You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 318 The matter of the talent selection is entrusted to your Ministry of Rites.
royal palace.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After Zhou Chen returned to the palace, he had Cao Zhengchun present him with information about the strange events that had occurred outside the city.

It doesn't take a while.

Cao Zhengchun then compiled the relevant information about the strange events outside the city and presented it to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen frowned slightly as he looked through the messages presented by Cao Zhengchun.

Besides the village Zhou Chen had just visited, several other villages outside the city also experienced similar strange events.

Furthermore, some people have mysteriously disappeared, leaving no trace of their lives or bodies.

These strange events all began with unusual celestial phenomena.

This made Zhou Chen wonder if, after this strange phenomenon, demons had indeed appeared, just as the people had said.
Otherwise, how can we explain the bizarre deaths of the people outside the city?

Just as Zhou Chen was pondering these related messages, the eunuch from the Imperial Guard entered and reported: "Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince, the Left Chancellor, and several ministers from the Six Ministries are requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Uh!"

"The Eighth Prince, Xiao He, and the six ministers are all requesting an audience outside the palace?"

Zhou Chen was visibly taken aback.

It's rare for these important officials to come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation together. I wonder what brought them here today.

"Inform them to come in."

Zhou Chen spoke to the eunuchs and guards.

"According to the order."

The eunuchs and guards bowed and withdrew.

soon.

Prince Zhou Zhan, Prince Zhou Xian, Xiao He, and the six ministers entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation together.

"I have met His Majesty."

After entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, everyone bowed respectfully to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

"No gift."

Zhou Chen looked up at Xiao He and the others, and said, "My dear ministers, what brings you to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see me?"

After exchanging glances, Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan, and his companions...

Xiao He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, the Great Zhou is now at peace, and the people are living in peace and prosperity. However, as the Emperor of the Great Zhou, the vacancy of the harem will affect the stability of the Great Zhou.”

"Therefore, we have come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation today to see Your Majesty, so as to request Your Majesty to immediately select concubines and enrich the harem in order to secure the country."

As soon as Xiao He finished speaking, Prince Zhou Zhan, Prince Zhou Xian, and the six ministers all bowed and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please select concubines to enrich the harem and secure the country."

Zhou Chen was visibly taken aback when he heard what Xiao He and the others said.

Zhou Chen hadn't expected that Xiao He and the other important court officials would come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation together for this very reason.

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment, glanced at Xiao He and the others, and finally fixed his gaze on Du Ruhui; "Du Ruhui, you are the Minister of Rites, so the matter of selecting concubines will be left to your Ministry of Rites."

"Remember, do not hold a large-scale talent search across the country, and the number of candidates should not be too many. Just select a few to fill the harem."

"You can go to Cining Palace to see what the Empress Dowager thinks about this matter."

Zhou Chen looked at Du Ruhui and said.

Zhou Chen knew that as the emperor of the Great Zhou, the fact that the harem was always empty was indeed a problem and not conducive to the stability of the Great Zhou's country and society.

Previously, Zhou Chen did not take any concubines because he had many important national affairs to attend to and could not afford to take any more.

But now, everything in the Great Zhou Dynasty is basically on track, and the vast land of the Great Zhou has been stabilized. So it's time to put the matter of taking a concubine on the agenda.

Most importantly, Zhou Chen knew that he had to get through this hurdle sooner or later.

As the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was impossible for the harem to remain empty forever.

This is not something Zhou Chen can do at will, nor can he simply choose not to take concubines.

After all, the affairs of the imperial family are the affairs of the state.

Even if Zhou Chen were the emperor, he could refuse the matter once or twice, but he could not refuse it again and again.

Hearing Zhou Chen's words, Xiao He and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Especially Prince Zhou Xian, who had already been turned down twice by Emperor Zhou Chen for this matter. Fortunately, Zhou Chen did not refuse again today and agreed to the matter.

Otherwise, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and his entourage would have been prepared to not give up until they took a concubine.

"The minister obeys the order."

Du Ruhui bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

After finishing his story, Zhou Chen looked at Xiao He and the others and said, "Since you've all come to the palace, take a look at these!"

Zhou Chen casually handed the news about the strange events outside the city that Cao Zhengchun had just presented to him to Cao Zhengchun, who was standing beside him.

Cao Zhengchun immediately took the news and delivered it to Xiao He and the others.

After reading these messages, Xiao He and the others frowned.

Xiao He and his companions were shocked to discover such a bizarre event outside Luoyang; it was truly unbelievable.

"His Majesty."

"The people in the villages outside the city are dying mysteriously, and even the officials in charge of investigating the clues have disappeared. This matter is not simple."

"Didn't the Eastern Depot find a single clue?"

After reading these messages, Xiao He and the others all looked at Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

Zhou Chen shook his head; "I only just found out about this myself."

"I have already ordered the Eastern Depot to investigate."

……

The Great Zhou Dynasty is a thousand miles away.

Countless wild beasts are frantically attacking a city.

The city walls were already stained with blood, and there were corpses everywhere.

The ground was littered with both human and wild animal corpses.

"Click..."

The city gate, several meters high, collapsed instantly after being repeatedly attacked by the wild beasts.

Countless wild beasts surged into the city like a flood bursting its banks, and the city gate guards were no match for them.

Under the onslaught of the wild beasts, most of the city gate guards became food for them.

"Run!"

"The city gates have collapsed, and the wild beasts have already rushed into the city. The guards can no longer stop the beast horde."

The entire city was plunged into chaos.

Bloodshed and screams were playing out in every corner of the city.

Everyone was desperately trying to escape.

One carriage, protected by hundreds of people, charged straight out of the city.

"You protect the young lady and go first, I'll cover the rear."

A man with a few strands of gray hair roared at the hundreds of people.

Without hesitation, he swung his long sword at the pursuing wild beasts.

The sword energy surged and crisscrossed.

A cold light flashed.

In an instant, a large number of the relentless pursuing wild beasts fell to the ground.

The man did not stop; he continued to swing the long knife in his hand.

Each slash unleashed a terrifying aura.

Even though there were many wild beasts, they were all blocked by the man's terrifying sword energy for a time.

The carriage, protected by hundreds of people, sped out of the city and disappeared into the distant horizon in the blink of an eye.

……

(End of this chapter)