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

Chapter 603: At least he has some conscience, he knew to come and see me! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Even more impressively, the Ministry of Works also presented the "Sky Throne," a massive floating warship that was exclusively crafted for Li Chen, combining the latest alchemical technology with ancient runes!
This is the first truly floating warship born since the end of the ancient era. Its appearance is extremely luxurious and majestic, and its hull is covered with powerful defensive restrictions and attack arrays. It is both a symbol of supreme power and a mobile war fortress, which will greatly facilitate Li Chen's future "travel" and "inspection".

The strength of the nation and the advancement of its technology are evident.

The people of the capital could see this miraculous sight every day, making the citizens of Tian Ce extremely proud, while envoys and merchants from various countries could only look up in amazement and envy.

However, just as the court assembly was about to end, an urgent intelligence report from the Everlasting Empire was presented to the emperor, the contents of which were earth-shattering: Emperor Charles of Everlasting had openly announced that he had appointed the "Cardinal Guard," a person of extremely high status in the Papacy, as the Grand Preceptor!

The court officials were initially taken aback, but then many insiders cast subtle glances at Li Chen on the dragon throne.

These people knew that the mysterious "Cardinal's Guard" was actually another identity of their own emperor!
Of course, few people knew this; only a few high-ranking officials or those in charge of intelligence could guess it from Li Chen's return route and clothing.

This move was absolutely brilliant.

Charles, taking advantage of Li Chen's alias and his superior position in the Vatican, through a series of dazzling maneuvers and the accumulation of honorific titles, managed to elevate this "National Preceptor" to a level that was theoretically almost equal to that of the Pope.

To outsiders, this was tantamount to the top echelons of the Papacy publicly bowing down to the royal family, greatly enhancing the authority and prestige of the Yongzhou royal family, and providing a huge boost to the royal power that had long been suppressed by the Papacy.

As Li Chen looked at the intelligence report, a playful smile crept onto his lips.

Charles is certainly cunning and audacious; he actually came up with this ingenious trick of using someone else's strength against them and borrowing their power.

It is foreseeable that the person suffering the most at this moment is none other than Pope Eternal Day.

He could neither publicly deny the existence and status of the highly decorated and prestigious "Cardinal's Bodyguard".

That would be tantamount to contradicting oneself and severely damage the authority of the Vatican.

However, once the Papacy reluctantly acknowledges the position of "National Preceptor," it will inadvertently become inferior to the royal family, and its long-cultivated transcendent status will inevitably be severely impacted.

Most importantly, Li Chen is not Charles. The Pope may not give Charles face, but that doesn't mean he won't give Li Chen face.

This game of chess is getting more and more interesting.

Li Chen could even picture the Pope's frustrated and helpless expression.

The situation in the Eternal Day Empire is actually advantageous to Li Chen, because he is in the middle, which makes it easier for him to control it.

Li Chen has no intention of intervening in the trouble caused by Charles in the Eternal Day Empire for the time being. He is happy to sit back and watch the tigers fight, and wait and see how the Pope responds.

After the court session, Li Chen strolled towards the inner palace to check on his younger sister Li Sining's cultivation progress.

Li Sining is much more powerful now than before, and her cultivation has improved rapidly.

She used to complain that her brother's harem was too lonely and she didn't even have a companion.

Now, Li Chen's harem is a veritable garden of beauties. His beloved younger sister, who is showered with affection, has calmed down, stopped indulging in play, and begun to learn from others and cultivate diligently with great seriousness.

Li Chen carefully examined her meridians and dantian, and was quite satisfied with her progress. As her elder brother, he rewarded her with a "Heavenly Grade Breaking Void Pill" that could help her break through her bottleneck, and a magic treasure called "Spatial Illusion Bell" that could disturb her mind and create illusory sounds for both offense and defense.

Upon seeing these two incomparably precious gifts, Li Sining cheered excitedly and, just like when she was a child, threw herself into Li Chen's arms, chattering incessantly, sharing her cultivation experiences and interesting stories.

Perhaps it was because she had been cultivating too diligently recently, but as she was talking, she fell into a deep sleep in Li Chen's warm embrace, breathing evenly, with a satisfied smile on her face.

Seeing this, Li Chen's eyes flashed with a hint of doting and heartache. He carefully picked her up and carried her back to the palace of her birth mother, Consort Yi.

Seeing His Majesty enter carrying his daughter, Consort Yi quickly went to greet him. She gently took the sleeping Li Sining from Li Chen's arms, carefully placing her on the brocade couch and tucking her in with a silk quilt. Then, she turned to Li Chen with a graceful bow and said softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for taking such good care of Ning'er." Li Chen waved his hand, his tone natural: "Consort Yi, what are you saying? She's my sister; isn't it only right that I take care of her?"

The next second, Consort Yi didn't know what to say, but she knew what to do.

Every time Li Chen came, Consort Yi's delicate body would tremble slightly, which could be interpreted as fear or excitement.

Without Li Chen even saying a word, she knew from his eyes that she should take the initiative.

Consort Yi glanced at her sleeping daughter and said softly, "Your Majesty, let's change rooms."

Li Chen laughed and said, "It's okay, it's right here, just keep your voice down."

This made Consort Yi feel incredibly excited, but she couldn't refuse.

During each in-depth conversation, she dared not express her feelings, afraid that her daughter would see her like this.

That sneaky feeling was a kind of style that Li Chen liked.

Two hours later, Li Chen left Consort Yi's palace and went to the Empress Dowager's palace.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager is bathing in the Huaqing Pool deep within her palace.

Through a semi-transparent gauze curtain, one could vaguely see a plump, snow-white body with breathtaking curves soaking in warm water sprinkled with flower petals.

As the water rippled, her full, proud breasts rose and fell slightly with her breath, their size astonishing, appearing and disappearing on the water's surface, trembling and exuding an extremely alluring mature charm.

In the entire Tian Ce harem, perhaps only Fairy Youlan, Princess Zhennan, and the newly arrived He Ying could rival the Empress Dowager in this respect.

From any perspective, the Empress Dowager was the perfect prop for a cannon.

After the Empress Dowager finished her bath, she put on a light velvet bathrobe, which outlined her still slender and plump figure.

As she wiped her wet hair with a soft towel, she stepped out from behind the screen, only to be surprised to find that Li Chen was already sitting on the soft couch in the outer room, leisurely sipping tea.

"Your Majesty?" The Empress Dowager was slightly taken aback, a faint blush crossing her face. "When did you arrive? Why didn't you have a servant announce your arrival?"

Li Chen put down his teacup and smiled slightly: "I just arrived recently, and seeing that you were taking a bath, I didn't let anyone disturb you."

This was something only Li Chen dared to say; the Empress Dowager was used to it.

The two chatted for a while about recent trivial matters in the palace. The Empress Dowager gently stretched her shoulders, seemingly feeling a bit sore and tired.

Seeing this, Li Chen stood up and said, "Empress Dowager, you have been working very hard managing the inner palace lately. Let me massage your shoulders to help you relax."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager blushed even more and subconsciously declined, saying, "How could I trouble Your Majesty with this?"

But Li Chen had already walked up behind her without giving her a chance to speak, and his warm palm had already gently pressed against her rounded, fragrant shoulder.

The Empress Dowager's body stiffened slightly, then slowly relaxed.

The Empress Dowager thought to herself, "This boy does have some conscience after all, he knows to come and see me."

(End of this chapter)