You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 46: The Emperor's Decree – It's Time to Close the Net

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen was not too surprised by Lü Bu's report.

Zhou Chen didn't even need to think to guess that at this critical moment, who else could be the one from Qingfeng Palace who was hostile towards his Yangxin Hall?

Despite the fact that Cao Zhengchun had cleaned out all the rats inside and outside the palace these past few days, it's not a big deal.

But no matter how thorough the cleanup, there will always be some that slip through the net.

Moreover, during the few years that the two emperors of Qingfeng Palace ruled, who knows how deep their influence was within the palace.

With just one purge, Cao Zhengchun could not possibly eliminate all the influence of Qingfeng Palace within the palace.

Zhou Chen knew this better than anyone else.

Zhou Chen never thought that all the previous arrangements and transfers could be kept secret from the person in Qingfeng Palace.

With the intelligence and wisdom of the one in Qingfeng Palace, she must be able to guess something.

As someone who reigns under two emperors, Zhou Chen was not surprised that he would take such a preemptive action.

If it were Zhou Chen, he wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die when he sensed danger.

They will definitely rise up in resistance and strike first.

What Zhou Chen didn't expect was that even after the Imperial Guards underwent a complete purge, the person from Qingfeng Palace was still able to extend their influence into the Imperial Guards.

This is quite unexpected.

"Who could it be?" Zhou Chen's eyes flickered as he guessed who the traitor among the Imperial Guard generals could be.

Zhou Chen didn't simply assume that the replacement of the Imperial Guards patrolling around the Hall of Mental Cultivation at this time was a normal shift change.

Furthermore, only high-ranking generals of the Imperial Guards would have the authority to transfer them.

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment, then looked up at Lü Bu; "Fengxian, pass down the order: anyone who dares to approach the Hall of Mental Cultivation, no matter who they are, shall be killed without mercy."

"Immediately send someone to investigate who ordered the replacement of the Imperial Guards patrolling around the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

"At the same time, notify those Imperial Guards who have been transferred to return to their original positions immediately, and have all the Imperial Guards who replaced them on patrols taken down by me."

Zhou Chen issued orders methodically.

At this sensitive time, Zhou Chen didn't care what the purpose of the transferred Imperial Guards was.

Let's take them all first.

Lü Bu immediately nodded; "Yes, Your Majesty."

Watching Lü Bu leave, Zhou Chen turned to a palace eunuch serving nearby and said, "Pass on my decree: we can close the net now."

"Those rats that jump out, you can handle them, Eastern Depot."

"Clean them all up for me, leave no one alive."

Zhou Chen said coldly.

Zhou Chen originally planned to have Cao Zhengchun take his men and deal with the important officials of the Grand General's Mansion and the Empress Dowager's faction outside the palace.

After Cao Zhengchun returns to the palace, he will be sent to Qingfeng Palace.

After all, in Zhou Chen's view, Empress Wu Ying was trapped in the palace, and Cao Zhengchun had also purged much of her influence in the palace, so she no longer posed any threat.

On the contrary, the civil and military officials of the General's Mansion and the Empress Dowager's relatives outside the palace were the most dangerous.

In particular, General Wu Jin commands the Southern Camp of the Twelve Divine Martial Guards, the most elite forces in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

One wrong move, and it could lead to war.

Unexpectedly, Empress Wu Ying wanted to strike first, so Zhou Chen no longer needed to wait for Cao Zhengchun to return.

He can handle the net directly.

Anyway, the palace had already made arrangements, so it didn't matter who was responsible for closing the net.

"As you command," the eunuch and guard immediately bowed and replied.

Then, he left the Hall of Mental Cultivation without making a sound.

After the eunuchs and guards left, a cold smile appeared on Zhou Chen's lips.

"Wu Ying, Wu Ying, since you are so eager to die, then I will grant your wish."

"I'd like to see what kind of trouble you can cause."

Zhou Chen muttered to himself.

……

With Zhou Chen's command.

Dozens of figures flew out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and rushed in all directions.

They were all dressed in eagle-feathered uniforms, carrying crescent-shaped blades, and wearing jade belts. They were the Eastern Depot guards who had caused bloodshed and terror in the palace for the past two weeks.

Excluding the former Great Zhou Inner Guard, the Eastern Depot now only has two hundred elite guards.

These two hundred elite guards were all recruited by Zhou Chen through his sign-in process.

Cao Zhengchun took one hundred people with him, and the remaining one hundred were placed in the palace.

Not long after these guards had run away, more figures emerged from different directions and converged behind them.

Carrying identical long swords, they followed closely behind the imperial guards, charging in the four directions: east, south, west, and north.

These figures carrying long swords are all guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After Zhou Chen abolished the Great Zhou Inner Guard, all its personnel were handed over to Cao Zhengchun for disposal.

Although they were all incorporated into the Eastern Depot, they could only be considered peripheral personnel of the Eastern Depot and were not yet qualified to wear eagle-patterned robes, use crescent-shaped knives, or wear jade belts.

……

"who?"

The hundred or so Phoenix Guard experts who rushed out of Qingfeng Palace were about to approach the Yangxin Hall when they ran into another group of experts wielding weapons.

"The Eastern Depot and its guards?"

When the Phoenix Guard experts saw the dozen or so factory workers wearing eagle-patterned uniforms at the front of the group opposite them, their expressions changed drastically.

"Hmph, you rats, how dare you act so presumptuously in the palace, you're courting death."

"kill."

"Leave no one behind."

Without a word, the Eastern Depot guards charged at the Phoenix Guards with their crescent blades.

"kill."

Hundreds of Phoenix Guard experts did not hesitate and went straight to meet the Factory Guards.

In an instant, the two sides clashed.

……

"This road is blocked."

"None of you rats will escape today."

In another direction, dozens of Phoenix Guard experts rushing towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation were also blocked halfway by the Eastern Depot's guards.

"The Eastern Depot and its guards?"

"kill."

Dozens of Phoenix Guard experts attacked the Eastern Depot guards without hesitation.

……

Meanwhile, more than a dozen Phoenix Guard experts who were attacking the Hall of Mental Cultivation from all directions were blocked halfway by the Eastern Depot's guards and began fighting each other.

For a time, the sounds of clashing weapons and fighting echoed incessantly from all sides of the palace.

Such a commotion alarmed the entire palace.

The imperial guards inside the palace immediately rushed towards the direction of the fight.

West Garden.

A captain of the Imperial Guard was about to remove his armor and rest when he suddenly heard the sounds of fighting. He immediately grabbed his weapon and rushed out of his tent.

"gather."

"Everyone assemble immediately."

The captain shouted.

"Captain Zhang, what are you doing gathering your men?"

"Deputy Commander Zhou has ordered that the Imperial Guards on their day off are not to move without authorization."

Another captain saw Captain Zhang gathering his men and immediately stepped forward to stop him.

"Are you deaf? Can't you hear the sounds of fighting?"

"Commander Jin said before he left that if there is any unusual activity in the palace, the Imperial Guards should suppress it directly without fail."

"This is what Captain Zhang said loudly."

……

(End of this chapter)