You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 5.005 There can only be one sun in the sky, and one cannot have two rulers in a country.

Inside the palace.

The news that Zhang De had been executed for poisoning the emperor caused a stir and a sense of unease throughout the palace.

Everyone was careful with their words and actions, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.

You must know that poisoning the emperor is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. If you are implicated, the inevitable result will be the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire clan.

with no exceptions.

After receiving the imperial order, Zhao Gao led his men to arrest people everywhere.

All of Zhang De's confidants, regardless of whether they were involved in the matter or not, were arrested.

He knew that if he didn't handle this task well, he would also be implicated.

Therefore, he did not let anyone go, as long as they had some connection with Zhang De.

Too hospital.

Zhao Gao led a large army to surround the area.

"Zhao Gao, what do you think you're doing? This is the Imperial Hospital, not a place for you to act recklessly." The Imperial Physician said with a grim expression when he saw Zhao Gao leading his men to surround the entire Imperial Hospital.

"Hmph, I am acting on the Emperor's orders to investigate Zhang De's poisoning of the Emperor. Did Zhang De get the medicine from your Imperial Hospital?" Zhao Gao asked in a shrill voice.

"It was taken from the Imperial Hospital." The Imperial Physician nodded noncommittally.

“Everyone knows that Zhang De comes to the Imperial Hospital every day to get medicine for the Emperor.”

The Imperial Physician then explained.

"That's right."

Zhao Gao sneered and refused to listen to the explanation.

"Arrest them all."

……

Internal attendant supervisor.

"Zhao Gao, I am the Empress's man, how dare you arrest me?"

"Hmph, don't think that just because you're the Empress's man, you can be the only one. Even if Wei Zhong, who is by the Empress's side, is related to Zhang De, I will arrest him just the same way."

"take away."

……

Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards' barracks in the Western Garden.

Seeing that all the generals of the Imperial Guards had arrived, Jin He stood up and surveyed the crowd.

"By imperial decree, from this moment forward, no one may mobilize the Imperial Guards without the Emperor's written order. Anyone who disobeys will be executed."

"Golden Crane said loudly."

Everyone's expression changed upon hearing this.

One of the generals stepped forward and asked, "Commander Jin, what if Her Majesty the Empress wants to mobilize the Imperial Guards?"

Yes!

What if the Empress mobilizes the Imperial Guards?
Everyone's eyes flickered as they looked at Jinhe.

You should know that the Empress is a dual ruler, equivalent to half an emperor.

We can't just disobey orders!
Jinhe didn't answer, and directly slashed his hand with a knife.

Before the general could react, his head rolled to the ground.

This scene caused everyone present to change their expressions again, especially those who were just about to speak, who felt a chill run down their spines.

Fortunately, they haven't questioned it yet, otherwise, the head rolling on the ground would be theirs by now.

Jin He expressionlessly sheathed his sword, not even glancing at the general's head, and then swept his gaze across the crowd once more.

"I'll say it again: without the Emperor's decree, no one may mobilize the Imperial Guards. I'm referring to anyone."

Jin He deliberately emphasized the words "anyone".

No one dared to speak after that.

They all understood the meaning behind Commander Jinhe's words: apart from the Emperor, even the Empress, who ruled as regent, could not mobilize the Imperial Guards.

This shows what?
Everyone present understood.

Some of them had their eyes darting around, especially the other two of the three commanders, who exchanged a glance and their expressions turned serious.

However, neither of them seemed inclined to speak.

"Next, I, the commander, will rearrange the guards within the palace."

Seeing that no one had any further objections, Jinhe began to arrange the replacement of the guards in the palace.

...Cining Palace.

The place where the Empress Dowager resided for a long time.

No matter how turbulent the undercurrents or how tense the atmosphere within the palace, nothing could disturb the tranquility here.

Generally, no one dares to come here and disturb its peace.

The Empress Dowager sat in the main seat, looking at the weeping Wu Ying beside her.

"Your Majesty, you are the mistress of the harem. What kind of behavior is this, crying and sobbing like this?"

"Tell me what's wrong, and I'll take care of it for you."

The Empress Dowager said with a helpless expression.

The empress had been crying and sobbing incessantly ever since she entered, as if she had suffered some great injustice, leaving the empress dowager completely baffled.

Logically speaking, with Empress Wu Ying now ruling alongside the emperor and wielding great power, who would dare to wrong her?

"Mother, you must stand up for me! The Emperor wants to depose me!" Wu Ying sobbed.

Uh?
The Emperor wants to depose the Empress?
The Empress Dowager was taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

He immediately thought of the news that Zhang De had been executed by the emperor for poisoning him.

Could the Empress be involved in this matter?
Otherwise, why would the emperor want to depose the empress for no reason?

The Empress Dowager thought to herself, but said without changing her expression, "Empress, you're not mistaken, are you? How could the Emperor possibly depose the Empress?"

"Tell me the details. If the Emperor really wants to depose you for no reason, I will stand up for you."

The Empress Dowager looked at Wu Ying and said.

"Mother, I don't know where I went wrong. His Majesty just told me to manage the harem well from now on," Wu Ying said, wiping away her tears.

"But Mother, as you know, His Majesty's health has always been poor, and it has only just begun to improve. Yet His Majesty has to attend to state affairs. If His Majesty overworks himself and something happens to him, I truly do not know what I will do." Wu Ying began to sob softly again.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager immediately understood Wu Ying's intentions.

What worries could there be about the Emperor overworking himself and something going wrong?

To put it bluntly, isn't it just that they don't want to relinquish the power of having two emperors ruling simultaneously?

However, Wu Ying's words made some sense. The emperor's health had always been poor, and if he were to overwork himself, something bad might happen, which would be a great loss.

The Empress Dowager sighed; "Don't worry, Empress, I already know about this matter, and I will speak with the Emperor about it."

"However, the Emperor is still the Emperor, the only Emperor of the Great Zhou. As the saying goes, there can be no two suns in the sky, and no two rulers in the country. I hope the Empress can understand this."

The Empress Dowager was slapping Empress Wu Ying.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of the imperial harem for decades, how could Empress Wu Ying's scheming possibly escape her notice?

Although she didn't mind falling into Empress Wu Ying's traps every time, she still needed to give her a warning when necessary.

"I understand."

"Your Majesty, I have always assisted you to prevent you from overworking and ruining your health."

Wu Ying stopped sobbing and said obediently.

The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction; "Good that you understand. Go back to Qingfeng Palace now! Take good care of the inner palace, as things may not be peaceful there these next few days."

"Chen and concubine retire."

After leaving Cining Palace, Wu Ying's expression turned slightly somber.

The tearful expression had vanished, and she had returned to her previous calm.

"It seems that even this old hag can't be relied on."

Wu Ying's eyes flickered.

She originally intended to use the Empress Dowager to test the Emperor in order to achieve her own goals.

This trick used to work every time.

But this time it didn't work.

Although the Empress Dowager outwardly agreed, she gave her a warning.

Clearly, they've started to be wary of her.

"Looks like we need to start preparing early."

Wu Ying looked at Wan'er, the personal maid beside him.

"You will personally go to the General's residence later and tell the General to be careful in handling the situation."

……

(End of this chapter)