You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 22 Officials Storm the Palace
After secretly glancing at Cao Zhengchun, Zhao Gao and Jin He were both somewhat shocked.

Neither of them are ordinary people; both are quite capable.

Jin He, in particular, is a master in the late stage of a first-grade grandmaster, which is considered one of the top in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

However, when Cao Zhengchun appeared just now, they did not sense any presence from him.

This shows that Cao Zhengchun's strength was unfathomable.

"When did such a capable and unfamiliar eunuch appear by the Emperor's side?" Zhao Gao and Jin He were secretly alarmed.

"You heard what I just said, right? I'll leave this matter to you to investigate, with the other two assisting you."

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun kneeling on the ground and said.

Originally, Zhou Chen did not intend to expose Cao Zhengchun's sharp blade so quickly; he planned to have Cao Zhengchun secretly prepare the Eastern Depot first.

However, the death of Grand Tutor Yan Hua disrupted Zhou Chen's plans.

Zhou Chen needs someone he can absolutely trust to investigate this matter. Let's not talk about Jin He for now; he's loyal enough, but unfortunately, he's not good at underhanded methods.

As for Zhao Gao, Zhou Chen never had absolute faith in him.

Zhou Chen wasn't stupid. The fact that he could inexplicably poison the Grand Tutor to death in the heavily guarded prison meant that there was clearly an internal problem.

Therefore, Zhou Chen had no choice but to entrust the matter to Cao Zhengchun, someone he completely trusted, to investigate.

"This old servant obeys the decree," Cao Zhengchun replied.

Zhou Chen's gaze then turned to Zhao Gao; "Zhao Gao, you failed to investigate Zhang De's matter for me, and now the Grand Tutor has been poisoned. You have disappointed me greatly. It seems that the Inner Guard is no longer necessary."

"From now on, the Inner Guard is hereby abolished, and all its personnel will be handed over to Cao Zhengchun."

"As for you, Zhao Gao, assist Cao Zhengchun in investigating the matter of the Grand Tutor for me. If you cannot atone for your crimes through meritorious service, then don't blame me for not showing any mercy."

Zhou Chen said coldly.

Since his plan to have Cao Zhengchun act in secret was disrupted, Cao Zhengchun had no choice but to expose himself to the public eye ahead of time.

Then Zhou Chen no longer needed to hide anything, and could take this opportunity to deal with the matter of the inner guards.

Based on Cao Zhengchun's methods, Zhou Chen believed that Cao Zhengchun would have no problem dealing with the Imperial Guards.

Zhao Gao's expression changed slightly upon hearing Zhou Chen's words.

However, he immediately returned to normal; "Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant will do his utmost to assist Eunuch Cao and atone for his crimes."

Even if Zhao Gao was unwilling,

At this moment, he dared not reveal the slightest bit of his feelings.

Zhao Gao knew that if he dared to hesitate even slightly, the likely outcome would be that he would join Zhang De in death.

Jinhe, standing nearby, felt a chill run down his spine.

He appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he sighed.

Zhao Gao is finished.

Even if the truth about the Grand Tutor being poisoned in the imperial prison is found out, Zhao Gao will at most only be able to save his own life.

As for Zhao Gao's future and power, it can be said to be bleak.

Thinking of this, Jin He couldn't help but worry. Would the Emperor also take away his position as commander of the Imperial Guards?

Sudden.

at this time.

A palace eunuch rushed in, looking flustered.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! News has come from the palace gates that officials are storming the palace!" A eunuch rushed in and said urgently.

what?
Officials storm the palace?

The eunuch's words caused the expressions of the people in the Hall of Mental Cultivation to change.

Since ancient times, the imperial palace has been a symbol of imperial power, a sacred place that cannot be violated.

Anyone who dares to storm the palace gates will be considered a traitor and their entire family will be exterminated.

"What exactly happened? Explain it to me clearly," Zhou Chen said in a deep voice, looking at the eunuch. Upon hearing this, the eunuch dared not delay and immediately replied, "Your Majesty, news just came from the palace gates that the Prime Minister and the General, along with civil and military officials, stormed into the palace and are now heading towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

"Damn it, where are the palace guards?!"

"What were they doing? Didn't they try to stop it?"

Zhou Chen asked with a grim expression.

"Your Majesty, according to the messenger from the palace gates, they couldn't stop the officials. Commander Wu happened to be there at the time and didn't dare to forcibly stop them, so he let them enter the palace," the eunuch said, bowing his head and not daring to look Zhou Chen in the eye.

"waste."

"As palace guards, they can't even guard a gate properly. What use are they to me?"

Zhou Chen said angrily.

The Imperial Guards are responsible for the security of the entire palace, yet now they have been easily breached by officials.

If the officials were to rebel, would the emperor still be safe?
Zhou Chen coldly glanced at Jin He kneeling below. He had put Jin He in charge of the Imperial Guards with the aim of making them loyal protectors of him, the emperor.

But now it seems that Jinhe has disappointed him somewhat.

The Imperial Guards were still of little use.

Jin He, who was kneeling, also felt Zhou Chen's cold and dissatisfied gaze. His face turned somewhat ugly, but he forced himself to say, "Your Majesty, this humble general will immediately go and order the Imperial Guards to block the officials."

"late."

Zhou Chen shook his head.

It's too late to mend the fold after the sheep have been lost.

If the officials had not yet stormed into the palace, but were instead blocked outside the palace gates, there was still room for maneuver.

But now, the officials have already stormed into the palace.

It would be unreasonable to then order the Imperial Guards to stop the officials.

"Jin He, if you can't command the Imperial Guards, you can tell me directly, and I will have Lü Bu replace you," Zhou Chen said coldly to Jin He.

Upon hearing this, Jinhe immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Although Zhou Chen didn't get overly angry with him, his icy tone still sent a chill down his spine.

"Alright, all three of you go and investigate the matter of the Grand Tutor! You must find out the truth for me."

Zhou Chen waved his hand.

Cao Zhengchun, Zhao Gao, and Jin He left the Hall of Mental Cultivation side by side.

……

On the palace gate wall.

A middle-aged general in full armor stood on the city wall, gazing towards the palace with a flicker in his eyes.

This middle-aged general is named Wu Qing, one of the three commanders of the Imperial Guard.

Wu Qing was a member of the Wu family, belonging to the same clan as General Wu Jin and Empress Wu Ying.

When the two emperors were in power, Empress Wu Ying had placed many people in various places, and Wu Qing was one of them.

"Commander Wu, will it be alright if we just let all the officials into the palace like this?" a junior commander asked Wu Qing with a worried look.

Upon hearing this, Wu Qing withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "What could possibly happen? Do you think these officials would rebel?"

"Besides, we can't stop this kind of thing. We can't really draw our swords against the Prime Minister, the General, and all the officials!"

The young commander thought it made sense.

Faced with the menacing demeanor of the general, the prime minister, and other officials, they truly lacked the courage to draw their swords.

But the young commander still felt uneasy.

……

(End of this chapter)