Chapter 47 Fan Chunren, are you really not doing this...?

"!!!"

"Su'er, why are you back?"

Emperor Renzong was overjoyed. He suddenly turned around, startling Fusu, who was trying to catch him off guard, and Fusu almost tripped and fell.

He nimbly grabbed the hem of his father's clothes to steady himself, and after staggering to his feet, he was then caught by two arms and, in the blink of an eye, fell into a warm and generous embrace.

It's just like being born in swaddling clothes.

"You've lived a very exciting life outside, and your fame has even reached me. So you still remember that the palace is your home, Su'er."

Since Fusu's birth, Emperor Renzong had never been separated from him for so long. At this moment, even as the ruler of a nation, he couldn't help but complain like any lonely old man: "Even asking for syrup was done with a letter; he wouldn't even come back..."

"Huh?"

Fusu exclaimed in surprise, "Syrup? Wasn't it written to Your Majesty by me?"

"What's wrong? Can't I know? I was the one who ordered the kitchen to prepare the syrup."

Fusu wiped his sweat guiltily: The Emperor probably thought it was for his own consumption? In the end, it was all used for the Eighth Prince's residence, to cash out.

The Emperor wouldn't tell Xiao Fusu that, in order to get more news about his son, he had been visiting Kunning Palace more and more often recently, and there were many rumors circulating in the palace about the Empress regaining favor.

However, the one who received the coldest treatment from the rumors was Empress Cao herself. Every time the Emperor visited, he would be met with a disdainful look from her. But considering that he was able to read the letter, a little coldness was nothing.

"So," Emperor Renzong gently rubbed Fusu's soft cheeks, as if kneading a piece of white, glutinous tofu, "what important matter could possibly warrant His Highness Prince Cheng's request to return home?"

When this was mentioned, Fusu perked up.

He held up two fingers and made a small tree branch shape.

"Huh...?"

The Emperor was deeply impressed by this gesture. When Fusu was a child—well, even younger—he had taught it to him, insisting that it be pronounced as the "ye" in "shi ye fei ye," meaning to express happiness. Fusu said he didn't understand, yet he remembered it perfectly.

"No, it's two! It means two things!"

After Fusu finished speaking, he was both amused and exasperated: The ancients said "ye" while modern people say "er". What a reversal of the Heavenly Gang!

"First thing, did Eighth Uncle come to see you today?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Renzong's brows furrowed deeply: "You mean, there are people on the border who specialize in human trafficking?"

"Yes, and it was organized and large-scale."

Little Fusu didn't know how much Zhao Yuanyan had told the Emperor, so he simply started from the beginning: how he met San Niang, how he judged her origin from her accent, and how he was startled by the size of the group of more than a dozen women. Finally, he added, "Since they have the ability to traffic people, they wouldn't just abduct people."

Salt, iron, tea... each one is vital to the nation's survival.

"I will entrust this matter to your eighth uncle."

The Emperor affectionately touched Fusu's face: "Eighth Uncle is always meticulous in his work, Su'er, you can rest assured."

Border smuggling is a life-or-death affair, how dangerous! There must be so much darkness involved. The officials know this, and with Su'er's intelligence, he can probably guess it, but they still don't want their precious child, whom they've raised with such care, to face that darkness and bloodshed directly.

"Then... Your Majesty, you must make sure that Eighth Uncle protects Third Sister well, she is very pitiful."

"Of course. Now that she has come to the Great Song Dynasty, she is a subject of the Great Song Dynasty. How could I ignore her? Not only this Third Sister, but also the women who were with her back then, I will instruct my Eighth Uncle to take good care of them. If there is anything else, you can speak directly to your Eighth Uncle."

"...Your Majesty, you are so kind!"

Fusu grabbed Emperor Renzong's arm, secretly relieved. From the perspective of a feudal dynasty's state apparatus, population was a resource, a source of national power. Women were an even scarcer resource. He was genuinely afraid that Renzong would tacitly approve, or even encourage, human trafficking in the north, and disregard the plight of the women.

Fortunately, the emperor was indeed worthy of the "benevolent" title in his posthumous name.

He would not deliberately ignore the blood and tears of those poor women, nor would he entrust the nation's strength to such bloody and barbaric acts.

Fusu mentally reviewed the situation again. He had done all he could regarding San Niang's matter; all that remained was to wait. He awaited news of San Niang's former companions and any updates from the border.

Now, let's talk about the second thing.

Little Fusu's fair face was unusually flushed, and his little mouth moved, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time. Why? Because the real problem was that he was the one who had caused trouble, and he was begging the officials to bail him out.

How could I possibly bring myself to say that?!

Emperor Renzong seemed to have grasped the situation, and his serious expression melted away. He didn't urge him, but simply watched him with a leisurely air.

Fine, I'll just go for it.

Fusu steeled his heart, closed his eyes, and said, "Your Majesty, could you spare some time to come to the Imperial Academy, just to see me?"

The official instantly thought to himself: Of course! I couldn't be happier!

But he still had to feign indifference: "Oh? Why?"

"because……"

Fusu nearly bit his tongue: "Because I needed you to save the day, and I boasted that you would definitely come, but now I can't take back my boast."

