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

Li Chengfeng glanced at the audience and found Song Yuwei walking towards him with a hint of barely perceptible worry between her eyebrows.

"Your Majesty, the Poetry Club..."

Song Yuwei spoke softly, but was interrupted by him raising his hand.

"Let the poetry meeting end here."

Li Chengfeng's voice was filled with fatigue. "I'm exhausted from what happened today, and I really don't have the heart for romance."

"As for the leader, I think the young man named Feng Rusi is quite good, and I think no one will object."

Song Yuwei nodded and walked up to the high platform. She opened her red lips and spoke in a clear and pleasant voice: "Everyone, today's poetry gathering ends here. Thank you all for participating."

Although the poetry reading started off well but ended badly, everyone was already so shocked by the scene that they couldn't recover. How could they have the mind to write poetry?

Besides, this poetry gathering was just a cover, and now that its purpose has been achieved, there is no need to continue.

"The champion of this poetry competition is Master Feng Rusi!"

Song Yuwei's voice sounded again, bringing everyone's thoughts back.

Feng Rusi, an unknown young scholar, unexpectedly made a splash today and won the first place.

He walked up to the platform excitedly and took the jade disk that symbolized the championship from Song Yuwei, feeling filled with emotion.

Li Chengfeng stood aside with a barely perceptible smile on his lips.

This poetry gathering was originally planned by him in order to lure out the snakes and catch those parasites in one fell swoop.

And Feng Rusi, this talented young man, is exactly the talent he has his eyes on.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Li Chengfeng stopped Feng Rusi and said, "Mr. Feng, please stay."

Feng Rushi's heart trembled. He vaguely felt that this young emperor seemed to look at him differently.

He bowed respectfully and said, "I, Feng Rusi, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Li Chengfeng smiled slightly and said gently, "No need to be polite."

"I really appreciate what Master Feng said and did today."

"I wonder if you would be willing to serve the country as an official?"

Feng Rusi was flattered and was about to speak when she heard a gentle yet dignified voice: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid Feng Rusi cannot serve as an official in the court."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Cheng Ruxue in red walking towards them gracefully, her steps graceful.

She has picturesque eyebrows and eyes, and her every frown and smile is full of bewitching charm.

Li Chengfeng frowned slightly. This woman was none other than the most popular prostitute in Zuixianlou.

He had only met her three times, twice during incognito visits and once at today's poetry gathering, but he didn't expect her to stand up at this time.

He thought to himself: Where did such a courtesan get his men from? It seemed that Cheng Ruxue's identity was not simple.

"Oh? I didn't expect Miss Ruxue to come to the poetry reading too."

Li Chengfeng showed some surprise.

"However, I wonder what the relationship is between this scholar and the girl?"

Cheng Ruxue walked to Feng Rushi and gently took his arm with an intimate gesture, as if declaring her sovereignty.

"Feng Rusi is a guest of my Zuixianlou. If Your Majesty wants to take him away, you must ask my opinion."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

Everyone knows that Cheng Ruxue is the most popular girl in Zuixianlou, but no one expected that she has such power that she can recruit Feng Rushi, who won the first prize in the poetry competition, for her own use.

It is even more unimaginable that she dares to compete with His Majesty for someone.

Li Chengfeng sneered in his heart, Qingke? I'm afraid it's more than that.

He looked at Cheng Ruxue with a half-smile: "Miss Cheng, how can I let go of such a talented person so easily?"

"Besides, whether Mr. Feng stays or leaves is his own decision. Isn't it a bit too much for you, young lady, to intervene?"

Cheng Ruxue met his gaze fearlessly, not afraid of arguing with the emperor: "Your Majesty, what you said is not right."

"Ru Siben is my man, so why not let me make the decision for him?"

"Besides, Your Majesty has spoken so earnestly about being considerate of the people, yet now you are forcibly seizing a woman from the people. Isn't this a contradiction?"

Her words were extremely clever. She not only praised herself but also implicitly criticized Li Chengfeng. She also described Feng Rushi as "one of her own", which made everyone present imagine a lot.

Li Chengfeng was secretly angry in his heart. This woman was really sharp in teeth and claws!

When I was listening to music at Zuixianlou before, I didn't notice it at all. It's really well hidden...

He took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and said, "Miss Cheng, I respect you as a talent and don't want to make things difficult for you."

"But I still say that Master Feng is indeed a living person, not an object."

"Whether he is willing to serve as an official in the court, we should ask him personally."

He turned to look at Feng Rusi and asked again, his eyes burning: "Mr. Feng, are you willing to serve the country?"

Feng Rushi was caught between the emperor and the courtesan, in a dilemma.

He admired Li Chengfeng in his heart and was eager to achieve great things, but Cheng Ruxue did do him a favor.

For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.

Cheng Ruxue gently pinched his arm, as if to remind him, but also as a threat.

Feng Rusi took a deep breath, and under Cheng Ruxue's slightly warning gaze, he mustered up the courage to say, "Your Majesty, I...I..."

His eyes flickered and he didn't dare to look directly into Li Chengfeng's eyes.

He was torn between his conscience and his desires. His ideals and ambitions were within reach, and he was unwilling to let them go.

Such a good opportunity may only come once in a lifetime.

Following this wise ruler, he could show his talents, but in Zuixianlou, he really did not see the future that Cheng Ruxue promised him.

Li Chengfeng did not urge him, but just looked at him quietly, waiting for his answer.

"I... am willing to serve Your Majesty!"

Feng Rushi finally made up his mind, held his head high and chest puffed out, his eyes determined.

Li Chengfeng nodded with satisfaction, thinking to himself: He knows the big picture and can weigh the pros and cons. He is indeed a useful talent.

He turned to look at Cheng Ruxue, with a hint of triumph in his voice: "Miss Cheng, did you hear that?"

"Master Feng is devoted to the country and the people. Why would you stop him?"

Cheng Ruxue's face changed slightly. She didn't expect Feng Rushi to actually agree.

She looked at Feng Rushi deeply, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

Her face was pale, and her fingertips dug into Feng Rusi's arm with such force that they almost sank into the flesh.

Feng Rushi frowned slightly in pain, but didn't dare to say anything. He just glanced at her cautiously.

In Cheng Ruxue's view, this look was full of cowardice and betrayal.

"Okay, very good."

Cheng Ruxue spoke each word clearly, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, carrying a bone-chilling chill.

She let go of Feng Rusi, took a step back, and smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles on her sleeves, as if the intimate gesture just now was just an illusion.

She chuckled softly, but there was no trace of laughter in her laughter. Instead, it sounded like an ice spike scratching across glass, harsh and sharp.

"Mr. Feng is a man of high integrity. Cheng Ruxue admires him."

Cheng Ruxue returned to her usual demeanor, unusually gentle. "I just wonder if Master Feng, when he becomes successful in the future, will still remember the gentle land of Zuixian Tower today?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengfeng stood aside without saying a word, looking at the woman inconspicuously.

This "Miss Ruxue" from Zuixianlou doesn't seem like an ordinary woman.

Feng Rushi's face flushed red, and he stammered, wanting to explain, but he didn't know where to start.

He remembered Cheng Ruxue's kindness in his heart, but how could he refuse the emperor's favor?

"Miss Cheng, you are too kind."

Li Chengfeng laughed out loud, and finally spoke to help Feng Rusi out of the predicament, "Mr. Feng is a pillar of the country, I will cultivate him well. As for the land of pleasure..."

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable of his words, his eyes lingering on Cheng Ruxue, "There are also beauties in my palace, who are not necessarily inferior to you."