[{"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-90":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},2336529,4569,"Chapter 90: Just when Chu Ruoyan stopped causing trouble, here comes an even bigger troublemaker!","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-90",90,"\u003Cp>The next day, when Xu Zifeng returned from the government jail, he noticed his aunt’s eyes were swollen—she must not have slept well, likely worrying all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped forward, concerned, and said, “Auntie, I’m sorry to have worried you, but this time, rest assured—I’ll stay home and won’t cause any more trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zifeng didn’t believe that Lei Yue’e could come into his house and drag him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Lianyu had only slept poorly last night, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t happy now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After living so long, this was the first time she’d tasted sweetness, and with Li Chen’s persistent coaxing yesterday, her heart had begun to shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen had reviewed her records: abandoned by the Ji family in the capital, she’d endured endless gossip because she was a widow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These things had made her life deeply dull, her world gray and white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At such a time, what she needed most was someone to rely on—or a reason to keep living.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Lianyu felt she could help Xu Zifeng, and that small sense of purpose kept her helping him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She feared being abandoned; she craved the feeling of being needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen naturally targeted this weakness, last night implying that the Southern Pacification Prince was merely a vassal prince, and the late emperor had spared him out of old affection, not because he couldn’t be dealt with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t think the Southern Pacification Prince looks so formidable—he’s never dared rebel precisely because he fears the major army groups surrounding him in the Tiance Dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen now holds real power and has no ties to the Southern Pacification Prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could easily find any excuse to crush him; if war truly broke out, what would happen to the Ji family? What about Xu Zifeng?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen knew her weakness and guided her to think this way, instilling a sense of crisis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he saw her being led by the nose, he began to hint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you serve me well, after I deal with the Southern Pacification Prince, I might show mercy to your Ji family—even spare Xu Zifeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This struck Ji Lianyu’s heart precisely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Lianyu wasn’t Chu Ruoyan; Li Chen naturally had different methods for different women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Lianyu had always wanted to prove her worth to the Ji family, and Li Chen, this powerful Saint Realm new emperor, was unquestionably her greatest ally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once she understood this, she naturally served Li Chen with greater devotion that second half of the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the main reason Li Si had slept poorly last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just when Chu Ruoyan had stopped causing trouble, here comes an even bigger troublemaker!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Southern Pacification Prince’s Mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Xu Zifeng say this, Ji Lianyu smiled and replied, “It’s fine, Zifeng—your cultivation method requires battle. From now on, your affairs are my responsibility. My ties with the Empress Dowager run deep, but you should only commit minor offenses—never major ones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don’t cause trouble, how will I get an excuse to serve the emperor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen had released her precisely because he wanted to see her sink on her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Li Chen never lacked women in the past, and he certainly doesn’t now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zifeng thought, is there such a thing as good fortune?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His aunt had always quietly resolved his troubles without explaining how.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, this time she’d said the Empress Dowager was helping, so he didn’t press for details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if he had pressed, Ji Lianyu would have firmly insisted it was the Empress Dowager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This blame for doing good deeds anonymously would surely land on the Empress Dowager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, a closed loop formed where everyone was satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zifeng, believing he had the Empress Dowager’s protection, continued causing trouble, and his strength grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yue’e could use Xu Zifeng to boost her record, since she was truly protected by Li Chen—her status would only rise higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Lianyu now had reason to draw near Li Chen, investing in her family’s future and perhaps securing Xu Zifeng’s safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen, needed by all, naturally enjoyed pure pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth proved Xu Zifeng was indeed a destiny-born child: protected by his father in the Southern Pacification Prince’s territory, and in the capital, Li Chen cared for him even more than his father did. Today, during morning court, Li Chen was in good spirits and handled state affairs swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the imperial study, a eunuch announced that Minister of Rites Yan Hai wished to see him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After receiving Li Chen’s permission, Yan Hai carefully cradled a sealed jade box in both hands, his face glowing with barely concealed triumph, and hurried into the imperial study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, this humble minister has the fortune to obtain a peerless treasure—an ancient serpent demon’s inner core. I dare to humbly request Your Majesty’s inspection.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he slowly opened the jade box, revealing a translucent, golden-yellow serpent demon’s inner core resting quietly within, emitting a faint, mysterious fragrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the inner core, faint patterns flowed as if imbued with mysterious power, inspiring awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is the name of this inner core? What divine effect does it possess?” Li Chen asked, slightly expectant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Hai quickly replied, “Your Majesty, this is the inner core of the ancient spirit beast ‘Mo Lin You She,’ which absorbed ten thousand years of celestial and terrestrial spiritual energy. If Your Majesty cultivates it, you will gain the power of the ancient spirit beast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Hai knew his master, the Second Prince, was likely to move soon, and the emperor might not be unprepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever won or lost, he had to prepare his response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he heard rumors of such a treasure appearing in the eastern Tiance Dynasty, he immediately had his men secure it and secretly presented it to Li Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Li Chen needed it didn’t matter; what mattered was his attitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of other things, if the Second Prince failed, he hoped Li Chen would spare his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was precisely because he found Li Chen’s character agreeable that he, as a minister, came to flatter him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen hadn’t thought much about it—he didn’t even know who belonged to whom in court. He treated being emperor like clocking in for work; as long as ministers completed their duties and didn’t defy him like Feng Huai, he didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If danger arose, he had his own methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But so far, nothing had made him feel threatened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his subordinate offer a gift, he naturally accepted it—and rewarded Yan Hai accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This reward was carefully chosen; Yan Hai, at his rank, wasn’t short of gold or jewels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen granted Yan Hai a grinding stone from the imperial study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was merely an ordinary “priceless” grinding stone, but its true value lay in the fact that Li Chen had bestowed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anything bestowed by Li Chen—even a single hair—was worth ten thousand gold!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Hai, trembling with excitement, seized the grinding stone and kowtowed in gratitude before leaving, thoroughly satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many in the entire court had received something personally bestowed by Li Chen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To court officials, such objects were more valuable than anything else!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Displayed at home, any visitor who asked about it would be instantly impressed upon hearing its origin, and the owner could enjoy a small moment of pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Yan Hai left, Li Chen finished processing his memorials and was about to leave for an appointment, taking the jade box containing the “Mo Lin You She Inner Core” with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d originally planned to wait until he visited the imperial treasury to select a treasure for Lei Yue’e.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Yan Hai had delivered it, he’d saved himself one trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital’s government jail, Lei Yue’e was reviewing criminal case files, her expression focused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing someone enter, she didn’t look up and said, “Place the files here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d just ordered her subordinates to retrieve essential case documents and assumed it was one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a finely crafted jade box appeared precisely where she’d indicated; her peripheral vision caught it, and her brows furrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, many nobles had sent her gifts, all of which she’d firmly refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital’s government jail, Lei Yue’e was famed for her integrity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew that if she accepted anything, she’d become timid and hesitant in her duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So no matter what it was, she would never accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she raised her head to rebuke the gift-giver, she recognized a familiar face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yue’e immediately rose and said, “Your humble minister did not realize it was Your Majesty—please forgive this breach!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1435,"2026-06-20T21:59:17.413Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","64d43772c93237c4fec4335d0d7a243904f7ca9227323df7a2086dffbd417d66","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-91","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-89",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--cover.jpg"]