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

The night was dark, and the guards inside and outside the palace were doubled, and the atmosphere was particularly solemn.

Li Chengfeng and his entourage traveled light, avoiding the eyes and ears of the public, and quietly arrived at the Heavenly Prison.

There was a smell of decay in the air.

Led by the jailer, Li Chengfeng came to the cell where Zhang Chong was imprisoned.

In the cell, a thin, ragged man poked his head out, his body covered with scars, obviously having been tortured.

With the dim light, he saw Li Chengfeng standing outside the prison door.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

Surprise flooded my heart like a tide, instantly diluting the pain in my body and the fear in my heart.

Liu Chong's lips trembled and his eyes were filled with tears, as if a drowning man had grabbed a life-saving straw. He was so excited that he could hardly speak.

He thought there was no turning back and that he would never be able to wait for the emperor to return to Beijing!

Li Chengfeng signaled the jailer to open the cell door, then slowly walked into the cell: "Are you Zhang Chong?"

Zhang Chong quickly struggled to get up and knelt in front of Li Chengfeng.

"Your humble servant, Zhang Chong, pays homage to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

"Be flat."

Li Chengfeng said calmly, "I heard that you sued Liu Zhenshan, the King of Pingxi. Is that true?"

Zhang Chong raised his head, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Your Majesty, behold! Every word I say is true! Liu Zhenshan is corrupt and perverts justice, exploiting the people. I have irrefutable evidence in my hands!"

"Since the evidence is irrefutable, why did you report it to a higher authority? You could have gone through the normal channels."

Li Chengfeng looked at Zhang Chong and did not ask for evidence, but suddenly changed the question.

This little judge was not afraid at all, as if he had already known the reason.

"Your Majesty, the entire Xijing, even the higher-ranking officials, are all under the command of the King of Pingxi! If I had not reported this to your majesty, this account book would never have reached your majesty!"

Song Zelin looked past Li Chengfeng and looked at him with complicated eyes.

This is a risky move, Your Majesty. How should you proceed?

Liu Zhenshan has been operating in Xijing for many years and has followed the late emperor in conquering the world. The late emperor even said, "I will never let down the King of Pingxi."

Moreover, many years have passed. If we let him develop in Xijing, I am afraid he would have already gained great influence and control over the government!

"Aren't you afraid of death?"

Li Chengfeng asked.

Zhang Chong's voice was hoarse, but firm: "I'm afraid! But I'm even more afraid that the people of Xijing will continue to live in dire straits!"

"I, a humble servant, do not regret dying. I only ask Your Majesty to make a decision for the people of Xijing!"

After saying that, he knelt down again and kowtowed to Li Chengfeng.

Li Chengfeng reached out and helped Zhang Chong up, his tone full of admiration: "What a loyal and courageous minister! I am deeply pleased!" He paused, his eyes deep, "I will remember your loyalty."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chong kowtowed again in excitement: "Even if I am torn to pieces, I will serve Your Majesty and the people of Xijing with all my heart!"

Li Chengfeng had a plan in mind. Liu Zhenshan, this cancer, had been entrenched in Xijing for years. If not eradicated, the consequences would be endless. However, Liu Zhenshan was incredibly powerful, and a head-on confrontation would only result in mutual destruction. He had to proceed slowly.

"Zhang Chong,"

Li Chengfeng pondered for a moment and said slowly, "I plan to reinstate you in a few months."

Zhang Chong raised his head suddenly, his eyes full of disbelief: "Your Majesty..."

"but..."

Before he could continue, Li Chengfeng changed the subject, "I need you to return to Liu Zhenshan."

"what?"

Zhang Chong and Song Zelin who was standing beside him exclaimed at the same time.

Returning to Liu Zhenshan? This is like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth!

Song Zelin couldn't help but speak, "Your Majesty..."

"Liu Zhenshan is ruthless. If Zhang Chong goes back, wouldn't that be..."

He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was clear: Zhang Chong was doomed to die.

Zhang Chong also looked embarrassed. He was not afraid of death, but wasn't this operation unnecessary?

"Your Majesty, I don't understand..."

Li Chengfeng noticed the two men's worry and smiled faintly, "Since I dared to let Master Zhang go back, I must have a foolproof plan. Just do as I say, and don't ask any more questions."

"You only need to rest and recuperate, and await my command. When the time is right, I will seek justice for you and the people of Xijing!"

Even though Zhang Chong had many questions, he could only kowtow and obey the order: "Your humble servant obeys!"

Leaving the prison, Li Chengfeng glanced back at the dark prison door, a cold glint in his eyes. "Liu Zhenshan, do you really think I'm helpless against you?"

The night breeze blew away the suffocating smell of decay in the cell.

Song Zelin still looked puzzled: "Your Majesty, I don't understand why you want Zhang Chong to go back? Isn't this..."

"Throw yourself into a trap?"

Li Chengfeng took over the conversation, but offered a riddle, "It's hard to say who owns this 'net'. No one can predict what will happen in a few months."

These words made the Left Prime Minister even more confused. Could it be that His Majesty wanted to burn his boats and completely break off relations with the Western King?

But seeing that Li Chengfeng was unwilling to say more, he had no choice but to swallow his questions.

"Song Zelin."

Li Chengfeng suddenly stopped, his eyes sharp, "Secretly take Zhang Chong out of the prison, find a death row prisoner of similar build to replace him, and shave his face to make it cleaner.

"Remember, I want him to be completely unrecognizable."

What is the purpose of this...

Song Zelin was even more confused, but it was hard to disobey the emperor's order, so he could only suppress his doubts and said, "I will do it right away."

Li Chengfeng nodded and watched Song Zelin leave.

The night wind made his robe rustle, just like his surging thoughts at the moment.

He already had some plans in mind on how to eliminate King Pingxi in the future.

Song Zelin was trying to figure out the emperor's intentions all the way.

Let Zhang Chong return to his post but let him return to Liu Zhenshan?

He even wanted to find a death row prisoner to replace Zhang Chong and disfigure his face beyond recognition... What exactly is your majesty up to?

He called his confidant and conveyed the emperor's order verbatim, then he quickly caught up with Li Chengfeng who had been waiting at the palace gate.

That night, the death row prisoner was sent to Zhang Chong's cell, while the real Zhang Chong was secretly transferred to a safe place.

Inside the Sky Prison, "Zhang Chong" lay quietly in the cell, his face covered in blood and flesh, and his original appearance was no longer recognizable.

After a slight noise, two men in black appeared outside the cell silently.

They looked at each other, as if confirming something.

Then, one of them took out a dagger and stabbed it into "Zhang Chong's" chest!

Then, the two of them quickly disappeared into the night, as if they had never appeared.

The two men acted so quickly that Song Zelin and Li Chengfeng had already heard the news when they returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

It was not until then that Song Zelin suddenly realized.

So that's it! Your Majesty is trying to use Liu Zhenshan's trick to convince him that Zhang Chong is dead, and thus let down his guard!

This trick of concealing the truth is truly amazing!