[{"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-20":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},2336459,4569,"Chapter 20: The Heart That Had Been Hanging, Finally Settled by Half!","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-20",20,"\u003Cp>At the Chu family mansion, from the patriarch and the ancestral elder down to the maids and stable hands, all were extraordinarily excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For today, their eldest daughter had been summoned to the imperial palace—if His Majesty took a fancy to her, wouldn’t they all rise with her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chu Ruoyan stepped through the mansion’s main gate, her mother rushed out to meet her, face brimming with concern and anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My daughter, you’re finally back!” Chu Ruoyan’s mother seized her hand, eyes gleaming with anxious excitement. “Tell me—how was His Majesty? Did he take to you? How did things go between you two?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Ruoyan’s father pretended to sip tea, but his hands trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an opportunity that could decide the Chu family’s fate—how could he not be stirred?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, he knew his daughter’s temper well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that girl stubbornly refused, trouble would be immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being expelled from the palace was minor—if she angered His Majesty, the Chu family would be lucky to escape the capital with their belongings intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning home, Chu Ruoyan had already resumed her usual demeanor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gently patted her mother’s hand to soothe her: “Mother, don’t rush. Let me tell you slowly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking, she stepped calmly into the chamber, her mother following close behind, eyes filled with eager anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting by the window, Chu Ruoyan took a small sip of tea to moisten her throat, then began recounting the banquet: “His Majesty’s complexion was excellent today, and he treated me with great courtesy. But feelings cannot be forged overnight. I exchanged a few words with him at dinner, but never ventured into personal matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to men who, at the sight of her, became tongue-tied and obsessed, Li Chen’s conduct most won Chu Ruoyan’s favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least she felt that this emperor—high in rank, mighty in power—respected her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He showed consideration for her feelings during their conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike other men, who always boasted of their prowess before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never cared what she truly desired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen was exceedingly thoughtful: after learning she loved sweets, he not only prepared many desserts for her but also claimed to have some expertise in the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Ruoyan eagerly looked forward to tasting the “ice cream” Li Chen had mentioned; the thought alone made her swallow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Chu Ruoyan thought: Li Chen was simply too perfect—he seemed tailor-made for her tastes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What woman could withstand an assault of this caliber?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While chatting animatedly with her mother, Chu Ruoyan mentioned she had met many high-ranking figures in the imperial study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though these dignitaries normally carried themselves with authority, when they erred, they trembled and knelt before Li Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This terrified her mother, who urgently whispered: “Shh! Don’t speak of such things—even if you saw them, never mention them to others. Don’t you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spreading secrets from the palace was extremely dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Chu Ruoyan suddenly felt a chill of fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh no—I just heard so much. Am I in danger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those ministers kneeling before Li Chen? Each one could destroy the Chu family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing her daughter’s unease, her mother reassured her: “Don’t worry. Since His Majesty allowed you to remain there, he has implicitly granted you permission. It’s just that ordinary people like us must not hear such things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t Chu Ruoyan’s mother want to know what had transpired in the imperial study?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course she did—but she also knew some things were better left unknown, lest trouble come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chu patriarch, seeing his daughter’s expression, knew at once—his daughter had developed feelings for the emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knot of worry in his heart finally loosened by half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other half? That depended on whether the emperor found her worthy. But one thing the Chu patriarch was certain of: this new emperor was undoubtedly exceptional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the new emperor been unworthy, his proud daughter would never have looked at him with such reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking with her family, Chu Ruoyan felt weary and prepared to retire to her room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she walked alone to her courtyard, a shadow slipped silently toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was none other than Xiao Ming—he stood blocking her path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How are you in my home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of Xiao Ming, Chu Ruoyan instinctively clutched her chest and pulled her collar higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ming considered himself upright; even if he wished to look, he deliberately turned his eyes away and lowered his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even stepped back several paces, to prove he was a true gentleman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ruoyan, I’ve come to bring you good news—my master has agreed to help us leave the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ming had trailed her from the palace gates all the way here, waiting for the chance to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her attire, Xiao Ming felt deep pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For years, apart from her hands and face, he had never seen any other part of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it—letting that dog emperor take advantage of her like this? His heart bled!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Xiao Ming saw Chu Ruoyan, he had claimed her as his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that his goddess was in peril, he felt he must rescue her from this toxic swamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While waiting outside the palace gates, he had already imagined the humiliations she suffered within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damned dog emperor—I, Xiao Ming, have remembered this grudge!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I reach the Saint Realm, I will teach this dog emperor a lesson and avenge my heart’s anguish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for now, lacking sufficient power, I can only let the dog emperor off—for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Chu Ruoyan knew his thoughts, she’d say: It wasn’t nearly as humiliating as you imagine—she even felt a little happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, Chu Ruoyan recalled: she had, in fact, tacitly agreed to elope with Xiao Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, out of modesty, she hadn’t outright accepted—but she had indeed entertained the idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after entering the palace and seeing Li Chen had she forgotten it entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she prepared to explain, Xiao Ming gritted his teeth: “I know this isn’t your true intention. You needn’t explain—I trust your character. Just do your best to stall for these seven days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for her reply, Xiao Ming vanished like smoke into the Chu family’s rear courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind, a proud woman like Chu Ruoyan could never possibly favor that emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Xiao Ming’s mind, Li Chen was an old, ugly, lecherous man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, most people only knew the TianCe Dynasty had a new emperor—they knew nothing of his true nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ming’s cultivation was already one realm higher than Chu Ruoyan’s, and his cultivation method was strange, his movement swift—she couldn’t possibly stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1101,"2026-06-20T21:59:17.413Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","831e18eec24b17a3d18b24c5effeb06faa8b7da04d65c316a7b7c264eea01577","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-21","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-19",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--cover.jpg"]