Reborn as Murong Fu: This time I am the protagonist

Chapter 557 Dismissal from Office
Outside the city gates of Qingzhou Prefecture, a group of civil and military officials of all ranks stared blankly into the distance, as if they were being controlled by some invisible force, like geese being lifted by the neck.

Finally, the leading official, dressed in a dark blue robe and wearing a black gauze hat, couldn't hold back any longer and broke the silence. He plopped down in his chair, his fat face creased with wrinkles that trembled incessantly, and his servants rushed forward to massage his legs and shoulders.

"Wasn't it supposed to be today that the Commissioner was supposed to take office? The sun is already setting, and there's still no sign of him. It's like a ghost!"

He had been waiting for most of the day and was already full of resentment. At this moment, all his grievances finally erupted.

The prefectural magistrate stepped forward to comfort his superior, saying, "Perhaps something happened on the way, causing a delay. Lord Huang has been waiting all morning and must be exhausted. Why don't we return to the prefectural office first and then discuss this further?"

The fat man was none other than Huang Renbiao, the current prefect of Qingzhou Prefecture. Hearing his deputy's suggestion, he felt a jolt of interest. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Alright, in that case, let's return to the prefectural office and make further plans."

Before he could even stand up, a yamen runner rushed over, breathless, and reported, "Your Honor, the newly arrived magistrate has arrived and is in the main hall of the yamen. He wants Your Honor to come and pay his respects!"

"what!"

Huang Renbiao was so shocked he almost fell off his chair: they had been waiting at the city gate for half a day, but the pacification commissioner had somehow entered the city.
A vague unease flickered in his heart. He had a feeling that this unconventional envoy had come with ill intentions. However, he had served as an official in Qingzhou for many years and was practically a local tyrant. He had seen his share of ups and downs. Although he had some suspicions, he did not panic. His face darkened, and he waved his hand: "Alright, since that's the case, get in the sedan chair and go back to the government office!"

A sedan chair carried by four men supported Huang Renbiao's large body, and the chair creaked and groaned, foreshadowing something ominous.

When Prefect Huang entered the main hall of the prefectural government office, he saw a handsome young man in a bright red official robe and a black gauze hat with soft wings staring at him with a half-smile.

Prefect Huang's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly bowed and said, "I was unaware that the Commissioner had come from afar. I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please forgive me!" As he spoke, he stepped forward, intending to use the methods he had honed over many years in officialdom to deal with his superiors.

Two strong soldiers shouted, raised their fire-and-water sticks and crossed them with a "snap" to block Huang Renming's path, nearly hitting him in the nose. They angrily rebuked him: "How dare you! In front of the imperial envoy, you do not perform the rites of worship, showing no respect for your elders. Where do you place the laws of the country?"

Before the words were finished, a soldier grabbed a stick and struck Huang Renbiao hard on the back of the knee. Huang Renbiao cried out in pain, like a pig being slaughtered, and fell to his knees. A middleman stepped forward and took a bright yellow imperial edict from a bright yellow silk bag. Upon seeing this, the officials immediately knelt down and listened to the middleman read the edict.

Only after the eight characters "all matters shall be handled expediently" were read out did the officials look at each other, exchange glances, and then shout "Long live the Emperor!" and stand up.

Murong Fu smiled as he looked at the large group of obsequious civil officials. These men, who usually swaggered around in front of ordinary people, were now even more servile than the common folk before those in power. No wonder so many people throughout history, knowing that rebellion meant certain death, still risked their lives for this extremely risky cause with dire consequences if they failed. How many could resist the feeling of being fawned over?

Murong Fu rose, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, colleagues. In response to this flood, His Majesty has appointed me as the Relief Commissioner, fully responsible for disaster relief and all related matters. I deeply feel the weight of this responsibility and cannot afford to be negligent in the slightest. I hope that all of you will work together to save the people of this prefecture from their suffering and relieve the Emperor's worries." The officials quickly returned the greeting, saying they dared not accept such treatment.

But then Murong Fu abruptly changed the subject, saying coldly, "However, along my journey, what I have seen is a displaced populace and a government failing to provide relief. Some have even taken advantage of the situation to annex land, pushing the people into a living hell. And there are those shameless scoundrels and treacherous officials who, as governors of a province, do not think of repaying the country's kindness or bringing peace to the people. Instead, they allow their servants to exploit the flood, disregarding the laws of the court and the laws of the state, openly engaging in the buying and selling of people, neglecting their duties and causing the disaster to worsen and the people to be filled with resentment."

"His intentions are despicable! This man is none other than Huang Renbiao, the current prefect of Qingzhou Prefecture!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Renbiao, disregarding the blow to his knee he had received earlier, immediately raised his head: "My lord! What makes you say this? I have served in various prefectures and counties, and have always enjoyed an excellent reputation. My uncle is even the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Huang. You have made this accusation against me without cause, slapping a huge label on me. Such baseless slander is utterly baseless. I will certainly go to the capital one day to meet with the Emperor and impeach you for abusing your power!"

Murong Fu said, "How dare you! Roaring in court, disrespecting your superiors! Eunuch Tong, slap him!"

Tong Guan couldn't wait to shout, so he rolled up his sleeves, swung his arms wide, and slapped Huang Renbiao hard across the face several times, until Huang Renbiao's mouth turned black and he was spitting blood. It wasn't until Murong Fu saw that Huang Renbiao was about to faint if he didn't stop that he waved his hand to stop Tong Guan from continuing.

"You say I have no evidence? Guards, bring the witnesses!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two soldiers shoved the skinny man who had been captured into the room, followed by a group of teenage girls and the Taoist priest.

When Huang Renbiao saw the person who came, his expression changed and his heart sank. He then pretended to be nonchalant and turned his face away.

But then the gaunt man immediately cried out in protest: "Sir, you must do justice for me! I have been diligently purchasing these girls as you instructed, and I was just about to present them to you when these scoundrels appeared out of nowhere and beat me up, ruining my mission. Please, sir, do justice for me!"

Huang Renbiao's blood boiled with anger, and he mentally cursed all the female elders in the skinny man's family: "Nonsense! Where did this scoundrel come from, daring to falsely accuse an official of the court!"

The gaunt man was alarmed when Huang Renbiao refused to recognize him. He muttered incessantly, unable to understand why his usually domineering and tyrannical prefect would act this way today.

In reality, Murong Fu had already subtly altered this rogue's perception using a soul-shifting technique. In this person's eyes, Murong Fu and his group were nothing more than ordinary chivalrous heroes without official connections, and naturally, there was nothing to fear. Even though Murong Fu was currently wearing the crimson official robes reserved for a fourth-rank official, in this person's eyes, he was no different from ordinary clothing. Therefore, the other party's words were simply a natural expression of his usual demeanor.

What a joke! You already have the means to approach the level of a terrestrial immortal, yet you insist on playing political games. Isn't that just asking for trouble?

Murong Fu slammed his gavel and roared, "Enough! The evidence is conclusive! How dare you speak so arrogantly in court and try to cover up your crimes? Guards, strip this man of his official robes and throw him into jail!"