You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 262 Early Entry into the World
After leaving court.

Zhou Chen returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

With the reign title of the Great Zhou Dynasty already set, Zhou Chen was in a good mood.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, flipping through the memorials that the Eastern Depot had sent to the Hall of Mental Cultivation during the morning court session.

This is something Zhou Chen does every day after the morning court session.

Every day during the morning court session, the Eastern Depot would send some of its own memorials to the Hall of Mental Cultivation in advance.

These memorials were all intelligence obtained by Cao Zhengchun at Zhou Chen's request, through monitoring the entire Luoyang region.

The intelligence contained very detailed records of the actions of civil and military officials, from the casual remarks of a seventh-rank official at home to the deeds of high-ranking officials in the Six Ministries.

It can be said that Zhou Chen, without ever leaving the palace, was fully aware of the words and actions of all the officials.

Of course, this also includes important or crucial news from various places.

Zhou Chen flipped through the memorials sent by the Eastern Depot, his face expressionless.

The previous two purges of the imperial court had already served as a warning to these civil and military officials, making them much more obedient.

However, there are still some small insects, but they don't cause any major harm.

Zhou Chen understood the principle that "if the water is too clear, there will be no fish."

As long as these officials can be used by him and there are no major problems, Zhou Chen will turn a blind eye to them.

After Zhou Chen finished reading the memorials sent by the Eastern Depot, he pondered the information.

In addition to news from within the jurisdiction of Luoyang, there were also reports on local officials.

Especially in the four northern prefectures, the Eastern Depot reported that some officials had begun to frequent brothels, and a corrupt and unhealthy trend had emerged.

This made Zhou Chen raise an eyebrow.

In the four northern continents, following the previous turmoil, the officials underwent a major reshuffle.

Most of the officials sent by the imperial court to the four northern prefectures were carefully selected from poor families.

Zhou Chen didn't expect that, not long after, someone would be unable to resist and succumb to the enjoyment of power.

"It seems that the corrupting influence of power on people's hearts is truly not to be underestimated!"

Zhou Chen sighed as he thought to himself.

Zhou Chen ignored these matters and began dealing with other memorials.

Zhou Chen knew that the bureaucracy was the biggest problem in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Even though the Great Zhou Dynasty has risen in power, the court's control over local officials is still very weak, not as strong as one might imagine.

The state of local governance was also extremely corrupt.

However, reforming officialdom is no easy task.

As things stand, Zhou Chen is not yet in a position to reform local officialdom.

This is why Zhou Chen only started with the Ministry of Revenue to purge the officials in the court, but did not expand the scope to extend it from top to bottom to the local level.

It's not that Zhou Chen doesn't want to, but that he can't.

Trying to rectify official corruption before having a sufficient reserve of officials is tantamount to creating chaos in both the court and local areas.

……

Lingnan.

Song family.

Inside the council chamber.

The Song family patriarch humbly welcomed the three guests from Tianshan into the council hall and seated them in the main seats.

The head of the Song family had the best tea served.

After the tea was served, the Song family patriarch addressed the young man seated in the main seat, saying, "Young Master Xingyu, I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it?"

After a brief introduction, the Song family patriarch already knew that the young man sitting in the main seat was named Song Xingyu.

Song Xingyu was also the leader among the three.

Song Xingyu picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and glanced at the Song family patriarch. "Elder Song, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

"I will answer any questions I can."

Although Song Xingyu's expression was somewhat arrogant, he still showed some respect for the Song family patriarch's tone.

"Then I shall ask."

"If I remember correctly, according to the previous timeline, it should have been at least a dozen years before the Starry Sky Princes entered the mortal world. How come they entered the mortal world ahead of schedule this time?"

The Song family patriarch asked, somewhat puzzled.

The Song family patriarch was surprised when he heard from his men that guests from the Tianshan family had arrived.

According to the Song family patriarch, it will be at least a decade before the people of Tianshan enter the mortal world.

Why did we join the WTO ahead of schedule?

It was done more than a decade ahead of schedule?

This puzzled the Song family patriarch.

Hearing the Song family patriarch's question, Song Xingyu put down his teacup. "Elder Song, I can't answer that question right now."

"However, what I can tell Elder Song is that this world is about to change."

"Therefore, we entered the WTO ahead of schedule."

Song Xingyu looked at the Song family patriarch and said.

Is this world about to change?

Upon hearing this, the Song family patriarch raised an eyebrow slightly.

What does it mean that this world is about to change?
Could it be that there are other worlds besides this one?

The Song family patriarch's doubts deepened.

However, Song Xingyu did not give the Song family patriarch another chance to speak, nor did he offer any explanation.

