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

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

Li Chengfeng sat upright, flipping through the memorials in his hands, his brows furrowed.

Although the raids on the four great families shocked the government and the public, they also made him feel tremendous pressure.

"Your Majesty, Commander Zhao requests an audience."

Xiao Liuzi took two quick steps and bowed to report.

"Xuan."

Zhao Sheng, dressed in black, strode into the imperial study.

Following behind him was a thin man with a stern face.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhao Sheng, pay my respects to you."

"Ji Ye, I pay my respects to His Majesty."

Li Chengfeng put down the memorial, raised his head, and his eyes fell on Ji Ye.

This person has never appeared in the plot. It seems that as my choices become different, I have unlocked characters that were not there before.

"Who is this?"

"Your Majesty, this is Ji Ye, the Hidden Dragon Guard, responsible for monitoring Prime Minister Qi."

Zhao Sheng explained, "He's a Jianghu person, very good at Qinggong, and skilled in the art of investigation and concealment."

Li Chengfeng nodded slightly and motioned for the two to stand up.

"Tell me, what did you find?"

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Qi has been staying at home for the past few days and has not made any unusual moves. However, before the poetry gathering, I discovered that he had secretly visited Prince Gong's residence."

Zhao Sheng said in a deep voice.

"Oh?"

Li Chengfeng was not surprised by this. Prince Gong and Qi Daokun were not good people in the original plot.

There is not much intersection in the original plot, and there are even constant conflicts of varying degrees due to different ideas.

But behind the four major families is the Right Prime Minister, which is related to their behavior at the poetry meeting.

It turned out to be Qi Daokun's instruction.

"Do you know what they said?"

"This... your servants are incompetent and have not been able to find out." Zhao Sheng felt a little ashamed.

Ji Ye added, "However, from what I observed, Prime Minister Qi looked very proud when he left Prince Gong's mansion."

Li Chengfeng pondered for a moment, and had a vague guess in his mind.

Cheng Qitian is upright but too rigid, but if he can reach an agreement with Qi Daokun...

"Zhao Sheng, continue to monitor Prime Minister Qi. Report any signs of trouble immediately."

"Yes!"

"Ji Ye, you stay."

Zhao Sheng took the order and left, leaving only Li Chengfeng and Ji Ye in the imperial study.

"Ji Ye, what do you think of Qi Daokun?"

Li Chengfeng asked.

Ji Ye pondered for a moment, then said, "Prime Minister Qi is cunning and shrewd, and I dare not make any rash judgments."

Li Chengfeng smiled and said, "You can talk about it."

Ji Ye took a deep breath and said, "I think Prime Minister Qi may have ulterior motives."

Li Chengfeng's eyes darkened and his expression grew colder.

"Oh? Why do you see it?"

"Prime Minister Qi is a powerful figure, yet he met privately with Prince Gong. This in itself is highly suspicious."

"Also, I heard from Yinlong, who is squatting near Prince Gong, that Cheng Qitian was moving around the study frequently tonight, and seemed to be plotting something."

"Also, released a carrier pigeon."

Ji Ye’s words made Li Chengfeng’s heart tremble.

It seems that this pool of water is deeper than he imagined.

"Release the carrier pigeon? Which direction?"

Li Chengfeng pressed the issue, a barely perceptible chill in his tone.

Ji Ye pointed to the northwest: "Your Majesty, the carrier pigeon flew outside the city, and I can only vaguely see the northwest direction."

Northwest...that's where the five major camps are stationed.

Li Chengfeng already had an idea in his mind.

Prince Gong is planning to join forces with the five major battalions?!

"Jiye, you've done a great job. Keep monitoring Qi Daokun and report any developments immediately."

"Also notify the Yinlong of Prince Gong's Mansion to keep a close watch. Intercept any correspondence if possible, but the originals must continue to be delivered."

A gleam of light flashed in Li Chengfeng's eyes.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Ji Ye received the order, and his figure flashed and disappeared into the night.

At the same time, the tents of the five major camps outside the city were brightly lit.

The five leaders of the five major camps sat around the table with serious expressions.

"What does Prince Gong mean? He says that His Majesty is perverse and wants us to..."

Xiong Kuohai, a burly man with a full beard, slammed the table so hard that the teacup jumped up.

"Old bear, keep your voice down! If the walls have ears, we'll both lose our heads!"

Another thin man with sinister eyes quickly reminded him that he was the commander of the sharpshooter battalion, named Wei Wuji.

"What are you afraid of? In this remote place, how can there be ears?"

Xiong Kuohai curled his lips in disdain, but lowered his voice. "Your Majesty has already raided the four great families, and now he's targeting Prince Gong. I think he's going to..."

"We must purge the emperor's court and consolidate the imperial power!"

The commander of the Shen Ce Camp, a stern-faced man named Qin Feng, who had always been taciturn, spoke in a deep voice.

"Bullshit! Clearing out the imperial court? He's just trying to destroy the bridge!"

Xiong Kuohai roared, "If our five battalions hadn't fought to the death to protect him from ascending the throne, would he have been able to sit on the throne?"

"Old Bear, be careful with your words!"

The one who spoke this time was the commander of the Imperial Guards, a seemingly gentle but actually thoughtful man named Shangguan Yun. "Prince Gong means that we..."

"Let us rise up in rebellion!"

Xiong Kuohai interrupted him gruffly, "Damn it! I followed the late emperor through thick and thin. Now you want me to rebel? I..."

"Old Bear, calm down!"

Wei Wuji quickly pulled him back and said, "Now is not the time to act rashly. We need to think carefully."

"What are you thinking about? What else is there to think about? Prince Gong is trying to drag us down with him!"

Xiong Kuohai shook off Wei Wuji's hand angrily.

"That being said, Your Majesty has indeed gone too far by confiscating the property and exterminating the clan."

Shangguan Yun said slowly, "Although the four major families are somewhat domineering, their crimes do not deserve the death penalty."

"Yeah, confiscating the property is one thing, but they also exiled all the family members. This..."

Wei Wuji also echoed.

Qin Feng remained silent and just listened to their argument quietly.

"Then what do you mean..."

Xiong Kuohai looked at them and his tone softened a little.

"I mean, wait and see."

Qin Feng finally spoke, "Your Majesty is currently in the limelight, so we should not act rashly."

"Commander Qin is right. Let's see what the situation is."

Shangguan Yun nodded in agreement.

"What about Prince Gong..."

Wei Wuji was a little hesitant.

"Hold him steady first, don't let him act rashly."

Qin Feng said, "Our five camps have a total of 100,000 soldiers and horses. As long as we are united, His Majesty will not dare to touch us easily."

After they finished their discussion, they dispersed.

On the other hand, the news that the four major families were confiscated and exiled spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

The people applauded and told each other the news.

The four families that were once arrogant and domineering have now become prisoners and were escorted out of the city to a bitter and cold place.

As the days passed, Li Chengfeng went to court as usual to handle government affairs.

Qi Daokun and Prince Gong also seemed to have stopped their activities, the court was calm, and the ministers became honest.

But beneath this calm surface lies a turbulent undercurrent.

Li Chengfeng knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

He strengthened his surveillance of Qi Daokun and Prince Gong, while also secretly deploying troops to prepare for the coming storm.