You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After Li Si left, Cao Zhengchun took out a small notebook and handed it to Zhou Chen.

"Your Majesty, this is what Consort Mu said to the head of the Mu family when she went to the imperial prison."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen showed no change in expression. The purpose of the Eastern Depot was simply to do these things.

Although Mu Yuyan's entry into the imperial prison was permitted by the emperor, the Eastern Depot would not let their conversation go unchecked and would continue to monitor it.

Zhou Chen picked up the notebook and began flipping through it expressionlessly.

"Hehe, among these great families, none of the old fellows who can become the heads of their clans are simple people. These last words are clearly meant for me."

Zhou Chen closed the booklet, gave a faint laugh, and didn't seem to care about the content of the conversation.

Whether it was the Mu family or any other force, perhaps they could have attracted Zhou Chen's attention before.

But now, Zhou Chen is no longer the emperor who had to carefully consider even the semi-saints, and the Great Zhou is no longer the Great Zhou that had to be careful when facing even saints.

The changes brought about by his status and power have raised Zhou Chen's horizons to a new level.

Perhaps only news from the imperial courts or holy lands in the Central Region could attract Zhou Chen's attention!

Zhou Chen tossed the booklet aside, glanced at Cao Zhengchun, and said, "Release all those below the Mu family's Venerable level! The army is a death camp; one more or one less won't make a difference to the overall situation."

In any case, Mu Yuyan is now the Consort Mu of his Great Zhou Dynasty. Even if you don't care about the monk, you have to give her some special treatment. So, you have to give some special treatment to the Mu family members in the prison.

Otherwise, if a noble consort of the Great Zhou Dynasty couldn't even protect a few members of her own clan, such rumors would be incredibly embarrassing.

Besides, isn't this how privileges are used?
The idea that "princes are subject to the same laws as commoners" is just a slogan.

If princes are punished the same as commoners for breaking the law, what is the point of the royal family's power?

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun bowed in response.

"besides."

"Keep a close eye on the harem as well, lest anything unexpected happens."

There are currently four concubines in the harem pregnant with his children, so no accidents can be tolerated.

Zhou Chen allowed the infighting in the harem. He understood that wherever there are people, there will always be infighting, especially in a place like the harem where power struggles are involved. It would be strange if there were no infighting!

Even if he were the emperor, he couldn't control these conflicts.

But the premise is that such a struggle will not harm the foundation of the nation, nor will it harm the unborn dragon.

otherwise.

Zhou Chen would never tolerate it.

Just like the substitution of a prince for a cat, or a child dying in the womb, Zhou Chen would never allow such vicious power struggles to occur in the harem.

"This old servant understands. This old servant will increase manpower and keep a close eye on the inner palace."

Cao Zhengchun knew that if something unexpected happened in the harem, his position as the Grand Supervisor of the Eastern Depot would be over.

Therefore, even without Zhou Chen saying so, he would keep a close eye on the harem.

……

Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager and Zhang Yan sat next to each other.

Looking at her niece, who had shed her childish naiveté and gained a certain dignified air, the Empress Dowager's wrinkled face revealed a kind smile.

"Yan'er, you must take good care of your health. You need to know that you are no longer alone. You are carrying the dragon's seed in your belly. You don't need to come to me every day. You need to rest more to avoid accidentally disturbing the fetus."

The Empress Dowager said gently.

The Empress Dowager was very pleased that Zhang Yan was able to conceive a child with the Emperor.

In particular, Zhang Yan was the first to conceive a royal heir, and if nothing unexpected happens, this could be His Majesty's eldest son.

Don't underestimate the status of the eldest son. Although he lacks the title of "legitimate son," his status is still far more significant than that of others.

According to ancestral rites and laws, the eldest son has priority in inheriting the throne.

If Zhang Yan were to inherit the Empress's position by giving birth to a prince, then that eldest son would immediately have the title of "嫡" (legitimate son) added before his name, becoming His Majesty's "嫡长子" (eldest legitimate son).

In that case, he would be the first in line to the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which shows how significant his position is.

of course.

Although the succession to the throne has been based on the ancestral tradition of establishing the eldest son of the legitimate wife rather than the most virtuous, it is not absolute. It also depends on the methods employed and the emperor's will.

But this was enough to make the Empress Dowager happy.

