Chapter 865: Imperial Palace Background, Minister of Rites - Cui Mansion
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

Eunuch Li, Si Yiqi's closest eunuch, was dressed in gorgeous eunuch clothing, a hat inlaid with jewels, a brocade robe embroidered with intricate patterns, and a pair of soft-soled embroidered shoes. He rushed to the Qiankun Hall in a hurry and with an anxious look on his face.

He was holding a long and thin whisk in his hand, which was a symbol of his status as the emperor's attendant. At this moment, it swayed gently as he ran, making it particularly eye-catching.

At this moment, Eunuch Li pushed open the door of Qiankun Hall while shouting and rushed in.

Eunuch Li's face was pale, his eyes full of anxiety. He trotted and almost stumbled to the dragon bed, and woke Si Yiqi up without any courtesy.

"Why are you so alarmed?"

Si Yiqi suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, then he quickly woke up, sat up, and frowned.

"Your Majesty, there is a rebellion in Qiandu! Chaotian Gate has been lost, and the rebels are approaching the palace!"

Eunuch Li's voice trembled slightly, and he was obviously frightened by the sudden news.

Upon hearing this, Si Yiqi's face changed drastically. He quickly jumped off the dragon bed, standing barefoot on the cold ground, with a look of disbelief in his eyes.

Yin Jingyi and the Yin family, Feng family and other forces joined forces to launch an uprising at such a speed that the Daqian court was completely caught off guard.

On ordinary days, there are not many elite troops stationed in the imperial palace. Now there is only a small group of Qianlong Right Guards stationed in the outer palace. The Taoist soldiers - Qiankun Guards are in the hands of the royal family and are stationed near the Zongrenfu not far from the imperial palace.

"Quick, pass the order down and have the Qianlong Guards and Qiankun Guards assemble immediately to guard the palace!"

Si Yiqi ordered in a deep voice. Although his voice was a little trembling, he was not too panicked. Instead, he forced himself to calm down and began to think about countermeasures.

"Your Majesty, there is only a small group of Qianlong Right Guards stationed in the outer palace, and... and the Taoist soldiers-Qiankun Imperial Guards are in the hands of the royal family and are stationed outside the palace. I am afraid it is too late to dispatch them at this moment."

However, Eunuch Li looked embarrassed and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

When Si Yiqi heard this, his heart sank, he knew what this meant.

The armed forces that could be mobilized in the palace were too limited. There was only the small Qianlong Right Guard and the remaining Jingwei composed entirely of eunuchs.

"In this case, you should immediately send a message to the Jingwei and have them go to Chaotianmen to resist the rebels."

"We must guard the palace gates and not let the rebels set foot into the palace!"

Si Yiqi's face darkened, then he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Panic would be of no use at this moment, only by responding calmly could he avoid danger.

Eunuch Li responded, turned around and left in a hurry.

"You must immediately go to the depths of the harem and invite those old eunuchs in the cold palace who have reached the heavenly realm to come to the Qiankun Palace to protect the emperor!"

Si Yiqi pondered for a moment, then waved to another eunuch and whispered instructions.

Upon hearing this, the eunuch hurriedly responded and left. In the palace, there have always been several old eunuchs who serve as the foundation of the royal family, and each of them has unfathomable cultivation. Once they take action, they will be able to stabilize the situation.

After receiving the order, the guards stationed at the edge of the harem immediately got ready. Dressed in black and holding short blades, they ran quickly towards Chaotian Gate like a group of ghosts in the dark night.

Si Yiqi paced back and forth in the hall, with a lot of thoughts in his mind, and even a little angry.

He had just ascended the throne when he encountered numerous major changes one after another. All kinds of monsters and demons in Daqian territory ran out at once, and almost every incident made him exhausted to deal with.

If he had not listened to Grand Tutor Gu and gone through so much trouble to get Xu Zhongyuan out of Qianlongzhai, his life might have been even more difficult.

"Your Majesty, the Jingwei have already set out to Chaotianmen to resist the rebels."

Not long after, Eunuch Li hurried back to report. Si Yiqi nodded, feeling a little relieved. Although the number of guards stationed at the edge of the palace was small, each of them was a master carefully selected from the many eunuchs in the palace, which must be enough to buy precious time for the palace.

At this moment, a tense and solemn atmosphere permeated the palace.

The palace maids and eunuchs all hid in their rooms, not daring to go out easily. The few remaining guards outside the palace held their weapons tightly, watching everything around them vigilantly.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and everyone held their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

At this moment, a low bell sound came from deep in the harem, which was the signal that the royal family was being summoned.

Si Yiqi was immediately delighted, knowing that the old eunuchs deep in the palace had received his order and were on their way to the Qiankun Palace.

Not long after, several eunuchs in gray robes and with old faces slowly walked into the Qiankun Hall. Each of them exuded a faint aura, which was the unique pressure of the strong people in the realm of heaven and man.

"Your Majesty, this old servant is here to protect you!"

The old eunuch in the lead bowed and saluted.

"With you all here, I feel at ease."

"The palace is in danger right now. I hope you can lend a hand and fight against the rebels together."

Si Yiqi hurried forward to help him up and said gratefully.

These old eunuchs are the foundation of the royal family, and their existence is the last barrier of the dynasty.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. We, the old servants, will do our best to protect the safety of the palace."

The old eunuch smiled and nodded.

With the addition of these old eunuchs, Si Yiqi suddenly felt more confident, and a sigh of relief appeared on his originally tense face.

At the same time, shouts of killing were heard throughout the imperial city, and flames of war were raging everywhere.

However, there was a mansion in the imperial dynasty that seemed particularly peaceful, and that was the mansion of the Cui family, which was home to the then Minister of Rites.

The Cui family, as a famous cultural family in the Daqian Dynasty, has its mansion located in a corner of the imperial city. It is simple and elegant, filled with the fragrance of books, as if isolated from the world.

Amidst this chaos, in the Cui family’s back garden, two handsome young men were playing chess peacefully. The surrounding noise seemed to have nothing to do with them.

The chessboard is placed on the stone table, with black and white chess pieces interlaced, and every move contains profound strategy.

The moonlight shone through the sparse clouds, scattering mottled light on the two of them, adding a bit of tranquility to this tense moment.

One of them, wearing a light blue gown, with a gaunt face and a smile on his face, was none other than the second son of the current Minister of Rites, Cui’s family—his name was Cui Hao!
He became famous at a young age, not only because of his extraordinary military strategies, but also because of his profound attainments in Confucianism, Legalism, Yin-Yang School, and the School of Diplomacy.

His talent was so great that even many old monsters among the various schools of thought were amazed and called him "the think tank star in the Tianwu Continent."

The young man sitting opposite Cui Hao was also a handsome man, wearing a green shirt and holding a white chess piece. There was an unruly air between his brows.

This young man had known Cui Hao since childhood and they had a deep friendship.

The reason for coming here was, firstly, to visit an old friend whom I had not seen for a long time, and secondly, to hear Cui Hao's opinions on the current situation.

(End of this chapter)