Chapter 23 Resolving to Resign from the Position of Crown Prince…

How strange! The moment Fusu realized that this was a dream, the dream itself did not collapse.

He failed to regain consciousness and remained trapped in Shangjun in 210 BC.

"..."

The sword in Fusu's hand fell to the ground, colliding with the fake imperial edict that had slipped to the floor earlier. He turned his back; now that he knew it was a dream, and reality could no longer be changed, he might as well let him leave quickly. He didn't want to face... the person five steps away, the person whose name he didn't know.

"Fusu".

The man, who had his hands behind his back, suddenly spoke: "You're not even willing to call me by name?"

Fusu's lips trembled slightly.

In modern times, he, along with his classmates and teachers, referred to that person as "Qin Shi Huang." This objective and detached form of address seemed to possess a magical power, maintaining his modern identity and stripping away everything he had experienced in the past.

But when he actually stood before that person, he realized that the habits ingrained in his bones could not be erased: "...Father."

Fusu used the same title he hadn't used in over twenty years.

Ying Zheng shifted slightly, a hint of relief flashing in his sharp, eagle-like eyes. Fusu wondered if he had misjudged him—that man was a born ruler, always impassive, his emotions as unyielding as the heavens above, mercilessly showering down rain or thunder. How could such a person possibly reveal his feelings?

Sure enough, it was just a fantasy in his dream.

Fusu twitched the corner of his mouth. Was it because his hypocrisy towards Emperor Renzong was exposed during the day that his dream invoked his father from his first life, shamelessly fabricating an illusion to soothe his uneasy mind?

What that person said next seemed to further confirm Fusu's guess.

"You seem to be doing well?"

"Well enough."

Fusu looked away, staring at the messy imperial edict and sword on the ground: "I went to the place where the descendants live and they said that this imperial edict was not issued by you, but was forged by Huhai."

Fusu did not elaborate further, such as how Huhai would have dared to forge an imperial edict if Qin Shi Huang were still alive.

However, seeing how the man frowned deeply upon hearing the name "Hu Hai," it's likely he had already figured out the problem.

Does he even realize that the dynasty he built with his own hands has already...

Fusu was mentally prepared to be questioned and had also prepared a set of responses. He didn't intend to tell that person the truth. How should he put it? His role was to comfort the person's dream, so why bother the extra?

Now that you know the whole story behind this imperial edict, will you still resent me?

What? You're not going to ask about Qin's fate?

The man didn't utter a single word, but simply stood with his hands behind his back, staring intently at him, determined to wait for an answer, as if that answer weighed more heavily than the mountains and rivers that would follow him after his death.

"………………"

Fusu remained silent.

He didn't want to deceive himself even in his dreams.

The man who received no reply smiled, a hint of self-mockery in his expression. Then, he bent down to pick up the sword from the ground, and without even glancing at Fusu, he lifted the curtain and stepped into the howling north wind.

"In that case, it seems that I have been the one who has disturbed you rashly."

The man's words became distorted by the strong wind, making Fusu doubt that he had misheard.

He replied curtly, "No."

He was simply someone whose subconscious mind brought out to comfort him; it's not like he was bothering anyone.

"Is that so?" The man's voice was noncommittal.

The 300,000-strong army seemed so close, yet the inclement weather shrouded in mist made it appear impossibly distant. He had once sent an army south to attack the Baiyue, which never returned, establishing the Nanyue Kingdom. It wasn't until a full century later that it was brought back to the central government by another powerful ruler.

But the same story did not happen to the eldest son.

Qin Shi Huang suddenly felt much relieved: he had hoped that Fusu would do that, but he forgot that Fusu would never do such a thing.

Of all his sons, Fusu knew best how much effort he had devoted to unifying the world and how he considered it his lifelong wish.

As a son, how could I go against my father's lifelong wish, selfishly amass military power, establish a separatist regime, or abandon the frontier in vain and send troops south to reignite the flames of war?

The child he raised was not someone who would risk his own life and the suffering of the people.

"I have wronged him," Qin Shi Huang thought.

He repeatedly rebuked Fusu for being bewitched by sanctimonious Confucian scholars. But who could have predicted that it wasn't bewitching, but a motto, a creed that Fusu upheld with his life until the very end?

