Chapter 133 From this day forward, the Great Song Dynasty will no longer pay tribute...

“Of course, there is a third way,” Fusu said. “It is to find another good variety, following the example of cotton and potatoes.”

Upon hearing this, Miaowu immediately raised his hand high: "This is the one I chose."

Su Zhen suddenly realized: No wonder, when she first met the princess, she was reading "The Essentials of the Common People" in her own room. At that time, Su Zhen was only startled by her statement about "not getting married" and did not delve into her behavior.

It turns out that this was related to His Highness the Crown Prince.

Fusu glanced at Miaowu: "Sister, that's just following a map, which is no different from looking for a needle in a haystack. As for gunpowder, laymen are likely to hurt themselves. If I were to suggest it, you should choose the second one."

Su Zhen nodded slightly, then asked, "What kind of machine does Your Highness desire?"

Jenny.

Fusu thought to himself.

Historically, from the discovery of cotton to its use, the only truly revolutionary technological advancement was Huang Daopo's improvement of the loom during the Yuan Dynasty. Following that were the flying shuttle and the spinning jenny. The latter directly fueled half of Britain's Industrial Revolution, bringing the nation a century of prosperity.

Fusu has no intention of acting anymore; he said frankly that he wanted to as well. Moreover, Mianhua had been thinking about this ever since she appeared.

Now that cotton-padded clothing is on the market, the government still needs to intervene and issue official price guidelines so that ordinary people can afford it. After the discovery of the Jenny, perhaps even price guidelines won't be necessary, and everyone in the Song Dynasty could wear them?

But what exactly is a Jenny machine?

Fusu nodded in distress: "...Actually, I've only seen it once in my dream."

Miao Wu and Su Zhen suddenly realized the truth at the same time.

Su Zhen had heard that the discovery of potatoes was "given by heaven," proof that His Highness the Crown Prince was blessed by heaven and earth. However, she had always been skeptical of this rumor. It wasn't until she arrived in Bianjing that, out of curiosity, she asked Su Shi, who was directly involved in the discovery, and Miaowu, who was also involved.

Both of them told him with absolute certainty, "It's true!"

Su Shi even patted his chest and said, "I saw it with my own eyes, there is absolutely no way it could be fake."

Su Zhen believed it.

When she heard the words "saw it in a dream," she was even more certain of the rumor's truth. So she immediately held her breath and listened carefully, not wanting to miss a single word.

“In that dream, the spinning wheel used for spinning cotton thread was not upright, but tilted to the side for some reason.” Fusu gestured with his small hand in the air: “But for some reason, the spinning wheel could still keep turning, and it was equipped with several spindles that were not quite in the same direction. So, one spinning wheel could spin eight threads.”

“…Huh?” Miaowu’s eyes widened: “The spinning wheel belongs to the Daoist, how can it still keep turning?”

Fusu replied helplessly, "I don't know about that."

You'd have to ask the man who kicked over his wife's spinning wheel. What force and angle did he use? However, this is probably a one-in-a-million coincidence. Otherwise, with millions of spinning wheels, why would the Spinning Jenny incident only happen in Jenny's house?

Su Zhen gently patted Miaowu's arm as a gesture of comfort. Miaowu's eyes lit up with longing as she listened: "Your Highness, I'll remember this, I'll give it a try."

She whispered her imagination: "If a spinning wheel could spin eight threads at the same time..."

That means efficiency has increased more than eightfold. Su Zhen couldn't even imagine what kind of changes this would bring to the textile industry. No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince said that any achievement she could accomplish would earn her freedom in choosing her own marriage.

“Alright, go ahead and give it a try. Ask Miaowu for help with anything you need, or just tell me.” Fusu suddenly looked at her seriously: “Also, let me say it again, if this thing really comes into existence one day, merit is merit, but you need to figure out what it will be converted into and redeemed for yourself.”

Should she choose a more prestigious marriage? Or simply not marry and live alone? Fusu, thinking of the future, was determined to stop Su Zhen's marriage to the Cheng family. There was no way to help her make the decision later.

Not getting married might mean a lifetime of freedom, but it also means enduring a lot of criticism. Some people can handle the criticism, while others can't. But it's ultimately her own choice.

