You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 61 The Emperor Arrives at Cining Palace
The Emperor has arrived at Cining Palace!
The sudden news startled the Empress Dowager.

Since the Emperor recovered, he has never once taken the initiative to come to Cining Palace to pay his respects to his mother, the Empress Dowager!

and.

In general.

The Emperor would always send someone to inform Cining Palace in advance when he came to the palace.

It would never happen like today, with someone suddenly arriving at Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered.

It seems that the Emperor came to Cining Palace suddenly because of the dozen or so imperial relatives who had just left.

The Empress Dowager was lost in thought.

soon.

Under the protection of eunuchs, imperial guards, and palace guards, Zhou Chen entered the Cining Palace.

"I have met the emperor."

When Emperor Zhou Chen arrived at Cining Palace, the palace maids and eunuchs all knelt down to pay their respects.

"emperor."

The Empress Dowager also rose and greeted him with a joyful expression; "What brings Your Majesty to Cining Palace today?"

"Let me see quickly! I've heard about the Empress's rebellion yesterday. Is His Majesty alright?"

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Chen carefully, her concern evident on her face.

Zhou Chen felt a warmth in his heart and shook his head with a smile, "Don't worry, Mother. What can some petty villains do to me?"

"I've been busy with this matter these past few days and haven't had a chance to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. I had some free time today, so I came to visit her," Zhou Chen said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze from Zhou Chen and nodded, relieved. "It's good that you're alright."

"This Empress Wu Ying actually dared to plot a rebellion; she is truly unworthy of being an emperor and empress."

"Hasn't our royal family shown enough favor to the Wu family?"

"The Grand General is a key minister who assists the state, and can be said to be second only to the emperor. The Empress also enjoys exclusive favor in the harem, and as a woman, she is the only one to rule as a ruler under two emperors."

"They are still not satisfied with such favors and even plot to rebel. They deserve to die."

"Your Majesty should be more careful in the future and not trust these treacherous ministers again."

The Empress Dowager spoke angrily as she pulled Zhou Chen to sit down.

Zhou Chen listened quietly to the Empress Dowager's words, nodding with a smile; "What Your Majesty says is true, I will pay more attention in the future."

Zhou Chen knew that the Empress Dowager in front of him was no ordinary person. She had risen from the position of a palace maid and remained standing in the treacherous harem.

This is enough to show that his mother had experienced far more trials and tribulations than he had.

Listening to the Empress Dowager's words wouldn't do Zhou Chen any harm.

In Zhou Chen's opinion, if his mother hadn't been so politically inept, Empress Wu Ying would never have been able to wield such power during the previous two reigns of two emperors.

After Zhou Chen and the Empress Dowager sat down facing each other, Zhou Chen glanced around and said, "Mother, didn't I hear that the Imperial Uncle came to Cining Palace?"

"I haven't seen the Imperial Brother-in-law for a long time. Where is he? Why haven't I seen him?" Zhou Chen asked.

The Empress Dowager's eyes flashed, and she smiled, "They just left Cining Palace."

"This time he came to plead with me with more than a dozen imperial relatives."

"They said that the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Household Department had arrested many people from their families, and that they only had some dealings with the General and knew nothing else."

"I reprimanded them and then let them leave."

The Empress Dowager spoke with a gentle expression.

Among intelligent people, sometimes it's unnecessary to be too explicit; a hint is enough.

The Empress Dowager's seemingly casual chatter actually conveyed all the intended meaning.

"is it?"

"Why should the Empress Dowager be bothered with such a matter by the Imperial Uncle? Why not just go directly to me?"

"If they are indeed not involved in the Grand General's rebellion, I will not wrong them."

Zhou Chen frowned, expressing his dissatisfaction that Zhang Guojiu was bothering the Empress Dowager with such a trivial matter.

Zhou Chen wasn't stupid; he could naturally understand the meaning behind the Empress Dowager's words.

However, those who need to put on a show still have to put on a show.

No matter what, the Empress Dowager is still his mother, so he has to give her that much face. As for those imperial relatives, as long as they have any connection with the General, even if it's just a casual acquaintance, Zhou Chen has no intention of letting them go.

As a member of the royal family, he was not loyal to the emperor and the country, but instead formed cliques with others for personal gain.

What use is there in keeping such a royal relative?

Besides, Zhou Chen didn't believe that the imperial relatives would arrest people just because they had some simple dealings with the general.

Clearly, there's a deeper connection involved.

Perhaps they are henchmen of the General's faction.

After hearing Zhou Chen's words, the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "His Majesty is busy with many affairs of state, so how could they dare to disturb him? They can only come to me."

"These royal relatives are a real headache. I heard that Junxian's child is dead too?"

The Empress Dowager sighed.

"Sigh, speaking of which, I watched Junxian grow up. What a pity."

“The Eighth Prince was a man of integrity and wisdom, but who would have thought that the son he raised would be so rebellious.”

"They weren't raised on the same milk, so you can't trust anyone."

"When I talk about this, I think of Zhi'er. I haven't seen Zhi'er for more than a year."

"I wonder how Zhi'er is doing in his fiefdom."

The Empress Dowager said softly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen's eyes flickered. "If Mother misses Ninth Brother, then let him have time to return to Luoyang to see Mother."

"However, the court is currently unstable, and Luoyang is in some turmoil. It's best to wait until everything is stable before letting Ninth Brother return."

"At that time, I will personally issue an edict to my ninth brother, ordering him to return."

Zhou Chen said softly.

Without imperial decree, a vassal king was not allowed to leave his fiefdom and return to the capital at will.

This has been the rule throughout history.

The Empress Dowager nodded; "What the Emperor says is true. The situation is somewhat chaotic right now. If Zhi'er returns at this time, it will inevitably cause some trouble."

The Empress Dowager chatted with Zhou Chen for another ten minutes or so.

Zhou Chen then got up and left Cining Palace.

Zhou Chen originally came to Cining Palace for the sake of Zhang Guojiu and those dozen or so imperial relatives.

Unexpectedly, they arrived a step too late, and it was still the Empress Dowager who was persuaded.

As Zhou Chen walked out of Cining Palace, his eyes suddenly became deep. He turned to Cao Zhengchun beside him and said, "Cao Zhengchun, immediately send someone to investigate whether anyone was behind Zhang Guojiu bringing those ten imperial relatives to Cining Palace."

Zhou Chen has always been skeptical about these sensitive matters.

If no one is behind this, it's fine. But if someone is, then things get really interesting.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Cao Zhengchun responded and immediately gave a few instructions to one of the imperial guards beside him, who then left.

Zhou Chen glanced back at Cining Palace and sighed inwardly. "Mother, it seems that in your heart, Ninth Brother still holds the most weight."

How could Zhou Chen not understand what the Empress Dowager meant?

The Empress Dowager said she missed Zhou Zhi, but what she really meant was that outsiders could not be trusted, and only her own brothers could be trusted.

This means they want to call Zhou Zhi back and keep him in the capital!

Zhou Chen frowned, his eyes gleaming. "Cao Zhengchun, do you really think that after all these years of ups and downs in the palace, the Empress Dowager really knows nothing about what's happening there?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun couldn't help but shudder and lowered his head even further; "This old servant does not know."

Cao Zhengchun dared not say more about such matters.

No matter what, they are mother and son; this is the emperor's family matter.

How could a mere servant like him dare to say anything more?

"Hehe, you don't know how good that is!"

Zhou Chen smiled, turned around and left Cining Palace.

That figure was different from before, carrying a hint of loneliness and coldness, as if everything was understood without words.

Cao Zhengchun wiped the cold sweat from his brow and silently followed.

……

(End of this chapter)