二

'Long live the emperor, Long live his reign!' they greeted, with their heads kowtowed onto the floor. 'Arise!' the emperor orders. The one in front of Deyue is no other than the son of heaven, the one who rules the vast lands below the skies.

The long-awaited meeting had just begun, with the higher-ranking officials reporting the situation of the country to the emperor. 'Your majesty, the opium trade had been a major problem in our country with peasantry refused to work as they became addicted to the drug. While the looming threat of the foreigners continues to slowly carve us up into their own.' 'We must put an end to this as this might be the catalyst of our empire's downfall.' One of the officials state.

'Does anyone have any ideas of dealing with this?' The emperor asks.

'Your highness, I suggest we should support the Yihequan.' A official suggests.

'Yi he quan?'

'Indeed, your majesty. They are well known for their hatred towards those foreigners. They vowed to exterminate western foreigners away from our empire and with your approval your majesty, we could use their hatred against the foreigners without directly declaring war against them. And if those foreigners decided to have a war with us, given their geographical location it would take a lot of time arriving here. And with that we may as well prepare ourselves to fight.'

'Are you suggesting that we start to support this radical group?' the emperor asks again.

'Indeed, your highness. Not only we won't be wasting a lot of manpower, but we could also exterminate the group to avoid any direct confrontation with the foreigners if things went south.'

Soon, the halls are filled with discussions about the topic. Each having their own opinions but does not dare to speak out in fear of the constant oppression from the higher-ups. DeYue also had his own ideas but also choose to remain silent. His thoughts are disturbed by a sudden nudge on his arm. 'You look like you wanted to say something, right?' TongQi asks. DeYue let out a sigh and shook his head, 'even if I had, I don't want to put my life at stake.' His friend chuckles from his answer, 'Can't say you're wrong but still helping a radical group doesn't feel right.'. DeYue nods in agreement. DeYue resumes his inner thoughts.

His eyes start to wander around the halls, taking a moment to admire the beauty of the palace. With massive pillars supporting the huge ceiling while lantern light up the night. 'Wish I could have her see this one in a lifetime view,' he thought to himself. Looking around he suddenly found himself looking straight into the emperor's eyes.

'You there! What's your name?' the emperor suddenly asks, as all the attention shifts towards DeYue.