Chapter 66: Does this kid really think any Emperor would believe him?

The beautiful woman beside the Empress Dowager had outstanding features, dressed in lavish robes, her every gesture exuding dignity and gentleness.

The purple silk robe accentuated her figure with even greater allure.

Especially from the side, her full, firm bosom rose with every movement, making the subtle sway of her body utterly captivating.

Compared to the fully ripened Empress Dowager, this woman carried an additional two shades of innocence—something rare indeed.

At first glance, Li Chen wondered if this woman might still be a virgin.

She appeared aloof and uninterested, yet she had yet to taste pleasure; once she did, she would be utterly addicted.

Li Chen’s experience told him so.

Upon seeing Li Chen arrive, the woman swiftly rose and bowed gracefully, her voice carrying just the right blend of respect and distance: “Your servant pays homage to Your Majesty; may Your Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years.”

Her gaze lightly brushed over Li Chen, concealing complex emotions beneath, yet the hatred was skillfully buried deep in her eyes, not a trace revealed.

Li Chen glanced at the Empress Dowager and asked, “Who is this?”

The Empress Dowager smiled faintly and explained to Li Chen: “Your Majesty, this is an old acquaintance of mine, here today to petition. Her nephew was inadvertently arrested by Captain Lin, and the token he carried was none other than Your Majesty’s waist plaque.”

Hearing this, Li Chen felt a slight chill—he had to admit, Lin Yue’e was impressive; she’d barely gotten the plaque and was already acting decisively. He’d made the right choice giving it to her.

From the woman’s attire and her access to the Empress Dowager, her status was clearly high.

Therefore, her nephew could not be an ordinary man.

Li Chen asked coolly, “What crime did your nephew commit?”

The woman lowered her head, her voice tinged with resignation and self-reproach: “Your Majesty, my nephew truly acted wrongly—he spoke carelessly, uttering filthy words that offended Captain Lin. But he is frail and ill; if confined for seven days, he may not survive. I dare to beg Your Majesty to pardon him this once, allowing him to return home to recover.”

If it was merely reckless speech, the offense was minor indeed.

The Empress Dowager added a few well-timed words, her eyes filled with hope and pleading.

At this moment, the most stunned person was Ji Lianyu.

In the past, even if her nephew had been thrown into the Ministry of Justice’s prison, a single word from the Empress Dowager via a palace maid would have been enough for the Minister of Justice to release him.

Even when the Minister of Justice was the late Emperor’s trusted confidant, the Empress Dowager never bothered to consult the late Emperor.

This time, he was merely detained in a nearby government office, yet because Lin Yue’e held Li Chen’s waist plaque, even the Empress Dowager had to wait for Li Chen’s approval—she had no authority to act alone.

That could only mean this Emperor held real power—and formidable power at that.

Otherwise, how could such a trivial matter—releasing a man from a constable’s custody—require the Empress Dowager to seek the Emperor’s permission?

Li Chen did not know this woman, but he still owed the Empress Dowager a small favor.

The Empress Dowager had no quarrel with Li Chen; she had even introduced him to the harem.

So Li Chen spoke slowly: “I am now aware of this matter. Captain Lin enforces the law strictly, and her actions are beyond reproach. But considering your nephew’s frail health, I shall make an exception—let him return home to recover. However, he must henceforth speak with caution and refrain from repeating such offenses.”

Upon hearing this, the woman’s eyes flickered with delight, and she immediately knelt to thank him: “Thank Your Majesty’s boundless grace. Your servant will forever remember this mercy and will strictly discipline my nephew—he shall never offend again.”

The Empress Dowager smiled in satisfaction; Li Chen’s gesture of respect was deeply pleasing to her.

To have a Saint Realm Emperor speak in person was itself an honor.

After Ji Lianyu took her leave, Li Chen began to state his purpose for coming.

It was nothing major—just that the Empress Dowager had already selected one name from the ten harem candidates, and he urged her to arrange the next one.

The Empress Dowager assured him there was no problem: “You may doubt my character, but you must trust my judgment.”

They chatted casually for a while, then Li Chen took his leave.

On his way back to his chambers, Li Chen subtly beckoned, and the loyal minister, Grand Eunuch Cui, appeared swiftly at his side, head bowed respectfully, awaiting orders.

Li Chen first praised Grand Eunuch Cui and rewarded him with some gold.

Grand Eunuch Cui replied that serving His Majesty and easing his burdens was his honor.

Though he accepted the gold “politely,” he did so gladly. The amount mattered little; what mattered was that it was Li Chen’s gift.

When his subordinates worked hard, Li Chen must reward them—only then would they continue striving.

“There’s another matter: find out the identity of the woman who just left the Empress Dowager, her nephew’s name, and what crime he committed.”

Upon hearing Li Chen’s command, Grand Eunuch Cui immediately set to work.

Li Chen expected the information to arrive tomorrow, but less than an hour later, Grand Eunuch Cui delivered the intelligence.

Since he still had time before resting, Li Chen picked up the report to read.

Nearby, Li Si Ning, who had been playing with toys, walked over, curious about what Li Chen was reading.

After a moment, Li Chen understood.

The arrogant young nobleman he had beaten yesterday for harassing Lin Yue’e was Xu Zifeng, the hostage prince left in the capital by the Prince of the South.

That morning, he had indeed been arrested by Lin Yue’e for his foul mouth.

!

The beautiful woman was Xu Zifeng’s aunt-by-marriage—a young widow whose husband had died shortly after their wedding.

Xu Zifeng’s messes in the capital were mostly cleaned up by her.

When Li Chen saw Xu Zifeng’s dossier, his lips twitched slightly.

“This kid is overacting. Deliberately causing chaos like this only makes people suspect he has ulterior motives,” Li Chen muttered.

“Indeed, even I can tell this Prince Xu Zifeng is trouble—he’s deliberately provoking incidents,” Li Si Ning added.

Li Chen truly couldn’t understand what Xu Zifeng was thinking.

If he came to the capital and simply kept quiet, avoided trouble, no one would pay him much attention—he could quietly build his own hidden strengths.

Instead, Xu Zifeng stirred up trouble constantly, committing minor offenses but never major ones, naturally drawing the attention of the security departments.

By doing this, you make it impossible for the authorities not to notice you.

You think you’re playing your role well, but your undergarments have been thoroughly examined by the Ministry of Justice and the government office.

Li Chen could even see traces of annotations from the late Emperor on these documents.

The late Emperor had written comments suggesting that, before his father took action, all departments should turn a blind eye.

Otherwise, arresting him outright would force his father into rebellion.

“Now I understand why Grand Eunuch Cui found the information so quickly,” Li Chen murmured.

In these intelligence files, even the exact times, locations, and identities of everyone Xu Zifeng met—and their subsequent movements—were monitored by Ministry of Justice experts.

Does Xu Zifeng really think all officials of the Tian Ce Dynasty are fools?

Li Chen recalled that when he was a prince, he simply acted ordinary—and no one cared.

If he had acted like a complete failure, wouldn’t others suspect he was hiding something, given his talent?

In his fiefdom, you acted heroic and brilliant, your reputation outstanding.

Then you come to the capital and act like a completely different person—deliberately committing minor offenses but never major ones.

It’s far too obvious.

If you’d committed even a few major offenses, I might believe you weren’t acting—that you’d genuinely given up.

But you don’t commit major offenses at all; it’s nearly impossible for me to misinterpret you.

By doing this, you’re directly telling everyone: I’m going to conceal my true abilities!

Does this kid really think any Emperor would believe him?

(End of Chapter)