Chapter 107 "Father, you've really come..."

After speaking, Fusu turned his head away, avoiding eye contact with Emperor Renzong. He understood Renzong's thoughts. This was certainly not an answer that would bring a smile to his face.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

In truth, it was a pre-arranged deal, so Fusu didn't need to apologize. However, he couldn't ignore the Emperor's feelings. The throne he had so earnestly offered was being discarded like trash by his own son; what would the Emperor think? Would he feel sorry for him?

"Why should Su'er apologize?"

Emperor Renzong shook his head, cutting off Fusu's words. His expression was like a vast, tranquil lake, unmoved by any ripples of disappointment even in the face of a strong wind. He had never known the source of Su'er's inexplicable aversion to the throne. But he was only four years old, his heart as pure as a blank sheet of paper; surely it was something he himself hadn't done well enough.

"It was I who harbored delusions. Even if we look at it from a broader perspective, it was I who failed to make Su'er feel secure."

Fusu suddenly looked up, his dark eyes flashing with shock. So that's what the Emperor was thinking? Taking all the blame upon himself.

Surprise, guilt, confusion... a multitude of thoughts left him in a state of utter turmoil. Little did he know that there were two other people present, whose minds were far more confused than his.

Su Shi was just mocking Wang Anshi, and now he's getting his comeuppance. What kind of mess is this? Is it something he should be listening to?

The current emperor and his only son, Prince Cheng, who is also the undisputed heir apparent, had a falling out. Prince Cheng also made it clear that he did not want to be emperor.

He's only a minor official, why are you letting him listen to this?

The two, one tall and one short, exchanged a glance, both finding a similar look of horror in their eyes. If this conversation were to get out, the entire court would likely tremble. Now, everyone who disliked Zhao Xiaosanyuan would be begging him to become emperor.

Su Shi, in particular, claimed to be unfamiliar with Fusu, but in reality considered him his best friend. He never expected that beneath Zhao Xiaolang's consistently calm exterior lay such rebellious thoughts!

Unwilling to ascend the throne? He had clearly planned out how his former friends and ministers would get along after Zhao Xiaolang became emperor. Damn it, give me back all my previous agonizing thoughts!

Wait a minute. It's rather intriguing that Zhao Xiaolang is coming to study at the Imperial Academy. Could it be that he's trying to skip classes at the Zishan Hall and escape the palace for a peaceful life?

Su Shi stumbled upon half the truth and looked at Emperor Renzong with great admiration. The Emperor had actually agreed! He even allowed the four-year-old prince to sleep alone outside, permitting him to take the imperial examinations, be selected for official positions, and incidentally cause chaos in the court.

Su Shi's gaze lingered for a while, and Emperor Renzong seemed to notice. He turned his head and smiled at him when their eyes met: "I remember you. Your name is Su Shi, isn't it?"

Su Shi: "!!!"

He was immediately flattered, never expecting the Emperor to remember him. But the Emperor was extremely busy; how could he possibly match the names and faces of those ranked in the second tier of this year's imperial examinations? More likely, he had gained favor with the Emperor thanks to Zhao Xiaolang.

"It is I, Your Majesty."

"I only met you once at the Imperial Academy, and I saw that you and Su'er were very close. Su'er usually..." Emperor Renzong wanted to be modest and talk about his son's shortcomings, but he found that he could not find any words: "Please bear with me."

Su Shi felt even more flattered. Even Wang Anshi's expression changed. This tone was not that of a monarch addressing a subject, but rather that of a parent addressing a child's friend.

Afterwards, he couldn't help but exclaim to Fusu, "Heavens, His Majesty is too good to you!"

He's much better than his father, who would hit him on the head the moment he discovered the misuse of classical allusions.

Su Shi expressed his envy, jealousy, and resentment!

Fusu nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes."

"Then why are you making that face?"

"It's precisely because he's good to me that I..." Fusu slowly revealed a bitter smile, suspecting he had fallen for the Emperor's delaying tactic. Perhaps, the Emperor's initial plan was to feign agreement to appease him, and then gradually win him over with emotional appeal?

