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

Chapter 452 Rather than let her be deceived by others, I'd rather be the one to deceive her! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
Li Chen was well aware of this when he first ascended the throne, and he once angrily denounced Prince Jing'an, Li Longyu, for disregarding the people's livelihood and allowing the people of the Prince's Palace to forcibly seize fertile land.

If we can use the insect banquet to boost the economy in the south, it would be a win-win situation.

This is something that an emperor would naturally consider.

Even if the Ministry of Revenue allocates some funds, we must develop this area.

Thinking of this, Li Chen said to Li Meng, "Miss Li, may I have a word with you in private?"

Li Meng was taken aback for a moment, then readily nodded: "Okay!"

The two walked to the side of the banquet, and Li Chen got straight to the point: "Actually, I came here to find a kind of Gu."

Upon hearing this, Li Meng proudly patted her full chest, her silver bells jingling: "Ask away, there's no Gu I don't know!"

Li Chen gazed at her and slowly asked, "Do you have Yin-Yang Gu here?"

"Yin-Yang Gu?!" Li Meng's expression changed drastically, her eyes widening in surprise. "You... how do you know about Yin-Yang Gu? That's the most special Gu worm in our Gu Holy Land, even my father can't control it!"

Li Chen had no idea about this; it was all a task assigned by the system. He didn't even know why the system had sent him here.

Li Chen inquired about the origin and use of the Yin-Yang Gu, and whether he could obtain it.

Li Meng looked around and explained in a low voice, "The Yin-Yang Gu has lived for thousands of years, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. It is no longer an ordinary Gu. Successive holy masters have regarded it as a sacred object. The first few generations could barely control it, but later no one could control it anymore."

As she spoke, she made an exaggerated gesture: "My father told me that three hundred years ago, a holy master forcibly recognized it as his master, but was backfired and bled from all seven orifices. Since then, everyone has only dared to worship it and no longer dares to have any designs on it."

"Now my second senior brother, Ma Bu, is in charge of guarding it."

Upon hearing this name, Li Meng unconsciously shrank her neck, and the tassels on her silver crown swayed gently.

"My second senior brother has a strange temper; he always has a cold face. Although my eldest senior brother is also cold, my second senior brother's coldness is frightening. I usually don't dare to talk to him."

Li Chen was somewhat surprised upon hearing this: "Aren't you the Holy Maiden of the Witchcraft Holy Land? Why are you afraid of your senior brother?"

Li Meng pouted her red lips, twisting the hem of her clothes in a wronged manner: "My talent is poor, and my cultivation is not high either. Father's attention is all on my senior brothers, after all..."

Her voice lowered further, "The Holy Land of Witchcraft isn't hereditary; like sects, it's a meritocracy where strength reigns supreme. We're composed of over a dozen large families, and whoever can cultivate a Saint-level expert will become the Witch King."

She counted on her fingers: "The eldest brother is from the Black Miao family, the second brother is from the White Miao family, and the third brother..."

Realizing she had said too much, she quickly covered her mouth, saying, "It's very complicated!"

Li Chen nodded thoughtfully.

It seems that the distribution of power in the southern border is more complex than he imagined. These intricate family relationships are quite similar to the factional struggles in the imperial court.

Li Chen asked if he could be taken to see the Yin-Yang Gu.
Li Meng bit her red lips and pondered for a moment, the silver bell ringing crisply with her movement: "I can't decide that, but I can take you to see my second senior brother. Whether he'll show it to you, I don't know."

Her eyes suddenly lit up. "But what about the insect banquet sales we agreed on?"

"No problem, just leave it to me," Li Chen readily agreed.

"Great!" Li Meng cheered, the tassels on her silver crown bouncing merrily.

The silver bells on her chest jingled as she jumped, attracting the attention of the surrounding merchants.

Li Chen couldn't help but smile. This little girl was indeed frank and cute, and she didn't hide anything. What if she encountered bad people and got tricked? Maybe I should just trick her away. That would be a good deed I could do.

Just as Li Chen was preparing to follow Li Meng to see his mysterious second senior brother, the Tian Ce Dynasty's southern expeditionary army was returning to the capital in a grand procession.

Three hundred thousand iron cavalrymen, their banners fluttering in the wind, displayed such a magnificent military spectacle that people along the way stopped to watch.

Interestingly, this large army marched south for over a month without moving a single soldier. The vanguard general, Xu Zifeng, was originally eager to lead his troops to wipe out the bandits in the southern borderlands and earn military merit.

Although I didn't have many military achievements, I should at least have made a name for myself. I can't just go back and write a report saying I did nothing.

The men, having earned military merit, naturally developed a good impression of their leader.

Who knew that the Tian Ce army was so powerful that the mountain bandits fled at the mere sight of them, leaving behind only empty villages.

"This battle was easier than the training."

Xu Zifeng said to his deputy, Mahei, with a wry smile.

The Prince of Zhennan was dressed in silver armor, his brows furrowed with helplessness.

The army commander, Yun Xu, took it in stride, seeing it as an opportunity to familiarize himself with the terrain.

If war breaks out with the Eternal Day Empire in the future, this will be the front line.

This veteran had a far-sighted vision and had already simulated countless possible battle scenarios on the sand table.

The soldiers all knew that the Yongzhou Empire, located further away, was an opponent that was evenly matched with Tian Ce. This was just a training exercise, so many deputy generals were observing the terrain and studying future tactics.

At this moment, the army had already entered Tian Ce territory. Yun Xu suddenly reined in his horse and stopped beside Xu Zifeng: "Little Xu, are you homesick? I'll give you three days off."

Xu Zifeng's father is the Prince of Zhennan. Xu Zifeng was kept in the capital as a hostage, a means used by the late emperor to control the Prince of Zhennan, because the Prince of Zhennan only had Xu Zifeng as his son, and Xu Zifeng was also very outstanding.

Yun Xu originally thought that since he was sent to be the commander of the southern expeditionary army, His Majesty Li Chen was just asking him to keep an eye on Xu Zifeng, and at most to show him to the Prince of Zhennan before taking him back.

To everyone's surprise, Li Chen said it didn't matter, Xu Zifeng could go wherever he wanted, it was up to him, and Yun Xu would do him a favor.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zifeng trembled and immediately knelt on one knee: "Lord Yun, this humble general has absolutely no disloyal intentions."

"Don't give me that." Yun Xu waved his hand to interrupt him, "His Majesty has already given an imperial edict, allowing you to leave or stay as you see fit."

After saying that, he rode away, leaving Xu Zifeng dumbfounded.

Ma Hei, watching from the side, saw everything clearly and secretly admired Yun Xu's skillful methods.

This move both fulfilled the camaraderie between comrades and left Xu Zifeng indebted to someone.

After so many days of travel in the south, Mahei learned a lot from Yunxu.

He learned a lot about the commander's temperament and abilities today. This is the commander's charisma and ability to win over his subordinates with personal connections.

After this, if Yun Xu asks him to do something, he will definitely do it seriously. This is the ability of a commander.

But Xu Zifeng wanted to go back to the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, which wasn't Ma Hei's home.

Ma Hei had been out for quite some time, so he stepped forward and said, "General, since Commander Yun has spoken, why don't we all go home first?"

Xu Zifeng took a deep breath, a complex expression flashing in his eyes: "Alright, let's each go home and visit our families, then meet here again in three days."

The thought of going home filled Xu Zifeng with emotion, as he hadn't been home for many years.

His memories of the Prince's Mansion were still from before he came to the capital.

Xu Zifeng didn't know if anything had changed since he returned.

But Ma Hei had no idea that there would be a surprise when he returned this time.

(End of this chapter)