Chapter 126 How could anyone act like a lackey...?
"Let's go."
Su Shi was determined to give Fusu a surprise, preferably to see him "missing his family more when he was in a foreign land" and even weeping.
Therefore, he pleaded with the officials to conceal his upcoming journey north to assist his friend. In his second letter, Zhao Xiaolang thanked his father for the supplies, which gave him the confidence to roam Yunzhou, assisting General Di with his official duties while also exploring the possibility of discovering new mines.
Doesn't that mean Zhao Xiaolang will soon leave Wu Family Village, and his itinerary and return date are uncertain? How can I find him and give him a surprise then? I'll just have to chase after him.
Su Shi gritted his teeth, packed his bags that very night, mounted a fast horse, and set off immediately, hoping to catch up with Zhao Xiaolang before he departed. The twelve-year-old boy had never experienced the hardship of traveling day and night, and he endured it all on this journey. He didn't know how many horses he had exhausted or how much dust he had swallowed, but he finally caught up with Fusu just before he was about to say goodbye to Wu Family Village.
If he doesn't scare Zhao Xiaolang big enough, he's not worthy of being His Highness the Crown Prince's close friend!
Su Shi, brimming with interest, patted his horse's rump, urging it down the hillside. The horse's hooves kicked up dust that billowed all along the way, making the rider appear both mysterious and arrogant. He planned to ride right up to Zhao Xiaolang, and once the dust settled, he would dismount, admire Zhao Xiaolang's speechless, astonished profile, and then ask with a smile, "Well? Surprised or not?"
His plan was perfect, but reality was quite different. Even as he urged the horse forward, the thumping of hooves alerted the villagers of Wu Village. They looked around and quickly identified who it was. No one spoke, but the crowd instinctively pulled back, surrounding Fusu in the deepest part of the courtyard.
It was as if they had tacitly agreed to build a human wall to protect the statues of the gods for the shrine they were about to build.
But out of their sight, Fusu rolled his eyes: Can I speak? He had guessed who the visitor was.
Although he was happy... he could guess perfectly well what Su Shi was up to! He absolutely couldn't let him succeed!
The distant sound of horses' hooves drew closer, and Wu Jiacun and the others assumed poised stances. Just as the horses appeared at the edge of the courtyard, and a dozen men were about to rush forward to stop them—a tense moment of impending doom—Fusu seized the opportunity, clenched his fist to his lips, and coughed lightly twice: "We're on the same side, don't fire!"
The villagers: "...?"
What is opening a timber cannon?
Su Shi: "..."
Damn it, we've been completely discovered!
Although the villagers didn't understand the meaning, they understood that the young nobleman wanted them to stop. They stopped their eagerness and adopted a defensive formation, keeping a close eye on the riders.
Upon closer inspection, wait a minute, why is the person on horseback so short? Is it true, as the rumors say, that all the people of the Song Dynasty were short?
Upon closer inspection, oh, it's someone with a youthful face. Most likely still a child. No wonder the young master knows them; they're both children, probably playmates.
Fusu called out from his horse, "You're still showing off your horsemanship in front of the villagers. Don't you know that Wu Family Village used to smuggle many warhorses to the Song Dynasty?"
Su Shi: "..."
Oh no, he really didn't know that.
Having smuggled horses before, he knew their temperament best. Trying to show off his skills honed along the way would be like showing off his limited abilities before an expert. Su Shi immediately braked—no, stopped his horse—and jumped off, his face full of frustration. His biggest concern was actually just one question: "Your Highness, how did you recognize me from so far away?"
“I didn’t see it,” Fusu was in a very good mood and didn’t mind telling him the truth: “I guessed it.”
"I guessed it..."
Su Shi immediately thought of the Emperor. The Emperor had actually replied to the letter Fusu wrote saying he would soon be going to other places to search for mines. Could it be that he was in that letter…!?
Su Shi was very angry, but he couldn't bring himself to curse.
