Your Majesty, should I say I have power, or that I don't?

Yan Hai, the Minister of Rites, dropped to his knees in a flash.

But the moment he knelt, everyone froze in shock.

A second later, everyone throughout the residence fell to their knees.

"This student pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"This humble official pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

The banquet at the residence had been lively just moments before. Now, one could have heard a pin drop.

The oppressive aura radiating from Li Chen instantly swept through the entire residence, making heaven and earth tremble!

Under that pressure, the officials shook uncontrollably, their foreheads pressed against the cold ground. None dared lift his head even a fraction.

Only then did the students kneeling nearby understand why Li Chen had dared strike an imperial official despite claiming he had no backing.

He was the emperor! What backing did an emperor need? He himself was the greatest backing anyone else could have!

In this world, people with backing were not frightening. Those who needed no backing were.

Kneeling nearby, Lin Yue'e was terrified. Never had she imagined that the shield she had casually picked out at a roadside eatery would turn out to be the reigning emperor.

No wonder he had said he would "beat someone until someone who recognized him came along." Officials of too low a rank simply did not know him!

My horizons were too narrow. I'd already guessed his identity wasn't ordinary, but I never imagined he was the emperor!

No one present was more frightened than Chen Rong and his son, Chen Jie.

After hearing Yan Hai, the Minister of Rites, address Li Chen as "Your Majesty," Chen Rong remembered how he had just threatened to impeach the reigning emperor. He convulsed with fright and fainted on the spot.

Chen Jie's face had turned purple with terror. He had even lost control of his bladder, leaving urine all over the floor.

He had indeed been in the right when he was beaten, but so what?

The man before him was not refusing to listen to reason. He had no need to!

Had Chen Jie known this member of the imperial family was His Majesty, he would not have dared show up here even with a hundred men's courage.

"Yan Hai."

"Your servant is here."

Hearing His Majesty call his name, Yan Hai panicked, his palms slick with sweat.

His subordinates had actually dared offend this new emperor in the Saint Realm. It seemed the new emperor intended to make him the first to feel the blade.

Had any other prince become emperor, Yan Hai would not have been so alarmed.

Any other prince would have had many things to consider before dismissing or killing him.

For instance, he had committed no capital offense. If the new emperor killed him just like that, the laws established by generations of emperors would become a laughingstock throughout the realm.

The other princes would have needed to gather evidence of his crimes. Even framing him would take time, and he could use that time to find ways to protect himself. Such was the game played at court.

It could also be called a contest of wits between sovereign and subject.

The Heavenly Strategy Dynasty was a nation governed by laws.

But then again, what did the Saint Realm mean?

Why did so many sects on the continent dare stand above the common people and disregard imperial authority? Because they had Saint Realm experts standing guard.

In this world, those in the Saint Realm already existed beyond the reach of the law.

A Saint Realm expert could judge right and wrong according to his own will.

And this man was not merely a Saint Realm expert, but the emperor as well. How could Yan Hai not be afraid?

When he had left morning court that day, he had known this day would come. He simply had not expected it so soon.

He had already braced himself for Li Chen to punish him severely and confiscate his family's property. Instead, Li Chen asked, "Do you have no real authority?"

The question startled Yan Hai. Only then did he raise his head and slowly reply, "Your Majesty, should I say I have power, or that I don't?"

Compared with other people, I do have a little power. Compared with you, I wouldn't dare claim I have any.

Li Chen glanced at the privileged young wastrels around them and asked Yan Hai, "Then how did these people slip in?"

Yan Hai understood at once. So this was what had angered His Majesty.

As long as His Majesty was not dealing with him, everything else was a minor matter.

An official had to understand what the emperor meant.

If he did not handle this properly, he would be the one getting handled.

By then, Yan Hai had regained the bearing expected of a minister. He ordered his men to take the young wastrels away, and had their fathers removed from office and placed under investigation as well.

The evidence of their crimes would be uncovered as swiftly as possible. Justice had to be delivered to everyone.

