coobybook Chapter 253 The Powerful Murong Family
Chapter 253 The Powerful Murong Family
Located twenty miles east of Tanzhou City, Xiaoyao Mountain Villa is nestled among mountains and surrounded by dense forests, giving it a sense of paradise. From a distance, the green bricks, green tiles, and upturned eaves create a breathtakingly beautiful atmosphere.
Luo Yu and his group happened to be coming from the east and saw the villa from afar.
Qin Bingrui sighed as he drove the carriage, "This villa is great. It's really a suitable place for retirement. I wonder which of my brothers and sisters can afford to live in such a luxurious house."
"This is Xiaoyao Villa, the most famous Wulin Villa in Tanzhou, home to many masters. It's also one of the Murong family's largest assets. I heard that the villa alone employs over a thousand top swordsmen, several thousand ordinary guards, and countless servants."
When the young village headman Gu Zichen saw Qin Bingrui and his friends were going into the city, he insisted on following their carriage, saying that he could introduce the city of Tanzhou to them.
Qin Bingrui didn't want him to drive the carriage, and he couldn't let him sit in the carriage with the girls, so he made him squeeze next to the driver's seat.
After listening to Gu Zichen's introduction, Qin Bingrui felt that there were some benefits in bringing this kid along.
"I say, with so many people under your care, aren't you afraid that the imperial court will accuse you of some trumped-up crime?"
"Given the power of the Murong family, the imperial court wouldn't dare to punish them arbitrarily. Besides, the Murongs have their own army. I heard they were later convicted by the imperial court and had the tiger talisman taken away. However, that army obeys both the Murong family and the tiger talisman, so no matter how the imperial court dispatches them, it will be useless."
"Fuck, is it that awesome?"
"Haven't you heard of the great families of Bei Qiao and Nan Murong? The eldest daughter of Madam Murong of the Murong family was the former Crown Prince's Crown Princess. If the Crown Prince at that time had succeeded to the throne, then the current Queen Mother would have been the Murong family's eldest daughter."
"Oh, why didn't he succeed to the throne? Did the previous emperor seize the throne?"
Gu Zichen was just saying it casually, but he didn't expect that Master Qin would really take the trouble to chat with him after just a casual remark.
"I don't know anything about this either, I've only heard it from others. I used to only want to become a disciple of Xiaoyao Mountain Villa, but they required a competition to recruit even ordinary guards. I applied for the position for several years, but was eliminated because my martial arts skills were too poor. However, I heard these old stories from the participants during those years, and I don't know whether they are true or false."
Qin Bingrui was very interested after hearing this.
"Why are you so picky? After not getting into the competition for a few years, can't you find a way to get in through the back door? The Murong family is so big, wouldn't it be better to just get to know someone from the Murong family?"
"How did I get to know the Murong family? Do you think these people are just beggars on the street? They are so elusive."
Luo Yu smiled and said, "We have made the acquaintance of a young master named Murong who can write storybooks. I heard that he is also from your Tanzhou."
Upon hearing this, Gu Zichen's lips curled up. "How can writing storybooks be considered a big deal? A true member of the Murong family wouldn't do such a thing. It's just that others rush to write storybooks for them."
"Makes sense."
Qin Bingrui thought, "Isn't a powerful family controlling military power more terrifying than a general defending a nation?" Back then, the royal family had married into the Murong family, but the imperial power had murdered the Murong family's eldest daughter. This must have been a huge feud. Now, they were rapidly expanding their influence. Could they be planning an uprising at any moment?
Young Master Murong should not be from this family. He spends his days writing storybooks with Sister Luo Yu, and also participates in the imperial examinations. Could he be the son of a steward in the Murong family?
I heard that in such a big family, the butler and personal servants are all small families from the branch of the family name.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yu smiled and said, "The Murong family is so powerful. If we want to start a business assembling architectural models, why not just partner with them? Then we can just take a cut of the profits. It's so easy."
Xia Liang's mind was filled with the stern face of Master Murong. When he heard them mention Master Murong, he immediately perked up: "Brother Gu, can you tell me about the current structure of the Murong family?"
"I don't even know where to begin. I can't finish it in a short time."
Yan Xuan, who was following the carriage, immediately said, "I've heard a little bit about it."
Qin Bingrui exclaimed in surprise: "When did you catch up? I almost forgot about you two big spies. You just pretended not to hear what Brother Gu and I said, okay?"
Yan Xuan: ...
Xia Liang was too lazy to care about them and just let Yan Xuan talk.
Yan Xuan frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "I also heard from my eldest brother that the Murong family values military power over culture. In the past, General Murong led 800 cavalrymen to sweep across the entire Western Xia. Later, after several major battles, he conquered Western Xia and made it the territory of our Rong Dynasty. Impressive, isn't it?"
Xia Liang curled his lips: "I don't want to hear about the past, just talk about the present."
"Right now, the head of the Murong family should still be Old Madam Murong. I heard she's almost 70 years old, and she's a generation older than the current Queen Mother!"
Luo Yu muttered, "Why does this remind me of the old lady in Yang's Generals?"
Yan Xuan paused, then continued, "Madam Murong has eight children. The eldest daughter is the one Brother Gu just mentioned. The other six are all sons, and the youngest is a daughter. However, I heard that the army that the Murong family is fighting is the army of General Cai on the southwest border of Qianzhou. Now, there are only a few tens of thousands of soldiers left."
"Why is General Cai able to lead the Murong family's army?"
"General Cai is the son-in-law of Madam Murong's youngest daughter. He married into the family."
Qin Bingrui casually asked, "Is Xiaoyao Villa also being managed by someone from the Murong family now?"
After all, she also wanted to get to know such a powerful god who was in charge of Xiaoyao Villa.
"I don't know. I heard that a few years ago, a young man from the Murong family became the owner of the manor on his own merit. However, no one has ever seen him, and no one knows which branch of the Murong family he is from."
Gu Zichen's eyes flickered, and he continued, "I've heard rumors that this is the youngest son of Murong's eldest son. He's only in his early twenties, in the prime of his life."
Yan Xuan couldn't resist the gossip: "Oh? It's the youngest son? Then there must be an eldest son above him, right? How could it be passed on to the youngest son?"
"I heard that Madam Murong likes this young master the most. Besides, his fighting ability is indeed very high. No one in the Murong family is dissatisfied with him. I heard that even General Cai wants him to take over the Southwestern Army."
When Qin Bingrui heard this, his eyes lit up.
"Oh, I heard that this southwestern army can't even conquer a southwestern tribe. That's not good enough! If the Murong family requisitions my General Qin, then this will be a piece of cake."
Luo Yu: ...
When Gu Zichen heard this, he realized that Young Master Qin was indeed a man with great ambitions. He had to hurry up. Although his own martial arts skills were not that good, it was his lifelong dream to join a big family and serve as the head.
As they were talking, the group finally arrived outside the city of Tanzhou.