential clan.

After the founding of the Great Ming Dynasty, the territory consisted only of the small Youzhou. Here in Youzhou, his Zheng Family could be said to be the largest Family outside of the Su Family.

Their students and former subordinates were spread throughout all of Youzhou; in terms of power, they were only a tiny bit smaller than the Su Family.

This Zhou Ming—who gave him the courage to do this? Even the current Empress would have to give the Zheng Family some face.

Zhou Ming sat on his horse, looking down at Zheng Yaoming from a position of superiority. However, after hearing Zheng Yaoming's words, his expression shifted slightly, as if he had been stunned by Zheng Yaoming's question.

But after a moment, Zhou Ming's expression returned to normal. He tilted his head slightly and asked in a slow, measured tone:

"Oh? An official of the imperial court? May I ask which imperial court you are an official of? And what position do you hold?"

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

Zheng Yaoming's roar came to an abrupt halt, and his complexion shifted in an instant from an angry, flushed red to an embarrassing, ashen blue.

His lips opened and closed, opened and closed again, but he could not utter a single word.

He had indeed been attending court every day for the past few days, standing in the very front row of civil officials and participating in every morning assembly. But since Empress Su Mingyue ascended the throne, she had only officially appointed Zhou Ming.

Although others were managing affairs in their respective offices, strictly speaking, they were all holding positions temporarily and lacked formal letters of appointment. He was not an official of the imperial court; he was nothing at all.

Having this fact exposed publicly by Zhou Ming was more embarrassing to him than any insult.

Zhou Ming did not give him time to digest this embarrassment. He put away the faint, mocking smile on his face, his tone flat yet carrying an irrefutable pressure:

"Zheng Yaoming, straightforward people don't speak in riddles. There are thirteen commandery cities in Youzhou; you choose one and go enforce the new laws."

His gaze swept over Zheng Yaoming's face as if looking at goods waiting to be sold.

"Didn't you keep insisting that you are an official of the imperial court? I'll give you this opportunity; you go yourself and personally enforce the new laws."

Upon hearing Zhou Ming's words, Zheng Yaoming's entire face twisted.

He had lived for over sixty years, and for most of his life, his word had been law in this Youzhou region. Now, this callow youth was actually forcing him to personally dig up the Foundation of the noble families.

Enforcing the new laws meant forcing the noble families to hand over the land in their possession to the state and to yield their hereditary privileges. This was even more painful to him than being killed outright.

His chest heaved violently, his graying beard trembling in the wind, and finally, he squeezed a hoarse roar from the depths of his throat:

"Let me go enforce the new laws? You callow youth, you are asking us to dig our own graves!"

"This is going too far, simply going too far! I see you are playing with fire!"

The last two words were almost roared out, the sound echoing along the long street in front of the Zheng residence. Even the soldiers stationed outside the district walls instinctively placed their hands on the hilts of their blades.