You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 149 You, Cao Zhengchun, went in person

The location of the Eastern Depot.

In prison.

Fan Yongdou, the Minister of Revenue, was tied to a cross and was covered in wounds.

His hair was disheveled, and he no longer had the demeanor of the former Minister of Revenue. All that remained was bloodstains all over his body and a bloodless face.

"Lord Fan, you have already experienced eight of the 108 cruel tortures of the Eastern Depot."

"You should know in your heart how it tastes."

"If you don't confess, I'll make you try all the remaining tortures."

Cao Zhengchun looked at Fan Yongdou, who had already endured several tortures from the Eastern Depot, and said with a sinister expression.

Blood trickled from the corner of Fan Yongdou's mouth as he raised his head and gave Cao Zhengchun a mocking look. "You eunuch, I, Fan Yongdou, am not even afraid of death. Do you think I, Fan Yongdou, would be afraid of your mere few cruel tortures?"

"If you have the guts, then kill me."

"Oh, I forgot, you're a neutered dog, how could you possibly have any virility!"

Fan Yongdou laughed with a mocking expression.

The laughter aggravated his wounds, causing Fan Yongdou to cough lightly, and more blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

A cold glint flashed in Cao Zhengchun's eyes; "Lord Fan, are you trying to provoke me so I'll kill you and give you a quick death?"

Cao Zhengchun stood up, walked up to Fan Yongdou, and grabbed Fan Yongdou by the neck.

Fan Yongdou felt his breathing becoming increasingly difficult, and his eyes began to roll back.

Just as Fan Yongdou felt he was about to suffocate, Cao Zhengchun released his grip.

"Since you're so eager to die, then I'll show you how your family members, Lord Fan, died."

Cao Zhengchun wiped his hands with a handkerchief and said to one of the guards next to him, "Go and bring over Lord Fan's family members one by one."

"Yes, Master." The guard bowed and left.

After a while.

One of Fan Yongdou's family members was brought over by the factory guards.

Without saying a word, the imperial guard raised his crescent blade and, right in front of Fan Yongdou, beheaded this member of his family.

Fan Yongdou saw this and his eyes turned red; "Cao Zhengchun, you eunuch, if you have the guts, come at me."

Cao Zhengchun sat in the supervisor's chair, ignoring Fan Yongdou's insults, and waved his hand again.

The imperial guards, understanding the unspoken message, left again.

Soon, another member of Fan Yongdou's family was brought over.

"Click."

A bloody human head rolled to the ground.

"Master, save me, I don't want to die."

The third person brought over was one of Fan Yongdou's concubines.

No matter how much the concubine cried out, her head was mercilessly chopped off by the imperial guards.

Fan Yongdou's eyes widened in fury upon seeing this.

"Cao Zhengchun, you eunuch, you'll die a horrible death."

"With your bloodthirsty nature, you will not have a good end."

"If you have the guts, kill me."

Fan Yongdou glared at Cao Zhengchun with intense resentment.

Fan Yongdou never expected that Cao Zhengchun would be so despicable, using such methods to coerce him; it was utterly shameless.

When the imperial guards left to fetch the fourth person, Fan Yongdou finally couldn't help but compromise.

"Cao Zhengchun, I confess."

"I'll tell you everything you want to know, just stop killing."

After saying that, Fan Yongdou deflated like a punctured balloon, losing his previous fearless and defiant demeanor.

"Hehe, wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"

"Lord Fan, speak!"

Cao Zhengchun glanced at Fan Yongdou and gave a cold smile.

These people are just stubborn as mules; they won't shed a tear until they see the coffin.

Once someone is imprisoned in his Eastern Depot jail, is there anyone who can remain silent?
More than ten minutes later.

Cao Zhengchun frowned as he looked at the tasks Fan Yongdou had assigned him. "Lord Fan, these are not what I want."

Cao Zhengchun looked at Fan Yongdou and said in a feminine tone.

"Cao Zhengchun, I've confessed everything I need to."

"I don't know what else you want to know?"

Fan Yongdou glanced at Cao Zhengchun and said weakly.

"is it?"

"Lord Fan, do you think I don't know about your secret plot with the Prince of Shu?"

As soon as Cao Zhengchun said this...

Fan Yongdou's expression changed, and his pupils contracted involuntarily.

Fan Yongdou never expected that Cao Zhengchun would know about their conspiracy with the King of Shu.

How can this be?

How could Cao Zhengchun possibly know about this?

Fan Yongdou was overwhelmed with emotion.

It should be noted that even among the three great families, only a few core members knew about this matter.

Furthermore, the three great families were very cautious about this matter.

After all, if this matter were to be leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Fan Yongdou didn't know how Cao Zhengchun knew.

