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

Who is He Sheng?

The current uncle of the emperor, the Marquis of Zhenbei, who commands a large number of troops, has made great military achievements for Daqian and is a great contributor highly regarded by the late emperor!

Moreover, just yesterday, He Sheng led his troops to support Li Chengfeng's ascension to the throne. He can be said to have made outstanding contributions and had great power in the court.

Now, this small editor of the Hanlin Academy actually wants to impeach He Sheng?

He must be tired of living!

Even Song Zelin, who was also a civil servant, looked confused and incredulous.

He Sheng is on their side, and he is also Li Chengfeng's uncle... What on earth does Zhang Huaian want to do?

Could it be... the prince's hidden pawn?

Thinking of this, Song Zelin's heart tightened and he glanced at Li Chengfeng sitting on the dragon throne.

I saw the other party sitting upright on the dragon throne, his face calm, his emotions unreadable and unpredictable.

"Oh? Impeach He Sheng?" Li Chengfeng repeated. "I wonder what Minister Zhang Ai wants to impeach He Sheng for?"

Zhang Huaian took a deep breath and said loudly: "I impeach He Sheng for corruption, abuse of power, disregard for human life, and privately..."

"presumptuous!"

Before Zhang Huaian could finish his words, he was interrupted by an angry shout.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw He Sheng with a face full of anger. He walked down the stairs with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, his eyes wide open, as if he wanted to eat someone.

"Zhang Huaian, you're so bold! How dare you slander me!" He Sheng pointed at Zhang Huaian's nose and cursed, "I'm second only to the emperor, and above everyone else. How dare you do such a dirty thing?"

"Someone, capture this bastard!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers outside the hall looked at each other in confusion, not knowing whether to move or stop.

It is true that the palace is now filled with personal soldiers brought by He Sheng, but... the new emperor is on the throne. Even if He Sheng is the emperor's uncle, they dare not bypass His Majesty!

"How dare you! Are you planning a rebellion?" Li Chengfeng noticed that the atmosphere was becoming increasingly weird. He slammed the dragon throne and stood up suddenly.

He Sheng was shocked and quickly knelt on the ground, "I dare not!"

"Humph! Don't you dare?"

"I am here, are you giving orders for me?"

Cold sweat broke out on He Sheng's forehead and he lowered his head even lower.

The fawning from Beijing officials over the past two days had already made him feel a little flattered.

Provoked by Zhang Huaian, for some unknown reason, he actually...

But, he really couldn't swallow this!

The dignified Marquis of Zhenbei was actually slandered in public by a mere editor of the Hanlin Academy. If this were to get out, where would he put his face?

"Your Majesty, I...I just..." He Sheng hesitated, wanting to explain but not knowing how to start.

"Just what? To kill and silence the witnesses?"

"I...I didn't..." He Sheng was stunned and quickly denied it.

"Whether or not, you know it in your heart!" Li Chengfeng snorted coldly, his face gloomy. "Zhang Aiqing, please continue. What did you say about He Sheng doing something private?"

Zhang Huaian glanced at He Sheng, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes, but he soon became firm and said loudly: "I impeach He Sheng for privately..."

"Secretly...hoarding the dragon robe!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked!

Secretly hoarding the dragon robe!?

The court officials looked at each other and whispered to each other, all with shock and disbelief on their faces!

"Hiss—is this He Sheng crazy?"

"Who says it's not? This is a crime punishable by the death of nine generations of your clan!"

"But...this emperor seems to be one of He Sheng's nine clans, right?"

"Could it be that... the new emperor wants to sacrifice his own family for the sake of justice and commit suicide to atone for his sins?"

Everyone was talking about it, and the more they talked, the more outrageous it became, and the looks they gave Li Chengfeng became strange.

Song Zelin was also confused.

He Sheng usually looks like a smart person, so how could he make such a low-level mistake at the critical moment?

Even if he really wanted to rebel, why would he support his own nephew to take the throne?

Now, the evidence is directly handed into their hands.

The emperor was not allowed to kill people. At most, he would issue an edict of repentance. But how could a new emperor issue an edict of repentance right after issuing the edict of accession to the throne?

