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

Chapter 722 What's he up to? (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
Master Qingxu's face showed a hint of unease when his thoughts were exposed, but he immediately straightened his expression and said righteously, "Fellow Daoist Wanfeng, stop talking nonsense! I am doing this for the sake of the great cause of Heavenly Strategy and to share His Majesty's burdens. This is the duty of us cultivators. How can you presume to know such things!"

Although he spoke in a grand and respectable manner, deep down he had to admit that having a "legitimate" reason for a business trip to temporarily get away from that shrew in the sect was indeed a good thing.

He quickly changed the subject, pulling Wanfeng Zhenren aside to seriously discuss the details of the formation.

Li Chen and Fairy Youlan had indeed not seen each other for a long time.

Fairy Youlan was a voluptuous and beautiful mature woman. In Li Chen's harem, her exquisite figure, especially her full and proud breasts, was extremely outstanding, at least ranking in the top three.

Although they were an old married couple, she still showed a girlish shyness when she saw Li Chen alone. She lowered her head slightly and asked in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, is there something important you need to tell me by summoning me here?"

Seeing her like this, Li Chen's love for her grew even stronger, but he didn't rush to the point. Instead, he took her hand and sat down in the temporary quiet room, where he began to recount his experiences in the Great Luo Dynasty.

Because she was his absolutely trusted confidante and beloved concubine, he explained in great detail, from how to use the identity of "Witch Ancestor" to infiltrate, to how to deal with various forces, and even told her about the existence of "Witch Ancestor's Grotto Heaven".

"That cave is a small world left behind by the ancient shaman ancestor. Not only is it full of vital energy, but more wonderfully, it also contains thousands of beautiful and charming women, most of whom were collected by the shaman ancestor of the past or voluntarily attached to it."

As Li Chen spoke, he paid close attention to Fairy Youlan's reaction.

"Managing so many people is extremely difficult. After much thought, I have found someone who is both capable of maintaining order and is also meticulous and trustworthy. My beloved consort, with your cultivation at the Saint level, is the most suitable candidate."

When Fairy Youlan heard that there were over a thousand women, she was surprised and thought to herself that His Majesty was really amazing. He had only been gone for a short time, and there were already so many women.

Li Chen changed the subject and continued, "Moreover, the most precious things in that cave are not the beauties, but the ancient spiritual herbs and rare flowers and plants that have been cultivated for countless years and are well preserved! Many of these varieties have probably long since disappeared from the outside world and are only recorded in some rare books."

Sure enough, upon hearing "ancient elixirs" and "rare herbs," Fairy Youlan's beautiful eyes instantly lit up, as if starlight had fallen into them. She was already obsessed with alchemy and spiritual plants, and possessed an almost instinctive longing and fascination for these legendary herbs. "Is Your Majesty's word true? Are there really ancient spiritual plants like the 'Dragon-Patterned Crimson Pearl Grass' and the 'Nine-Heart Begonia,' which have long since disappeared?"

Her voice trembled with excitement and disbelief.

Li Chen took in her reaction, chuckled, put his arm around her soft waist, and whispered in her ear with a hint of teasing, "Of course it's true. The herb garden in the cave is vast and boundless, with countless treasures. However, if my beloved consort wants to go in and study it to her heart's content, or even transplant some of them, then we'll have to see how you perform tonight."

Upon hearing this, Fairy Youlan's cheeks flushed red, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

She lowered her head shyly, but her body leaned softly into Li Chen's arms. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, filled with endless charm: "Your Majesty~ My whole body and my whole heart belong to you. What more do you want from me?"

Hearing the tacit agreement and compromise in her words, Li Chen was overjoyed and magically produced several sets of gorgeous dresses with the characteristics of the Great Luo Dynasty that he had prepared beforehand.

These garments differed greatly from the style of the Tang Dynasty, being bolder and more unrestrained, with more direct cuts that accentuated the figure.

"Come, change into these and let me see your unique charm, my beloved consort." That night, at Li Chen's request, Fairy Youlan changed into one exotic outfit after another until dawn.

Now that Li Chen is the "Ancestor of Witches," it's incredibly easy for him to arrange for a few "newly recruited followers" to infiltrate his team.

Several days later, he returned to the holy capital of the Great Luo Dynasty quietly, accompanied by the satisfied Fairy Youlan and several disguised Saint Realm experts, including True Man Wanfeng. The entire process was seamless and did not arouse the vigilance of any forces.

Back at the Holy Palace, the young new Emperor Matvey, upon seeing Li Chen dressed as the Witch Ancestor, grasped at the straw and, dismissing his attendants, anxiously poured out his troubles:

"Master! You've finally returned! The situation in the court has become increasingly chaotic recently, with various factions fighting each other and attacking one another! In particular, those local dukes, such as Sergei and others, have expanded their power extremely rapidly and are even showing signs of forming alliances. It's almost impossible to implement government orders outside the capital! I feel that the Great Luo Dynasty is about to cease to belong to our royal family!"

His face was filled with worry and helplessness.

Li Chen listened quietly, and after he finished speaking, he said slowly in a calm and meaningful tone, "Your Majesty, the root of the problem is not that those grand dukes are so powerful."
And yet, you do not truly possess the power to control them. Think about it carefully: can you truly mobilize the entire nation's army? Can you arbitrarily appoint and dismiss high-ranking officials? Can you decide the nation's revenue and expenditure?

Every question he asked struck Matvey like a hammer blow to his heart. "Without a legitimate and supreme imperial power, you will forever remain a symbol, a figurehead held hostage by various factions."
To contend with, and even suppress, those powerful dukes, your first task is to become a truly decisive emperor! Only then can you unite the forces still loyal to the royal family and make those wavering courtiers see the winds of change.

Li Chen's words, like the whispers of a devil, constantly fueled Matvey's deep-seated desire for power and his dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Matvey's eyes gradually sharpened and hardened from their initial confusion and anxiety.

He clenched his fists and murmured, "Master is right. I have been too weak. I must take back what is rightfully mine!"

Seeing the fire of power burning in his eyes, Li Chen knew that the groundwork had been laid and all that was needed was for the right moment to use this "emperor" to carry out earth-shaking deeds.

Preparations are underway quietly.

When the time was ripe, Li Chen, in his capacity as "Witch Ancestor," spread the word that there was an important matter concerning the future of the empire, and that he needed to invite the ancestor Emperor Romanov to the palace for a discussion.

He didn't need to send anyone to deliver the message, because he knew that with Romanov's extensive network of informants in the palace, the news would reach the ears of the old emperor hiding behind the scenes as quickly as possible.

Sure enough, less than half a day after the news was released, Romanov received a secret report from his confidant in a very secretive stronghold in the Holy Capital.

He stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming with surprise and uncertainty: "The Witch Ancestor suddenly invited me to the palace? What is he up to?"

His intuition told him there might be something fishy going on, but the other party's mention of "the future fate of the empire" made it impossible for him to completely ignore it. A deadly trap surrounding the palace had already been set in motion, an invisible net already drawn.

(End of this chapter)