Su Zhen paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Your Highness, you are truly strange. Giving someone like me a choice is clearly a merciful gift, so why do you repeatedly emphasize this, as if you yourself were a bad person?"

Miaowu slightly opened his mouth.

It seems I didn't expect my friend to be so bold.

Fusu was stumped by her question and was speechless for a moment.

Yes, why is that?

"That's good." After a while, he said, "It's good that you feel you have a choice."

Su Zhen returned to her residence from the palace, and looking at the plaque bearing the name "Su Residence," she felt a sense of déjà vu. Neither of her other two relatives knew what she had just discussed with the Crown Prince.

How strange, how peculiar. His Highness the Crown Prince didn't even ask her father's and brother's opinions. He simply left her to decide for herself.

He opened his mouth but then stopped, clearly wanting to ask a question.

Does even His Highness the Crown Prince think the phrase "before marriage, follow your father" is wrong? She clearly read through the classics at the age of four and passed the imperial examination with top honors in all three levels.

So... should I tell him/her?

Su Zhen took a breath and happened to bump into her younger brother, Su Shi, who was coming out of the study to get some fresh air. The latter stretched under the eaves and saw that the person in front of him had suddenly appeared—his elder sister: "Elder sister, are you dressed like that to go to the palace?"

Su Zhen nodded: "When are you setting off for Yunzhou County?"

"Let's see what Lord Wang thinks," Su Shi said. "He's my superior, so I can't leave before him and make it seem like I'm the most diligent one."

“However, he will be the prefect from now on, and I, as the vice-prefect, will be responsible for finding fault with him. I can’t just blindly obey him like before; I have to show some attitude.” Su Shi smugly hummed twice.

Su Zhen: "..."

Based on her understanding of her younger brother's personality, back when they were in the editorial department of "Seeking Knowledge," he was definitely not the type to blindly obey Shangguan.

Su Zhen suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Wang Anshi, whom he had never met before: "You've had a hard time from beginning to end, Lord Wang."

She suddenly asked curiously, "Speaking of which, when you act so recklessly, does your father never discipline you?"

Su Shi raised his head: "Teaching them a lesson won't help. Neither Father nor I are first-time officials."

Su Zhen: "You're right."

Su Shi watched as his sister seemed to have received invaluable advice, her expression one of sudden enlightenment. He shook his head, puzzled. Had he said anything? He couldn't quite place it.

“I’ll see you off on the day you take office,” Su Zhen said.

"Okay. I'll come pick you up to play once I'm settled. You have to come, sister, you promise me."

"Yes, I promised you, and I will never go back on my word."

The next day, a brand-new loom was delivered to the gate of the Su residence. According to the eunuchs who carried it, it was a gift from their princess to Miss Su. The Su family's servants were at a loss for what to do. In the end, Su Zhen stepped forward and had the eunuchs move the loom to her room.

Then, she stayed indoors all day, spinning yarn and weaving a piece of cloth. She then sent the cloth back to Meishan.

"It's a small token of my daughter's affection."

This is how she explained it to her father, Su Xun.

Su Xun didn't ask any further questions and nodded in agreement. Actually, he didn't want his daughter to get married so early either. If the Cheng family came to inquire about marriage before the appointed time, wouldn't that make them suspect that the Su family was of questionable character?

Let our daughter stay in Bianjing. This bolt of cloth is enough to shut them up.

Later, after the Cheng family in Meishan received the cloth, they didn't say much more. They only vaguely heard that they were very satisfied and told everyone they met that it was the work of Su Zizhan's sister, a fifth-rank official. She had woven cloth for them even before marrying into the Cheng family.

Little did they know that Su Zhen had locked himself in his home and kicked over the loom countless times from different angles.

The servants of the Su family, however, misunderstood the situation. They had heard the sound of a loom collapsing shortly after their young mistress returned from the palace each time, and they were all terrified. They assumed their mistress had some kind of dissatisfaction with the princess.

It's best to keep this kind of thing a secret, of course.

Therefore, the matter concerning Su Zhen and the loom remained a secret until the day she coincidentally uncovered the secret.

——

The selection and appointment of officials in Yunzhou took place over a New Year period. This year's New Year was a bit late; Fusu estimated it was at least February in the Gregorian calendar. After the imperial court held a farewell banquet for the Yunzhou officials, the weather noticeably warmed up.

