Epilogue 06 (Contains romance; proceed with caution if you are sensitive to this) Love...

Epilogue 06: The Little Thing Called Love

(There is a romantic subplot! Please make sure you can accept it before continuing.)

Until he was seventeen, Fusu showed no interest in women.

According to the Book of Rites, a man is considered an adult at the age of twenty, but the Song Dynasty favored early marriage. The retired emperor, at the age of twelve or thirteen, married his first empress at the behest of Empress Dowager Liu.

But what was Fusu doing when he was twelve or thirteen? At that time, all the civil and military officials were focused on developing Western Xia and the Sixteen Prefectures, keeping themselves extremely busy. At their busiest, the Privy Council members practically slept on the floor of the Chui Gong Hall.

At this point, if any busybody were to suggest that "the Emperor is not young and should establish an Empress," they would surely be glared at to death by everyone from the Minister of Rites to the lowest clerk.

Furthermore, Fusu was raised in the presence of the court officials, who deeply ingrained the impression of him as a little boy. Even as times changed, they found it difficult to perceive the passage of time on him. They always treated him like a child.

Before long, it dragged on until she turned seventeen.

Last year, Fan Zhongyan retired and returned to his hometown. He left the capital quietly, without telling anyone. But Fusu still managed to catch him red-handed. On the official road ten miles outside Bianjing, Fusu blocked Fan Zhongyan's way aggressively, refusing to let him leave: "Why didn't you tell me?"

Fan Zhongyan sighed slowly: "If I told you, you definitely wouldn't agree."

Fusu remained silent.

"Besides, aren't Chunren and Zizhan still in the court? They are now considered pillars of the state."

After their three-year terms in Yunzhou expired, Su Shi and Fan Chunren, having achieved remarkable results, were both reassigned to other prefectures. Another three years passed, and they returned to the capital with impressive achievements. According to the Ministry of Personnel's assessment, they should remain in Bianjing and be promoted directly to the central government.

But Fusu wanted to facepalm at the mere mention of those two names. Fan Chunren was one thing; Fusu had already witnessed the loving relationship between him and his wife back when he took the imperial examinations. But what about Su Shi? The original historical timeline didn't portray him as a wife-and-child-bragging maniac!

Perhaps it was fate. Even though Su Shi's life took a turn when he was seven years old and became an official at a young age, his wife was still Wang Fu, the same woman in history.

He is in his early twenties and married Wang Fu when they were both serving as prefects. Their first son has been born for quite some time now.

"I only wish my son to be dull and foolish, so that he may rise to high office without any disaster or hardship."

This famous poem, which has been passed down through the ages, was surprisingly published prematurely. When Fusu saw it, it was on his own desk. He immediately laughed in anger: "No disaster, no hardship, yet you reach high office"—what did he mean by showing it to the emperor? Was he expecting Fusu to bestow a title upon him?

Besides the overwhelming creative urges of his wife and son, Fusu had another reason for not wanting to see Su Shi recently.

Before he could think it over, Fan Zhongyan laughed and said, "It seems you haven't wanted to see Zizhan lately."

The upward curve of his lips revealed that he fully understood Fusu's thoughts, but simply chose not to say it aloud.

Fusu: "..."

What should I do if I regret coming to the outskirts of the city to see you off?

He turned his face away: "Yes."

“I suddenly recalled a line from a poem by Yan Xiu: ‘The landscape stretches before my eyes, yet I yearn for distant places; falling flowers and wind and rain only deepen my sorrow for spring.’” Fan Zhongyan gazed at the fading spring scenery before him: “It does indeed suit this scene.”

He put his hand on Fusu's shoulder: "You'd better think this through."

Fusu gave a deep "hmm".

In fact, he had already thought it through a long time ago.

A vast landscape stretches before me, yet my thoughts drift far away; falling blossoms and wind and rain only deepen my sorrow for spring. Better to cherish the person before me.

But what if his "pity" is a purely bad thing for that person?

A quick calculation reveals that Fusu has lived three lifetimes. His experiences are far more complex than most. His thoughts and perspectives are also incomparable. If he could find someone with whom he could truly connect, then marriage in the feudal era would have been nothing short of a constraint for that woman with her extraordinary vision.

What's more, it was he who suggested and advised her to remain unmarried for life.

The position of Empress might not be as good as that of a County Princess, a Prefectural Princess, or a County Lady, right?

Thinking of this, Fusu could only smile bitterly. Compared to this, the five-year age difference between him and Su Zhen was the least of his worries.

Su Zhen was a person of steady progress. After her initial meteoric rise to fame with the "Zhenni Machine" discovered by chance, she did not stop there. Her personality differed greatly from that of Su Xun and Su Shi, and her skills, unlike the Su family tradition, were not focused on poetry and literature, but rather on handicrafts and technology.

In Fusu's second life, her craftsmanship alone would have been enough to make her a famous content creator on social media. Of course, she didn't fare badly in the Song Dynasty either. With each invention she made, her rank rose accordingly, and she is currently a second-rank county princess.