Even upon discovering this, Fusu felt no anger, only a deeper sense of guilt. The weight the Emperor presented him with was the priceless, selfless love of a father—something he could never have obtained in two lifetimes, yet now, after a life of despair, he had it all.

Fate is cruel...

You repay me with a peach, I return you with a precious jade. Even with the Emperor treating him so badly, can he still use his personal grudges as an excuse to act as he pleases?

He cupped his chubby, wrinkled face in his hands, his eyes brimming with a sorrow beyond his years. Like a child imitating an adult, he looked all the more adorable.

"well--"

"Stop groaning." Su Shi couldn't help but give it a squeeze, only to receive a glare in return before quickly withdrawing his hand. "Speaking of which, you actually don't want to be emperor? I've never heard you say that before. Hey, hey, hey, why is that? Isn't being emperor good enough?"

"I don't know, because I've never been one."

"Then why not give it a try?"

What if I try it and don't like it?

Su Shi replied matter-of-factly, "Abdication? Isn't that how it's written in the history books?"

Fusu rolled his eyes: "Stop playing dumb. Do you really believe in the abdication system? If you did, would you have made up stories about the rule of the Three Dynasties during the palace examination?"

They're all ancient foxes, why are they playing at some kind of ghost story?

After being exposed, Su Shi chuckled and said, "But why can't I?"

He used his political acumen, which had been increasingly undermined in the partisan struggles, to offer advice: "Just say you want to emulate the abdication of Yao, Shun, and Yu. And you can choose a successor who suits your taste. But you still need to observe him for a while, lest you choose someone like Yang Guang who will ruin everything."

Fusu suddenly had a thought.

This is the second point that makes him hesitate—if he were to hand over the throne to someone else, and that "someone else" happened to disagree with his political views, would all his previous efforts be in vain? Just like Sima Guang, after the "Yuan You Restoration," he returned the territory that had been seized from the Western Xia during the reign of Emperor Shenzong.

If something similar happened to him… Fusu felt like he'd have a stroke just thinking about it. At the very least, he had to conquer and restore the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun before someone else sat on the throne; he absolutely couldn't let them be sent back!

But what's the essential difference between manipulating the succession to the throne and actually sitting on it yourself?

"Ughhhhh, so annoying!" Fusu was unusually childish and frustrated, running his hands into his dark hair. Su Shi took the opportunity to mess around, not only reaching out to touch it a couple of times but also ruffling it into a frizzy head, muttering, "Let me ruffle it, let me ruffle it, and all your troubles will fly away."

Fusu immediately objected: "You're my biggest problem right now." Even the Emperor had never been so harsh on his hairstyle!

The two of them engaged in another chaotic and playful fight until Fusu's hair bun completely fell apart. Only then did he calm down and start combing and tidying his hair again. At the same time, he felt that the frustration in his heart had dissipated considerably.

Forget it, there's no point in thinking too much about the future.

The most important task now is to deliver on the promises made to the officials. Otherwise, everything else will be in vain.

Fusu immediately stood up: "Let's go."

Su Shi: "Where to?"

"The Imperial College (Guozijian)".

Su Shi was taken aback: "Why go to the Imperial Academy?"

Mei Yaochen had a similar question: Zhao Xiaolang, what are you doing at the Imperial Academy if you have nothing to do?

Fusu blinked innocently: "Couldn't I have come to visit you and the Chancellor?"

Mei Yaochen: "No, I know you too well. You never come here unless you have a reason. Just like last time when you asked the Chancellor to start the meeting."

Fusu immediately conceded defeat: "You really know me."

Upon hearing this, Mei Yaochen felt not pride, but rather vigilance. Ever since Zhao Xiaolang completed his apprenticeship, news about him had never ceased, both in the court and among the common people. Even a simple lecture could bring up cotton, and his "Collection of Snowflakes" had made the Imperial Academy famous for quite some time.

