You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 18 I hope I haven't disturbed Your Majesty!

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After leaving the prison, Zhou Chen returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with a gloomy expression.

"Minister of the auxiliary country?"

"What a load of bull!"

“A person who only cares about personal gain and has no regard for the country’s well-being is no good minister.”

Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne in a huff, cursing Grand Tutor Yan Hua in his heart.

He originally thought that even if a minister like Grand Tutor Yan Hua was keen on power struggles, he could still distinguish between what was important and what was not.

But now it seems that Zhou Chen was wrong.

After seeing that Grand Tutor Yan Hua's expression did not change at all when he saw the contents of Zhao Gao's memorial, Zhou Chen knew that Grand Tutor Yan Hua was not being misled by his subordinates.

However, Grand Tutor Yan Hua was as clear-headed as a mirror and understood these things better than anyone else.

Perhaps Grand Tutor Yan Hua was one of those people.

This shows just how black-hearted these people are.

They disregarded the lives and deaths of ordinary people, and even dared to squander disaster relief funds.

It is utterly ridiculous that someone like this, sitting high in the imperial court, could become a high-ranking official.

"Just wait! Once I'm ready, I'll wipe out all of you parasites."

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Chen's eyes as he picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip of tea.

Just as I was about to put down my teacup, a eunuch rushed in.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived," the eunuch said, bowing as he entered.

"Queen mother?"

Zhou Chen was slightly taken aback and momentarily lost in thought.

Since Zhou Chen woke up, he has been avoiding going to Cining Palace to see his mother.

It wasn't that Zhou Chen didn't want to, but rather that he felt a little awkward and didn't know how to face the Empress Dowager.

After all, Zhou Chen's soul has changed; he is no longer the same Zhou Chen as before.

I thought I could hide for as long as possible, but now it seems there's no way to avoid it anymore.

What needs to be faced must be faced.

However, in Zhou Chen's memory, he clearly remembered that his relationship with his mother did not seem to be very close.

Zhou Chen was frail and sickly from a young age, making him the most mediocre of the princes.

To be honest, many people didn't expect Zhou Chen to be able to sit on the throne.

On the contrary, this empress doted on Zhou Chen's ninth brother, Zhou Zhi.

Because Zhou Zhi was better than his half-brother in every aspect, especially in martial arts, where he was ranked among the top three among the princes.

In the end, it was Zhou Chen, the most mediocre fifth prince, who ascended the dragon throne.

Zhou Chen snapped out of his daze, put down his teacup, and got up to go out to greet them.

Regardless of anything else, this Empress Dowager is Zhou Chen's mother.

Now that they have taken over the throne from their predecessor, they must take over everything about him.

Just as Zhou Chen was about to leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Empress Dowager walked in to greet him.

"Mother."

When Zhou Chen saw the Empress Dowager walk in, he immediately went to greet her.

"I hope I haven't disturbed His Majesty!"

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Chen, who was coming to greet her, and said apologetically.

Zhou Chen shook his head; "What are you saying, Mother? If you want to see me, just send a message through Cining Palace. Once I know, I will go there immediately."

Zhou Chen welcomed the Empress Dowager into the Hall of Mental Cultivation. "I know Your Majesty has been busy these past few days. I heard that Your Majesty's health has improved, so I came to see you," the Empress Dowager said, her tone tinged with a hint of reproach.

Zhou Chen recovered, but did not visit the Empress Dowager at Cining Palace for several days.

It would be strange if the Empress Dowager didn't harbor some resentment.

"I've been so busy these past few days that I've made Mother worry," Zhou Chen said with a smile, though he could easily detect the reproach in the Empress Dowager's tone.

Two stools were brought over by the eunuchs, and Zhou Chen and the Empress Dowager sat down one after the other.

Zhou Chen then took a closer look at the elegant and noble woman in front of him.

The Empress Dowager is Zhou Chen's biological mother.

However, the Empress Dowager's background was somewhat unfavorable.

Unlike other concubines, the Empress Dowager was not born into a noble family or selected through a civil service examination.

The Empress Dowager was actually a palace maid from a poor, once-noble family.

Back then, the late emperor was a womanizer and had countless concubines in the palace, including the Empress Dowager.

Later, the Empress Dowager, with her extraordinary abilities, stood out among the many palace maids and fought her way to the top step by step.

This incident caused quite a stir in the imperial harem at the time.

Even the ministers in the court tried to dissuade the late emperor.

But in the end, they still couldn't stop the Empress Dowager from rising to power.

From then on, the imperial harem gained a concubine with remarkable skills.

After the Empress Dowager sat down, seeing Zhou Chen's words, her resentment vanished instantly.

Seeing that Zhou Chen's complexion was indeed much better than before, she began to grumble, "I know Your Majesty has been busy these past few days, but no matter how busy you are, you must take care of your health. Your Majesty has just recovered, so you should rest more."

"I have prepared a Dragon and Phoenix Soup for Your Majesty. I made it myself, and it is extremely nourishing. Please remember to drink it all later."

Zhou Chen listened silently, without the slightest impatience.

Of all the people in the world, perhaps only the Empress Dowager truly cared about him.

Even though the Empress Dowager wasn't particularly close to Zhou Chen before, mother and son are still mother and son, a bond that nothing can sever or replace.

"When Your Majesty is handling state affairs, you must be careful to guard against those ministers."

"Sometimes, they are not as loyal as they appear."

"And those around you, you must also pay close attention. In this deep palace, there are no 'what ifs,' only consequences." As the Empress Dowager spoke, she seemed to recall something, and a trace of nostalgia appeared on her face.

Back then, if she hadn't been lucky enough to discover that there was something wrong with the people around her, she probably wouldn't have the position of Empress Dowager she has today.

Even if the late emperor favored her, the complexity of the harem was no less than the sword fights on the battlefield.

Failure means falling out of favor.

As a result, everyone understands without anyone having to say it.

Moreover, the late emperor was a womanizer, with countless women around him, and his favor was never constant.

No one was irreplaceable in the late emperor's heart.

"I've remembered what Mother Empress said." Zhou Chen nodded, a strange glint in his eyes.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please don't mind my nagging."

Zhou Chen shook his head and said, "How could that be? Since I ascended the throne, my health has been poor, and I have little experience in court affairs. With the Empress Dowager's guidance, I can avoid some detours."

After exchanging a few more words with Zhou Chen, the Empress Dowager instructed someone to hand over the Dragon and Phoenix Soup she had brought to the eunuch beside Zhou Chen before getting up and leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhou Chen also got up and personally escorted the Empress Dowager to the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, watching her leave.

The suddenness of the Empress Dowager's arrival.

His departure was sudden.

Zhou Chen watched the Empress Dowager's departing figure, then frowned and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

(End of this chapter)