You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

The next day.

After the morning court.

Not long after Zhou Chen returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Cao Zhengchun entered the hall carrying a visiting card.
"Your Majesty, the fifth master of the Mu family has sent a formal letter of request, seeking an audience with Your Majesty outside the palace."

As Cao Zhengchun spoke, he presented the visiting card in his hand to Zhou Chen.

"Oh!"

A hint of surprise flashed across Zhou Chen's face as he took the visiting card from Cao Zhengchun's hand, opened it, and glanced at it.

"The fifth master of the Mu family is quite well-mannered. He knows to be polite before resorting to force, unlike those disciples of the Ziyang Sect who act recklessly."

Zhou Chen looked at the visiting card, smiled, and said.

"Go!"

"Bring this Fifth Master Mu into the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Whether this Master Mu is trying to be polite first and then resort to force, or whether he has ill intentions, it doesn't matter!
Since the other party has presented a formal visiting card, Zhou Chen should reciprocate with courtesy.
Zhou Chen closed the visiting card and said to Cao Zhengchun.

"Old slave obeys the order."

Cao Zhengchun turned and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Before long, Cao Zhengchun led a middle-aged man into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Master Mu made no attempt to observe proper etiquette. Instead, he glanced at Zhou Chen on the dragon throne and said in a low voice, "Emperor Zhou, I am the fifth manager of the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce. I have come to visit you today to inform you of something."

"Oh!"

"What is it, Master Mu? Please speak."

Zhou Chen also glanced at Master Mu, but didn't mind Master Mu's impolite behavior.

Zhou Chen understood that someone of Master Mu's level of power would not be worthy of the attention of any emperor of any dynasty; the only thing they valued was strength.

"From now on, my Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce will no longer support the Great Zhou, and all Mu Clan Chambers of Commerce within the Great Zhou will withdraw from the Great Zhou."

"Furthermore, I hope that during this period, the Zhou Emperor will return all the resources that my Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce has provided to the Great Zhou."

Master Mu said directly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. "Fifth Master Mu, your Mu Clan's withdrawal from the Great Zhou is your business and your freedom. You don't need to tell me."

"As for the resources that the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce provides to my Great Zhou, they are the dowry that Consort Mu received when she entered the harem of my Great Zhou."

Zhou Chen said calmly.

If the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce wants to withdraw from the Great Zhou Dynasty, that's their business, and Zhou Chen can't interfere.

But it's impossible for the Great Zhou to get back what's in its pocket.

dowry?

"What a joke! When has my Mu family ever agreed to that?"

Master Mu sneered, looking at Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

"how?"

"Does my taking a concubine require the consent of your Mu family?"

Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes and looked at Master Mu.

Two gazes, one domineering, the other cold and sharp, both equally calm, yet revealing different kinds of sharpness.

"The Zhou Emperor taking concubines has nothing to do with my Mu family."

"But the concubines that Emperor Zhou has taken are from my Mu family. Emperor Zhou, tell me, do you still think they have nothing to do with my Mu family?"

Their gazes met instantly, sparking a subtle tension in the hall.

"Emperor Zhou wants to curry favor with my Mu family, but he is not qualified."

"Mu Yuyan is the object of our Mu family's marriage alliance with the Third Prince of the Dynasty. Emperor Zhou, did you consult our Mu family before taking Mu Yuyan as your concubine?"

"Emperor Zhou, do you know what the consequences will be for what you're doing?"

Master Mu stared directly at Zhou Chen on the dragon throne, his voice calm but filled with imposing authority.

"Climb the social ladder?" Zhou Chen laughed.

Why would the Great Zhou need to curry favor with a mere Mu family?

Let alone the Mu family, even the Azure Dragon Dynasty is not qualified for the Great Zhou to attach itself to.

The Mu family is quite powerful, but given some time, what is the Mu family?
Even now, the Great Zhou Dynasty has the strength to rival the Mu family.

Zhou Chen looked at Master Mu and said, "Manager Mu, for the sake of Consort Mu, I will not hold your rudeness against you today."

"But I remind you, this is the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the imperial palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, not the Mu Clan's."

"Mu Yuyan is already my concubine, and I personally bestowed upon her the title of Noble Consort. I hope you will remember this."

Zhou Chen's voice deepened as he spoke, each word distinct and clear.

Anyone could hear the warning in Zhou Chen's voice.

"If there's nothing else, Manager Mu, you may leave now!"

Zhou Chen waved his hand, no longer wasting words with Master Mu.

When friends come, we offer them wine and meat; when enemies come, we certainly use sticks and clubs.

If this Fifth Master of the Mu family thinks he can act recklessly in the palace just because he has reached the Ninth Reincarnation Realm, then Zhou Chen wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson.

Upon hearing Zhou Chen's words and seeing his gesture as if he were dismissing a subordinate, Master Mu's expression darkened.

As the fifth master of the Mu family, a Venerable who had entered the Ninth Reincarnation Realm, he had never been treated like this, being dismissed.

Even in the imperial court, this had never happened before, even before the emperor.

But now, the emperor of the Great Zhou, a native dynasty that has just merged into the Great Wilderness, with its weak power, actually dares to treat him like this. It's outrageous!

However, Master Mu eventually withdrew.

It wasn't that Master Mu didn't want to slap Zhou Chen, to let him know that the emperor was nothing but a fart in front of the strong.

Instead, it was Master Mu who sensed danger. He felt that if he dared to make a move, he would definitely not be able to leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Therefore, Master Mu had no choice but to obey Zhou Chen's order and step down.

……

Mushi Chamber of Commerce.

Master Mu Wu looked thoughtful.

Just now in the palace, Master Mu felt a strong aura locked onto him. This aura was very powerful and gave Master Mu a sense of danger.

He was already a Venerable who had entered the Ninth Reincarnation Realm, so anyone who could give him a sense of danger was at least a Venerable who had entered the Ninth Reincarnation Realm, or even someone above the Reincarnation Realm.

"It seems that the Great Zhou Dynasty is indeed extraordinary. Not only has its national destiny taken shape, but its strength is also far more unfathomable than that of ordinary dynasties."

Master Mu thought to himself, his eyes gleaming.

The reason why Master Mu sent his visiting card to the palace was to test the strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

But as it turned out, there were indeed some gains.
Master Mu raised his eyes and looked at Commander Mu standing next to him; "Pass on my order: all Mu Clan Chambers of Commerce within the Great Zhou Dynasty shall withdraw from the Great Zhou Dynasty. From now on, the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce shall not have any relationship or contact with the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Commander Mu immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Fifth Master."

"besides."

"Mu Yuyan's rights within the Chamber of Commerce are hereby revoked. From this day forward, Mu Yuyan shall have no right to mobilize anything within the Chamber of Commerce, and no one within the Chamber of Commerce shall obey Mu Yuyan's orders."

Master Mu spoke again.

"Yes, Fifth Master."

Commander Mu's eyes flickered, and he bowed again to accept the order.

Afterwards, Commander Mu left to relay the order.

"Emperor Zhou, no matter how powerful your Great Zhou is, it is still somewhat inferior to my Mu family."

"You dare to disrespect my Mu family and sabotage the marriage alliance between my Mu family and the imperial dynasty. You are truly courting death."

After Commander Mu left, Fifth Master Mu muttered to himself with a glint in his eyes.