You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Two months flew by.

The unrest across the Great Zhou has subsided, and the demons and monsters that had emerged have been largely eliminated thanks to the vigorous crackdown by the Eastern Depot.

The entire Zhou Dynasty returned to a rare period of peace.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, reviewing memorials.

For the past two months, Zhou Chen has been busy until late at night almost every day, reviewing various memorials and handling various government affairs.

Although the cabinet shares the burden with him, many government affairs still require his personal review and approval as emperor.

After all, it's easy to be a tyrant, but it's very difficult to be a wise ruler.

In particular, if one wants to be a capable and wise ruler, to make the Great Zhou Dynasty prosperous, and to elevate the nation's fortunes, then Emperor Zhou Chen must personally take charge of many things.

"Alas, they say that after a great upheaval comes great order."

"But how difficult it is to achieve great order!"

Zhou Chen put down the memorial in his hand and rubbed his temples.

The vast lands of the Azure Dragon Dynasty and the entire Eastern Region have been incorporated into the territory of the Great Zhou, but governing them is not so simple.

It is often said that conquering a country is easy, but governing it is difficult.

That statement is absolutely correct.

Even in the previous war with the dynasty, Zhou Chen had not been as mentally and physically exhausted as he was now.

But now, facing piles of memorials, Zhou Chen felt an immense headache.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea to relieve your fatigue."

Seeing this, Cao Zhengchun, who was standing nearby, immediately and tactfully handed a cup of tea to Zhou Chen.

This tea is no ordinary tea; it's a special kind of tea that has the effects of refreshing the mind, relieving fatigue, and improving alertness.

Of course, it is also very beneficial for spiritual practice.

"Any news about demons or other alien races like the Demon Court?"

Zhou Chen took the tea and casually asked.

More than two months have passed since the great battle at the Two Realms Pass, and Zhou Chen has been on guard against counterattacks from the Demon Clan and the Demon Court.

After all, the two Great Saints of the Demon Clan and the Demon Court, along with hundreds of Half-Saints and Saints, died at the Two Realms Pass, and their long-standing arrangements in the Eastern Region were wiped out by the Great Zhou.

Such an outcome would certainly not be tolerated by the demon race and the demon court.

However, more than two months have passed, and everything is calm. No trace or news of the demons or the demon court has been found.

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there is currently no news of any alien races such as the Demon Clan or the Demon Court."

"However, this old servant has already instructed the guards in various regions to pay close attention and report immediately if they discover any traces of the demons or the demon court."

Zhou Chen took a sip of tea, nodded, and said nothing more.

Regardless of what the Demon Clan and the Demon Court are plotting, as long as they haven't arrived, it's good news for the Great Zhou.

The longer these alien races delay their arrival, the more advantageous it will be for the Great Zhou.

In the past two months, he signed in twice, and both times the civil officials who came out were not good at military campaigns.

If the demons and other alien races really do arrive within these two months, it's not certain that Li Cunxiao, as a single Holy King, will be able to handle them.

at this time.

A eunuch rushed into the Hall of Mental Cultivation and reported: "Your Majesty, news has come from Yong'an Palace that the Empress is experiencing abdominal pain and is about to give birth to a prince."

what?
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen immediately stood up.

Several concubines in the harem are now pregnant, with Zhang Yan of Yong'an Palace being the first to conceive.

Based on the timeline, it should indeed be in the next day or two.

Zhou Chen immediately said to Cao Zhengchun, "Cao Zhengchun, quickly send someone to notify the Imperial Hospital and tell them to go to Yong'an Palace immediately."

As he spoke, Zhou Chen had already left the Hall of Mental Cultivation with the speed of the wind and headed towards the Yong'an Palace.

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun dared not delay and immediately went to the Imperial Hospital in person.

……

Yong'an Palace.

This is the palace where Consort Zhang Yan resided.

At this moment, the Yong'an Palace was bustling with people, with palace maids and eunuchs rushing in and out, creating a solemn yet tense atmosphere.

The palace was heavily guarded, both inside and out, and any disturbance could be met with swift and decisive suppression and annihilation.

Outside the palace's sleeping quarters, an elderly woman with gray hair and holding prayer beads stood quietly. Everyone who entered or left was extremely cautious in front of her.

This old woman didn't possess overwhelming strength, nor did she exude any terrifying aura, but standing there, she was like a mountain, causing people to stop in their tracks and dare not act rashly.

Because this old woman was none other than the Empress Dowager, the mother of the current Emperor, the old Empress Dowager of Cining Palace.

