慕容復

I was probably having a flight of idea and went on to think of Murong Fu (慕容復) during that lunch.

Alas, I was merely thinking of the last bit of his story, when Murong was trying to fix up a relationship (or, in reality, alliance) with Duan Yanqing (段延慶). Murong's plan was simple: He would help Duan to become the King of Dali (大理), and, because Duan had no son, the crown would be passed to Murong some years later.

But, all his four loyal staff did not support the idea - and they had very good points: The entire planning, even if it turned out to be successful, would be a disgrace to the old Yan (燕) Kingdom and the Murong family.

What did Fu do? He silenced Bao Butong (包不同), the most outspoken staff of the four, permanently, and sent away the remaining three. Yes, the price was huge, and, since then, Fu had no subordinate. His ingenious plot turned out to be ingenuous, and the crown was never within his reach.

You may ask: What's the difference between Murong Fu and Zhu Yuanzhan?

Substantial. Zhu only killed all the men who helped him after he got everything he wanted; Murong Fu exterminated his long before the aim was reached.

Alas, not only did the latter go not very far; he was actually mad.