Relying on the Empress Dowager's favor, the Eighth Prince did indeed go too far, almost to the point of rebellion.
Any emperor with even a modicum of backbone would not have tolerated the Eighth Prince's actions.
However, the current situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty is somewhat special, which is why the Eighth Prince has been so arrogant until now.
Empress Dowager Wan Chun was so angry that her chest heaved. After a while, she calmed down and said to Yang Cheng in a deep voice, "Yang Cheng, you did very well."
I can see that you are willing to help His Majesty. You are not like that opportunistic old dog, Han Jin.
As long as you can help His Majesty get rid of the Eighth Prince and stabilize the situation of my Great Zhou, I will agree to anything you ask.
Sword Comes
So what do you want? To take command of the Imperial Guard? Or to become the commander of the Imperial Army?
Yang Cheng said in a deep voice: "I once told His Majesty that the main reason for the current situation of the Great Zhou is not him, but that the whole country is rotten from top to bottom."
I am not trying to deceive Your Majesty, but telling the truth. Changing the emperor of the Great Zhou would only make things worse, not better.
Empress Dowager, you don't need to guess my motives and purposes. I sincerely want to help His Majesty, or more accurately, help the Great Zhou Dynasty prolong its life and rebuild its martial lineage.
As for the Guardian Division, to be honest, I don't want to take it over.
The entire Miyako-san (Miyako-san) is completely rotten; only the intelligence department is still somewhat useful.
Therefore, I want to establish the Zhenwu Hall separately, with the aim of cultivating elite masters for the Great Zhou Dynasty and suppressing those arrogant martial arts forces.
The world is now engulfed in war, and the Eighth Prince is not the only one who can threaten His Majesty.
Empress Dowager Wan Chun looked at Yang Cheng with a slight sense of doubt.
Some people become officials for wealth and status, others for power and influence, but what was Yang Cheng's motivation?
Is it really for faith, to rebuild the martial lineage of the Great Zhou, and to prolong the life of the Great Zhou?
Empress Dowager Wan Chun couldn't quite see through Yang Cheng, but she knew that at least for now, everything Yang Cheng was doing was helping her and her son.
"Very well! I will discuss these matters with His Majesty. I only hope that you, Lord Yang, will remember the promise you made today."
Just as Empress Dowager Wanchun agreed, Yang Cheng suddenly noticed that the completion rate of the side quest 'Dismissal of Martial Arts Masters' was 1%.
These side quests are extremely difficult, and while the rewards are unknown, they should be very generous.
Yang Cheng had no clue or time for the other matters, so he could only use his status as a high-ranking official in the Great Zhou Dynasty to gradually develop his strategy for the Jianghu Chuwu.
Unexpectedly, he only had a slight idea, but he has already made progress as soon as he put it into practice. It seems that his direction is correct.
After leaving the Empress Dowager's palace, Yang Cheng went to the palace to report back.
"Your Majesty, Han Jin's head is right here. Would you like to take a look?"
After listening, Zhou Heng waved his hand lightly and said, "Forget it, Han Jin has served me for decades after all. Let's give him a proper burial."
To be fair, Zhou Heng was a good person, but unfortunately, his indecisive nature destined him to be no good emperor.
Therefore, Han Jin deceives his superiors and subordinates; he may flatter Zhou Heng, but he will not fear Zhou Heng.
"By the way, Minister Yang, the Empress Dowager just sent word that you are loyal to the emperor and love your country, and that your strength and ability are first-class, making you a pillar of our Great Zhou."
She plans to establish a Zhenwu Hall just for you, specifically to suppress martial arts forces, cultivate elite talents, and reshape the martial arts lineage of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"It is rare for me to see the Empress Dowager praise someone so highly, so I agree. Are you willing to take on this important task, my dear minister?"
Zhou Heng was actually a little surprised, because the Empress Dowager usually did not interfere in court affairs, and rarely even expressed her opinions.
Since the Empress Dowager rarely spoke up this time, Zhou Heng agreed without even thinking about it.
In his view, the Zhenwu Hall was just another Guardian Division, only with a different name.
Yang Cheng bowed respectfully and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager are grateful for your trust. I will do my utmost to protect our Great Zhou."
Zhou Heng nodded in satisfaction: "Since that's the case, tomorrow I will announce your appointment as the Grand Commander of the Zhenwu Hall, in charge of all matters."
"Your Zhenwu Hall also retains the same authority as the previous Guardian Division, and you can handle the remaining personnel in the Guardian Division as you see fit."
At this point, Zhou Heng hesitated for a moment and said, "Han Jin was the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Palace before, a first-rank official, so logically speaking, you, the Grand Commander of the Zhenwu Hall, should also be a first-rank official."
But this is the rank of an inner official, not an outer official, and you are not an inner official.
Therefore, if this matter were discussed in the imperial court, there would likely be opposition.
Yang Cheng said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have a plan for tomorrow. I ask for Your Majesty's cooperation then."
This was the first time Yang Cheng had ever experienced attending court. The last time the Golden Horde sent envoys, it didn't count as attending court; only a small number of important officials came.
Compared to the scenes of court sessions depicted in movies and TV dramas, the Zhou Dynasty was actually much simpler.
In the capital, only officials of the fifth rank or above were qualified to attend court, and only a few heads of the Six Ministries and high-ranking officials such as Grand Secretaries were qualified to speak.
Therefore, most things are actually discussed before the court session, and there is almost no need to make decisions during the morning court.
Moreover, with Zhou Heng's mediocre abilities, he couldn't come up with any innovative solutions. He mostly just watched the people below argue and then tried to smooth things over.
During this morning court session, Yang Cheng also saw Zhou Ce, the crown prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the eldest son of Zhou Heng.
This prince looks nothing like his father. He has just turned eighteen, but he is already tall and imposing, handsome and dashing, with an undisguised sharpness.
Zhang Xiren was the Crown Prince's teacher, and sometimes he would bring the Crown Prince to listen in on the morning court sessions.
After several ministers raised a few trivial matters in a lukewarm manner, Zhou Heng then said, "I have some news to tell you all: Han Jin intended to rebel and was corrupt and lawless. I have already sent people to kill him."
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