The soldier's heavy breathing echoed in the Golden Palace. His lips were trembling and his face was pale, as if he had just been to the gates of hell.

"Your Majesty... those rioters... they actually have sophisticated weapons and armor! The Yong'an County Magistrate... has been captured by the rioters... the rioters..."

He suddenly stopped, his Adam's apple rolling, and he uttered the last few words with difficulty, "...behead the rioters!"

"What?!"

Qian Youliang exclaimed, his fat body swayed, and he almost fell.

Song Zelin's face also changed drastically, and he looked at the soldier in disbelief.

Li Chengfeng pretended to be shocked, stood up suddenly, and paced a few steps in front of the dragon throne.

"Sophisticated weapons and armor? Could it be that someone is funding these rioters behind the scenes?"

This play was indeed performed according to the "game plot".

This so-called peasant uprising was actually manipulated by someone behind the scenes, with the aim of weakening the imperial power so that they could profit from it.

And he knew very well who was behind this.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of no small importance!"

Qian Youliang had a mournful look on his face, as if the sky was about to fall. "These rioters are so rampant. If we leave them alone, I'm afraid it will lead to disaster!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to send troops to suppress these rioters and serve as a warning to others!"

Song Zelin also echoed.

At this time, Qi Daokun, who had been silent all the time, finally spoke.

"Your Majesty, I believe that it is not appropriate to use force now."

He spoke slowly, his tone calm, as if he already had his own thoughts.

"Now that disasters are severe across the country and people are living in dire straits, they have no choice but to rise up.

"If we send troops to suppress the rebellion at this time, it will only arouse greater public anger, which may backfire."

Qi Daokun paused and continued, "I believe that the most urgent task is to provide relief to the victims and appease the people, and then proceed slowly."

"What the Right Prime Minister said makes sense."

Li Chengfeng nodded. "However, the national treasury is now empty. How can we provide relief to the victims?"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to use some of my family's wealth to personally go to Hexi to provide relief to the victims and comfort the people."

Li Chengfeng sneered in his heart. This old man really wanted to take this opportunity to win over the hearts of the people and accumulate political capital for himself.

However, he was worried that he couldn't find an opportunity to test the old fox's background. Now that he took the initiative to come to him, how could he refuse?

"Great! The Right Prime Minister is truly loyal to the emperor and patriotic!"

Li Chengfeng nodded in appreciation. "I will appoint you as the Imperial Commissioner, fully responsible for disaster relief in Hexi. When the national treasury is full, I will reward you handsomely."

"I thank you Lord for your kindness!"

"but……"

Li Chengfeng changed the subject, "The situation in Hexi is complicated, and I'm a little worried about the Right Prime Minister going alone."

"How about this? I'll send Zhang Yuan to accompany you and assist you in disaster relief."

Zhang Yuan is also Li Chengfeng's confidant.

Sending him to follow Qi Daokun can not only protect his safety but also monitor his every move.

Qi Daokun's expression changed slightly, and he cursed Li Chengfeng in his heart for being cunning.

He originally wanted to take this opportunity to win over people's hearts and expand his power, but he didn't expect Li Chengfeng to send Zhang Yuan to follow him, which made all his plans go down the drain.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Although he was dissatisfied, Qi Daokun still had to pretend to be grateful and said, "With the help of Lord Zhang, I will definitely be able to complete the disaster relief mission!"

"Let's stop here for today and adjourn the court!"

Li Chengfeng left with a wave of his sleeves, leaving all the civil and military officials in the court looking at each other in bewilderment.

The Hexi Rebellion was just the beginning of the riot, and a bigger storm was still brewing.

What he has to do is to sit back and wait and see in this storm.

Li Chengfeng returned to the imperial study and rubbed his eyebrows. This drama had just begun.

He picked up the memorial on the table, but could not read a single word because the imperial examination was about to begin.

Now that he is away from Zhang Yuan, he has to do some things on his own.

…

In the blink of an eye, the day of the imperial examination arrived.

Outside the Imperial Examination Hall, a sea of people bustled and bustled. Students from all over the country, filled with dreams, eagerly prepared to showcase their talents in this exam.

Li Chengfeng and Song Yuwei appeared at the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

Song Yuwei did not dress up as a man today. She wore a light blue long dress, which made her look elegant and refined, like a fairy from heaven.

"Dear students, this is Song Yuwei. She will be the examiner today and will be supervising the exam with me."

Li Chengfeng's voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard throughout the Imperial Examination Hall.

As soon as these words were spoken, they caused an uproar.

"What? A woman serving as an official? This... this is outrageous!" An older student looked at Song Yuwei in shock and disbelief.

"Yes, since ancient times, there has never been a precedent of women entering the examination room!" another student echoed with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

"I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing."

A burly student stepped forward and said loudly, "So what if she's a woman? As long as she has talent, why can't she become an official? Your Majesty's move is truly enlightened!"

"That's right! Women can hold up half the sky! I support Your Majesty!"

“But…but…”

The older student wanted to say something but was interrupted by Li Chengfeng.

"Don't be nervous, students. Miss Song is extremely talented. I believe she is qualified to serve as an examiner."

Li Chengfeng spoke in a gentle tone, but his gaze lingered on the burly student for a while.

"The imperial examination is an important way to select talents. I hope you will all put aside your prejudices, take this exam seriously, and demonstrate your true talents and knowledge."

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