It still holds the record for the highest official position held by anyone in the Su family.

That's why Fusu was unwilling to openly express his feelings. Maintaining the status quo was fine. Once it was revealed, she wouldn't be able to live peacefully as a county princess. She would also be repeatedly scrutinized by the entire court as a potential candidate for "Empress Dowager." But that was not something Su Zhen should have to endure.

As for the issue of choosing an empress?

Let him be the one to contend with the entire court of civil and military officials.

Fusu had no intention of dragging anyone into a pit of fire. Perhaps to outsiders, the position of Empress was not a pit of fire at all, but rather honor, power, and the rise of the family. But he preferred to achieve their ambitions through other means rather than have them marry a husband they neither loved nor who loved them.

As for the successor of the Song Dynasty? Didn't Emperor Renzong in history establish Zhao Zongshi as his adopted son? If my father can do it, why can't I? If the enemy can go, so can I! (Just kidding)

The gentle spring breeze, carrying wisps of floral fragrance, brushed past Fusu's nose, slightly easing his complicated thoughts. As Fusu returned to the city from the outskirts, he unexpectedly encountered his troubled protagonist at the city gate.

Su Zhen.

"What are you doing here?" Fusu asked, his eyes wide.

As he grew older, he was no longer the childlike, adorable little prince he once was, with half his face filled with eyes. But when he opened his eyes wide, the shadow of his former childlike innocence could still be seen.

But in Su Zhen's eyes, his childlike cuteness was real, and so was his composure and reliability. From the very first glance, he was like a pillar of strength, someone who offered advice, made promises, and guaranteed his safety.

Even in Su Zhen's prized field of handicrafts, he seemed to know everything. He could chime in on any topic, even offering constructive suggestions. Sometimes, Su Zhen wondered how someone like this had grown up.

He was already quite adept at governing the country. Yet, he also managed to make significant contributions to the ingenuity of government agencies.

Besides, he grew up to be a rather unconventional man.

When Fusu asked her, "What are you doing here?" Su Zhen initially wanted to say, "I'm out gathering inspiration." But she suddenly felt an urge, an urge not to lie.

"I knew you would come to see Lord Fan off."

"..."

Fusu was stunned.

He asked, half incredulous, "So you waited for me outside the city gate?"

"Um."

Fusu immediately ordered the coachman to turn the horse around: "Then let's not go back to the city yet, let's wander around outside the city."

"good."

Ancient people valued "joy without excess" and "sorrow without despair," yet they were also quite open-minded to some extent. Having lived through three generations, Fusu knew that Su Zhen's words, "I've been waiting for you especially," were not meant to express his true feelings. His agreement to Su Zhen's request to travel together was even less of an act.

After all, this is ancient times. What else could it mean if an unmarried man and woman were traveling together alone?

How amazing.

Although he had a rough idea that Su Zhen shared similar feelings with him, when he confirmed that they were of one mind, Fu Su still felt an indescribable joy, as if he were floating in the air, with a gentle breeze blowing in his face, which made him involuntarily raise the corners of his mouth.

He turned to look at Su Zhen: "What have you been inventing lately? You even have to come to the suburbs to gather inspiration?"

Fruit trees.

Su Zhen smiled broadly: "Some people have asked me before, saying that the trees in their yards never bear fruit, and asked if I could grow a batch of delicious fruit trees."

"You really think you're a magic wish-granting machine?" Fusu couldn't help but complain. "So, what method did you come up with? Grafting? Or cutting?"

Conversations with Su Zhen always reminded Fusu of the past, of his second life that had transformed him.

"I'm researching grafting. What is cutting? I've never heard of it before."

"Insertion is..."

"..."

"..."

The two drew closer as they talked, and before they knew it, their hands touched. Fusu's first reaction was to pull away, but then, with a very light touch, he tentatively grasped Su Zhen's hand.

Su Zhen did not break free.

Fusu smiled and slowly said, "I think this is a matter between two people. Do you... feel that I have let you down?"

Deep down, he felt that being an empress was far less free and carefree than earning the title of county princess. But if Su Zhen didn't think that way, he would respect her wishes. From then on, no matter what difficulties they encountered, they could face them together.

Su Zhen, however, said, "That's what I think too."

Fusu's dark eyes suddenly lit up.

He added, "I also believe that the meaning of life lies in achieving great things, cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, and bringing peace to the world, rather than simply following the instinct to reproduce. What do you... think?"

Su Zhen: "What a coincidence, I thought the same thing."

Their eyes met. A shared understanding and unspoken tacit agreement created a beautiful yet comforting atmosphere. A simple glance was enough to convey a deeper connection than a thousand words could.

"Oh no!" Fusu suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you told Su Shi about our situation?"

"……No."

"what to do?"

"..."

"..."

-To be continued the following day-

Author's note: Help! I tried my best...

Please don't criticize me if you think this is wrong, because I really tried my best.

The next chapter will start the serious side story; for now, let's start with a forum-style story where people look back on today from a future perspective!