Qin Shi Huang suddenly turned his head and said seriously, "After you wake up, forget about the dream."

Fusu: "...?"

"It was my own wishful thinking that disturbed you." He suddenly threw the sword far away, and the murder weapon he had used to kill himself was instantly swallowed by the white mist and disappeared without even a crisp sound when it hit the ground.

"I thought today's events were your obsession, but now I realize that it is I who am truly troubled and unable to let go..."

Qin Shi Huang's beard twitched slightly, and Fusu couldn't tell if he was smiling, or what the smile meant. He only knew that the man's eyes were incredibly complex, so complex that he couldn't help but take a step forward to catch up, as if that figure would disappear in the next second: "Father..."

"..."

That person suddenly disappeared.

"...Your Majesty!"

Fusu was suddenly awakened from his dream.

He gasped for breath, the familiar surroundings a stark reminder of the divide between illusion and reality. He tried to grasp at fragments of the dream, but only the last, murmured phrase resonated in his ears, leaving behind echoing ringing.

"I thought today was your obsession, but now I realize that it is I who am the one who is troubled and unable to let go."

What does this sentence mean?

Did that person commit suicide after death because he was still worried about being killed?

It wasn't that he was trying to soothe his soul by summoning the image of his father from his subconscious, but rather... that person was actively trying to infiltrate his dreams to meet him?

Yes, the moment that person appeared, they slapped the sword and the imperial edict out of his hand, as if they couldn't wait to stop him from committing suicide.

Fusu never regretted his suicide; it was his choice to die for his cause. If he ever fantasized about anything, it was nothing more than wanting to see that person again and say a few more words before he took his own life.

The man asked him if he resented it, but Fusu did not answer. He could neither say he resented it nor that he didn't.

Fusu resented fate.

—Let his gentle and kind nature be born under the tutelage of a ruthless and decisive ruler, let him experience the ruler's tender and nurturing care, and then place him in the scorching heat of winter. Let the political ideals of father and son diverge in the alienation between ruler and subject.

Who is right and who is wrong is nothing more than the mockery and malice of fate.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?" The eunuch on night watch hurriedly entered, lighting a lamp.

Fusu's mind was in complete turmoil, and he just wanted to be alone for a while. He originally intended to dismiss them.

But the eunuch was taken aback when he saw his appearance: "Your Highness, shall I invite the Empress over?"

Fusu frowned: "It's late at night, Her Majesty is already asleep."

He's not a real three-year-old who needs his parents to be with him when he has nightmares.

"But, but you had a nightmare?"

Fusu remained silent, then touched his cheek and found a few scattered drops of water. Huh? When did he wake up? He was completely lost in thought and hadn't noticed at all.

Fusu pouted, trying to salvage her image: "I'm hot, just give me a new blanket."

It makes no mention that the dream was actually set in winter.

As the eunuch wiped away his tears, he casually swept the handkerchief across his forehead and neck: "Are you sure you don't want to call Her Majesty? If Her Majesty finds out you cried in the middle of the night tomorrow morning and doesn't tell her, she'll only feel more sorry for you."

Fusu remained silent for a moment, then said, "Then go."

He had to admit the eunuch was right; the events of the day had proven Empress Cao's extraordinary detective skills, perhaps specifically applied to him. In short, nothing about him could escape his mother's notice.

The eunuch left for a while, and then Empress Cao arrived.

She arrived in a hurry, wearing only a thin gauze robe, but her eyes were clear, showing no signs of fatigue from being disturbed from her sleep. She sat down at the head of Fusu's bed and immediately touched Fusu's forehead and neck with the back of her hand: "Thank goodness, thank goodness, he doesn't have a fever."

Fusu muttered softly, "I'm not that fragile."

I didn't even have nightmares, but I dreamt of someone I hadn't dreamt of in over twenty years, which surprised me a bit. Why does everyone treat him like a fragile person?

That person… Fusu started to drift off into thought again.

He suddenly asked, "Mother, what would you do if you suddenly found out I was injured?"

"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you talking about? Children say the darndest things."

Empress Cao patted his mouth in a manner exactly like he did. Fusu couldn't help but chuckle, wondering who had learned it from whom.