"Old Song, tell us about the current state of the secular world!"

Song Xingyu looked at the Song family patriarch and said.

Having just entered the world, they were not yet clear about the situation in the secular world, so they could only learn a little from the Song family patriarch first.

The Song family patriarch nodded; "Then this old man will first tell the three of you about the current situation of the Great Zhou."

"The Great Zhou Dynasty is now vastly different from what it used to be. The imperial court is militarily strong, and there are many powerful individuals, including at least four half-step Celestial Realm experts."

"Furthermore, His Majesty is ruthless; even the foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall have been exterminated by the court, and the court has also issued an edict to recall the private armies of our aristocratic families..."

The Song family patriarch explained the current situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty in detail.

Even Lu Bu and Cao Zhengchun, these suddenly emerging half-step Celestial beings, were not overlooked by the Song family patriarch.

After listening to the Song family patriarch's words, the figure sitting to Song Xingyu's right couldn't help but sneer, "So, is the current Emperor of Great Zhou a great ruler?"

"I heard that more than twenty years ago, the previous emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was a man of extraordinary talent."

The figure sitting to Song Xingyu's right, despite speaking eloquently, was full of sarcasm in his tone.

More than twenty years ago, the previous emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty dared to challenge those who had gained experience in the world.

As a result, they were almost wiped out.

They had all heard about this.

At this point, the man sitting to Song Xingyu's right looked at the Song family patriarch and said, "Elder Song, your Lingnan Song family is one of the four great clans of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and also our branch. How can you let the emperor just issue an edict to take away our private army!"

"This is so embarrassing."

The person sitting to Song Xingyu's right seemed to have no regard for the Song family patriarch's feelings and spoke very frankly.

Upon hearing this, the Song family patriarch's expression darkened.

He was, after all, the patriarch of the Song family of Lingnan. Even if the other party was from the main family of Tianshan, he was still a junior in terms of seniority.

It's no wonder the Song family patriarch's face darkened after being so openly humiliated by a junior.

Sitting in the main seat, Song Xingyu noticed that the Song family patriarch's expression was off and couldn't help but glare at the person sitting to his right.

The man immediately stopped talking.

Obviously.

Song Xingyu holds a significant position among the three.

Song Xingyu looked at the Song family patriarch and asked, "Elder Song, does this mean that Lu Bu and Cao Zhengchun and their group are very strong?"

The Song family patriarch nodded; "Yes, Young Master Xingyu." "Lu Bu and Cao Zhengchun are exceptionally strong, take Cao Zhengchun for example."

"Even when the four half-step Celestial Ancestors of our four great clans joined forces, they all ended up suffering defeat."

"Therefore, this is why we had no choice but to compromise in the face of His Majesty's decree."

"The Song family patriarch said helplessly."

Previously, the patriarchs of the other three major aristocratic families had all come to Lingnan.

But in the end, the three patriarchs of the other three major clans left Lingnan in disgrace.

The result is self-evident and needs no introduction.

Upon hearing the Song family patriarch's words, Song Xingyu's eyes flashed, and a slight smile appeared on his lips; "Interesting!"

"What's the point?"

"Aren't they just a few mortal beings who have reached the half-step Celestial Realm?"

“Any one of us who has entered the WTO can take care of them.”

"Invincible among those of the same level? How laughable."

The person sitting to Song Xingyu's right curled his lip, looking completely unconvinced.

They didn't take these half-step Celestial beings in the mortal world seriously at all.

Perhaps a half-step Celestial Being can reign supreme in the mortal world, but in their Tianshan Mountains, they are just ordinary.

For those of them who have experienced the ways of the world, being invincible among their peers is just a joke.

If we're talking about being invincible among those of the same level, these are the ones who truly are.

How could the martial arts and combat power cultivated in the secular world possibly compare to those of the people of Tianshan?

"We must not let our guard down or underestimate these worldly powerhouses."

"Don't forget our mission: to gather the fortune. This is no small matter."

The last person sitting to Song Xingyu's left also spoke up, his expression somewhat serious.

Upon hearing this man's words, the Song family patriarch gleaned several key phrases.

task?

A gathering of fortune?

The Song family patriarch's eyes flickered inexplicably.

He had previously guessed that these people had a purpose in entering the WTO more than a decade ahead of schedule.

Now it seems that it is indeed the case.

I just don't know what the mission they're talking about is?
What's the deal with this gathering of fortune?

"Young Master Xingyu, have the other families also entered the mortal world?"

The Song family patriarch looked at Song Xingyu, who was in the main seat, and asked.

