Chapter 61 Fusu: This is terrible, things have gone awry...

Auspicious omens can be big or small.

To put it in a broader sense, the fish-belly book containing the inscription "The Great Chu will rise, Chen Sheng will be king" was an auspicious omen, as was the white jade inscribed with "The Holy Mother descends upon the people, the imperial enterprise will be forever prosperous" before Wu Zetian ascended the throne. More recently, the celestial book forged by Emperor Zhenzong and called "Da Zhong Xiang Fu" could also be considered an auspicious omen.

The latter is only a few decades away from now, but the scene of causing great hardship and uproar in the city back then is still clearly remembered by some people in the imperial court.

Fusu looked at Emperor Renzong, who suddenly became excited, with suspicion: Could it be that you have followed in your father's footsteps and become obsessed with that thing?

If the guess is true, he wouldn't mind giving another impassioned remonstrance in the Fengxian Hall, risking his position as crown prince! Really!

"What are you thinking about, your father? Hmm?"

After Emperor Renzong understood what Fusu was worried about, he was both amused and exasperated. He wanted to flick him on the forehead, but then hesitated when his finger touched Fusu's head.

No monarch would like Wei Zheng, but if Wei Zheng were their own son? That would be a different story.

"Don't think the best of your father!"

Fusu stared guiltily at his toes: "Isn't it because I heard about the Court of State Ceremonies?"

Claiming that giraffes brought from Africa are the reincarnation of a unicorn is exactly what they love to do... Oh, I think that only happened during the Ming Dynasty? Never mind then.

"So what? What auspicious omen?"

Emperor Renzong said meaningfully, "It is a magical herb. Moreover, it is a magical herb that our Song people have never seen before."

Never seen before? Could it be a new species?

Potatoes? Corn? Sweet potatoes?

Fusu was momentarily excited, but quickly deflated: these high-yield grain crops were currently thriving peacefully in the Americas. They wouldn't gradually spread to Eurasia until Columbus discovered the New World. At least during the Song Dynasty, it was absolutely impossible for them to be seen.

He immediately lost interest: "Oh, what does that magical herb look like?"

Even if it's not a staple food, it's still a good thing to add one or two new dishes to people's tables.

"This is precisely why this herb is considered an auspicious omen." Emperor Renzong slowly recounted the contents of his memorial: "Its flowers and leaves are no different from the wild grass by the roadside, so much so that no one in the Court of State Ceremonial initially noticed it?"

"But when its fruit splits open, it's filled with pure white strands. Anyone who didn't know better would think there was a silkworm living inside. The people of the Court of State Ceremonial gave it a name, 'Immortal Silkworm Grass,' but I feel... Su'er? Su'er? What's wrong, Su'er?"

"..."

Fusu himself, who was being anxiously summoned, fell into a daze.

When Emperor Renzong's broad hand gripped his shoulder, he suddenly came to his senses and jumped three feet high: "Where is that immortal herb? I want to see it!"

It's cotton! Cotton!

It is cotton, which is known as "a crop created specifically to solve the problem of clothing for humans"!

Fusu grabbed Renzong's sleeve, his earlier lack of interest completely gone: "Where were those plants planted? How many did the people from the Court of State Ceremonial plant in total? How many survived?"

And most importantly—

"Can I take a look at them now?"

Emperor Renzong was initially taken aback by his youngest son's unusual agitation, but upon hearing this, he began to lose his composure. He led Fusu to the window and abruptly opened it: "Su'er, are you sure?"

The night wind was still outside the window, and the cicadas chirped incessantly.

Everything was quiet, with the distant sound of a water clock dripping. At this moment, the Honglu Temple could probably only be visited by the moonlight.

"No matter how urgent things are, we should wait until tomorrow morning, right?"

Fusu then realized he had been too attached to appearances. His face was flushed, and he kept staring at the night outside the window, refusing to look at the Emperor.

"Is that magical herb really that important?"

"Um."

"More important than hemp?"

Emperor Renzong was not an emperor ignorant of the ways of the world. At least he knew that there was a crop called hemp, which was the main source of clothing for the people.

He had even speculated that this "miracle herb" might be similar to hemp, used to weave clothing, enough to keep the people warm. But he never expected his son to react so strongly.

Of course we have to give a big reaction!

Fusu thought.

The Emperor—specifically referring to the one who was the greatest emperor in history—once advised him in a dream that victory in war required overwhelming superiority. This clump of fluffy white cotton was enough to achieve such overwhelming superiority.

What does a crop that can keep people warm in winter symbolize in this era?

Being able to stay warm seems like a very basic requirement. Yet, right here in Bianjing, right under the emperor's nose, people would freeze to death every winter.

This is still in Kaifeng, which is a little south.

Further north in the Liao Dynasty, the land was constantly plagued by extreme weather such as low temperatures and snowstorms. Even if people were lucky enough to survive, if their livestock, which were considered property, could freeze to death, it was not uncommon for them to fall back into poverty overnight.

At this time, with just a little publicity, it was said that the Southern Song Kingdom possessed a type of clothing that could keep people warm and cozy, preventing them from freezing. What would the people of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun think upon hearing this?

Alas, they dared to think of such things, but even Fusu dared not!

