Chapter 106 "Su'er, you still refuse..."
Wang Anshi rubbed his temples.
Wang Anshi pretended that he hadn't heard anything.
He couldn't suppress his inner grumbling: "No, if you two are going to dress like that, can't you at least go all the way and keep yourselves at a distance from unsuspecting people? This isn't a secret that a lowly fifth-rank official like me should know, is it?"
He would rather he hadn't heard it.
But it was too late. Su Shi, standing to the side, revealed a sly smile, and a devilishly childlike voice whispered in his ear, "Now you know why I said Zhao Xiaolang got away with forging the imperial edict, right? Lord Wang, you still didn't believe me."
Wang Anshi, expressionless: He believes it now, is that alright?
Su Shi persisted: "Lord Wang, guess who else in the court knows?"
...Could it be that I'm the only one left besides this kid?
“No, that’s not it.” Su Shi seemed to see right through his thoughts: “But among those below the fifth rank, it’s just the two of us. Oh right, there’s also Senior Brother Fan Chunren, he knows about it too.”
So these are secrets known only to high-ranking officials, why don't you try to hide them from me? Wang Anshi fell into deep thought.
But the father and son who caused the accident continued chatting as if no one else was around.
How does the situation look to you?
"Fortunately, they were very respectful to Lord Di. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to quiet them down."
The emperor stroked his chin: "Minister Di?"
He held Di Qing in high regard, not only because Di Qing had won the Battle of Guangyuan Prefecture and captured Nong Zhigao alive, but also because he was a general personally recommended by Su'er in his letter. Moreover, unlike later generations who had ascended to the sensitive position of Privy Councilor, which had aroused impeachment from numerous officials and suspicion from the emperor, Di Qing's current situation was quite safe.
Should we go along with Su'er's wishes and send Di Qing to the Imperial Guard to entertain the troops? It goes against ancestral precepts, but it seems worth a try.
He didn't speak immediately, intending to observe the performance of Battalion C13. But as the clamor below gradually subsided, many people questioned the middle-aged man on the stage: "Who's that?"
"Why did you come up here if it wasn't Sanyuan Station?"
It didn't sound very friendly. But there was no way around it; the soldiers had a complex of both inferiority and superiority towards scholars. Today, Emperor Renzong was dressed like a respectable scholar, and standing high above, surveying the crowd, he made a very bad first impression.
Fusu calmly tugged at Emperor Renzong's sleeve: "Oh, this is Your Majesty."
"The Emperor has come specifically to inspect your reading of the 'Seeking Knowledge Newspaper'."
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
The Imperial Guards of the 13th Battalion looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Did I hear that right? I think I just heard Xiao Sanyuan say 'Your Majesty' twice?"
“I heard it too.”
"I also……"
They all looked up in disbelief, and the more they looked, the more obvious the imposing presence of the man surrounded by his entourage seemed...
But the Emperor's expression remained unchanged, as always. He wasn't even angry when a subject spat in his face. Naturally, he wouldn't hold a grudge against the Imperial Guards for such a minor rudeness. When he received several shocked glances, he even nodded slightly and smiled in response.
Uh, really?
Could it really be the government?
What truly confirmed the identity of Battalion C3 was the anxious, exasperated face not far away. The Imperial Guards might not recognize the Emperor, but surely they recognized their Chief Eunuch Chen? Why was he standing so far away, afraid to approach, and why was he staring at them with such fury? There was only one answer.
Unlike when they learned of Fusu's identity, this time, the soldiers of the 13th Battalion dared not cheer; they only wanted to kneel down. What had they just done? Not only had they spoken rudely to the Emperor, but they had also subtly contradicted the Three Scholars. The Emperor must be very disappointed in them, right?
Oh wow.
How did it have the opposite effect?
Fusu thought that pointing out the Emperor's presence would boost morale, just like the title and preface he had asked the Emperor for. "Imperial Composition" and "Royal Collection" were huge gimmicks in later generations, let alone in the present day.
However, this method failed to work within the Imperial Guard.
