[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet-":3,"chapter-i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-13":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Just Maxed Out, and You Want Me to Be a Puppet Emperor?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2336452,4569,"Chapter 13: Children Choose—I Am the Emperor!","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-13",13,"\u003Cp>\"The Empress Dowager has arrived!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just after morning court, Li Chen was having lunch when the eunuch’s voice sounded outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was not unfamiliar with the Empress Dowager, but neither was he well-acquainted with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, they had met only occasionally; recently, over the past few days, they had interacted more due to the coronation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems I’ve come at an inopportune time—have I disturbed His Majesty’s meal?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empress Dowager spoke softly, her entire being exuding the distinctive allure of a mature woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her fully ripened age, every curve of her body was irresistibly captivating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The women of the palace cared most about their appearance and figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empress Dowager’s figure had been maintained for countless years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every gesture and movement seemed brimming with endless temptation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially her full bosom, which invited boundless imagination—this was precisely why Li Chen’s gaze remained so clear when outside; he had endured great trials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking these words, the Empress Dowager waved her hand, and all the palace maids and eunuchs withdrew, closing the door behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had dismissed them because she intended to set a trap for Li Chen, and wished to prevent word from spreading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen was bewildered: I’m eating hot pot—don’t you think closing the door is too hot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, the Empress Dowager sat down beside Li Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was about to speak, but was immediately drawn in by the food before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, what is this? Why is it bubbling?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen had eaten for lunch a hot pot he had developed from memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him, the air was thick with the steaming aroma of meat, instantly awakening the most primal appetite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the pot, red oil churned violently, golden oil bubbles rising constantly, then bursting with a soft “pop-pop” sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, thin slices of fresh beef, as delicate as cicada wings, each with clear marbling and tender texture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is called hot pot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Li Chen picked up a slice of beef with his chopsticks; the meat juice instantly overflowed, dripping onto the broth’s surface and creating delicate ripples—the richness and freshness of the juice seemed capable of melting the taste buds instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emerald-green vegetables, washed in the red oil, had become even more vivid and enticing, interwoven with beef, tofu, and other ingredients into a perfect harmony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This hot pot base was Li Chen’s own fourteenth-generation recipe—so good it satisfied even him, and thus certainly no ordinary creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he had once been a prince, cooped up in the palace, cultivating and studying such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen noticed the Empress Dowager’s eyes fixed on the meat on his chopsticks, and casually said: \"Would you like some?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empress Dowager swallowed hard and replied: \"How could I possibly accept such an honor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet her beautiful eyes seemed to tell Li Chen: urge me again, and I’ll eat it immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, she had completely forgotten the reason she had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she had been waiting for news and had not yet eaten lunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To maintain her figure, she avoided oily and spicy foods, eating only bland meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flavor of the hot pot had awakened her deepest cravings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Today’s ingredients were prepared in excess—there may be leftovers. Throwing them away would be wasteful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well, since His Majesty says so, I shall help His Majesty finish some of it—food must not be wasted.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this excuse, the Empress Dowager’s appetite overcame her restraint, and she eagerly picked up her chopsticks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Li Chen’s guidance, she used her chopsticks to place a piece of meat into the pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After swirling it a few times in the broth, an even richer aroma rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if the meat and the hot pot had undergone some magical reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Chen said it was ready, the Empress Dowager could not wait to taste it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she bit down, succulent beef filled her mouth; the fragrance spread from her tongue to her nostrils, making her entire body feel light and euphoric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she chewed slowly, the broth seeping from the meat revealed a depth of flavor that left her longing for more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, she was lost in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, this beef must be from the Snow Realm of Jibei, the Snowland Spiritual Yak, correct?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct. The Snowland Spiritual Yak dwells atop the snowy peaks of Jibei, feeding on ice grass and drinking snowmelt; its meat is exquisitely tender and melts in the mouth. And this tofu—surely it is the Ice Lotus Jade Tofu from Jibei as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. It is made by grinding the sap of the unique Iceheart Lotus of Jibei with soybeans carefully selected from spiritual fields. These ingredients absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; besides their superior taste, they also enhance cultivation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empress Dowager praised both the ingredients and Li Chen’s refined tastes as she ate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She asked which master chef had prepared it; upon learning it was Li Chen himself, she was even more awed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the power of having eaten from someone’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Empress Dowager had ordered the door closed, and the hot pot itself was slightly spicy,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>someone accustomed to bland food like her grew hotter and hotter as she ate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once one became addicted, one no longer cared for such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To relieve the heat, she carelessly loosened her clothing, opening her collar wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left Li Chen, seated beside her, unable to look away—his gaze could not tear itself from the snowy expanse of her cleavage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen thought: I ate a relatively ‘mild’ version today, using only slight spice—and you can’t even handle it. If I’d used extra spicy, you’d have ripped your clothes off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen himself barely ate anything during this lunch; later, it was entirely the Empress Dowager eating, and she was eating without restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, her belly had slightly swelled—only then did she finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How delicious was it? Put it this way: the Empress Dowager nearly ate the entire hot pot base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, you didn’t come here just to have a meal, did you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Li Chen’s reminder, the Empress Dowager remembered what she had intended to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"During your time as prince, did you have anyone special in your heart?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empress Dowager had been setting a trap all along—she had instructed her subordinates to incite the Second and Third Princes to cause trouble, aiming to pressure Li Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Li Chen felt pressure, he would need a pillar of support—and at that moment, she could extend an olive branch, resolve his troubles, and earn his trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting aside his imperial status, his Saint Realm cultivation alone was enough to make countless major factions beg for his allegiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any faction possessing a Saint Realm powerhouse stood above all others lacking one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, wherever Li Chen went, he was an absolute prize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To cultivate a good relationship with Li Chen, the Empress Dowager had prepared another strategy: the whisper of the pillow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do not underestimate this plan—since ancient times, even heroes have fallen before beauty; many emperors were susceptible to it, unless Li Chen were a eunuch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the Empress Dowager needed was to place her own people in the palace, preferably to bear Li Chen a child—then she could firmly control him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had never intended to harm Li Chen; she merely wished to gain benefits from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen spoke honestly—he was reclusive; aside from the women of the harem, he had met few others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But precisely because he had seen so many of them, encountering ordinary women outside held little interest for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the Empress Dowager continued: \"Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, you must begin to produce heirs as soon as possible, to secure the imperial bloodline.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen wanted to deflect, saying: “You say it—why don’t you handle it yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something felt off, so he merely asked: \"If you say so, do you have suitable candidates in mind?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his words, the Empress Dowager pulled from her sleeve a list she had long prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The list contained ten women’s names, drawn from noble families, meritorious clans, cultivation sects, and vassal kings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eight of them were her own people—each woman, in appearance, cultivation, and talent, met her approval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she sought to win Li Chen’s favor; she had no reason to offer him inferior candidates and risk offending him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she could not make it too obvious, so she added two more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two were famed for their beauty, yet notoriously cold and aloof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She did not believe Li Chen would choose either of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, which one do you favor? I can summon them to the palace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Empress Dowager’s tactic—those who dared to be aloof invariably had Saint Realm powerhouses as their backing. Thus, though it appeared a choice, it was in truth a demand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew Li Chen simply tucked the list into his sleeve, as if to say: Children make choices—I am the Emperor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1508,"2026-06-20T21:59:17.413Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4f5ed00729665e72ed3256ad1e79e18ccd679d17ee319ccca42d2ddbc72b314c","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-14","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-12",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--cover.jpg"]