You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Big week.

Heaven Prison.

This is where serious criminals of the Great Zhou Dynasty are imprisoned; anyone who can be imprisoned here is no ordinary person.

The Heavenly Prison has nine levels, and due to the recent war, all nine levels are overcrowded.

Upon entering the prison, one is immediately greeted by a damp and gloomy atmosphere, along with various noisy wails and cries.

Mu Yuyan covered her nose, enduring the discomfort, and headed straight for the eighth level of the Heavenly Prison.

Her main purpose in coming to the prison today was to see the Mu family members.

After the Great Zhou Dynasty took over the entire empire, none of the members of the Mu family escaped the Great Zhou's capture and suppression. Apart from a portion of them being imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's prison, the main members of the Mu family were imprisoned in this Heavenly Prison.

Upon entering the eighth level of the Heavenly Prison, the first thing that catches the eye is a row of cells made of black iron, each holding a prisoner.

In some cases, there are even more than one prisoner in a cell.

Mu Yuyan saw many familiar faces among the prisoners in these cells, including members of the Mu family and people from other factions whom she had met before.

These people were no ordinary individuals; they were all leaders or important figures in various powerful forces, people whose mere presence could shake the imperial court.

Yet this important figure is now a prisoner, imprisoned in this dark and hopeless cell.

It must be said that life is truly unpredictable and ever-changing.

Ignoring the surprised looks from the crowd, Mu Yuyan walked directly down the corridor into the depths of the prison.

Compared to the first seven levels of the Heavenly Prison, this eighth level is much quieter.

No, to be precise, the eighth level of the Heavenly Prison was completely silent, with virtually no noise.

Also.

Those who can be imprisoned on the eighth level of this heavenly prison are not ordinary people, but important figures. How could they possibly cry out for injustice or wail in pain like ordinary people and lose their status for no reason!

soon.

Mu Yuyan arrived at the outside of a cell deep inside the prison.

Looking at the half-white-haired figure sitting on the ground inside, with his hands and feet chained and wearing a prison uniform, Mu Yuyan sighed slightly.

Who would have thought that the once high and mighty head of the Mu family in her eyes would now have fallen to such a state?

The head of the Mu family in the prison cell sensed the arrival of the person and raised his head.

Upon seeing Mu Yuyan standing outside the cell, his expression remained unchanged, without even a hint of surprise.

"You came?"

The head of the Mu family spoke calmly, as if he was not surprised by Mu Yuyan's arrival.

"Let me see what I can do."

Mu Yuyan parted her red lips slightly, her voice very soft.

She didn't know whether to feel fortunate or sad about the current state of the Mu family.
Upon hearing this, the head of the Mu family remained silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "Good child, if possible, preserve some of the Mu family's bloodline! The Mu family's bloodline cannot be broken."

The head of the Mu family, who had been calm, showed a rare hint of kindness towards Mu Yuyan.

To be honest, Mu Yuyan really couldn't stand the Mu family head's kind and amiable attitude towards her.

In Mu Yuyan's memory, this family head was always serious and calm, and rarely showed such a kind and approachable side to people.

"I'll try my best!"

Mu Yuyan nodded.

She didn't know whether she could preserve some of the Mu family's bloodline.

But no matter what, she was a member of the Mu family. Even if the Mu family had never treated her well, it was undeniable that she ate the Mu family's food, wore the Mu family's clothes, and grew up in the Mu family.

Therefore, she would do her best to do whatever she could for the Mu family.

"If you can preserve some of the Mu family's bloodline, tell them not to have any other thoughts in the future, and not to follow in our footsteps."

The head of the Mu family spoke in a low voice, revealing a hint of helplessness and bitterness.

As the head of the Mu family and the patriarch of the Mu clan, he failed to develop and expand the Mu family and make it prosperous. Instead, he led the Mu family to its demise. This was his failure as the head of the Mu family and the patriarch of the Mu clan.

Mu Yuyan understood the meaning behind the Mu family head's words and nodded.

If she could preserve some members of the Mu family, she would instruct them according to the wishes of the Mu family head.

"besides."

"Don't go to see anyone from the Mu family anymore, and don't come to the prison again. The Mu family still has some resources. Someone will come looking for you later. If some of our Mu family bloodline can be preserved, and you have the ability, then take care of them more in the future!"

These were the last words of the head of the Mu family, and also his final thoughts.

It is both an instruction and a last will and testament!
……

Jingren Palace.

Zhang Yan sat gracefully on the phoenix chair, gently sipping a bowl of precious bird's nest.