However, seeing is believing, and hearing is believing. Fusu did not directly answer Emperor Renzong's question: "Your Majesty, you will know when you see it tomorrow."

"Then it's settled. Go to the Court of State Ceremonial tomorrow. But what about your studies at the Imperial Academy? Have you been absent without a reason?"

Compared to cotton, missing an occasional shift is nothing.

Fusu immediately said, "Go ask for leave."

"Hmm? You mean, you want me to ask for leave for you?"

Su'er, don't forget, your current identity is that of the Prince of Pu. If someone from the palace shows up, won't your secret be exposed?

Fusu suddenly realized: "Oh, right."

He didn't want to be exposed so quickly. He still had other plans to make at the Imperial Academy.

He hesitated for only a second: "Then let's not go."

I believe that once the chief priest and the doctors know the truth, they will forgive him.

The Emperor looked at Fusu and sighed softly, "Su'er, I will definitely ask the gentlemen of Yanzhou to take good care of you in the future."

At first, Fusu was puzzled as to what the emperor meant. Later, he realized that the emperor was teasing him for being lazy in his studies and potentially corrupting his own children. He immediately became furious and his ears turned red.

Of course he had to clear his name—

"I would never lead a child astray!"

"And did the emperor never slack off even once when he was studying? I don't believe it!"

No, in the end...

"I'm only three years old! How can I be a child?!"

Hahahahahahahahaha!

-

The next day, both Fusu and the Emperor got up very early, because the weather had recently become hot.

Whether it was psychological or not, Fusu felt that the wind was unusually cool this morning, making him feel refreshed.

Is this what it feels like to skip school?

The two generations of top students opened their arms and exclaimed in amazement.

Then he felt hands pass under his armpits and lift him up high.

Fusu's feet were off the ground, and he struggled for a moment.

"Your Majesty—"

"Let me carry you for a while, while it's still not too hot," the Emperor said. "It feels like it's been a long time since I've carried you like this."

These words struck at Fusu's Achilles' heel.

His biggest regret is that he couldn't be with his parents when he was three years old so they could enjoy family life.

Fusu's eyes were like those of a dead fish.

What else can we do? Let him hug us.

"By the way, how come a magical herb suddenly appeared in the Court of State Ceremonial?"

"Su'er, you don't know?"

"Know what?"

The Emperor found it utterly amusing: "You really are oblivious to everything around you, only focused on your studies. You've caused a huge uproar in Bianjing, yet you claim you know nothing. If the court officials heard this, wouldn't they be furious?"

"What what?"

Fusu never expected that cotton could be related to him. Then he heard the rumors that various government offices were competing to grow vegetables, and he almost couldn't keep his composure.

"Is it really necessary to be so extravagant?"

It's one thing for others to participate, as they're still within the scope of calling on the government to respond. But even Prime Minister Yan personally got involved, ordering a peach tree to be moved into the government office—that's quite an investment. To be honest, even the Imperial Academy's own vegetable gardening couldn't match the enthusiasm of these up-and-coming talents.

"How could it not be? Look at the Court of State Ceremonial, didn't it draw me and you to it in person?"

"...That makes sense."

It's foreseeable that with such a great achievement, the Court of State Ceremonial will be able to act with impunity among all levels of government for a year. The only remaining question is whether that magical herb is actually cotton.

"The leaves are broadly ovate, with a wide base and a pointed tip; the flowers are deep red; and the cotton bolls are green..."

The "miracle herb" before him was exactly the same as the cotton he remembered. He suddenly held his breath, staring intently at the lone seedling in the sand, and with a small hand, he climbed up the soft stem and plucked off one of the few, most mature-looking flower buds.

Oh, it breaks my heart.

But there's no better way to confirm if it's cotton. Fusu carefully peeled back the outer skin of the cotton boll. Immature cotton bolls are full of sap and haven't formed fibers, but this one—

"Your Majesty, come quickly!"

Fusu pulled on a long, almost transparent fiber inside the cotton boll, like a kite flyer holding onto the only string that could hold the kite.

That description is indeed correct.

Because it truly concerns the year-end bonuses of all officials in the Court of State Ceremonial, the adjustment of the planting ratio of cash crops in farmland, the comprehensive innovation of textile technology, the improvement of the winter happiness index of the people of the Song Dynasty, and a major step forward in the strategy of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.

The official took the thin fiber: "It looks shorter than silk or hemp."

Fusu has now become a cotton fanatic, defending it without hesitation: "Although the fibers are short, its structure is more compact. Moreover, its fibers are more absorbent and breathable, and it is much warmer and more comfortable to wear than clothes made of linen or silk. Anyone who wears it knows."

"Oh?" Emperor Renzong took a deep breath: "Is it really that miraculous?"

"Uh-huh."

So here's the question—

"Why is it that Su'er, who is clearly seeing this magical herb for the first time, speaks as if she is extremely familiar with it, and even as if she has worn clothes made from it before?"

"..."

Fusu's heart skipped a beat: Oh no.

Having been treated as a genius for so long, he gradually got used to it, and even became somewhat arrogant. When those around him turned a blind eye and attributed all the credit to the word "genius," he really dared to say anything.

Now look what happened, the whole thing went wrong.

Fusu looked at Emperor Renzong's ambiguous smile and thought to himself, feeling like crying but having no tears.