The Empress Dowager was always worried that after she passed away, without her protection, Zhang Yan would not be able to maintain her position in the palace, and the Zhang family would not be able to continue peacefully.

But now the Empress Dowager can rest assured.

Zhang Yan was the first to conceive a child with the emperor, thus securing her position in the harem.

Even though she, the Empress Dowager, is no longer here, Zhang Yan can still maintain her position in the harem, and the Zhang family can still enjoy a century of peace and stability.

"Your Majesty is right, Yan'er will remember."

The Empress Dowager nodded with a smile; "Our royal family has always been sparsely populated and lacking in talent. In the previous emperor's generation, there was only one virtuous prince. In His Majesty's generation, there is not a single capable person. Among the older generation, some have died and some have been deposed, leaving only one Prince Kao Shan."

"However, in the previous turmoil, the Eighth Prince also died in battle. Although the Prince of Kaoshan survived, he was also severely injured. In addition, he is old and does not have much time left."

"It can be said that apart from His Majesty, there is no one else in the royal family who is capable of making any contributions."

At this point, the Empress Dowager's expression became somewhat downcast, and her voice also became somewhat low.

It is both a sorrow for those who died for the royal family, such as the Eighth Prince, and a heavy burden for the royal family now having no one left to rely on.

The vast royal family, the royal family that rules the entire Eastern Region under Yu Niu'er, has no one to rely on. How ridiculous is that?

"Yan'er, do you know what this means?"

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhang Yan and said in a deep voice, "This means that our royal family is currently just a castle in the air, which does not match our current status and power. Once the status and power we possess are not commensurate with our own strength, the consequences are unimaginable!"

"As Your Majesty expands the territory, this deficiency of our royal family has become more and more obvious. Although there are still some members of our royal family, they can no longer keep up with Your Majesty's pace and have basically remained in the former capital, Luoyang."

"Now, in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, only His Majesty is holding up the royal family. Although the civil and military officials are loyal to His Majesty and are all rare talents, they are still outsiders and have a natural distance from our royal family."

"Now, with His Majesty here, he can suppress those arrogant and unruly generals, but no one can guarantee that future rulers will be as wise and powerful as His Majesty and able to control these ministers."

"Therefore, my royal family needs talented people, offspring, and a solid foundation."

"Resources are not lacking for our royal family; what we lack are royal offspring."

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhang Yan and said solemnly.

In the Empress Dowager's view, Li Si, Xiao He, Han Xin and other civil officials were all rare talents, and they were all loyal to His Majesty.

However, no matter how loyal one is to His Majesty, one is still an outsider and cannot be as reliable as one's own family.

indeed.

For most dynasties, the loyalty of their ministers is limited, and even members of the royal family are not necessarily reliable.

However, relatively speaking, most dynasties still favored their own royal family members.

After all, they shared the same bloodline, the same surname, and the same ancestor—something no outsider could compare to or replace. Hearing this, Zhang Yan immediately understood the Empress Dowager's meaning and quickly stood up, saying, "I understand what Mother means."

"Don't worry, Mother, Yan'er won't do anything outrageous."

Seeing that Zhang Yan understood her meaning, the Empress Dowager nodded; "It's good that you understand. I was just afraid you would make a mistake."

"Now, every royal offspring is extremely important to our royal family. As they grow up, they will become talents for our royal family, and may even be the foundation of our royal family. Therefore, we must never allow any of them to be lost."

"Sit down! I was just saying that casually, you don't need to be so nervous, be careful not to affect the pregnancy."

The Empress Dowager gestured to Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan sat back down in her chair, her expression slightly more reserved than before.

"I have seen far too much of this harem infighting. Although it doesn't involve bloodshed, it is no less cruel than bloodshed, and may even be more so."

"I know this is uncontrollable, but I hope that such a struggle will not affect the unborn royal offspring."

"Otherwise, I would not agree, and Your Majesty would certainly not agree either."

The Empress Dowager regained her kind expression and began to talk on and on.

"Your Majesty is different from the late emperor. In fact, Your Majesty is different from all the emperors of the past. Your Majesty's control over everything, inside and out, is unmatched by any emperor in history."

"Don't think that anything can be hidden from His Majesty."

"In this vast palace, there is nothing that His Majesty can hide from him if he wants to know it."

This is the Empress Dowager giving Zhang Yan some pointers.

As someone who had navigated the ups and downs of the imperial harem for decades, the Empress Dowager understood the cruelty of palace intrigue better than anyone else.