After sending most of his friends north, Bianjing seemed deserted, and Fusu couldn't help but feel a little lonely. In the past, when he had nothing to do, he would stroll around the editorial office of the "Seeking Knowledge" newspaper, admire the busy figure of editor Su Shi, and make a sarcastic remark.

But now, even when contributing to "100,000 Whys (Song Dynasty Edition)," he sends the manuscript over by someone else. He no longer comes in person. Because there are hardly any familiar faces left in the editorial department.

After Wang Anshi and Su Shi, two key members who had worked there for four years, left, the editorial department was largely vacant. Fortunately, they each summarized their work in a memoir, and the new recruits only needed to follow their established practices. Furthermore, the Song Dynasty had an abundance of talented individuals, so the newspaper was surprisingly not affected in its timely publication.

The first issue of the "Seeking Knowledge Daily" after the change of leadership was met with immense tension among the editorial staff, who were terrified that their work might fall short of expectations. However, longtime readers in Bianjing noticed that only a small fraction of the editorial layout had changed. Upon closer inspection, the content, layout, and writing style remained largely the same, so they assumed nothing had happened and read on with peace of mind.

A major upheaval was thus smoothly brought to a close, and everyone, including the Emperor and Fusu, breathed a sigh of relief.

However, their relief was short-lived. He had to consider the problems that would plague them throughout the winter—spring was approaching, the white disaster was about to subside, and the Liao Kingdom was visibly recovering.

What about Yunzhou? And what about the other fifteen prefectures?

This morning at the grand court assembly, all the civil and military officials were arguing fiercely over this matter. Some said they should fight, arguing that Emperor Wu of Han had seized this very opportunity to conquer the Xiongnu in the northern deserts. Others said they should make peace, pointing out that the officials in Yunzhou had not yet arrived, and that they should govern the region for a year or two, developing it into the most fortified front line of the Song Dynasty, before gradually planning for the future.

This statement drew rebuttals from the previous group.

"What's with all this talk of 'later' and 'taking things slowly'? How long are we going to take to actually do it?"

"So what? Are you trying to say that we are cowards? Ha, how ridiculous. You are so eager for quick success that you clearly believe that if the Song Dynasty is not so eager for quick results, it will be helpless against the Liao Dynasty and will only fail. So who is the real coward?"

Both sides thought the other was a coward, and they argued fiercely. At the height of their argument, they dragged Di Qing, who had been observing from the sidelines, into the fray: "General Di, what do you think of the strength of my Song army? Is it enough to withstand another battle?"

Di Qing: "...I will obey the court."

Both sides fell silent, turning their gaze to the official's face. The official remained silent, subtly raising his chin to indicate the direction below him.

So everyone's attention naturally focused on... Fusu, who would be nine years old after the New Year, barely qualifying as a little boy: "Your Highness, what do you think?"

Fusu, under the spotlight, silently wiped his face and said, "I say, aren't you all a bit too hasty?"

"ah?"

"What's the meaning?"

"Spring has arrived. Although the weather is warm, the cattle, sheep and horses are thin after the winter, and people are not getting enough to eat. This is the time when the Liao Kingdom is willing to ease its national strength, but it is also the time when it is most powerless. But it is not impossible for them to fight against our Great Song with all their might."

"So, shouldn't we wait and see what they have to say?"

The Emperor nodded deeply: "Su'er's words are correct."

Last year, the Liao emperor sent a letter, which was full of sob stories and threats. He said that he did not want to follow the story of "Duke Zheng defeating Duan at Yan" and urged the Song Dynasty to stop as soon as possible and behave itself.

Fusu predicted at the time that the Liao Dynasty had severely depleted its national strength after the war with the Western Xia the previous year, making it impossible for it to launch any major actions. After winter, at most he could only send envoys to sue for peace or simply let the loss of Yunzhou pass by quietly.

This spring, the time for verification will come.

With both the Emperor and the Crown Prince speaking, neither side, which had been arguing fiercely, dared to say anything more. The entire court was united, eagerly awaiting the Liao Dynasty's reaction. The Liao Emperor himself probably didn't realize how eagerly the Song people were waiting for them.

