I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 139: All Nations Come to Pay Homage, Forbidden Land Shadow! (Please subscribe, please vote)

Zhao Wenyuan still has a certain deterrent power in the court.

He didn't make any big mistakes, and those who wanted to help him get promoted did restrain themselves.

This does not mean that they do not want to be prime minister, but they have not yet found enough evidence to force Zhao Wenyuan to step down.

The new Minister of War returned to his seat with great joy, and Pang Jin stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have a report to make!"

On the dragon chair, Li Chen said, "Go ahead."

In his opinion, Pang Jin was indeed a talent. Whether in terms of cultivation or ability to do things, he could be considered top-notch in the Tiance Dynasty.

It is indeed very appropriate to arrange him in this position.

When Pang Jin heard Li Chen speak, he told him about his plan from yesterday.

That is to say, the Sect Affairs Department was established, with the same authority as the other six departments, and it was in charge of all the major sects in the Tiance Dynasty.

Any cultivator in the Tiance Dynasty who wants to establish a sect must apply to the Sect Affairs Department and can only do so after obtaining permission.

As for the existing sects, let them register. If there are any who disobey, they will be immediately listed as evil sects and an order to exterminate them will be issued.

As for the person in charge of the Sect Affairs Department, Pang Jin recommended Lin Yue'e, who had recently gained great prestige in the imperial capital.

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court began to become turbulent, and everyone was talking about it.

Li Chen did not stop them and allowed the court officials to express their opinions.

Opening a new department means adding a lot of staff, which is a big deal. Li Chen let the court officials worry about it themselves. He was responsible for integrating the opinions anyway.

There is really no need for him to rely on himself to figure out everything, or to only listen to a certain minister.

There are so many ministers, all of whom have worked in the Tiance Dynasty for many years, and they all have some reliable opinions to a greater or lesser extent.

The first person to speak was the Minister of Revenue Liu Minghan, who was also known as a child prodigy.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the establishment of the Ministry of Sect Affairs can indeed solve the problems of the sects, but its authority cannot be equal to that of the six ministries, and it should not have the power to enforce the law. Instead, it should be a functional department responsible for issuing the court's policies to the sects."

According to Liu Minghan, the Ministry of Zongwu cannot become the next Ministry of Justice.

If the Ministry of Zongwu is made equal to the six ministries, the head of the Ministry of Zongwu will obtain the same rights as the six ministers, that is, the power to enforce the law.

If the Ministry of Sectarian Affairs has the power to enforce the law, it will conflict with the authority of other departments in some aspects, which will cause unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, if the size of the Sect Affairs Department expands, it will definitely accumulate many powerful people, and these powerful people may even include those who are elected from the sect.

That is what is called a 'stationed officer'.

These people do not necessarily obey the court, they only want the development of their own sects.

Just treat the Ministry of Sect Affairs as a registration office. This way, it only needs some people with low cultivation levels to testify. It has no authority, and no one will want to force people in.

Liu Minghan glanced at Li Chen and continued, "There is one more thing I want to mention. I have heard of Lin Yue'e, the head of the police, mentioned by the Minister of Justice. She is very efficient, but she is still young and has little experience.
It would be difficult to convince the public if she was promoted to a higher position hastily, and she does not have the ability to manage a department. I think we can give her further education and transfer her to the imperial capital when she has the ability to manage."

He had been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for many years and was very familiar with matters such as the promotion of officials.

Some officials are promoted too quickly, resulting in the inability to do their jobs, which can lead to two situations.

First, they are rather self-righteous and do things according to their own ideas, but they lack experience, which leads to failure.

Second, choosing to listen to experienced subordinates will eventually lead to a lack of the ability to think independently.

Therefore, Liu Minghan’s solution was to let Lin Yue’e go to a more grassroots place for training, that is, to send her to the countryside.

Holding important positions in some cities would allow her to demonstrate her abilities and gain management experience.

During this period, she will also recruit a group of her own subordinates, so it will be easier for her to do things when she comes back.

Besides, with grassroots experience, you will be able to convince others when you come back.

This is the opinion Liu Minghan provided during the court meeting.

Before anyone else could speak, Prime Minister Zhao Wenyuan stepped out and said, "I second the proposal. The selection of officials from the six ministries is a process of promotion. If the Ministry of Religious Affairs is newly established and its authority is equal to that of the six ministries, it will lead to confusion in the imperial capital. I suggest that the Ministry of Religious Affairs be temporarily managed by the Ministry of Revenue, and we can make other plans after Lin Yue'e returns from further studies."