Although this struggle is bloodless, it is more cruel, more terrible, and more sordid than bloodshed.

Anyone who can gain a foothold in the harem has a foundation of bones beneath their feet; it's perfectly normal for a few people to die.

Even the Empress Dowager herself had to go through this process step by step.

Even royal offspring have been buried countless times in this harem, let alone the concubines and young women.

This is the cruelty of the imperial harem; it is a place where killing is done without bloodshed, and one wrong step can lead to utter ruin. It is more appropriate to call it the graveyard of power than the center of it.

However, the Empress Dowager did not want this struggle to affect the unborn royal offspring. This was both a warning and a reminder to Zhang Yan.

The methods of that Emperor Yangxin Hall were quite remarkable; she, the Empress Dowager, had experienced them firsthand.

Within this imperial palace, there is practically nothing that can be hidden from His Majesty.

If something really outrageous happens, not only will the Empress Dowager be furious, but His Majesty will also not hold back.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After reviewing the last memorial, Zhou Chen straightened up and stretched.

Everyone says it's good to be an emperor. You have three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines. With a stroke of your pen, you can take the head of whomever you want and confiscate the property of whomever you want.

But only those who actually sit in that position will understand that being an emperor is not as wonderful as they imagine. They get up earlier than chickens, go to bed later than dogs, and work harder than oxen.

Many things cannot be done at will simply by wielding a brush.

"Being an emperor is easy, but being a wise ruler is difficult!"

"It is especially difficult to be a wise and capable ruler."

Zhou Chen sighed.

"It's time to sign in again."

"I wonder which outstanding person will be signed up this time."

Seeing that the cooldown period for signing in had ended, Zhou Chen disregarded his fatigue and immediately immersed himself in the system.

"Sign in."

Zhou Chen silently recited it in his mind.

【Ding……】

[Check-in successful.]

[Congratulations, host, for gaining the loyalty of the outstanding figure 'Li Cunxiao'.]

Li Cunxiao?
Upon hearing the system notification for the check-in, Zhou Chen visibly froze for a moment.

Who is Li Cunxiao?
This was a fierce general from the late Tang Dynasty, with extraordinary martial arts skills and unparalleled bravery. He captured Chang'an with eighteen riders and was the number one of the Thirteen Protectors. His military achievements were numerous and unmatched.

Throughout history, there are very few generals who can be compared to him.

No king surpasses Ba, no general surpasses Li.

Only a figure like Xiang Yu could be compared to him; among generals, almost no one could rival him.

But even such a person, due to betrayal, tarnished his illustrious military achievements and ultimately met a tragic end, being torn apart by chariots.

It must be said that this is a tragedy, a sorrow.

Such a heroic figure should have had a brilliant life. But unexpectedly, his end was so tragic.

Time and life.

A towering figure came into Zhou Chen's sight.

"This humble general, Li Cunxiao, greets Your Majesty."

As soon as Li Cunxiao appeared, he clasped his hands in a salute to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen sized up Li Cunxiao, a man who was as powerful as a king and as capable as a general.

It must be said that Li Cunxiao's aura was in no way inferior to that of Lü Bu. Lü Bu was arrogant and unruly, while Li Cunxiao was domineering, fierce, and fearless.

This is Zhou Chen's most direct impression of Li Cunxiao.

Looking at Li Cunxiao, Zhou Chen couldn't help but think of Lü Bu. Both were unparalleled warriors of their respective eras, capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly and treating all the heroes of the world as mere weeds. Both had experienced betrayal and ultimately met the same end.

One was torn apart by chariots, and the other was beheaded.

How similar it is.

"Cunxiao, no need for formalities. Your arrival has relieved my urgent need!"

Zhou Chen was worried that the Holy King from the Holy Land might return, but now that Li Cunxiao was there, Zhou Chen felt more confident.

The saying "No king can surpass Ba, no general can surpass Li" is not as simple as it sounds.

With Li Cunxiao present, Saint King-level powerhouses no longer pose any threat to the Great Zhou.

"Whatever Your Majesty commands, I will do my utmost."

Li Cunxiao said solemnly.

"Not urgent."

"I'll have someone take you down there to familiarize yourself with the situation first, and then we'll talk about it."

Zhou Chen didn't say anything more, and had someone take Li Cunxiao away. (End of Chapter)