Her lower abdomen was protruding, clearly indicating that she was already six months pregnant.

In fact it is.

Zhang Yan is already pregnant with the emperor's child, and she is the first one to conceive of the emperor's child.

Once Zhang Yan gives birth to a prince, this prince will be Zhou Chen's first prince, and also the first prince of the entire Great Zhou.

For this reason, after Zhang Yan became pregnant with the emperor's child, her status in the harem rose rapidly. Coupled with the Empress Dowager's influence, her position in the harem could be said to be firmly above that of the other young ladies-in-waiting and concubines.

of course.

Currently, Zhang Yan is not the only one in the entire harem who is pregnant with the emperor's child. In addition to Zhang Yan, there are three other young ladies-in-waiting who are also pregnant with the emperor's child, and all three of them have been made concubines by Zhou Chen.

The four concubines were pregnant with the emperor's child. Although three of them were of lower rank than Zhang Yan, their pregnancy was their opportunity.

Whoever gives birth to a dragon son will have an unshakeable position, and it is not impossible for them to even advance further.

Therefore, undercurrents had already begun to stir in the harem without anyone noticing, and hidden rivalries were inevitable.

However, Zhang Yan did not take the other three concubines who were pregnant with the emperor's child seriously; what she really cared about was Consort Mu in Qingfeng Palace.

Compared to Consort Mu, she was far inferior in terms of both her own circumstances and her background.

Her only advantage at the moment is that she is carrying a dragon's child.

If the other party also becomes pregnant with the emperor's child, that will be the biggest threat to her path to becoming empress.

"Your Majesty, Consort Mu from Qingfeng Palace has just been taken to the Heavenly Prison."

A palace maid came in and whispered something to Zhang Yan.

"Oh!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow slightly. After putting down the bird's nest in her hand, Zhang Yan gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and began to ponder.

She knew about the Mu family's situation.

That's why she sometimes felt a sense of relief, relieved that the Mu family had allied with foreign races and had been arrested and imprisoned by His Majesty.

Otherwise, given the status of the Mu family, as the maternal family of Consort Mu of Qingfeng Palace, they would pose an even greater threat to her.

Therefore, the purpose of Consort Mu of Qingfeng Palace going to the Heavenly Prison is self-evident.

"Have people keep a close eye on the movements at Qingfeng Palace, as well as the situation of the Mu family."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yan spoke.

She knew the purpose of the person from Qingfeng Palace going to the Heavenly Prison, but she didn't have the power to cause trouble for them, so she could only ask people to keep a close eye on them.

"Yes, ma'am."

After the palace maid left, Zhang Yan stood up.

Upon seeing this, the female official serving nearby quickly stepped forward to help Zhang Yan.

"Let's go, it's time to pay our respects at Cining Palace."

This is something Zhang Yan does almost every day; whenever she has time, she goes to Cining Palace to pay her respects.

Zhang Yan understood that the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace was her greatest advantage, besides being pregnant with the emperor's child, and also her strongest backer.

As long as he visits the Cining Palace more often to pay his respects and maintains a good relationship with the Empress Dowager there, his position in the harem will be half secured.

This is an advantage that no other concubine can match, not even Consort Mu of Qingfeng Palace.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, flipping through the memorials in his hands.

This memorial was submitted by Li Si, and its contents concerned the issue of prisoners in the jail.

After reading the memorial, Zhou Chen looked up at Li Si standing below and asked, "Prime Minister, the prisons are now overcrowded. What do you think should be done with these people?"

Upon hearing this, Li Si, who already had a prepared response in mind, immediately cupped his hands and said without hesitation, "Your Majesty, the great war has just ended, and now the world is at peace. The situation in various parts of our Great Zhou has also basically stabilized. In my humble opinion, it is not advisable to launch another large-scale killing and punishment campaign. We should focus on appeasement and benevolence."

"Now, although my Great Zhou has unified the Eastern Region, my Great Zhou's foundation is too shallow and its talents are scarce, especially in the army. There are too few strong people who can be called up. Apart from a few people like General Han and General Lü, there are basically no strong people who can suppress the enemy."

"But the territory of our Great Zhou is now vast, more than a hundred times larger than before. With only a few generals like General Lü and Marshal Han, we are far from sufficient. If any unforeseen events occur, we will have almost no strong generals available."

"Furthermore, it's not fair that General Han and General Lü have to handle everything personally; that would be a waste of their talents."

