You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 158 says, "Who told you all this?"

After the court session, Zhou Chen returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Taking down the Minister of Justice was Zhou Chen's second step.

The first step is to take down the Minister of Revenue, and the second step is to take down the Minister of Justice.

Defeat them one by one, eliminate them one by one.

Two of the three most prestigious and influential families in the imperial court have already been eliminated.

Now only Prime Minister Yuan Bo remains.

A large portion of the other officials from the three major families in the imperial court were also purged.

It can be said that Zhou Chen's plan is progressing relatively smoothly.

It was just an unexpected incident that the imperial edict to exterminate the Fan family of Jiexiu was issued ahead of schedule.

Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, deep in thought.

After the Minister of Justice was dismissed during the morning court session, Zhou Chen estimated that Prime Minister Yuan Bo and the others must have realized that something was wrong.

Those who were able to hold the position of prime minister, serve in two dynasties, and be appointed as regents by the previous emperor were all extraordinary individuals.

They are all old foxes.

Zhou Chen had never underestimated Prime Minister Yuan Bo and his group.

Compared to people like Prime Minister Yuan Bo, Zhou Chen, no matter what, lacked decades of experience and life's ups and downs.

However, even if Prime Minister Yuan Bo and the others realize that something is wrong now, it no longer matters.

The Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice have been removed from their posts.

A large portion of the cronies and trusted officials they had cultivated in the court were also purged.

The general trend has already taken shape.

Their power in the court has been gradually eroded. What can they do even if they realize something is wrong?
At most, it will only accelerate what they are already planning.

"Now you should be eager to make your move, otherwise I will have to clean up all your cronies in the court."

Zhou Chen muttered to himself.

Just then, a palace eunuch entered.

"His Majesty."

"The Empress Dowager just sent word that Your Majesty should have a meal at Cining Palace."

After the eunuch and guards entered, they bowed and said.

"I understand."

Zhou Chen nodded.

In the past few days, Zhou Chen has occasionally dined at Cining Palace, and Shu King Zhou Zhi has been there each time.

Zhou Chen understood the Empress Dowager's intention; she simply wanted to bring the two brothers closer together.

Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager's painstaking efforts will likely be in vain.

Some things can't be changed just by trying to get closer to them.

The most ruthless imperial family.

In the imperial family, personal feelings are sometimes more fragile than anything else.

……

Prime Minister's House.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo returned to his residence with a heavy heart.

During the morning court session, the Minister of Justice was removed from office, which made Prime Minister Yuan Bo sense something unusual.

Investigating the Ministry of Revenue is a perfectly normal thing to do.

However, the officials who were investigated were mostly those who held power in the imperial court, which is somewhat abnormal.

This seems more like an investigation into the influence of the three major families in the imperial court.

First it was the Minister of Revenue, and now it's the Minister of Justice. A large portion of the officials with influence in the court have also been investigated. Is this a coincidence?
Prime Minister Yuan Bo frowned and pondered.

After a while.

"Someone is coming."

Prime Minister Yuan Bo called out.

"Master of the house."

A dark figure appeared instantly beside Prime Minister Yuan Bo.

"Immediately spread the news of the Minister of Justice's house being raided back to the clan."

"Let the clan make more preparations."

"Send the younger generation away as soon as possible, and it's not too late to bring them back after things have settled down."

Prime Minister Yuan Bo had no choice but to prepare for the worst.

Whether or not the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice were removed from their posts because of the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue is no longer important.

The most important thing is their next plan.

It's always good to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

"Yes, master."

The dark figure vanished in the blink of an eye.

……

Cining Palace.

Zhou Chen, the Empress Dowager, and Zhou Zhi dined together.

"Brother, I heard that the Minister of Justice was also found to be corrupt during the morning court session."

"I really didn't expect it! It's hard to believe that such an important official as the Minister of Justice would be corrupt."

Zhou Zhi glanced at Zhou Chen and said.

Zhou Chen nodded; "Yes! I thought such important officials in the court would be the pillars of our Great Zhou, but I never expected them to be parasites of our Great Zhou."

"First the Minister of Revenue, and now the Minister of Justice."

"I really don't know how many honest and upright officials are left in this court."

Zhou Chen sighed softly.

"In particular, they also involved the Grand Tutor's death in the four northwestern prefectures."

“Even when the carefree Prince Zhou Qian rebelled in Daizhou, it was impossible for only the Minister of Works and the Cui family of Boling to be behind the scenes supporting him.”

