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

Chapter 508 Birthday Banquet
"It is an honor to have Princess Chu grace us with her presence. Please lead the way, Your Highness." Having long been familiar with Princess Chu's seemingly cold but warm-hearted nature, Murong Fu spoke less formally and began to joke naturally.

The Chu princess found it amusing, but pretended to cooperate with Murong Fu, saying, "Alright, I will lead the way for Young Master Murong. Please follow me closely and don't get lost in the inner courtyard of the palace."

At this point, she couldn't help but chuckle. A servant had already lifted the sedan curtain, and the Chu princess gracefully stepped into the small sedan chair carried by four people.

Murong Fu smiled and got into the sedan chair behind, following the Chu princess at a distance.

The birthday banquet was held in the Yanhe Hall. It was the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday, and as the mother of the nation, having served three emperors, she was highly respected and virtuous. In addition, the Empress Dowager had just recovered from a serious illness, making it another joyous occasion. Considering both factors, even though Empress Dowager Gao was known for her frugality, the birthday banquet was still very grand.

Of course, there was another consideration that officials from the Ministry of Rites could not include in their memorials.

Murong Fu surveyed the assembled officials in their robes within the palace. Some faces he recognized, while others were new to him. This newly risen court official was like a wild horse stumbling into a china shop; everyone, whether they knew him or not, scrutinized him with curiosity and judgment. This man, who had previously held no official position in the court and seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, had suddenly been granted the title of Jiedushi (military governor).

However, almost everyone who came to chat with Murong Fu consciously chose to befriend him and did not say anything strange.

After all, everyone knows how Murong Fu got his position as military governor – a young, miraculous doctor with almost life-saving medical skills. Who would want to offend such a person? Who wouldn't want to befriend him?
These high-ranking officials in the imperial court, each holding great power and influence, were all advanced in years and longed to live a few more years to enjoy life. Such a miraculous physician was undoubtedly the object of everyone's vying to curry favor with him. During this time, no unpleasant or strange remarks had been heard. After all, Murong Fu's rise from a commoner to the title of military governor was unprecedented in the more than 130 years since the founding of the Song Dynasty.

It's worth noting that during Emperor Renzong's reign, he wanted to bestow the title of military governor upon the father of his beloved Consort Zhang. This move caused a huge uproar in the court, with the renowned minister Bao Zheng even spitting on Emperor Renzong's face in the struggle. This illustrates just how thorny the issue of dividing the interests of civil officials truly was.

Murong Fu spoke in hushed tones with Zhang Dun beside him, after all, among the officials present, he was only familiar with this former prime minister who had come all the way from Hangzhou.

Murong Fu, dressed in the purple robes of a military governor, looked handsome and upright, which aroused the excited gossip of the female members of the imperial family who were secretly observing from behind the layers of curtains. Due to Murong Fu's extraordinary hearing, he heard every word and could only smile helplessly: It seems that women's love of gossip has never changed from ancient times to the present.

A woman who bore a striking resemblance to the Chu princess looked at her mysteriously and asked, "Ning'an, wasn't this newly appointed military governor the one who entered the palace with you just now?"

The Chu princess didn't seem to care: "Yes, my grandmother sent me personally to bring this official into the palace to show her respect. What's wrong?"

The woman smiled mysteriously, "It's nothing, it's just that my Ning'an and this young military governor look so good together, a perfect match. From afar, they look like a divine couple in a painting." The Chu princess raised her eyebrows, "You, Xiyue, how dare you tease me! I'll tear your mouth apart!" Saying this, she reached out, pretending to pull the woman's mouth. The two girls, one feigning anger and the other begging for mercy, playfully bickered, and the women burst into laughter.

Another member of the imperial family said, "Ning'an, you're already twenty-two this year, aren't you? You're still not betrothed. In my opinion, this gentleman is quite good. He's even more handsome than the top three scholars in previous imperial examinations. He's also young and promising. Why don't you just ask your grandmother to grant you a marriage? She'll definitely marry a perfect husband."

Princess Chu glared at her with her almond-shaped eyes: "What nonsense are you talking about! I, I... already have a wife."

As he spoke, his voice lowered and his eyes dimmed.

Murong Fu listened to the sounds around him with a sense of boredom. He heard which young master had been granted an official position through his connections, and which young lady was getting married next month. It seemed that even a high-ranking official could not avoid such mundane matters in this kind of setting.

However, after only a brief observation, Murong Fu noticed that the court officials, seemingly casual, were actually secretly divided into several distinct cliques. Those with Sichuan accents formed one group, those with Hebei accents another, and those with Henan accents yet another. Interspersed among them were people like Murong Fu and Zhang Dun, who didn't belong to any of these groups. Occasionally, glances would fall upon the two of them, with most offering a friendly smile when their eyes met Murong Fu's. But when it came to Zhang Dun beside Murong Fu, they either selectively ignored him or gave him a quick, insincere glance followed by a forced smile, which they considered a greeting.

Murong Fu gave Zhang Dun a meaningful look and said, "It seems that the appearance of Prime Minister Zhang has made many people uncomfortable."

Zhang Dun snorted coldly and said, "A bunch of pedantic scholars who spout benevolence and morality but are actually utterly useless. They have no other skills besides forming cliques and pursuing personal gain."

Murong Fu said, "It seems calm and peaceful on the surface, but in reality, there are undercurrents and fierce competition."

Zhang Dun said, "For the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday celebration, the Ministry of Rites has listed expenses totaling 500,000 strings of cash. That's equivalent to the annual tribute the Song Dynasty pays to the Liao Dynasty. For the past eight years, these people have held sway in the court, relying on the Empress Dowager's support. Now that the Empress Dowager is seriously ill, these so-called high-ranking officials are the most terrified. Now that they have such an opportunity, of course they want to hold a grand celebration to show that their influence in the court is still deeply rooted. Hmph, they appear to be loyal to the country, but in reality, they are all after their own selfish interests."

Murong Fu nodded, then shook his head helplessly: Thinking of the so-called New Party disciples who would control the court and run rampant decades later, Murong Fu felt that there was really no point in comparing the two sides' tricks of the pot calling the kettle black.

Just then, an elderly man with a mustache, a square face, and graying hair slowly walked towards them. He held a jade tablet in his hand, bowed to Zhang Dun, and said gently, "Brother Zihou, it's been many years since we last met. How have you been?"