Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Where is my grown son?

But then again, the Imperial Academy is clearly the highest institution of learning in the Song Dynasty, so how could there be such incompetent people there?

He can't even compare to one of them.

Fusu rested his chin on his hand and pondered.

"Young Master Zhao, it's no fun if you're always humble." Su Shi patted Fu Su's fluffy head. He had secretly stood with his friends while the teachers and students were making a fuss, and now they were whispering among themselves.

"Don't you even consider whether you're a normal three-year-old?"

Fusu pouted: "Then aren't you extraordinary?"

Su Shi burst out laughing the moment he saw the poem about longing for spring. If Zhang Jifu hadn't been the author and the first to be criticized, given his obviously problematic behavior, he would certainly have been severely reprimanded by Mei Yaochen.

Su Shi, however, just smiled and said, "I've always been extraordinary!"

However, even someone as clever as him couldn't have imagined that it was Fusu who had sabotaged things just now. He simply thought that Zhang Jifu was getting his just desserts, that he had gone too far in his lust and had gone astray.

That's normal. When people say a child is a prodigy, they're usually referring to their knowledge rather than their interpersonal skills.

Many things you only understand when you get older.

Like Su Shi, his knowledge far surpassed that of his peers. He could even understand romantic allusions like "Xie Bridge" at a glance, but at most he could only understand them; he could never write similar sentences himself.

What? You're saying the author of the poem about teenage love is a three-year-old?

That's terrifying!

Furthermore, with Fusu having destroyed the evidence beforehand, the blame was firmly placed on Zhang Jifu's head in full view of everyone.

No matter how many times he insisted that he wasn't the original creator, others just thought he was being stubborn. He's hopeless; he doesn't repent for his mistakes.

Mei Yaochen publicly announced the punishment: each of the Five Classics must be copied one hundred times, and the prisoner is not allowed to leave for three months.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jifu's face turned ashen.

Yan Jidao shook his head and said, "This punishment is far too lenient."

"Actually, it's not too bad. He shouldn't have time to bother me lately," Su Shi said. "If he just honestly copies the books himself."

"That's right, he can find someone else to copy it for him."

Su Shi stroked his chin: "If he were willing to pay me a hefty sum to help him copy... well, that wouldn't be impossible."

Everyone despised his spinelessness.

"There's no other way, we have to make a living."

Su Shi said, "Moreover, Dr. Mei has already had a hard time. It's better that he's only allowed to copy books and not be allowed to leave the house. If he's punished more severely, his family will come to the Imperial Academy to make trouble. Punishing him is the same as not punishing him at all."

Fusu clicked his tongue in amazement: "That's amazing?"

Even in ancient times, when teachers were highly respected, there were still parents like Zihan who were unreasonable and difficult to manage.

Zhao Zongshi also said, "No way, this is the Imperial Academy."

Su Shi suddenly said mysteriously, "That's because you don't know who his family members are."

Although most students at the Imperial Academy were from families with connections, the one Su Shi specifically mentioned must have been someone of extraordinary status. Everyone leaned in to listen, eager to satisfy their curiosity.

“He is…” Su Shi lowered his voice: “the second son of that Lady Zhang’s uncle in the palace, Lady Zhang’s own nephew.”

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances.

Fusu: "Oh."

This is the composure of an official's own son.

Yan Jidao said, "Oh."

This is the source of the prime minister's youngest son's confidence.

Li Qiu: "Oh."

This shows the arrogance of those who are both related to the emperor through marriage, and who is afraid of whom?

Zhao Zongshi: "...Oh?"

This is the atmosphere group, just honest people who blindly follow the trend.

Seeing that everyone's reaction was lukewarm, Su Shi couldn't help but emphasize again: "He is Lady Zhang's nephew. Be careful that he finds out your identities and takes revenge on you."

Fusu glanced outside and, sure enough, Zhang Jifu was being whispered about by the crowd, but his eyes were fixed on them with a very unfriendly look, clearly indicating that he already held a grudge.

A hint of worry appeared in his dark eyes: "Why don't you worry about yourself?"

Su Shi, while suppressing laughter, recited the poem with dramatic intonation, adding a lot of entertainment value to that otherwise unremarkable poem about yearning for love.

Su Shi spread his hands and said, "What am I afraid of? I was summoned to the Imperial Academy by imperial decree."

With this premise in mind, his status as a student was more secure than that of the sons of officials who were admitted through hereditary privilege. Unfortunately, Su Shi didn't particularly like the atmosphere of the Imperial Academy. If he could have chosen his own school, he would definitely have gone to the Imperial University.

