"By order of the Empress Dowager! All soldiers of the five Northern Army Schools shall immediately proceed to the Imperial Palace for defense!"

"promise!!"

Subsequently, all the soldiers of the five schools of the Northern Army opened the armory, took out their armor, and, led by several young officers, sped off towards the Northern Palace.

Yang Qiu, who had recently returned to the Sili government office, was personally overseeing the operation, constantly dispatching his subordinates to patrol the streets.

"By order of the Empress Dowager, Yang Qiu, Commandant of the Capital Region, shall receive the edict!"

Just as Yang Qiu was extremely busy, several Imperial Guards arrived carrying a pile of memorials.

"Your subject, Yang Qiu, obeys the imperial decree!"

The Empress Dowager issued an edict: "These mediocre officials are incompetent and have ruined important matters, causing Your Majesty to be overworked. I deeply resent this. I hereby order the Commandant of the Capital Region to arrest them immediately, dismiss them from their posts, and investigate them!"

As they spoke, the Imperial Guard handed the memorial in his hand to Yang Qiu.

"The Empress Dowager said that the Commandant of the Capital Region may arrest people according to these memorials. No one who raises questions but does not offer solutions should be left out!"

"Your Majesty, I will obey your command!"

As Yang Qiu received the memorial, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.

He had wanted to take action against those people for a long time and had been secretly sending people to make arrangements. Now, he didn't even need a reason.

Subsequently, Yang Qiu recalled all the eunuchs of the Sili government office and also sent out all the spies of the Investigation Department to begin arresting the officials listed in the memorials one by one.

At this moment, all the young men of the Imperial Guard were gathered on the training ground, practicing their spear techniques under Zhang Xiu's guidance.

Just as everyone was practicing, Huangfu Gui, Xu Rong, Zhu Jun, Wang Yue and others rushed over looking anxious.

"Everyone assemble!!"

Xu Rong stepped forward and shouted at the boys who were practicing with all his might.

Upon hearing this, the teenagers immediately stopped training and quickly lined up.

"Instructor Xu, what happened...?"

Zhang Xiu looked at Xu Rong, who was walking over, with surprise.

Xu Rong whispered to Zhang Xiu, "His Majesty has suddenly fainted, and the Empress Dowager has ordered us to go and protect him!"

"What.....?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiu was greatly alarmed and made a move to turn around and run towards the palace.

"Don't make a sound!!"

Xu Rong quickly grabbed Zhang Xiu.

Soon, the group of young men from the Imperial Guard had lined up. Xu Rong nodded to Zhang Xiu and then came to stand in front of them.

"By imperial decree, all Imperial Guard trainees, take up your weapons and immediately proceed to the front of Deyang Palace to receive His Majesty's inspection!!"

"promise!!!"

The boys, unaware of the truth, all shouted excitedly upon hearing that they were to enter the palace for inspection.

Led by their respective group leaders, the boys then opened the armory of the Imperial Guard, and carrying goose-feather sabers, specially made crossbows, and standard-issue spears, they left the Imperial Guard and headed towards the palace.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!!"

On the streets of Luoyang, Zhang Xiu, wielding the White Dragon Spear, ran at the forefront, constantly urging the people behind him to hurry up.

"Benchu, I have a feeling something's not right...!"

Cao Cao, who was in the group, noticed that there were no civilians on the street at this time. Only the eunuchs of the Sili government office were running around and occasionally escorting some officials past them.

"I also find it a bit strange, but we should get to His Majesty's side as soon as possible..."

Yuan Shao glanced in the direction of the palace, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

"Benchu ​​is right. His Majesty has summoned us; something must have happened..."

Liu Bei, standing to the side, remained expressionless, but a hint of worry flashed in his sharp eyes.

Soon, a group of young men from the Imperial Guard, led by Wang Yue, Xu Rong, Zhu Jun, Zhang Xiu, and others, arrived outside the palace gate.

Upon seeing the Imperial Guards patrolling the palace gates and the Tiger Guards standing ready, everyone in the Imperial Guards couldn't help but change their expressions.

However, they didn't have time to think much about it. Led by Wang Yue and the others, they entered the palace and headed straight for the Deyang Hall.

"Attention! All personnel stand at attention! Stand by!"

With a loud shout from Xu Rong, the remaining two thousand-plus Imperial Guard youths stood in neat formation below the steps in front of Deyang Hall.

Above the steps, more than forty stern-faced Imperial Guards stood in two rows on either side of the Deyang Palace gate. Then, the leaders of the various groups of the Imperial Guards also quickly walked up and took on the duty of guarding.

Below the steps, all the young men of the Imperial Guard held long spears, long swords at their waists, and a specially made crossbow, their eyes fixed firmly on the gate of Deyang Palace.

Subsequently, Huangfu Gui also arrived here, bringing Xu Rong, Zhu Jun, Zhang Xiu and others into the Deyang Palace.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects!... The entire Imperial Guard has assembled and is awaiting orders. Please give your command, Your Majesty!!"

Seeing Dou Miao sitting beside the emperor's throne with an aloof expression, the group felt uneasy and hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Wang Yue, Huangfu Gui!"

"Your subordinate is here!!"

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager call their names, Wang Yue and the other man quickly responded in unison.

Dou Miao looked at Huangfu Gui and Wang Yue and said in a deep voice, "You two immediately lead half of the Imperial Guards to patrol outside Deyang Hall. The rest of you stay where you are and guard the area!"

"promise!!"

Then Huangfu Gui and Wang Yue turned and left, selecting a thousand people to be divided into ten groups and dispersed around the Deyang Palace for patrol.

Wasn't it said that the Emperor was going to inspect them? What's going on? Although puzzled, no one dared to ask any more questions, given the gloomy faces of the instructors.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Sun Jian, Dian Wei, and the others who remained in place changed their expressions and felt a sense of foreboding. They all stood there upright, becoming the most loyal guardians, protecting the emperor's safety.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!