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

Little Liuzi put away his playful smile and said seriously, "That's right, the adults have said it, you finally believe it, right?"

"Sir, I have to say that Li Ergou is pitiful. His mother is so seriously ill, but he insists on believing in the nonsense of this evil cult."

Tiezhu ate another piece of cake, patted the crumbs on his hands, stood up and began to report.

Especially the incident where Elder Yun killed the demons with his sword and Elder Yuan chanted scriptures to make the statue bleed.

"I don't believe it anyway."

Xiao Liuzi said, "But the followers of the Changsheng Sect all believe it without a doubt, and their numbers are so large that their power cannot be underestimated."

"It seems that this Changsheng Sect is indeed a bit strange."

Song Zelin pondered for a moment, walked to the desk, spread out a piece of white paper, picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, and began to write a letter.

His writing posture was very correct, and every stroke showed his seriousness and caution.

"Your Majesty, Holy Ann."

On the letter paper, neat small calligraphy slowly spread out.

"Your Highness, Song Zelin, respectfully reports that since the implementation of the new policies, merchants have flocked to Hexi, tax revenues have increased, and the people are living and working in peace and contentment. The results are remarkable."

"However, a sect called 'Cult of Immortality' has recently emerged in Hexi. Its teachings are absurd, its practices are secretive, it has a large number of followers, and it is growing rapidly, which seems to be quite confusing."

"I have heard that the elders of this sect can kill demons with their swords, and even the statues of the gods will bleed, in order to attract believers."

"I am concerned that there may be other ulterior motives, so I am reporting this to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

After writing, Song Zelin read the letter carefully to confirm that it was correct.

He rolled it up carefully and stuffed it into a small bamboo tube, then walked to the window and released a carrier pigeon.

The carrier pigeon fluttered into the sky and quickly disappeared into the night.

He turned around and said to Xiao Liuzi, "Xiao Liuzi, is there any news in the city recently?"

Little Liuzi's eyes rolled and he immediately understood what Song Zelin meant.

"My Lord, are you asking about the Immortal Cult? I'll go and find out right away. I'll make sure I get to know the details of the Immortal Cult!"

"Well, go ahead. But be careful not to alert the enemy."

Song Zelin warned.

"I understand, little one!"

Xiao Liuzi took the order and left.

Song Zelin turned to Tiezhu again and said, "Tiezhu, keep watching Li Ergou's family and see if they have any connection with the Changsheng Cult."

"Yes, sir! I will keep a close eye on them, and not even a fly can fly out!"

Tiezhu patted his chest and promised.

"Go." Song Zelin waved his hand.

……

On the other side, in the imperial study of the palace, Li Chengfeng was reviewing memorials.

A carrier pigeon suddenly flew in and landed on the windowsill.

Li Chengfeng opened the bamboo tube, took out the letter, unfolded it and saw that it was a letter from Song Zelin.

Seeing the three words "Cult of Immortality", Li Chengfeng couldn't help but sneer.

Killing demons with a knife? Making the statue bleed?

These low-level tricks can fool him, a soul from the modern era?

"This knife that kills the devils must have been coated with some kind of potion in advance. It turns color when it comes into contact with water, thus faking bloodstains."

"As for making the statue bleed, it's even simpler. We can install a small mechanism inside the statue, add some chicken blood or something, and we can achieve a realistic effect."

Li Chengfeng muttered to himself, his tone full of disdain.

However, ordinary charlatans cannot discover the raw materials of these scientific elements.

"There must be someone behind this Changsheng Sect, manipulating it. What's their purpose..."

Li Chengfeng touched his chin, and the more he thought about it, the gloomier his expression became.

"They're probably trying to exploit the people's superstitions, spread rumors, and build momentum... This scene feels a bit familiar."

"I just don't know who is behind this..."

Two figures emerged in his mind: Prince Gong and Qi Daokun.

These two people, one is the right-hand man of the late emperor and holds a large army, and the other is the right prime minister of the current dynasty. Both are powerful and ambitious people.

Moreover, they had all secretly expressed their dissatisfaction with the new policy.

"Is it them?"

Li Chengfeng narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, "If it's really them, then this Changsheng Sect is probably just a part of their plan..."

Thinking of this, Li Chengfeng immediately stood up, walked to the bookshelf and started searching.

He remembered that he had once read an ancient book that recorded some ancient magic tricks and mechanical devices.

If we can find that book, perhaps we can uncover more secrets of the Changsheng Sect.

