You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 23 The Emperor's Wrath

Inside the palace.

On the palace road leading to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, hundreds of officials dressed in court robes marched menacingly toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Their faces were all heavy with sorrow, and some even wore expressions of grief and indignation.

These officials were all civil and military officials in the imperial court, and ministers of the state.

If any of them were placed in a local area, they would be surrounded by people eager to pay their respects.

Leading the group were General Wu Jin and the Prime Minister.

It can be said that most of the power of the Zhou dynasty is concentrated in the hands of these few hundred people.

When the imperial guards patrolling the palace saw the imposing civil and military officials, they mostly kept their distance, and no one dared to step forward to stop them.

Occasionally, a few loyal Imperial Guards would step forward to stop them, only to be slapped across the face by General Wu Jin and other civil and military officials.

Thus, the civil and military officials arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation without any hindrance.

"Stop."

"This is a sacred place for the imperial court; how dare you trespass here at will?"

As soon as the officials arrived outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, they were stopped by the guards outside the hall.

"Get out of the way, we want to see the Emperor."

General Wu Jin arrogantly declared, attempting to force his way in with his officials.

Unfortunately, the guards stationed at the Hall of Mental Cultivation were not the Imperial Guards, but the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.

They were not afraid of the status and position of the officials at all.

"Bold."

"This is the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Are you trying to rebel by forcibly breaking into the Hall of Mental Cultivation?"

A squad leader of the Bingzhou wolf cavalry shouted coldly, drawing his long sword and pointing it at General Wu Jin and the officials.

"Surround them. Anyone who makes a move will be killed."

Hundreds of Bingzhou wolf riders drew their swords and surrounded the civil and military officials with murderous intent.

Each of them exuded a murderous aura, with a cold and stern expression, clearly a hardened elite who had escaped from piles of corpses.

General Wu Jin was furious that the guards of the Hall of Mental Cultivation dared to draw their swords against them. His face turned red with anger.

Who is General Wu Jin?

He was a minister left behind by the late emperor to assist in governing the country.

He was the Grand General of the Southern Camp of the Twelve Divine Martial Guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

He is the current emperor's father-in-law, a member of the imperial family,

Even the emperor in the Hall of Mental Cultivation wouldn't dare to easily resort to violence against this great general.

But right now, a mere commander of the guards of the Hall of Mental Cultivation dares to brandish his weapon at him, a great general.

This is truly intolerable!

"presumptuous."

"How dare you draw your swords against this general and all the civil and military officials! You have truly gone too far! All of you, get out of my way!"

General Wu Jin, his face ashen, reprimanded the Bingzhou wolf cavalry.

The prime minister beside him was also filled with anger.

"You insolent fools, all of you, get out of my sight! Do you all intend to kill me and all the officials in the court?"

Prime Minister Yuan Bo glared angrily at the Bingzhou wolf cavalry and said.

The other civil and military officials also spoke out in uncontrollable anger.

However, the hundreds of Bingzhou wolf riders remained unmoved, their expressions not even changing.

The gleaming golden swords were pointed directly at the officials, and the chilling aura of the blades spread out, casting a shadow over their hearts.

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.

They seemed ready to take action at the slightest disagreement.

Just then, a figure stepped out from among the officials.

It was none other than Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince and head of the Imperial Clan Court.

"Gentlemen, please hear what I have to say."

"Please don't get agitated, everyone. We are here to see the Emperor. Just send someone to report to the Emperor. There is no need to clash with the palace guards."

"You all know that the palace guards are responsible for protecting the palace. If a conflict breaks out with them, you should all be aware of the consequences!" The Eighth Prince, Zhou Xian, stepped forward and explained the implications.

King Zhou Xian knew that all these civil and military officials were shrewd and understood these interests better than anyone else.

Unfortunately, they were now stuck in a stalemate, and the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian had no choice but to step forward and give the civil and military officials a way to back down.

The Eighth Prince Zhou Xian was not afraid that the officials would act impulsively and storm the Hall of Mental Cultivation; he was afraid that the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry guarding outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation would not know the consequences and would actually attack the officials.

If that's the case, things could really get out of control.

Upon hearing the words of the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the officials' emotions indeed calmed down considerably, and they stopped angrily rebuking the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.

When King Zhou Xian saw that all the civil and military officials had stepped down from this position, he breathed a sigh of relief.

King Zhou Xian was genuinely afraid that some of these officials might have a stubborn streak and refuse to back down, thus angering the Bingzhou wolf cavalry.

That could really cause a lot of trouble.

The Eighth Prince Zhou Xian turned and glanced at the junior commander of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, saying, "Go and report to the Emperor! Tell him that we officials request an audience with the Emperor."

The junior commander of the Bingzhou wolf cavalry nodded and immediately sent someone into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Soon, a eunuch came out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and led the officials through the guards into the hall.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, his head bowed as he reviewed the memorials.

After General Wu Jin and Prime Minister Yuan Bo led the officials in, they immediately knelt down to pay their respects.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects."

The officials knelt down and said in unison.

Zhou Chen did not look up or make a sound, and continued to review the memorials with his head down.

The officials knelt on the ground, and none dared to rise without the permission of Emperor Zhou Chen.

Time passed by second by second.

The atmosphere inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation was heavy and eerie.

The officials kneeling on the ground did not dare to move or utter a sound.

They all knew in their hearts that this was the Emperor trying to intimidate them.

When officials storm the palace, it is no small matter.

Whatever the reason, this is something no emperor could tolerate.

Although the law does not punish the masses, if it were truly investigated, none of those who were kneeling would escape.

It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that Zhou Chen raised his head, calmly looking at the kneeling officials below and saying, "You still remember that I am the Emperor!"

"I thought you stormed the palace so aggressively that you wanted to depose me as emperor!"

Zhou Chen's voice was calm.

But to the kneeling officials below, it sounded like thunder in their hearts.

Some of the more timid ones even started sweating profusely.

"The minister is guilty."

The officials bowed their heads and said in unison.

"guilty?"

Zhou Chen sneered.

"I see no trace of guilt in you."

"I can see that you are all very imposing and aggressive, even coming and going freely in my palace."

"Officials storming the palace?"

A hint of sarcasm flashed across Zhou Chen's face.

"What a prestigious title! It's enough to go down in history!"

"You are truly the pillars of my Great Zhou court. Do you even respect me, the emperor?"

"What do you want by gathering all the officials and storming into the palace with such a menacing air?"

"Want to rebel?"

Zhou Chen, his face ashen, loudly questioned the civil and military officials.

(End of this chapter)