You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 185 I'd like to see who dares not to cooperate?

Jinluan Palace.

The morning court begins.

Early in the morning, civil and military officials followed the imperial road and entered the Golden Palace in turn.

During the procession, officials were not allowed to make noise or whisper; officials were present to record their words and actions.

"Long live your majesty."

After Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, all the officials knelt down and bowed respectfully.

Zhou Chen sat high on the dragon throne, looking down at the officials below.

Officials who are able to enter the Golden Palace to attend the morning court session are at least those holding important positions of the fifth rank or above.

Among these people, some received salaries from the imperial court but did nothing of substance, holding positions without doing their jobs; others formed cliques, engaged in corruption and bribery, and used the power granted by the emperor to seek personal gain for their families and themselves.

Of course, there are also those who are full of patriotic fervor, but whose edges are eventually worn down by reality and who drift with the tide.

Within this small imperial court, one can witness the myriad aspects of human nature.

But at the moment.

After more than two months of cleanup and rectification.

The chaos in the imperial court has been largely brought to an end.

More than two months ago, Zhou Chen revoked the Empress's and the Emperor's power to rule as regents.

In the imperial court, the Grand Tutor, one of the four regents, was removed from office. Then, the Empress and General Wu Jin's Wu clan, relatives of the empress, were eliminated. After that, the Ministry of Revenue was investigated, and the influence of powerful families in the court was eliminated.

Countless officials have fallen from grace and lost their lives because of this.

This included the four Grand Ministers who served as regents, such as the Chancellor and Fan Yongdou, the Minister of Revenue, and other important ministers of the six ministries of the imperial court.

Many people realized that the Great Zhou Dynasty was likely to be ushered in an unprecedentedly powerful ruler, and that the Great Zhou was poised for a revival.

Zhou Chen looked at the kneeling civil and military officials below and said, "All of you, rise."

Now, the vacancies in the court have been basically filled, and Zhou Chen has even appointed a new Minister of Justice.

The new Minister of Justice is still from a prominent family.

This was also a signal that Zhou Chen was sending to the aristocratic families, offering them some comfort.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The officials stood up.

Zhou Chen looked down at the officials with a kind smile; "My dear ministers, do you have anything to report? Please speak freely, there is no need to hold back."

The civil and military officials glanced cautiously at Zhou Chen on the dragon throne, realizing that His Majesty must be in a good mood today.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report," said Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, stepping forward with a memorial in his hands.

Cao Zhengchun stepped down the stairs, took the memorial from Xun Yu, and presented it to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen took the memorial from Cao Zhengchun's hand, opened it, and began to read it.

The civil and military officials below dared not disturb the emperor and could only wait patiently.

The civil and military officials were somewhat curious.
What exactly did Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, say in his memorial that made His Majesty read it so carefully?

Soon, Zhou Chen closed the memorial, stood up from the dragon throne, and walked down to the imperial path amidst the civil and military officials.

All the civil and military officials bowed, not daring to look directly at the emperor.

"My esteemed ministers, why don't you guess what this memorial is about?" Zhou Chen waved the memorial in his hand, calmly surveying the civil and military officials.

"We dare not make any unfounded speculations."

The officials seemed to realize that Zhou Chen's tone was off, and they spoke with some panic.

"I dare not make any guesses?"

A mocking smile appeared on Zhou Chen's face as he said in a gradually cooling voice, "Is there anything in the Great Zhou that you wouldn't dare to do?"

"You do not obey my decrees."

"You are not cooperating with my orders."

"Now you dare to tell me that you dare not?"

The amiable expression on Zhou Chen's face was gone.

Although Zhou Chen's expression remained calm, the coldness in his voice caused the faces of the civil and military officials to turn pale.

"The minister is guilty."

All the civil and military officials knelt on the ground in unison.

None of them expected that Emperor Zhou Chen's mind would change so quickly.

He was all smiles just a moment ago, but now his expression has completely changed.

This made all the civil and military officials feel tense.

Although the civil and military officials still do not know what was written in the memorial, or why the emperor changed his expression.

However, the civil and military officials knew that kneeling down to beg for forgiveness was the right thing to do.

They remembered that the last time the emperor reprimanded his officials was because the Prince of Shu had conspired with the three powerful families to commit treason.

This time, I guess something has angered His Majesty again.

"guilty?"

Zhou Chen repeated it.

"The last thing I want to hear is the word 'guilty'."

"I know that you officials all have your own factions, and you are constantly fighting each other openly and secretly."

“You even lined your own pockets, using your power to seek personal gain for yourselves and your families.”

"As long as you don't go too far, I can turn a blind eye to these things."

"You can argue, you can fight."

