Ultimately, most of the power in Southern Liang was in the hands of Wei Linyuan, and even the emperor was wary of him.
As a mere coachman, he naturally dared not disobey.
They had no choice but to slow down and head towards Baima Gate.
But those stationed at the White Horse Gate were all Imperial Guards directly under the Emperor's command.
Seeing a large "Wei" character carved on the carriage, he naturally stepped forward with his spear to stop it: "Your Excellency! Have you taken the wrong road?"
"No." Wei Linyuan lifted the carriage curtain, his eyebrows curving into a smile, and kindly reminded, "I was just in a hurry to leave the palace today, and coincidentally, this road is quite short, so I came here. I'll have to trouble the commander to let me through."
One sentence left the dutiful commander of the Imperial Guards completely bewildered.
Just...just in time to break through the White Horse Gate?
Has Wei Linyuan gone mad?
Is it really necessary to break ties with His Majesty and trample imperial power underfoot?
"Does Your Excellency have a bad memory?" the commander reminded him. "According to the ancestral rules of the Southern Liang Dynasty, this gate is only open to the emperor. The Southern Liang royal family is surnamed Zhu!"
His words were a blatant reminder to Wei Linyuan that a mere eunuch from another clan was ignorant of etiquette and overstepping his imperial authority.
"Isn't what you said wrong, Commander?" Wei Linyuan wasn't angry.
He and his family were persecuted by the Southern Liang royal family, yet he insisted on slapping the emperor in the face with a smile.
The more these people felt he was overstepping his bounds, the more he wanted to legitimize himself.
So, propping his head up, he patiently began to reason with the commander of the Imperial Guards: "I ask you, what does His Majesty call me?"
"Godfather...?"
"What is my surname?"
“Wei…”
"Then shouldn't this dynasty also be surnamed Wei?" Wei Linyuan smiled lightly: "What's wrong with a dynasty surnamed Wei riding in a carriage surnamed Wei?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards was stunned and speechless.
After standing there for a while, he realized that he had been tricked by Wei Linyuan.
Realizing what was happening, she was about to speak up to stop him when she saw Wei Linyuan close the carriage curtain. His voice was somewhat lazy, yet it carried a unique kind of authority: "Go straight through the White Horse Gate. If you are obstructed, kill without mercy!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the coachman spurred his horse and smashed over the wooden roadblock in front of the White Horse Gate.
As the cart tracks rolled over it, Wei Linyuan added his spiritual power, crushing the roadblock that symbolized the Southern Liang imperial power in two.
It's just like the face that Zhu Ziqing could never regain.
The four major military camps surrounding the capital and guarding the entire city were all under Wei Linyuan's control.
The Imperial Guards dared not pursue them directly, and could only hurry into the palace to report to Zhu Ziqing.
… …
In the morning, less than an hour later.
Wei Linyuan forced him to issue an imperial edict to release Mu Sijin, punish Consort Shu, and stormed into the White Horse Gate.
He had completely lost face in front of all the civil and military officials.
"Damn it! He's just a eunuch, a mere eunuch doesn't deserve it!" Zhu Ziqing was furious and swept all the memorials off the table.
The memorials that had fallen to the ground were scattered haphazardly, and even the annotations on them were mostly in Wei Linyuan's handwriting.
He was merely a puppet, a tool, cultivated by Wei Linyuan!
If he ever displeases Wei Linyuan, his eunuch adoptive father can immediately behead him and replace him with another puppet emperor!
On what grounds?
His surname is Zhu, and his Zhu family has been the emperors of the Southern Liang Dynasty for hundreds of years. Why should he be humiliated by a eunuch like this?
"Sending Mu Sijin to Xuan Yuan Academy is a good thing, so why is Your Majesty so angry?"
Just then, Mu Siyu walked in from outside the palace carrying a bowl of ginseng soup. He dismissed the kneeling imperial guards, closed the palace door, and slowly walked to Zhu Ziqing's side.
Still dressed in a woman's silk skirt, she looked obedient and alluring: "Isn't Wei Linyuan concerned about Mu Sijin? Doesn't he want him to become a beast-taming instructor at Xuan Yuan Academy?"
"Then Your Majesty could arrange a trial, allowing Mu Sijin to lead the academy's disciples on a journey through the Youxuan Forest."
"There are man-eating black snakes there. Let's find a way to lure them out, kill Mu Sijin, and make Wei Linyuan grieve. Wouldn't that be a rare and interesting thing?"
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