Gradually, many court officials agreed, believing that the Ministry of Clan Affairs could be established, but it should not be raised to such a high position at the beginning.

After listening for a while, Li Chen felt that this was true.

Maybe Lin Yue'e is loyal, but some things cannot be solved by loyalty.

Once the Ministry of Sect Affairs is established, personnel will be drawn from the other six ministries. These people are veterans of the Tiance Dynasty and will never obey Lin Yue'e.

Lin Yue'e should indeed be allowed to go to a more grassroots level for training.

Since the Sect Affairs Department is only a registration department for sects, let the Ministry of Households manage it.

Besides, Li Chen has not yet dealt with all the three major alliances, and the Sect Affairs Department is unable to achieve unified management.

Jiuyuan Holy Land is just a pilot site for the implementation of the policy, and we need to see the initial results first.

The main point is this. As for the details, let your subordinates think about them themselves. Li Chen will just give a summary.

"Okay, let's do it this way."

After Li Chen said this, the matter was settled and no one raised any more opinions.

Pang Jin also returned to his position. He felt that he had indeed thought too simply. If he really followed his idea, the Ministry of Sect Affairs might have accumulated more powerful people than the Ministry of Justice, and it would be difficult to control them at that time.

However, since the trouble was brought to the Ministry of Revenue, he was able to relieve some of the burden.

The Minister of Revenue Liu Minghan is an extremely capable person, and he is indeed a good choice to manage the affairs.

Liu Minghan did not postpone it either. It was not a big deal for him.

What follows are some normal state affairs reports.

The new Minister of Rites stood up, his voice steady and powerful: "Your Majesty, in a while it will be our country's annual national celebration, this is a grand event to show the prosperity of our Tiance Dynasty. At that time, envoys from vassal states and princes from all over the country will come from thousands of miles away to pay homage to your Majesty and see your holy face. This is a tradition of the past dynasties and cannot be abolished. But how should we deal with the Prince of Zhennan?"

The day when the ancestor of the Tiance Dynasty proclaimed himself emperor was the day of celebration.

This kind of celebration is also to announce to the world, to attract all nations to come and show the power of our great country.

There is no need to shout at the Northern Royal Court, the fighting has already begun.

The Minister of Rites had already said this in a very tactful way, as everyone knew that the Prince of Zhennan had the intention of rebelling.

If the Prince of Zhennan were informed of such a grand event and he did not come, it would indeed damage the emperor's reputation.

There is a war going on in the north now, and the garrison of the Tian Ce Dynasty can only stop the Prince of Zhennan from going north. If the Prince of Zhennan is angered, he will really start a rebellion, and then the Tian Ce Dynasty will surely be in chaos.

Not sure whether Li Chen took the King of Zhennan seriously or whether the King of Zhennan could not pose a threat to Li Chen, Li Chen said directly: "Just notify him."

It was just such a simple sentence, and the Minister of Rites had no choice but to do it.

Everyone in the court was guessing what Li Chen was thinking.

In fact, his idea was very simple. He naturally knew that the Prince of Zhennan had rebellious intentions.

But why should I let Prince Zhennan consider this troublesome matter?

If he comes, or sends representatives here, it means he still recognizes me as the emperor, and I can temporarily not deal with him.

If he doesn't come, it means he is not giving me face, so why should I indulge him?
Li Chen does not think with the mindset of a victim, he judges with the mindset of a strong person.

Don't ask me if I'm afraid of Prince Zhennan's rebellion. Go ask him if he's afraid of being dealt with by me.

Li Chen had a quick judgment and could listen to his ministers. He would not say ambiguous words to make his ministers guess what he meant, so everyone was relaxed at the morning court.

Then his reputation for virtue would gradually spread. In fact, Li Chen just went to work to punch in and wanted to leave early.

When the court was dismissed, Li Chen asked Pang Jin to come into the imperial study.

Pang Jin understood what happened yesterday, so he went to the imperial study in advance to wait for Li Chen.

As soon as Li Chen left the court, he saw the commander of the imperial guards, Li Sixing, waiting on the side. He must have something to report.

Seeing Li Chen appear, Li Sixing walked over and whispered in Li Chen's ear: "Your Majesty, an unknown strong man appeared in the royal forbidden area last night. His intentions are unknown. He fought with our strong men and fled."

Li Sixing is a direct descendant of the royal family, and it is his job to maintain the stability of the royal family.

The forbidden area hides many secrets of the royal family. Even the imperial soldiers are inside, as well as some special personnel being held captive.

"Can you tell where this person came from?" Li Chen asked.

Generally speaking, as long as you find out the martial arts techniques used, you can figure out the school.