After Empress Cao finished taking the picture, she dared to imagine Fusu's hypothetical situation: "If I really find out that you are injured somewhere... then I must see you no matter what, otherwise, it won't be you having a nightmare, but your mother having a nightmare."

Fusu murmured, "Is that so?"

The person in the dream was not surprised to see the imperial edict in his hand ordering him to commit suicide. He was not astonished to hear Hu Hai's name. Even after hearing that Hu Hai had gone to the afterlife, he never inquired about the future fate of the Qin Dynasty.

All signs indicate that if that person was not a figment of his imagination but a real person who visited his dream... then he already knew what happened in the future.

That's why he understood the reasons behind his self-immolation and martyrdom, and after entering his dream with some kind of power, he tried to stop the act of self-immolation... and then discovered that the person who actually cared about self-immolation was him, not himself.

In Fusu's heart, something seemed to shatter completely, and the sound of gurgling spring water came from his ears, as if a part of him had been revived.

"What happened? Did you dream that someone saw you injured?"

"..." Fusu suddenly came to his senses and couldn't help but take a soft breath upon hearing this.

That's a bit too perceptive.

Is this the terrifying intuition of a mother?

Unable to answer the question, Fusu had no choice but to turn his head and abruptly change the subject.

"Your Majesty, I would like to go to the Chuigong Hall tomorrow."

He suddenly grabbed Empress Cao's hands.

For a former adult, such childlike intimacy was extremely rare for Fusu, which only highlighted his guilt and seriousness: "I plan to go there first thing in the morning. I asked Your Majesty not to ask for leave from Zishan Hall."

“I…I want to speak with Your Majesty about the Crown Prince. I do not wish to be the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty.”

A tingling sensation spread through Fusu's entire back, and he could hear a cracking sound in his ears. Fusu knew that it was the sound of his reckless abandon.

"So you finally said it," Empress Cao exclaimed, seemingly unsurprised. Yesterday's words were indeed pointed.

Fusu slowly lowered his head.

Do you feel guilty?

Fusu nodded.

"But it also feels very relaxing?"

Fusu thought for a moment and nodded again.

"Then let's go."

Empress Cao said, "Didn't your mother say that even if you are no longer the Crown Prince, your mother will still be the Empress?"

She pinched Fusu's cheek: "As long as it's not a crime of treason, it won't implicate your mother."

Fusu's guilty expression suddenly froze on his face. He subconsciously looked around, and thankfully, the eunuchs and maids had already been dismissed, leaving only the two of them in the large bedroom.

Empress Cao seemed completely unaware of the earth-shattering words she had just uttered: "Zishan Hall, your mother went to ask for leave for you early this morning. As for the Emperor..."

She paused for a moment, and Fusu's heart jumped into his throat.

What happened to the government?

What will he think of me after hearing this?

"As you know, the Emperor and your mother have never had a good relationship. As for pleading for you, your mother is powerless to help."

Fusu: ...Hey!

How can parents talk about their bad relationship in front of their child?

On second thought, he's only three years old, yet he can already read the Analects, participate in the Song-Xia peace talks, and even doesn't want to be the crown prince anymore. Empress Cao thinks it's quite reasonable that he could sense the discord between the emperor and empress.

Fusu looked up in a daze and realized that Empress Cao was smiling as she spoke. He immediately understood that his mother had probably said a series of witty remarks to amuse him and ease his mind.

Fusu felt a warm glow in his heart.

He composed himself and said firmly, "I will definitely not let you down..."

No, no, no, is that really what she hoped for?

Fusu suddenly stopped, unsure of what to say.

Empress Cao then pinched her son's cheek, finding it smooth and slippery, and couldn't bear to let it go.

"Since Mother has said so much, Su'er, you must not betray your own heart."

"……Um!"

-

Since he didn't have to go to Zishan Hall for school the next day, Fusu slept in late for the first time in a long time, and then ate breakfast with a tragic expression as if he were going to the battlefield.

By the time he put down his chopsticks, the Emperor should have finished his morning court session. He could immediately set off for the Chui Gong Hall and catch the man red-handed.

