Chen Zikong was also a bit flustered. On the days when he pulled carts, he often went to the entrance of the book tea house to listen for free to the big drum books. He was familiar with stories like "Kangxi's Wisdom in Capturing Ao Bai" and "Qianlong's Five Trips to Jiangnan". In these stories, the imperial guards were often important supporting characters. In the storyteller's rendition, the imperial guards were intelligent and brave, handsome and elegant, and very impressive.

  However, upon closer inspection, these imperial guards were of all shapes and sizes, with some being hunchbacked and others having poor posture. Their tempers, on the other hand, seemed to be quite large. The first tall and sturdy man shouted in this direction: "Halt! Where did you riffraff come from? How dare you cause trouble in the imperial palace! Don't you know that this is under the emperor's feet?"

  Chen Zikun's anger was suddenly stirred up, although he had heard about the cruelty of the Imperial Guards in the teahouse, but most of the time he was influenced by the ideas of democracy and freedom at Peking University. The Qing Empire had long since collapsed, the Emperor had abdicated, yet these guards still dared to rely on their past prestige, it's really intolerable.

  "Damn it, how dare the imperial guard, I'll beat him without mercy." Chen Zikun rolled up his sleeves, spat on his palm, and turned to ask his brothers: "Are you watching me fight or joining in together?"

  Unexpectedly, it was Guo Er, the youngest, who stood out first, with his small chest puffed up high: "Damn it!"

  Then there was Zhao Jiayong, who was indeed a soldier and had bigger guts than ordinary people: "Ge, count me in."

  Xue Baoqing and Xiao Shunzi exchanged a glance, they had reached this point, no matter how afraid they were, they had to grit their teeth and go through with it.

  The five brothers clenched their fists and rubbed their palms, just about to take action, when suddenly Yao Yire shouted loudly: "Wait!"

  "What's wrong?" Chen Zikong asked strangely.

  Yao Yilei flew back to the car, grabbed a bag of popcorn she had bought on the road and came back, found a clean step to sit down, waved her hand and said: "OK."

  Chen Zikong's nose was twisted, he turned his head and shouted at the yellow-robed men: "First, let's make it clear, no one is allowed to move."

  The imperial guards didn't mince words either, and one after another, they took off their swords and walked over with furrowed brows and cold eyes. Both sides stood still, sizing each other up.

  The guards were not young anymore, although their faces were clean-shaven and their hats and coats were neatly arranged, but they still didn't look quite right. Upon closer inspection, several of them had patches on their boots, yet the arrogant air of being close to the emperor was still evident on their faces.

  Chen Zikun shouted in a loud voice: "Which turtle egg made the phone call?"

  "A guard shouted angrily: 'How dare you! Do you know you have already committed a serious crime of disrespect?'"

  "Damn it!" Chen Zikong punched out, hitting the guard's cheek, causing him to bleed profusely from his nose. Both sides rushed forward and started a group fight.

  It wasn't until they clashed that it became clear the legendary imperial guards were nothing special. The Qing dynasty had fallen years ago, and with the palace now guarded by the Imperial Army, the martial arts skills of the guards had long since been abandoned, their waists also relaxed, at most just being somewhat agile middle-aged practitioners, barely managing to hold their own against these half-grown sons from the alleys.

  The fight was incredibly lively, and by the end of it, almost everyone had fallen to the ground. The guards' helmets were askew, their armor dented, and their faces bruised and swollen. The yellow jackets were torn to shreds. Of course, Xue Baoqing, Xiao Shunzi, and a few others didn't fare much better, with their clothes ripped apart, sitting on the ground panting heavily.

  Only two people were left at the entrance of Shenwu Gate, Shi Wei and Chen Zikong, who were fighting with each other, their fists and feet flying in all directions, their movements fierce and powerful. Both of them secretly admired the other's high martial arts skills.

  Neither side fought to the death, but rather stopped at a certain point, so the moves were varied and the fight was extremely thrilling. Suddenly, applause erupted from the top of the Shenwu Gate, followed by a loud quacking sound: "Well done!"

  Chen Zikun looked up and saw a thirteen or fourteen-year-old thin boy standing on the city wall of Shenwu Gate, wearing a pair of ink-colored glasses, with a frivolous smile on his face that was really asking to be beaten.