However, these are no longer important.

The important point is that since Cao Zhengchun already knew about this, it means that the person in the palace must also know that they and the Prince of Shu were plotting to change the world.

So, was the person in the palace who arrested him, the Minister of Revenue, really because of corruption and bribery?

In an instant, Fan Yongdou seemed to understand everything.

"Lord Fan, do I really need to remind you again?"

“You have explained to me in detail the things you conspired with the King of Shu.”

"Especially your specific plans, not a single detail can be overlooked."

"My patience is limited, and I hope Lord Fan will not disappoint me."

Cao Zhengchun tossed aside the tasks Fan Yongdou had instructed him to perform and looked at Fan Yongdou with a sinister gaze.

The things Fan Yongdou confessed to were all corrupt and embezzling activities, which were not what Cao Zhengchun wanted at all.

Cao Zhengchun wanted their secret plot with the King of Shu, but Fan Yongdou didn't mention a word about it.

This made Cao Zhengchun's gaze turn sinister. Trying to play tricks on his Eastern Depot? They really don't know what 'living a life worse than death' means!

"Hahaha, Cao Zhengchun, I really didn't expect this!"

"So this is how your Eastern Depot tried to frame us and even tried to drag the King of Shu into it."

"What a brilliant plan."

"However, you're dreaming if you think I, Fan Yongdou, can make baseless accusations against the King of Shu."

Fan Yongdou burst into laughter.

Regardless of how Cao Zhengchun found out about this, Fan Yongdou would never admit it.

Even if Cao Zhengchun started killing his family members again, Fan Yongdou would not utter a single word.

Seeing that Fan Yongdou was still pretending to be stupid and refusing to confess, Cao Zhengchun stopped wasting words and simply waved his hand: "Continue killing."

"Kill until Lord Fan speaks."

"Let Lord Fan experience the remaining tortures one by one."

Cao Zhengchun said in a sinister tone.

If you want to be a hero in the Eastern Depot prison, you need to have a tough backbone.

Upon hearing Cao Zhengchun's words, Fan Yongdou immediately closed his eyes.

Fan Yongdou couldn't bear to see his family members die in front of him, but he knew he couldn't save them.

Previously, Fan Yongdou had been hoping to force the King of Shu and his men to take action as soon as possible, so that if they succeeded, he could protect his family.

But after Fan Yongdou learned that Cao Zhengchun already knew about this, Fan Yongdou had already given up hope.

Since the person in the palace already knew about this, they must have made preparations. But even so, Fan Yongdou could not utter a single word.

Because, compared to the fate of the entire Fan family in Jiexiu, Fan Yongdou knew what was light and what was heavy.

Moreover, even if he confessed, he would still face certain death.

Then why bother explaining further!

In an instant, screams rang out again.

……

"Damn it, how could Third Uncle have been suddenly arrested by that person in the palace!"

"They're even going to confiscate their property and exterminate their entire clan? Is this really just because they embezzled disaster relief funds?"

Outside Luoyang city, a figure traversed the mountain paths.

The figure was dressed in tattered clothes and looked utterly disheveled.

Who else could it be but Fan Shaohe, the young master of the Fan family?

Fan Shaohe never expected that just last night when he entered the residence of the Minister of Revenue to meet his third uncle, Fan Yongdou, his third uncle would run into trouble today, and the Minister of Revenue's residence would be raided and his entire family wiped out.

If he hadn't run fast, he would probably be in the Eastern Depot's prison right now.

What surprised Fan Shaohe the most was that his third uncle suddenly attacked and tried to assassinate the person in the palace in the Golden Palace. Didn't his third uncle know what the consequences of doing so would be?

Now, the one in the palace even wants to exterminate the Fan family of Jiexiu.

This is a huge problem.

"No, we have to get back to Jiexiu right away."

As Fan Shaohe pondered this, he increased his speed.

The Fan family's information channels and operations in Luoyang over the years have been largely wiped out by the Eastern Depot, and Fan Shaohe cannot guarantee that the Fan family's information channels can deliver this news back to the Fan family in a timely manner.

Therefore, Fan Shaohe had to rush back to the Fan family to deliver the news that the imperial court had issued an edict to exterminate the Fan family of Jiexiu.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen looked at the records of the Eastern Depot's interrogation of Fan Yongdou and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Is this all Fan Yongdou confessed?"

"They didn't even give a proper explanation for their conspiracy with the King of Shu?"

Zhou Chen looked down at Cao Zhengchun.

Cao Zhengchun immediately reported, "Your Majesty, Fan Yongdou has already fainted under the torture inflicted by the Eastern Depot."

"Furthermore, this old servant also killed Fan Yongdou's family members in front of Fan Yongdou."

