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

Li Chengfeng's gaze swept through the dense crowd of heads below, and finally stopped on a few familiar figures.

It was them just now who stood firmly on their side amidst a chorus of doubts.

The young emperor's mouth curled up slightly.

These young students represent the power of the new generation and the future of Daqian.

Song Yuwei followed Li Chengfeng's gaze and asked softly, "What are you looking at, Your Majesty?"

"I'm looking at the future."

Li Chengfeng retracted his gaze and asked, "Who do you think will come out on top in this exam?"

Song Yuwei smiled slightly and did not answer directly. Instead, she asked, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"I think..."

Li Chengfeng deliberately prolonged his voice, his gaze once again fixed on the burly student, "Maybe there will be a surprise."

Song Yuwei followed Li Chengfeng's gaze and saw that the student was concentrating on writing, his pen moving quickly and with great vigor.

She had an idea and walked quietly behind the student, her eyes falling on his test paper filled with tiny handwriting.

The topic of this imperial examination was personally drawn up by Li Chengfeng, and it directly pointed out the biggest problems of Daqian today: the gap between the rich and the poor and the uneven taxation.

The questions may seem simple, but they actually contain hidden mysteries, requiring candidates to have strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

And this student named Chen Tingshu obviously has a deep understanding of this issue.

His articles are novel in conception and unique in viewpoint, and his words reveal a spirit of reform.

He did not simply repeat the views of his predecessors, but combined them with the actual situation of Daqian and put forward his own unique insights.

For example, the amount of tax collected should not be unified. After all, the gap between the rich and the poor in the Qian Dynasty is already huge. If wealthy businessmen and politicians pay the same taxes as ordinary people, it will only widen this gap.

He believed that taxes were not static and should be adjusted according to the people's income, with the rich paying more and the poor paying less or even being exempt from paying.

He also pointed out that although the Qian Dynasty had a vast territory, there was still a lot of unused and cultivated land in the border areas.

Local officials in some areas would even forcibly enclose land simply because the imperial court had no targeted policies.

He also proposed some specific measures, such as imposing heavy taxes on merchants and reducing taxes on farmers, which would surely improve the problem of the huge gap between the rich and the poor in time.

At the same time, wasteland was reclaimed and allocated to farmers for cultivation.

The more Song Yuwei read on, the more frightened she became. This was a way of reform that she had never thought of, nor dared to think of.

I didn't expect that an ordinary student could have such profound insights.

She even felt that some of Chen Tingshu's views were more insightful than those of the veteran ministers in the court.

It seems that Your Majesty has a keen eye for talent.

Song Yuwei couldn't help but admire in her heart.

Li Chengfeng just watched Chen Tingshu writing furiously.

He knew in his heart that young people like Chen Tingshu were exactly the pillars that Daqian needed for the future.

As time passed, the atmosphere in the Imperial Examination Hall became increasingly tense.

Some students have finished their test papers and started checking their answers, while some are still thinking hard, with beads of sweat on their foreheads.

On the other side of the Imperial Examination Hall, a young man dressed in gorgeous clothes, Su Yuan, was twirling the brush in his hand out of boredom.

He is the son of Lord Su, the Deputy Director of the Seal Verification Department. He has been spoiled since childhood and is a complete layman in governing a country.

But his father was a favorite of the Right Prime Minister. In his view, this exam was just a formality and passing the exam was a piece of cake.

He glanced at the question on "the gap between the rich and the poor" on the test paper and curled his lips in disdain.

"What's so good about this crap? Poor people are poor because they're lazy!"

He wrote a few sentences of eulogizing the emperor in a flamboyant manner on the examination paper, praising the emperor's wisdom and bravery, and his achievements that were unparalleled and could shine as brightly as the sun and the moon.

Song Yuwei noticed Su Yuan's actions while patrolling.

She frowned slightly, feeling that Su Yuan was extremely frivolous, but she didn't say anything. She just continued her patrol calmly, keeping Su Yuan's actions in mind.

With the sound of a gong, the exam time ended.