"Therefore, I believe that it would be a waste to execute those semi-saints or saints in prison like this. It would be better to send them to the army so that they can be at the forefront of every battle and fight and serve our Great Zhou."

"In this way, we can quickly win the hearts of the people and show Your Majesty's benevolence."

Li Si spoke clearly and logically.

Li Si, who once helped the First Emperor unify the six kingdoms and eliminate powerful ministers, was not a soft-hearted person.

However, the Great Zhou has just conquered the imperial dynasty and unified the entire Eastern Region. There have already been enough deaths, so it is indeed not suitable to carry out any more large-scale killings.

Otherwise, it would leave the world with an impression of tyranny, which would be detrimental to the future development of the Great Zhou and the submission of the people.

Upon hearing Li Si's words, Zhou Chen tapped his fingers on the dragon-shaped desk, lost in thought.

Zhou Chen understood what Li Si meant.

He didn't care about being a tyrant or not. Even if everyone in the world cursed him as a tyrant, so what?
Could they possibly overthrow his Great Zhou?
Throughout history, which emperor didn't have blood on his hands and walk over countless bones to get to where he was?

In the eyes of emperors, there is no such thing as innocent or not innocent, nor is there any mercy to speak of; there is only the general trend and the overall situation.

As long as it benefits the general trend and the overall situation, the emperor will do it.

Obviously.

What Li Si is saying now is beneficial to the situation of the Great Zhou.

Not killing is more advantageous than killing.

Moreover, the enemies of the Great Zhou are all dead, and those who resisted the Great Zhou are also dead. Most of those imprisoned in the prison were implicated in the confiscation of their property and extermination of their families.

The rest were people who had been implanted with the demonic seed and had defected to other races or various powerful families.

Whether these people are killed or not is not important to Zhou Chen.

Because those who deserved to die are already dead, and the die-hard elements who posed a threat to the Great Zhou Dynasty are no longer around.

Seeing Zhou Chen deep in thought, Li Si spoke again, "Many of the powerful figures imprisoned in the jail have been implanted with demonic seeds. Your Majesty should have a way to remove these demonic seeds, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen nodded. "That's not a big problem. The demon seed might be difficult for others to deal with, but for me, it's very simple. I can break it with a flick of my wrist."

The power of the Emperor's Conferring of Gods Technique is not only reflected in strength and lifespan, but it can also easily deal with demons or demonic creatures.

"Prime Minister, your suggestion is excellent. Our Great Zhou has now unified the Eastern Region, transforming from a small border dynasty into the hegemon that dominates the entire Eastern Region. It is time for me to bestow my grace upon the world and demonstrate the imperial benevolence of the Great Zhou royal family."

Zhou Chen looked at Li Si and said, "Issue my decree."

"From this day forward, all prisoners in our Great Zhou will be pardoned if they commit minor crimes, and demoted to criminals and sent to the army's death camp, where they will be at the forefront of every battle. Those who have made outstanding contributions to the country may be exempted from their crimes and status."

"Your cabinet, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of War must come up with regulations as soon as possible. Whether it is the pardon of those who commit minor crimes, the exile of those who commit serious crimes, or the reward for meritorious service in the army, there must be clear systems."

Zhou Chen looked at Li Si and said seriously.

He didn't want what was supposed to be a good deed showcasing imperial favor to end up causing trouble and turning into a bad thing.

"The minister obeys the order."

Li Si bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

Afterwards, Li Si reported on some other matters before leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation with the imperial decree.

Although Zhou Chen didn't care about being a tyrant or not, a good reputation was always better than a bad one.

Although this pardon of the prisoners may not necessarily bring them any good reputation, it is beneficial to the Great Zhou in the long run.

Most importantly, the prisoners in the jail had no deadly feud with the Great Zhou; it was merely a matter of faction affiliation.

Take the Mu family for example. The Great Zhou and the Mu family have no deadly enmity. Even if it's because of Mu Yuyan, it's just some grudges and nothing more.

As for the Mu family associating with foreign races and being implanted with demonic seeds, what does that have to do with the Great Zhou Dynasty?

The so-called "righteous cause" is utter nonsense. As long as it doesn't endanger the interests of the Great Zhou, Zhou Chen won't be bound by such "righteous cause."

of course.

This is also because those people in the prison did not actually threaten the interests of the Great Zhou, nor did they have any deadly enmity with the Great Zhou.

Otherwise, let alone a pardon, Zhou Chen would have sent them to meet the King of Hell long ago. (End of Chapter)