Chapter 26 Fusu's vision went black: Is this right? ...

Su Shi asked, "I'll bring up the rear, who among you will go first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Jidao, Li Qiu, and Zhao Zongshi all took a step back in unison.

Fusu, who stood there stunned and motionless, immediately stood out.

Fusu: "..."

Fusu: "…………"

He choked for a moment, then looked at Su Shi first: "Is this the way you came up with to enter and exit the Imperial Academy? You always sneak out from here every time you go home?"

He then protested to his study buddies, "Don't be so in sync in weird places!"

"I had no choice. I spent all the money I had on extra meals, and I didn't have any left to bribe the gatekeeper to let me through. I had to resort to this."

Su Shi smiled and gestured for him to enter. He thought Fusu was carrying some burden in his heart, and kindly comforted him.

"It's alright, Zhao Xiaolang. It's hard to be embarrassed the first time. I just comforted myself by telling myself that it was to go home and visit Dongjun. After a while, I got used to it."

Fusu summarized the central idea: "Rice and millet are indeed precious, but face is even more valuable. But for the sake of the Lord of Spring, both can be abandoned?"

Su Shi's eyes lit up.

"What a fine poem! It truly captures the essence of our generation."

Fusu →_→: True nature, the true nature of a cat lover?

And you don't think I'm praising you, do you? I'm clearly criticizing you!

Besides, it wasn't that he was afraid of losing face. He'd already died twice, so why would he be so fussy? He was simply afraid that his father (the one from the interstellar world) would accidentally see it again and come to his dream in the middle of the night to question him about why he crawled through the dog hole. How would he answer then?

But this stalemate couldn't go on forever. So Fusu took a deep breath, lifted his robe, turned around, and plunged into the dog hole.

At the same time, he prayed frantically that his father was busy conquering the universe and had no time to worry about him.

The dog hole, big enough to accommodate seven-year-old Su Shi, could easily let a three-year-old toddler through. Holding his breath, Fusu darted into the Imperial Academy, dusted off his hands, and called out to the other end of the hole, "Come on over here!"

"..."

Yan Jidao and Zhao Zongshi exchanged a glance, both with expressions of resignation to their fate.

Both of them came from distinguished backgrounds and had a natural aversion to crawling through dog holes. But His Highness Prince Cheng crawled through one in one go; what were their statuses, more noble than His Highness Prince Cheng?

Zhao Zongshi, being older, voluntarily squatted down and said, "I'll go next."

"Wait a minute, Brother Zhao, you're not going to get stuck, are you?" Li Qiu gestured with his eyes, comparing the width of the dog hole to Zhao Zongshi's shoulder width. Things didn't look too good.

"That……"

Just as Zhao Zongshi was about to speak, he saw that the dog hole suddenly became dark, and he could faintly hear voices coming from the other side of the wall.

The expressions on their faces changed simultaneously: Oh no!

Could it be that Zhao Xiaolang/His Highness Prince Cheng has been discovered?

"..."

On the other side of the wall, Fusu was on the verge of tears. The situation was even worse than his friends had imagined—

He was indeed discovered, and it was an acquaintance who found him: "Lord Fu, what are you doing here!"

Fu Bi chuckled and said, "That's the question I was going to ask you, Your Highness."

Fusu's gaze lingered for a moment before he uttered eight words: "Wearing the white dragon and fish-clothes, he shares joy with the people."

Fu Bi's gaze slowly shifted from Fusu's face to the dog hole. The meaning was clear: sharing joy with the people meant crawling through a dog hole?

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the dog hole. Fusu quickly gestured to Fubi: "Please don't tell the Emperor!"

He then pointed to his clothes: "I'm dressed in white dragonfish attire right now, in disguise, so please don't call me a liar just because I say 'Your Highness'!"

Fu Bi still had a smiling expression on his face.

It's unclear whether he grasped Fusu's implication.

Immediately, one after another, dusty little figures emerged from the dog hole at the base of the wall. They stood in a row with Fusu, looking at each other, unsure how to address the adult before them.

Fusu introduced, "This is Master Fu, Lord Fu."

Fu Bi's transfer order to another post was not approved, and he is still serving as the Vice Chancellor, a highly sought-after contributor in the peace talks with Western Xia. He said he was unworthy of the title, but Fusu felt he should address him as "Prime Minister."

The group was startled: "Sir, that's a first-rank official in the imperial court!"

