Speaking, Grandma angrily slapped me on the head, which finally made me snap out of my reverie.

Instinctively, I stubbornly confronted them, saying, "Isn't Yukari also the same, always putting on airs as the elder sister!"

"It's all because of you, looking lazy and sloppy making people uncomfortable, isn't it!?" Yukari retorted.

"You!"

"Quiet, don't you know what you did wrong?"

Grandma was clearly angry, and in order to prevent her from getting upset with me again and harming her health, I decided to relent, after all, it's only right to take responsibility for my own mistakes.

"Fine..." I could only passively admit my mistake.

I... sigh, what she said made so much sense, I couldn't find words to respond.

Yukari, on the other hand, assumed a victorious posture, arms crossed, looking down at me pitifully seated on the couch.

"What's that?" Yukari seemed to have noticed the strange book I held in my hand, and asked, "Did you fall asleep while reading a book?"

"What? What book?" I was caught off guard, realizing I had a weathered book in my hand, one I hadn't paid attention to, with just a few big words on the cover: *Family Chronicles*.

But speaking of which, what was the reason for Grandma's visit today?

"Perhaps I just found it interesting, does that answer satisfy you?" Since I was still upset, I didn't feel like saying much to her.

Of course, I had no idea where this book came from, let alone why it ended up in my hands!

I could vaguely remember some of the stories in the book, it seemed to tell a very long and profound history, perhaps a tale that would soon be forgotten by people, but I wouldn't forget the details recorded in the book.

I was very puzzled, this book was completely different from the usual historical records, the stark difference was so apparent that I couldn't understand if it was a historical book or a story from one person...

This family book explained the origins of the story in a monologue style, each section was vivid, intertwining with the person's own legend...

This is a story told by a person from the chaotic times (*This story is purely fictional, please do not relate it to history*).

In the late Qing Dynasty, the powerful minister in the court was autocratic, oppressive taxes led to people living in misery, while the contemporary emperor, Emperor Yizhu, could only sigh helplessly at the situation.

And tonight, a civil official who had just retired snuck into the imperial bedchamber under the cover of darkness.

"Your Majesty, I would like to have a word with you."

"Is it Minister Ye? I'm sorry, I'm already asleep..."

"No, Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report, it's about the selection of queens, I hope Your Majesty can see me."

"...Sorry, Minister Ye, if you're here to persuade me, please leave!"

"Ah, Your Majesty!" The man outside the window could no longer contain his anger and spoke about the real reason for his visit, "I want to talk about rebellion, now those despicable Westerners are too well-equipped, even the officials from the Ministry of War, except for Zeng Guofan, are terrified of the foreign powers. Your Majesty, won't you see me?!"

"..."

There was suddenly silence in the bedroom, and the man outside the door could only shake his head in disappointment, preparing to leave.

"Well, it's true that many Westerners are arrogant and domineering on the territory of our Great Qing dynasty, I urgently need to talk to you!" A man in dragon robes hurriedly ran out without even putting on his shoes.

Seeing the emperor in such a distraught state, it was evident that he was deeply concerned about the current state of affairs.

After a long moment of melancholy and sighs, he eventually confided in Ye Juxi, "Minister Ye, you may not know, but it's not just those Western barbarians, even many of my subjects and officials are not loyal to me, causing discord within the court, and there have been reports that many people in the south have rebelled, so..."

After talking for so long, Emperor Yizhu became increasingly sorrowful, only being able to pour out his grievances to Ye Juxi.

"I am also helpless, indulging in debauchery all day just to deceive the court's treacherous ministers, otherwise they would certainly take actions detrimental to the Great Qing."

Tears streamed down Emperor Yizhu's cheek, the position of the Central Plains was precarious, many regional forces were rising up against the Qing, with Western invaders at the front, peasant uprisings at the back, and now many internal adversaries, and missing many close confidantes.

The emperor, who was originally full of self-pity, could only choose to remain silent, which would inadvertently erase a scar in the minds of those treacherous ministers.

People always say, silence is golden.

Perhaps they are right, but I don't know if it's really worth that much.

Nevertheless, as long as silence has its value, people have to pay the price to maintain it.

This time the Qing court didn't make any move, including the emperor's indifferent attitude towards the generals, which was understandable.

"For the emperor, this is not difficult at all, as long as Your Majesty does not deny such a choice, eliminating those rebels will be too easy."