I've heard that the Imperial Academy also has outstanding but impoverished students recommended by various prefectures, so its academic atmosphere must be much better than that of the Imperial College.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Zhang Jifu, for some unknown reason, walked straight towards their group and demanded, "Who are you? State your identities!"

Mei Yaochen shouted angrily, "Zhang Jifu! What do you want to do!"

Zhang Jifu ignored him, his fierce gaze fixed on Fusu. The others felt extremely uncomfortable watching him.

They were both at an age where they were mischievous and troublesome, so how could Li Qiu and Yan Jidao possibly stand it up? Even if His Highness Prince Cheng was disguised as a white dragon, they still had powerful backers, okay? Just as the two were about to step forward and chase the person away, they simultaneously felt their sleeves being tugged down.

Looking back, they saw that it was His Highness Prince Cheng shaking his head at them.

Fusu stopped the two in time. Otherwise, with Yan Jidao, Li Qiu, and a three-year-old child, even a ghost could guess his identity. Would it make any difference whether he was exposed or not?

He stepped forward to the front, smiling innocently: "Do you want to find me? If so, come to the Prince Pu's residence."

Zhao Zongshi, the true son of the Prince of Pu: "...?"

This doesn't make sense, does it?

Fusu immediately blinked frantically: "Isn't that right, Brother Zongshi?"

Zhao Zongshi: "Hmm...hmm."

He succumbed to the tyranny of Prince Cheng _(:з」∠)_

Zhang Jifu sneered: "Fine, I'll remember the Prince Pu's Mansion."

His intent to retaliate was quite obvious. He ignored Mei Yaochen's several warnings, flicked his sleeves, and left without paying attention to the whispers in the room.

Mei Yaochen sighed, "Alas!"

He refrained from immediately revealing the prodigy's identity, fearing retaliation from Zhang Jifu's family. However, despite his precautions, the prodigy revealed his identity himself.

Although the Prince of Pu's family was also a member of the imperial clan, they were somewhat distant from the emperor's bloodline. Compared to the powerful and favored concubines and their relatives, they paled in comparison.

He turned to ask Fu Bi for protection, but saw his old friend's eyelids twitching, and he wondered what he was thinking.

Mei Yaochen asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Fu Bi quickly recovered and said, "It's nothing. Let's go. Didn't you want to meet that child prodigy? I'll introduce you."

Mei Yaochen was puzzled: his old friend was of pure lineage and never associated too closely with members of the imperial family. Under what circumstances would he recognize a prince's descendant?

But with the allure of the child prodigy before him, Mei Yaochen quickly followed.

They followed him all the way to the dining hall.

There was nothing Mei Yaochen could do. The little prodigy said he was hungry and that he had originally planned to meet with Prime Minister Fu to experience the authentic dining hall of the Imperial Academy. What could Mei Yaochen do but act as the host and entertain them?

Even in modern times, the dining halls for teachers and students are separate. The same was true in ancient times. Since Mei Yaochen was hosting the guests, he naturally wouldn't let Fu Bi and his companions only eat rice, leeks, and soybean paste. The table was laden with meat dishes, plenty of oil, and even included expensive mutton, stewed until tender and soft.

Su Shi's eyes lit up at the sight of meat. He ate several mouthfuls with gusto before squinting his eyes in happiness and sighing with deep emotion, "I never thought I'd smell meat in the Imperial Academy!"

Even Dongjun at home eats better than him; how can he possibly live like this?

Fu Bi was astonished: "You've never eaten meat at the Imperial Academy?"

"No." Su Shi shook his head exaggeratedly and described his usual meals in detail: "I have been studying in the prison for more than a month and have never seen meat. As for the smell of meat, I have smelled it among my classmates."

The classmates mentioned here are, of course, those from well-off families who can bribe the chefs to give them extra meals.

A song suddenly popped into Fusu's mind, and he sang in a high-pitched voice: "Holding a cornbread in my hand, there's not a drop of oil in the dish?"

Su Shi nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly it!"

He added, "If I could eat meat every day, I would be willing to endure Zhang Jifu's constant harassment."

Mei Yaochen glared at him: "You're so pathetic!"

Su Shi secretly made a face.

Fusu finally understood – although Mei Yaochen and Su Shi had very little interaction, and it was mostly the former reprimanding the latter, Mei Yaochen definitely liked and appreciated Su Shi.

