The Villain's Counterattack

Bao Bu Tong scratched his ear and said to the old minister, "Lord Wang, collecting these so-called evidences must have taken a lot of time and energy. Even for someone like me, who comes from a family of his, it would take me several sticks of incense to sort through so many things. Lord Wang has spared no effort to promote my young master's reputation. I am truly grateful to him."

Upon hearing this, the old minister snorted angrily, "Murong Fu is a brat, reckless, and harbors ulterior motives. Every one of the ten charges is true. My report is well-founded, and I even have more evidence coming soon. Even your eloquence won't change the facts. I'm an upright official, and I'm not afraid of your foul mouth."

"Pah, pah, pah..." Bao Bu Tong couldn't help but applaud and exclaimed, "I've seen it, I've really seen it this time. People in the market often say that a thick-skinned person can't be cut through with three swords. I always thought the rumor was exaggerated, but after meeting you today, I know that the rumor is not true. Not only can three swords not cut through the skin of Lord Wang, but even a thousand arrows can't do anything to it."

"Your Majesty, I request that Lord Wang be transferred to the frontier. When the enemy invades, we only need to put this fellow's face on the city gate, and even thousands of troops will not be able to break through." Bao Bu Tong's words were funny, and the ministers found them interesting. Suddenly, someone could not help but sneer. Even the Emperor of the Song Dynasty tried hard to restrain himself from losing manners, but it was very difficult for him to do so.

Lord Wang flew into a rage, ready to start a fight with Bao Bu Tong in the courtroom, but Bao Bu Tong suppressed him with a single hand. He said with a smile, "Lord Wang, as the saying goes, a gentleman uses his mouth, not his fists. You've violated court etiquette. You're not a gentleman, and you show contempt for the court. What's your punishment?"

"I consider you old and unclear-minded, so I won't argue with you." Bao Bu Tong casually snatched the tablet from Lord Wang's hand, glanced at it, and nodded slightly. "Too many! Even if I were to make up such a ridiculous story, I couldn't come up with such a ridiculous story. Lord Wang is amazing. I admire him. I admire him! In ancient times, there was Zhao Gao who called a deer a horse. Today, I've witnessed Lord Wang's ability to confuse right and wrong. His skills are no less than those of the ancients."

Lord Wang slandered Murong Fu for secretly communicating with the border troops and collaborating with foreign countries, which are both capital crimes punishable by death or even the entire family being executed. However, Bao Bu Tong turned around and labeled him as the same as Zhao Gao, without any courtesy at all. Lord Wang was so angry that he trembled. Others were stunned when they heard it, and even the Emperor of the Song Dynasty had a slightly gloomy expression.

Bao Bu Tong, however, was fearless. He bowed to the emperor and the ministers and said, "I know I have a foul mouth, but I have never spoken without reason. Today is no exception. Your Majesty and my colleagues, please listen to what I have to say. If you disagree with any of my statements, you can take my head and I won't complain a single word!"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of the Great Song hesitated for a moment before approving. Bao Bu Tong raised Lord Wang's tablet to his brow and examined it carefully, unable to resist a grin. "Lord Wang's investigation is still not clear enough. Many details don't match up. Allow me to explain them one by one. First, my son has been in office for exactly one year, and he's been stationed in Rongjing County for a full six months, just over half the time. Lord Wang's claim that he was away from office for most of that time is pure slander!"

The emperor and his court officials were all distraught upon hearing this. Lord Wang was overjoyed and asked hastily, "Are you admitting that Magistrate Murong neglected his duties and was absent from office half the time?"

Bao Bu Tong glanced at him and said, "I heard that Lord Wang is away from the government office for most of the year and often stays in brothels. I wonder if it's true? Don't deny it, and don't say that you are just in a sinecure and have nothing to do. Everyone knows this, and you are indeed incompetent. This is why the government doesn't give you a real and important position. Everyone knows it. But..."

"But my young master is different. In just one county, he spent three months on overall planning and implementation, and another three months on adjustments, supervision, and acceptance. He was able to increase the tax revenue of the poorest county in Yazhou Prefecture fivefold within a year, and the people now live and work in peace and contentment. Not only is the government in order, but he can also take care of the surrounding areas." Bao Bu Tong began to sing praises for Murong Fu. He talked about building bridges and roads to open up official and commercial roads, reclaiming farmland and practicing water conservancy, expanding trade routes to all directions, reforming the system of aboriginals to strengthen civil governance, promoting talented people to strengthen the county's military strength, and so on. His words were exaggerated, but also well-reasoned and well-founded. He even produced a lot of data as supporting evidence, which made people believe him.