After searching for a long time, Li Chengfeng finally found the ancient book among a pile of books.

He couldn't wait to open the book and read it carefully.

The various ingenious mechanisms recorded in the book opened his eyes.

Among them, a medicinal herb called "Blood Ganoderma" caught his attention.

This medicinal material will turn blood red when it comes into contact with water, and the color is bright and lasts forever.

"Isn't this the secret of the sword-slaying demon?"

Li Chengfeng was delighted, it seemed that his guess was correct.

……

The capital city was bustling with people, the cries of hawkers could be heard one after another, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of roast duck and candied haws.

Song Yuwei went out incognito today, bringing only Zhao Sheng with her. It would be more accurate to say that she was going out to get some fresh air rather than to understand the people's sentiments.

Ever since she took on the post of acting Left Prime Minister, she has been busy every day. Those old foxes in the court are as cunning as monkeys, and she will be easily fooled by them if she is not careful.

She was wearing a light blue dress today, and her long black hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin. She looked less fierce than usual and more girlish.

But those eyes were still as sharp as an eagle, and people dared not look directly at them.

Zhao Sheng followed her closely, like an iron tower.

Today he changed out of his usual black outfit and put on an ordinary green shirt, but the murderous aura he exuded could not be concealed, causing the surrounding vendors to not dare to shout loudly.

"Zhao Sheng, could you please not look so stern? Someone who doesn't know would think I owe you money."

Song Yuwei stopped and looked at him with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng forced out a smile that was uglier than crying: "I dare not."

But he was muttering in his heart that it was still unclear who owed whom money, and he still hadn't found where to go for the several hundred taels of silver he lost in the gambling house last time.

"I'm worried about your safety. The capital is full of mixed people. What if..."

"What if? What if you lose money again and can't make up for it at the casino?"

Song Yuwei ruthlessly exposed his thoughts.

Zhao Sheng's face turned even more bitter: "Sir, please stop making fun of me."

"I've been incredibly unlucky these past few days. I've lost five days in a row and can barely make ends meet..."

Song Yuwei snorted lightly, took out a silver ingot from her sleeve and threw it to him: "Spend it sparingly, don't lose it all again."

"I don't want to hear you cry poor anymore."

Zhao Sheng grabbed the silver, his eyes lighting up. "Thank you, sir! I promise I'll make a comeback this time! No, I'll definitely win a fortune!"

Song Yuwei shook her head, ignored him, and continued walking forward.

She naturally saw through Zhao Sheng's little thoughts, but she didn't point it out and walked straight to a vendor selling candied haws.

"Give me a bunch."

The vendor happily handed over the candied haws, but couldn't help but glance at Zhao Sheng.

This girl has an extraordinary temperament and is accompanied by a sword-wielding guard. It is obvious that she is not an ordinary person.

Song Yuwei took a bite of the candied haws, and the sour and sweet taste spread in her mouth, and her mood also improved a lot.

"Uncle, how's business lately?"

"Thanks to His Majesty and the Prime Minister, everything is fine!"

The peddler seemed to have opened up his mouth and spoke incessantly of the good words of the current emperor and the prime minister.

Unlike the flattery of those ministers, Song Yuwei could tell that this was recognition from the bottom of their hearts.

Song Yuwei nodded, gave the vendor four coins, took out two strings of candied haws, and handed one to Zhao Sheng: "Try it."

Zhao Sheng was flattered and shocked: "This... How can I be so embarrassed..."

"Just take it if I tell you to. Why so much nonsense?"

As Song Yuwei spoke, she took a bite of the candied haws, and the sour and sweet taste spread across her tongue.

"Thank you, sir."

Zhao Sheng took the candied haws carefully, as if he was holding some treasure.

The two continued walking forward and passed by a tea stall, where they heard several people talking.

"Hey, have you heard? The four major families have been raided!"

"That's right! I heard that the emperor was furious and had their entire family executed!"

"Serves them right! These four families have been oppressing the people and committing countless evil deeds. They should have received retribution long ago!"

"That's right! My cousin runs a business in Hexi. I heard they're trying out new policies there, and the results are pretty good!"

"Once it becomes popular, our lives will be much better!"

"Speaking of which, we have to thank the Emperor and Lord Song! If it weren't for them, we wouldn't know how long we would have been exploited!"

Hearing the people's praise for her, Song Yuwei felt a warm feeling in her heart.

She knew that everything she did was worth it.