Otherwise, why would they allow Su Shi to complain about the Imperial Academy's canteen in front of Fu Bi and Fu Guanxiang?

Fusu stuffed a mouthful of mutton into his mouth with a "woof": Well, rather than saying that Mei Yaochen himself was also dissatisfied with the food provided by the Imperial Academy's canteen.

He was the kind of person who could write "never getting his hands dirty, living in a grand mansion," and he must have been deeply distressed by the privileged practices within the Imperial College.

Well, it seems being a teacher at the Imperial Academy must be really tough. On one hand, it's the highest educational institution in the country, overseeing the Imperial Academy, schools in various prefectures and counties, private schools, and national publishing.

On the other hand, the Imperial Academy was also a school for the children of officials who had received hereditary privileges, so teachers had to deal with all sorts of people with connections every day. The quality of these people varied greatly. Having a few like Zhang Jifu was enough to make things very difficult.

In that sense, it's no wonder that court officials with backgrounds in the Imperial Academy, such as Ouyang Xiu, Mei Yaochen, and Shi Jie, were staunch advocates of the New Policies and Reforms.

Because they are the biggest victims of favoritism!

Fusu burst out laughing at his own sudden whim. This laugh, however, drew everyone's attention away from Su Shi and onto him.

"What are you thinking about, Zhao Xiaolang?"

Su Shi looked aggrieved and indignant: "Do you think you'd be so happy if I said I couldn't eat meat? What are you up to, Zhao Xiaolang!"

"Where would I find that!" Fusu exclaimed hastily, trying to clear himself up. "I was just thinking that it would be funny to see Prime Minister Fu asking the Emperor for money to pay for meat for the Imperial Academy!"

"Oh? How did you know I would advise the Emperor?"

Fusu was stunned: "Isn't that right?"

Otherwise, why would you, on your day off, not take a break and instead come to the Imperial Academy incognito, and have Mei Yaochen bring students to show you around?

Mei Yaochen suddenly spoke up: "Lord Fu may not have advised on this matter at first, but after hearing about the young master's work, he may well offer his advice."

Fusu: Hmm? What do you mean?

What does this have to do with me? How did it suddenly get dragged into this?

A quick-witted person, like Yan Jidao, would have realized: "Dr. Mei wants to...Young Master, you are remonstrating with Prime Minister Fu on the spot with a poem."

Su Shi immediately pleaded, "Young Master Zhao, whether I can eat meat in the future depends entirely on whether your poems can move the rich gentleman."

Wait a minute? That can't be right.

Fusu immediately looked at Fu Bi: "Lord Fu, even if I don't write a poem on the spot, you will still give advice to the Emperor, right?"

Fu Bi neither said he was right nor wrong. He simply stroked his beard meaningfully and said, "Young Master Zhao, Dr. Mei is doing this for your own good."

Fusu suddenly fell silent again.

Both he and Fu Bi knew his true identity, but Mei Yaochen was completely unaware. Why would he force someone he had only met once to write a poem?

After much thought, he was worried that Zhang Jifu and the people behind him would retaliate against him, so he found a pretext to remonstrate with his old friend by mentioning him in the memorial.

When the emperor sees this, he might think, "Wow, a child prodigy who can compose poetry at the age of three?" He might then feel a sense of appreciation for the talent and ignore the slander from the other side.

Do we really go to such lengths for children we've only met once?

Fusu took a deep breath: "Fine, I'll act tough, okay?"

-

"Yan Hui was happy with simple food and drink, how could the wise men talk about hunger and famine? Don't say that food and supplements are not a blessing, for the great learning is for the sake of this country."

Fu Bi copied the poem he had heard during the day onto the memorial without missing a single word, and added a few words at the end.

—This was written by His Highness Prince Cheng.

After finishing writing, he stood up and stretched, letting out a long sigh of relief: In this way, he wouldn't have to worry about the emperor not taking his remonstrance seriously.

Fu Bi walked to the window sill, looked at the cool moonlight on the horizon, and recalled the events of the day.

His Highness Prince Cheng guessed correctly. He made a special trip to the Imperial Academy today to investigate and correct any oversights and to offer advice to the Emperor.

In subsequent negotiations with the Western Xia, he persuaded the Western Xia envoys to agree to pay a certain amount of salt and iron as tribute to the Song Dynasty every year.

This is a tremendous achievement. If he were to submit a memorial to the Emperor now, requesting to exchange his merit in the peace talks for not being transferred to another post and instead remaining in Bianjing, the Emperor, with his soft heart and fondness for the past, would surely agree.