Now that the head of the Song family has entered the secular world, it's likely that the other families will also have members who have entered the secular world, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The Song family patriarch had some understanding of the worldly affairs of the people from the Tianshan region.

Each time they entered the mortal realm, it wasn't just the main members of the Song family who were present, but also people from the other three major clans and the royal family.

This is one of the reasons why the four great clans, despite not serving in the imperial court or holding official positions, were still able to surpass the seven great families and become the four great clans of the Great Zhou.

Because they were all descendants of the main family in the Tianshan region.

Song Xingyu nodded noncommittally; "It's not just the other few companies, there are quite a few people joining the WTO this time."

Although Song Xingyu spoke simply, the Song family patriarch still sensed something different in his words.

In the past, only a few families from the Tianshan Mountains were involved in worldly affairs, and the number of people was not large.

This time, Song Xingyu actually said that there are quite a few people who are involved in worldly affairs.

It seems that the entry of the Tianshan people into the world this time is not as simple as before.

The Great Zhou Dynasty is likely to be in turmoil from now on.

The Song family patriarch thought to himself.

These people who have experienced the ways of the world are different from those from aristocratic and wealthy families.

Those from aristocratic families might be mindful of the imperial court, but those who have gained experience in the world will not.

It can be said that these people who had entered the world and gained experience did not only disregard the imperial court, but they did not care about the entire secular world at all.

If these worldly people cause trouble, it will be a real headache for His Majesty in the palace.

I wonder how His Majesty in the palace will decide when the time comes?

Thinking of this, the Song family patriarch felt much happier.

The Song family patriarch had no choice but to suffer in silence regarding the imperial court's decision to take back their private troops and investigate their lands during this period.

Now that the people from Tianshan have entered the world earlier than expected, it's a good opportunity to give His Majesty in the palace something to do.

The Song family patriarch refused to believe that the Emperor's ruthless methods in the palace could intimidate these aristocratic families and keep these worldly people in check.

Afterwards, the Song family patriarch spoke with Song Xingyu and the others for a while before arranging for the three of them to rest.

After making arrangements for Song Xingyu and the other two, the Song family patriarch immediately headed towards the depths of the inner courtyard.

The Song family patriarch arrived outside a pavilion.

This pavilion is the Song family's treasure trove; some of the Song family's important possessions are kept here.

The person guarding this pavilion was none other than the patriarch of the Song family.

Upon seeing the Song family patriarch lying at the entrance of the pavilion, the Song family patriarch immediately stepped forward, bowed, and called out, "Patriarch."

"Uh?"

"Have all three of them been made up?"

The Song family patriarch glanced at the Song family patriarch and asked.

As the patriarch of the Song family, the family head had already sent someone to inform him when the three entered the Song family.

Therefore, the Song family's ancestor also knew that the Tianshan family had entered the world and come to the Song family.

The Song family patriarch nodded; "Everything has been arranged."

"However, according to Song Xingyu, there are quite a few people entering the world this time. It seems that they have some purpose in entering the world this time, and they also said that this world is about to change."

The Song family patriarch repeated every single word that Song Xingyu had said in the council hall.

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of the Song family patriarch.

Oh!
A gathering of fortune?

Could it be referring to that person in the palace?
The Song family patriarch thought to himself.

“Ancestor, the people of Tianshan have entered the world ahead of schedule this time. Do you think we should take advantage of this opportunity to bring down that person in the palace?”

"If we let that person in the palace continue to sit on the dragon throne, it will not do our Song family any good."

The head of the Song family tentatively asked the Song family patriarch.

The early entry of those people from Tianshan into the world gave the Song family patriarch an opportunity to bring down the one in the palace.

Perhaps the emperor in the palace is the ruler of the world to everyone in the Great Zhou, but to those who are involved in worldly affairs, he says nothing.

If they wanted to depose an emperor, it wouldn't be too difficult for them.

However, those who are involved in worldly affairs generally do not meddle in worldly matters.

Upon hearing the Song family patriarch's words, the Song family patriarch shook his head; "No need to rush. Since you've already said what those people's purpose is in entering the world ahead of schedule, let's wait and see!"

Upon hearing this, the Song family patriarch's eyes flickered, and he understood what his ancestor meant.

Yes!

Why are they in such a hurry?

Given that person's temperament and style of doing things in the palace, sooner or later they will clash with those worldly people.

There's absolutely no need for them to do anything unnecessary or embellish the situation.

When the time comes, those worldly people will deal with that person in the palace.

“What the ancestor said is true, I understand.”

The Song family patriarch revealed a slight smile.

Then, the Song family patriarch took his leave and departed from the pavilion.

(End of this chapter)