You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 9 I'll only give you three days.

"Give me my token and continue the investigation. Whoever dares to disobey my orders, execute them."

Zhou Chen casually tossed a token to Zhao Gao.

This is a gold medal bestowed by the emperor, representing imperial power.

Seeing the decree is like seeing the Emperor.

Holding this token is equivalent to representing imperial power, granting one the authority to act first and report later.

This right is undeniably significant.

Even the most incompetent and foolish emperor would not bestow it so easily.

But Zhou Chen has now easily bestowed it upon Zhao Gao.

"besides."

"I want to thoroughly investigate the disaster relief efforts in the four northwestern prefectures. I need to know the specific details, especially where the relief funds went."

"I will only give you three days. After three days, I want to see the results."

Zhou Chen said coldly.

He granted the rights.

But he wants results.

The reason he didn't mention this matter in court before was because the most important thing at the moment was to provide disaster relief, quell the unrest, and prevent the popular uprising from escalating.

But that doesn't mean the emperor wouldn't investigate the matter.

Dare to touch the disaster relief funds?
Would they dare abandon the city and flee?
He would never let such an official go unpunished.

"Old slave, take orders."

Zhao Gao accepted the imperial gold medal with a cold sweat on his face, his heart filled with unspeakable bitterness.

This is power, no doubt.

But it can also be a death sentence.

He didn't believe the emperor trusted him to that extent.

One wrong move and you could lose your head.

"Go and get on with your business! I await your results." Zhou Chen then waved his hand.

"This old servant takes his leave." Zhao Gao immediately stood up and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes as he watched Zhao Gao's departing figure.

"Zhao Gao, whether you are black or white, we'll soon find out."

Having been betrayed by Zhang De before, Zhou Chen was very wary of Zhao Gao, the eunuch who had followed him for more than ten years.

He knew that often, the one who could kill you silently was the person you trusted most, someone you were completely unsuspecting of.

Just like those emperors of the Ming Dynasty in my previous life who died mysteriously, such as the Red Pill Case and the Drowning Case, it was clear that there were problems with the people around them.

Zhou Chen's fingers tapped rhythmically on the handles of the dragon throne, his brows furrowed.

Zhao Gao just said that the Great Zhou Inner Guard is now only a name, which is not good news.

It should be understood that the Inner Guard was the eyes and ears of the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty, responsible for monitoring officials and inspecting the entire country.

Without the inner guard, the emperor is like a blind and deaf man who can be manipulated by his ministers.

If that were the case, then the emperor's demise would not be far off.

This is a conclusion reached throughout history.

Zhou Chen didn't want to become a deaf-mute emperor like that, at the mercy of his ministers.

"It seems the internal guards are no longer usable."

Zhou Chen muttered to himself.

Not only is the Internal Security Department practically defunct, but some people have also infiltrated it.

Who would dare use eyes and ears like these again?

Cleanup and rectification?

It's better to start from scratch.

……

Qingfeng Palace.

The Empress's palace, the head of all the harems.

It symbolizes that the phoenix is ​​the most revered animal in the imperial harem.

Empress Wu Ying sat on the phoenix throne, watching Wei Zhong return from gathering information.

"Are you saying that His Majesty has openly issued an edict in court to strip me of my right to rule as regent?"

Wu Ying asked with a grim expression.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor not only issued an edict in court to openly abolish Your Majesty's right to rule as regent, but also imprisoned the Grand Tutor in the imperial prison..."

Wei Zhong recounted the events that had occurred in the court that day.

Upon hearing this, Wu Ying's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. She had initially held onto a sliver of hope; as long as the Emperor didn't formally issue an edict stripping her of her dual regency, she still had a chance.

But now, the last glimmer of hope has been extinguished.

Once the imperial edict was issued, there was no way to reverse the situation.

As the empress who ruled under two emperors, she was effectively stripped of her right to dictate the government.

There is no room for maneuver.

"Damn it."

Wu Ying angrily smashed the teacup next to him on the ground.

Even if she was a very deep and thoughtful person, she could not hide her anger at this moment.

Wei Zhong and the palace maid beside him were so frightened that they immediately knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

They had never seen their master behave so rudely before.

In their minds, their master never wavered, no matter how big the matter was.

But today, she got angry.

"Any more news?"

Wu Ying suppressed his anger and looked at Wei Zhong, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Gao has arrested quite a few people, some of whom are our people."

"Furthermore, the Emperor bestowed upon Zhao Gao a gold medal and gave him three days to thoroughly investigate the previous disaster relief efforts in the four northwestern prefectures."

"Furthermore, Jinhe was ordered to take over the Imperial Guards, replacing most of the guards in the palace, and those who objected were executed."

Wei Zhong recounted all the information he had gathered in great detail.

Upon hearing this, Wu Ying's face turned extremely ugly.

These reports all prove that the emperor is indeed different from before.

"It seems our emperor has truly changed."

Wu Ying's eyes flickered as he looked at Wan'er beside him; "Have you gotten any results on the matter I asked you to investigate?"

"Your Majesty, those guards seem to have appeared out of nowhere. We can't find any clues. All we know is that the general's name is Lü Bu."

"As for the Emperor's health, we have also learned nothing."

Wan'er immediately replied.

Previously, when Wu Ying left the imperial palace, he instructed her to investigate the background of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and Lü Bu.

While we're at it, let's find out what's really going on with Emperor Zhou Chen's health.

Why does it suddenly look like he's recovered?

But no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find any information, except for Lü Bu's name.

Nothing else was found.

Upon hearing Wan'er's words, Wu Ying frowned.

You should know that she has eyes and ears everywhere in the palace, and basically nothing can escape her notice.

How could they not find out the origins and backgrounds of the guards in the emperor's palace!

There is also no news about Emperor Zhou Chen's health.

This only deepened Wu Ying's doubts.

What exactly happened in the emperor's palace overnight?

Wu Ying guessed.

For the first time, she felt that some things were beyond her control.

"Wei Zhong, find some time to have a good talk with Zhao Gao. Do you understand what I mean?"

Wu Ying glanced at Wei Zhong.

"Old slave understands."

A glint flashed in Wei Zhong's eyes, and he immediately understood his master's meaning.

This is an attempt to find a breakthrough by targeting Zhao Gao.

"As long as you know."

"You all need to keep a close eye on things these next few days, especially with the Emperor. There can be no relaxation whatsoever."

Wu Ying said with a solemn expression.

"besides."

"Wan'er, continue the investigation for me. You must find out the origins of those guards and the Emperor's specific situation."

Wu Ying refused to believe that, with all the preparations she had made over the years, she couldn't uncover this information.

"Yes, ma'am."

Wan'er and Wei Zhong responded at the same time.

(End of this chapter)