You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 87 I have already made up my mind about this matter.

The mind of an emperor is truly the most unpredictable.

The civil and military officials gained a deeper understanding of Emperor Zhou Chen's shrewdness and cunning.

None of them expected that Emperor Zhou Chen had already prepared an imperial edict concerning the four northern states.

The reason they summoned all the officials to court was, to put it nicely, to discuss matters, but to put it bluntly, it was nothing more than a formality.

Let's also take a look at the attitudes of their officials.

After listening to Cao Zhengchun read out these imperial edicts, Marquis Weiwu, Lü Bu, King Zhou Xian, Fang Xuanling, and the Minister of War all bowed and said, "We obey the edict."

However, Chancellor Yuan Bo and the Minister of Revenue, among others, hurriedly tried to stop him again, saying, "Your Majesty, we cannot send the border troops south! The border is of utmost importance..."

"Alright, I've made my decision on this matter, so you don't need to say anything more."

Before Prime Minister Yuan Bo and the Minister of Revenue could finish speaking, Zhou Chen waved his hand dismissively, interrupting them.

Seeing Zhou Chen's unquestionable attitude, Prime Minister Yuan Bo and the Minister of Revenue had no choice but to give up.

However, their eyes flickered slightly.

It seems that the man on the dragon throne also has ideas about the two marquises on the border, and wants to use the chaos in the four northern states to test them.

None of the people in this imperial palace are simple figures; they are all old foxes who have spent most of their lives navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom.

Everyone knows that the Great Zhou Dynasty is now in a state of decline.

Although the emperor on the dragon throne recently dealt with the faction of maternal relatives represented by Empress Wu Ying and General Wu Jin, and regained a lot of power in the court.

However, it did not have much impact on the overall situation of the Zhou Dynasty's decline.

The central government's control over local areas has long been weak and is no longer what it used to be.

In particular, their control over the border was extremely weak.

The three marquises guarding the border, with large armies at their disposal, have been stationed at the border for many years. Their prestige and power are deeply rooted in the border region, making them invincible.

The central government no longer had much power to restrain them.

The one on the dragon throne knew all this, and was well aware that mobilizing the border troops to the south would destabilize the border defenses and give the foreign tribes outside the pass an opportunity to take advantage.

However, he still issued an unquestionable decree to mobilize border troops to the south to quell the rebellion.

Clearly, this is a case of ulterior motives.

After interrupting Prime Minister Yuan Bo and the others, Zhou Chen looked at the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and said, "Eighth Prince, the Grand Tutor is a veteran of three dynasties and a pillar of the Great Zhou. He has devoted his life to the Great Zhou."

"Now that the Grand Tutor has died at the hands of the Yellow Heaven Sect sorcerers, our Great Zhou royal family cannot remain silent."

"Immediately transfer two Grandmasters from the royal family, along with Zhou Rushan, and have them accompany Marquis Weiwu to the four northern states to quell the rebellion."

"I will make the Yellow Heaven Sect sorcerers disappear completely from the annals of history."

Zhou Chen said, a cold glint in his eyes.

Having learned from Grand Tutor Wen Zhong's mistake, Zhou Chen would not repeat it.

Although Marquis Weiwu was also a Grandmaster, he was only at the late Grandmaster stage, and his strength was still somewhat inferior to that of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong.

Even Grand Tutor, a peak Grandmaster and an invincible expert of his rank, died under the siege of nine Grandmasters from the Yellow Heaven Sect. Zhou Chen had no choice but to consider the safety of Marquis Weiwu.

Therefore, Zhou Chen needed to mobilize two Grandmasters from the royal family, along with Zhou Rushan, a half-step Celestial, to accompany Marquis Weiwu to the four northern states to annihilate the Yellow Heaven Sect.

With Zhou Rushan, a half-step Celestial being, the Grandmasters of the Yellow Heaven Sect can't cause any trouble.

Upon hearing Zhou Chen's words, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian immediately bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

The Great Zhou royal family has been in power for so many years, so it naturally has some foundation.

Besides Zhou Rushan, a half-step Celestial Being whose lifespan was not long, there were several other Grandmasters, all of whom were members of the royal family with the surname Zhou.

Previously, Zhou Chen lacked sufficient control over the royal family, and he couldn't quite manage the experts within the royal family.

But now, if these people dare to cause any more trouble...

Zhou Chen did not recommend that they all go to the Western Paradise to see the Buddha. The civil and military officials beside him all changed their expressions slightly when they heard that Zhou Chen actually wanted the one who had been sitting in the Imperial Clan Court to accompany the Marquis of Mighty Martial on the expedition.

Zhou Rushan might not mean much to Zhou Chen.

However, to the officials, he was the one who supported the Zhou royal family from falling.

Now, Zhou Chen actually wants to send such a person to accompany Marquis Weiwu on an expedition to the four northern states, which makes all the officials feel a little surprised.

It seems that the person on the dragon throne intends to completely suppress the Yellow Heaven Cult.

Two half-step Celestials?

The situation in these four northern states is probably pretty much a foregone conclusion.

The officials were thinking to themselves.

None of the officials expected that Zhou Chen would actually send out two powerful figures, Lü Bu and Zhou Rushan, who were at the half-step Celestial level, in order to quell the rebels in the four northern provinces.

That's giving too much credit to those rebels in the four northern states.

……

After leaving court.

The Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Works gathered at the Prime Minister's residence.

in the hall.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo sat in the main seat and looked at the Minister of Revenue and the others with a serious expression. He said, "You all heard the Emperor's decree to the Eastern Depot at the court meeting."

"The Eastern Depot's henchmen are omnipresent, so be careful and avoid any mishaps."

"The Emperor's attention and energy have been diverted to the affairs of the four northern provinces, so there will be no major changes in the court for the time being."

"However, once the matter in the four northern states is resolved, that person will still turn his attention back to the imperial court."

Prime Minister Yuan Bo frowned and said with a worried expression.

"Yes! No matter how much we planned, we didn't expect that the person in the palace would not only fully recover, but also eliminate the faction of relatives of the empress and the general."

"Our plans have all fallen through, and we might even get ourselves into trouble."

The Minister of Revenue sighed with a solemn expression.

Their previous schemes were all based on the assumption that Zhou Chen was bedridden and unable to control the court.

But now, Emperor Zhou Chen has not only fully recovered, but he has also purged the empress and the general, who represent his maternal relatives.

He also consolidated control over the military power of the Twelve Divine Martial Guards in Luoyang, thus gaining control over a portion of the court.

Most importantly, the appearance of Lu Bu and Cao Zhengchun, two near-celestial beings, made their hearts heavy.

If even the slightest trace is discovered...

Not only did their plan fail, but they themselves also suffered as a result.

Fortunately, they handled things very cleanly, so they shouldn't be easily found out.

"What's the use of saying all this now? Let's quickly send someone to secretly send a message to the north so they can make more preparations."

"As long as the situation in the four northern states can be delayed for even one more day, it will be advantageous for us."

"However, we don't need to worry too much. We only played a supporting role in the affairs of the four northwestern prefectures, and it has nothing to do with us directly."

"It was all Huang Tian's doing. Does that person in the palace intend to blame all our aristocratic families?"

The Minister of Justice also frowned as he spoke.

However, in the eyes of the Minister of Justice, they were merely facilitators in the events in the four northwestern prefectures; the real force behind the actions was the Yellow Heaven Sect.

They were not directly involved.

Besides, how many times throughout history have officials schemed and manipulated each other to eliminate political enemies?
No big deal!
(End of this chapter)