Chapter 10: The Crown Prince Selected After the Test of History...
"Ouch." Fusu cried out in pain instinctively.
But he was still secretly relieved that they hadn't bumped into the bookshelf; otherwise, the whole shelf of books falling down would have been a disaster. He was still in his "newbie protection period," his flesh covering his bones, so a fall didn't hurt much.
But the "crack" sound just now, like a bone hitting a heavy object, made Fusu's teeth ache at the thought. Right, the boy he bumped into was extremely thin; a fall must have hurt terribly.
"Are you alright? Are you not broken any bones?"
Fusu quickly got up and went to help the boy up. Unexpectedly, the boy, who had been lying on the ground grimacing, scrambled to his feet as soon as he saw him, composed himself, and looked terrified: "I was blind and unintentionally offended Your Highness. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
"Are you really okay? Does your body hurt? I saw you rubbing your knee earlier, did you hit it?"
The young man gritted his teeth: "I am fine."
Fusu was a little skeptical, worried that he was deliberately hiding his injuries to avoid being blamed: "I offended you first, so you don't need to apologize. Instead, I should apologize to you. Also, you call me King Cheng, but I don't even know your name."
The young man said, "I am the son of the King of Pu, and my name is Zhao Zongshi."
Fusu thought to himself: Just as I expected.
He sized up the young man before him: a dark blue robe accentuated his slender, bamboo-like figure, and his face held a scholarly air somewhat similar to that of an official. He held a book tightly in his hand, even when he fell, he never let go, unlike a nobleman, he looked more like a scholar who had studied diligently for many years.
So this is what Zhao Zongshi, the future Emperor Yingzong of Song, Zhao Shu, looked like. If Fusu hadn't been born, Emperor Renzong would have faced the predicament of having no biological heir, and would ultimately have made this adopted son the crown prince.
Historically, Zhao Zongshi was sent to the palace to be raised as a prince when he was three years old because Emperor Renzong had no children. When he was seven years old, he was sent back to the Prince of Pu's family after the birth of Emperor Renzong's biological son, Zhao Xin.
If I do the math, Zhao Zongshi is now over ten years old, but he still lives in the palace and even studies in the Zishan Hall. Could it be that after Fusu's older brother died young, Zhao Zongshi was summoned into the palace by the emperor once again?
Thinking of this, Fusu suddenly felt a pang of guilt and unease. His birth and upbringing were an anomaly in history, and would undoubtedly plunge his cousin, who had been imprisoned twice, into another predicament.
Your Majesty, you're making people experience such extreme highs and lows; be careful not to damage the children's mental health...
Especially considering Zhao Zongshi's terrified expression when he saw him earlier, and how he repeatedly referred to himself as "your subject" and "son of the Prince of Pu," refusing to call himself a prince, it's clear that he harbored deep resentment.
After introducing himself, Zhao Zongshi waited a while without hearing anything further, then quietly raised his eyelids and glanced in Fusu's direction. Unexpectedly, he met the latter's deep gaze, and was so startled that he quickly looked away.
"The son of the Prince of Pu, according to seniority, would be my cousin, right?" A sweet voice rang in his ears, and Zhao Zongshi's heart skipped a beat again: "Your subject dares not accept such an honor."
"What's there to be afraid of? You're too bold! Maybe in the future I'll have to call you Imperial Brother," Fusu thought to himself.
The way he looked at Zhao Zongshi was like a glass of water when someone is thirsty, or a pillow when someone is sleepy.
Now there's no need to wait for Consort Miao's child to be born. Right in front of us is a qualified and historically proven candidate for crown prince. With Zhao Zongshi here, even if he wants to usurp the position of crown prince, the emperor won't have to worry about the succession issue. There's someone ready right now.
No, no. Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. I need to find a time to ask him privately if he would like to be the crown prince.
Fusu had all sorts of terrifying thoughts running through his mind, but his soft, gentle face showed no sign of it: "Let me see if you've fallen."
He insisted on showing Zhao Zongshi his wounds, and the latter could not refuse Fusu, so he sat down nearby, lifted his shirt and the hem of his clothes, and exposed the skin of several joints.
Fusu couldn't see any signs of a fracture from his movements, but he did see a bruise the size of a thumbnail on Zhao Zongshi's left knee.
Fusu breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, there was no fracture, just a minor injury. A little medicated oil and some rubbing will do the trick."
Zhao Zongshi lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Fusu, however, sensed something from his silence: "There's no time to lose. I'll send someone to bring it to you right away. Apply it now, and it will help you heal faster."
"No need, no need..."
Zhao Zongshi murmured softly for a moment, then suddenly raised his voice slightly, displaying an unusually solemn expression: "Your Highness, I have a request to make. Could you please not tell anyone about what happened between us in the library today?"
Fusu blinked his big eyes twice: "Why?"
"Because I want to study here," Zhao Zongshi said, his hand holding the book unconsciously tightening as if grasping at a lifeline.
Ah... I see.
Fusu understood immediately.
Who was the student at Zishan Hall before? It must have been Zhao Zongshi, who had reached school age. However, for various reasons, Emperor Renzong did not specially appoint Yishan, but only had lecturers and storytellers teach Zhao Zongshi.