  "Are you Henry?" Chen Zikun pretended to be confused, but the other person's behavior was clearly that of the deposed emperor Xuantong. If it were someone else, they might have already knelt down and kowtowed, but he refused to acknowledge this.

  Xuantong smiled and said: "I am Henry, Henry is me."

  Xiao Shun and the others were all stunned, looking at each other in dismay. This fight was with the Emperor? Although the Emperor had abdicated, he was still the revered ruler of the nine regions. How could a commoner dare to offend him?

  "Long live the Emperor!" Little Shunzi was the first to react, and he immediately kowtowed. Xue Baoqing followed suit, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" Zhao Jiaoyong was at a loss for what to do, while Guo'er stood there with her mouth agape, completely stunned.

  The Xuantong Emperor burst out laughing and waved his hand: "Let them in."

  The guards led the young men, along with Yao Yile, into the Shenwu Gate. The surrounding walls were red and majestic, with corner towers towering above. The ground was paved with blue bricks, and the people standing on both sides of the road were all wearing Qing dynasty robes, their faces pale and beardless, presumably eunuchs from legend.

  A crowd of people arrived at a palace west of the Imperial Flower Garden, with a sign that read "Xiangfangzhai" in bold letters. The emperor sat in the center, with an eunuch and a Westerner standing behind him. Chen Zikun's eyes lit up when he saw the Westerner - wasn't this Zhuang Shidun, who had accompanied Dr. Stanley to the hospital?

  The Xuantong Emperor stepped down from the throne and walked straight to Chen Ziqin, extending his hand: "Welcome to the Forbidden City, Mr. Chen."

  Chen Zikun shook hands with the emperor, neither condescending nor overbearing, and smiled: "Your Majesty treated me to a meal at Beijing Restaurant for 80 cents per table, I haven't thanked you yet."

  The emperor burst out laughing again.

  "Ah, it was just a joke, an English prank, I hope you didn't mind."

  Chen Zikun smiled and said: "Of course I won't mind, Mr. Zhuang."

  "Zhuang Shidong was taken aback: 'Young man, do you know me?'"

  "In January, I once paid a very presumptuous visit to you at the Huayi Clinic."

  "Johnston's eyes widened in sudden recognition: 'I remember you.'"

  Xuan Tong said: "He is Chen Zikun, who once defeated Yu Zhankui and single-handedly raided the bandit's lair to rescue the hostages. It was even reported in the newspapers, who doesn't know him?"

  Chen Zikong suddenly realized that the Emperor was intentionally teasing him.

  Xuantong was obviously very interested in Chen Zikun's martial arts skills. He said that his own guard commander was a Wu Jinshi from the 28th year of Guangxu, who was well-versed in Shaolin Kung Fu and could be considered the number one person in the imperial court. Such a master had actually fought to a draw with Chen Zikun, which showed just how high Chen's skills were.

  "Chen Zikun, I ask you, who is your master?" The emperor asked with great interest.

  "My lineage is quite diverse, with the Mysterious Fist of Jingwu Men, the Leg Techniques of Baizilin in Foshan, as well as Wudang Swordsmanship and the Golden Bell Shield of External Schools." Chen Zikong spoke fluently, while Emperor Xian's eyebrows danced with excitement, and he had his imperial guard commander introduce him to the side.

  After chatting for a while, the eunuch whispered two sentences in the emperor's ear. The emperor said: "Pass on my order, I want to host a banquet for friends from Jianghu in Xiangfang Pavilion."

  The eunuchs and palace maids did not dare to slack off, immediately took action, a moment later, the imperial banquet was set up in the Xiangfang Pavilion, everyone looked at it, all stunned.

  What was served at the imperial banquet were some dishes made of pork and mutton, not only were they monotonous in color, but also cold. Eating them was like chewing on sawdust, without any flavor. Nevertheless, it was a feast bestowed by the emperor, so everyone mustered up their spirits and ate heartily.

  The banquet ended, the emperor yawned and the eunuch waved his hand: "You may all retire."

  Many young people knelt down and bowed, backing out of the Fragrant Pavilion, led by the guards, they left through the Divine Military Gate, got into cars, one by one excitedly chattering away, able to sit with His Majesty for a meal, if this were told to others, no one would believe it.