"However, Fan Yongdou only confessed to these things, without revealing any details about his secret plot with the King of Shu."

Cao Zhengchun hadn't expected Fan Yongdou to be so stubborn.

He fainted under the torture inflicted by the Eastern Depot, without uttering a single word.

Most importantly, Fan Yongdou is also ruthless.

He watched helplessly as his family members died before his eyes, yet remained unmoved.

He truly deserves to be one of the six ministers who stood tall in the imperial court.

This level of ruthlessness is something few can achieve.

"Hehe, it seems that my Minister of Revenue is quite a figure."

"Not only are they tough, they're also ruthless."

Zhou Chen sneered and threw the record of the Eastern Depot's interrogation of Fan Yongdou back to Cao Zhengchun.

"Give all the things that Fan Yongdou told you to the Minister of Works. He knows what to do."

Zhou Chen didn't care at all that Fan Yongdou hadn't explained their secret plot with the King of Shu.

Anyway, Zhou Chen already knows about this.

No matter what plans the three great families and the King of Shu have, as long as Zhou Chen is on guard, they shouldn't expect to cause any major trouble.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Cao Zhengchun bowed.

"Have the Fan family's clandestine forces in Luoyang been completely eliminated?"

Zhou Chen asked again.

"Your Majesty, the cleanup is complete."

"However, some escaped."

"The young master Fan Shaohe, who entered the residence of the Minister of Revenue last night, has also disappeared. This old servant estimates that he has already escaped from Luoyang City."

Cao Zhengchun said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen pondered for a moment.

Zhou Chen knew that with the power of the Fan family of Jiexiu, one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it wouldn't be difficult for them to help Young Master Fan and a young master like him escape the Eastern Depot's pursuit and flee Luoyang City.

If the Fan family of Jiexiu can't even do this.

That would be a disgrace to the title of one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"In that case, the Fan family in Jiexiu should receive the news soon."

Zhou Chen muttered something to himself.

"This old servant is guilty, for letting a member of the Fan family escape."

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun immediately knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness.

As the head of the Eastern Depot, allowing Fan Shaohe of the Fan family to escape from Luoyang was a dereliction of duty on the part of the Eastern Depot.

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun indifferently; "Do you think that even if there are no members of the Fan family who escaped, the Fan family won't receive the news?"

"The seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty are not as simple as just talking about them."

"This matter concerning the Fan family in Jiexiu will be handled by your Eastern Depot. You, Cao Zhengchun, will go personally."

"I will wipe out the Fan family of Jiexiu."

Zhou Chen didn't have time to transfer Lü Bu and Cao Shaoqing, who were far away in the four northern provinces, to wipe out the Fan family, so he could only send Cao Zhengchun with his men.

Otherwise, by the time the imperial decree is issued to Lü Bu and Cao Shaoqin, who are far away in the four northern provinces, and by the time Lü Bu and Cao Shaoqin arrive in Jiexiu Prefecture, it will be too late.

"Your Majesty, we are still unaware of the specific plans that the three great families and the Prince of Shu are plotting."

"If this old servant leaves, what if..."

Cao Zhengchun looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Cao Zhengchun took charge of the Eastern Depot, based in Luoyang, and oversaw all directions.

It can be said that Cao Zhengchun played a crucial role.

It is also the biggest deterrent to Luoyang.

If Cao Zhengchun were to leave, wouldn't those rats in Luoyang cause trouble?

"Don't worry about me. With Dian Wei here, my safety is assured."

"You only need to do the things I've assigned you."

Zhou Chen naturally understood what Cao Zhengchun meant.

But with Dian Wei, the evil one, by his side, Zhou Chen wasn't worried about his safety at all.

Perhaps, it can even bring some unexpected surprises to some people.

"Old slave obeys the order."

Upon seeing this, Cao Zhengchun immediately accepted the order.

"Go!"

Zhou Chen waved his hand.

Cao Zhengchun turned and left.

indeed.

With Dian Wei, a powerful expert who is half a step into the Celestial Realm, present, no one in the imperial palace can act recklessly.

Besides, if any unexpected situation were to occur, the Imperial Clan Court still has Zhou Rushan!
Cao Zhengchun was no longer worried.

After returning to the Eastern Depot's headquarters, Cao Zhengchun summoned the guards and issued several orders in succession.

In addition to assisting Liu Ye, the Minister of Works, in investigating and arresting people in the Ministry of Revenue, he also had to monitor the situation in Luoyang.

Although Cao Zhengchun has left, these matters cannot be neglected.

After arranging these things.

Cao Zhengchun then led several thousand guards away from the Eastern Depot, galloping out of Luoyang and disappearing into the distance.

(End of this chapter)