Now that His Highness Prince Cheng's studies are on the agenda, the lecturers can no longer pay attention to Zhao Zongshi, but the latter can still support himself and enjoy himself with the books in the library. Once Fusu makes this public, Zhao Zongshi's status will be awkward, and he will probably have to go home again.
But Zhao Zongshi was clearly unwilling. Obviously, he wasn't after the status of a prince; like Liang Huaiji, he was after the uniquely advantageous environment of studying in the palace.
Sigh. Another bookworm.
Fusu thought with amusement, "How should I put it? No wonder I transmigrated to the Song Dynasty. Everyone here loves reading so much."
However, judging from Zhao Zongshi's tone and his constantly fearful and yielding attitude, he clearly believed that he had usurped the position of the true prince. Only Fusu, who was well-versed in history, knew that he was actually the one blocking Zhao Zongshi's path.
Then, meeting those eyes—clouded by fear yet gleaming with a deep thirst for knowledge—Fusu was overwhelmed and almost nodded: "Okay, I agree..."
“I see His Highness.”
"Ah, Your Highness Prince Cheng, you're here? Oh, and who are you? What are you doing in the library?"
Hearing the sound of Fusu stumbling from afar, the two little ones couldn't contain themselves and ran over. They stumbled upon the scene of the underground transaction.
Fusu: "..."
Now, Zhao Zongshi is not just trying to shut one person's mouth, but three people's.
He looked at Zhao Zongshi again, and sure enough, the latter's face was ashen, as if the sky had fallen. Those who served as his attendants were connected to officials of the previous dynasty and would certainly not be as easy to talk to as His Highness Prince Cheng. And once the previous dynasty remembered him, Zhao Zongshi would no longer be able to remain in the palace without proper authority.
After Li Qiu finished speaking, the scene fell silent for a moment, as he still didn't understand what had happened. Yan Jidao couldn't stand it any longer and quietly tugged at his sleeve: "This is Zhao Zongshi, the thirteenth son of the Prince of Pu."
"Oh..." Li Qiu nodded blankly, then gave a proper greeting to the silent Zhao Zongshi: "Young Prince Zhao, are you also studying at Zishan Hall? I didn't see you today."
Fusu: "..."
Yan Jidao: "..."
Zhao Zongshi looked even more like he wanted to die.
Just as he was completely disheartened and preparing to bid farewell, Mei Kai was pulled by Fusu's sleeve for the second time: "Wait."
"Do you want to continue your studies? You can join us in Zishan Hall." Fusu blinked and extended a sincere invitation: "It's just that you've already taken some of the lessons, so you'll have to take them a second time."
Wronged?
What's there to be upset about!
Zhao Zongshi almost thought he was hallucinating. His lips trembled, and he subconsciously felt it was impossible. How could the Emperor allow a discarded fake prince to reappear in Zishan Hall? Wouldn't that completely throw everything into chaos?
"Your Highness, you...you want to..."
Fusu, however, thought it wasn't impossible. As a prince, there would inevitably be protests and discontent. But what about as a study companion? Counting on his fingers, he currently had one son of a civil official and one son of a maternal relative, and he was just missing a representative of the imperial clan. Zhao Zongshi's arrival would perfectly fill that gap.
More importantly, this gave Emperor Renzong a convenient way to rectify Zhao Zongshi's misplacement. Previously, the Emperor hadn't sent Zhao Zongshi out of the palace a second time, perhaps out of fear of being too ruthless and giving others grounds for criticism?
“I’ll plead with the Emperor; there’s sure to be no problem. Maybe he can even let you return to the Prince of Pu’s residence to see your parents.”
"Really? Is it really possible?"
What child in the world doesn't miss their parents? Zhao Zongshi was raised in the inner palace from a young age, inevitably having to be mindful of others' moods, which only deepened his attachment to his parents. However, his situation was awkward; he wanted too much but had too little, so he could only hold onto what was in front of him. If there were a way to both study and see his parents, how could he not want it?
Zhao Zongshi was caught off guard by this unexpected treat, and his hand holding the book trembled slightly with excitement. After a moment, he bowed deeply to Fusu: "Regardless of whether this matter succeeds or not, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Your Highness Prince Cheng!"
"Oh dear." Fusu quickly pulled him up: "Don't be so polite. I have conditions. I'll only ask for you if you agree to them."
This is actually a trick of Mr. Song Qi. He learned it after demonstrating it once. Not only did he learn it, but he also put it into practice on others.
Zhao Zongshi was completely unaware of Fusu's sinister intentions and sincerely said, "Your Highness, please speak freely. I will do whatever I can."
“Actually, your agreement isn’t enough; the Emperor has to give his approval first,” Fusu said. “But I’ll tell you anyway.”
"I'd like to go with you when you visit your relatives at the Prince of Pu's residence. That way, we can get out of the palace and take a look around. It's been so long since I've left the palace!"
As for passing by the Daxiangguo Temple on the way out of the palace, since we're already here, it's only natural to go in and take a look, and if we happen to run into some Western Xia people, right?
A note from the author:
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At this moment, Song Qi thought: "Hey bro, let me tell you, His Highness Prince Cheng isn't at all like you say... Achoo achoo achoo! Who's talking to me?"
Song Xiang: You've been reported to the authorities for teasing the young prince, haven't you? (Completely merciless)
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