He immediately ordered someone to escort him to the Chuigong Hall. This was Fusu's second trip there. Unlike the first time, this time Huang Duzhi was not with him, he didn't need to use the excuse of needing to urinate to escape, and he wouldn't accidentally encounter Fu Bi ruining his plans...

I encountered it.

Fusu covered his face: Should he admit he was a jinx, or should he say Fu Bi spoke of the devil and the devil appeared?

Fu Bi had just come out of the Chuigong Hall and seemed very happy to see him: "Your Highness, it's been a few days."

Fusu returned the greeting: "Master Fu."

Fu Bi waved his hand: "This old minister is unworthy of being addressed as Prime Minister."

He then asked, "Is Your Highness perhaps concerned about news from Western Xia, and has come to the Chui Gong Hall specifically to inquire of His Majesty in person?"

A person who can become a Privy Councilor must have exceptional emotional intelligence. Even skipping school can be described as refined and elegant.

However, since Xixia and Tan Fusu had been directly involved, and Fu Bi had offered a way out, he asked another question: "How is it going? Does Minister Fu have any news?"

Fu Bi smiled and said, "The Western Xia envoys have agreed to use salt in lieu of tribute. As for the amount, they have already written back to Li Yuanhao to inquire. To show their sincerity, the delegation can only return to Western Xia after this year's tribute has been paid in full."

Fusu: "That way we won't have to worry about them defaulting on their debts."

"Yes, I have served as an official for more than 20 years since the reign of Emperor Zhenzong. To be able to see this day is a blessing in disguise."

Fu Bi was filled with emotion, but then he thought of something: "However, Your Highness, please don't call me Prime Minister anymore. I am no longer Prime Minister."

Fusu: "...?"

Considering Fu Bi's unusually formidable exclamation, which sounded like a flag, and his repeated emphasis on "not my husband," a disturbing possibility began to surface in my mind.

He swallowed hard, looked up, but couldn't see Fu Bi's expression because of the backlight.

"Aren't you... going to continue promoting the new policy?"

"Huh?" Fu Bi was clearly taken aback. "Your Highness even knows about the new policies?"

This further reinforced my understanding of the Emperor's high regard for Prince Cheng.

Fusu guessed what Fubi was thinking and immediately fell silent. He knew it wasn't because of the Emperor, but because he had a historical cheat code—to be precise, because he had memorized the entire "Yueyang Tower Inscription."

No, why did I instinctively try to hide it?

Haven't you already made up your mind to confront them?

"Then, sir, where are you going?"

Fu Bi stroked his beard: "He will probably be sent to a prefecture to serve as a people-friendly official and enjoy life with the people."

"This old minister and Lord Fan Zhongyan promoted the reforms in order to save the country from its peril. Although it is regrettable that they could not be implemented, seeing that our Great Song Dynasty has a day when it can hold its head high against the Western Xia is not a case of 'losing on one front but gaining on another.' Seeing this before I leave, this old minister feels it was all worthwhile."

Fusu shook his head, saying, "Lord Fu, you are not just a mere witness; you are a great contributor to the peace talks."

He couldn't help but say bluntly, "How can you be demoted and sent to a remote post when you are clearly a meritorious figure in the reform and peace talks?"

"This is unreasonable."

This wouldn't make sense in the Qin Dynasty, modern times, or any other dynasty.

"Shh! Your Highness, please be quiet."

Fusu spoke with utmost frankness, which startled Fu Bi so much that he broke out in a cold sweat. Only when he saw that no one was around did he relax a little—it was very similar to the scene when Empress Cao had a late-night conversation, only the protagonists were reversed.

Having shed his burdens, Fusu became the one who dared to speak his mind.

Fu Bi then earnestly advised, "The Song Dynasty is already in a predicament both internally and externally. The new policies involve public land and hereditary officials, which are extremely complex matters where a single move can have far-reaching consequences. It's not that His Majesty doesn't want to bring peace to the country, but... he also has his own unavoidable circumstances."

The public fields would involve disturbing the landlords' original private fields.

"Hereditary official positions" are places where the children of officials can secure a stable life without having to work hard.

Fusu immediately understood why Emperor Renzong's policies could not be implemented.

"Consider it my request. Your Highness, please do not repeat what you just said in front of His Majesty."

"This old minister bids farewell to Your Highness."

