But the person he needed to heal was the current Emperor.

Since when does the Emperor leave the Capital to seek treatment from a country doctor?

Everyone has their own reasoning.

Two groups of people argued until their faces were red and their ears were hot.

Inside Xuanguang Hall, the Imperial Guards were layered three deep both inside and outside, forming an impenetrable barrier.

Ye Chuang looked at the crowd at the palace gate from a distance, his palms tightening.

If the Imperial Guards refused to let them through, even with Helian Qian leading troops at the city gate, unless they launched a coup and seized the person by force, how else could they get them out?

The imperial procession passed without hindrance, until it reached the entrance to Xuanguang Hall.

An Imperial Guard immediately stepped forward with his hand on his sword, and said with a cold face,

"Halt, strangers."

Wei Zheng’s face darkened, "Don’t you recognize who I am?"

The commanding officer of the guards next to him recognized him and hurried forward, "Master Wei. I have just received orders that no outsiders are allowed to burst into Xuanguang Hall."

Wei Zheng sneered.

"So, I am considered an outsider too..."

The commanding officer of the guards hesitated for a moment, then apologized with his head bowed, "I didn’t mean that, sir. I am only following orders, and I ask Master Wei for your understanding..."

"Whose orders are you following?"

Wei Zheng pressed on, "In this West Capital City, whose orders could possibly supersede those of the Empress Dowager or Prime Minister Ao?"

"It was the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat..." the commanding officer of the guards said weakly, not daring to lift his head to see Wei Zheng’s frosty face.

Wei Zheng shouted sharply, "Make way!"

The commanding officer still refused to back down.

Wei Zheng said, "I carry the verbal decree of the Empress Dowager to take His Majesty out of the Capital to seek medical attention. Whoever dares to block our path will be accused of the crime of deceiving the Emperor!"

With a sweep of his robe sleeve, he made to move forward.

"Master Wei, please don’t!" The commanding officer of the guards reached out his arm to stop him, but Ye Chuang didn’t say another word, drawing his sword and chopping downwards.

The commanding officer jumped back in fright, retreating two steps.

Just as Wei Zheng was about to rush in, a thunderous voice bellowed from behind.

"Wei Zheng, are you attempting to coerce the Emperor, leading a rebellion?"

Wei Zheng turned to look at the side hall.

It was Ruan Pu, the Deputy Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, who had come upon hearing the news.

He glanced at the imperial carriage outside Xuanguang Hall, his gaze then fell upon Ye Chuang and the others, before his eyes fixed intently on Wei Zheng.

"The Emperor is responsible for all the people in the world. How could he leave West Capital City so easily to go to Andu? Master Wei, I advise you to turn back from the edge of the cliff."

Wei Zheng bowed slightly, "Under the heavens, is it not all the Emperor’s land? Since when is the Emperor not allowed to set foot on his own territory? Minister Ruan, what kind of reasoning is that?"

Ruan Pu scoffed, "Master Wei, once out of West Capital City, who will ensure the Emperor’s safety?"

Wei Zheng smiled, "With a hundred thousand Northern Yong troops stationed, there is no safer place under this heaven than Andu. On the contrary, it’s this West Capital, this Xuanguang Hall..."

He turned to look back, and said with a cold laugh:

"As a servant, daring to disregard the revered decree of the Empress Dowager, openly deploying the Imperial Guards, and surrounding Xuanguang Hall like an iron barrel, if Minister Ruan harbors other intentions... I fear no one can guarantee the Emperor’s safety, can they?"

Wasn’t this implying that he had ulterior motives?

Ruan Pu’s face darkened.

"Master Wei, choose your words wisely, as reckless talk can lead to disaster..."

Wei Zheng sneered, "I urge Minister Ruan to also choose his words wisely. I, Wei Zheng, dare swear to heaven today that my actions are solely for the well-being of the Emperor, without any personal motive. Do you dare to do the same, Minister Ruan?"

"I dare!" Ruan Pu’s voice had barely fallen when a chilly rebuke came from an oblique angle.

"Dare my ass!"

