You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 19 Establishment of the Eastern Depot
After returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne and closed his eyes in deep thought.

The Empress Dowager's words kept replaying in Zhou Chen's mind, and he pondered each and every one of them.

It wasn't that Zhou Chen was being paranoid, but rather that he didn't believe the Empress Dowager's visit to the Hall of Mental Cultivation was simply to visit him and bring him a bowl of Dragon and Phoenix Soup.

The Empress Dowager's words just now were clearly meant to be a reminder, which made Zhou Chen cautious.

Now, Zhou Chen has deposed the Empress and the Emperor from their regency, confined Empress Wu Ying to Qingfeng Palace, and imprisoned Grand Tutor Yan Hua in the Heavenly Prison.

Anyone with eyes can see what Zhou Chen's purpose was in all these actions.

The Empress Dowager lived deep within the palace for a long time, but that did not mean she was deaf and blind.

By all accounts, the Empress Dowager also belonged to the faction of maternal relatives.

Zhou Chen's fingers tapped rhythmically on the wooden table, his eyes slightly closed, his brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing.

A few minutes later.

Zhou Chen's fingers, which were tapping the wooden table, stopped abruptly. He opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them.

people around me?

Zhou Chen grasped the key point.

When the Empress Dowager said that, her tone was noticeably stronger than when she spoke other words.

Could this be the Empress Dowager's way of reminding him that something was wrong with the people around him?

However, the only people around Zhou Chen are a few eunuchs, palace maids, Bingzhou wolf cavalry, and Lü Bu.

Of course, this also includes Zhao Gao, who had some doubts.

Could the Empress Dowager be referring to Zhao Gao?
Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes.

If Zhao Gao is problematic, then the harm he causes is no less than that caused by Zhang De.

It should be noted that Zhao Gao was not only the second most important figure in the inner court, but also in charge of the Great Zhou's inner guard.

Even if the Great Zhou Inner Guard is merely a name without substance, it still possesses considerable destructive power.

"Sigh, we're still short-staffed!"

Zhou Chen sighed. He wasn't surprised no matter who the Empress Dowager reminded him about.

The only thing that frustrated Zhou Chen was that he lacked people around him, and he lacked people who were loyal and dedicated to doing his job.

Apart from Lü Bu, Zhou Chen had no one else he could trust or rely on.

But Lü Bu was a military general, skilled in commanding troops and charging into battle.

If you ask him to do these shady or scheming things, wouldn't that be putting him in a difficult position?

Logically speaking, as the emperor, Zhou Chen could have as many people as he wanted with just one imperial decree.

But Zhou Chen dared not use him! Even his personal eunuch, who had served him for over ten years, could betray him, let alone appointing a new person.

If Zhou Chen had loyal servants, he would have replaced Zhao Gao, purged the inner guards, and re-established his own eyes and ears long ago.

"Hopefully the system can sign in such a person as soon as possible, so that he won't have to hold himself back."

Zhou Chen thought to himself, "I'm like a skilled cook without rice to cook."

With only Lu Bu by his side, he could only stay put and protect himself; he couldn't do anything else.

However, speaking of this...

Zhou Chen suddenly remembered that he hadn't signed in today.

For the past few days, the daily sign-in results have all been Bingzhou Wolf Riders.

I imagine today will be no exception!

"Sign in."

Zhou Chen silently recited in his heart.

"Ding……"

[Check-in successful.]

[Congratulations, host, for gaining Cao Zhengchun's allegiance.]

Cao Zhengchun?
Zhou Chen was stunned, thinking he had misheard.

You should know that in the previous few days, the only people who signed in were only a dozen or twenty Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.

Zhou Chen thought today would be the same as always, but he didn't expect that a remarkable person would sign in. It was such a surprise that it caught Zhou Chen off guard for a moment.

Who is Cao Zhengchun?
That was the head of the Eastern Depot in the world of 'Number One Under Heaven'.

Although Cao Zhengchun was a eunuch, his Heavenly Gang Child Skill was unmatched. Even in the world of "Number One Under Heaven", he was enough to rank among the top three, second only to Iron-Blooded Marquis and Gu Santong. His strength was extremely powerful.

Unfortunately, Cao Zhengchun ultimately couldn't withstand the Iron-Blooded Marquis's Star-Absorbing Technique and was defeated by him.

Of course, this does not mean that Cao Zhengchun was inferior to Tie Dan Shenhou.

To be honest, in Zhou Chen's opinion, apart from martial prowess, Cao Zhengchun was superior to Iron-Blooded Marquis in every other aspect.

In particular, Cao Zhengchun's political maneuvering and leadership of the Eastern Depot were unparalleled.

This is exactly what Zhou Chen needs right now.

"This old servant, Cao Zhengchun, greets Your Majesty." A figure appeared and knelt before Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun, who looked exactly like the character in the 'Number One Under Heaven' world, making him look like a villain at first glance.

It must be said that Cao Zhengchun and Lü Bu gave Zhou Chen completely different feelings.

If Lu Bu gave Zhou Chen the impression of being wild, domineering, and unruly.

So, the impression Cao Zhengchun gave Zhou Chen was that of a smiling tiger, a venomous snake, sinister, and vicious – all dark and sinister words.

One is upright and unruly, the other is sinister and vicious.

It can be said that they complement each other.

At the same time, Cao Zhengchun's basic information also came into Zhou Chen's view.

[Person: Cao Zhengchun]

Cultivation level: Half-step Celestial Being.

[Technique: Heavenly Gang Child Skill]

[Weapon: Heavenly Dipper Dust Brush]

[Talent: Shadow Spy.]

[Evaluation: The head of the Eastern Depot was ruthless and vicious, willing to use any means to achieve his goals, and prone to flattering superiors and bullying subordinates.]

Zhou Chen wasn't too surprised by Cao Zhengchun's evaluation.

Whether Cao Zhengchun was ruthless and vicious or unscrupulous in achieving his goals, as long as they were completely loyal to him, that was fine.

"Get up!"

Zhou Chen nodded in satisfaction. After much anticipation, he had finally welcomed another outstanding individual.

Moreover, it's exactly what Zhou Chen needs right now; it's a timely help.

With the appearance of Cao Zhengchun, the supervisor of the Eastern Depot, Zhao Gao and the already corrupt Imperial Guard could be eliminated.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Cao Zhengchun's voice was extremely soft and feminine. After standing up, he stood respectfully to the side.

Zhou Chen looked at Cao Zhengchun and said, "Cao Zhengchun, I plan to establish the Eastern Depot, and you will be the first director of the Eastern Depot."

"The Eastern Depot's duty was to monitor the officials and inspect the entire country."

"I want to know what my ministers do and what they plan, as well as what the officials of the empire do and what the generals on the border do."

"I want to know everything about local powerful families and aristocratic clans, down to the smallest detail."

"I don't want to see anything again where there's something I don't know. I'm giving you the right to do this; I don't care about the process, I only care about the result."

"This is your specialty. Can you meet these requirements?"

Zhou Chen looked directly at Cao Zhengchun and said.

"This old servant will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty," Cao Zhengchun said in a cunning tone, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

This is his specialty; nothing is better than what he does.

"Then I will wait and see."

Zhou Chen was also eager to see what would happen when the Eastern Depot appeared in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Will he still be able to roam the world like he did in his previous life, striking fear into the hearts of all?

(End of this chapter)