Wang Shuwen
Around this time, also, Wei and Wang Shuwen began to break with each other, as Wei wanted not to be seen as a puppet of Wang Shuwen's. For example, when Yang Shi'e (羊士諤), a messenger from Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui), and Liu Pi, a messenger from Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), made demands on behalf of their superiors, Wang angrily wanted to execute both of them, but Wei opposed, and Yang was only exiled, while Liu Pi fled back to Xichuan. This incident created a substantial rift between Wang Shuwen and Wei. After Liu Pi returned to Xichuan, his commanding officer, the military governor of Xichuan Circuit, Wei Gao, further submitted a harshly worded accusation against Wang Shuwen and his associates. Wei Gao's words were soon echoed in petitions submitted by other regional governors Pei Jun (裴均) and Yan Shou (嚴綬), and it was said that Wang Shuwen and his associates were greatly distressed.