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

"In addition, I will assign those private soldiers to you. Bring them out, and they will go with you to southern Xinjiang to take up their posts." Li Chengfeng continued.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty obeys!" Pan Yong was so happy at this moment that he didn't know what to say. His face was filled with joy that he couldn't hide.

Seeing Pan Yong's inexpressibly excited expression, Li Chengfeng couldn't help but laugh as well. He then turned to Zhao Sheng and said solemnly:

"Zhao Sheng, go find those martial arts masters among the private soldiers. Take them away, no matter what method you use, and make sure they can only serve the imperial court from now on. Do you understand?"

"I will live up to your trust and do my best!" Zhao Sheng responded respectfully, with firm determination in his eyes.

Finally, Li Chengfeng said to He Sheng, "General He, your rank cannot be promoted any further. How about I reward you with more silver? What do you think?"

He Sheng smiled and said, "I will obey your majesty's orders in everything."

"Alright, count all the gold and silver and fill it up in the treasury. I'll keep it for great use." Li Chengfeng put down the book in his hand. "Take the remaining jewelry, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, and sell them for cash. Then divide the money equally between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War."

"As you wish!" He Sheng clasped his fists and accepted the order, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"As for those corrupt officials," Li Chengfeng's tone turned stern, "all of them will be taken to the Dali Temple to await my interrogation."

"Yes." He Sheng clasped his fists and spoke in a steady tone.

He knew that the emperor wanted not only to bring these corrupt officials to justice, but also to dig out more from their mouths.

Li Chengfeng's eyes were deep and he was lost in thought.

Jin Huaian, the Jiangnan Salt Commissioner who was betrayed by Zhao Gui, has always been a thorn in his heart.

He suspected that people like Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du were not only corrupt, but also involved in the illegal sale of salt.

Such a big case has only been exposed now. There must be someone behind the scenes covering it up for them.

Li Chengfeng's fingers gently stroked the table, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes: "I suspect that this matter has far-reaching implications, and there may be people in the capital who are involved."

He looked at Zhao Sheng and said in a low voice, "Make sure you keep an eye on Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du. Don't let them die."

Zhao Sheng's expression froze when he heard this, and he nodded solemnly: "Your Majesty, I understand!"

After thinking about it and finding that there was nothing more to explain, Li Chengfeng asked the three of them to leave.

After watching them leave, Li Chengfeng continued to review memorials.

At this time, in the dark room.

The old emperor listened to the shadow guard's report and felt as if he was watching a big drama.

The shadow guard was sent by the old emperor to protect Li Chengfeng's safety, and secretly helped Li Chengfeng block countless assassinations.

As a result, Li Chengfeng successfully obtained the key evidence in Jiangnan Prefecture and returned to the capital safely!

"This kid has some strength and good luck."

"Jiangnan Prefecture handled this matter beautifully and decisively."

"I was overthinking it back then, looking ahead and behind, and ended up not handling this matter properly."

The old emperor sighed and was still proud of his son.

"Go tell the shadow guards, Li Chengfeng has made a big mistake this time. Those who secretly want him dead will definitely take action. Keep your eyes open and protect him!"

"Yes." The shadow guard took the order and retreated.

Night enveloped the capital city, and an inconspicuous sedan stopped at the back door of the residence of Su Bin, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, and the Minister of Works Sun Wuchu came out from inside. He wrapped his cloak tightly around himself, lowered the brim of his hat, and walked quickly into the Su Mansion.

In the study of the Su Mansion, Su Bin had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Sun Wuchu come in, he sat on the armchair and asked, "Master Sun, what's the important matter that brings you here so late?"

As he spoke, he led Sun Wuchu to his seat and gestured for him to have some tea.

Sun Wuchu looked at the teacup but did not drink from it. His brows were furrowed and his face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.

"Lord Su, do you know that Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du have been imprisoned in the Dali Temple?" There was a hint of uncontrollable anger and anxiety in his tone.

Taking a sip of tea, Su Bin said nonchalantly, "I know."

"Then...then, will they..." Sun Wuchu was afraid that they would not be able to endure the torture and would give him away.

Su Bin raised his eyes to look at him and said, "Master Sun, there is no need to panic. The evidence the little emperor has found will be cut off once it reaches them."

"As for those two, if you're afraid they'll say something, why not just tell them to shut up?" He said as he made a gesture of wiping his neck.

"But the Dali Temple is heavily guarded. It would be extremely difficult to send people in to kill them." Sun Wuchu became anxious again.

"It's not easy to send people in, but what if my people are already in the Dali Temple?" Su Bin said calmly.

"Are you serious? Lord Su has already made arrangements for the backup plan?" Sun Wuchu asked immediately.

"Hmph, useless pawns. Keeping them will only bring trouble. It will be too late when the little emperor interrogates them. This matter must be done as soon as possible." Su Bin poured himself another cup of tea.

After hearing this, Sun Wuchu's face showed determination. He gritted his teeth and nodded heavily: "Whatever you need me to do, just tell me!"

The next day, inside Dali Temple

Wu Yong, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, was ordered by Li Chengfeng to interrogate Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du.

Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du were hung on the rack, with disheveled hair and listless expressions. No matter what questions Wu Yong asked them, they remained silent and just sneered.

Seeing the two of them being so stubborn, Wu Yong sneered in his heart. He walked up to them, looked down at them, and said in a cold tone:

"You two, do you think you'll be alright if you refuse to confess? Are you still naive enough to believe that your master will save you?"

He paused, his tone tinged with sarcasm, "I think they wish you would die soon so they can rest easy!"

Hearing this, Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du raised their heads and couldn't help but sneered, "Your Excellency, you are joking. We don't have any masters."

"Even without you telling me, I know this. Your master treats you like pawns, to be discarded after use!"

"You are still here helping them cover up. Maybe they have already discussed how to send you off!" He said, with a hint of disgust in his eyes.

Seeing Wu Yong's decisive words, Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

Late at night, in the Dali Temple prison cell, Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du were lying on straw mats, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Suddenly, there was a slight sound of footsteps, and then a dark shadow appeared at the door of the cell.

A cold light flashed in the black shadow's hand, and two sharp blades instantly stabbed towards the chests of Zheng Yingtong and Wei Du.

With a "swish", the two were dragged away and avoided the fatal blow.

Then two dark shadows rushed out from the straw mat under them and started fighting with the killer.