Chapter 614

Wei Shu was utterly desperate.

But Hu Bu Gui kept wailing there nonstop; he wasn't putting on an act, he was truly howling.

He kept shouting back and forth about a strategy for national ruin.

Everyone in the room stared at each other, watching him wildly vent his emotions.

Chen Wuji gave Wei Shu a look.

Go on, persuade him; if you don't, I'm really worried he might cry himself to death here.

Hu Bu Gui proved his loyal-hearted devotion to the ruler and the state with absolute sincerity to everyone in the room.

This crying act showed no trace of falseness from any angle.

But it also put Chen Wuji in a difficult spot.

Everyone seated in the room were rebels; if he surrendered while crying for the court here, what would we do?

Chen Wuji had no clue; it seemed this problem would still have to be handed over to Old Xu.

Surrender would definitely have to be made by Hu Bu Gui; taking Dingzhou without bloodshed would naturally be best.

This is beyond doubt, needing no suspicion.

Future problems, while indeed problems, are not urgent matters needing immediate resolution; they can be postponed a bit, letting Old Xu worry slowly.

Wei Shu precisely caught Chen Wuji's meaning, loosened his grip on his thigh, and patted Hu Bu Gui's back: 'Elder brother, His Majesty must be deeply thoughtful and far-sighted; this may not be a strategy for national ruin. Stop crying; the Military Governor personally prepared a banquet to welcome and cleanse you—your wailing is truly too miserable, inauspicious.'

"No, nothing?" Hu Bu Gui suddenly lifted his head.

Wei Shu instantly felt like dying.

Really, the busier it gets, the more chaotic; why say that now? Isn't this just creating trouble for himself?

"Inauspicious!" Wei Shu said, gritting his teeth.

"How can a strategy for national ruin be auspicious?!" Hu Bu Gui slammed the table, shouting emotionally.

Wei Shu clenched his fists in anger: 'How can you be so certain this is a strategy for national ruin?'

"It inherently is!"

"I say it isn't!" Wei Shu shouted.

Hu Bu Gui stared, stunned: 'How could it not be?'

"Do you wish for the country to fall into chaos and Da Yu to perish?" Wei Shu glared.

Hu Bu Gui flinched hard, his momentum instantly weakening by three tenths: 'I certainly didn't mean that.'

"I see you exactly mean that." Wei Shu said, 'His Majesty, though troubled by powerful ministers, still strives to govern diligently without the slightest slack. The Military Governor, a tiger minister from a general's family, loyal to the ruler and devoted to the state—looking across all of Da Yu, the Regional Inspector Commander is none other than Lord Chen alone.'

"Let me ask, elder brother, where do you see signs of national ruin? Do you mean His Majesty is muddled, or the Military Governor is disloyal?"

Wei Shu resolved to lay it all out.

Whether or not he could convince this stubborn cousin, he must make his position clear.

He had already secured this merit in Nan Jun.

He didn't know when Da Yu would fall, but chaos was inevitable; the rise of the feudal lords was already a settled fact.

Chen Wuji bore the mark of a wise lord, and signs of a brilliant constellation of followers already appeared under his command.

In an age of great turmoil, what is wagered is one's vision and courage.

Wei Shu placed his bet on Chen Wuji.

Hu Bu Gui teased him, but he now needed to demonstrate this sincerity.

Hu Bu Gui looked at Wei Shu somewhat dazedly, then after a moment stiffly shook his neck: 'I… certainly didn't mean that; I'm saying, no, I worry that His Majesty will later extensively enfeoff Military Governors, causing turmoil to spread across the realm.'

"Have any been enfeoffed now?" Wei Shu pursued.

Hu Bu Gui shook his head again.

"Then that's settled!" Wei Shu clapped his hands.

"Cousin, you're truly muddle-headed; for something that hasn't even happened yet, what do you have to cry about here? You haven't even figured out whether this is good or bad, so how can you lightly reach such a conclusion?"

"Elder brother, let me ask you: are these affairs good or bad at present?"

Hu Bu Gui's lips twitched a bit, and after a while he said: 'Now… it counts as, good.'

"Then that's settled." Wei Shu firmly clapped his hands: 'Now it's good; how could the future necessarily be bad, how could it necessarily be a strategy for national ruin? Elder brother, I understand your concern for the state, but we must not jump to conclusions, nor lose… propriety!'

Hu Bu Gui took a deep breath and nodded.

He stood up, bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle to Chen Wuji: 'I, your subordinate, have been rude; please, Military Governor, punish me!'

Chen Wuji, bored from watching the show, waved his hand: 'Prefect Hu is a man of character; what fault could I find with him?'

"Actually, I just like people like Prefect Hu—forthright, not hiding anything. I came from humble origins, not the type who is deep‑minded and scheming; reaching this position, I sometimes get a headache just seeing people. Listening to Prefect Hu speak makes me feel much more at ease; I truly like him from the bottom of my heart."

After chatting idly for a few sentences, Chen Wuji shifted the conversation: 'Prefect Hu, your earlier remarks don't seem to have been finished yet, right?'

"What did I say earlier?" Hu Bu Gui muttered vaguely.

After thinking a while, he finally recalled and continued: 'My other doubts are basically gone; I just want to ask how the Military Governor will handle Dingzhou's civil and military officials, and whether he will redefine Dingzhou's fields, taxes, and the like according to Hezhou's system.'

"Let me first address the first thing you're worried about." Chen Wuji said.

Dingzhou's civil and military corps will undergo a fairly simple examination: the capable rise, the incompetent fall. This is to select talent to the fullest extent, letting good officials who serve the country and people rise, while removing those corrupt parasites!

Hu Bu Gui followed up: 'Is it the same in the military?'

"It is the same!" Chen Wuji nodded.

"This matter, County Magistrate Wei should be quite clear about; when he has time he can explain it thoroughly to Prefect Hu. I employ talent without restriction, but I will not be lenient toward corrupt parasites and incompetent fillers."

"Here!" Wei Shu rose and clasped his hands.

Seeing Hu Bu Gui had no further questions, Chen Wuji continued with the second issue Hu Bu Gui had just raised.

"What Prefect Hu said about investigating land holdings and redefining taxes—these are also things that must necessarily be done." Chen Wuji said, "His Majesty has given me authority over all affairs in Nan Jun; I cannot see something bad and just let it be. It's also impossible that Hezhou, Guangtongzhou, and Guangyuan Prefecture can do it, but when it comes to Dingzhou we cannot?"

"Now I am opening the way with a great army; if we are still obstructed by these matters, then if we later want to reform again, it will probably be as difficult as climbing to heaven. These matters must be done, without doubt. If Prefect Hu has any difficulties, feel free to speak up now; we can discuss."

Hu Bu Gui really felt a bit embarrassed, "I've heard that the Regional Commander utterly despises powerful clans and their aristocratic gates; coincidentally, Dingzhou is precisely a state piled up from countless great surnames of powerful clans. If slaughter were used as a method, Dingzhou would probably end up with no one left."

"You might have heard this with some bias, it's just a rumor!" Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "What I despise is exploiting the common people, like in Guangtongzhou where they enclose land and herd people, treating ordinary commoners as livestock for the powerful clans."