Even Yan Jidao, whose own father was the prime minister, was very obedient, bowing as required and not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

Oh, right. Fusu suddenly remembered—Fu Bi was Yan Shu's son-in-law and Yan Jidao's brother-in-law. No wonder he was so honest. He must have run into an acquaintance or elder.

"Greetings, Mr. Fu!"

"Greetings, young gentlemen." Fu Bi stroked his beard. "Young gentlemen and this gentleman..."

His gaze fell on Fusu, who immediately held his breath in tension.

"What brings this young man Zhao to the Imperial Academy?"

Fusu's breathing became smooth again.

After regaining his senses, he immediately glared at Fu Bi: "Are you kidding me?!"

Fu Bi pretended not to see it.

The remaining few racked their brains trying to figure out how to answer the question. Especially since the questioner was such a high-ranking person, they couldn't very well say in front of the prime minister, "I want to experience what it's like to illegally trespass on a school grounds," could they?

Is there any legitimate reason...?

Su Shi's eyes suddenly lit up: "It's to experience how terrible the food is in the Imperial Academy's dining hall!"

While others were still figuring out how to cover up their lies in a respectable way, he had already realized that with the high-ranking official in front of him, it was the perfect opportunity to lodge a complaint—no, I mean, to offer advice!

Damn it, he really has a lot of complaints to make about the dining hall!

Sure enough, Fu Bi's attention was drawn: "Oh? The food at the Imperial Academy's dining hall is bad? How bad is it?"

The future food critic looked aggrieved: "It's the kind of food that makes you feel so uncomfortable that you don't even have the energy to study!"

Fusu chimed in, "Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal. Mr. Fu, why don't you go to the dining hall and check on the students' living arrangements?"

"Then I will..."

"Yan Guo! I just went to call a few students, what are you doing here? Oh, who are these people?"

But then a man came hurrying along. He was thin, with a straight back, and wore the uniform of a lecturer at the Imperial Academy, giving off an air of aloofness and integrity. The fact that he addressed Fu Bi by his courtesy name suggested that the two were very close.

Fu Bi retorted angrily, "I was just wandering around, how could I possibly get lost? As for these people, they are just some family members I met by chance."

Then, addressing the younger men, he said, "This is a Doctor from the Imperial Academy; you should address him as Mr. Mei."

Mei? Mei Yaochen?

During the reign of Emperor Renzong, he served as a Doctor of the Imperial Academy.

Fusu counted on his fingers and realized that it seemed he was the only one left.

Mei Yaochen was a historical figure with a literary focus; he made few political achievements, but left behind many poems related to the New Policies and Reforms. Fu Bi, on the other hand, had almost no surviving works, but he is remembered in history for his political contributions in advocating the New Policies.

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, who would believe that these two people, who seem to have no connection whatsoever in history, are actually very good friends in private?

Mei Yaochen wasn't stupid. He could tell at a glance that apart from Su Shi's children, all of them were unfamiliar faces. Then he looked at the huge dog hole by the wall. How could he not understand?

His old friend mentioned that he knew some of the children and offered to cover for them, so he pretended not to know: "Let's go. Didn't you want to see the students from the Imperial Academy? I've found them for you."

Su Shi secretly lowered his head.

Fusu keenly noticed: "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Dr. Mei just glanced at me; he must recognize me," Su Shi whispered. "Oh no, my dog ​​hole is doomed!"

Fusu: "Alas, there's nothing we can do about it."

It's more accurate to say that it was fortunate enough that they weren't exposed to his face, out of respect for Fu Bi.

Su Shi suddenly had a whimsical idea: "Without the dog hole, it will be inconvenient for me to visit the Lord of the East. What do you think, how about bringing the Lord of the East to the Imperial Academy?"

Fusu: "...Good luck."

He silently withdrew his hand, which he had been preparing to offer comfort.

Su Shi shook his head again: "No, what if Dongjun is deliberately injured by someone with ulterior motives? Let's forget about it."

"Hmm?" Fusu immediately perked up his ears: "Is someone abusing cats at the Imperial Academy?"

Su Shi shook his head: "It's less about it being aimed at the cat and more about it being aimed at me."

Fusu sensed a sinister undertone in his words.

Could it be... that she was being bullied?

As if to confirm something, no sooner had Su Shi finished speaking than a voice rang out: "Su Shi, how dare you bring unrelated people to the Imperial Academy?"

Fusu immediately looked in all directions and saw a large group of people rushing towards where they were standing. What was originally a quiet, secluded corner of the Imperial Academy had suddenly become very lively.

