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

As soon as Eunuch Liu finished speaking, the ministers in the hall were in an uproar.

The officials of the Left Prime Minister Qi Daokun's party looked at each other.

They were all shocked and astonished: "Why did this young emperor pull down two ministers instead of taking good care of the flood in Jiangnan?"

Although his mind was in a state of confusion, his expression remained calm.

Anyone who can stand firm in the court under Li Chengfeng's iron-blooded policies is easy to deal with.

At this time, Qi Daokun opened his eyes, looked at a minister next to him, and gave him a look.

The minister then stepped forward and said, "Lord Chen is young and has never handled such a complex case. I think Your Majesty should select one of the experienced ministers to serve as your envoy."

Li Chengfeng looked at the minister with great interest and said, "Oh? Lord Li, are you worried that Chen Aiqing is too young to control the officials of Jiangnan Prefecture?"

Lord Li hurriedly bowed and said, "I dare not. I just feel that floods occur every year in the south of the Yangtze River. It would be better to find an experienced minister to solve the problems in the south of the Yangtze River as soon as possible."

Li Chengfeng pressed on, "Since this problem occurs every year, why can't anyone completely solve it?"

"Trouble? The people of Jiangnan are suffering!"

"Their life and death are actually trouble in your eyes."

"How about I ask you to go to Jiangnan Prefecture and exchange with those common people?"

Li Chengfeng glared at him, and the man was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

Only then did Prime Minister Qi speak slowly: "Everyone has his own destiny. Your Majesty, there is no need to be so extreme."

Li Chengfeng smiled at Prime Minister Qi and said, "I was just speaking casually."

"As for sending Chen Aiqing to Jiangnan, one reason is to allow young officials to see the world more. Second, young people always have fresher ideas. There is no harm in letting them go out and exercise more."

"Daqian needs fresh blood, and the problems in Jiangnan must be solved as soon as possible."

Qi Xiang pretended to bow and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

After saying this, he bowed deeply.

The entire court also shouted, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Xiao Liuzi glanced at Li Chengfeng, who nodded at him.

Xiao Liuzi shouted, "Dismiss the court."

The ministers dispersed in twos and threes.

Lord Li caught up with Prime Minister Qi and whispered, "What's this little emperor up to?"

Prime Minister Qi replied slowly, "What kind of ability can a young boy have? He only has a few useful people around him. He is just picking a general from among the short ones and just doing it for show."

Lord Li added, "Your Majesty has suddenly dismissed Lords Tang and Gu, and I am deeply troubled."

Qi Xiang sighed, "I've been staying indoors lately due to poor health, but I never knew those two idiots would cause such a big mess."

"Fortunately, we still have a backup plan. It's not too late to prepare now."

Lord Li finally felt relieved. "With your words, I feel at ease."

Qi Xiang glanced at him and said, "Promising."

After saying this, the two of them walked out of the palace gate and went to their respective homes.

Li Chengfeng returned to the imperial study and rubbed his eyebrows.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip, then called out, "Little Liuzi."

Xiao Liuzi bowed and replied, "The servant is here."

"Summon General He Sheng and Lord Song to the audience."

"Bring my substitute here too."

Li Chengfeng spoke in a steady tone, his eyes gleaming with a barely perceptible sharpness.

"Yes." Xiao Liuzi took the order and left.

After a while, He Sheng, Song Weiyu and a man with a similar build to Li Chengfeng came to the imperial study.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." The three of them saluted in unison.

Li Chengfeng motioned for them to stand up, pointed at the man and said, "This is the substitute I secretly cultivated. From now on, he will appear in front of everyone on my behalf."

He turned to He Sheng and said, "General He, while I am away, the safety of the capital is in your hands."

He Sheng clasped his fists and said, "I will do my utmost to protect the safety of the capital."

He looked at the double carefully and kept the emperor's instructions in mind.

Li Chengfeng nodded and turned to Song Weiyu, "Sir Song, please arrange for 'I' to go to Zhenguo Temple to pray for blessings. The sooner the better."

"I don't know when I can return to the capital after this trip to Jiangnan."

"You are responsible for all matters, big and small, in the capital."

"Xiao Liuzi will stay with you. Be sure to pay attention to your own safety."

Song Weiyu smiled coquettishly: "I will arrange it right away, and make sure it is flawless."

"As for your safety, Your Majesty the Emperor needs to be more careful. I have Little Liuzi and Lord He by my side, so I am not afraid."

Li Chengfeng looked at Song Weiyu with a smile, his eyes full of admiration.

As expected of the daughter raised by Prime Minister Song, she is brave and resourceful, and is truly a blessing to Daqian.

After the three of them left, Li Chengfeng summoned Zhao Sheng again.

"Zhao Sheng, I want you to go to Jiangnan secretly." Li Chengfeng said straight to the point.

"The Jiangnan bureaucracy is complex and entangled. With your help, I feel more at ease."

Zhao Sheng accepted the order with a bow: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will live up to your expectations."

A trace of solemnity flashed across his brows. The trip to the south of the Yangtze River was destined to be full of challenges.

"You bring Ji Ye with you, and you can act flexibly when necessary." Li Chengfeng added.

Then he handed Zhao Sheng an envelope and said, "This is the contact information for Chen Tingshu."

Zhao Sheng took the envelope and carefully put it in his arms.

The two discussed some details and decided on the contact code. Then Zhao Sheng got up and took his leave, going home to prepare his luggage.

Xiao Liuzi followed Li Chengfeng's instructions, secretly contacted Tiezhu, prepared a carriage and spare clothes for leaving the city, and hid them in a secluded courtyard outside the palace.

As night fell, the palace was brightly lit, but it could not conceal the undercurrents.

Li Chengfeng changed into an inconspicuous civilian outfit and secretly left the palace with Tie Zhu under the cover of night.

Outside the palace wall, an inconspicuous carriage was parked quietly in the shadows. Tiezhu was driving and Li Chengfeng was sitting inside, and the two drove out of the city.

After arriving a few miles outside the city, Li Chengfeng changed horses with those that had been waiting there, abandoned the carriage on the side of the road, and continued to gallop towards Jiangnan.

"Gee!" Li Chengfeng raised the whip and the horse galloped away.

Li Chengfeng sped along, with Tiezhu following closely behind.

The two of them walked in silence, with only the sounds of horse hooves hitting the ground and the whistling wind.

About two hours later, Li Chengfeng pulled the reins and dismounted.

"Tiezhu, take a rest here for a while." He handed the reins to Tiezhu, walked to a stone by the roadside and sat down, took out the water bag and drank a few sips of water.

Tiezhu took the reins and tied the two horses to a tree. He walked over to Li Chengfeng and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the journey to Jiangnan is long. Please be careful."

Li Chengfeng patted Tiezhu's shoulder and said, "I know, you should be more careful too." A hint of determination flashed in his eyes, "The trip to Jiangnan is of great importance and we cannot afford to make any mistakes."

After resting for a while, the two mounted their horses again and continued on their journey.

At dawn, they arrived at a small town. Li Chengfeng decided to stop there for a while, eat something, and find out some news.

There were not many people in the town and most of the shops were closed.

Li Chengfeng and Tiezhu found a breakfast shop that had just opened and ordered two bowls of hot wontons and some buns.