The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

Li Chengfeng walked out of the imperial study, took a deep breath of the cool night breeze, and rubbed his slightly swollen temples.

The trip to Shengjing was a matter of great importance, and he had no choice but to be cautious.

Arranging He Sheng and Zhang Yuan to accompany him is only the first step. The stability of the capital is the top priority.

He strolled to Song Zelin's residence. The old prime minister was fiddling with a few pots of orchids in the yard. Seeing Li Chengfeng coming, he quickly put down the kettle in his hand and bowed, "Your Majesty, this old minister pays homage."

"Prime Minister Song, there's no need to be so polite." Li Chengfeng gave him a false hand. "I came here today to discuss matters concerning the capital with you."

Song Zelin welcomed Li Chengfeng into the study, served him some fragrant tea, and then asked, "What are your Majesty's instructions?"

"I will be away in Shengjing for at least a month, and at most several months. The capital cannot be without a master for a single day."

Li Chengfeng got straight to the point, "After much thought, I still feel it's safest to have the Prime Minister take charge."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I, this old minister, will do my utmost to protect the capital and await your triumphant return."

Song Zelin seemed to have anticipated this and agreed without hesitation.

"I know the Prime Minister is loyal, but..."

Li Chengfeng paused, his gaze falling on Song Zelin's slightly pale face. "I am also very worried about the Prime Minister's health."

Song Zelin felt warm in his heart. Li Chengfeng's sympathy touched him deeply. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have had this illness for many years, but it's not serious."

"Having said that, I'm still a little worried."

Li Chengfeng glanced at Song Yuwei's closed window, guessing that the girl was also eavesdropping, and raised his voice a little.

"So, I don't intend to let the Prime Minister do all the hard work alone."

"The Prime Minister's daughter has been acting as Prime Minister for some time and has done a very good job. I would like her to continue assisting the Prime Minister. What do you think?"

Song Zelin calmly followed Li Chengfeng's gaze and glanced at Song Yuwei's room, then quickly looked away.

For a moment, I had a clue in my mind.

He quickly responded, "Your Majesty is wise! Although Yuwei is young, she is thoughtful and prudent. With her around, I can rest assured."

"So good."

Li Chengfeng nodded and covered the corners of his lips with the teacup.

"I will be leaving for Shengjing tomorrow. I'll leave the affairs of the capital to the Prime Minister and Yuwei."

After adjusting his facial expression, Li Chengfeng stood up and was about to leave.

Song Zelin stood up and saluted solemnly: "I, your Majesty, will do my best to live up to your trust!"

Li Chengfeng chatted with Song Zelin about some court affairs before saying goodbye.

After returning to the palace, Li Chengfeng immediately called Xiao Liuzi: "Go, pack my luggage, and follow me to Shengjing tomorrow morning."

When Xiao Liuzi heard that they were going to Shengjing, his eyes lit up and without asking any other questions, he quickly replied, "Hey!"

"I'll go right away! Your Majesty, the mare's milk cake in Shengjing is a must-try. I must let you try it!"

Li Chengfeng smiled helplessly: "You only care about eating, don't forget the business."

Early the next morning, just as the sky was getting light, Li Chengfeng, along with Xiao Liuzi, Zhang Yuan, He Sheng and a team of national cavalry, left the capital in a mighty procession and headed towards Shengjing.

Along the way, Li Chengfeng spent most of his time resting his eyes in the carriage, occasionally flipping through the books he brought from the modern era, or chatting with Xiao Liuzi to pass the time.

Zhang Yuan and He Sheng followed on horseback on both sides of the carriage, always alert to the movements around them to ensure Li Chengfeng's safety.

"Your Majesty, our journey has been smooth and peaceful. Isn't it a little too smooth?"

After passing a canyon, He Sheng finally couldn't help it and approached the curtain of the sedan chair to ask.

Li Chengfeng lifted the curtain, took a look at the scenery outside, and smiled faintly: "General He, are you expecting something to happen?"

He Sheng quickly shook his head: "That's not what I meant, I just think it's a little strange."

"Weird?"

Li Chengfeng raised his eyebrows. "General He, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"That old fox Qi Daokun has been on the run since Prince Gong's downfall. I have a feeling he won't let this go."

When He Sheng mentioned it, Li Chengfeng also remembered it.

"Qi Daokun..."

The Right Prime Minister fled for fear of punishment, and within half a month the Northern Frontier began to become restless, even though the King of the Northern Frontier was a dishonest person to begin with.

But in recent years, due to the reputation of the late emperor, he has been relatively well-behaved.

Now that they have suddenly risen up and started to expand their territory, and the right prime minister has disappeared in the court, it is inevitable that people will associate them with each other.

"I was thinking of him, too."

"Maybe... we'll be able to see him soon."

Nanzhou, four counties.

Before the morning sun had dispelled the fog on the beach, Feng Rushi was awakened by a rapid knock on the door.

He opened the door sleepily and saw Li Changqing's anxious face, and suddenly felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

"Admiral Feng, something terrible has happened!"

Li Changqing's tone was filled with panic, "Pirates... Pirates have sent another letter!"

Feng Rusi rubbed his temples, trying to wake himself up. "A letter from the pirates? What's so surprising about that? Could it be that they're finally planning to surrender?"

As far as he could remember, pirates had never attacked since they came to these four counties. He was quite dissatisfied with Li Changqing's timidity.

"surrender?"

Li Changqing gave a bitter laugh, "Admiral Feng, you're joking! They're here to announce the time of the next attack!"

"Announcing the attack time?"

Feng Rushi was stunned. This pirate was so arrogant that he even notified the government in advance. He simply didn't take the imperial court seriously.

"This...this is already a common practice in the Four Counties."

Li Changqing wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained, "The pirate leader, Haisha, does have some rules. To avoid accidentally harming civilians, he always informs us of the attack time in advance so that we can prepare in advance."

Feng Rusi was stunned. "So, the imperial court is helpless against these pirates?"

"Alas, Admiral Feng doesn't know anything."

Li Changqing sighed, "This Sea Shark is no ordinary pirate. His men are all brave and skilled in combat, and they are very familiar with the terrain. Our several attempts to encircle and suppress him have all ended in failure."

"Now all I can do is..."

"Can we just let them plunder?"

Feng Rusi interrupted Li Changqing, his tone filled with anger, "This is simply ridiculous! Where is the reputation of the court? Where is the safety of the people?"

"Admiral Feng, please calm down. This humble official has no other choice but to do this."

Li Changqing's face was filled with bitterness. "The sea sharks only plundered government supplies and did not harm the people. Moreover, after each attack, they would leave some property to compensate the damaged fishermen. So..."

"So the people stopped resisting?"

Feng Rusi snorted coldly, "This sea shark really has a good plan. He not only obtains supplies but also wins the hearts of the people, and plays the imperial court in the palm of his hand!"

"Admiral Feng, our only option now is to minimize the losses."

Li Changqing said cautiously, "The letter from the Sea Sharks said they would attack several coastal counties again in half a month. We must prepare in advance."

Feng Rushi paced back and forth with a frown on his face.

Li Changqing was right. With the current military strength and equipment of the four counties, it was almost impossible to completely wipe out the sea sharks.

What's more, Haisha was much more familiar with the terrain than the officers and soldiers, and he escaped several encirclements.

"Half a month..."

Feng Rusi muttered to himself, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, "Master Li, I have an idea."