Chapter 741: Chapter 742: The Best Plan

Everyone was dumbfounded.

It wasn’t just the members of the Southern Hu Mission who were stunned; even Chen Songshi and Tang Zhongli were thrown for a loop by King Yan Nan’s sudden move.

"Wait, this... this doesn’t seem quite right, does it?"

Tang Zhongli muttered belatedly, glancing uncertainly at Chen Songshi to his left.

"Mr. Chen, did he just stomp all over their faces right in front of them?"

It wasn’t that reinforcing the troops was out of the question, but who says something like that directly to the other party’s face!

This was a blatant slap in the face!

—You dare to invade? Fine, then I’ll dare to station troops along the entire border!

Let’s see who suffers more!

Chen Songshi: "..."

Tang Zhongli glanced around before lowering his voice and asking suspiciously, "Mr. Chen, are you sure you didn’t secretly put him up to this?"

Chen Songshi: "Where would I find the audacity to be so shameless?"

Tang Zhongli: "..."

True. While Chen Songshi was also a schemer, he was ultimately a civil servant and conducted himself with a certain decorum.

But King Yan Nan...

He was indeed a military general forged on the battlefield, his style as fierce and domineering as ever!

Tang Zhongli thought for a moment, then turned to Shen Yanchuan on his other side.

But this time, he asked about something else.

"Yanchuan, do you think he’s... using this as a chance to get a promotion and a raise for the Ye Family’s fourth son?"

Shen Yanchuan: "...???"

’Why am I the one getting this kind of question?’

Tang Zhongli nudged him with an elbow and grinned. "Speaking of which, that boy is practically your future brother-in-law..."

Shen Yanchuan mulled it over for a moment before nodding seriously.

"Ye Yunfeng did indeed perform a great service this time, and King Yan Nan has always cherished talent. Such an action is only to be expected."

Tang Zhongli: "!!!"

’I knew it!’

’These people all favor their own!’

"Well, it’s not out of the question. After all, the boy came from the Imperial College..."

Although Tang Zhongli found it sudden, he quickly accepted King Yan Nan’s proposal. He even felt a little smug about it.

"His coursework may have been a bit... lacking, but he’s a first-rate military commander! What a fine young man!"

Emperor Muwu’s expression was unreadable, as if he were deep in thought.

"King Yan Nan’s words are reasonable..."

"Your Majesty!"

An urgent voice suddenly and jarringly rang out. It was Lin Xueping who had stepped forward.

He frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I urge you to reconsider! While King Yan Nan’s words have merit, Ye Yunfeng is ultimately too young. How can he bear such a heavy responsibility? To my knowledge, he has only been serving on the border for a mere six months. The army has countless elite soldiers and brilliant generals. If Your Majesty is truly of this mind, would it not be better to choose from among them?"

King Yan Nan’s meaning was clear. If Ye Yunfeng was truly transferred and given full command, it would be a promotion of more than just three ranks!

It was practically an ascension!

At that point, his status, even if not quite on par with Feng Zhang, wouldn’t be far off!

He glanced at Ye Yunfeng and continued, "Ye Yunfeng is indeed brave and skilled in battle, but to entrust him with such a great responsibility—the safety of an entire city—I’m afraid... his qualifications and experience are far from sufficient!"

Many in the hall secretly exchanged glances.

In truth, what Lin Xueping said was not without reason. No matter how well Ye Yunfeng could fight, he was still just a greenhorn who had just started out.

King Yan Nan’s proposal did seem a bit excessive...

Emperor Muwu pondered for a moment before choosing to ask for King Yan Nan’s opinion.

"King Yan Nan, what do you say?"

King Yan Nan shook his head. "I never said we must choose Ye Yunfeng, only that I feel he is very suitable for the position. After all, he is quite familiar with the Southwest Border. And despite his youth, his performance has been outstanding. He has great potential. Given time, he will surely mature into the role!"

With that, he turned back to look at Lin Xueping. "I wonder, does Mr. Lin have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

Lin Xueping was taken aback for a second but quickly recovered. After a brief moment of thought, he said:

"Pu Xingmao, the Assistant General of West State, and Liu Yang, the garrison commander of Xiangzhou, have both earned numerous military merits in the past. They are experienced, exceptionally brave, and both are very suitable."

King Yan Nan feigned realization. "Well, what do you know. I didn’t realize Mr. Lin was so knowledgeable about military affairs. Which military generals have won battles, which have earned merits... Mr. Lin seems to know it all like the back of his hand."

Lin Xueping’s heart skipped a beat. Only then did he realize he had answered too quickly.

’This King Yan Nan is really difficult to deal with!’

’One little slip, and he’ll latch on and never let go!’

Lin Xueping forced a smile.

"Since I am temporarily acting as the Minister of Revenue, these matters fall within my duties. It is only right that I perform them well."

The reason was quite legitimate.

Official transfers all had to be processed through the Ministry of Revenue. Since Lin Xueping had been in charge of these affairs recently, there seemed to be no fault to find in his explanation.

Lin Xueping added, "Of course, this is just my personal opinion. If King Yan Nan feels they are unsuitable, then we should..."

"They are suitable," King Yan Nan interrupted, nodding in apparent satisfaction. "I have met these two before. They are indeed capable men. Xiangzhou is closer to Long City, so if we were to transfer Liu Yang, he should be able to adapt quickly."

As King Yan Nan spoke, he cupped his hands in a salute toward Emperor Muwu. "Your Majesty, Liu Yang is indeed the perfect choice. How about we choose him?"

Everyone was baffled.

Everyone had assumed King Yan Nan would disagree, but who would have thought he would agree so readily without even thinking it over!?

Lin Xueping’s eyes widened, and he almost suspected he was hallucinating.

’What? A second ago, King Yan Nan was singing Ye Yunfeng’s praises. How could he change his mind the moment I opened my mouth and made a suggestion?’

’This... this—’

Emperor Muwu paused.

"Since even you say so, then let it be decided."

The hall fell deathly silent.

The numerous court officials were bewildered by King Yan Nan’s fickle, wind-like change of attitude. Lin Xueping faintly sensed that something was not quite right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

But the most frustrated of all were Si Kouji and his entourage.

They never imagined that while they were still standing right here, the other side would just finalize the matter so directly!

It all happened so fast that they didn’t even have time to react, forced to just watch it unfold!

Rong Ke frowned and was about to speak, but he caught a glimpse of Lin Xueping out of the corner of his eye. For some reason, he thought better of it and closed his mouth.

Si Kouji looked as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself, completely flustered.

However, King Yan Nan couldn’t care less about their predicament. He chuckled and said,

"Your Majesty is wise! In that case, let’s just have Ye Yunfeng serve as his deputy!"

Everyone: "...???"

Only Shen Yanchuan’s thin lips curled up ever so slightly, a hint of a smile touching his eyes.

’King Yan Nan’s calculations are truly ringing loud and clear.’

’I’m afraid from the very beginning, he never intended to fight for that top position for him.’

’For one, the current Ye Yunfeng is indeed not qualified enough yet.’

’For another... being the one in charge means shouldering the blame.’

’If trouble really does arise in the future, Ye Yunfeng will have someone above him to take the fall.’

Shen Yanchuan tilted his head slightly.

’King Yan Nan has really gone to great lengths for Ye Yunfeng’s sake.’

’After all that scheming, he’s arranged the best possible outcome for him.’

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