The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 366 My Young Master Said

"Your Majesty, I impeach the Governor of Yazhou, Murong, for recklessly initiating war, which has led to tensions between the Song Dynasty and Tubo..."

Before the minister could finish, Bao Bu Tong jumped out and said disdainfully, "The Tubo Kingdom took the initiative to attack and invaded our border. After being repelled, they had the nerve to say that we were too aggressive. Where's their nerve? As for this Tubo envoy, you think that with just your words, the great Song Dynasty will destroy the Great Wall to facilitate future invasions of our Great Song Dynasty. Isn't that a bit too much to hope for?"

The minister couldn't help but frown when he heard this. His excuse was untenable. He never expected that Bao Bu Tong was even more powerful and directly accused him of being a spy from Tubo.

When the first plan failed, another minister stood up and first highly praised Murong Fu's military and literary skills, affirmed his contributions in Yazhou Prefecture, and then changed the subject and praised his glorious deeds in the battle against the Tubo army at the border, adding fuel to the fire.

"Sir, are you sure you're talking about my young master?" Bao Bu Tong scratched his ear, his face full of suspicion. "If I say my young master is capable of governing a region, I'm sure no one in the court would question his abilities. Speaking of martial arts, even in the entire Central Plains martial arts world, there are fewer than a handful of people who can surpass my young master. But you say my young master commanded a massive army to defeat the Tubo army. Haha, sir, did you get drunk last night or did you get the wrong memorial and misread the name?"

"It was indeed my young master who fought the Tibetan Imperial Preceptor for five hundred rounds without a clear winner, but it seems it was General Cao who led the troops to ambush the Tibetan vanguard, right? Or can the credit for my brother-in-law's achievements be transferred to my eldest brother-in-law? If so, my young master should be thankful that he has a good sister." Bao Bu Tong's words were particularly sharp, causing the minister's mouth to twitch. However, he said firmly, "Prefect Murong is knowledgeable about military affairs. This is undeniable."

"Thank you very much for this compliment, sir. I will write to my fourth brother Feng Bo'e shortly, inviting him to come back and teach the young master the art of war. With my young master's talent, he will surely become a qualified officer within ten years. After all, it only took him ten years to pass the imperial examination." Bao Bu Tong nodded vigorously and said, "If this sir is willing to study together, I'm sure my young master and my fourth brother will be very happy."

Bao Bu Tong: You little brat, you want to flatter me and turn my young master into a warrior? Give up on this idea.

"Your Majesty, my young master said that he has worked very hard for the court in recent years and wants to take a rest for a while. He wants to submit a petition to request his remains and retire to his hometown for a while." Bao Bu Tong's words made everyone in the court frown. Your young master is not even thirty years old. There are almost no civil and military officials younger than him in the court. Many scholars have not yet entered the officialdom at his age. How could you retire to your hometown?

And how long is a period of time? Is it enough for them to control Yazhou Prefecture and snatch this lucrative piece of fruit?

The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty watched Bao Bu Tong's serious nonsense and could not help but slap his forehead. "Lord Murong is extremely talented and has made great contributions to local governance. However, the Murong family has only one son for five generations. It would be unfavorable if he were to be delayed in his life because of government affairs. Therefore, I will grant him a three-month leave, promote him to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and confer a title on his wife..."

"Your Majesty, I don't think it's appropriate. Magistrate Murong has outstanding talents, but they are more evident in his local governance. His water conservancy and military farming are unique. I think the Ministry of Works can better display his talents." An old minister jumped out hurriedly, but he did not want Murong to return to the Ministry of Personnel. You know, the ten-level assessment that embarrassed the county magistrates under Yazhou Prefecture scared many people. If he was put into the Ministry of Personnel, the entire Song Dynasty officialdom would become a big joke.

"Your Majesty, Governor Murong is extremely talented. He is not only good at water conservancy and military farming, but also proficient in mathematics, drawing, astronomy and geography. The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the national household registration, land, money and grain policies, as well as tributes, conscription and other matters. I think Lord Murong has more advantages in this regard. You must know that the taxes and corvee in Yazhou Prefecture are now the highest in the west of Chengdu. Even in the entire Song Dynasty, there are only a handful of places that can surpass it." This minister was the Minister of Works. He was really afraid that Murong Fu would come and force him to step down. After all, he was far behind in terms of practical skills.

"Your Majesty, I welcome Lord Murong to the Ministry of Revenue with open arms. But I wonder if you ministers are really willing to put such a talented person under my command? I am old, and if Lord Murong joins the Ministry of Revenue, he will have to take on heavy responsibilities. He will be able to coordinate the planning, calculation, review and distribution of taxes clearly, which will be a great blessing for the country." The Minister of Revenue praised Murong Fu with a smile, which frightened many ministers into breaking out in cold sweats.