"They think I don't know."

"Little do they know, what can be hidden from me?"

As soon as Zhou Chen said this...

King Zhou Zhi of Shu's expression changed slightly.

Zhou Zhi never expected that the death of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong in the Northwest Four Prefectures was actually related to the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice.

In that case, Prime Minister Yuan Bo must also be implicated.

In an instant, Zhou Zhi understood everything.

No wonder the three great families sent people to visit the King of Shu in Shu; it turns out they had no way out.

Zhou Zhi originally thought that the three great families had reached an agreement with him because Emperor Zhou Chen wanted to deal with the powerful families.

This forced powerful and influential families to collude with him, the King of Shu, to protect themselves.

But who would have thought that the real reason was that the three great families, like the Cui family of Boling, had plotted against Grand Tutor Wen Zhong and had no way to retreat.

Even the Empress Dowager's expression changed slightly after hearing Zhou Chen's words.

Grand Tutor Wen Zhong died in battle in the four northwestern prefectures, and surprisingly, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice were also implicated behind the scenes.

This was the first time the Empress Dowager had heard such a secret from Emperor Zhou Chen.

"Your Majesty, do you mean that the Grand Tutor's death in the four northwestern prefectures was related to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Revenue?"

"So you investigated the Ministry of Revenue and issued an edict to exterminate the Fan family of Jiexiu, just to deal with the three great families one by one and eliminate their influence in the court?"

Zhou Zhi looked at Zhou Chen.

Zhou Zhi was still wondering if Emperor Zhou Chen had discovered his conspiracy with the three powerful families, since he had first removed the Minister of Revenue and now the Minister of Justice.

But now it seems that he was overthinking it.

Zhou Chen smiled noncommittally, gave Zhou Zhi a deep look, and said nothing more.

Although Zhou Chen only smiled noncommittally without saying anything, his meaning was already quite clear.

Zhou Zhi stopped dwelling on the topic and started talking about other things in a casual way.

In his heart, however, he was thinking that although Zhou Chen had not discovered his and the three great families' scheme, judging from Zhou Chen's intentions, the next step was to deal with Prime Minister Yuan Bo and the other two great families.

This was not good news for him, the King of Shu.

Once Emperor Zhou Chen takes action against the prime minister and the other two powerful families, it will be a good opportunity.

Then their plan would have been a complete waste of time.

At that time, even he, the King of Shu, will not escape disaster.

Zhou Zhi thought to himself.

The meal is over.

Zhou Chen left Cining Palace.

As emperor, Zhou Chen had many matters to attend to every day and could not stay in Cining Palace for too long. After Zhou Chen left, Zhou Zhi also stood up and said to the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, I will also take my leave now."

The Empress Dowager shook her head and said, "No rush."

"You sit down first."

"Your mother has something to say to you."

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Zhi and said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhi obediently sat down again.

After Zhou Zhi sat down, the Empress Dowager looked at him and said, "You heard what His Majesty just said, didn't you?"

Zhou Zhi nodded, looking at the Empress Dowager with some confusion; "Your Majesty, I have naturally heard everything you said. What does Your Majesty mean?"

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Nothing can be hidden from Your Majesty."

"The Eastern Depot is ubiquitous, and both the court and the interior are under His Majesty's control."

"Your mother does not want you to follow in the footsteps of Prince Zhou Qian."

"This is your mother's reminder and warning to you."

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Zhi with a serious expression and said.

Faced with the Empress Dowager's stern tone, Zhou Zhi was visibly taken aback.

In Zhou Zhi's memory, his mother rarely seemed to be so serious towards him.

"Mother, don't worry!"

"How could I possibly follow in my fourth brother's footsteps?"

"Your subject is merely the Prince of Shu. I have come back to visit the Empress Dowager by imperial decree. After the New Year, I will return to Shu to live a carefree life."

Zhou Zhi said with a smile.

Upon hearing Zhou Zhi's words, the Empress Dowager sighed and said, "Zhi'er, you are flesh of my flesh."

"You can hide what you're thinking from others, but do you think you can hide it from the Empress Dowager?"

Having experienced the ups and downs of the imperial harem, the Empress Dowager's rise from a palace maid to the revered Empress Dowager who governs the nation is no ordinary person.

In addition, Zhou Zhi was born to the Empress Dowager.

Therefore, how could Zhou Zhi's thoughts possibly escape the Empress Dowager's notice?

“These days, whenever the Empress Dowager dine with you, she always invites His Majesty to join them.”