  "Go back now, isn't it too early?" said Yao Yire.

  Xiao Shunzi said: "Miss Yao, you said you wanted to go where, Liu Guo restaurant?"

  "The Liuguo restaurant is boring, let's go to the Beijing restaurant instead, I'll treat you."

  "Good!" The young men were playful and unanimously passed it, Chen Zikong could only follow the minority.

  The car drove to the entrance of the Beijing restaurant, and the waiter was surprised to see five people wearing tattered clothes coming out of this sedan. Just as he was about to scold them, a charming young girl came down from the driver's seat and handed him a large bill: "Take care of Miss's car."

  "Right this way, please." The waiter nodded and bowed immediately.

  Miss Yao, accompanied by a group of country bumpkins, walked into the ballroom of the Beijing Restaurant with her head held high and chest out, found a seat and sat down. The waiter presented her with a wine list, which was all in foreign languages. Miss Yao didn't even glance at it before saying, "Bring me a bottle of champagne."

  The waiter was secretly surprised, the price of champagne is not cheap, did he meet someone who drinks like a king? Just as he hesitated, the manager of the ballroom came over and saw Yao Yilei, hastily rushing forward to greet her warmly: "Miss Yao, what wind brought you here? You are a rare guest."

  He then scolded the servant: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and bring wine!"

  The waiters then knew that the real noble guests had arrived, and they hurriedly brought out various wines, snacks, and refreshments. A pure silver ice bucket was filled with French imported champagne, with a thin layer of dew on the bottle. The Western-style pastries were dazzling and tasted much better than the traditional Beijing snacks such as huajuan, maltose, and candied hawthorn. The lights from the dance floor shone on everyone's faces, creating a fantastical atmosphere.

  In the dance hall, men and women are dancing together, the men in suits and ties, the women in long flowing dresses. The young people look at their own tattered and worn-out Chinese-style jackets and can't help but feel ashamed of themselves.

  "Xiao Shunzi, I finally know that you've gone to work at the Liu Guo restaurant." Xue Baoqing muttered to himself, this scene had completely stunned him.

  Xiao Shunzi's eyes shone with a hopeful light: "This is the life, if I could live like this for the rest of my life, I'd be willing to give up ten years of my life."

  "Gentlemen, to celebrate our victory, cheers!" Yao Yire raised her champagne glass, and the young men also clumsily picked up their glasses, with six glasses clinking together.

  " Beggar's silk."

  "Cheers!"

  "After drinking it all, smacking their lips: 'This champagne is really good, sweet and bubbly.'"

  "Yeah, it's delicious, but just not strong enough."

  Yao Yile's satisfied smile: "Want something energizing?" She snapped her fingers and the waiter immediately came over.

  "Five doubles of whiskey."

  The waiter was about to leave when Yao Yile said: "Not finished yet, vodka, rum, juniper berries, and brandy, five cups each."

  Without much ado, a team of waiters came with wine, the young men took turns tasting various strong wines, drinking to the point of dizziness and confusion.

  In a daze, I saw a man in a western suit come to pull Yaoyi's hand, and Miss Yao slapped him away. Before Chen Zikun could react, Xiao Shunzi, who had drunk too much, rushed up with a wine bottle and smashed it on the other person's head.

  A melee ensued, with the beaten party also consisting of four or five people who had come together. More than a dozen people fought in the ballroom, while the band remained calm and played a fast-paced Spanish matador dance tune. The sound of shattering glass, curses, women's screams, and music blended together to form a unique symphony.

  Chen Zikun and others had just defeated the imperial guards, they were in high spirits and full of vigor. A few Western-style men were no match for them, and soon they knocked them all to the ground. The five men and one woman escaped from the ballroom, stumbling and staggering on the parking lot, their loud laughter unending.

  Yao Yilei got into the car, started it and drove away with a screech, fortunately there were few pedestrians and vehicles on Beijing's night roads, otherwise an accident would have been inevitable.

  Back at the Ziguang Car Factory, everyone returned to their rooms to sleep. Yao Yilei was already drunk and couldn't move, Chen Zikun supported her to the door of the west wing, pushed open the door and went in, Yao Yilei suddenly pounced on him, viciously covering his mouth.

  Sweet as silk, like champagne.