"But the premise is that you must be useful to me, useful to the Great Zhou, and you must not disobey my decree."

"You must obey and cooperate with any of my orders unconditionally."

"I will not allow anyone to disobey my orders."

Zhou Chen's voice echoed in the main hall.

Apart from Zhou Chen's echoing voice, there was no other sound in the imperial court.

All the civil and military officials knelt on the ground, listening to Emperor Zhou Chen's reprimand.

Many officials had already guessed the reason why Emperor Zhou Chen had changed his attitude.

They could roughly guess what Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, was talking about in the memorial he submitted.

Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, has been ordered to survey the land throughout the country these past few days, starting with Luoyang, the capital.

However, Luoyang, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was teeming with officials and nobles.

If anyone were to step forward, it could potentially uncover a complex web of relationships.

Among the high-ranking officials, nobles, and even members of the imperial family, who among them did not own land?

Xun Yu wanted to survey the land of Luoyang, but even though he was acting on imperial orders, he encountered considerable resistance.

Although these people couldn't fathom the emperor's true intentions in surveying the land, they figured it probably wasn't a good thing for them.

Therefore, these people were not very willing to cooperate with Xun Yu in measuring the land.

The memorial Xun Yu submitted was likely about this matter, and the emperor's attitude must have changed because of it.

The civil and military officials were thinking to themselves.

In fact it is.

The memorial Xun Yu submitted to Zhou Chen mentioned that Xun Yu encountered resistance when surveying the land in Luoyang.

Even with the assistance of the Eastern Depot, Xun Yu still faced considerable resistance in measuring the land.

After speaking, Zhou Chen returned to the dragon throne.

The civil and military officials kneeling below dared not even breathe loudly.

After Zhou Chen returned to the dragon throne, he looked at Xun Yu and said sternly, "Xun Yu, after the court session, go and survey and measure the land of each household for me. After the survey and measurement in Luoyang are completed, go to the various prefectures and counties."

"I'd like to see who dares to disobey."

"Anyone who dares to outwardly comply but inwardly defy and refuse to cooperate will be handed over to the Eastern Depot for disposal."

As Zhou Chen spoke, he glanced at the civil and military officials kneeling on the ground below, who were as meek as lambs, and a cold glint flashed across his face.

Zhou Chen did not expect that even with the assistance of the Eastern Depot, Xun Yu still encountered so many problems and obstacles in measuring the land.

There really are some stubborn people who aren't afraid of death. Zhou Chen wanted to see who would dare to stand up and disobey Xun Yu's land survey after he, the emperor, had reprimanded all the officials today.

"The minister obeys the order."

Xun Yu accepted the order and said.

With Emperor Zhou Chen's stern statement at the court meeting, Xun Yu believed that no one would dare to refuse his land surveying anymore.

Unless someone really wants to die and wants to experience the tortures of the Eastern Depot.

The morning court session then continued.

Zhou Chen did not pursue the matter further. In his view, after this reprimand, the civil and military officials should be much more obedient and know that the emperor's authority is inviolable, and his decrees as the emperor cannot be disobeyed.

Even if they were reluctant to measure the land, they had to obediently comply with the imperial decree after the morning court session.

Of course, in the process of complying with the decree, it cannot be ruled out that some people might conceal things such as land.

But this is not something Zhou Chen should worry about; it is something Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, should worry about.

Zhou Chen believed that with Xun Yu's abilities and methods, even if someone concealed the land, it wouldn't be difficult for Xun Yu, a talent fit to assist a king.

Liu Ye, Du Ruhui, the Minister of War, and several other ministers reported on some matters and sought instructions from Emperor Zhou Chen.

After considering them, Zhou Chen gave a reply to each one.

Zhou Chen is the emperor, the master of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Every decision he makes will affect the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The decision was correct, and the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty benefited.

A wrong decision can, at best, harm the people, and at worst, lead to endless troubles.

Therefore, Zhou Chen would try his best to consider all aspects before making any decision, and he would even listen to the thoughts and suggestions of his ministers before making each decision.

Zhou Chen knew that it was difficult to be a wise ruler, and even more difficult to be a virtuous and enlightened ruler.

Therefore, Zhou Chen is generally open to advice and rarely acts arbitrarily.

Although the Great Zhou Dynasty had already declined to its lowest point, Zhou Chen had already cleaned up the court and curbed this downward trend.

The corruption of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not only a corruption of its system, but also a corruption of every other aspect.

Not because of a particular person or event.

Zhou Chen had no great talent or ambition; all he could do was try to minimize his mistakes in decision-making.

With the ministers finished reporting their findings, the morning court session came to a close.

After the court session ended, the civil and military officials left the palace with long faces.