In terms of status, probably no one in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, or even the entire Eastern Region, can compare to him.

"Has someone been sent to inform His Majesty?"

Hearing the heart-wrenching cries of pain coming from inside the palace, the Empress Dowager glanced at the old palace maid standing beside her and asked.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, we sent people to the Hall of Mental Cultivation long ago, and we believe His Majesty will arrive soon."

The old palace maid said respectfully.

After hearing this, the Empress Dowager glanced at the palace and said with a stern expression, "Tell everyone that there must be no mistakes, especially inside. Keep a close eye on them. If anyone makes a mistake, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The Empress Dowager spoke softly, but her tone sent a chill down the spine of the old palace maid who had served her for decades.

"Yes, Queen Mother."

The old palace maid knew that the Empress Dowager was not joking; in fact, she was being rather mild-mannered.

If anything goes wrong, probably none of the people here will escape.

Not only the old palace maid knew this, but all the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace were aware that if anything went wrong, they would all lose their heads.

Don't talk about innocence or not; under imperial power, there has never been such a thing as innocence or not.

After speaking, the Empress Dowager said nothing more, but stood there silently, playing the role of a great mountain.

Although the Great Zhou Dynasty is now thriving and there are no major upheavals in the harem, infighting is inevitable.

Just in case, the Empress Dowager came to Yong'an Palace in person as soon as she received the news.

She believed that as long as she stood there, no one would dare to cause trouble.

She never interfered in the power struggles within the harem, because she herself had come from that era.

However, the premise is that conflict is acceptable, but it must not harm the foundation of the nation.

This is her bottom line, and it is also the bottom line of the Great Zhou Dynasty at present.

In a short while, Zhou Chen appeared at Yong'an Palace.

Upon the arrival of Zhou Chen, the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the palace maids and eunuchs in Yong'an Palace all bowed and greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Zhou Chen disregarded all that and was visibly taken aback when he saw the Empress Dowager standing at the entrance of the palace. He hadn't expected that the Empress Dowager would also come to Yong'an Palace, and even faster than him.

You should know that he rushed over immediately as soon as he received the news.

Zhou Chen quickly walked up to the Empress Dowager and respectfully greeted her, "Mother."

The Empress Dowager nodded, and upon seeing Emperor Zhou Chen arrive, her expression softened.

With Emperor Zhou Chen around, the Empress Dowager didn't believe anything could go wrong.

"Mother, what's the situation inside?"

Hearing the sounds of pain coming from inside, Zhou Chen disregarded everything else and hurriedly asked the Empress Dowager.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager said, "The imperial physicians have already gone in, and so far there have been no unusual circumstances. Everything should be going smoothly, so Your Majesty need not worry."

"That's good."

Having lived two lives, this is the first time Zhou Chen is about to become a father, and it's inevitable that he won't have the peace he used to have.

Although he tried his best to remain calm, the way he kept glancing into the palace betrayed his true feelings.

It didn't take a while.

A loud cry, "Wah...", echoed throughout the entire Yong'an Palace.

The loud, innocent cry sounded like heavenly music to everyone's ears, bringing joy to their faces.

Emperor Zhou Chen and Empress Dowager of the Great Zhou Dynasty listened to the baby's cries and stared intently into the palace, their eyes filled with unspoken anticipation.

creak...

The door to the palace was pushed open, and a wise and composed palace maid came out carrying a crying baby.

Meeting the intense gazes of the Empress Dowager and Emperor Zhou Chen, the experienced and composed palace maid quickly announced the good news: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, the Imperial Concubine has given birth to a prince."

As she spoke, she quickly carried the baby to the Empress Dowager and Zhou Chen.

Dragon son?

Upon hearing the palace maid's good news, both the Empress Dowager and Zhou Chen wore relieved smiles.

Looking at the baby in the swaddling clothes of the palace maid, Zhou Chen had an indescribable feeling—a mixture of surprise and affection, an emotion that was hard to put into words.

The Empress Dowager, on the other hand, was beaming with joy. She had always been worried about the situation of the Great Zhou. The Great Zhou seemed to be expanding its territory and becoming more and more prosperous, with everything developing in the direction of its peak, but it had a fatal flaw.

That is, the Great Zhou Dynasty has no successor, His Majesty has no children, and the royal family is too weak to shoulder the great responsibility.

If anything were to happen to His Majesty, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty would collapse and crumble in an instant.

