When Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing sat before Sun Xiu and learned about Lu Kang's affairs, both their expressions immediately changed.
"That man is spouting utter nonsense!"
Before Zhang Bu could speak, Puyang Xing could no longer hold himself back.
Puyang Xing had been busy coordinating land reclamation all this time.
The loss of Jiangbei had greatly diminished Wu Kingdom's strength, and it now faced problems feeding the large army it wished to maintain.
Sun Xiu wanted to draw on some of Cao Wei's policies to develop the south further, reclaim more farmland, and use the refugees and mountain folk to increase tax revenue.
Puyang Xing was a deeply controversial figure at court.
Zhang Bu was another matter. After all, he had directly participated in the great undertaking of eliminating Sun 𬘭, playing the most important and crucial role.
He had also saved Ding Feng back then.
The ministers had nothing to say against Sun Xiu entrusting him with important duties. After all, he had genuinely rendered service: for protecting the sovereign and eliminating a traitor, no reward could be too great.
But what about Puyang Xing?
What entitled him to it?
When Sun 𬘭 was eliminated, he had neither offered a plan nor contributed any effort.
At most, he had offered verbal support. He had no particular seniority himself, and his rapid rise had come entirely from his close personal friendship with Sun Xiu.
The ministers deeply resented him, and were even more dissatisfied with his collusion with Zhang Bu to monopolize power at court.
Puyang Xing was also eager to prove his abilities. He wanted the ministers to know that he had not reached his current position solely through the emperor's favor; he possessed genuine learning and ability too.
This time, upon learning that Sun Xiu was eager