Based on what Mei Yaochen just said, were these people the Imperial Academy students that Fu Bi wanted to meet? Were the people who challenged Su Shi mixed in with the students?

The student did not try to hide; after completing the proper etiquette, he stepped forward to complain to Mei Yaochen.

"Dr. Mei, the Imperial Academy is a highly secure place, and outsiders are not allowed to enter at will. Su Shi has openly violated this rule right under your nose. You must punish him severely!"

Fusu: Oh ho.

Not wanting to whisper in front of everyone, he winked at Su Shi—"Are you talking about this guy? Instead of trying to impress the rich gentleman, he's going to complain about you. Does he hate you that much?"

Su Shi gave him a knowing look: There's nothing we can do; the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind.

Fusu: "..."

Well, if Su Shi had treated his classmates this way in his daily life... well, he would have easily attracted hatred, right?

Mei Yaochen is also having a headache right now.

The Imperial College did not allow outsiders to enter at will; this was merely a customary practice, not a written rule, and it did not mean there was no room for leniency.

For example, there are precedents for officials or ministers to enter the Imperial Academy to conduct inspections, or for local officials to return to Bianjing to treat their classmates to a good meal.

Mei Yaochen had originally intended to pretend he hadn't seen anything, giving his old friend Fu Bi face. But once the issue was brought to the forefront, he had no choice but to speak up.

"Su Shi, what do you say?"

"The students have nothing to say."

Despite this, Su Shi gestured towards Mei Yaochen and then towards Fu Bi, his meaning quite clear: Dr. Mei himself has brought outsiders into the Imperial Academy, why are you questioning me but not him?

Mei Yaochen: "..."

Fu Bi: "..."

Fusu: "..."

Accompanying students & other students: "..."

Uh, okay, good question!

The person who complained blushed: "This! How can these be the same!"

"Master Fu is a man of both virtue and talent, the hope of all students. How dare you compare yourself to him? Especially since you dare to bring a three-year-old child with you. What do you take the Imperial Academy for?"

Fusu: "..."

Fusu remarked that this person was actually quite good at saving face, if he hadn't been the one shot in the knee.

What's wrong with this three-year-old?

Did a three-year-old eat your rice?

Fusu silently clenched his little fists.

He endured it, traveling incognito!

Su Shi shook his head and spoke slowly: "You've never even met my friends, how do you know they're necessarily incompetent and inferior to you?"

"Su Shi, don't be so arrogant. If you insist on arguing your point, then let's have a contest!"

Su Shi smiled leisurely and said, "Let's compete then."

That's exactly what I was waiting for.

He turned to Mei Yaochen: "Dr. Mei, since you are here, would you be willing to make a judgment on the competition?"

Mei Yaochen turned his face away: You've arranged everything, why are you calling me?

Don't think I didn't notice you were deliberately provoking them.

Fu Bi, however, rolled his eyes and said with great interest, "Striving for excellence is the true nature that you students should have."

"I'm afraid there's not enough time to write an article. Since Dr. Mei is known for his poetry, why don't we set a time limit for each poem, with no restrictions on rhyme scheme, and then Dr. Mei and I can critique its merits together?"

He actually took on the referee's job!

The onlookers stirred quietly for a moment. Those who had just thought the instigator and Su Shi were shameful were now secretly regretting their actions. A high-ranking official of the court as referee—what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Although their families all held official positions, none were as powerful as the high-ranking official.

Who knows, maybe someone will perform exceptionally well and catch the eye of the husband at a young age?

Fusu could clearly feel that many envious, jealous, and hateful gazes were drifting towards their direction.

Everything was ready, except for the contestant's participation. Su Shi gently nudged Fu Su's shoulder: "Go for it, Zhao Xiaolang!"

Fusu, who was walking towards the audience seats on his own initiative: "...Huh???"

What do you want from me?

Aren't you the one who's going to have the competition?

Su Shi didn't think there was anything wrong with pushing him out; instead, he added fuel to the fire.

"They dare to slander you. You must make them see clearly whether my friend, Su Shi, is truly without talent or virtue."

Fusu's vision went black—

Is that correct?

This is wrong everywhere!!!

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

Author's Note: Su Shi: Last time, Zhao Xiaolang let me steal the limelight, this time I'll let him steal it all! My goodness, I'm a genius! [Rabbit head with upright ears]

Fusu: [Melted][Melted][Melted]

There will be another update around 2 AM. If you can't wait, you can check back tomorrow morning!