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

"Since that's the case, I won't say any more."

Cheng Ruxue suppressed her displeasure and forced a smile, "I just hope that Your Majesty will treat Ru Si kindly and not let him down."

Li Chengfeng sneered in his heart. This woman is really good at acting.

He said calmly, "Of course. I value talent and will definitely make use of Master Feng."

Cheng Ruxue said no more and turned to leave, her red dress fluttering like a blooming poppy, beautiful but with a hint of danger.

Return to the secret room of Zuixianlou.

She pulled off the pearl hairpin on her head and threw it to the ground, making a crisp cracking sound.

"Damn Feng Rusi! Useless thing!"

She was so angry that her whole body was shaking, and her exquisite makeup could not hide her anger at the moment.

She kicked over the table in front of her, and the teacups and teapot on the table rolled to the ground and shattered.

"I'm such a fool! I actually believed him!"

Feng Rushi was her carefully selected chess piece and a crucial part of her plan to restore the country.

She even made plans for every step in the future and was about to succeed, but she failed at the last moment!

She is not reconciled!

The sharp nails broke and blood flowed down the wall, which was shocking to see.

"I must restore my country! I must!"

She growled with gritted teeth, struggling in despair like a trapped beast.

The door of the secret room was gently pushed open and Shadow walked in.

He looked at Cheng Ruxue's embarrassed appearance, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Owner, why torture yourself like this?"

Cheng Ruxue raised her head, the anger in her eyes gradually subsided, replaced by deep fatigue and powerlessness.

"Owner, you have done your best. Feng Rusi's choice is not your fault."

She knew that Shadow was right, but she still couldn't accept this result.

"I must restore my country! For my father, for my country, I must!"

Shadow's eyes were firm, hiding a tenderness that Cheng Ruxue would never perceive: "Master, I will always be with you until you fulfill your wish."

Cheng Ruxue raised her head and looked at Ada's determined eyes, and hope was rekindled in her heart.

"Shadow, thank you."

She wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and regained her usual calmness and composure.

"Now, we have to rethink our plans."

She walked to the table, picked up the pen and ink, and began to write and draw on the paper.

"The connection with Feng Rusi is broken. We must find another way out."

As she thought, she wrote down a few names on a piece of paper.

"Who else around Li Chengfeng can be used?"

Her eyes fell on a name and a meaningful smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"It's just you."

……

The blood-red color of the setting sun painted mottled patterns on the dilapidated courtyard wall, and the weeds at the base of the wall trembled in the autumn wind like a stray dog.

Su Yuan and Chen Ling huddled in the shadows, their gorgeous clothes covered in dust. The once high-spirited young masters now looked as miserable as two rats crossing the street.

"Damn Li Chengfeng! How dare he?!"

Chen Ling gritted his teeth and punched the wall. He hissed in pain, but the hatred in his heart could not be relieved.

Their family's wealth, accumulated over generations, was completely plundered!

Su Yuan's face turned pale, and a sinister light flashed in his eyes: "Don't worry, we will settle this account with him sooner or later! The most important thing now is to go find Prime Minister Qi."

Chen Ling sat dejectedly on the ground, holding his head, his voice filled with despair: "What else can we do? We are finished! The family is finished! Everything is finished!"

Su Yuan grabbed his collar and sternly said, "Cheer up! We still have Prime Minister Qi! As long as he's still here, we still have a chance!"

The two men stumbled to the back door of Qi's mansion, but were turned away.

The concierge squinted at them, his tone filled with undisguised disdain: "Hey, isn't this Master Su and Master Chen? Why aren't you going to Zuixianlou to listen to music today?"

Su Yuan suppressed his anger, pulled out a piece of silver from his sleeve and stuffed it into the doorman's hand: "Hurry up and inform Prime Minister Qi, and tell him that Su Yuan and Chen Ling want to see you for something important!"

The doorman weighed the silver and smiled contemptuously, "You two gentlemen, I'm afraid you don't know yet? The wind in the capital has changed.

"The Prime Minister is so busy with affairs of state that he doesn't have time to see you poor people."

Su Yuan's expression changed, and he grabbed the doorman's collar: "What do you mean? How dare you play tricks on us?"

The doorman sneered and shook off his hand: "What do you mean? Go find out for yourself!"

"Xu Zeyou has fallen, and both your families have been raided. The Prime Minister is avoiding you now. How could he possibly meet with you?"

"Go ahead and dream!"

Su Yuan and Chen Ling were stunned as if struck by lightning.

At the same time, in the study of the Qi Mansion, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could drip out.

Qi Daokun's face was gloomy. He paced back and forth, and the teacup in his hand made a creaking sound as he squeezed it.

Xu Zeyou was demoted, and the incident at the poetry meeting, these news were like thunderclaps, making him uneasy.

Li Chengfeng's move was too cruel!

Without making a sound, he destroyed the power he had painstakingly built up over the years.

He originally thought that Li Chengfeng was young and impulsive, and could be easily controlled, but he didn't expect that he was so secretive!

"Master, what should we do now?" the butler asked cautiously.

"What a Li Chengfeng! I really underestimated him!"

Qi Daokun growled with gritted teeth and slammed the secret report in his hand onto the table, "How dare you play dirty tricks on me!"

He was pacing back and forth, restless.

He originally had great power in the government, but Li Chengfeng gradually disintegrated his power, and even made him his next target.

He must come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise, all his years of hard work will be wasted.

In the magnificent study of Prince Gong's Mansion, Cheng Qitian's face was pale and he slumped in a chair, as if all his strength had been drained away.

Mei Chengshan stood aside, reporting everything that happened at the poetry meeting tremblingly.

He didn't dare to look up at Cheng Qitian's face, because he knew that this news was tantamount to a disaster for Prince Gong.

Cheng Qitian's mind was blank and buzzing.

He couldn't understand how Li Chengfeng did all this.

He had clearly tilted the tide of public opinion in an unfavorable direction, enough to overwhelm Li Chengfeng, but he was still able to turn defeat into victory!

He felt a deep fear.

He always thought that he knew Li Chengfeng well, but he didn't expect that he had greatly underestimated this young emperor.

Li Chengfeng's scheming and methods far exceeded his imagination.

He recalled his previous contempt and disdain for Li Chengfeng. Now it seemed so ridiculous and stupid!

A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and he felt as if he was in an ice cellar, his whole body cold.

He must reassess the threat posed by Li Chengfeng, otherwise, he will pay a heavy price.

"Your Majesty, now...what should we do?"

Mei Chengshan asked cautiously, breaking the silence in the study.