"Your Majesty, I believe that although Magistrate Murong is highly talented, he is more suited to governing the local area. Would it be inappropriate to rashly transfer him to the capital? If Your Majesty sympathizes with Lord Murong's hard work, why not temporarily transfer him to the Nine Temples? Firstly, he can gain experience, and secondly, Lord Murong can prepare for his wedding and have a good rest for a while."

This minister was determined to keep Murong Fu in his lap, giving him a high but powerless position to prevent him from interfering in politics and deprive him of his control over Yazhou Prefecture. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to transfer him away from Yazhou Prefecture. He was doing a good job, even better than expected. Why would you transfer him away?

Even a lateral transfer is not appropriate unless one is promoted to a higher rank.

It is impossible to give out titles casually, but promotion, especially to a low-ranking government office like Jiusi, can be considered.

With the talent displayed by Murong Fu, none of the six ministries dared to accept him casually. If they were not careful, something big would happen. After all, no one wanted to have a general under their command who was more powerful than the chief officer and had tough methods, and it was really difficult to control him.

The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty had both love and hate for Murong Fu. He loved his talent but hated him for being too upright. He had offended so many people just by governing a prefecture. If it weren't for his superb means and extraordinary strength, which could have suppressed the possible unrest, he would have captured him to appease his anger.

Well, this isn't public outrage, but the anger of those incompetent, bookish officials. Wearing official uniforms and visiting brothels, reciting poetry and couplets is commonplace. Forcing them to act for the people and develop the local area isn't exactly putting them in a difficult position. It's common for them to fail; only those who succeed are considered capable officials. And yet you're forcing them to be described as having their brains eaten by dogs. Anyone would be furious, right?

"My young master said there are different levels of talent: talent of five miles, talent of ten miles, talent of a hundred miles, and talent of a thousand miles. One's ability dictates the scope of affairs. If one's ability is insufficient and the scope of affairs is too large, one will inevitably be careless and unable to truly control the situation. If one's talent is greater than the scope of affairs, it will be much easier." Bao Bu Tong suddenly said, "After so many years of serving as an official, my young master has given himself a precise positioning. With talent of eight hundred miles, his ideal assignment would be one within five hundred miles. That way, he can easily control everything and still have some free time to sort out his personal affairs."

"My young master was newly appointed prefect of Yazhou. He worked almost non-stop for his first year, took a two-month break in his second year, and only in his third year did he finally get everything in order and rest for half a year. He once said that the territory of one prefecture was the limit of his ability. If he was to be appointed to a place larger than that, it would be beyond his capabilities, and would not only be useless, but would harm himself, the country, and the people."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty asked curiously, "So what does your young master think?"

"The first choice is to continue serving as the prefect of Yazhou. He has worked hard in this place for many years and is not only familiar with it, but he has also gotten on the right track. In the future, even if he serves for three to five months each year, he will be able to have a smooth time."

"The second option is to be transferred to Gusu City. It's close to home and I can balance work and personal life. I also have the support of Gusu College, so I can have a relaxing and enjoyable time."

"Next is the northern border. My fourth brother, General Feng Bo'e, will be there to take care of it, which will save us a lot of worry."

"As for serving as an official in the capital, the young master once said that those in power are afraid of offending others. After all, he cannot sit idly by and watch mediocre people harm the country and the people. When holding great power, he cannot help but want to do good. If it is an honorary position, it doesn't matter whether he serves in the court or not. If the emperor really intends to give him an honorary position, my young master hopes that he will be allowed not to attend the court."

"There's only one thing my young master is very adamant about: he absolutely refuses to pursue a military career!" Bao Bu Tong said firmly, "The Murong family was originally a martial arts family, but in my generation, they actively transformed themselves, determined to become a family of scholars. My young master also has a talent for studying, having passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty. If he were to pursue a military career, wouldn't that be giving up halfway?"

"You're afraid my young master will get serious and ruin the mediocre official's future, so you don't have to give him real power. If you want a piece of the fat meat of Yazhou Prefecture, I'll let you do it. At worst, in three to five years, Yazhou Prefecture will be drained dry by you and fall into ruin. I can start from scratch and develop it. My young master still has the ability and confidence to do this."

Bao Bu Tong became more and more outspoken, making all the civil and military officials in the court blush. In the end, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty told him to shut up and promoted Murong Fu to a higher position before he stopped.

Thus, Murong Fu, a high-ranking official in the court, began his leisurely life as a lord, receiving salary without working.

The newly-appointed founding viscount Murong Fu, although it was only an honorary title with additional subsidies but no fiefdom, and it could not be inherited, still entered the powerful class, which could be said to be a quick ascent. Wang Yuyan also received the imperial edict before she married into the Murong family, and old lady Murong even got an official position before that.