They had previously thought that by joining forces, they could prevent Xun Yu from measuring and surveying their respective lands.

But after today's morning court session, none of them had the courage to do so.

So many officials in the imperial court have fallen from grace and been beheaded in the past; those were all bloody warnings.

None of them wanted to die.

However, they couldn't just let Xun Yu measure and count all their land; they could find ways to conceal some of it.

As the saying goes, "For every policy from above, there's a countermeasure from below," that's the point.

The Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Minister of War, and the Marquis of Weiwu all walked out of the palace with frowns.

Each of the three of them owns a considerable amount of land.

None of them expected that Emperor Zhou Chen would suddenly issue an edict to measure the land of the entire country, and they were no exception.

This is not good news for them.

"Your Highness, you are the head of the Imperial Clan Court and His Majesty's uncle. What is His Majesty's purpose in having Xun Yu survey the land of the realm?"

"Does His Majesty really intend to seize the land and take over all the land under heaven?"

The Minister of War looked at the Eighth Prince, Zhou Xian, with a solemn expression.

How could those who held high positions and entered the imperial court be mere incompetent fools?

They became aware of these problems the moment they received the news that Zhou Chen had ordered Xun Yu to survey the land of the entire realm.

"I don't know either."

"However, the tax revenue of the Great Zhou has been declining every year, and the land annexation and encroachment have become too serious."

"Judging from His Majesty's words, even if it's not the land to be returned to the world, it's still the land that has been annexed and seized."

The Eighth Prince, Zhou Xian, shook his head and said.

As the head of the Imperial Clan Court, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian was quite aware of the land annexation and encroachment.

Although these individuals themselves have rarely done such things, their family members and relatives from all sides have.

This was quite common and not a secret among aristocratic landlords and upper-class circles.

"If His Majesty truly intends to reclaim all the land under heaven, then this is no small matter."

“We’re all in that group too.”

The majestic Marquis beside him spoke solemnly.

indeed.

These people all own a considerable amount of land.

If Zhou Chen were to take over all the land under heaven, these people would be the first to be affected.

"Let's go!"

"Whether His Majesty intends to reclaim all the land under heaven or not, no one can stop him."

As he spoke, Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, walked toward his carriage.

The Minister of War and the Marquis of Weiwu said nothing more and left separately.

They all knew in their hearts that whatever Emperor Zhou Chen's true purpose was in surveying the land, it didn't matter.

Importantly, Zhou Chen is the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the ruler of the world.

What he's going to do is something no one can oppose or stop.

……

Southern Xinjiang.

The Prince's Mansion.

Prince Zhou Zhan frowned slightly as he looked at the imperial edict in his hand.

This imperial edict was just delivered to the Prince of Kao Shan's residence by the Eastern Depot's guards.

Prince Zhou Zhan, who was under the emperor's wing, did not expect that the emperor would issue an edict ordering him to return to Luoyang as soon as possible.

Could something have happened to the imperial court?
King Zhou Zhan thought to himself.

"Father, what did His Majesty's decree say?"

Seeing that Zhou Zhan, the "King of the Mountain," was frowning slightly, Zhou Yi couldn't help but ask a question.

Prince Zhou Zhan put down the imperial edict in his hand, glanced at Zhou Yi, and said, "His Majesty has instructed me to arrange the defense of the southern border and return to Luoyang as soon as possible."

"Back to Luoyang?"

Zhou Yi was taken aback.

King Zhou Zhan of Kaoshan has been stationed in the southern border for many years to guard against the southern barbarians.

Under normal circumstances, unless something special happens, King Zhou Zhan of Kaoshan will not return to Luoyang.

Otherwise, even at the end of the year, the Prince of Kaoshan would at most send a general back to the capital to report on the affairs of the southern border.

After all, the southern border was not peaceful, and the southern barbarians would attack the southern border from time to time.

Without the support of the Mountain King, the southern barbarians could not be suppressed.

The Prince of Kao Shan nodded; "That's right, Boss, go and summon all the generals to the palace for a meeting. I need to make arrangements for the defense."

"Since His Majesty has decreed that I return to Luoyang as soon as possible, then I must go back to Luoyang."

"With the year-end approaching, the Southern Barbarians shouldn't make any major moves, so my departure won't have any impact."

"That's what the King of the Mountain said."

"Yes, foster father."

On Monday, he felt a little strange. Why did the emperor suddenly issue an edict summoning Prince Kaoshan back to Luoyang?
However, Zhou Yi also knew that since the imperial edict had arrived, Prince Kao Shan had no choice but to return to Luoyang.

After receiving the order on Monday, he immediately turned around and left the Prince Kaoshan's residence to inform the various military commanders.

……

(End of this chapter)