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

Chapter 653 Winning over her heart won't be so easy! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Inside Sergei's residence, Ekaterina anxiously told Li Chen about Andrei's sudden return: "Master, what do we do now? My husband has suddenly returned and even went to see Vasily in person! Our plan may be difficult to achieve."

Unlike her panic, Li Chen remained calm and composed, even with a faint smile on his lips: "It's alright. Plans never keep up with changes. In that case, we'll adapt to the situation and try a different approach."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Andrei, you delivered yourself to my doorstep, so don't blame me for being ruthless.

The next day, shocking news spread like wildfire throughout Winterhold: after visiting the cursed Vasily, Grand Duke Andrei was also infected with the strange curse and fell into a coma!
According to eyewitnesses, the Grand Duke was infected by the terrible curse power emanating from Vasily!

This plunged Winterhold and the entire fiefdom into immense panic and a power vacuum.

As the rightful eldest son of Grand Duke Andrei, Sergei did not even need to launch any coup d'état; he simply stepped forward, announced that he would temporarily assume all of his father's duties, and began to handle all affairs of the territory.

Having a legitimate title and a sense of righteousness in hand is the greatest advantage.

Although Andrei secretly groomed his second son, he never publicly deprived Sergei of his right to succession as the eldest son.

For the sake of stability, many clan elders and officials within the fiefdom also tended to support Sergei in temporarily taking charge.

Of course, a few forces loyal to Andrei or optimistic about the second son jumped out to oppose it, questioning the authenticity of the curse, and even implying that Sergei was behind it.

Sergei displayed an unprecedentedly ruthless approach in response.

He kept in mind his master Li Chen's teachings: "Eliminate all opposing voices, and what remains will be voices of support."

Without hesitation, he dispatched his newly redeemed veterans, who were loyal only to him, to ruthlessly purge all the troublemakers who were leading the opposition, and bloodily suppress all dissent.

When the news reached the front lines, Sergei's brother Alexei was both shocked and furious, and immediately wanted to muster his troops to march back to Winterhold and seize power.

However, at this very moment, the Tian Ce army seemed to have seized the opportunity and suddenly launched a large-scale counterattack with extremely fierce offensive!
Commander-in-Chief Tuoba Zhen strictly ordered all units to hold their positions and not allow anyone to desert in the face of battle! Alexi had no time to spare, let alone lead his troops back.

Tuoba Zhen even personally comforted the agitated Alexi: "As long as you help me win this battle, I will personally uphold justice for you and help you reclaim everything that belongs to you!"

Alexi had no choice but to suppress his anger and deal with the immediate battle.

In this way, Sergei succeeded in temporarily assuming all of his father's power with almost no pressure and began to take full control of the territory.

The so-called control means a large-scale purge and reshuffling, replacing all key positions with one's own confidants and those grateful captured veterans.

By the time Andrei woke up, it was too late; the die was cast and all was lost.

Li Chen had originally planned to devise a flawless plan to deal with Andrei, but now that Andrei had delivered himself to his doorstep, it saved him a lot of trouble.

During this period, under Li Chen's guidance from behind the scenes, Sergei reorganized the territory with astonishing efficiency.

Li Chen also began to fulfill his promise to Ekaterina and help her get revenge.

Sergei placed the unconscious Grand Prince Andrei and Vasily in the heavily guarded backyard of the Grand Prince's mansion, citing the need for "centralized treatment and convenient care."

Vasily's dozen or so beautiful wives and concubines were naturally also "invited" over as "family members" and settled in the adjacent courtyard.

Among them, three women stood out, immediately catching Li Chen's eye upon their arrival. Anastasia, Vasily's legal wife, was a young lady from a declining noble family, around thirty years old, with a gentle and graceful demeanor.

She has long, flaxen hair that cascades down her back and a pair of timid, pitiful blue eyes like a doe. She has a slender and delicate figure, as if she would break at the slightest touch, making her the type that easily arouses a man's protective instincts.

According to Ekaterina's investigation, Anastasia received Vasily's help when her family was in trouble, which is why she married Vasily. In fact, Vasily was the one who caused this disaster.

According to Ekaterina, if Anastasia were told about this, she would definitely be willing to betray Vasily and follow Li Chen.

Li Chen said no, the deeper her love for Vasily, the stronger her feelings would be when the time came.

Ekaterina was taken aback when she heard this. What kind of twisted sense of humor was this?

However, she didn't say anything; she was only responsible for catering to Li Chen's preferences.

There was also a voluptuous and elegant woman named Dalia.

She was said to be the beloved wife of one of Vasily's close friends, whom Vasily took care of when he passed away.

Dalia has a full, curvaceous figure, especially her captivating peach blossom eyes and full, luscious red lips, which exude an irresistible allure.

Li Chen could easily guess that Vasily had succumbed to such temptation and had embezzled funds.

Perhaps it was this incident that gave Vasily a unique fondness for voluptuous, mature women, and he continued to have this type of woman afterward.

There was another person who was even more unique, and Li Chen in the attic spotted him immediately in the crowd.

Following Li Chen's gaze, Ekaterina explained, "Master, that beautiful woman is named Katrilan. It is said that she has a rare Northern Elf bloodline. She was a spoil of war that Andrei acquired after conquering an Icefield tribe. At the time, many people fought over her."

Kathryn possessed a cool and aloof demeanor, with an exquisitely beautiful face as if sculpted from ice and snow. She had silver hair, blue eyes, and a tall, well-proportioned figure. She was usually indifferent to Vasily, exuding an unconquerable, cold beauty charm that only made Vasily more infatuated.

At this point, Ekaterina was still a little jealous, as if every man in the world was captivated by Kathryn.

After so many days of in-depth communication, she naturally developed a high level of liking for Li Chen.

Even though Grand Duke Andrei had previously shown affection for Katrilan, Catherine had never been that jealous.

She didn't know why she felt this way about Li Chen.

However, knowing her own identity, Ekaterina explained, "Master, conquering her heart won't be so easy."

Li Chen said with a smile, "I don't need to conquer her heart."

Li Chen has many women, but he doesn't want to conquer their hearts; that would be too troublesome. He'll just enjoy himself.

Just like Ekaterina, who initially did it all for her son, now that she has tasted the sweetness of success, she naturally feels a sense of belonging and has begun to think about Li Chen as well.

Li Chen's method was simple: either you submit to me, or you become decorative objects in my harem, to be used whenever I need you.

(End of this chapter)