Li Ruolian didn't take it to heart, but his generals couldn't stand it.
"What nonsense! How dare you say such things in front of Grandpa?"
A general rushed over and kicked the guard to the ground.
Li Ruolian thought that the guard would be furious after being kicked, and might even close the city gate.
So he turned his head in displeasure, glared at the general, and thought he was meddling in other people's business.
However, to his surprise, after being kicked, the guard got up with a forced smile on his face.
"Oh dear, it's you, sir! I must have been blind to not recognize you!"
The guards had excellent eyesight; after falling, they immediately looked at the person who had come in and recognized the general's identity at once.
Not only did he not dare to get angry, but he also knelt on the snow and kowtowed.
"I am guilty, I am guilty."
Seeing his spineless attitude, Li Ruolian felt dissatisfied.
"These are the guards of my Great Ming? If the Jurchens attack, how can we expect them to defend the city!"
"I will definitely tell His Majesty about this when I see him!"
However, he had no time to dwell on these matters at the moment.
He hurriedly led his army into the capital to cause trouble for Wei Zhongxian.
Although the Beijing garrison under Li Ruolian's command had long lost its former bravery.
However, after traveling around outside the pass, the situation was much better than before.
Many of the people Wei Zhongxian bribed were tricked into coming.
Upon seeing the imperial army approaching, they were instantly terrified and nearly half of them fled.
Once a real battle broke out between them and the government troops, the situation became even more one-sided.
Not long after, Li Ruolian led his troops to deal with the forces sent by Wei Zhongxian.
He said to Luo Yangxing, "Lord Luo, I'm going to arrest Prince Fu now, but what about Wei Zhongxian..."
Luo Yangxing laughed heartily.
"General Li, rest assured, I will take men to capture Wei Zhongxian right away."
Just as he was speaking, at the Wei residence...
Wei Zhongxian sat in the grand chair, his eyes filled with excitement.
"By now, my men should have already stormed the palace, right?"
"Hehe, that little emperor definitely thought he had victory in his grasp, he certainly didn't expect such a commotion!"
"Oh, what a pity! I wish I could see that expression on his face!"
The person kneeling next to his chair quickly looked up and said ingratiatingly:
"Your Excellency, you are a master strategist, a decisive general from afar, displaying the qualities of an ancient general."
That man was one of the Donglin Party members who had recently defected to Wei Zhongxian.
Because this person was practically a fellow townsman of Wei Zhongxian, he received some preferential treatment.
Wei Zhongxian kept him by his side.
However, this man did not dare to act recklessly. Even though Wei Zhongxian kept telling him to stand up, he dared not obey.
He just kept kneeling there.
Seeing that Wei Zhongxian was in a good mood, he then began to flatter him.
Wei Zhongxian laughed heartily, "Haha, well said."
"Then tell me, what should I do after the young emperor dies?"
The man quickly said:
"The young emperor committed many unjust acts, was absurd and incompetent, indulged in pleasures in the winter, caught a cold, and subsequently died suddenly."
"The treacherous Donglin faction in the court actually wanted to take advantage of the situation to cause trouble."
"But you, Eunuch Wei, acted decisively, stepped forward to set things right, quelled the Donglin Party's chaos, and then, in accordance with the Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts, welcomed Prince Fu to the capital."
"This can be described as turning the tide and saving the day from collapse."
"The imperial court should bestow upon you the title of king!"
Upon hearing this distorted and untrue statement, Wei Zhongxian burst into laughter.
"You bunch of intellectuals may not have much talent, but you're really good at talking."
"They can call white black and black white."
"However, these excuses can actually fool quite a few people."
He nodded in satisfaction and said, "Then you shall draft the decree according to this explanation."
The man looked up excitedly.
"Thank you so much, Eunuch Wei, for giving me this opportunity!"
Only then did he dare to get up, but he still didn't dare to stand up straight. Instead, he bent over and ran to the side, where he began to make up stories.
Wei Zhongxian watched his retreating figure and sneered disdainfully.
"What a spineless person! But if I want to control the court, I have no choice but to use people like this."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but daydream again, rubbing his smooth chin as he said:
"To be made a king! Haha, that's wonderful!"
"I just don't know what my title should be?"
"I'm from Zhili, so why don't I just call myself the Prince of Yan!"
“Did you hear that?” he shouted to the minister.
The Ming Dynasty had two kings, and it was not easy to bestow one upon them.
One was the King of Wu, a title bestowed upon Emperor Taizu before his death.
One of them was the Prince of Yan, which was Zhu Di's title.
Since Wei Zhongxian had thought of this, it meant that he had the idea of usurping the throne.
Upon hearing this, the minister couldn't help but shudder.
But he quickly nodded: "Eunuch Wei... oh no, Your Highness Prince Yan, you are right!"
Wei Zhongxian burst into laughter again.
"Very well, since you're so obedient, I'll make you my chief secretary after I'm crowned king."
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than he heard a commotion outside the mansion.
Wei Zhongxian stood up excitedly.
"Could it be that there is good news from the palace?"
He quickly got up and was about to go outside.
But before he could reach the door, someone rushed in and kicked him in the chest.
"You neutered dog, your good days are over!"
At that moment, Wei Zhongxian almost thought he had traveled back in time.
This was the treatment he received when he was first arrested.
He opened his eyes in confusion, looking at Luo Yangxing in front of him: "What... what's going on?"
Luo Yangxing ordered the Imperial Guards to take everyone into custody.
He sneered, "Old dog, did I kick you so hard you went stupid?"
"At this point, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth: none of your schemes escaped His Majesty's notice."
"His Majesty had already ordered Li Ruolian to travel day and night, leading troops back to the capital to defend the emperor."
"He has already dealt with the men you sent."
"What? How is this possible!" Wei Zhongxian was shocked and incredulous.
"How could the young emperor have foreseen all this?"
Luo Yangxing shook his head slightly, thinking to himself, "His Majesty alone probably wouldn't be able to consider things so comprehensively."
"But what can he do when Master Gao is by his side?"
He would naturally not say these words aloud.
Luo Yangxing coldly said, "Men, seize this castrated dog!"
Wei Zhongxian hurriedly struggled to retreat, completely losing the arrogance he had just displayed.
He cried out repeatedly, "This is all a misunderstanding, Lord Luo! I know nothing about this so-called scheme..."
But before he could finish speaking, a voice came from the side.
It was that minister who spoke up: "You eunuch, you're finished!"
The man jumped out, pointed at Wei Zhongxian's nose, and said, "I knew you wouldn't have a good end. Luckily, I endured humiliation and pretended to be compliant, which is why I've held out until now!"
He handed the imperial edict he had just forged to Luo Yangxing:
"Lord Luo, look, these are all pieces of evidence against Wei Zhongxian!"
"Waaaah, I've finally waited for you to come!"
He burst into tears.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com