Fusu looked at him strangely: How could someone who has been demoted from the central government still speak up for the person who demoted him?

He wasn't just going to say it, he was going to say something even more outrageous. Since he was about to say goodbye to the Crown Prince forever anyway, he wouldn't have another chance to be willful, so he might as well just say everything he'd been holding back.

Even as he stepped onto the steps of the Chuigong Hall, Fusu was still calculating on his fingers—when he was thinking about Yan Jidao yesterday, he thought of Emperor Huizong of Song. How many years does Emperor Huizong have left? It seems to be less than a hundred years.

Less than a hundred years had passed since the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty.

He walked into the Chuigong Hall as if he were walking on air. Perhaps because of his special status, or perhaps because his expression was too serious and tense, no one dared to stop him along the way. Even Fu Bi only hesitated and let him go.

Fusu met the Emperor smoothly on his journey.

The latter was standing with his hands behind his back, gazing up at a giant map hanging on the wall, seemingly deep in thought. Hearing the noise behind him, he turned around and, surprisingly, wasn't too surprised to see his son at a time when he shouldn't have.

Fusu suddenly thought inappropriately: The Empress, the Emperor, and even Fu Bi, whom he had just met, all treated him with a chill attitude towards his truancy. No one was a parent who would push their child to excel.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the jumbled thoughts. He had come today on important business: "Your Majesty."

Emperor Renzong winked slyly: "Western Xia?"

"Yes and no." Fusu took a deep breath: "I have something to say."

Emperor Renzong seemed to have thought of something, and he withdrew his joking tone from before: "Su'er, please speak freely."

Fusu closed his eyes and slowly exhaled: "The Qingli New Deal..."

Once those four words, symbolizing the perspective of later generations, were uttered, it was as if the floodgates had been opened, and he immediately became fluent.

Why didn't you persist with the Qingli Reforms led by Lord Fan and Lord Fu?

"Is it because you feel that things are fine as they are for now?"

Fusu stepped forward and walked to the map that Emperor Renzong was examining. On it, the Song Dynasty, as the central state, occupied a much smaller and more cramped area than any other dynasty in history.

In the far north, beyond the reach of the scene, decades later, a fishing and hunting people is about to rise, baring their fangs, and devouring the fate of the Song and Liao dynasties.

But so far, nothing has yet begun.

The Song Dynasty at that time could still be described as a golden age.

"So you think that even if the Liao and Xia armies trample Song territory and cause widespread suffering a hundred years later, the Zhao ancestors would not blame you, the emperor of a prosperous era a hundred years ago, for pursuing the responsibility, and that's why you abandoned the reforms in order to seek peace in the present and a good reputation in the court?"

Fusu uttered words that were far more outrageous and earth-shattering than his previous statements as a pro-war advocate.

The Chuigong Hall was eerily quiet, as if one were in the eye of a storm. But Fusu was extremely relaxed, expressing all the turmoil and frustration he had felt these past few days, unable to contain his worries about the fate of the Song Dynasty while having to hide his thoughts.

What would Emperor Renzong think?

In previous dynasties, this would have meant execution, but the Song Dynasty had a tradition of not killing scholar-officials, and Emperor Renzong was a good person, so he wouldn't kill himself.

But being rejected is inevitable, isn't it? What father can accept his son pointing his finger at him and saying he's a coward?

If he could scold and berate him a couple of times to vent his anger, then when Emperor Renzong thinks of this son again, he will probably only feel disgust and will not be considered again like Yinreng.

He could also give himself some psychological comfort, since he was used to being a top student: at least I wasn't rejected because I was too bad.

But after waiting for a long time, Emperor Renzong did not speak. He first looked up at the roof beam, his usually amiable face tense, and his eyes rippled with a turbulence that Fusu could not understand.

After a long silence, he spoke.

He asked Fusu, "Su'er, is your remonstrance today because you have already made up your mind to resign from the position of Crown Prince, which is why you are so vehement in your words?"

-----------------------

Author's note: Wow! I've finally written about the place I originally wanted to write this story about!

I need to put on a clip, so there won't be an update until 11 PM on the 10th. The next update will be at 11 PM on the 10th.

Thank you everyone for your support! This chapter includes a 20 RMB red envelope! [starry eyes]