Behind the gas mask, Fang Er laughed shamelessly, and loudly at that.
Amidst the retching, his laughter stood out.
Inside the tank, Li Shimin sat on Li Tai's lap, clapping his hands and cheering.
"Hahaha, Qingque, you must learn from your elder brother here."
"Shameless, I like it!"
Li Tai was immediately displeased. "Father, if we speak of public standing, he is the mountain chief. If we speak of private relation, he is merely my brother-in-law. Where does the term 'elder brother' come from?"
Li Shimin rolled his eyes. "Can't I count you through Chai Yue?"
Li Tai was speechless.
Luo Yangxing watched the chaos before him. While others vomited their stomach contents, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Too despicable! To use such a vile tactic!"
At this moment, Fang Er gave Wang Xuance the order to advance.
The tank restarted with a roaring growl. Those锦衣卫 (Jinyiwei guards) and 番子 (secret police) from the Eastern and Western Depots, whose limbs were weakened by vomiting, instinctively retreated.
Only Luo Yangxing, his face flushed with suppressed rage, still managed to shout a heroic declaration.
"You want to enter the palace? Only over my dead body!"
He then drew the Xiu Chun Dao from his waist and blocked the tank's path.
Fang Er chuckled and casually hurled a can of fermented herring at Luo Yangxing.
Seeing this, Luo Yangxing instinctively tried to dodge, but remembering his mission, he retracted his step.
"Oh? Still quite spirited!"
Fang Er threw two more with a swish.
The scene was utterly chaotic. The commander of the Capital Garrisons looked at the short firearms in his hands, unsure whether to open fire. If he didn't, these strange individuals would truly charge towards Chengtian Gate. If he did fire, he feared injuring the people from the Eastern and Western Depots.
Just then, Zhu Youjian, standing on Chengtian Gate, spoke.
"Enough, Luo Yangxing. Clear the path for them."
"The situation has escalated to this point. If you continue to resist forcefully, who knows what might happen."
"These people can fire cannons, but they haven't done so. And while the thrown items are incredibly foul-smelling, they don't seem lethal."
"It can only be said that these people harbor no hostility towards us. Since that is the case, it would be better to have a good talk."
Luo Yangxing was startled to hear Zhu Youjian's voice and quickly turned to look towards Chengtian Gate.
"Holy cow, when did the Emperor come out?"
Since there was an imperial decree, he had no choice but to comply. He dismissed the锦衣卫 subordinates blocking the road behind him, covered his nose, and walked to the front of the tank, looking at Fang Er.
"You win. The Emperor's oral decree permits you entry into the palace!"
"However, according to regulations, you cannot enter through this gate!"
"In this world, only two people can pass through this gate: the current Emperor and the Empress!"
Fang Er's laughter came from behind the gas mask.
"Hahahaha, I naturally know this!"
"But the one entering through this gate now is the Tang Dynasty's Emperor Taizong. With his status, do you think he would be willing to enter through other palace gates?"
Fang Er knew Li Shimin's temper very well. If he heard Luo Yangxing's words, he would definitely order Chengtian Gate to be blasted open again.
Zhu Youjian also heard these words, and his mouth twitched a few times.
"They've already been permitted entry, and yet that person insists the Tang Taizong is in the convoy."
"Did they dig up Tang Taizong's tomb? Is that strange vehicle carrying Tang Taizong's remains or spirit tablet?"
"Hiss~~~ It must be so!"
"This way, the possibility of remains is unlikely; it should be Taizong's spirit tablet."
"The one who looked remarkably like Emperor Taizong earlier was actually a descendant of the Li family, carrying his ancestor's tablet. Using his ancestor's name to make demands could be explained this way."
"These people must be the tomb guardians of Tang Taizong. Seeing the Ming Dynasty in distress, they have come out to help!"
"Their appearance at this time must be a final decree left by Tang Taizong before his death!"
As this thought appeared in his mind, Zhu Youjian affirmed it.
"Since that is the case, entering through Chengtian Gate would not be a violation of protocol."
He then said to Wang Chengen beside him, "Wang Da Ban, go open Chengtian Gate and welcome the spirit tablet of Taizong into the palace!"
Soon, the heavy wooden doors were opened from the inside. Wang Chengen, leading a team of eunuchs, stood respectfully in two rows behind the gate.
As the tank passed, they shouted in unison:
"We respectfully welcome the spirit tablet of Taizong into the palace!"
"We respectfully welcome the spirit tablet of Taizong into the palace!"
"We respectfully~~~"
Fang Er, sitting on the tank's turret, was instantly dumbfounded by the continuous acclamations.
"Damn it, Li Shimin is sitting comfortably inside the tank. When did he become a spirit tablet?"
However, seeing that Li Shimin showed no reaction, perhaps due to the tank's excellent soundproofing or the loud engine noise preventing him from hearing the shouts outside, Fang Er decided to seize the opportunity and meet Zhu Youjian first.
After the acclamations, Wang Chengen walked to the tank, flicked his horsetail whisk, and smiled at Fang Er.
"This humble servant is Wang Chengen. May I know your esteemed name?"
Fang Er's eyes lit up when he heard the name. It was this loyal eunuch. He quickly cupped his hands and said,
"This humble one is untalented, holding the position of Duke of Anguo in the Tang Dynasty. May I know where Emperor Chongzhen is?"
"Hahaha, His Majesty has already proceeded to Yangxin Hall. Please follow this humble servant."
After bowing, Wang Chengen turned and walked ahead of the tank, leading the way.
Li Shimin, seeing the tank slow down, asked via intercom from the fire control room, where he couldn't see the outside situation.
"Kid, what's going on?"
"Father, a eunuch is leading the way. We'll be seeing Emperor Chongzhen shortly."
Hearing Fang Er's reply, Li Shimin pushed open the hatch and climbed over Li Tai, complaining.
"Hiss~~ I'm almost suffocated. Why is the space inside so cramped!"
Fang Er did not respond to these complaints; there was no need.
He looked around the Forbidden City. It appeared much more dilapidated than the Forbidden City he had visited in his previous life. Weeds even grew among the broken bricks in the corners of the walls.
Inside Yangxin Hall, Zhu Youjian said to Cao Huachun, "Summon all the Grand Secretaries to discuss matters."
Cao Huachun, holding the position of Supervisor of Ceremonial and possessing the authority to review memorials, was considered the boss of the Ming Dynasty eunuchs at this time.
Following Zhu Youjian's instructions, Wang Chengen deliberately slowed down Fang Er and his group, and even took them on a detour around the palace a few times.
By the time they arrived at Yangxin Hall, Cao Huachun had already summoned several Grand Secretaries.