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

Chapter 481 Do you want to see what you're saying? (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Dai Xiaoyao stayed in Qinglin Village for a few days. Having achieved his goal of testing the waters, he returned to Xingluo Kingdom with Tang Shan.

The kings of the southern kingdoms followed suit, returning to their own countries one after another.

Their return immediately sparked a flurry of rumors.

Many kings visited the Minister of War of the Tian Ce Dynasty during the Wan Hua Festival.

That was naturally so that they could purchase more equipment to arm themselves for the Tian Ce army.

The Minister of War naturally received them one by one; he was a seasoned official and very adept at this.

However, during their visits, the emperors of various countries 'accidentally' saw some information about Emperor Tian Ce Li Chen and Emperor Yong Zhou Charles having dealings.

This refers to the intelligence exchange between Li Chen and Charles regarding 'military mobilization'.

This information doesn't seem very accurate; it only shows a part of the picture, giving it a vague feel.

But that was exactly the Minister of War's plan; he wanted that vague feeling.

If you show them the specific intelligence directly, they definitely won't believe it, and might even suspect that it's a smokescreen deliberately put out by the Tian Ce Dynasty.

The more vague and ambiguous the information, the more curious they become.

If humans still have curiosity, then they've basically fallen for a trap.

Next, the movements of the Southern Army of the Tian Ce Dynasty were also quite perplexing.

When Yun Xu, the commander of the Southern Army, received Li Chen's order, he was initially confused. What did it mean to "cooperate with the Yongzhou Empire's military operations"?
How can you coordinate in a war? I've been fighting for decades and I still don't know how to coordinate with an enemy country in battle.

But upon seeing Li Chen's notes, Yun Xu finally understood: "Your Majesty's foresight and strategic vision are truly beyond our reach."

Now that he knew what to do, Yun Xu began to carry out Li Chen's plan.

The emperors of the southern kingdoms must have been constantly observing the movements of the armies of Tian Ce and Yong Zhou. Upon noticing the clues, they became even more certain that Li Chen and Charles were 'colluding,' and what they saw at the Minister of War of Tian Ce might actually be true.

They are emperors, so the rumors they spread are highly credible.

Next, the role of the divine assist appeared.

If the rumors about Charles's collusion with Li Chen only circulated outside the Yongzhou Empire, Charles could still explain them as rumors.

But now, driven by a 'mysterious force,' even the ministers within the Eternal Day Empire are beginning to suspect that their emperor has a problem.

The Prime Minister of the Eternal Day Empire reported with great concern: "Your Majesty, the Papacy has sent people to inquire again. The Pope requests to see all military orders and documents from the past three months."

Charles, enraged, smashed his teacup on the floor: "Damn it! What benefit would I gain from colluding with Li Chen? This is clearly the work of that brat Chet!"

He couldn't understand how the Pope could believe such a low-level scam.
But after calming down, he began to understand what "three men can make a tiger" meant.

Few people were talking about it, so the Pope dismissed it as a rumor. After all, although the Pope was old, he was not yet senile.

Now, dozens of countries are talking about it, and even the Pope has to question Charles.

Charles felt that the best course of action now was to let Li Chen explain.

But then again, if Li Chen came to explain, then there's no need to explain anymore; it would be too much of a deliberate attempt to cover things up.

Now, Charles was completely at a loss for words, and the time when he would have to break off relations with the Pope was very close.

The Pope's request to review all military orders and documents from the past three months crossed a line for the royal family.

The dignity of the royal family relies on its iron-blooded army. If even the Pope has to get involved in the army, how can the royal family maintain its dignity?
Charles had been operating for many years before he had gained firm control over most of the army.

You think I have to give it to you just because you want it? Would I still be the emperor then? But if I don't give it to you, how am I supposed to explain it to the Pope?

Now, Charles has realized that if he doesn't take some action, such as finding a way to replace the pope, he will have to change his mind.

As long as the new pope is one of his own, then the emperor will not be replaced by the pope.

Meanwhile, inside the Vatican Council Chamber, the Pope was listening to a report from a Vatican spy.

"Your Holiness, according to multiple investigations, the vanguard of the Tian Ce Southern Army did indeed have 'cooperation' with our army."

The Pope's aged fingers tapped his scepter: "What has Charles been doing lately? He hasn't brought the military orders yet?"

"Your Majesty, His Majesty stays in the palace all day, but... the whereabouts of the Second Prince, Prince Chet, are a mystery. We've heard a lot about the military orders and documents, so we'll have to wait."

The Pope said indifferently, "Send out orders to strengthen surveillance of the royal family and bring Chet back to me as soon as possible. Also, prepare to convene a council of cardinals."

The Pope is an old-fashioned man, but coincidentally, even he relies on evidence when it's not absolutely necessary.

These are all baseless rumors; he needs to find a way to obtain evidence in order to depose Charles.

Otherwise, directly deposing him would be difficult to convince the public.

Meanwhile, in a secluded manor on the eastern border of the Tian Ce Dynasty, Prince Chete was plotting with Li Xian.

Chet swirled his wine glass smugly: "That good-for-nothing Charles actually got the Pope to convene a council of cardinals. Looks like our plan was a success."

As a member of the Eternal Day Empire, Chet certainly knew what the opening of the Council of Cardinals meant.

That is the highest-level meeting of the Vatican, and cardinals from all regions will come.

These cardinals are incredibly powerful. The Pope has ordered them to gather in the capital of the Eternal Day Empire. Who is under the most pressure?

That must be Emperor Charles of the Everlasting Day Empire.

Because this group of cardinals possesses legion-level combat power.

In other words, if they really wanted to get rid of Charles, there was really nothing Charles could do about it openly.

Chet was actually quite clever; he guessed that there must be Charles's men among the cardinals.

That's why Charles had the confidence to confront the Vatican.

But Chet really didn't understand who this person was.

Every cardinal is absolutely loyal to the Papacy and the Pope. So who would betray the Pope?
Although Chet was a member of the royal family, he, like Li Xian, only wanted to be emperor.

Moreover, he had received guidance from the Pope since childhood and had a very high regard for the Papacy.

In other words, Charles was genuinely unhappy that you made him kneel before the Pope.

But Chet didn't care; he'd kneel if he wanted.

Li Xian frowned: "Don't be too happy yet. Charles is currently holed up in the capital. As long as he's alive, we can drag things out. We still need to find a way to get rid of him before you can ascend the throne."

Li Xian was a shrewd man; he knew Charles must have some trump card to dare to seize power from the Vatican.

If he doesn't die, it will be very difficult for Chet to obtain the throne through the Pope's "charity".

Chet asked, puzzled, "You know Charles is in the palace, but your Tian Ce emperor is often traveling. Why don't you think of a way?"

Li Xian: "."

Do you want to see what you are talking about?
Even if I didn't know Li Chen's whereabouts, I couldn't do anything to him even if he appeared in front of me right now!
(End of this chapter)