But now, she can rest assured that the Great Zhou Dynasty has a successor. Even if she were to die in the afterlife, she would have done right by the ancestors of the Great Zhou royal family.

"How is Yan'er?"

After calming herself down, the Empress Dowager shifted her gaze from the swaddled infant to the experienced and composed palace maid.

The experienced and composed palace maid immediately reported, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is alright, but she is somewhat weak and has already fallen into a deep sleep. The imperial physicians are already examining her."

"It's okay."

The Empress Dowager nodded and looked at Zhou Chen; "Your Majesty, this is the first prince of our Great Zhou royal family, and also Your Majesty's eldest son. Your Majesty, please name the child!"

Hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Zhou Chen nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Chengqian, let's call him 'Chengqian'!"

Chengqian?

Zhou Chengqian?
Upon hearing the name Zhou Chen had chosen, a strange light flashed in the Empress Dowager's cloudy old eyes.

However, calm returned in an instant.

"Chengqian is good."

The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded, looking at the baby in the swaddling clothes and said, "My dear grandson, from now on you will be called Chengqian. You are the eldest son of my Great Zhou. I hope that when you grow up, you will be as wise and powerful as your grandfather and your father, and live up to the style of my royal family."

……

The news that Consort Zhang of Yong'an Palace had given birth to a prince spread like wildfire throughout the entire palace and even the court in less than half a day.

Upon receiving the news, all the civil and military officials were overjoyed.

They knew that from this moment on, the vast empire of the Great Zhou was truly as stable as Mount Tai, without any weaknesses.

Previously, although the Great Zhou Dynasty was invincible, its military might swept across the land, conquered the Azure Dragon Dynasty, and dominated the entire Eastern Region, it had a fatal flaw: His Majesty had no children.

This problem may seem insignificant at the moment, but upon closer examination, it becomes clear that this seemingly minor issue affects people's sense of security and well-being.

The lack of successors is the biggest threat to morale.

But now, the woman in Yong'an Palace has given birth to a prince for His Majesty, which can be said to have directly stabilized the foundation of the country and calmed the people's hearts. From now on, the Great Zhou will have no more worries.

And these high-ranking civil and military officials will continue to enjoy wealth and prosperity as the Great Zhou Dynasty remains stable and prosperous.

The only ones who weren't happy were probably the other concubines in the palace.

After all, one wrong step can lead to many more. They are both carrying the dragon's offspring, and whoever gives birth to the dragon's child first will gain the upper hand.

Although the eldest son's status is not as high as that of the legitimate eldest son, he still has many advantages.

At night, the entire Hall of Mental Cultivation is brightly lit.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, a smile on his face, clearly in a good mood.

Indeed, this was the case. Becoming a father for the first time was an indescribable feeling. For the first time, Zhou Chen felt a sense of being needed and that everything he did was meaningful.

Perhaps this is the greatness of life!
Zhou Chen's mind sank into the system.

Because a month has passed, it's time to start a new check-in.

He didn't sign in during the day because he was in a hurry to go to Yong'an Palace, but now that he's back in Yangxin Hall, he can finally take the opportunity to sign in.

"Sign in."

Zhou Chen silently recited it in his mind.

【Ding……】

[Check-in successful.]

[Congratulations, host, on gaining the loyalty of the top strategist Zhuge Liang.]

Zhuge Liang?
Wolong?

Zhou Chen's eyes lit up, and he became energetic.

When it comes to Zhuge Liang, the most famous story is his three visits to the thatched cottage and the Longzhong Plan. It was because of these three visits that Liu Bei finally persuaded this "Sleeping Dragon" to come out of seclusion and thus achieved the hegemony of the Three Kingdoms.

It can be said that Liu Paopao's ability to divide the world into three and establish the Shu Kingdom owes a large part of the credit to this Crouching Dragon.

Without the assistance of this strategist, Liu Paopao would have been wandering aimlessly for who knows how many more years.

Among all the outstanding figures in the Three Kingdoms period, the talent of this Crouching Dragon was undoubtedly the most exceptional.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying that possessing either the Crouching Dragon or the Young Phoenix would bring peace to the world.

This shows that with Zhuge Liang's talent, securing peace and stability for the country is beyond question.

It's a pity that such a remarkable person ended up serving an incompetent ruler, working tirelessly until his death, but ultimately failed to realize his lifelong ambition of a northern expedition, passing away from illness.

One can't help but sigh at his talent, a pity it was wasted; his character was admirable, he truly gave his all until his dying breath. (End of Chapter)