Chapter 1 Crisis in the Imperial Palace

The imperial palace, Golden Luan Hall.

Jiang Chen sat on the dragon throne, his face沉凝, coldly surveying the ministers below the steps.

Looking at their fearful and flustered expressions, anger welled up in his heart.

A bunch of good-for-nothings!

*Bang!*

He kicked over the imperial table and asked in a furious voice, "Silence! Are you all so easily frightened by a mere assassin?"

The ministers trembled and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Jiang Chen was too lazy to look at them again and turned his gaze to the imperial guard who had brought the news.

"How many assassins are outside?"

The imperial guard lowered his head and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, a rough estimate is about eight hundred."

"Mm, I understand. You may step down and treat your injuries."

After giving the instruction, Jiang Chen lowered his eyes to look at the crowd. "Who among you is willing to quell this trouble for me?"

Silence filled the hall.

Jiang Chen sneered and prepared to go himself to stabilize the situation.

These aristocratic ministers were indeed unreliable.

*Bang!*

The muffled sound of a knee hitting the ground interrupted Jiang Chen's thoughts. Before he could react, a thunderous shout rang in his ears.

"Your Majesty, your subject Pei Yaodong is willing to be at your command and eliminate all the assassins!"

Hearing this, Jiang Chen's stern expression eased slightly. He raised his eyes to look at the speaker with satisfaction and said in a deep voice,

"Very well, Minister Pei. I will grant you fifteen hundred elite soldiers. Do you have the confidence to win?"

Pei Yaodong was a general in the Ministry of War and was skilled in combat. Otherwise, he would not have volunteered at this critical moment.

Now that Jiang Chen had given him twice the enemy's strength and was fighting on home ground, it greatly boosted his confidence.

He immediately stated, "Your Majesty values this humble subject so much, I am willing to sign a military pledge. If I cannot win, I will atone with my death!"

A hint of appreciation flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes. "Good! Minister Pei is so valiant, I naturally cannot be stingy."

"How about this? After you return victorious, I will grant you the title of Marquis," he asked.

As the saying goes, fame and fortune move people's hearts!

Jiang Chen was confident that with such a heavy reward, those ambitious and capable ministers would not be able to restrain themselves from coming forward.

He could take this opportunity to remember these talents and, after pacifying the Mei family's rebellion, remove all the old fogeys from the court!

Unaware of the emperor's thoughts, Pei Yaodong was already dizzy with the idea of being "conferred as a Marquis."

His tiger eyes flashed with ecstatic light, and he kowtowed and thanked him, "Your subject will surely take the heads of those rebels to repay Your Majesty's great kindness!"

After speaking, he walked out of the Golden Luan Hall with high spirits, mustered his troops, and marched outside the palace.

Jiang Chen watched him leave, and as if thinking of something, his eyes suddenly turned cold, and he said in a cold voice,

"Go, find someone to bring Mei Ruoying out. I will hang her on the Yingtian Gate and execute her in front of those rebels!"

"Yes!" The imperial guards standing in the hall immediately obeyed and rushed to the Cold Palace to fetch the person.

Yingtian Gate.

Bolts rained down, filling the air with the sound of tearing wind, covering the magnificent palace walls like a downpour.

Although the shields provided some protection, they were ultimately limited against the seemingly impenetrable rain of arrows.

Rows of soldiers were shot through, their blood splattering and staining the surrounding bricks red, falling like harvested wheat.

At the same time, the city gate below was also trembling under the continuous, loud thuds of a giant battering ram.

Shi Ping, as the commanding general, was anxious. If the Yingtian Gate, the main gate of the imperial palace, fell, the rebels would be able to drive straight in, and everything would be over!

At the city gate.

Mei Kang had gathered more than eight thousand imperial guards to attack this place, trying hard to break open this main gate.

The remaining forces were sent to contain the people of the Five Camps and seize control of the capital.

Meng Qi, as the chief officer of the Five Camps, had already gone bloodshot.

These inhuman bastards had burned many houses to create chaos. Thinking of the innocent people who had died unjustly, he roared and charged forward.

"You beasts, give me your lives!"

He raised his right arm, and the *modao*, weighing hundreds of pounds, was chopped down in mid-air, splitting the enemy general and his horse in half in one fell swoop!

The other imperial guards who witnessed this scene were instantly stunned.

After reacting, they quickly retreated hundreds of meters, not daring to challenge Meng Qi's might.

"My lord! Urgent report!"

"Scouts say that a large number of Black Iron Guards have emerged from the Mei Wen Shi residence and are heading towards the side gate of the imperial palace!"

"These people are clearly trying to lure us away from the real target, which is His Majesty!!!"

Meng Qi's face, smeared with blood, flashed with panic. If His Majesty was harmed, they would have truly wasted all their efforts!

"Go, turn around and follow me to reinforce the imperial palace and protect His Majesty."

"The command of the capital's defense will be temporarily transferred to the deputy commander of the Five Camps."

"Yes, sir!"

Thousands of soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking the sky.

Inside the Golden Luan Hall.

Jiang Chen was furious, and the kneeling imperial guard trembled all over.

"Your Majesty, Consort Mei, she, she was gone when this subject went to get her."

"According to the guards, she left the Cold Palace last night with your token."

Jiang Chen's face turned ashen. "Token? How could a convict have a token?"

"I think those guards must have taken bribes from the Mei family and secretly let her go!"

As he spoke, a fierce glint flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes. "You, go and bring back the dog who let Mei Ruoying go. I will personally interrogate him!"

The imperial guard was so frightened by this thunderous rage that he stuttered, on the verge of tears, "Your, Your Majesty, this subject really can't do it… The palace is in chaos now, and many people in the Cold Palace have been killed by the rebels."

"That imperial guard who let Mei Ruoying go has already died at the hands of the rebels…"

The murderous aura on Jiang Chen's face was astonishingly thick, and he sneered, "Good, very good!"

"The Mei family, and that poisonous woman Mei Ruoying, have really given me a big surprise!"

"This time, I was careless. I should have ended her worthless life when I knew she was a danger."

"Your Majesty, calm your anger. Now is not the time to think about these things. Mei Ruoying's successful escape is only due to the Mei family's power."

"As long as we deal with these rebels and completely eliminate the Mei family, Mei Ruoying will not be able to escape from your grasp!" Jing Yue comforted.

Jiang Chen pinched his brow and took a deep breath, "You're right, now is not the time to be angry… What is the situation outside?"

A solemn look appeared on Jing Yue's fair and pretty face. "Your Majesty, the situation is not good. The two sides are fighting fiercely, and at least two hundred thousand people have been affected."

"All parts of the imperial palace have been attacked. Among them, the battle at Yingtian Gate is the most tragic. A section of the palace wall has been shattered. It is said that Lord Shi took the lead and was stationed on the city wall when he was unfortunately struck by an arrow and his life is unknown."

"If it weren't for Lord Meng's timely return to stabilize the situation, those rebels might have broken into the main gate of the imperial palace."

"In addition… A large number of armored guards have arrived at the side gate of the imperial palace. They are Mei Wen Shi's personal soldiers and have already broken into the imperial palace."