You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 144 Who?

Cining Palace.

After King Zhou Zhi of Shu paid his respects to the Empress Dowager, she happily pulled him down to sit.

"Has Zhi'er gone to pay his respects to His Majesty?"

After sitting down, the Empress Dowager looked at Prince Zhou Zhi of Shu and asked.

Zhou Zhi nodded; "Mother, rest assured, your son has already paid his respects to the Emperor."

"After I paid my respects to my elder brother, I came to Cining Palace to visit my mother."

Zhou Zhi understood the Empress Dowager's meaning.

He is no longer the prince he once was.

One of them was made a king, and the other ascended the throne.

The distinction between ruler and subject must still be clearly defined.

"That's good."

"Is Zhi'er doing well in Shu? Has he suffered any hardships?"

"You haven't encountered any trouble along the way, have you?"

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Zhi with concern.

Ever since Zhou Zhi was enfeoffed as the King of Shu and went to Shu, the Empress Dowager has often thought about her son Zhou Zhi.

She wondered if Zhou Zhi would suffer any hardship in Shu.

After all, a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles away.

Even the Empress Dowager, the mother of the nation, is not immune to this custom.

Faced with the Empress Dowager's concern, Zhou Zhi felt a warmth in his heart; "Mother, your son had a smooth journey and nothing happened."

“I didn’t suffer much in Shu.”

"Your subject is the King of Shu, what hardship could I possibly suffer in Shu?"

Zhou Zhi said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded; "It's good that she didn't suffer."

"I'm just afraid you're suffering outside."

Then, the Empress Dowager inquired about Zhou Zhi's living conditions in Shu.

Zhou Zhi recounted everything with a smile.

The two chatted like this for half an hour.

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Zhi and reminded him, "Zhi'er, many important events have happened in the court recently, and the situation in the court is very turbulent."

Now that you're back in Luoyang, be extra careful and don't accidentally get involved.

"His Majesty is different now than before, so you should be careful."

"You need to know what you can and cannot do."

"Don't have too much contact with those ministers in the court. None of them are easy to deal with."

The Empress Dowager gave Zhou Zhi her instructions, word by word.

Now, the situation in the court seems to have stabilized on the surface, but secretly, everyone can sense that there are still some undercurrents.

The Empress Dowager did not want Zhou Zhi to be drawn into the political situation of the court after only returning to Luoyang for a short period of time.

That's not what the Empress Dowager wanted to see.

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's instructions, Zhou Zhi naturally understood her meaning.

Zhou Zhi immediately said with a serious expression, "Don't worry, Mother, I understand."

"Your Majesty, I have heard about the recent events in the court while I was in Shu. I know the gravity of the situation and will not be implicated."

Zhou Zhi knew that the Empress Dowager's instructions were a sign of her concern for him, but he was afraid he would have to let her down.

"As long as you know."

Seeing that Zhou Zhi had taken it to heart, the Empress Dowager said nothing more.

Some things are best left unsaid; the Empress Dowager believed Zhou Zhi would understand her meaning.

……

Zhou Zhi stayed in the palace and had dinner with the Empress Dowager until nightfall before leaving the palace and returning to the Prince of Shu's residence.

Even though Zhou Zhi was enfeoffed as the King of Shu, he still had his own Shu King's Mansion in Luoyang.

Back at the Shu Prince's residence, Zhou Zhi sat in his study, deep in thought.

After a while.

"Three Virtues".

Zhou Zhi suddenly shouted.

"The old slave is here."

San De's figure appeared silently in the study in an instant.

“These past few days, I’ve been turning down anyone who wants to visit the Prince of Shu’s residence.”

"Especially the officials in the court, if anyone comes to visit me, they all turn them away."

"Not a single one is to be seen."

Zhou Zhi said calmly.

Zhou Zhi knew that after he, the King of Shu, returned to Luoyang, many people would come to visit him.

At this time, he couldn't attract too much attention and had to keep a low profile.

The best outcome would be to be someone who is completely invisible and ignored.

Only in this way can he act more conveniently.

Moreover, after receiving the Empress Dowager's instructions, Zhou Zhi realized that the situation in Luoyang was more complex than he had imagined.

This forced Zhou Zhi to be extremely careful and cautious.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

San De immediately understood Zhou Zhi's meaning and nodded.

"Guests are coming soon, go outside and check if there are any eyes."

"If people have eyes, don't let them die; find a way to cover them up."

Zhou Zhi waved his hand.

San De's figure immediately disappeared from the study.

……

late at night.

Zhou Zhi sat behind his desk, silently waiting for something.

A few minutes later, a ghostly figure silently entered the study.

"coming?"