What happened?
Fusu was completely bewildered, but the Emperor remained calm: "Please don't be nervous, everyone."
"You are all my subjects, and good soldiers and men who defend our country. Why do you act like this?"
Hearing his words, the 13th Battalion of the C1 Army cheered up slightly. Many men's eyes lit up: Did you hear that? The Emperor praised them! And it's a treatment that no other battalion has received.
"Could it really be that they were stumped by the Qiuzhi Bao newspaper?"
"..."
The 13th Battalion fell silent again. They were not only stumped, but they hadn't even read a single word.
"Even if Sanyuanlang personally teaches you, do you not have any confidence in learning it?"
What?! Sanyuan personally taught him?
The soldiers' murmurs seemed to have been switched on and then suddenly resumed. To be honest, before the official uttered those words, they all thought that Sanyuan had come to spread propaganda or to interrogate them.
So... the Emperor actually watched the whole process of them becoming Sanyuanlang's students for a day? Is that even human?!
Thus, what was handed over to Fusu were hundreds of soldiers who had been coaxed into obedience and were full of fighting spirit. Fusu's expression was very complicated, but the Emperor raised his chin slightly with a smug look.
Having reigned for over a decade, he had accumulated considerable experience in figuring out how to motivate his ministers to work diligently. This method proved particularly effective with the simple-minded soldiers.
So, now it's up to you to do your best.
Fusu took small steps and walked to the spot the official had offered him. He had spoken about it once before at the beverage shop, so he was quite familiar with it. However, this time he thought about it and didn't use those clichés.
He turned to the last section of the "Seeking Knowledge" newspaper, the geography section, about the east, west, south, and north of the Great Song Dynasty. Endless seas, long summers, snow-covered mountains, and the southwestern end, rumored to be filled with miasma, poisonous insects, mountain fungi, and endless forests.
Has anyone accompanied General Di to that place?
Most people looked blank; they only knew that there had been another war recently. But they knew nothing about where the war was taking place, who the enemy was, or what caused it.
Only one person hesitated, raising his hand and almost lowering it again. He was young and had been reassigned to the Imperial Guard after following Di Qing on the expedition to Guangyuan Prefecture.
Fusu gave a faint smile: "Then tell me, are your observations and experiences the same as mine?"
The person who was called upon felt hundreds of eyes on him, and he almost couldn't speak properly, stammering.
"It's okay, or rather, whatever scene you see."
Perhaps Fusu's encouragement had an effect, or perhaps the presence of the Emperor spurred him on: "No, it's different."
Poisonous insects can be repelled by the fumes from mugwort.
Wild mushrooms can be poisonous, but they can also be delicious.
Marching through the forest was extremely difficult and dangerous, but with General Di sharing meals and lodging with the soldiers, they felt no fear whatsoever, only the determination to defend the Song territory.
The man spoke with increasing fluency, and with Fusu and the Emperor nodding repeatedly, he even became quite animated, recounting the details of their thousand-mile pursuit of Nong Zhigao. Hundreds of people listened intently, including Wang Anshi, who had just looked dejected.
It turned out that on a land they knew almost nothing about, there was such a thrilling battle. The soldiers fought valiantly for the Song territory, refusing to yield an inch.
The previously unheard-of southwestern border people left a deep impression on everyone. They ate wild mushrooms and fruits, rode short horses, and were tanned dark by the scorching sun. Most importantly, they were also Song people. Even Nong Zhigao, the target of their pursuit, always identified himself as a Song person.
In reality, the sense of belonging to the Song Dynasty among the southwestern border people might not be as strong as claimed. Only the "abolition of the native chieftain system and its replacement with direct imperial administration" could truly increase their sense of belonging. But Fusu had no intention of exposing this. Sometimes, even beautiful ideals are part of a lie, aren't they?
After the man finished speaking, Fusu did not speak, and the Emperor only said one word: "Good."
But that one word made the soldier's face turn bright red. And he successfully received envious, jealous, and hateful glances from everyone around him.