The man who entered with his hands behind his back, his face a livid blue, was none other than Ao Zheng, who had arrived a step behind the others.

Ye Chuang and the others stepped forward to pay their respects.

Ao Zheng waved his hand and looked coldly at Ruan Pu.

"As servants of the realm, we should never give up as long as there’s a sliver of hope. Now, watching the Emperor fall ill without allowing him to seek medical treatment, you old cur, what is your intention?"

Ruan Pu became furious at the sight of him, grinding his teeth with resentment.

"Good for you, Ao Zheng. You just have to oppose me, don’t you?"

"Pah!" Ao Zheng looked at him with disdain. "I, in the dignified position of the Prime Minister, do I need to stoop to opposing an old cur like you?"

"This is absurd."

Before the division of Dajin, Ruan Pu’s rank was higher than that of Ao Zheng, and so was his clout. But now, Ao Zheng had become the Prime Minister, and Ruan Pu was still stuck in his old position, without having been granted the authority to assist in governing from Pei Jue.

During the Central Capital incident, he struggled because his household was too large to evacuate in time, which was why he hadn’t made it to Yecheng. Now, seeing his former subordinate flaunting power before him, how could he bear it?

Ruan Pu, so furious he could hardly find a place for his anger, did not bother to argue with Ao Zheng.

"No matter what, the Emperor must not leave the capital today."

Ao Zheng looked at those Imperial Guards.

"Will you listen to you, or to me?"

"Of course, they’ll listen to me."

"But I am the Prime Minister."

"And what of it?"

Ruan Pu’s face suddenly turned cold as he snapped, "Where are the Imperial Guards? Apprehend the traitorous minister, Ao Zheng, at once!"

Ao Zheng stiffened, "You wouldn’t dare!"

With a soft clap of his hands, he commanded in a deep voice, "Come, bind this old dog who brings disaster upon our nation and causes chaos in governance!"

The sound of marching steps echoed dully from behind the hall.

A group of attendants unsheathed their swords and silently advanced from behind the cold and silent palatial halls. Unbeknownst to all, the eaves and walls had become densely surrounded with Imperial Guards and Imperial Cavalry Division soldiers...

Forces from all sides converged, uncompromising, their faces stern and brows furrowed as they advanced with drawn swords, crowding the passageway in front of Xuanguang Hall.

"Everyone, stop for the Empress Dowager!"

A stern shout rang out.

The crowd turned to the source of the sound.

The doors of Xuanguang Hall opened.

The Empress Dowager, dressed in plain clothes with her hair like ink, stood there, looking haggard. At one glance, her pale face resembled that of a corpse.

"There’s no need for disagreement, all obey me."

The crowd exchanged glances.

Just yesterday, the Empress Dowager was indecisive. How had she suddenly become so resolute that not even Xu Yong could persuade her?

"What now?" The Empress Dowager silently swept her gaze over the crowd.

Then slowly raised her head towards the grand doors of Xuanguang Hall, straightened her chest, and with a flick of her sleeve, she said with weighted voice.

"Do my words carry no weight anymore?"

Ao Zheng came to his senses and deeply bowed.

"Your servant obeys the Empress Dowager’s revered decree."

Ruan Pu stood frozen, not recovering until he caught Ao Zheng’s mocking gaze, snapping him out of his stupor.

"Your servant accepts the command."

In the time since the establishment of the Western Capital Dynasty, the phrase the Empress Dowager used most often was "as the official says" or "what do the officials think is best", always unable to make a decision herself, with weak resolve and shallow perception...

Who could have anticipated that she would suddenly assert her authority today?

The Empress Dowager watched the reaction of the crowd, and her anxious heart finally settled.

The words of the Princess of Yonghuai in her letter were entirely true.

"The Empress Dowager needs to stand up."

"Although women may be weak, a mother is strong."

It was only when she stood up for herself that she had authority, and only then would these people listen to her. She was the Empress Dowager; why should she be subject to the whims of her subjects? No matter how much they scorned her in their hearts, she was still the Emperor’s mother.

Women may be deemed weak, but a mother is strong.

For her son’s life, for herself, she must show her resolve this time.