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

Seeing that he had achieved the desired result, Li Chengfeng continued to speak and explained the next steps.

"My dear, you must perform a play with me at the court tomorrow morning."

"I will discuss the grain price issue in Xiliang."

"That old fox Liu Zhenshan has followers all over the government and the country. Once I make this move, they will definitely jump out to defend him."

Song Zelin nodded slightly. If His Majesty encountered this issue, it would certainly affect the interests of many people, and someone would definitely speak out.

"Although He Sheng possesses exceptional martial arts skills and holds military power, he is outspoken. Perhaps he was so enraged by those ministers that he even dared to utter words like 'treason'."

Song Zelin was shocked. If He Sheng really said such words, this national general would definitely become the second "Liu Chong".

"Your mission is to stop He Sheng."

Li Chengfeng's voice was deep and powerful. "Before He Sheng completely loses control, shut him up. Then, follow the ministers' wishes and pretend to agree with them, pleading for Liu Zhenshan."

Song Zelin frowned, this operation was really difficult for him to understand.

The emperor clearly wanted to deal with Liu Zhenshan, so why did he plead for him? Isn't this a contradiction?

"Your Majesty, I am stupid..." Song Zelin said hesitantly.

"What I want is for Liu Zhenshan to let down his guard, so that he will think that we are still wary of him and dare not act rashly."

It was a revelation! Song Zelin thought it was a brilliant idea.

This is a bigger game, and the key to this game lies in the word "stability".

Keep Liu Zhenshan's eyes and ears in the court steady, make them mistakenly believe that everything is under control, and thus paralyze their nerves.

"I understand."

On the other hand, the news of "Liu Chong"'s assassination was delivered by carrier pigeon and reached the hands of King Pingxi the next day.

When Liu Zhenshan learned about this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the newly enthroned little emperor is nothing but a waste.

Humph, a mere magistrate, overestimating yourself!

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Several confidants quickly flattered him, saying, "Now that Zhang Chong is dead, there's no evidence!"

Liu Zhenshan threw his head back and laughed, his heart filled with pride.

Little did he know that the real Zhang Chong was safe and sound in a secret place, collecting more evidence of his crimes.

Back in the capital, after a busy night, Li Chengfeng finally returned to the palace as the sky gradually brightened.

Li Chengfeng asked the eunuch to change his clothes and then went to the court.

……

In the Golden Palace, civil and military officials gathered together.

Li Chengfeng sat on the dragon throne, smiling.

"Do you, my dear ministers, still remember... the matter of grain prices in Xijing?"

As soon as Li Chengfeng asked the question, the Golden Palace fell silent.

The ministers looked at each other, and no one dared to speak first.

The day before yesterday, Xijing officials had already greeted many people and given up a lot of benefits.

Although the grain prices in Xijing are extremely high, the interests involved are complicated.

If anyone speaks first, he will end up getting into trouble if he is not careful.

What's more, Xijing is the fief of King Pingxi, and the issue of grain prices is obviously directed at King Pingxi Liu Zhenshan.

After a while, a short and fat official stepped forward cautiously. It was Qian Youliang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the rising grain prices in Xijing are due to natural disasters."

"Recently, Xijing has been experiencing drought and little rain, resulting in a poor harvest, which has led to rising food prices.

"Besides, Xijing is an important border town, and the transportation costs are much higher than in the capital. It is reasonable that the grain prices are slightly higher."

Qian Youliang's voice trembled a little. He glanced at Li Chengfeng on the dragon throne and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he didn't look strange.

He had to help people by collecting their money and helping them get rid of their misfortunes!

With money and food, he took the lead and other officials followed suit.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the drought in Xijing is severe, and I have heard a little about it."

"The King of Pingxi has guarded the border for many years and has made great contributions. How could he do such a thing as exploiting the people?"

For a time, the Golden Palace was filled with voices defending Liu Zhenshan, as if Liu Zhenshan was not a vassal king with a large army, but a loyal minister and general who had been wronged.

Li Chengfeng listened calmly, with a barely perceptible sneer on his lips.

"What nonsense!"

At this moment, an angry roar came from the ranks of generals, like thunder from the blue sky, exploding in the Golden Palace.

The chief military officer, He Sheng, the Marquis of Zhenguo, was seen with veins bulging: "Xijing has clearly had a bumper harvest this year, yet the grain prices are twice as high as in the capital!"

"Besides, this year the weather is good and the river is clear, so there's no problem with high transportation costs!"

"He Sheng! Stop your nonsense!" Qian Youliang shouted sternly, "You are slandering the King of Pingxi!"

"We have money and food. Do you dare to say that you don't know what Liu Zhenshan did in Xijing? He..."

He Sheng's eyes were wide open and he pointed at Qian Youliang's nose and cursed.

It seemed that he was about to reveal Liu Zhenshan's intention to rebel.

Song Zelin stepped forward in time and interrupted He Sheng: "General He, calm down. What Lord Qian said is not without reason."

"Xijing is located in a remote area, and information transmission is difficult. Perhaps the drought is indeed serious, but we are just unaware of it."

"The Prince of Pingxi has guarded Xijing for many years and has made great contributions. I don't think he would do such a thing as exploiting the people."

Having said this, the prime minister even acted as if he was deeply distressed.

He Sheng wanted to refute, but Li Chengfeng raised his hand to stop him.

"Alright, General He, I know you're outspoken, but this matter still needs to be verified. Don't jump to conclusions."

Although Li Chengfeng's voice was not loud, it carried an unquestionable majesty. He turned to the ministers again.

"I understand what you, my dear ministers, are saying."

"The Prince of Pingxi is the backbone of the country. I have the utmost trust in him."

"As for the grain prices, I find them strange. If they are caused by natural disasters and river transport, then it makes sense."

Upon hearing this, all the ministers praised Li Chengfeng for his wisdom.

Although He Sheng was dissatisfied, he knew that it was not appropriate to say anything at this time, so he could only shut his mouth angrily.

As soon as Li Chengfeng finished speaking, the Minister of Personnel Fang Zheng stood up again.

He coughed twice and said, "Your Majesty... This old minister suddenly remembered something."

"Back in the day, when the late emperor was on the throne, he said that our dynasty was full of talented people, with great ministers in literature and great military..."

He paused, and his cloudy eyes glanced around the Golden Palace before continuing.

"Wu You Zhenguo Hou He Sheng! General He is still the pillar of our army, but Prime Minister Qi is idle at home. Isn't it a pity?"

Qi Daokun was a figure from the previous emperor's period. During the prince's faction struggle, Qi stood on the wrong side and was ostracized by court ministers. He was forced to retire and return home.

But he has always had a good reputation in the court, and now Fang Zheng is bringing up old matters again, the meaning is self-evident.

"My dear Minister Qi..." Li Chengfeng pretended to be silent, tapping the armrests of the dragon throne with his fingers, but he understood in his heart.

This right prime minister and Liu Zhenshan had served in the same court, and there were bound to be many frictions between them in those days.

What's more, bringing this up at this critical juncture...is he trying to tell me that he has something on Liu Zhenshan?