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

Xiong Haikuo and Jiang Long took their troops and acted separately.

The night in Yuxiang County is boiling.

By the time they returned with the people on the list to report, the sky was already turning pale.

Chen Tingshu and County Magistrate Gao took people to count the gold, silver and jewelry that had been confiscated.

Xiong Haikuo and Jiang Long stood behind Li Chengfeng and held court in the county magistrate's court.

A row of people, tied up, were kneeling on the ground.

"Have they all been captured?"

Jiang Long said, "All those from Yuxiang County have been captured. Some have moved away from here. I've sent people to look for them."

Li Chengfeng remained silent. "Let's go to court."

"Mighty~Wu~"

The sound of the killing stick hitting the ground made the people kneeling below tremble all over.

"Where is Zhao Desheng?"

"The subordinate is here."

"Are you guilty?"

"I don't know what crime I have committed."

Zhao Desheng puffed out his chest and stiffened his neck, looking as if he would never admit his guilt.

Li Chengfeng chuckled, picked up the file on the table, and casually flipped through a few pages. He said, "You accepted bribes, exploited the people, and enriched yourself. What else do you have to say?"

He threw the file in front of Zhao Desheng, and a few pieces of paper fell to Zhao Desheng's feet.

Zhao Desheng glanced at him, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, but he still stubbornly said, "These are all slanders! I am loyal to the emperor and have no second thoughts!"

Li Chengfeng ignored his sophistry and turned to the guards beside him, ordering: "Summon the former county magistrate to the court to testify."

The guard took the order and left, and soon came back into the hall with an old man.

The old man knelt down and saluted Li Chengfeng.

"Are you the former Yuxiang County Magistrate?"

"Yes."

"Do you know about Zhao Desheng's exploitation of the people?"

After a slight hesitation, the old man told the story of Zhao Desheng's corruption.

"When the dam was being built, Zhao Desheng abused his power and embezzled funds."

"The embezzled money was used to bribe officials above him, making them his umbrella. When it came time to collect grain, he arbitrarily increased various taxes. We are suffering terribly. Some people, just to make life easier for themselves, are willing to be Zhao Desheng's lackeys, exploiting the people and using the money they earn to bribe Zhao Desheng..."

As the old county magistrate spoke, Zhao Desheng's face became paler and paler, and his body began to tremble slightly.

He subconsciously wanted to refute, but found that he had no way to defend himself.

In the hall, the people watching were talking and pointing.

With both witnesses and evidence in hand, Zhao Desheng knew he was finished.

He slumped on the ground, his eyes empty, muttering to himself: "It's over, it's all over..."

Then, he suddenly raised his head, kowtowed to Li Chengfeng, and cried out, "Your Majesty, spare my life! I acknowledge my guilt! I acknowledge my guilt!"

He kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead making a dull sound as it hit the ground.

Li Chengfeng looked down at Zhao Desheng and said calmly, "Since you've already confessed your guilt, then tell the truth. Perhaps I can show some mercy."

Zhao Desheng seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty confesses everything." "I did all this under the orders of Zhao Gui."

"He and I are brothers from the same family. He taught me everything I do."

"He said that we were far away from the emperor and that no one would find out what we were doing. He...he was the mastermind!"

In order to reduce his guilt, Zhao Desheng actually involved Zhao Gui.

It’s Zhao Gui again!

Li Chengfeng narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a deep voice, "Zhao Gui?"

"Humph, invite him here!"

The guards on both sides immediately responded and turned to leave.

Zhao Desheng collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily with relief.

"Where is Wang Fugui?"

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate is here."

Li Chengfeng stared into Wang Fugui's eyes and said, "You colluded with Zhao Desheng and accepted bribes. Is this true?"

Wang Fugui's face turned pale and his body trembled even more violently.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but was powerless to refute.

Suddenly he raised his head and looked at Li Chengfeng.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please spare my life... I was just confused for a moment..."

Li Chengfeng stood up, walked over to him, looked down at him, and said, "A moment of confusion? You embezzled and accepted bribes, and exploited the people. Is that also a moment of confusion?"

"I...I know I was wrong. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy."

Wang Fugui kowtowed like crazy, his forehead hitting the ground heavily, making a dull "dong dong dong" sound.

"Since you have confessed your guilt, I will decide your punishment accordingly."

He returned to his seat, glanced at the trembling officials in the hall, and said in a deep voice, "Who else wants to confess their crimes?"

Although the voice was not loud, it carried an unquestionable majesty.

Several officials looked at each other with flickering eyes, and fierce struggles were going on in their hearts.

Seeing someone about to make a move, he added, "If you confess voluntarily, you may be given a lighter sentence. If you persist in your delusion, your crime will be even more severe!"

These words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Several officials could no longer bear the psychological pressure and fell to their knees with a thud.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life! I know my crime!" They rushed to confess the details of their corruption, fearing that they would be left behind. They spilled out all the crimes they knew about, like pouring out beans.

Li Chengfeng listened patiently, asked for some details from time to time, and asked the clerk to record their confessions.

Xiong Haikuo and Jiang Long watched the little emperor arguing with these officials, and were secretly shocked that although he was young, he had a very thorough understanding of the issues.

Although I was not completely satisfied, my opinion of him had changed a lot.

Moreover, his decisive and murderous aura is no less than that of the old emperor.

The sun sets in the west and the trial comes to a temporary end.

Those who should be imprisoned should be imprisoned, and those who should go home should go home.

"Sir Chen, it's almost dinner time. I wonder if His Majesty has any instructions?"

"Don't be nervous, Mr. Gao. Our Emperor is the most approachable person. We can just eat at the same table."

"During this special period, let's keep things simple."

County Magistrate Gao then ordered the kitchen to prepare a large table of dishes, and only after the food was served did he invite the emperor to take a seat.

After Li Chengfeng sat down, Tiezhu, Chen Tingshu, Xiong and Jiang also took their seats.

"Your Majesty, I don't have much food left here. I hope you will forgive me for my poor hospitality."

County Magistrate Gao raised his glass to apologize to the emperor.

"My dear, there is no need to be so formal. Just have a simple meal."

After saying that, he drank the wine in the glass and took the lead in picking up the dishes to eat.

The others then started eating.

After eating, they went to the study to discuss matters.

"Lord Jiang, have you counted the spoils from today's seizure?"

"Your Majesty, the gold, silver, valuables, food, fodder, and horses have all been counted, but the antique furniture is still being counted."

“First, sort out the gold, silver, and grain.”

"Mr. Gao, Mr. Chen, you two should distribute this money and grain to the people."

"We need to pay more attention to epidemic prevention and report any shortage of herbal medicines promptly."

"I understand."