Of course, there were also negative news stories. When impeachments were rampant, Mei Yaochen secretly contacted his connections in the court, trying to get things done. Fortunately, Zhao Xiaolang had the strongest backing, and he directly asked the Emperor to shut everyone up.

This time, he came to him for a favor, and Mei Yaochen had every reason to suspect that he was planning something big.

"Don't be nervous." Seeing Mei Yaochen's expression, Fusu was both amused and exasperated. Was he some unpredictable and unfathomable Cthulhu?

"Actually, it's just to share some good news." Have you read the *Seeking Knowledge Daily*?

"Of course I looked."

Mei Yaochen nodded silently. He had already heard about the newspaper using a publishing house under the Imperial Academy. He would never admit that he had "abused his power" during the printing stage to get a sneak peek.

After reading it, he breathed a sigh of relief—with this newspaper, Zhao Xiaolang would be spared from being scolded in court for the foreseeable future.

While secretly inquiring about the students' career prospects, he outwardly maintained strict standards: "The selections and writings are all quite good. However, this is only the first issue. The quality must remain consistent throughout to live up to the official title and preface."

Fusu agreed, then added, "You should also know that this newspaper was distributed and circulated among all the Imperial Guards." Fusu said with a hint of nostalgia, "Do you remember the article you assigned me? I remember writing that I wanted the soldiers to be 'literate' and 'know etiquette.' Today, we've achieved half of that, haven't we?"

Mei Yaochen: "...It seems that's really true."

In his conjecture, this was a major matter involving a debate between the orthodox tradition and the foundation of the state, one that would require days, even months, of court deliberation before a conclusion could be reached. How could this be? Zhao Xiaolang had completed the task in less than two months since entering officialdom? And not a single official in the entire court objected? Were they all blind?

The stark contrast between his imagination and reality left Mei Yaochen bewildered. He subconsciously remarked, "Although the *Seeking Knowledge* newspaper has entered the army, whether the Imperial Guards actually read it or not..."

Fusu clasped his hands together and said, "So, that's why I've come to ask for your help."

Mei Yaochen: "Huh?"

Me? What's the point of looking for me?

"Well, the Imperial Academy has students, right? The content of the 'Seeking Knowledge Gazette' is a bit too difficult for some illiterate soldiers. I was thinking of finding someone to explain it to them..."

"Of course, the people need it too." Fusu recalled what he had seen and heard at the beverage shop and felt that the people also needed someone to guide them, otherwise, if they argued and quarreled or someone deliberately misinterpreted things, things would go wrong.

Hmm, if we calculate it this way, isn't the number of students in the Imperial Academy not enough?

"Or perhaps the Imperial Academy..."

"No, this matter will be handled by the Imperial Academy," Mei Yaochen said decisively. What Imperial Academy? Last time, Zhang Zai, the chief editor of *Pengxue Ji*, was an Imperial Academy student, stealing most of the limelight from the Imperial Academy. Clearly, Zhao Xiaolang is from the Imperial Academy.

This time, it's the Imperial College's turn to steal the spotlight.

Su Shi, who had been silent all along, suddenly joked, "Mr. Mei, why are you suddenly not nervous anymore?"

Mei Yaochen: "...cough."

He blushed from the teasing, but didn't back down at all, turning his gaze to Fusu: "I'll go arrange things with the students first. After the second issue of 'Seeking Knowledge' is printed, you'll have to come here in person to tell them how to present it."

Fusu: "No problem."

Things progressed incredibly smoothly, which was exactly what Fusu had expected. He had never imagined that Mei Yaochen would refuse.

People of insight are all like this. Didn't you see that after Wang Anshi learned what a newspaper was, he immediately bowed to him to show his willingness to learn?

If Mei Yaochen's visit was expected, then the visit of another person was completely unexpected.

"Father, you've come at just the right time."

His appearance at a time when he was struggling with the issue of the throne was like a savior brought in by the emperor.

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Author's Note: The First Emperor is going all out this time. [Dog head with rose in hand]