Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Maybe it's my future boss...
In May, the border region between the Song and Liao dynasties was blessed with clear skies and gentle breezes. Cool breezes often caressed the face in the mornings and evenings. At night, a thick quilt was needed to fall asleep. Compared to the sweltering summers of Bianjing (Kaifeng) and even further south, it was a veritable paradise for escaping the heat.
Consider it compensation for the harsh winter.
Wang Anshi thought to himself.
Last year, he was personally received by the Emperor and, together with officials from the Imperial City Guard, went to the border to carry out an important mission. What was it? Because it concerned a sensitive matter, Wang Anshi didn't even tell his wife and cousin, Lady Wu.
He stayed at the border for months, not even returning home for the New Year. The northern winter was fierce, with biting winds and chilling winds that seeped into the bones. Wang Anshi, a southerner, was terribly cold.
Aside from the annoyance of the harsh winter, his mission was completed extremely smoothly. With the financial support of the Marquis Chai and the assistance of the officials of the Imperial City Guard, Wang Anshi successfully located several outlaws from the Liao Kingdom, and several months later, he had stolen as many as a thousand horses.
They were escorted on a long journey south, their destination being Guangyuan Prefecture—said to be a newly established horse farm in the Song Dynasty.
However, given the number and resources of this group of desperados, a thousand or so northern horses were already their limit. If they wanted to buy more horses, they would have to find a different place to camp.
Wang Anshi then wrote down this situation in a memorial, which was escorted back to Bianjing by the Imperial City Guard. He had a premonition that the day the Emperor's reply arrived would be the day he was transferred to another post.
What a pity, this cool summer that felt like a warm spring.
Wang Anshi reached out and grabbed a handful of air, letting the wind blow through his fingers: "I haven't even had a chance to enjoy this, and I'm already off to another place. Is it to the northwest border between Song and Xia, to hunt down a group of horse thieves? Or to the malaria-ridden Guangyuan Prefecture in the south, to oversee horse breeding?"
Neither.
The official reply clearly stated that he had performed meritorious service and was promoted one rank in both his official position and his imperial decree. At the same time, he was transferred back to Bianjing (Kaifeng) to become the deputy editor-in-chief of the "Seeking Knowledge" newspaper, holding the rank of fifth grade.
Transferred back to... Bianjing?
This piece of information surprised Wang Anshi, but that was secondary. The key question was, what exactly was this "Seeking Knowledge Gazette"? Was it a government gazette? But what kind of editor-in-chief or deputy editor-in-chief would a government gazette have, let alone a fifth-rank official title?
It should be noted that a prefectural vice-prefect was only a sixth-rank official, and even if he concurrently served as a transport commissioner, he was only a fifth-rank official. This official rank was comparable to that of a "key official in the imperial court."
So, what exactly is the "Seeking Knowledge" newspaper?
Filled with curiosity, Wang Anshi began packing his bags. Even after spending so long at the border, his luggage barely filled a single box. Firstly, because material possessions were insignificant. Secondly, because while traveling, he felt that acquiring things was unnecessary. He knew that one day he would return to Bianjing.
-
Without Wang Anshi, the newly appointed deputy editor-in-chief, being aware of the situation, the first issue of "Seeking Knowledge" was already being printed and typed.
Even with the draft in hand, Fusu dared not slacken his efforts. However, he realized he had underestimated the difficulty. One moment he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of Su Xun's articles, the next he was dissatisfied with Sima Guang's "On the Six States," finding it too aggressive. Then, the craftsmen at the Imperial Academy's printing house questioned him. They couldn't understand Fusu's layout and dared not proceed with the printing haphazardly.
The last task, in particular, left Fusu utterly exhausted. He clenched his fist inwardly: "I can't take it anymore! Once this is over, I'll dig three feet into the ground to find Bi Sheng and his movable type printing!"
Only after he saw the newspaper freshly printed and distributed to the designated channels did he dare to breathe a sigh of relief. He then slowly walked back to the palace, ate a hasty dinner, wiped his face, and went to sleep.
I slept for so long that I slept until the next day.
When he woke up, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and mumbled, "Newspaper, 'Seeking Knowledge'..."
As his vision gradually returned, Fusu looked at the familiar thin blanket beside him, and memories of yesterday flooded back. A genuine smile immediately broke out on his face: "Wuhu, the newspaper is finished!"
As he rolled out of bed and put on his little shoes, he recalled even more delightful facts.
Today is a day off!
He went to the front courtyard of Kunning Palace to inform the Empress, and then left the palace as usual. Of course, he didn't forget to take Princess Miaowu with him. The latter was overjoyed and grabbed his sleeve, refusing to let go: "How long has it been since you last came to see me?"
"It's only been a little over six months..."
Fusu's voice trailed off, growing increasingly guilty. He noticed that after some time apart, Miaowu's features had subtly changed. Those who saw her daily would hardly notice, but Fusu had seen it immediately.
Looking at her figure, the skirt she was wearing was also a bit too long.
"You've grown up," he said belatedly.
"Are you talking about yourself?" Miaowu stretched out her small hand and gestured back and forth between their foreheads. He, who used to be half a head shorter than Miaowu, was now almost touching her brow bone.
"Where's Su Xiaolang? Has he grown taller?"
Fusu hesitated for a moment. Since he saw Su Shi almost every day, he couldn't see anything amiss: "Let's call him along later, and you can take a closer look, sister, how about it?"
Will he come along too?
Miaowu only asked one question, but her joy was already overflowing.
