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

"Your Majesty is wise!" Song Zelin bowed and was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly understood.

"What's more, I heard..." Li Chengfeng paused and looked at Song Zelin with a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"Back then, Song Qing was also a young talent who made a splash at the Luodu Poetry Festival."

Song Zelin's face flushed upon hearing this, and he coughed awkwardly a few times: "Your Majesty, you're joking. That's all in the past, let's not talk about it."

"Haha, Mr. Song, there's no need to be modest. You defeated all the other contestants and won the first place in the poetry competition. Even the Grand Tutor praised you highly at that time." Li Chengfeng said with a smile.

"This time, I will be traveling incognito under the name 'Li Feng', disguised as a down-and-out scholar, mingle with the Luodu Poetry Society, and explore the inner workings of Xijing! As for the affairs of the court, I will leave them to Song Qing."

"Your Majesty, the poetry gathering is certainly a good place to go, but..."

Song Zelin wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Li Chengfeng.

"Okay, I've made up my mind."

Hearing this, Song Zelin stroked his graying beard helplessly. He sighed deeply, then bowed solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best to live up to your trust!"

His Majesty has been a stickler for words lately. This matter has its pros and cons, so there is no need for him to force himself to take risks.

"Okay! I believe in Mr. Song." Li Chengfeng nodded, with confidence shining in his eyes.

After a moment's silence, he tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, I have a humble request. I wonder if..."

"Mr. Song, please feel free to speak." Li Chengfeng frowned and signaled the other party to speak freely.

"I, this old minister, would like to recommend my daughter, Yuwei, to accompany Your Majesty to Luodu."

"Miss Song?" Li Chengfeng was slightly stunned, then realized that Song Zelin wanted him to bring his daughter with him!

He was a little amused and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Song Qing, what do you mean? I'm going on an incognito visit, and bringing a girl with me, how can I be so rude?"

"Your Majesty, you don't know," Song Zelin hurriedly explained when he saw that Li Chengfeng seemed to have misunderstood his meaning.

"My daughter has loved poetry and songs since she was young. She has twice won the championship of the Luodu Poetry Festival. She is familiar with the procedures and rules of the poetry festival, as well as the famous people from all walks of life."

"If Your Majesty were to travel incognito this time, with my daughter by your side, you would surely be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

Li Chengfeng was extremely surprised when he heard this. He had never heard that there were women participating in this poetry gathering!

As if seeing through Li Chengfeng's thoughts, Song Zelin twirled his beard and smiled, "Your Majesty, do you think that women cannot participate in poetry gatherings?"

"To be honest, although I'm a girl, I'm really interested in poetry and literature. I've put a lot of thought into participating in the poetry gathering!"

"Oh? What do you mean?" Li Chengfeng raised his eyebrows and asked.

Song Zelin smiled and whispered, "Your Majesty, you may not know that every time my daughter attends a poetry gathering, she disguises herself as a man and impresses everyone with her talent. Even those self-proclaimed romantics and talented scholars have never discovered her true identity!"

Li Chengfeng was stunned. This Song Yuwei is indeed an extraordinary woman!

He thought to himself that Song Zelin's proposal was actually a good idea.

"In that case..." Li Chengfeng pondered for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement. "Then I'll do as Mr. Song says. However, we must proceed with caution and make sure no news leaks out."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I understand!" Song Zelin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Li Chengfeng agreed to his request, and he quickly bowed in response.

Li Chengfeng nodded slightly, arranged everything properly, rubbed his swollen temples, and felt that things were becoming more and more complicated.

There are numerous factions in the court, and local princes have their own troops. Li Chenghao is watching covetously from the dark.

This dragon throne, which is above ten thousand people, is not so easy to sit on...

Luodu, this thousand-year-old ancient city, is about to usher in a grand event with undercurrents and turbulent events!

...

Thousands of miles away, the Pingxi Palace, with its golden and magnificent splendor, exudes the grandeur of a wealthy family.

In the main hall of the palace, a white-haired old man sat upright on the armchair, looking majestic without even getting angry.

He was wearing a purple brocade robe, with a white jade pendant on his waist, a gray beard hanging down to his chest, and a pair of piercing tiger eyes. He was none other than the King of Pingxi, Liu Zhenshan, who commanded a large army.

At this moment, Liu Zhenshan was frowning, looking at the imperial edict from the capital in his hand, his face changing from gloomy to bright.

In the hall, dozens of guests stood on both sides, all with serious expressions and whispering to each other.

"Your Highness, in my opinion, the new emperor has just ascended the throne and his foundation is not yet stable. That's why he is in a hurry to summon you to the capital. Most likely, he wants to win over the hearts of the people." An old man in a green shirt and a Confucian scarf stroked his beard.

"Hmph! I think he is guilty! He wants to trick the prince into coming to the capital, and then..." A military officer in armor and with a full beard slammed the table and said angrily.

"General Lin, be careful with your words!" The old man in green clothes hurriedly stopped him, "Your Highness, disobeying the order is treason. Don't act on impulse!"

"Your Highness, in my humble opinion, although this new emperor may not have come from a legitimate background, he has already secured the throne. We should go with the flow and send someone to the capital to express their loyalty, then wait and see what happens."

"Bullshit! Your Highness commands a powerful army and controls Xijing. Why would he bother to look at the face of that little emperor?"

The bearded general snorted coldly and shouted angrily.

"In my opinion, we should just raise an army and support His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to ascend the throne. Then, Your Highness will be crowned a king and prime minister, just around the corner!"

"General Lin, stop talking nonsense!" the old man in green shouted sternly, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has already lost the throne. Now you are raising an army. Are you trying to make the prince disloyal and unjust?"

For a moment, the entire lobby was in an uproar, with all kinds of opinions being debated.

Liu Zhenshan felt very annoyed as he listened to the arguments of these retainers.

After a while, he suddenly slammed the imperial edict in his hand on the table and shouted angrily: "Shut up, my king!"

Upon seeing this, everyone fell silent and dared not say anything more.

Liu Zhenshan took a deep breath, tried to calm himself, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty has already performed the sacrificial ceremony and ascended the throne. You have a legitimate claim to power. If you rashly raise an army, wouldn't that make you a traitor?"

"But Your Highness..." The bearded general wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Liu Zhenshan with a wave of his hand.

"What's more..." Liu Zhenshan paused, a complicated look flashing in his eyes, "Li Chengfeng didn't mention Hao'er..."

Before he finished speaking, a beautiful woman in a light pink palace dress walked into the lobby.

She was about thirty years old, with skin as white as snow, eyebrows and features as picturesque as a painting, and a hint of coldness and cunning in her eyes.

"Dad, what's bothering you?" The woman walked to Liu Zhenshan, gently massaged his shoulders, and asked softly.

"Yan'er..." Liu Zhenshan looked at the woman in front of him, his eyes full of pampering and helplessness.

"Dad, I heard that the new emperor has issued an edict inviting you to the capital?"

Before people arrive, the sound comes first.

The person who came was none other than the biological mother of the current crown prince, Concubine Liu, who had just escaped from the palace in a panic a while ago!