You must know that many of these evidences are official documents and cannot be easily forged. There are documents from not only counties, but also prefectures and even roads, which can all serve as supporting evidence.

"My young master said that Rongjing County's development plan is already very complete, with a five-fold increase in annual output. The most difficult initial part has already been completed, and all that remains is to follow the same path. Within three years, the five-year plan can be completed, and overall strength will double again. He has also trained a large number of capable personnel, including many local elders and representatives of the indigenous people. Even if he leaves, it won't have much of an impact. As long as officials are not too greedy and only care about enriching themselves, or as Lord Wang's relatives do, who use Lord Wang's status to wantonly seize other people's assets and destroy this favorable environment, there won't be too many problems."

Bao Bu Tong slapped his forehead and said, "Wrong, wrong. I've said too much here. This should be the content of Article 9, Oppressing the Good, and Article 10, Punishing the Lawless and the Traitors. Fortunately, I didn't say much. The cunning villains sent by Lord Wang have done more than enough illegal things. There's no shortage of things to say."

Upon hearing this, all the ministers cast strange looks at Lord Wang, who flew into a rage. Before he could speak, Bao Bu Tong spoke, "Lord Wang should know that I pay close attention to my young master. I have reviewed all of his case files, including eighteen cases involving Lord Wang's relatives, friends, and subordinates. I have carefully studied each one and found absolutely no wrongful convictions. They all deserved their punishment! Would you like me to bring the case files so that His Majesty and my colleagues can listen carefully and see how Lord Wang's so-called kindness translates into robbery and disregard for human life?"

The old minister was speechless. As a veteran, how could he not know the truth? The last two items were just to make up the numbers, but now they were brought up, catching him off guard. He snorted and said, "We are talking about County Magistrate Murong who deserted his post without permission. Do you admit it?"

Unexpectedly, Bao Bu Tong actually nodded in agreement and made a suggestion to the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty: "Your Majesty, my young master asked me to plead with the Emperor to ask you to transfer him to another place of office. Rongjing County has been governed very well by him. At this moment, Rongjing County's overall strength is already the best in Yazhou Prefecture. At this time, even if a blind or deaf person is sent there, as long as he doesn't mess around, there will be no problem. Rongjing County has reached a bottleneck in its development. It would be a waste to keep his talents there. My young master said that if he continues to stay in Rongjing County, he will only be in office for three months next year. He will be idle most of the time every day. I am afraid that a month in the third year will be too much."

Upon hearing this, all the court officials looked at each other in surprise. Suddenly, they thought of the development plan for Rongjing County and were shocked. Could it be that Murong Fu's talent was really that high?

He is lazy and steals with a clear conscience, and his reasons are very sufficient. He has finished all the work at work in advance and is really bored.

"What does your young master mean?" The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty was amused and continued talking along with him, and in passing teased this Imperial Censor whose rank was even higher than that of Murong Fu, the magistrate.

Bao Bu Tong chuckled and said, "My young master means that he doesn't want to waste his talent and prime years. He wants to be transferred to another place as soon as possible, preferably to the northern frontier. After all, there's a general there who is also from our Murong family. We can look after each other and it will be more convenient for us to work."

Minister Wang sneered, "Collusion between civil and military officials is a taboo in the imperial court. Lord Bao, you wouldn't be unaware of this, right?"

Bao Bu Tong glanced at him and chuckled, "We are relatives, upright and honest, serving the emperor and the same court. Why do you have to pretend not to know each other? Just like Lord Wang, secretly making enemies with the court officials, but I can't do that. I have a bad temper and I don't like double-dealing."

"You~, huh, Magistrate Murong is quite talented, but the court has its own laws and will not tolerate his reckless behavior."

"Laws are nothing more than human feelings. Besides, has my young master ever delayed any official duties?" Bao Bu Tong snorted coldly, "There are indeed some people who are just sitting there doing nothing. They can't stand seeing others easily complete their tasks and walk away free. They don't want more capable people to take on more responsibilities and take on more positions. This is the true way to harm the country and the people."

The two men argued furiously, and the other ministers were unable to intervene. Finally, the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty spoke up to put an end to their endless quarrel. "I am aware of Lord Murong's talent. Although the court has strict laws, as Lord Bao said, human feelings prevail, and employing people according to their abilities is the right way. Well, I will give Lord Murong three rules. You will remain in office for three years, responsible for all border supplies. If you can ensure safety, you will be promoted to the governor of Yazhou after three years."

"You also need Magistrate Murong to be able to pass this test. Secretly communicating with border troops and colluding with foreign countries is a serious crime that can lead to the extermination of the entire family. This is an indisputable fact." Minister Wang smiled coldly, but Bao Bu Tong only curled his lips in disdain: "You are a clown."