Fusu narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling a little annoyed. Although he knew Miaowu was just happy to see his friends again, he was still very unhappy. What should he do?
"..."
Fusu was still feeling annoyed, so he sighed.
Boys and girls are not allowed to sit together after the age of seven. Miaowu is six years old this year. How many opportunities will he have left to freely leave the palace to meet friends? In less than a year, Su Shi will go from being a "partner" to an "outsider".
Fusu certainly wouldn't stand idly by and watch Miaowu lose her freedom, being groomed into a quiet, dignified, and well-educated tool for a political marriage. But he wasn't sure if Emperor Renzong would heed his advice regarding the principles of raising children.
Of course, the worst outcome was that Emperor Renzong ignored all his advice and went his own way.
He could only openly discuss a business deal, offering any invention from later generations that the Song Dynasty desperately needed in exchange for Miaowu's freedom not to form a marriage alliance. But if things went that far, his father-son relationship with Emperor Renzong would be severely damaged.
Fusu sincerely did not want to see that scene happen.
"What are you thinking about with that worried look on your face?"
Suddenly, he felt his face being cupped by two hands, which squeezed him together, making his lips look like a pouty "O".
Fusu tried to struggle but to no avail. The tragedy of a year ago was repeating itself—six years old against four, the advantage was not mine.
"Shaking and swaying."
"Stop looking so gloomy. Aren't you happy to be out of the palace? You can't keep frowning."
Fusu raised his eyebrows and nodded twice in agreement, regaining control of his expression. They went to their usual spot and, sure enough, Su Shi was home. Upon hearing that Zhao Xiaosanyuan was looking for him, he rushed out eagerly.
"The princess is here too." His eyes lit up, and he performed the proper etiquette for meeting a distinguished person.
Fusu started to get annoyed again: You little Su boy, why do you never use this trick on me, and you always sabotage me?
But he couldn't actually let Su Shi bow to him, so he forced a smile and steered the conversation back on track: "Today let's go for a stroll in the market and see how the 'Seeking Knowledge Daily' is doing."
"The Seeking Knowledge Newspaper? Could it be that newspaper you've been running lately, Su'er?" Miaowu asked curiously.
"Yes, hey, Your Highness, you don't know this, but I'm actually in this 'Seeking Knowledge Newspaper' too..."
Fusu: "Your father's article."
"Hey!" Su Shi protested, waving his fist. "What about my idea, Zhao Xiaolang? Why don't you mention it?"
Miaowu's eyes crinkled with laughter: "Then I'll have to see what it is."
The three of them laughed and joked, and in the blink of an eye they arrived at a familiar place—the very same beverage shop they had stumbled upon during their last trip out of the palace. Miaowu immediately stopped in her tracks, tugging at Fusu's sleeve and saying longingly, "I want to drink perilla beverage, Su'er."
Fusu stopped in his tracks: "Then let's drink."
He'd been here three times in total, but the drink shop today was different from usual. The scorching May sun didn't stop it from being packed. But since Miaowu had already spoken up, he figured he might as well queue. There was plenty of room today anyway.
Su Shi, on the other hand, had been wandering around the shop early in the morning looking for an empty seat. He actually found an empty table, and at the opposite corner of the table was a scholar with a slightly dark complexion, holding a cup of drink in one hand, neither drinking nor speaking, seemingly lost in thought.
"Brother, I have two companions. May I borrow your seats?"
The scholar nodded: "Please go ahead."
Thank you.
As Su Shi sat down, he pulled out a stool from the side. In the process, he finally understood why scholars didn't speak, and why the beverage shop was so popular.
—Someone publicly read aloud the most popular sensationalist article from the *Seeking Knowledge Daily*, specifically the one with the most clickbait headline. The people of Bianjing had just been bombarded with storybooks and were extremely interested in the tales. Now that it seemed there was a sequel, how could they resist joining the fun?
After Fusu finished ordering his drinks and sat down next to Su Shi, he whispered to him, "Fortunately, I wrote a clarification to clear Zhuge Liang's name."
“I think it would have been better not to write it at all.” Su Shi took his glass of chilled mung bean water and pointed his thumb outwards: “Look how heartbroken everyone is! It’s all your fault.”
Sure enough, as Fusu's numerous factual errors were exposed, the story of Zhuge Liang's decisive victory over Sima Yi became increasingly riddled with holes. Was the story everyone loved so much actually false? Immediately, some people wanted to rush forward and confront the person reading the newspaper.
Some people stepped forward and said, "I've always felt there was something strange about this story. Turns out I'm not alone."
The two sides nearly came to blows.
Even the usually quiet beverage shops were packed with people.
Su Shi raised his eyebrows even higher: See? It's all your fault.
Fusu took a large gulp of his drink, his face expressionless and his eyes fixed straight ahead: It wasn't me.
You're the one who caused this.
It wasn't me.
You're the one who caused this.
It wasn't me.
The two exchanged veiled accusations, but it was the scholar who couldn't take it anymore.
"You two seem very familiar with the 'Seeking Knowledge Daily'? Did you know its contents before it was even published to the public?"
Su Shi's eyes flashed, and he immediately fell silent.
Fusu: "Mmm...mmm."
He wrote it; he knew the content was reasonable beforehand.
Presumably, they have some connections at home that allow them to know the details in advance.
The scholar—no, Wang Anshi thought logically—might even be the son of his future superior.
So, he readily asked, "Do you know who the editor-in-chief of this newspaper is?"
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