"No tail is following us, is it?"

Zhou Zhi glanced at the figure that had silently entered the study and asked.

"Your Highness, rest assured, no one is following us." The figure shook its head, its voice somewhat shrill.

"It's fine if you don't."

"Have any investigations into the things that happened in the palace before been conducted and found to involve you?"

Zhou Zhi looked toward that figure.

"No." The figure shook his head; "If the investigation had reached this old servant, given His Majesty's ruthless methods, this old servant wouldn't be alive today."

Zhou Zhi nodded upon hearing this.

I felt that what the other person said was not wrong.

Given Zhou Chen's current modus operandi, if he were to actually trace this figure back to him, that figure would be certain to die.

Regardless of who that figure is.

They won't survive.

"There are still some things I don't understand regarding the message you sent me."

"How was it discovered by His Majesty that Zhang De had poisoned him?"

"How did His Majesty fully recover?"

Zhou Zhi asked again, a question that had been troubling him for a long time.

Zhou Zhi was eager to know why, despite the treatment by so many imperial physicians, Zhou Chen's health had not recovered.

How did Zhou Chen's body recover completely all at once?

How did Zhou Chen discover that Zhang De had poisoned him?

"do not know."

"No one in the palace knows about this. Perhaps only His Majesty himself and the already deceased Zhang De know!"

The figure shook its head and said.

"What about Cao Zhengchun and Lü Bu?"

"Where did these two come from?"

"I know that neither the palace nor the royal family has such a powerful figure."

Zhou Zhi looked at that figure again.

The figure shook his head again; "No one knows this, only His Majesty himself should know."

……

Prime Minister's House.

in the hall.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo looked at the middle-aged man in front of him with a surprised expression and asked, "Ziming, what brings you to Luoyang?"

"Luoyang has been quite turbulent lately, so your timing for coming here is quite unfortunate."

Prime Minister Yuan Bo looked at the middle-aged man and said.

This middle-aged man was none other than Yuan Ziming, the eldest son of the Yuan family. Prime Minister Yuan Bo was completely unprepared for Yuan Ziming's sudden arrival in Luoyang; he had received no prior warning.

The situation in Luoyang is not good right now; almost all the officials in the court are under the surveillance of the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard.

Even the prime minister Yuan Bo was no exception.

Yuan Ziming's visit to the Prime Minister's residence at this time was unlikely to escape the notice of the Eastern Depot's guards.

"Uncle, I had no choice but to come!"

"Some things are not clear or safe to explain in a letter."

"Therefore, I have no choice but to come to Luoyang in person to tell my uncle."

Yuan Ziming certainly understood the meaning behind Prime Minister Yuan Bo's words. His visit to Luoyang and the Prime Minister's residence at this time could not possibly escape the notice of the Eastern Depot.

But there is nothing we can do about it.

Some things can be said in a letter, but some things cannot.

For safety reasons, Yuan Ziming must come in person.

Otherwise, a single mistake could lead to serious problems.

Besides, even if we didn't manage to hide it from the Eastern Depot's spies, so what?
As the eldest son of the Yuan family, there shouldn't be any problem for Yuan Ziming to visit his uncle at the Prime Minister's residence!
This is normal.

At most, it will only attract some attention from the imperial guards.

Oh!
A glint of light flashed in Prime Minister Yuan Bo's eyes, and he immediately understood why Yuan Ziming had come to Luoyang.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo had already received a letter from the clan.

It seems that a plan has been established for this matter.

"Uncle, the King of Shu should have already returned to Luoyang!"

Yuan Ziming looked at Prime Minister Yuan Bo and asked.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo did not speak immediately, but instead sternly ordered the steward outside, "Steward, seal off the area around the hall and do not allow anyone to approach."

"Yes, sir."

As soon as he finished speaking, powerful auras appeared in different directions around the hall, completely sealing off the entire hall so that not even a fly could get close.

Don't blame Prime Minister Yuan Bo for making a mountain out of a molehill.

The matter they were about to discuss was of utmost importance, and they had to be extremely careful.

If someone overhears this, it will be a huge problem.

After the hall was sealed off, Prime Minister Yuan Bo nodded to Yuan Ziming; "The King of Shu just returned to Luoyang today and went straight to the palace as soon as he arrived."

"Now, the King of Shu should have returned to the King of Shu's residence."

"I'm planning to find an opportunity to have someone secretly meet with the King of Shu."

"This is what Prime Minister Yuan Bo said."

After hearing what Prime Minister Yuan Bo said, Yuan Ziming immediately shook his head and said, "Uncle, for the time being, do not send anyone to contact the King of Shu, so as to avoid any mishaps."

