You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 62 Can't you see the current situation?
"Did you know? General Wu Jin wanted to launch a rebellion, but the emperor ended up confiscating his property and exterminating his entire clan."

"Yes! More than twenty officials, including the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Rites, were also investigated and their families were exterminated. These were all high-ranking officials in the court, and their families were all investigated and their families were exterminated."

"That can't be right! I heard that the General did not rebel at all. It was the Emperor who wanted to kill the General, so he framed him for rebellion."

"Where did you hear this news? I have relatives in the Prime Minister's residence. This news came from the Prime Minister's residence, so it's absolutely true."

“Indeed, I have a distant relative who works in the Ministry of Revenue, and he said the same thing. He also said that the Empress in the palace almost killed the Emperor with the Imperial Guards.”

"Shh, keep your voice down, how dare you say such a thing."

……

As the court assembly ended, news spread that General Wu Jin and his associates had been exterminated and their families wiped out because of their rebellion.

Yesterday, many people were still unclear about the matter of the General's Mansion and the extermination of more than twenty court officials.

I don't know the specifics of what happened.

Why did the emperor suddenly confiscate the property of the general and exterminate the clan of more than twenty court officials?

It should be understood that even an emperor cannot simply confiscate someone's property and exterminate their entire clan without a suitable reason.

Otherwise, how can we gain the trust of the world?

But now, news has spread that General Wu Jin and his gang have rebelled and their homes have been ransacked, and everyone understands the situation.

It turns out that General Wu Jin and those twenty-odd officials were executed because of a rebellion.

The common people simply treated this news as something to talk about after dinner.

No matter which official in the imperial court had their family property confiscated and their clan exterminated, it had little to do with them.

They just need to have enough to eat.

But for all the forces involved, this was nothing short of a major shock.

Whether this news is true or false is not important.

The important thing is that they witnessed the methods of the person on the dragon throne for the first time.

This forced them to re-evaluate who was on the dragon throne in the palace.

It's astonishing how none of the emperors who sit on the dragon throne are easy to deal with.

……

Prime Minister's House.

In the drawing room.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo sat in the main seat, with three officials seated below him.

These three officials were none other than three of the six ministers of the imperial court: the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Works.

When it comes to the power in the imperial court, the most powerful forces on the surface seem to be the Empress and the Grand General's faction, but the truly entrenched power is the interest group represented by the aristocratic families.

The influence of the Empress's relatives in the court was like a floating, rootless boat with shallow roots; it could be toppled with the slightest push.

However, the power of aristocratic families and powerful clans is deeply entrenched in the imperial court, and they are truly capable of overthrowing the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Chancellor Yuan Bo and these three ministers were representatives of the powerful interest groups held by aristocratic families in the imperial court.

"Prime Minister, who is this Fang Xuanling? Does the Prime Minister know his background?" the Minister of Justice asked Prime Minister Yuan Bo.

The officials in the court were filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment towards Fang Xuanling, who was suddenly promoted to Minister of Personnel by Zhou Chen.

Everyone wanted to find out more about Fang Xuanling.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Even the Minister of Justice and the other two ministers were no exception.

They also wanted to find out more about Fang Xuanling's background.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo shook his head; "I know nothing about it."

"If I'm not mistaken, Fang Xuanling is probably just like Cao Zhengchun and Lü Bu; we can't find out anything about him."

The words of Prime Minister Yuan Bo caused the three ministers to frown.

They had thoroughly investigated the previous appearances of Cao Zhengchun and Lü Bu, but found nothing of substance or information. If Fang Xuanling is indeed like Cao Zhengchun and Lü Bu, the result will likely be the same—nothing will be found.

“Prime Minister, the Emperor has directly appointed a commoner as Minister of Personnel, which is completely against the rules of the court.”

"Now that the Grand General's faction has fallen, many positions have become vacant, especially some very important ones."

"If we let Fang Xuanling take control like this, our voice in the court will be greatly limited in the future."

The Minister of Revenue spoke with a solemn expression.

Before the Grand General's faction fell, they could still trade things in private.

But if it were Fang Xuanling instead, could they still make deals in private?
“Yes, Prime Minister, if Fang Xuanling were to control those positions, it would be the same as the palace controlling them, which would not benefit us at all,” the Minister of Works nodded in agreement.

Since ancient times, as imperial power has increased, the power of ministers has naturally been reduced.

This is something that the powerful interest groups of aristocratic families are unwilling to see.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo glanced indifferently at the three ministers; "Even at this point, you're still eyeing these meager gains."

"Can't you see the current situation clearly?"

"The Empress and the General, representing the maternal relatives, are complementary to us. Although there are factional struggles, we cooperate mostly in private, which is nothing more than an exchange of our own interests."

"But now that the Empress and the General, representing the powerful maternal relatives, have fallen, do you think we can still escape unscathed?"

"hiss."

Upon hearing Prime Minister Yuan Bo's words, the three ministers' expressions changed, and they all gasped in shock.

The three men, who were able to become ministers of the six ministries, second only to the four assistant ministers, were naturally not ordinary people, and they instantly understood the meaning behind Prime Minister Yuan Bo's words.

"Does the Prime Minister mean that the one in the palace will make a move against us?"

"impossible!"

“Eight or nine out of ten officials in the court come from aristocratic families. The person in the palace couldn’t possibly be unaware of the consequences of his actions.”

"Unless he intends to make enemies of all the powerful families in the world."

"If that's really the case, then the Great Zhou Dynasty is definitely not just in turmoil. The person in the palace should know that."

The three ministers all frowned.

They could hardly believe that the person in the palace dared to touch the interests of their aristocratic family.

You must understand that all families under heaven are one family.

The powerful and influential families still held true sway over the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It can be said that among ten officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty, at least eight came from aristocratic families.

This demonstrates the profound and deeply entrenched influence of aristocratic families in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If that person in the palace really dares to take action against the aristocratic families, then it would undoubtedly be a matter of life and death for the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

Does the person in the palace want the Great Zhou Dynasty to fall apart?
The prime minister calmly replied with an expressionless face, "Nothing is impossible."

"The one in the palace is temporarily unable to attend to matters. If he were to, we would all likely end up like the General."

"No emperor can tolerate other forces that can threaten or influence the imperial power."

"We all underestimated the one in the palace."

Prime Minister Yuan Bo sighed.

As a veteran minister who had served as a regent, he saw things more clearly and thoroughly than anyone else.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing he had underestimated the man on the dragon throne; he had initially thought him to be just an mediocre ruler.

Who knew he was a hidden dragon!

Judging from yesterday's actions against the Empress and the Grand General's faction, Prime Minister Yuan Bo knew that everyone had underestimated Zhou Chen.

"So, the one in the palace is trying to feign one move while secretly making another, to appease us first, and then deal with the General's faction and his relatives before turning his attention to us?"

(End of this chapter)