Anyone who can escape unscathed from the royal forbidden area should not be an unknown person.

"The skills used by this person are different from those of the traditional practitioners of our dynasty. He seems like a practitioner from another country, but we cannot rule out the possibility that he is in disguise." Li Sixing replied.

According to previous cases, there was once a strong man from another country who learned the martial arts of another country and caused trouble in the imperial capital.

This made Li Chen think, the national celebration will be held soon, why would a cultivator from another country come to cause trouble at this time? Who could it be? What was his purpose in exposing himself?
Li Chen couldn't figure it out and was too lazy to think about it. If he had the guts, he could just come and cause trouble for him.

After letting Li Sixing continue working, Li Chen returned to the imperial study.

As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Pang Jin waiting there.

Li Chen entered the imperial study, sat on the dragon chair, and said, "You continue to investigate the case of the prince's death. Tell me what you find out. The queen mother also wants to know who did it."

Letting Pang Jin continue the investigation was actually the Queen Mother's way of showing that she was on Li Chen's side.

The Zou family is a big clan, and the empress dowager is from the Zou clan. It would not sound good to see siblings killing each other.

This move can also help with Pang Jin's help to make the tribesmen more obedient and teach them a lesson.

Having lived in the deep palace for so long, her clansmen probably only remember her when they need her.

Hearing what Li Chen said, Pang Jin immediately kowtowed to show that he would do his best.

Li Chen patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry too much about this matter, but there is something that you need to pay attention to."

Then he told Pang Jin about the appearance of a mysterious strong man in the royal forbidden land, and asked him to monitor the foreigners in the imperial capital. He didn't ask him to arrest and investigate anyone, but just to monitor them appropriately.

"Your Majesty, this is a big matter. I will investigate it thoroughly." Pang Jin still has confidence in investigating the case, which is also his job.

After Li Chen gave a few instructions, Pang Jin left the imperial study.

After finishing his work, Li Chen came to where Xia Qing lived.

As soon as I arrived, I saw a beautiful figure practicing in the yard.

Every move of her swordsmanship was so perfect that the palace maids beside her applauded.

Seeing Li Chen appear, Xia Qing immediately put away her sword and came to Li Chen to pay her respects.

"Is there anything you're not used to?" Li Chen was still very caring towards her.

"Your Majesty, everything is fine here, but I am a common man. I feel uncomfortable when I can't use the strength in my body. I don't know when I can go to Xinhuo Combat Academy to take up a post." Xia Qing replied respectfully.

Both the tone of voice and the movements are very spot on.

"I have already arranged everything. I will take you there today."

For such a small matter, Li Chen could just ask a eunuch to notify the dean of Xinhuo Combat Academy to come over. It was not a big deal.

It is a small matter for the emperor to arrange a person, not to mention that this person has certain abilities and does not count as occupying the teaching qualifications of Xinhuo Combat Academy.

It just so happened that Li Chen was free today, so he took her away.

But before that, Li Chen had to go back to check Li Sining's homework and change his clothes.

As soon as Li Chen arrived near the bedroom, it seemed as if a hair on Li Sining's head stood up. Sensing Li Chen coming, she immediately stood up to greet him.

"Brother, are you done? Hey, is this the new concubine?"

The moment Li Sining saw Xia Qing, she naturally thought of her as Li Chen's concubine.

"No, no, you misunderstood. I am not your Majesty's concubine."

This was not the first time that Xia Qing had been misunderstood like this. Whether it was Chu Ruoyan, Li Sining, or some other women she met yesterday, they all thought she was Li Chen's concubine.

Even the palace maids and eunuchs called her "Niangniang", which was really troublesome for her to explain.

After hearing Xia Qing's explanation, Li Sining understood. Just like the first time she met Chu Ruoyan, it was not the case 'for now'.

"This person is very powerful in the sect. If you don't understand anything in cultivation, you can ask her." Li Chen began to promote Xia Qing.

Xia Qing also quickly said that she was just practicing blindly and had no special skills. If Li Si Ning wanted to learn alchemy, she could teach Li Si Ning how to do it.

When Li Chen heard this, he felt that Li Si Ning would definitely refuse. Alchemy is a very troublesome thing, and Li Si Ning is a bit lazy, so how could she possibly learn it.

But what was unexpected was that Li Si Ning was actually very interested in alchemy. In her opinion, there seemed to be no difference between alchemy and "cooking", and it seemed very fun.

When Xia Qing heard that she wanted to learn, she took out a book from her arms and gave it to her, and began to teach her seriously.