Song Yuwei began to collect the papers, and suddenly the sound of rustling papers flipping could be heard in the Imperial Examination Hall.

Some students felt relieved, some looked frustrated, and some were discussing the difficulty of the test questions with each other.

Li Chengfeng stood on the high platform, looking at the dense crowds of heads below, feeling a mixture of emotions in his heart.

This imperial examination was not only to select talents, but also to declare his determination to the world: he wanted to break down the old class barriers and give everyone the opportunity to display their talents and contribute to the prosperity of Daqian.

"I will review your papers as soon as possible and admit the best candidates."

Li Chengfeng's voice was loud and powerful, echoing over the Imperial Examination Hall.

The students bowed one after another and then left the Imperial Examination Hall one after another.

After the crowd dispersed, Song Yuwei walked over to Li Chengfeng and whispered, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Why don't you have lunch at my residence? My father has always wanted to discuss state affairs with Your Majesty."

"That's fine. I also want to look at the exam paper with the Prime Minister."

Tingyuxuan, the largest teahouse in Beijing, is bustling with people.

The exam had just ended and many students gathered here, drinking tea and discussing the exam questions.

"Hey, tell me, what exactly does His Majesty want to examine in this policy essay?"

"What else could it be? Of course, they want to see if we have the talent to help the country and the people!"

In the corner, Su Yuan crossed his legs, fanning himself with a folding fan, looking very pleased with himself.

"My father said that this exam is just a formality. As long as we don't offend the emperor, passing the imperial examination is a sure thing."

"A bunch of poor scholars want to compete with me? What wishful thinking!"

On the other hand, Chen Tingshu seemed to be a little worried.

He drank his tea silently, his brow furrowed.

Thinking of the radical reform measures I wrote on the test paper, I couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

Then I thought again, I have already submitted it, whether I succeed or fail, I will just leave it to fate.

Xijing, the Palace of Prince Pingxi.

Liu Feng held the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, feeling mixed emotions.

King of Pingxi? This title is truly... ironic.

His father Liu Zhenshan wanted to be emperor all his life, but in the end he ended up with his head and body separated, while his son got the chance to become a prince.

This imperial decree to crown him king is more of a shackle than an honor.

It's not that he doesn't understand his father's ambition, he just disdains it.

But this father's fate of having his head and body separated was also his own fault.

He turned to look at Lu Mingyuan beside him. The Minister of Revenue had been traveling all the way, but his face did not show any sign of fatigue. Instead, there was a hint of shrewdness and inquiry.

"Master Lu, thank you for your hard work along the way."

Liu Feng's tone was indifferent, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Lu Mingyuan bowed and said, "I dare not complain about the hardship of serving Your Majesty."

"Your Highness, now that the imperial decree has been issued, what are your plans?"

He stared at Liu Feng with his eyes, as if trying to see something from his face.

Liu Feng laughed, walked to the door and looked at the bustling street outside.

"I will naturally do my best to serve the court and work for the welfare of the people."

Lu Mingyuan observed Liu Feng's expression calmly, thinking to himself: This Liu Feng seems to be much calmer than his traitor father.

However, his father's old subordinates are not easy to deal with. Can they really be killed off so easily?

Three days later, Xijing Caishikou was crowded with people.

Liu Feng, dressed in plain clothes, personally supervised the execution.

Liu Xu was tied up and kneeling on the guillotine, his face pale and his whole body trembling.

He kept cursing Liu Feng until the executioner's knife fell.

The onlookers were silent, and then broke into deafening cheers.

Liu Feng, the newly appointed King of Pingxi, won the admiration of the people of Xijing by his thundering methods and his sacrifice of his relatives for the sake of justice.

Lu Mingyuan stood behind the crowd, observing everything silently.

As Liu Feng said, Liu Zhenshan's rebellious old subordinates were indeed killed in the previous suppression of the rebellion.

The force that Liu Feng secretly cultivated, although not small in scale, was poorly equipped and poorly trained, and looked more like a ragtag army.