"After all, the King of Shu has just returned to Luoyang, and no one knows whether the person in the palace has sent someone to secretly keep an eye on him."

"Just to be on the safe side, it's best to avoid contact with the King of Shu for the time being."

"When we were in Shu, we discussed many things with the King of Shu, which is why I came to Luoyang in person."

Yuan Ziming said with a serious expression.

Then, Yuan Ziming began to whisper something to Prime Minister Yuan Bo.

……

While Yuan Ziming and Prime Minister Yuan Bo were whispering something to each other.

The same scene was unfolding in the study of the Minister of Revenue's residence.

The Minister of Revenue looked at the figure before him, dressed in coarse linen and filthy, and was momentarily taken aback. "Shaohe, why have you suddenly come to Luoyang?"

"And why are you dressed like that? Did you get robbed?"

The Minister of Revenue looked at the figure before him, somewhat unable to believe his eyes.

Is this the direct descendant of the Fan family?
This is simply an extremely destitute beggar.

Indeed, standing before the Minister of Revenue was none other than Fan Shaohe, the young master of the Fan family.

"Third Uncle, if I didn't do this, how could I have fooled everyone and entered your Ministry of Revenue's residence quietly?"

"How about it?"

"Is my outfit alright?"

Fan Shaohe pointed to his disheveled appearance and said.

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue's face darkened, and he rebuked, "What kind of behavior is this? You are the young master of the Fan family. If word gets out that you are behaving like this, what will outsiders think of my Fan family?"

"Do you think you can fool everyone and enter my residence without anyone noticing with these tricks?"

"Do you think those lackeys of the Eastern Depot are just sitting around doing nothing?"

"Go and pack up quickly."

The Minister of Revenue said in an annoyed tone.

Although the Minister of Revenue did not know why Fan Shaohe had suddenly come to Luoyang, seeing Fan Shaohe's attire, he figured it must be something important.

Otherwise, it's impossible for the young master of the prestigious Fan family to dress up like a ghost in an attempt to deceive others.

However, in the eyes of the Minister of Revenue, this trick was only good for fooling ordinary people.

To think that one could secretly deceive the Eastern Depot is a pipe dream.

"Third Uncle, I've come to tell you something important."

"Let's get to the point first!"

Is this study safe?

Fan Shaohe glanced around the study and looked at the Minister of Revenue questioningly.

The Minister of Revenue nodded; "Speak freely about what you need to say! There are guards outside this study, and no one can get close."

Upon hearing this, Fan Shaohe spoke with a serious expression.

……

Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Justice's residence.

Zheng Wangzhi was also having a private conversation with the Minister of Justice.

None of this could escape the notice of the Eastern Depot's secret police.

……

The location of the Eastern Depot.

Cao Zhengchun sat in the factory's official chair, looking at a factory guard kneeling below him; "What did you say?"

"Did someone enter the Prime Minister's residence at night?"

The guard who was kneeling immediately nodded; "Yes, Master."

"Do you know who he is?"

Cao Zhengchun asked.

The guard, who was kneeling, shook his head. "I don't know. He's a middle-aged man I don't know."

"I have already sent someone to investigate."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun pondered with a flicker in his eyes.

After a while.

"Walk."

"I'll go take a look."

Cao Zhengchun stood up and left the Eastern Depot.

A few minutes later, Cao Zhengchun appeared in a very secluded corner outside the Prime Minister's residence.

"Factory manager."

The two guards monitoring the Prime Minister's residence bowed to Cao Zhengchun.

"Is the person still inside?"

Cao Zhengchun asked.

The two guards nodded; "Yes, Master."

Without saying a word, Cao Zhengchun leaped into the air and disappeared over the courtyard wall of the Prime Minister's residence.

……

in the hall.

Yuan Ziming and Prime Minister Yuan Bo were talking in hushed tones.

Suddenly, a loud shout was heard.

"who?"

The expressions of Prime Minister Yuan Bo and Yuan Ziming changed immediately. They stopped their secret talks, stood up, and walked out of the hall.

"what happened?"

After Prime Minister Yuan Bo and Yuan Ziming walked out of the hall, they looked at the steward with serious expressions.

The butler quickly explained, "Master, there was a slight noise coming from the roof just now."

"I thought some scoundrel had sneaked in, but it turned out to be a cat."

The butler was holding a cat in his hand.

However, the cat had already died in the butler's hands.

"Oh!"

"Tell everyone to be careful and not to let anyone near the hall."

After Prime Minister Yuan Bo finished speaking, he and Yuan Ziming returned to the main hall.

They continued their hushed conversation.

The two were completely unaware that a pair of effeminate eyes were staring straight at them.

(End of this chapter)