Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 495

"Oh? Field investigation? This is the first time I've heard of this term. It's quite novel. Is there any explanation for it?" Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Gao became interested, and her sickly expression softened slightly.

Murong Fu said, "So-called field research is nothing more than the unity of knowledge and action, with practice guiding cognition."

Empress Dowager Gao said solemnly, "Judging from your tone, my nephew Murong, you seem to have quite a bit of experience in scholarship?"

Murong Fu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I am just a military man. I can barely manage to read and write. As for morality, literature, and the learning of sages, how can I compare to the learned scholars in the court who make a living and establish their fame through their writings? I have only traveled around the world for many years, endured hardships and experienced the local customs and traditions, and have gained some of my own insights."

Empress Dowager Gao said, "In your opinion, my dear nephew, is there anyone in the court who can be called a minister of state?"

Murong Fu shook his head and said, "Looking at the officials in the court today, not one of them can be said to have truly put knowledge into practice and conducted on-site investigations. Sima Guang is one example, and so is Wang Anshi. For the sake of a momentary dispute, they have made the entire court chaotic, with factions everywhere, and policies changing frequently, causing turmoil in the country and leaving the people at a loss. None of them are capable of governing the country."

Empress Dowager Gao listened quietly and said, "Nephew, could you please offer your opinion?"

Murong Fu laughed and said, "I'm just a country bumpkin, how could I possibly know anything about important state affairs? I'm just speaking off the cuff."

Empress Dowager Gao said, "Nephew, there's no need to be so modest. Let me just take the corvée labor system and the exemption system as examples to illustrate this point!"

Murong Fu said, “Take my Jiangnan region as an example. The Suzhou and Hangzhou area has been known as a paradise on earth since ancient times. The population is prosperous and the people are wealthy. Scholars and commoners alike are all doing their jobs and fulfilling their duties. If the corvée system were used to require the people to spend several months each year on their duties to the court, it would be a great inconvenience. Replacing the corvée system with Wang Anshi’s exemption from corvée service would be a great convenience for scholars and commoners.”

"However, the Jinghu area is a wild and uncivilized place, historically uninhabited by the emperor, with backward industries and undeveloped civilization. The local people are accustomed to exchanging fish and rice for salt and seeds, and it is already quite difficult for local officials to maintain order and prevent trouble. If the exemption from corvée labor is implemented, it will only increase the burden on the local people and incite conflict. In this way, the good policy of benefiting the people in the Suzhou and Hangzhou area will become an outright bad policy."

Empress Dowager Gao listened quietly, seemingly lost in thought.

Murong Fu continued, "Furthermore, even disregarding the region, there are many debatable aspects to the corvée labor system and the exemption system. The previous corvée labor system required all five classes of households to serve the same amount, which, while inconvenient, treated everyone equally. The exemption system stipulated that the first, second, and third classes of households paid an exemption fee, while the fourth and fifth classes paid half. This seemed fair, but since the founding of the dynasty, land consolidation has been rampant. The rich own vast tracts of land, while the poor have nowhere to stand. The wealth of the first and second classes is more than twice that of the fourth and fifth classes. Moreover, it is common for wealthy rural households to collude with local officials to manipulate household classifications in order to pay less tax. Taking the Jianghan and Jinghu areas as an example, people live in hardship, and in addition to their daily expenses, they have an additional burden of a considerable exemption fee. Thus, what was originally a beneficial policy for the people has become a harmful one."

"Therefore, according to my nephew, Sima Guang is not a talent for governing the country, and although Wang Anshi is courageous in taking on responsibilities, he is ultimately not a talent for governing the country either. As for Sima Guang, alas, he was just indulging in momentary impulse."

Murong Fu sighed deeply: "Has the Empress Dowager ever heard of the Beggars' Sect?"

Empress Dowager Gao pondered for a moment and said, "I did hear the Imperial City Guard mention it before. Apparently, there's a gang leader named Qiao Feng who's said to be quite skilled. I've heard he's been making quite a stir in the martial arts world these past few years. Apparently, he's some kind of number one gang in the land."

Murong Fu was slightly surprised: It seems that the imperial court is not entirely ignorant of what is happening in the martial arts world.

Murong Fu asked, "Does the Empress Dowager know who the Beggars' Sect members are? Why did they become the so-called number one sect in the world?" Empress Dowager Gao sighed, "I think I know, there's no need to say more."

Empress Dowager Gao said, "So, sir, you have come here not just to treat my illness, have you? Please speak frankly if you have any requests."

Murong Fu rose and bowed, saying in a deep voice, "This humble subject has come here for both personal and public reasons."

Empress Dowager Gao smiled and asked, "What is your selfish motive? What is your public-spirited motive?"

Murong Fu smiled and said, "What does the Empress Dowager think the Emperor will do once she passes away, given his character?"

Empress Dowager Gao remained silent.

Murong Fu said, “The Empress Dowager’s silence actually tells her the answer. If she were to pass away now, the Emperor would surely change course, and the new and old schools of thought in the court would once again start a new round of factional struggles, and the court would be in turmoil again. The Empress Dowager is well aware of this.”

Empress Dowager Gao's voice trembled slightly: "Your Majesty, thanks to my teachings over the years, all those assisting in governing the court are upright and loyal ministers..."

The once dignified and elegant Empress Dowager Gao now resembled a dying old woman, worried that her descendants would squander the family business she had painstakingly nurtured for half her life.

Murong Fu looked at the Empress Dowager quietly, and for a moment he felt that the Empress Dowager was incredibly old.

Murong Fu said, "The Empress Dowager's good intentions may not be understood by everyone. What I just said is something the Empress Dowager has already decided in her heart. What I want to ask is, if Heaven were to grant the Empress Dowager a few more years of life, would she be willing to use the remaining time to mediate the disputes between the two factions in the court and contribute to a smooth transition after the Emperor assumes power?"

Murong Fu sighed inwardly: he was ultimately a soft-hearted person.

If he were solely focused on his desire to restore his kingdom, he could have quietly and secretly trained troops and stockpiled grain, without having to worry about anything else. He could have simply waited for that scoundrel Emperor Huizong to come to power and throw the Song Dynasty into chaos, waiting for the Jingkang Incident to arrive, and then taken advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters.

But that would mean chaos, and countless ordinary people would have to pay the price for the grand ambitions of certain individuals.

If someone can foresee an impending tragedy and still chooses not to help, they might be called cold-blooded. But what if someone knows about a massacre but remains indifferent, or even fuels it?

Murong Fu was not one of those madmen who would burn down an entire house to light a cigarette for their own selfish desires. Deep down, he was still a normal person who had received higher education in later generations, and he had an innate empathy and compassion for his fellow human beings.