Three birds with one stone, the Female Emperor issues a decree, Xu Qingxiao takes military command

As the Yongxing Shop manager's head hit the ground.

Xu Qingxiao's iron-fisted methods silenced everyone once again.

These foreign merchants certainly deserved death, but everyone knew they could not be put to death.

They had committed no grave offense, merely swindling and cheating.

The common people wanted them dead, but everything still had to follow Great Wei law.

The Prince of the West knew this, the three ministers knew it, all the powerful nobles knew it, and even the common people knew it.

Yet under these circumstances, Xu Qingxiao had ordered an execution on the spot. This went beyond iron-fisted methods.

He was blotting out the sky with one hand.

"Xu Qingxiao!"

"You truly recognize neither law nor heaven!"

The Prince of the West could no longer contain his anger.

The reason was simple. What had he come here to do? Mediate!

He had not come to suppress Xu Qingxiao, but to back these foreign merchants and tell Xu Qingxiao that he could not touch them.

Of course, he also knew what these foreign merchants had done, and knew today's affair would be difficult to settle.

But they had discussed Xu Qingxiao's uproar and decided that he merely wanted to extort some money.

So before coming, he had already reached an agreement with the others. As long as the demand was not too excessive, they would pay. At worst, they could make Xu Qingxiao cough it back up a few years later.

What he had never expected was that Xu Qingxiao would actually strike-and strike to kill.

Those he had killed had deep ties to them and earned them untold amounts of silver every year.

More importantly, Xu Qingxiao was killing to establish his authority. Once these men died, the foreign merchants were all so terrified they were about to