Taking advantage of the situation, Fusu pressed on, calling out in a childish voice, "So, are there any people from the coast? Why don't you come and tell us your stories? If you tell them as well as you did before, they can be published in the next issue of the 'Seeking Knowledge Newspaper'!"
The Emperor said, "I will also take a look."
Immediately, a lucky child born by the sea jumped up: "Me! Me! Me!"
After Fusu finished gathering all the soldiers from the special birthplaces of the 13th Battalion, the atmosphere became incredibly heated. Everyone stared intently at the "Seeking Knowledge" newspaper in Fusu's hands, wishing the issue number on the cover would immediately change from 1 to 2. It wasn't hard to imagine that this news would spread throughout the entire Imperial Guard camp tonight.
The emperor personally visited, received instruction from the three scholars, and the interviews were published in the newspaper.
Each of those qualities would be something to brag about for years, and yet the 13th Battalion of the C1 all had them. It's no wonder they were the envy of everyone.
“The next issue of the Seeking Knowledge Newspaper is settled.” Fusu laughed. “I don’t believe the people in the other camps won’t be curious about the content. At the very least, we’re all Imperial Guards, so we share the glory.”
With curiosity, there's no need to worry about them not reading the newspaper.
As for whether they can understand it or not... Fusu stroked his chin and pondered, "How about we ask the students of the Imperial Academy for help? General Di should also learn along with them to give them a boost."
"You've really figured everything out."
The Emperor was both speechless and amused: "I thought you were planning to use the same old trick, telling them a few stories about Marquis Wu and King Xuan, to help them learn to read."
Unexpectedly, they used this tactic.
But he genuinely thought this was a great idea. Letting the Imperial Guards shine and stimulating their reading desire was one thing, but it was also important to let readers of the *Seeking Knowledge Daily* see places they wouldn't normally see. Besides Bianjing, the Miao people, fishermen, salt workers… they were also ordinary citizens of the Song Dynasty.
Emperor Renzong turned his head leisurely: "Minister Wang, what do you think?"
Wang Anshi cupped his hands and said, "Your humble servant has benefited greatly."
Emperor Renzong patted Wang Anshi on the shoulder. He had single-handedly promoted Wang Anshi from the first rank to the top scholar, and he had high hopes for him: "You should study hard with Su'er."
This was originally what Wang Anshi intended to do.
"yes."
Fusu suddenly looked flustered and nudged the Emperor: "Hey, watch your step! Don't call me 'Su'er' in public!"
The Emperor chuckled, "Minister Wang already noticed, Su'er, didn't you know?"
Fusu: "..."
He really didn't see it! Good heavens, could Wang Anshi read lips and read other people's mouths?
But the Emperor had already made up his mind to reveal Fusu's identity, so he said very relaxedly, "Don't panic, Minister Wang will find out sooner or later."
Fusu shook his head: "But I haven't had enough yet."
When will it be enough?
The official asked in a gentle voice.
"At least we'll have to wait until the entire court dislikes me, and when they know I'm the Prince of Cheng, they won't want me to be the Crown Prince... right?"
The Emperor, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi: "..."
At this moment, their thoughts are in complete agreement: Will this day really come? Are you sure that if things continue like this, people will genuinely dislike you, and not just be driven to submission by your humiliation?
But Fusu interpreted another meaning from the Emperor's silence. A hint of wariness appeared in his eyes: "Your Majesty, are you going back on your promise to me?"
The two of them had made a pinky promise before the portraits in the Fengxian Hall, witnessed by their ancestors: he would help the emperor with reforms and to bring about a prosperous era, while the emperor would find another way to handle the succession to the throne. Whether it was adoption or the establishment of a younger son, it was none of his business.
Emperor Renzong was silent for a while: "Su'er, do you still not want to be the crown prince?"
"I don't want to," Fusu said.
He just didn't realize that this time, his refusal was far less resolute than it had been a year ago.
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Author's Note: Su Shi & Wang Anshi: You two really don't treat us like outsiders! [Angry]
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