But Fu Bi was unwilling.

Even if he stayed, what difference would it make? Lü Yijian, Wang Gongchen, Xia Song… all eyes were fixed on him, searching for faults. He could barely protect himself, let alone continue to push forward with reforms.

Moreover, those who once jointly initiated the new policies have all scattered. What's the point of leaving him to live a solitary life as a powerless councilor?

It would be better to use his merits to gain the emperor's attention to his advice. If even one or two of his suggestions could be implemented, that would be good.

As for why the Imperial Academy was chosen, Fu Bi sighed again. The Imperial Academy was the place they regretted the most and couldn't let go of the most. Back then, Fan Zhongyan personally presided over the reform of the Imperial Academy. After he was transferred to Shaanxi, looking back today, only the principles of "the Imperial Academy becoming independent" and "specialized teaching" have been retained.

Fu Bi had imagined his posting to a distant place countless times, and each time he couldn't help but feel immense regret. But when he thought of today's events, and of that little kid, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.

Your Highness, Prince Cheng.

Fu Bi silently recited the name in his heart.

He entered officialdom through the imperial examination in the fifth year of the Tiansheng era, which was seventeen years ago. At that time, he had repeatedly exclaimed that the Emperor was a rare and good ruler for any subject.

To put it bluntly, he was at least much more reliable than Emperor Zhenzong, who blindly worshipped Taoism, accomplished almost nothing, and was obsessed with grandiose projects.

Who would have thought that such good fortune would happen twice in a row?

The Song-Xia peace talks were a calculated move, taking full advantage of the situation.

He can compose poems on the spot; his talent is innate.

If he were merely intelligent, that would be one thing, but Fu Bi also recalled how Fusu had stood up for his post outside the capital and pleaded for the poor students of the Imperial Academy. What he truly possessed was an inextinguishable heart of benevolence.

Fu Bi had never seen how the Crown Prince behaved during his childhood, but he sincerely felt that no Crown Prince throughout history had been more outstanding than His Highness Prince Cheng at the age of three.

Even his resentment lessened somewhat—so what if they were all sent to other places? The central government still held hope for the fate of the Song Dynasty.

He strolled back to his desk, his calloused fingers tracing the letter on which Fusu had recited the poem that day, and a thought suddenly struck him.

He sat back down in his chair, copied the poem again, added several more lines to the paper, and then stuffed it into another envelope.

Several words were clearly written on the envelope's address bar.

—Fan Zhongyan.

"Lord Fan, if you were still in Bianjing, still sitting in the Imperial Academy, who knows how wonderful today would be."

After a long silence, Fu Bi let out a long sigh.

-

Fu Bi acted swiftly. The next day, his memorial, submitted incognito at the Imperial Academy, expressing his heartfelt remonstrance, was placed on the desk in the Chuigong Hall.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Renzong couldn't help but sigh, "Prime Minister Fu is truly..."

He was so devoted to the new policy that he was almost obsessive.

Before even opening the memorial, the Emperor had already guessed its general contents. But as he read, his eyes suddenly widened.

What did Fu Xiangong write? King Cheng?

What's going on? Why is Su'er involved?

Emperor Renzong immediately looked at it more carefully, not wanting to miss a single word.

Su'er and his companions, dressed in white dragonfish attire, uh... secretly entered the Imperial College through the dog hole for an undercover investigation?

Su'er was forced by her friend to compete against the students of the Imperial Academy.

Su'er's four-character poem outshone the students of the Imperial Academy, and even made Mei Yaochen admire her talent.

Su'er composed a poem on the spot, satirizing the Imperial Academy's dining hall for cutting back on food rations.

Fu Bi's memorial was short and concise, yet it vividly described Fu Su's every move at the Imperial Academy yesterday.

Emperor Renzong imagined his young son startled and looking smug, and a loving smile unconsciously spread across his eyes.

Finally, he closed the memorial, his face stern, and said, "Ahem, what kind of behavior is crawling through a dog hole? Does he even remember he's a first-rank prince? This is utterly disgraceful!"

Having said that, he ordered Huang Duzhi to summon Fusu to the Chuigong Hall: "I will definitely teach him a good lesson!"

The smile on her lips, however, was impossible to suppress.

When he raised his hand to beckon, Huang Duzhi was nowhere to be seen. After a few moments, he rushed in from outside: "Your Majesty, Zhang Xiuyuan is outside requesting an audience."

"Biheng?"