If this gets out, won't people laugh their heads off?

Li Chengfeng's gaze slowly swept over the people below, finally landing on He Sheng.

Feeling the cold gaze from the dragon throne, He Sheng felt that all the blood in his body had frozen, his face was as pale as paper, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

He opened his mouth and wanted to explain, but found that his throat was dry and no sound came out.

"Your Majesty, I...I am wronged!" He Sheng fell to his knees with a plop, tears streaming down his face. "I am loyal to Your Majesty and have no second thoughts. It is even more impossible for me to hide the dragon robe!"

Zhang Huaian sneered and said righteously, "General He, don't try to quibble! If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself! Since I dare to impeach you in this palace, I must have solid evidence!"

"Evidence? What evidence do you have?" He Sheng suppressed the fear in his heart and asked sternly.

"Hmph, the evidence is right here in the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion. Your Majesty only needs to send people to search and we'll know the truth!" Zhang Huaian said in a resounding voice.

The atmosphere in the court was tense and ready to explode.

Li Chengfeng sat upright on the dragon throne, silent, as if he was out of the matter.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrests of the dragon throne, again and again, as if tapping on everyone's heart, making people feel inexplicably uneasy.

"Your Majesty, I believe this matter is of grave importance and must be investigated! I beg Your Majesty to examine this matter carefully and clear General He's name!"

"Your Majesty, I second the motion! If we don't thoroughly investigate this matter, I'm afraid it will be difficult to silence the public!"

"I also second the proposal!"

...

The court officials spoke out one after another, demanding a thorough investigation of the matter.

Li Chengfeng took in everyone's reactions... This drama is getting more and more exciting!

He slowly stood up, his eyes sharp as a knife, scanning the entire room, and said in a deep voice: "Since that's the case, then we must conduct a thorough investigation! Come, pass on my order to immediately search the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion. If the news is true, they will be severely punished!"

"Retreat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chengfeng turned away, leaving the civil and military officials in the court looking at each other in confusion, with different thoughts in their minds.

...

In the imperial study, Li Chengfeng rubbed his brows and let out a long breath.

"These old foxes really know how to change their attitude according to the situation."

He muttered to himself, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Your Majesty, Lord Song requests an audience."

Outside the door, the voice of the eunuch chief Gao Hai was heard.

"Let him in."

"Squeak-"

The door of the imperial study was pushed open, and Song Zelin walked in with a worried look on his face.

"I see your Majesty."

"Song Aiqing, there is no need to be so polite. Please stand up."

Li Chengfeng said lightly, motioning Song Zelin to sit down and talk.

Song Zelin stood up and stood respectfully aside, his brows furrowed, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

"Song Aiqing, there's no need to be so formal between you and me, teacher and student." Li Chengfeng put down the memorial in his hand and said with a smile, "If you have anything to say, feel free to speak up."

"Your Majesty, I believe... today's incident was deliberately orchestrated by someone with the intention of driving a wedge between Your Majesty and General He."

Song Zelin took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Moreover, the charge of secretly hoarding the dragon robe is too obvious and seems rather deliberate... I dare to speculate that this is most likely a deliberate frame-up."

"Oh? Minister Song, what you mean is..." Li Chengfeng raised his eyebrows, motioning him to continue.

"Your Majesty, the court is unstable right now. Your Majesty's every move is related to the safety of the country."

Song Zelin paused and continued, "Your Majesty must handle this matter impartially, otherwise... the consequences will be disastrous!"

"If this matter is proven to be true, General He will be held accountable. The Zhenbei Army will be thrown into panic, and Your Majesty will lose his right-hand man..."

"But if it is discovered that this was a deliberate frame-up, and Your Majesty is shielding him out of concern for General He, the court officials will undoubtedly doubt Your Majesty's judgment, and rumors will inevitably spread..."

"Your Majesty, you...you must think twice!"

When Song Zelin finished speaking, there was a hint of pleading in his tone.

Li Chengfeng remained silent, just looking at Song Zelin quietly, with an inexplicable light flashing in his eyes.

After a while, he slowly spoke, his voice low and full of majesty:

"Lord Song, tell me...how should I handle this matter?"