[{"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-29":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},2336468,4569,"Chapter 29: Now That I","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-29",29,"\u003Cp>Alte and Atad had been waiting outside the hall for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The younger brother, Atad, looked impatient; the elder brother, Alte, still had bandages wrapped around his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last night, they went to the residence of Minister of Rites Yan Hai, laid out the whole incident, and threatened that if they didn’t get a satisfactory response, it would be an insult to the Snow Eagle Wangting!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, Yan Hai calmed them down, concerned about stability in the north, and assured them he would definitely find the culprits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on their description, Yan Hai judged that the men who had beaten them were most likely scions of noble families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Hao indeed had identification ornaments on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, Alte and Atad demanded that the Emperor of the TianCe Dynasty give them a proper explanation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waiting a while, a eunuch from the palace summoned them to court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On their way to the grand hall, they carried themselves with arrogant superiority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like envoys from a superior dynasty inspecting a lesser one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, today they felt they were in the right—they’d not only demand punishment for the attackers, but also compensation for medical expenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, the northern Wangting’s army wasn’t made of straw!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had been brimming with complaints, but when they reached the court and saw the face of the new TianCe Emperor, they froze in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t this the kid who beat Alte last night?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How is he sitting on the throne?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy shit, he can’t be the emperor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Alte realize why that kid had said “See you another day” after beating him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t afraid of his status as an envoy—he knew Alte would come looking for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, they’d come to cause trouble, and now they’d walked right into his lap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely at first glance, the two Wangting noble envoys’ aura had already shrunk by half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earlier cocky, overbearing attitude was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire court noticed their sudden change and found it strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Minister of Rites Yan Hai stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, yesterday someone publicly assaulted Wangting envoys in the marketplace—this act seriously violates state dignity. I humbly beg Your Majesty to severely punish the culprits and uphold court order!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was Minister of Rites—foreign affairs was his duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calming foreign envoys was his task; if Alte and Atad remained angry and reported this to their Khan, the northern Wangting’s army might march south—that would be a disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So seeing Alte and Atad frozen in silence, he assumed they didn’t know how to speak, and took the initiative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil officials began whispering: which noble scion had the audacity to assault envoys?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once identified, they’d jointly petition for harsh punishment of this noble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li Chen’s lips curled into a wry smile as he spoke slowly: “Do you know why they’re silent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Hai shook his head, but a bad feeling stirred within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen teased, “I was the one who beat them yesterday. Minister, how should I be punished?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the entire court erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those civil officials ready to support Yan Hai were suddenly terrified, hearts pounding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Hai’s political rivals bit back smirks, thinking: this guy’s got balls—daring to accuse the Emperor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servant is terrified! Your servant had no idea it was Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty’s pardon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Hai immediately collapsed to his knees in terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Punish the Emperor? What nonsense! That’s no different from seeking death!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared in disbelief at Alte and Atad beside him, thinking: You two set me up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t you say it was a few noble scions? How could it be the Emperor himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he known it was Li Chen, Yan Hai would’ve helped Li Chen beat them again—how would he dare file a complaint?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Hai felt he’d been cursed lately—twice now he’d walked straight into the trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time his subordinate urged him to impeach the Emperor, and now he’d actually done it. Fate had decreed this calamity—he couldn’t escape it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alte felt Yan Hai’s gaze and felt equally helpless: I didn’t say a word—you went and opened your mouth. Whose fault is that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now you’re embarrassed—we can’t even pretend ignorance anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy; even Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan dared not speak up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, Li Chen’s voice echoed through the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go outside and slap yourself a hundred times. Come back only when you’re done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank Your Majesty’s mercy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Hai sprinted out of the hall, and soon, loud “slap-slap-slap” sounds rang outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slapped himself with brutal force—as if afraid Li Chen wouldn’t hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yan Hai returned, his face was swollen like a pig’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This punishment was already mild—offending the Emperor meant punishment depended entirely on His Majesty’s mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this lesson, Yan Hai never spoke again, avoiding the two envoys like plague carriers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alte recovered faster—he knelt and paid homage to Li Chen as a foreign envoy, hoping to bury the incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his brother kneel, Atad followed suit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the only two Wangting envoys in centuries to kneel—others merely bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did it matter that Alte’s hand was broken? Last night, he’d provoked it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone else had struck them, he might have argued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the attacker was the TianCe Emperor—he knew he couldn’t win. Better to change the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rise. State your business,” Li Chen said, as blunt as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servant has come under the Khan’s orders to propose a marriage alliance with the TianCe Dynasty, to strengthen friendly relations between our two nations. We humbly beg Your Majesty’s approval!” Alte said solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many court officials had already guessed this—Princess Nine had turned eighteen and was one of the Twin Jewels of the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wangting envoys had surely come for this purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One princess could buy decades of border peace—the civil officials thought it a fair trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The military officials were displeased but stayed silent; they were used to it. The Emperor would surely agree for stability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they were right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen smiled and said, “No problem. Your Khan is thoughtful—he must know I’ve just ascended and my harem is empty, so he made this proposal. I can’t refuse his goodwill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about this? I hear your Khan has many sisters. Send me ten unmarried ones. If not enough, include other royal blood relatives—only your own kin can ensure our two dynasties grow closer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hear the northern tribes are numerous and produce many talented individuals. I don’t ask for much—just 200 to 500 beautiful women from each tribe as dowry. Minimum 200. The more you give, the better—I’ll take it all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the dowry, have your Khan prepare 50,000 fine horses and 10,000 tons of premium beef.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen had barely finished speaking when the court erupted in shock—the two envoys stood frozen like stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True, the Emperor had agreed—but he’d demanded it outright!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For generations, the northern Wangting had always demanded—past emperors, to keep these barbarians quiet, had accepted such terms to secure decades of peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But lately, the Wangting’s demands had grown more frequent, fueling resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one expected the new Emperor, Li Chen, to flip the script and demand it all back, unapologetically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alte and Atad were stunned—wasn’t this our script?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And we’ve never asked for so much—how dare the TianCe Dynasty make such outrageous demands?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen didn’t care—he’d given them so much already; now he’d take it all back, with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve reached the Sage realm—who still coddles you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1257,"2026-06-20T21:59:17.413Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","60a0f18e12a49747c43990dd24aa589f052e94feaaa4f47dd2e533b809e2ff43","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-30","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-28",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--cover.jpg"]