Emperor Renzong frowned: "What is she doing here at the Chuigong Hall all of a sudden?"

If Emperor Renzong were leisurely relaxing in the Funing Palace, he would certainly summon his favorite concubine to keep him company, not wanting to keep her waiting. However, he is currently handling state affairs in the Chuigong Palace, so summoning the empress and concubine to the palace abruptly would have a slightly different meaning.

Emperor Renzong waved his hand: "Tell her to wait a moment, go and summon Su'er first."

“But, Consort Xiuyuan said that it concerns the affairs of the previous dynasty and that she has important matters to report. She also said that if Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, she will wait outside and summon you when you are done.”

Waiting outside, what kind of behavior is that?

If this gets back to the ears of the Censors and Regents... ugh, what a headache.

Emperor Renzong rubbed his temples and said, "Fine, let her come in first."

Huang Duzhi: "Yes. And Your Highness Prince Cheng?"

"We'll talk about the matter of King Cheng later. First, send someone to find out where he is, and report back to me once he's been found."

"yes."

Before long, a slender woman walked gracefully towards him. Her steps were so light that they were almost silent, and she reached Emperor Renzong like a gentle breeze. She then bowed gracefully and said, "This concubine greets Your Majesty."

As the saying goes, there's always a hint of affection between people when they meet.

Upon seeing his favored concubine, Emperor Renzong found it difficult to maintain his stern expression as before. He asked in a gentle tone, "Biheng, do you mean you have state affairs to report?"

"Exactly."

The future Consort Zhang, Empress Wencheng, and the current favorite in the harem, Zhang Xiuyuan, slowly raised her head, revealing a beautiful and graceful face: "I must report that someone has openly provoked the Imperial Academy, showing no regard for your dignity."

Emperor Renzong immediately understood; so they had come to report him.

Similar things had happened before, so he naturally ignored the following words and ordered Huang Duzhi to pour Zhang Xiuyuan a cup of tea to calm her down.

He then spoke in a gentle tone, "I do remember that your uncle Zhang Yaozuo has a son studying at the Imperial Academy? Did he tell you that? Please tell me what happened."

But deep down he thought: This Imperial Academy is really lively these days.

Holding the hot tea personally offered by the imperial eunuch, Zhang Xiuyuan's originally sorrowful face showed a faint smile, which disappeared in an instant, and her delicate brows furrowed.

"Does Your Majesty still remember my nephew? He was an extremely honest and kind child, but unfortunately, he was a bit slow-witted. Whenever my uncle and I think about it, we feel deeply guilty for failing Your Majesty's good intentions in sending him to the Imperial Academy."

Emperor Renzong waved his hand and said, "If he can concentrate on his studies at the Imperial Academy and make progress, then he has not failed me."

“But, but such a loyal and kind child was bullied by a three-year-old child who appeared out of nowhere yesterday. The child not only maliciously framed him, but was also extremely arrogant, saying that if he was not satisfied, he could go to the Prince of Pu’s mansion to find him.”

Yesterday. At the Imperial College. I wrote a poem.

The more Emperor Renzong heard this story, the more familiar it seemed.

He opened Fu Bi's memorial and stared at one line: "Is your uncle's son named Zhang Jifu?"

A look of surprise suddenly appeared on Zhang Xiuyuan's face: "Yes, that's right. Your Majesty, you actually remember."

"That three-year-old child, is he from the Prince Pu's residence?"

Zhang Xiuyuan hesitated for a moment: "That child calls himself that, I dare not make a judgment. However, could there be some misunderstanding? After all, Zongshi has been favored by you for many years and is now Prince Cheng's study companion. You know his temperament better than anyone. If we extrapolate from this, how could his brother be so arrogant and domineering?"

"..."

The emperor remained silent, his hand gripping the memorial slightly tighter.

Zhang Xiuyuan couldn't help but feel secretly pleased, thinking that her eye drops had worked. Her lips tightened even more, and her face wore an innocent and pitiful expression.

Little did she know, Emperor Renzong's mind was filled with nothing but—

No, my beloved eldest son, my son who could write poetry at the age of three, when did he become the son of the Prince of Pu?

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

Author's note: Zhang Xiuyuan's name is not recorded in history. This work is based on "Romance of the Song Dynasty".

Details not mentioned in the main text:

While writing his memorial, Fu Bi was thinking to himself: Should I write about Prince Cheng crawling through the dog hole? Should I write it or not? Should I write it or not?

Forget it, I'll just write it anyway, and let the officials do something about it.