"Because I... I've learned how to farm!"

"What?" The Emperor was first surprised, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha? Really? When did the Imperial Academy start teaching this? How come I had no idea before?"

"It's true. It's really true." The future academy also counts as an academy. Fusu's eyes narrowed slightly: "Your Majesty, you'll know the details when you read the Grand Master's memorial tomorrow. I can't bring myself to say it."

"Oh? What if I insist on knowing today?"

"..."

Fusu looked away, biting his lower lip. He looked as if he would rather die than submit.

How could I possibly say that?

He was burdened by the fact that he had a prodigy son in front of the officials.

"Alright, alright." His son had finally come home; he couldn't afford to anger him, or he might never see him again. Emperor Renzong, seeing the situation was favorable, smiled and said, "I'll listen to you, I won't ask today. However, as compensation, Su'er, could you answer another question for me?"

"...Your Majesty, please speak."

A strange, ominous premonition arose behind Fusu.

"Su'er just said that Third Sister was a woman bought by a local ruffian. You met the ruffian first, and that's how you came to know her. But I don't seem to have heard of any time or place when or where you met the ruffian, Su'er?"

It's broken. It's really broken.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Fusu's forehead.

He had recently gotten into the habit of only reporting good news and not bad in his letters home, and he wrote about how popular his sugar painting stall at the night market was. However, he didn't want his family in the palace to worry about the local thugs who were caught causing trouble, so he kept quiet about it. But then the Third Sister incident happened, and he had no choice but to keep it a secret.

He stammered, "This, Your Majesty, I..."

"Su'er, I don't mean to blame you. I know that with your intelligence, you could easily handle a mere thug without causing any trouble. But sometimes, think about me and your mother, think about us as your parents, okay?"

“Every time, we only find out long after something terrible has happened to you, or sometimes it's just a coincidence. How can we feel good about that? We can only blame ourselves for being so useless.”

"How could that be!"

Fusu immediately retorted. However, under Emperor Renzong's gentle and warm gaze, which held no trace of reproach, he slowly lowered his head again.

"..."

"Next time, no matter what happens, good or bad, I will definitely tell you," he said, emphasizing each word.

"Then this matter is settled. I will not press you further, but I would like to remind you to always be careful and take care of your own safety."

"Okay, I will definitely remember it."

But are we really not going to pursue this anymore?

The following morning, after the regular court session, the Emperor summoned ministers including Yan Shu and Fu Bi to the Chui Gong Hall for a meeting. No one knows what they discussed. All that is known is that shortly afterward, an imperial edict was issued from the palace.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have recently heard that there have been instances of robbery and plunder in the countryside, where people openly act as scoundrels and at night accuse themselves of theft. They disturb the peaceful lives of the people, violate the laws of the land, and bring chaos. My heart is truly troubled. How can I allow such behavior to go unchecked? Therefore, I hereby order the Prefect of Kaifeng and the Imperial City Guard to strictly apprehend these criminals and increase the number of troops patrolling the area, in order to cleanse the capital region of its filth and restore peace to Bianjing. Furthermore, all scholars and commoners who capture thieves and deliver them to the authorities, or who secretly report such crimes, shall be commended."

In other words, a joint public order cleanup campaign organized by the Kaifeng Prefectural Government and the Imperial City Guard was about to begin. The target was the local ruffians and hooligans who were disrupting public order in Bianjing (Kaifeng). Not only were official agencies involved, but the government also encouraged the public to actively apprehend and report these individuals, offering rewards to anyone who participated.

As the saying goes, true masters are often found among ordinary people.

In other words, ordinary people were among the most harmed by local ruffians and harbored the deepest resentment towards them. Not long after the imperial edict was issued, the residents of Bianjing responded enthusiastically, leading government officials through the streets and alleys, arresting several ruffians on the spot. Gamblers, brothel owners, bullies… almost everyone was caught red-handed and unable to deny their crimes.

These people are like Niu Er from "Water Margin," incapable of committing heinous crimes such as murder and arson, yet clinging to their neighbors like a skin disease, making a living by intimidating and toying with ordinary people.

Upon receiving the report, the government arrested these people on the spot, winning applause from the people, who felt that the air in Bianjing City had become much fresher.

As for how the hooligans in prison cried out to heaven and earth in vain, that's another story.

When Fusu heard the news, he was suddenly stunned: Luckily, he had transmigrated into the official history of the Northern Song Dynasty, where there were no dark underground forces like Gui Fanlou in Bianjing. Otherwise, this crackdown would have been incredibly exciting, enough to make a ten- or eight-episode police drama.

He seemed completely unaware that this sudden and aggressive security cleanup operation was initiated by him.

Because he is troubled by something else.

It was what he promised the government when he took out a loan—to farm.

According to Fusu's plan, even though he had never eaten pork in his two lives, had he never seen a pig run? He could just casually hoe the ground a couple of times and dig the soil a couple of times and get away with it.

“Zhao Xiaolang, you were the first to advocate for students to grow vegetables. If even you only demonstrate the basics, how can that be acceptable?” Fan Chunren said earnestly.

but……

Looking at the shovel that was half a person's height, Fusu sincerely thought, "Brother Fan, are you really not playing a prank on me...?"