The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

"Minister Chu has arrived?"

Empress Murong Si, who was sitting upright at her desk reviewing memorials, showed a hint of surprise on her face. She raised her head and said seriously, "Jiang Wan'er, go and greet Minister Chu."

Given Chu Xiu's character of never visiting the palace without a reason, he would never enter the palace casually unless there was something important to discuss.

Clearly, Chu Xiu's visit to the palace this time is very likely because something big has happened in the Great Zhou Dynasty!

Thinking of this, Murong Si suddenly felt a headache coming on. She frowned slightly and rubbed her forehead with her right hand.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Jiang Wan'er and Pei Guanyin exchanged a glance and walked out of the Taiji Palace.

Not long after.

Chu Xiu then entered the Taiji Palace and respectfully bowed to Murong Si, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Minister Chu, there's no need for such formalities."

"Come here, give me a seat!"

Murong Si waved her hand and said to Chu Xiu.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chu Xiu thanked Murong Si for her kindness.

A palace maid carried a chair and placed it behind Chu Xiu.

"You all stand down."

Murong Si waved to the group of palace maids inside the Taiji Palace and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The palace maids responded and turned to leave.

Soon, only Murong Si, Chu Xiu, Jiang Wan'er, and Pei Guanyin remained in the entire Taiji Palace.

The gates of Taiji Palace have slowly closed.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Yu, the head of the Xiao family in Yangzhou, has rebelled and seized the entire territory of Yangzhou!"

Chu Xiu said with a solemn expression.

"Xiao Yu has taken over the entire Yangzhou region?"

Where is Wang Chongrong?

Murong Si paused, her eyes narrowed, and she blurted out.

Jiang Wan'er and Pei Guanyin were also staring intently at Chu Xiu.

You must know that Yangzhou is the territory of the Danyang Wang family. Would Wang Chongrong just stand by and watch his own territory fall into Xiao Yu's hands?

Although the Xiao family of Yangzhou is also located in Yangzhou, their influence in Yangzhou is not small, no less than that of the Wang family of Danyang.

But with the strength of the Danyang Wang clan, suppressing Xiao Yu shouldn't be difficult, right?

"Your Majesty, the Governor of Yangzhou, Wang Chongrong, is dead, and the Wang clan of Danyang has been slaughtered by Xiao Yu!"

"Xiao Yu is not only the head of the Xiao family in Yangzhou, but also the leader of the Manichaeism."

Chu Xiu pondered for a moment before explaining to Murong Si.

"The Wang clan of Danyang was massacred by Xiao Yu?"

A strange light flashed in Murong Si's eyes. She wasn't particularly angry, but instead spoke with a peculiar expression.

The massacre of the Danyang Wang clan, one of the five surnames and seven prominent families, was not a bad thing for the Great Zhou Dynasty; on the contrary, it was a great thing.

Powerful families are the root cause of chaos in the world!

If she could, Murong Si would love to see all five surnames and seven noble families wiped out.

"Your Majesty, only the branch of the Wang clan of Danyang, led by Wang Chongyi, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, remains."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu addressed Murong Si with a respectful expression.

He naturally understood Murong Si's feelings.

For top-tier families like the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, eliminating one is better than nothing.

For the Great Zhou Dynasty, this is by no means a bad thing.

Because they are the real source of chaos.

of course.

It wasn't just the five surnames and seven prominent families, but also the seven royal families of the previous dynasty.

If possible, it would be best to take advantage of this great conflict to exterminate all these people.

"Xiao Yu has taken Yangzhou, and his next target should be Jingzhou."

"Jingzhou is extremely important to our Great Zhou Dynasty, and we must never let it fall into Xiao Yu's hands again."

Murong Si pondered for a moment, then frowned slightly and said, "Wan'er, go to the Imperial Observatory and ask your teacher to go to Jingzhou to oversee things. One reason is to protect Gu Tianhe, the governor of Jingzhou, and the other is to guard against Xiao Yu."

