In front of Chongzheng Hall, all the officials gathered.

"Haha~ Congratulations Lieutenant Song on your promotion to Commander of the Imperial Guard! I hope you will take good care of me in the future!"

Seeing the spirited Song Feng, Cao Song stepped forward with a smile and greeted him.

"Fortunately, the Emperor has favored us and entrusted us with this important task. As fellow ministers in the same court, we should look after each other and work together to share His Majesty's burdens. Grand Minister of Agriculture, please do not do so!"

Song Feng responded to Cao Song with a broad smile.

Although he was slightly higher in rank than Cao Song at this time, he still maintained a humble attitude when facing Cao Song.

Cao Song laughed and said, "Haha~ Yes, our present state is all thanks to His Majesty. We should share His Majesty's burdens and serve the king faithfully!"

Seeing Cao Song and Song Feng chatting and laughing, Li Mao and the others following behind Cao Song also looked somewhat uneasy.

In just two days, the former temple attendant who was about the same level as them suddenly became the high-ranking commander of the Imperial Guard. Even his wife was granted a title by the Empress Dowager. Such a huge difference made them feel somewhat unbalanced.

The others also looked at Song Feng with a hint of envy in their eyes.

Since the imperial edict arrived at the Song residence the day before yesterday, the news that Song Feng had been promoted to the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards spread throughout the entire court and the country in an instant.

No one expected that the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard, which had been vacant for more than half a year, would fall to Song Feng, especially since the imperial edict granted Song Feng the power to arrest criminal officials.

There was once a saying in Luoyang: "Those who run rampant and break the law may escape the first day of the month, but they can't escape the fifteenth; they may escape Yangqiu, but they can't escape Shuoru."

Now, in the imperial court, besides Yang Qiu and Xun Shuang, everyone has another Song Feng above them, which makes everyone feel uneasy.

Just as everyone was undecided, the doors of Deyang Palace suddenly opened wide, and Zhang Rang came out of the palace.

"The court assembly begins; all officials, enter the hall!"

With Zhang Rang's loud shout, civil and military officials, led by the Three Dukes, entered the Chongzheng Hall in turn.

"The Grand Tutor hasn't come again today?"

"Yes, I heard he fell ill a few days ago. His Majesty even sent two physicians, Hua and Dong, to treat him, but I heard there was no improvement!"

"Yes, I've heard that too. Many of the Grand Tutor's disciples have also rushed back from all over to visit him. I'm afraid he'll have a hard time getting through this!"

Upon discovering that Chen Fan was still absent from the court assembly, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.

Many people glanced at where Chen Fan used to stand, their eyes gleaming, and they began to ponder in their hearts.

Hearing the constant chatter behind him, Li Ying frowned, stood up, and turned to look at the civil and military officials behind him.

"quiet!"

Upon hearing Li Ying's angry shout, the previously chaotic court fell silent. Everyone glanced at Li Ying with fear and said nothing more.

With the Grand Duke and Grand Tutor currently absent, Li Ying, as the head of the Three Dukes and Grand Commandant, naturally has to step forward to take charge of leading all the officials.

The reason why people fear Li Ying is not only because of his own prestige, but also because Li Ying is a serious person who can be said to have no mercy. Furthermore, the Legalist faction, with Li Ying as its leader and Yang Qiu as its assistant, has been exerting a kind of suppression on them.

In the absence of Chen Fan in the imperial court, the only ones who could rival Li Ying and his ilk, besides Cao Song who relied on the emperor's favor, were even Hu Guang and Yuan Feng, who had to yield to him.

Moreover, it seems that Cao Song has no intention of making a move, after all, Li Ying was one of the first high-ranking officials promoted by the emperor, and his influence was considerable.

Many officials from aristocratic families and members of the "pure stream" faction immediately felt dissatisfied with Li Ying for taking the initiative to step forward.

"Your Majesty, the court is in session! All officials pay their respects!"

With a loud shout from Zhao Zhong, Liu Hong, dressed in the emperor's robes, slowly walked to the front of the hall, and all the civil and military officials immediately straightened their bodies.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

"My lords, you may rise in formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the emperor and his ministers had exchanged greetings, Liu Hong first looked at Li Ying and asked, "Grand Commandant, what is the situation in Liangzhou and Youzhou now?"

Li Ying stepped forward, bowed to Liu Hong, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Dingbian has led 15,000 iron cavalry to the various tribes of Dongqiang. Now, the 5,000 vanguard troops have entered the Qiang territory smoothly. The Marquis of Dingbian has stationed troops on the border to deter Xiao Xiao!"

Liu Hong nodded, then asked, "How are Lu Zigan and Huangpu Song's preparations in Youzhou?"

Li Ying said in a deep voice, "In Youzhou, Lu Zigan and Huangfu Song have already completed their deployment. Huangfu Song is personally leading 5,000 cavalrymen to the garrison of the Southern Wuhuan!"

Liu Hong nodded and said slowly, "Yes! Grand Commandant, you must keep a close eye on the situation there. At the same time, order Huangfu Song that the top priority is to protect yourself and train your soldiers. You must not underestimate the enemy or advance rashly!"

"promise!"

After Li Ying returned to the ranks of officials, Liu Hong turned to Yuan Feng again and asked, "Minister, how is the new furnace doing now?"

Yuan Feng stepped forward and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, the new furnace has been put into trial operation for more than five days. According to the recent smelting situation, the daily output of iron produced by the new furnace is more than 30% higher than that of the ordinary furnace. It is still under improvement. After the improvement is completed, the output will be able to increase by about 50%!"

"What? Daily production can actually increase by 50%?"

"What kind of divine magic is this?"

"Fifty percent? My God! That's unimaginable!"

"......"

As soon as Yuan Feng finished speaking, it caused an uproar in the hall, and everyone looked incredulous.

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