Chapter 13 Once we've hired a cat, I'll write it for you...

Su Shi's father, Su Xun, once wrote an essay titled "On the Names of My Two Sons," explaining the origin of the names of his two sons.

Among them, the character "轼" in the eldest son Su Shi's name refers to the crossbar at the front of a carriage. His courtesy name "子瞻" is also derived from his given name, taking the imagery of "climbing the carriage and gazing into the distance." Su Xun used this imagery to express his hope that his eldest son would be modest and cautious in the future.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Su Shi's temperament and experiences as an adult were the complete opposite of being low-key and cautious.

These anecdotes were things his middle and high school Chinese teachers loved to tell, and while Fusu couldn't say he knew them all by heart, he was certainly familiar with them. So he forced Su Dalang to tell him his name, and Su Dalang, unable to resist his sugar daddy and child, said, "Alright, when we get to my guest room, I'll write it down for you myself."

Upon seeing the familiar name, Fusu felt a sense of relief, as if his suspicions had been confirmed. He carefully held the future star of literature's autograph, instructing the guards behind him to keep it safe and not to damage it in the slightest.

Upon seeing this, Su Shi felt embarrassed: "It's just a name, young man, why are you making such a fuss?"

“Of course it’s necessary, how could it not be?” Fusu stared intently at Su Shi: “And those calligraphy and paintings you haven’t put on the stall yet, hand them over quickly!”

"They're actually serious...!"

Su Shi muttered something under his breath, but why would he give up a perfectly good business opportunity? He obediently went to rummage through the book box under the bed.

Before long, a pile of messy calligraphy and paintings was placed on the table. Su Shi quickly picked out a few and put them in his pocket: "This one, this one, and this one... these are all my practice pieces, they don't count, I'll keep them myself."

"No, no!" Fusu's hands weren't as fast as Su Shi's, so he could only stare at him longingly, trying to get it back: "Even the exercises, I want them. We agreed they'd all be mine."

"Well……"

Su Shi was completely baffled now.

He's a bit narcissistic and loves to show off, otherwise he wouldn't have done things like selling paintings and composing couplets on the street at such a young age. I previously thought that this rich and noble little boy was interested in his talent and wanted to use buying his paintings as an excuse to make a good connection.

Who would have thought that they actually liked his paintings?

Su Shi was in a daze. He casually flipped through the few strokes of green bamboo and strange rocks he had painted and found them to be quite beautiful: Could it be that his painting skills were really not bad?

To be fair, for a seven-year-old child, Su Shi's calligraphy was already beyond his years. But that wasn't what Fusu valued; after all, the owner of these paintings was the legendary Su Shi.

Unlike Li Shangyin, who was a talented but unappreciated figure who only became popular by chance in later generations, Su Shi was a top figure in the literary world during his time. In just a few decades, his calligraphy and paintings, which no one would pay attention to when they were sold on the street, would become highly sought-after treasures.

Fusu never expected that what he thought would be a conversation starter would become the biggest gain from this trip out of the palace.

However, he coveted the writing practice that Su Shi was carrying in his bosom, and wanted to jump up and reach for it when no one was looking.

However, Su Shi was prepared and mischievously used his height advantage to hold the paper high: "Since you like my calligraphy and painting, I must leave a perfect image. I can't just use a practice piece to get by and ruin my reputation."

He smiled, revealing a row of white teeth. Even with several guards following behind Fusu, he didn't seem uncomfortable at all. Instead, he appeared carefree and unrestrained, making Fusu both itchy to be angry and unable to get angry at him.

In my heart, I thought, "He's Su Shi, don't you know what kind of person he is? Why bother arguing with him?"

Fusu thought he was being tolerant, but in reality he was giving up simply because he wasn't tall enough: "Since Brother Su doesn't want to give it, then I won't take it. These things on your desk are mine."

Manager Chen had been silent since entering the room, but at this moment, he suddenly became very perceptive and took out several strings of cash from his pocket, handing them to Su Shi. The latter counted them and, according to the average price, it was more than double the price he had set out at the stall.

However, hiring a raccoon dog involves more than just the dog itself; it also requires purchasing the raccoon's favorite food, climbing gear, and other amenities, which adds up to a considerable expense. Therefore, Su Shi did not refuse, and bowed to Fusu, saying, "Thank you for your patronage, young man. I will come to you again when I have a new work. May I ask where you live, young man, and what your name is?"

Fusu said, "My name is Zhao Su."

That is his great name in this world.

This name was mainly recognized within the palace and the imperial court; outside the palace, it was far less widely known than the title "Prince Cheng." Since Su Shi was visiting Bianjing, he naturally hadn't heard of it.

However, upon hearing the name "Zhao" and seeing the guard leader's suddenly tense expression when Fusu introduced himself, he guessed the answer was pretty much correct. He smiled calmly but did not press the matter further.

But Fusu twirled his fingers, tapped his head, and after careful consideration, said seriously, "If you have a new work, come to... come to the Prince of Pu's residence to find me. Or we can correspond, so you won't lose contact with me after you return to Meishan."

Fusu didn't have any perverse pleasure in deliberately concealing his identity or traveling incognito. The problem was that if he were to actually reveal his family background, Su Shi would have to kneel before him. Who could bear to be knelt before the dignified Su Zizhan? In any case, Fusu, who had a bit of a fanboy mentality, certainly couldn't.

Being a member of the imperial clan is much more advantageous. Although related to the royal family, they are not officials and are not bound by so many formalities, so the difference in status will not ruin a chance encounter.

