The guard stared at the token in the beggar's hand, first stunned, then unable to believe his eyes.
He looked the beggar up and down, at a complete loss over what to do.
He was clearly a beggar, yet he held the Emperor's token. That should have been utterly impossible.
The guard could not make up his mind either. His face full of hesitation, he turned to look at the other guards.
One of them said, "Go ask the general."
The guard speaking with the beggar immediately understood. He took several strides to the city gate and tugged on a rope beside it.
Before long, a large basket descended from the palace wall, and the guard sprang into it.
The basket swiftly rose, reaching the top of the wall within minutes.
After jumping onto the wall, the guard jogged all the way to an officer.
"General Wang, a beggar has arrived below, but he's holding the Emperor's personal token."
"He says he wants to enter the Imperial City."
General Wang was a middle-aged man in his forties, tall and powerfully built. A trace of gravity appeared on his face.
"Is the token real or fake?"
The guard hesitated. "It should be real. I inspected it carefully by firelight, and the patterns all seemed correct."
General Wang's expression grew solemn. "This man's origins are unknown. Though he holds the Emperor's token, we must still proceed with caution."
"Let him come up. I'll send someone to follow him. Should he make any suspicious move, execute him on the spot."
A cold gleam appeared on General Wang's face.
The guard's expression turned stern. "Yes, General!"
The beggar possessed by Li Qing boarded the hanging basket and soon arrived atop the city wall.
A formidable-looking general gazed at him and said neither humbly nor