Apparently shortly after Li Congke took the throne, he gave Li Chongmei the title of imperial guard general, and shortly after gave him the titles of military governor (Jiedushi) of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the region of the capital Luoyang), and commander of the imperial guards.
[1] Not long after, Li Chongmei's uncle (the husband of his aunt the Princess of Jin), Shi Jingtang the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), rebelled with aid from the Khitan Empire.
Li Chongmei volunteered to go in his stead, stating:[1] Your Imperial Majesty's eye ailment is not cured, and should not be exposed to distant travels with wind and sand.
Although your subject is but a child, I am willing to head north myself instead of Your Imperial Majesty.Li Congke, who was hesitant to face Shi, initially was inclined to grant Li Chongmei's request, but the chancellor Zhang Yanlang, Liu Yanhao, and the director of palace affairs Liu Yanlang (劉延朗) were all urging Li Congke himself to go, and therefore he launched his army, but he advanced slowly, fearful of Shi.
[1] As continued news of Later Tang defeats were arriving at Luoyang (including the assassination of Zhang Jingda by his deputy Yang Guangyuan and Yang's subsequent surrender to Khitan/Hedong forces, as well as the defeat of another Later Tang army, commanded by Zhao Dejun), the people in the city were panicking and trying to leave the city and hide in mountains and valleys nearby.