The Xiao family of Yangzhou, as a former imperial family, already possessed a profound and distinguished heritage.

Xiao Yu, the head of the Xiao family in Yangzhou, even became the leader of the Manichaeism sect.

We must be on guard!

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Wan'er said solemnly.

"Tell your teacher that he can adapt to the situation. If he can kill Xiao Yu, that would be best. If not, he will stay in Jingzhou and prevent Xiao Yu from leaving Yangzhou and entering Jingzhou."

After a pause, Murong Si instructed Jiang Wan'er, "Teacher's safety is the most important thing. When Teacher goes to Jingzhou to take charge, you must be extremely careful."

"Yes, maid understands!"

Jiang Wan'er nodded slightly and said with a serious expression.

"Go."

Murong Si waved her sleeve at Jiang Wan'er and said.

Jiang Wan'er bowed and prepared to leave.

however!

at this time!

Swish!

A figure shrouded entirely in black robes, with only his eyes visible, appeared out of thin air in the hall. He knelt before Murong Si and said urgently, "Your Majesty, I have important matters to report!"

"The Commander of the Shadow Guards?"

Chu Xiu paused for a moment, a look of surprise on his face as he looked at the Shadow Guard Commander, who was considered mysterious and unpredictable even within the Great Zhou Dynasty and had always been hidden in the shadows. He muttered to himself.

As a high-ranking official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he naturally couldn't be unaware of the existence of the Shadow Guards.

The reason he thought this was the Commander-in-Chief of the Shadow Guards, rather than a Shadow Guard.

This is naturally because the Commander of the Shadow Guards refers to himself as "your humble servant".

With his aura-gazing technique, he could tell at a glance that the Shadow Guard Commander's cultivation level had reached the peak of the ninth level of the Heavenly Immortal Realm!

In terms of cultivation level alone, even the Imperial Preceptor Qi Tianchen is far inferior!

of course.

A realm of understanding is one thing, and strength is another.

This commander of the Shadow Guards might not be able to withstand a single sword strike from Qi Tianchen.

"There are no outsiders here, so speak."

Murong Si spoke in a deep and powerful voice.

Jiang Wan'er, who was about to leave, stopped and looked at the Shadow Guard Commander.

"Your Majesty, the barbarian army is surging towards Yizhou, and the leader of the army is Ashinur, one of the four great generals of the new generation of barbarians."

"Besides Ashinur, it is said that the barbarian national teacher Wutugu also came with the army."

"The barbarian army could break through the pass and attack Yizhou at any time."

The Shadow Guard Commander said with utmost seriousness, "With the strength of the Yizhou army alone, they may not be able to stop the barbarian national advisor, Wutugu..."

Upon hearing this, Murong Si immediately understood what the Shadow Guard Commander meant. She rubbed her forehead, looked at Jiang Wan'er, and said with a headache, "Jiang Wan'er, please ask your teacher to go to Guiku Gorge in Yizhou, to be stationed at Guiku Pass, and to resist the barbarian national teacher Wutugu!"

Chu Xiu frowned. It seemed that Qi Tianchen really couldn't go to Jingzhou to take charge; he could only go to Yizhou instead.

To cut off a finger to preserve the wrist is to gain the greater benefit from the greater harm and the lesser harm from the lesser harm.

Compared to Xiao Yu's capture of Jingzhou, the loss of Yizhou is even more crucial.

If Yizhou is lost, it means that barbarians will invade the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Ghost Cry Gorge was the first formidable pass defending the Yizhou region of the Great Zhou Dynasty against the barbarian tribes.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the names of the thirteen provinces and even the counties of the Great Zhou Dynasty are exactly the same as those of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

The powerful clans and the Yellow Heaven Sect are also very similar to those of the late Eastern era.

However, in reality, the two are quite different.

For example, Ghost Cry Gorge didn't exist at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Wan'er took a deep breath, bowed to Murong Si, and turned to leave.

"Is there anything else?"

Murong Si asked the Shadow Guard Commander, "If you have anything else to report, please say it now!"