Chapter 10: Your Majesty, Should I Say I Have It, or Not?

Secretary of Rites Yan Hai knelt down with astonishing speed.

But his kneeling froze the entire hall in shock.

The next instant, every person in the mansion dropped to their knees.

“Student pays homage to His Majesty!”

“Minister pays homage to His Majesty!”

The once lively mansion banquet was now so silent that a falling pin could be heard.

Li Chen’s aura instantly swept through the entire mansion, making heaven and earth tremble!

All the officials, under this pressure, shook uncontrollably, foreheads pressed against the cold ground, daring not to lift their eyes even slightly.

The students kneeling around finally understood why Li Chen had dared to strike a government official while claiming he had no background.

He was the Emperor—he needed no background; he himself was everyone else’s greatest background.

In this world, those with background are not terrifying; it’s those who need no background who are truly fearsome.

Lin Yue’e, kneeling nearby, was terrified beyond words—she never imagined the shield she’d randomly picked up at a roadside eatery was the reigning Emperor.

No wonder he said, “Hit someone who knows him”—it was because officials too lowly didn’t even know him!

My vision was too narrow. I suspected his identity was significant, but I never dreamed it was the Emperor!

The most terrified among them were Chen Rong and his son Chen Jie.

Upon hearing Secretary of Rites Yan Hai call Li Chen “His Majesty,” Chen Rong remembered his own boast to impeach the reigning Emperor—and fainted on the spot.

Chen Jie’s face turned purple with terror; he lost control of his bladder and urinated on the floor.

He may have been in the right to be beaten, but so what?

The other side doesn’t ignore reason—they don’t need to use it at all!

Had he known this royal scion was His Majesty, he wouldn’t have dared show his face here even with a hundred times his courage.

“Yan Hai.”

“Your servant is here.”

Hearing His Majesty call him, Yan Hai was panicked, palms slick with sweat.

He thought: my subordinates dared offend this new Emperor, a Saint Realm cultivator—surely the Emperor intends to make an example of me.

Had another prince ascended the throne, Yan Hai wouldn’t have been so terrified.

Because other princes, if they wished to remove or kill him, would have to consider many things.

For instance, if he had committed no capital crime, killing him outright would turn the legal system built by past Emperors into a laughingstock across the land.

Other princes needed to gather evidence of his crimes—even framing him required time, giving him opportunity to protect himself. That was the game of court politics.

Or rather, the struggle between sovereign and minister.

The Tian Ce Dynasty was a realm governed by law.

But then again, what exactly is the Saint Realm?

Many sects across the continent dared to tower over the people and ignore imperial authority precisely because they had Saint Realm cultivators standing guard.

A Saint Realm cultivator in this world had already transcended the law.

A Saint Realm master could judge right and wrong solely by his own will.

And this one was not just a Saint Realm cultivator—he was the Emperor. How could Yan Hai not fear?

That morning at court, he had foreseen this day would come—but never imagined it would arrive so swiftly.

He had prepared himself for Li Chen’s harsh punishment, even the confiscation of his family’s wealth—yet Li Chen asked: “Do you lack authority?”

These words stunned Yan Hai; he slowly raised his head and replied: “Your Majesty, should I say I have authority, or that I don’t?”

Compared to others, I still hold some power; compared to you, I dare not claim I have any.

Li Chen glanced at the aristocratic youths around him and said to Yan Hai: “Then how did these people get in?”

Yan Hai instantly understood—the Emperor was angry about this.

As long as it wasn’t about punishing him, it was a minor matter.

Officials must understand what the Emperor means.

If he didn’t handle it properly, he himself would be dealt with.

At that moment, Yan Hai regained the bearing befitting a Minister. He ordered his subordinates to arrest these aristocratic youths—and their fathers too, to be dismissed and investigated.

He moved swiftly to uncover the evidence, determined to deliver justice to all.

As for Chen Rong and Chen Jie, he would give them special attention. Once these eyesores were removed, the entire mansion felt noticeably lighter.

Li Chen told everyone not to be overly restrained—all present were elites of the Tian Ce Dynasty, its future pillars.

Tonight, they could speak freely to Minister Yan Hai—voice their grievances and demands; Yan Hai would do his best to meet them.

The sudden shift left Yan Hai stunned—shouldn’t you handle this yourself? Why is it now my burden?

But since His Majesty had spoken, Yan Hai naturally complied.

The elite students of the Combat Academy, seeing the Emperor had opened his mouth and given them imperial backing, flocked to Yan Hai with complaints—and Yan Hai had his subordinates record each one.

Watching these Combat Academy students’ pure eyes and sincere hopes,

Yan Hai suddenly felt a desire to genuinely help them—like returning to his student days, burning with passion and righteousness.

Back then, he had vowed: once he became a high official, he would serve the people.

But after entering office, he lost his way, choosing to corrupt himself for greater power.

!

In this moment, he realized he had stepped far from court intrigues.

Now, he was no longer Second Prince’s subordinate—he was merely the Minister of Rites.

Li Chen had not forced him to choose sides, nor punished him—he simply asked him to return to his duty.

In truth, he had always known what his subordinates did.

Because Second Prince wanted to win over court officials, he had to grant them privileges—otherwise, why would they serve him?

These aristocratic youths ran rampant in the capital precisely because their greatest protector was Second Prince.

As Minister of Rites, Yan Hai could only pretend not to see.

Today, for the first time, he had acted as Minister of Rites should.

For some reason, Yan Hai began to feel Li Chen truly resembled an Emperor.

Because true sovereigns judge by justice, not personal favor.

The elite students of every Combat Academy felt this new Emperor was both majestic and approachable.

He listened to the students’ opinions—so naturally, they supported him.

Halfway through the banquet, Li Chen felt something was missing.

After a moment’s thought, he remembered someone was still outside.

He called Yan Hai over and told him to go to the gate and fetch someone.

Yan Hai was puzzled—who needed him to personally greet?

But he said nothing—he went where the Emperor ordered.

Only when he reached the gate did he discover Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan standing there, arms folded, face full of resentment.

Yan Hai was startled, immediately rushing forward to ask why Zhao Wenyuan hadn’t entered.

He shouldn’t have asked—once he did, Zhao Wenyuan’s anger flared. “Didn’t your men block me?”

Zhao Wenyuan dared not complain to Li Chen—but he could vent on Yan Hai.

Holding back fury all this time, he finally found someone to unleash it on.

Those nearby watched as the Minister of Rites was cursed out by a man in servant’s garb—and dared not reply.

Yan Hai was helpless—rank above crushes rank.

Upon learning Li Chen would often visit the Combat Academy in Dongcheng and even teach them skills, all the gloom among the students vanished.

This promise was so sweet, they were eager to die for Li Chen on the spot.

Seeing the students’ fiery enthusiasm, Li Chen finally understood why the late Emperor had valued these young scholars so deeply.

The banquet ended, and Li Chen departed first from the Ministry of Rites’ mansion.

Yet from the moment he revealed his identity until his departure, Lin Yue’e had not spoken a single word to him.

Was it because she didn’t want to?

No—it was because she had no chance!

(End of Chapter)