Her main purpose in coming to the capital was to teach, and she took Li Sining as her first student.

She could never have dreamed that the first poison pill cultivator in the continent in nearly a hundred years would learn from her.

After Li Chen changed his clothes, the eunuch came over and said that Qu Heng, the dean of Xinhuo Combat Academy, had been summoned to the imperial study in the palace and was waiting for Li Chen to come over.

Qu Heng is over sixty years old, and he is able to serve as the dean of Xinhuo Combat Academy. Not only does he possess the power of Tianyuan Realm, but he has also made military achievements for the Tiance Dynasty. He is a general who came from the border.

Only if this kind of person serves as the dean of the combat academy will the emperor feel at ease.

Because they had guarded the Tiance Dynasty and were very loyal to it.

The talents cultivated will naturally be the same as them.

Qu Heng was woken up during his lunch break this afternoon.

In this small area of ​​Xinhuo Combat Academy, if you dare to disturb his lunch break, you will be scolded!
But before he could get angry, he heard that it was the emperor who summoned him, and he ran over happily.

You must be kidding. He was summoned by the emperor. How could he dare to get angry?

Along the way, he was still asking the eunuch whether he had made any mistake that was why the emperor summoned him.

Or in other words, when His Majesty summoned him, his expression was angry or serious.

Because Qu Heng was also someone who had heard the strange stories about the Imperial Study, and he also heard from others that few people who were summoned into the Imperial Study could walk out normally.

Qu Heng was also puzzled. He hadn't made any mistakes recently. Could it be that his descendants were causing trouble?
But what kind of trouble could make His Majesty summon him personally?

Even though the eunuch kept telling him not to worry, he still came to the imperial study with trepidation.

This was not the first time Qu Heng came here. The late emperor attached great importance to education. When he was the dean of the Xinhuo Combat Academy, he summoned him here and instructed him on some things.

Come to think of it, that was more than ten years ago.

The scenes from that year emerged in his mind, and his thoughts even went back to those years, with memories flashing through his mind like a kaleidoscope.

Qu Heng suddenly came to his senses and was horrified. Why did he think of these things for no reason? Could it be that my time is up? Is today the day I die?
Just when he was daydreaming, Li Chen brought Xia Qing here.

This was the first time that Qu Heng saw Li Chen’s holy face.

Before meeting Li Chen, Qu Heng had heard that this emperor was extremely powerful and had an unrivaled appearance.

But he didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a compliment and that everyone would praise the emperor in the same way when meeting him.

But when I saw it today, I realized that it was the fucking truth.

Let me put it this way, Xia Qing is a beauty as beautiful as a fairy. She attracts attention wherever she goes. In the past, when she appeared alone in some cities, it even caused a sensation.

But Li Chen was able to overshadow her and make her follow him like a transparent figure.

"I am Qu Heng, your humble servant, here to pay my respects to Your Majesty and Your Majesty." Qu Heng knelt down and kowtowed.

When Xia Qing heard Qu Heng's tone, she thought that this man probably regarded her as Li Chen's concubine again.

How many times do I have to explain this every day?

She no longer wants to explain, you can think whatever you want.

"Stand up, I want to discuss something with you today."

Li Chen would definitely not explain, his purpose was also very clear.

After expressing his gratitude, Qu Heng followed Li Chen into the imperial study.

Li Chen introduced to Xia Qing that this person was the dean of Xinhuo Combat Academy, and then told Qu Heng that Xia Qing wanted to teach at Xinhuo Combat Academy.

It needs to be made clear here that Xia Qing is a cultivator from Lingyan Taoist Sect. This time, the imperial court and the major sects have strengthened their ties to facilitate management, and Xia Qing is the person who came here to communicate.

Xia Qing also greeted Qu Heng, and Qu Heng immediately responded respectfully.

He roughly understood the purpose of the emperor calling him over. It turned out to be for this matter. I thought I had made a mistake and was almost scared to death.

Qu Heng sorted out a complete idea in his mind.

In other words, in order to better manage the sect, His Majesty took the sect cultivator Xia Qing into the harem.

This kind of sect monk cannot sit still and wants to find something to do. Besides, he is an alchemist with dual attributes of wind and fire, so he wants to come to Xinhuo Combat Academy to teach.

He just got to know Xia Qing's strength, and she is indeed qualified to teach at Xinhuo Combat Academy. If Your Majesty comes here himself, he will definitely cooperate.

Being able to communicate with the monks from the sect about alchemy is also a new experience for the academy.

Anyway, Xia Qing's identity as a concubine has been confirmed.

(End of this chapter)