Su Shi nodded: "I've got it. I'll write to you once I've hired the cat."

Fusu clasped his hands together expectantly and said, "Alright, I'll wait."

But in his heart, he started to wonder if he should get a pet too? A cat? A dog? A bird? A turtle? No, no, it would be best if it looked a bit fierce and imposing, to fit his "pro-war" persona.

The mere thought of the term "pro-war faction" reminded Fusu of his main purpose for the day. He blinked, feigning curiosity, and asked, "By the way, I heard that the envoys from Western Xia have recently been staying at the Daxiangguo Temple. Have you seen them, Su Lang? What do they look like? Are they fierce?"

Upon hearing the words "Western Xia," Su Shi's face flashed with a hint of disgust, demonstrating that he was a patriotic young man, or rather, a teenager, who cared about national affairs.

but……

“I have never seen them, not even my father. It is said that the envoys stay in the Xiangguo Temple, in the place where they entertain distinguished guests. It is located directly opposite the guest quarters, so they are not easily seen.”

Fusu exclaimed in disappointment, "Ah..."

Su Shi thought Fusu was unhappy because his curiosity hadn't been satisfied, so he lowered himself down and told the little boy the anecdote he had heard: "But I heard from the young monks in the temple that these envoys, besides negotiating peace with our Song Dynasty officials, also like to debate Buddhist teachings with the high monks in the temple. If you go to see the abbot, you'll probably be able to see them, right?"

Fusu was astonished: "Buddhism? The Western Xia also believed in Buddhism?"

On second thought, it's not surprising that the Liao Dynasty, the former suzerain state of Western Xia, adopted Buddhism as its official religion. What's unexpected is that the envoys sent this time are quite... well, academically inclined, actually engaging in debates with Song Dynasty monks.

Since that's the case, I have to go and see it no matter what.

Fusu thought to himself.

If the Song Dynasty couldn't win the debate, it would be a huge embarrassment. But that shouldn't be the case; Fusu had confidence in the religious theoretical level of the temples designated by the royal family.

Su Shi saw through Fusu's intention: "You want to go and find out?"

Just as Fusu was about to nod, he heard Su Shi say with a look that said, "Then I'll go take a look too!"

It would be a lie to say that Su Shi wasn't curious about the debate between the two states, but his entire family held no official positions and would be stopped before they could even get close. It was a rare opportunity to encounter a somewhat distinguished and interesting child, so he couldn't resist joining in the fun.

He jokingly said, "Otherwise, what if you're just a little kid all alone and people think you're here to cause trouble?"

Fusu grinned: "Who are you calling a little boy? And how much better are you?"

"Haha! You're still better than Zhao Xiaolang!"

Fusu was furious, silently repeating to himself: This is Su Shi, this is Su Shi, this is Su Shi…

Steward Chen, standing to the side: ? ? ?

What do you mean by all alone? Does everyone think I and the guards don't exist?

Seeing the two eagerly heading towards the abbot's quarters, the usually taciturn Steward Chen finally couldn't sit still any longer. He grabbed Fusu's delicate wrist: "Young Master, where are you going? We should go back to the manor."

He inwardly resented Su Shi, thinking, "Why did he have to bring up the matter of the Western Xia envoy? Could His Highness resist his curiosity and not investigate further?" He selectively ignored the fact that it was actually Fusu who had brought up the term "Western Xia."

Fusu opened his innocent eyes wide: "Hey—but Father didn't specify when I have to go back to the manor."

Steward Chen: "..."

He had no words to refute it, nor did he show any intention of letting go; he demonstrated his thoughts through his actions.

Seeing this, Fusu felt a little embarrassed. He wasn't the type to make things difficult for others or leave them to clean up messes. But all the groundwork had been laid for the sake of finding out the truth about the Western Xia people. He couldn't let his efforts be wasted on his own people.

"Don't worry, Uncle Chen. Daxiangguo Temple is our Song Dynasty's territory. With the Bodhisattva watching over us from heaven and the abbot overseeing things in the temple, what would the Western Xia dare to do?"

"Besides, I'll just take a look, really just one look."

Fusu had already acted coquettishly towards Emperor Renzong once, so he had no qualms about it this time.

Seeing that Chief Steward Chen was showing signs of softening, his gaze fell on the weapon at the man's waist: "Uncle Chen, why don't you have the guards keep a little distance? They're all carrying weapons. If the Western Xia envoy misunderstands, it would be bad, but it would actually increase my danger."

Su Shi: "...Pfft."

I'm sorry I couldn't hold it in, but it was really hard to suppress my laughter.

He realized that this young man from the Zhao family wasn't as well-behaved as he appeared.

Yes—we're kindred spirits!

Steward Chen: Shall I leave?

But he couldn't deny that Fusu was right, so he swallowed his anger and left. With a wave of his hand, a group of guards moved several steps away from Fusu.

Fusu gave Steward Chen a thumbs up, and then, following Su Shi's directions, stealthily approached the courtyard where the abbot usually meditated and cultivated himself.

Strangely, the courtyard was empty. They approached the main hall, which had its doors tightly shut, and could faint sounds of conversation drifted through the door.

There was familiar Song Dynasty Mandarin, as well as some heavily accented languages ​​that Fusu couldn't understand.

He instinctively held his breath.

Fusu and Su Shi exchanged a glance, and were about to press their little ears against the door, trying to listen more carefully to confirm the identity of the person inside. Suddenly, a pair of calloused hands reached out from behind and covered Fusu's nose and mouth, covering them completely and tightly.

A note from the author:

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