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

Chen Tingshu also put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said with a smile: "That's right, after such a long journey, I can finally have a good meal."

As he spoke, he picked up the teacup and took a sip, his expression relaxing.

"Your Majesty, what are your plans next?" Xiao Liuzi asked respectfully from the side.

Putting down the teacup, Li Chengfeng pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go back to the palace first. I still have many things to deal with."

"Then I'll go down and ask someone to prepare." Xiao Liuzi retreated and gave the order.

Li Chengfeng brought Chen Tingshu to Song Weiyu's study where she handled government affairs. After greeting, Song Weiyu handed Li Chengfeng a memorial.

When the memorial was opened, it listed in detail the disaster relief funds, dam construction costs and taxes that had been embezzled by corrupt officials in Jiangnan Prefecture.

The evidence they collected was carefully organized by Song Wei Yu and written down in this memorial.

Li Chengfeng's expression gradually became solemn as he glanced at the densely packed text above.

He flipped through the pages carefully, occasionally running his fingers over the key points, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The amount of corruption recorded in the memorial was shocking, and the greedy faces of corrupt officials seemed to jump out of the paper, making him furious.

After reading it, Li Chengfeng slowly closed the memorial, took a long breath, and placed it on the table.

He raised his head, his eyes fell on Song Weiyu, and said in a deep voice: "Song Aiqing, thank you for your hard work."

Song Weiyu quickly bowed and said, "It is my duty to share your majesty's worries."

Nodding, Li Chengfeng turned his gaze to Chen Tingshu and asked, "Mr. Chen, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

After a brief pause, Chen Tingshu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that you should immediately issue an order to dismiss these corrupt officials and investigate them, and recover the stolen funds as a warning to others!"

"Well," Li Chengfeng glanced at Chen Tingshu approvingly, "Mr. Chen is absolutely right."

He stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, his mind racing. "Jiangnan Prefecture's officials are corrupt, and the people are living in poverty. I will not tolerate this!"

"None of these corrupt officials can escape!" Li Chengfeng turned around and spoke in a firm tone.

At this time, Xiao Liuzi came to report that the emperor's ceremonial guard was ready and asked His Majesty to board the imperial sedan chair.

With the help of Xiao Liuzi, Li Chengfeng put on the crown and robes.

Several other people followed Li Chengfeng and walked out of Zhenguo Temple together.

When they arrived outside Zhenguo Temple, they saw the old abbot leading a group of monks from the temple to see His Majesty off.

The old abbot stepped forward respectfully, clasped his hands together, and said respectfully, "Amitabha, Your Majesty, thank you for coming to the temple to pray for the people of Daqian. May the Buddha bless you with good health and longevity, and may the country be peaceful and prosperous."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengfeng also clasped his hands together and bowed to the old abbot: "I have been intruding on the temple for a long time. I am grateful for the care you have given me, the abbot and all of you. I should thank you all."

After saying that, he instructed Xiao Liuzi to prepare another 10,000 taels of incense money and donate it to Zhenguo Temple.

The surrounding monks immediately knelt down, clasped their hands together, and exclaimed in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the gift. May the Buddha bless Your Majesty and bestow more blessings upon the people of the world."

With a slight smile, Li Chengfeng put on enough drama and turned to walk towards the imperial sedan chair.

He himself does not believe in these things, but the people of this world do. In order to gain the support of the people, there is nothing wrong with donating some incense money to pray for the country.

The magnificent imperial sedan was parked by the roadside, pulled by eight tall horses. The imperial guards, wearing armor and holding spears, stood on both sides with solemn expressions.

The palace maids and eunuchs stood with their hands hanging down, quietly waiting for the emperor's arrival.

With the help of Xiao Liuzi, Li Chengfeng slowly boarded the imperial sedan chair. After sitting firmly, he glanced majestically at the people around him.

"Let's go!" With a loud shout, the imperial sedan chair started slowly, the imperial guards led the way, followed by the palace maids and eunuchs guarding the sedan chair, and finally the rear guard troops.

The huge team seemed to have no end in sight.

Flags were fluttering on both sides of the road, and the road was filled with onlookers.

Seeing the emperor return to the palace in grand style, the rumors that His Majesty had wasted the people's money and resources in order to go to the south of the Yangtze River were refuted.

"Old Guo, there's been a rumor in Beijing that the Emperor has gone to Jiangnan to work the people. Isn't that nonsense?"

"How do I know that's just a rumor? I saw everyone else saying it, so I just mumbled a few words along with them. Sigh."

"Hey, old man Guo, look at the carriage the emperor rides in. It's so magnificent!"

"Of course not! His Majesty the Emperor went to the Zhenguo Temple to pray for us, and I am glad that his carriage is so magnificent."

...

The people were talking about it, but most of them were discussing the majesty of the emperor's ceremonial procession.

When those who were interested saw this situation, they looked at each other and went back to report to their masters.

In the capital, Sun Mansion

Minister of Works Sun Wuchu smashed the teacup in his hand and muttered, "Useless! What a bunch of useless people!"

"The emperor's son has fallen into their hands, and they still let him escape. What a fool!"

After saying this, he was panting like a cow, obviously very angry.

"Sir, please calm down!" A man who looked like an aide whispered, while carefully sweeping the debris on the ground aside.

"The young emperor narrowly escaped death this time, presumably because the guards were incompetent." He paused, observing Sun Wuchu's expression, and continued, "However, since His Majesty has returned to the capital, we must act even more cautiously and not reveal our true intentions."

Panting heavily, Sun Wuchu's chest heaved violently. He glared at the aide and said through gritted teeth, "Cautious? Now that the little emperor has returned unharmed, how can I be cautious?!"

He slammed the table so hard that the teacup shook and the tea spilled out, splashing onto the tabletop, just like his surging anger.

"Over in Jiangnan Prefecture, Wei Du and Zheng Yingtong have failed to do their job properly and have ruined my plans!"

Seeing this, another aide stepped forward and said, "Sir, in my opinion, the most important thing right now is to find out how much the young emperor has uncovered during his trip to the south of the Yangtze River."

He pondered for a moment, then continued, "And the bandit leader Feng Meng actually defied Lord Wei's orders and let the emperor go. He also needs to be thoroughly investigated."

Sun Wuchu's expression eased a little. He slowly sat down, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table, making a "dong dong" sound.

After a moment, he raised his head, his sharp eyes swept over the several staff members present, and said in a deep voice: "You are right. Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle."

He paused, a hint of viciousness in his tone, "Go, send someone to monitor the movements in the palace. Also, make sure to find out Feng Meng's background and...his relationship with the emperor."

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, "I want to see how capable this little emperor is!"

"Yes." Seeing Lord Sun waving his hand to let them leave, the staff stood up and left.