After much anticipation, the Liao envoy arrived, bringing with him a letter from the Liao king.

The Court of State Ceremonial was already extremely adept at entertaining foreign envoys. They settled the delegation at the Xiangguo Temple and, learning from the experience of the Western Xia, carefully examined everyone around them.

Then, while fulfilling the various requests of the envoys, he observed them and finally reported his conclusions—this year's envoys seemed to be much more arrogant.

"oh--"

The Emperor suddenly understood and exchanged a glance with Fusu. They probably had a good idea of ​​the contents of the Liao Emperor's letter this time.

So, a few days later, when the emperor hosted a banquet for the Liao envoy and asked him to produce his official letter, he was not surprised at all when he saw its contents.

But Fusu was still a little surprised. He looked at his nominal "uncle's" notes and shook his head: "Why do we have to pay more tribute when we were the ones who beat him?"

"Could it be that the Liao ruler believes Yunzhou was purchased by our Song Dynasty, rather than captured through actual combat?"

"Your Highness is mistaken." Hearing the impolite words, the Liao envoy's expression also turned cold: "My lord and your Song know the truth about the Yunzhou incident. It was just good luck. Such good fortune will not come twice."

"My lord has not considered the gains and losses involved, and has only allowed your Song state to pay more annual tribute. This is already out of consideration for our decades of brotherhood and the decades of peace between our two countries," the Liao envoy said.

Fusu: "..."

Why do you talk so rudely?

He simply crossed his arms and watched from the sidelines. He figured he didn't need to lift a finger; there were plenty of eloquent people in the court who would give him a good dressing down.

As expected, upon hearing the envoy's statement that "demanding your annual tribute is a favor to you," the entire court was enraged. Fu Bi was among those most deeply affected. Seven years earlier, when the Song and Xia dynasties were locked in a fierce and chaotic war, the Liao dynasty, remaining neutral, took the opportunity to extort more tribute from the Song dynasty.

In response to this matter, Fu Bi was sent as an envoy to the Liao Dynasty in the second year of the Qingli era. He endured humiliation and negotiated a price acceptable to both sides. Although it was a difficult situation, it was the best solution available at the time. No one in the court blamed him; instead, it was credited to him.

Fu Bi did not want such credit.

But seven years later, the balance of power had shifted. Did the Liao Dynasty still believe that the Song Dynasty of today was one that even the Western Xia couldn't handle?

He sneered; "As for the rights and wrongs of Yunzhou, since the Liao emperor has his own judgment, why doesn't he immediately clarify the truth and restore the original state, instead of sending you south as an envoy?"

These words shattered the facade of peace, turning the envoy's face pale with anger: "Do you really think my Liao Kingdom wouldn't dare? Or does your Song Kingdom really intend to abandon decades of peace?"

No one dared to accept this hat except Fusu.

"What's done is done, what's there to be afraid of admitting?"

I'm sorry, but this generation of people in the Song Dynasty experienced decades of peace under the Treaty of Chanyuan, so they were all rather conservative. But Fusu thought he was different; in his earliest life, he was born in an era when "the King of Qin swept across the six kingdoms, his tiger-like gaze fixed upon them."

Often, upon waking up in the morning, he would hear news from his relatives that "a certain country has been destroyed." At that time, his father, the emperor, never had any psychological burden regarding disrupting peace.

The Liao envoy's rhetoric had no effect on Fusu. He didn't even bother to argue with him: "Our Great Song will not increase the annual tribute. We will not pay the original amount again. Go back and tell the Liao emperor this."

"Also, tell him to guard the line well, so we don't exploit any loopholes and he gets so angry that he can't do anything about it, and in the end he can only send an envoy to cause trouble!"

"hiss--"

Upon hearing this, the envoy wasn't furious, but some Song officials were terrified. They had thought the Crown Prince was hesitant and waiting for news from the Liao Emperor because he was afraid. But the envoy's arrival was met with such a sharp rebuke.

That was so daring... but also so exhilarating!

The Song Dynasty officials were delighted, but the envoy was furious. He had considered a hundred possible responses beforehand, but he hadn't expected the Song Dynasty to be so assertive yet cunning. What was going on? Why were they so different from before?

