[{"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-4":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},2336443,4569,"Chapter 4: As the saying goes: When the sovereign commands a minister to die, the minister must die!","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-4",4,"\u003Cp>The two officials named by Li Chen in the court were the head of the civil officials, Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the head of the military, Grand General Guo Po Yun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the morning court session, the ministers naturally changed out of their court robes and donned their formal attire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen merely told them to come in the afternoon, but didn’t specify the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this were an ordinary new emperor, they might not have arrived punctually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, they were seasoned ministers of the Tian Ce Dynasty, entitled to give a new, unstable emperor a cold shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what level was Li Chen? He was an Emperor of the Sage Realm—who dared challenge this new emperor’s limits?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even before afternoon arrived, the Chancellor and the Grand General had merely returned home for a meal and hurried straight to the Imperial Study to await orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you stop pacing? You’ve been walking back and forth in front of me for over an hour—I’m tired just watching you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan said irritably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since they arrived at the Imperial Study, Grand General Guo Po Yun had been pacing incessantly; Zhao Wenyuan could no longer bear it and spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, if Zhao Wenyuan had said this, Guo Po Yun would have launched into a tirade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But times were different now—Guo Po Yun had no interest in bickering with his old rival. He glanced around the room, then stepped close to Zhao Wenyuan and whispered: “What do you think our emperor wants with us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes, serving an emperor is like serving a tiger—Guo Po Yun had always been at ease before the late emperor, yet Zhao Wenyuan had never seen him so fearful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Zhao Wenyuan appeared calm, his inner anxiety and suspicion were no less than Guo Po Yun’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the late emperor and the other princes, he couldn’t claim to fully understand them, but he knew them well enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had studied their preferences, personalities, and conduct carefully—after all, as Chancellor, he had to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then could he thrive in court and hold his position as solidly as Mount Tai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Chen—he wasn’t just hard to fathom; he’d never even interacted with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Wenyuan had always known there was such a prince among the imperial sons, and had seen Li Chen at court banquets, but he knew nothing of his abilities, tastes, or character.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason both Chancellor and Grand General were so anxious was that during this morning’s court session, their factions had clashed fiercely, so focused on promoting their own disciples and allies that they’d completely ignored the new emperor’s presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As leaders of both factions, they feared Li Chen intended to kill one as a warning to the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they known Li Chen possessed such power, they wouldn’t have dared do this even if given ten lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only silver lining was that neither of them had spoken during the morning session—they hoped the new emperor, recognizing their long service and merit, would overlook this incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just the Chancellor and Grand General who were thinking this—those ministers who had shouted loudest during the morning court were now terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some with weaker nerves had already begun preparing their funerals at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the loyal ministers, whose conduct was upright and unassailable, rejoiced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For they had finally received the most powerful emperor in the Tian Ce Dynasty’s nearly five-hundred-year history!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around three in the afternoon, the door to the Imperial Study was pushed open by a eunuch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two arrived so early?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Li Chen stepped in, the Chancellor and Grand General snapped to attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not early at all—we just got here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be summoned by His Majesty is our great honor.”—these words spilled out automatically, ingrained by years of flattery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen had kept them waiting for three full hours, yet they showed not a trace of resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course Li Chen knew they had arrived at the Imperial Study long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d known the moment he woke up—but so what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he was an Emperor of the Sage Realm—he didn’t coddle these senior ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen hadn’t studied the art of rulership, but he understood one truth: never give your subordinates too much face—give too much, and they’ll grow arrogant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Chen truly didn’t care about court affairs—he summoned them simply to complete his system task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve both lived in the capital for many years—are you familiar with the eastern district?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan had imagined hundreds of possible dialogues during those three hours, he never anticipated Li Chen would ask this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Grand General Guo Po Yun pretending not to hear, Zhao Wenyuan, as Chancellor, had no choice but to answer: “Your Majesty, the eastern district is the most prosperous area of the capital; most of our dynasty’s merchant clans hold major assets here, and countless foreign merchants travel thousands of miles to come here, contributing significantly to our realm’s prosperity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet regarding foreign merchants, I believe we must safeguard their lawful rights, encourage their active business, and harness their contributions to our economy, while also reasonably levying taxes to ensure the stability of our state finances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Specifically, I propose establishing a dedicated taxation agency for foreign merchants, thoroughly auditing their business operations and setting fair tax rates based on scale, profit levels, and other factors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, I suggest offering tax incentives to encourage our own merchants to expand operations, adopt advanced technologies, and improve product quality, thereby further driving the development and prosperity of our dynasty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Wenyuan spoke at length—so much so that Li Chen was almost bewildered: Did I even ask for this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Chen found nothing wrong with his words and didn’t interrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was Chancellor—if he’d merely blurted out empty flattery like “peace and prosperity under heaven,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>people would think him utterly incompetent, nothing but a corrupt official who only built factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his age, having been favored by the late emperor and holding the chancellorship so long, Zhao Wenyuan must possess genuine talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Grand General Guo Po Yun thought: This old man’s reaction is swift—he clearly had this prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he didn’t know Li Chen’s preferences, Zhao Wenyuan hoped these words would subtly convey: I can ease your burdens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he gained Li Chen’s approval, his chancellorship would remain secure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it was Guo Po Yun who was embarrassed—if the new emperor had to punish one of them today, it would almost certainly be him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed a way to turn things around, to show Li Chen he was useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Guo Po Yun was lost in thought, Li Chen spoke: “Then today, both of you will accompany me to the eastern district.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two veteran ministers exchanged glances, seeing only confusion in each other’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had no idea why Li Chen wanted this—but dared not ask, and could only firmly agree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As subjects, whatever the emperor commands, they must obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: When the sovereign commands a minister to die, the minister must die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there’s a precondition: the sovereign must possess the power to make the minister die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen dared speak this way because he knew he had that power!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the advantage of having power!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It makes ministers constantly aware that they are merely ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1235,"2026-06-20T21:59:17.413Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8273057782a08ebeb6866ced225f9d900021e3a887868b326064af35886611ec","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-5","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-3",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--cover.jpg"]