As for Chen Rong and Chen Jie, father and son, he would be sure to give them special attention.

Once those eyesores had been taken away, the entire residence felt considerably more pleasant.

Li Chen told everyone not to be too reserved. All those present were the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty's finest, the pillars of its future.

Tonight, everyone could speak freely and tell Minister Yan their grievances and requests. Minister Yan would do his utmost to accommodate them.

That sudden turn left even Yan Hai bewildered. Aren't you supposed to resolve these matters? How did they end up with me?

Still, since His Majesty had spoken, Yan Hai naturally complied.

Seeing that His Majesty had spoken with his golden authority, the Battle Academy's elite students now had the emperor at their backs. Naturally, they brought all manner of problems to Yan Hai, who had his subordinates record each one.

As he looked at the pure sincerity in the Battle Academy students' eyes and their heartfelt hopes,

Yan Hai actually found himself wanting to resolve their problems in earnest. It felt as though he had returned to his school days, his blood hot with passion and his heart filled with justice.

Back then, he had thought that once he became a high-ranking official, he would make sure to serve the people.

Yet after entering officialdom, he had begun to lose his way, choosing to wallow in the same mire as the others to gain more power.

At this moment, he realized that he had stepped away from the struggles of the imperial court.

Right now, he was not one of the Second Prince's men. He was simply the Minister of Rites.

Li Chen had neither made him choose a side nor punished him. He had merely asked him to return to his proper duties.

In truth, he had known full well what his subordinates were doing.

The Second Prince wanted to win over the court officials, so he had to grant them privileges. Otherwise, why would they devote themselves to him?

Take these privileged wastrels running amok in the Imperial Capital. To put it plainly, wasn't the Second Prince their greatest source of support?

As the Minister of Rites, Yan Hai could only keep one eye open and the other shut.

Today, he had finally served as the Minister of Rites with his head held high.

For some reason, Yan Hai began to feel that Li Chen truly seemed more like an emperor.

A true sovereign judged by public duty, not private interests.

The elite students from the various Battle Academies all felt that the new emperor was both imposing and approachable.

He was willing to listen to the students' opinions, so naturally they supported him.

More than halfway through the banquet, Li Chen felt as though something was missing.

After giving it some thought, he finally remembered that someone was still outside the gate.

He summoned Yan Hai and told him to go to the entrance to receive someone.

Yan Hai wondered who could possibly require him to receive them in person.

Still, he said nothing. If His Majesty told him to go, he would go.

Only after hurrying to the entrance did he discover Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan standing there with both hands tucked into his sleeves, his face full of resentment.

Yan Hai jumped in fright and immediately approached to ask why Zhao Wenyuan had not gone inside.

Had he not asked, it might have been fine. The question only made Zhao Wenyuan's anger flare hotter. Weren't your men the ones who stopped me?

Zhao Wenyuan did not dare complain to Li Chen, but he certainly dared put Yan Hai in his place.

He had been bottling up a bellyful of anger, and now he finally had someone to vent it on.

The people nearby watched as a man who looked like a steward berated the Minister of Rites so fiercely that it was as though he had drenched him in dog's blood. The minister did not even dare talk back.

Yan Hai could do nothing about it. After all, a single rank above could crush a man to death.

When those from the Battle Academy in the eastern part of the Imperial Capital learned that Li Chen would often visit the academy to see them, and would even make time to teach them a few skills, all their gloom vanished.

They swallowed that grand promise so eagerly that every one of them wished they could immediately climb mountains of blades and plunge into boiling oil for Li Chen.

Seeing the Battle Academy students so fired up, Li Chen finally understood why the late emperor had valued these young students so highly.

Once the banquet ended, Li Chen naturally left the Ministry of Rites' residence before the others.

Yet from the moment he revealed his identity until his departure, Lin Yue'e never spoke another word to him.

Was it because she did not want to?

No, she simply never had the chance!