His complexion visibly lightened, and he swayed slightly, unable to speak for a long while. The Emperor then asked, "Uh, should I summon the imperial physician?"

"..."

The envoy was furious. At this point, he abandoned all pretense of decorum and glared fiercely at Emperor Renzong. "Stop pretending to be kind! When your son made those threats, you didn't stop him at all!"

The father and son simply played the roles of good cop and bad cop.

Emperor Renzong lived up to his reputation for being kind and gentle. Even when glared at, he didn't get angry: "It's good that he got angry. Doesn't it prove that my son's words have an effect?"

He smiled slightly, concealing his achievements and fame.

The room fell silent, everyone waiting for the envoy's reply so they could proceed with their counterattack. The envoy knew he should utter some harsh words to maintain his composure, but he also knew his own situation: the Liao Kingdom could only fight the next war if everyone, from nobles to commoners, gritted their teeth together, but the ruler might not be willing to do so.

Therefore, he dared not make any definitive statements, only saying, "The advantage of Yunzhou can only be taken once. I will never let your Song Dynasty take advantage of this loophole a second time."

The envoy knew his words lacked force. But he feared that if he heard a rebuttal, he might actually faint—and then the two countries would have to fight anyway. So he simply left his seat and strode away.

One of the main figures stormed off, leaving the Song Dynasty officials exchanging bewildered glances. Could the banquet possibly continue? Fusu, however, smiled and urged them, "Eat quickly, everyone."

They can eat and drink on public funds without having to worry about official business. Isn't that a wonderful thing? What are you all standing there for?

eat!

At Fusu's enthusiastic urging, the people at the lower table exchanged glances, hesitated, and then picked up their chopsticks. They casually picked up some dishes and put them in their mouths, then their eyes suddenly lit up: Wow, this tastes pretty good!

Has the culinary skills of the palace kitchen improved again? Or has His Highness the Crown Prince come up with some new dishes?

Never mind, let's eat!

Fusu was in a good mood. After the banquet, he held a small meeting with the Emperor and several key officials to discuss the events of the banquet.

"Su'er, the annual tribute... are we really not going to give it?"

This peace tax, known as the annual tribute, had been paid since Emperor Renzong was still the crown prince. Although a rational analysis of the pros and cons showed that the Song Dynasty no longer needed to pay it, he still felt a strong sense of disorientation.

"Planning to attack the Liao Kingdom on one hand, and paying money to help them develop on the other—isn't that like fighting with both sides of the brain?" Fusu said.

The Emperor: "..."

Su'er rarely spoke so bluntly about people. But then he thought, "Oh right, who would support their enemy?" The Emperor slapped his forehead, realizing he had been too attached to appearances.

It wasn't just him; I suspect some in the Qing family were also caught off guard. The Song Dynasty had been weak for decades, and suddenly the balance of power reversed. It wasn't just the Liao king and his envoys who were caught off guard.

"Then we won't pay it." With a wave of his hand, the Emperor announced that the Song Dynasty was officially bidding farewell to the Treaty of Chanyuan.

At the same time, it also means that the decades of peace symbolized by that treaty will also vanish like a bubble.

At this moment, the Emperor inevitably thinks of Emperor Zhenzong, his father, who drafted this treaty. If he could know this from beyond the grave, what would he think? Would he be gratified, angry, sighing, or...?

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.

The official thought.

To put it bluntly, he preferred to listen to his son rather than his father.

"If the Liao Kingdom launches an attack because of this, we only need to respond. Minister Di, you..."

"Respond to what challenge?" Fusu interrupted his father, unusually, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Of course we should take the initiative and fight."

"...?"

“Father, didn’t you notice? The Liao envoy said that Yunzhou was just a coincidence, and we didn’t get any benefits in other places. What does that mean? It means that they didn’t find out that we were reselling honeycomb briquettes to neighboring states, and they didn’t even know about honeycomb briquettes.”

"Their control over Shuozhou, Yingzhou, Wuzhou and other places is already so weak. If we don't attack now while the Liao Kingdom is weakened in the spring, when will we ever get another chance?"

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Author's Note: To warmly celebrate the Song Dynasty's decision to cease paying tribute, Little Fusu will be giving out red envelopes in this chapter—20 of them! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]