"You should understand Mother's intentions, Zhi'er."

"The Great Zhou dynasty already has someone in charge, so you don't need to have any more extra thoughts."

"You have to learn to let go of some things. If something isn't yours, there's no use in obsessing over it."

"Your mother hopes you can understand these things."

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Zhi and said earnestly.

Zhou Zhi's smiling face gradually disappeared after hearing the Empress Dowager's words.

Zhou Zhi looked at the Empress Dowager and said bitterly, "Mother, I'm just a little unwilling!"

"If we're talking about both civil and military matters, then among the princes, my elder brother is the weakest, not to mention his health."

"Such an heir is simply incapable of carrying on the eternal legacy of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, I really can't understand why you chose my elder brother back then."

Since the Empress Dowager had seen through him, Zhou Zhi no longer concealed his intentions and spoke directly.

"shut up."

"Is it something you can discuss behind the back of the late emperor and His Majesty?"

"Facts have proven that your father's choice was correct; His Majesty is the restorer of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"You are not allowed to say such things again."

The Empress Dowager reprimanded Zhou Zhi, her face more stern than ever before, even carrying a hint of anger.

Zhou Zhi, seeing this, said with a look of dissatisfaction, "Mother, if Father had chosen me back then, I would have done no worse than my elder brother, and might even have done better."

“My brother is not born to my mother. If my mother had fought for me back then, I might be the one sitting in that position now.”

As soon as Zhou Zhi said this...

The entire inner palace of Cining Palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The Empress Dowager's expression changed drastically, and she stood up abruptly.

"What did you say?"

The Empress Dowager stared intently at Zhou Zhi.

Zhou Zhi saw this and felt a little scared. He had never seen his mother so frightening before.

"Mother, your son...your subject..."

Zhou Zhi realized he had spoken out of turn and was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Kneel down before me."

"Tell me, who told you all this?"

The Empress Dowager's voice trembled slightly.

It seemed like fear, or something else entirely.

Within the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, the number of people who know the inside story of this matter is definitely no more than a handful.

The Empress Dowager had no idea how her son had found out about this.

"Mother, it was something I overheard Father and Mother talking about when I was little."

Zhou Zhi knelt on the ground, unable to withstand the pressure from the Empress Dowager, and told the truth.

Zhou Zhi knew this was no small matter, and he would never have dared to say it if he hadn't let it slip in his haste.

Hearing Zhou Zhi's words, the Empress Dowager's expression softened somewhat.

It's good that Zhou Zhi didn't hear about it from somewhere else.

Otherwise, if this gets out, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Have you told anyone else about this?

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Zhi, who was kneeling on the ground, and asked in a gloomy tone.

"No."

"Mother, how dare I speak such things?"

Zhou Zhi shook his head and said.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was finally relieved and said sternly to Zhou Zhi, "Remember, keep this matter to yourself."

"If word gets out, even if you are my son, I will not spare you."

The Empress Dowager warned Zhou Zhi, her expression more serious than ever before.

Zhou Zhi immediately nodded; "Your Majesty, rest assured, I know what is important."

"Get up!"

"Go back to your Shu Prince's Mansion. Without my order, you are not allowed to step out of the Shu Prince's Mansion."

"Make sure I reflect on my actions properly in the Shu Prince's residence."

The Empress Dowager sat down again and spoke to Zhou Zhi, who was kneeling on the ground.

"My son, I obey."

Zhou Zhi got up and left Cining Palace.

After Zhou Zhi left, the Empress Dowager called out directly.

"Without a tongue."

"Queen Mother."

An old eunuch with gray hair appeared before the Empress Dowager.

"Go and invite the Eighth Prince to Cining Palace."

"While you're at it, replace all the people who were serving around here."

"I don't want any rumors to spread."

A cold glint flashed in the Empress Dowager's eyes.

Zhou Zhi's words really startled the Empress Dowager.

If Zhou Zhi hadn't been the Empress Dowager's own son, she might have dealt with him as well.

None of those who managed to carve out a bloody path through this harem were merciful.

The Empress Dowager was no exception.

The Empress Dowager didn't want anyone to spread what Zhou Zhi had just said, so the only option was to replace everyone in the palace.

"Yes, Queen Mother."

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch with a full head of white hair immediately understood the Empress Dowager's meaning and nodded directly.

"Go."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand.

The old eunuch's figure vanished from the Empress Dowager's sight in an instant.

(End of this chapter)