What can one criticize? The Emperor and His Highness are father and son, so it's only natural for them to give some biased spoilers. His singing and dancing only made him look like a clown.
But Fusu seemed to see right through him: "Guess what the Emperor said?"
"He only said, 'I have a solution to Su'er's worries,' but he didn't mention a word about someone going north, let alone that the person was you, Su Xiaolang."
In other words, it was all deduction on his part. First, he deduced that "there is a way" meant that someone in the imperial court would help. As for who it was and how they would help, Fusu's first thought was of the people associated with the *Seeking Knowledge* newspaper. Among them, there was only one person who knew he was in Yunzhou and was willing to travel thousands of miles to come to him.
Su Shi's lips, which had just pursed in anger, finally softened. Though his face was still gloomy, his dark eyes darted around: "Alright, I know."
"By the way, what were you doing just now? I think I heard someone crying?"
A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Fusu's face.
The villagers, seeing the young nobleman standing very close to the stranger who had just barged in, speaking to him warmly, had accepted the young nobleman's words and considered him one of their own. Since they were one of their own, they felt obligated to answer his questions.
"We are discussing building a shrine for the young nobleman!"
A knowing smile shifted from Fusu to Su Shi. He asked the old man Wu, who had just finished speaking, with great interest, "Oh? Isn't this a good thing? Why is someone crying?"
"It's all because the young nobleman disagrees! He's leaving soon, but he can't even leave us a little something to remember him by."
Old Wu replied.
Actually, he had a selfish motive: the new clerk who examined his hair and teeth was also from a noble family, and had an excellent relationship with the young nobleman. Perhaps if he were to step in and offer a few words of persuasion, the young nobleman would agree to build the ancestral hall?
This is also what the villagers think.
Together with Old Man Wu, they all looked earnestly at Su Shi.
Fusu's eyes widened suddenly, as if he had been betrayed: "How... how could you twist the truth!"
She was clearly crying because she couldn't bear to part with him, right? How did it become because he wouldn't allow the construction of an ancestral hall?
Su Shi exclaimed "Eh!" and then delivered his profound statement to the person in question: "Isn't this just right?"
"This just solves the problem that you were worried about, Zhao Xiaolang."
He counted on his fingers, lowered his voice, and listed the benefits of building a shrine for Fusu one by one: "Didn't you say that Buddhism lacks centripetal force and is not enough to unite the people as one?"
But your ancestral hall is acceptable.
“Yunzhou has just been captured by General Di, and the people’s morale is fragile at this time. They may not necessarily consider themselves to be Song people.”
Your ancestral hall not only serves to publicize your deeds and win over the people, but also serves to strengthen the bond between the people of Yunzhou. How could the people of Yunzhou not feel a sense of belonging when they worship you, the current crown prince?
"Moreover, a group of officials will come to Yunzhou in the future. Your ancestral hall is there, which will have a deterrent effect on them and will also help to clean up the officialdom."
"So, Zhao Xiaolang, do you still have a reason not to agree?" Su Shi asked.
With each reason Su Shi gave, Fusu's face grew paler. Logically, he knew Su Shi's suggestion was the best, perhaps even the only, solution. But… having idols representing feudal superstitions etched on one's own face was truly irritating!
Fusu had every reason to suspect that this was Su Shi's revenge for his earlier failed attempt to set up the wine vessel. But it was useless to talk about that now; he needed to find a reasonable excuse to argue with him.
Fusu's eyes darted around, and finally he came up with a good argument. He declared emphatically, "Building a temple privately is an act of immorality! Moreover, how can the people build a temple privately while the monarch is still alive? Isn't this a provocation against the Emperor?"
Su Shi, however, said leisurely: "After Prime Minister Zhuge passed away, temples were built all over Shu without permission. Do you know how the Later Lord dealt with it? He demolished all the temples built by the people and built a temple for the Prime Minister in the name of the government."
"The Later Lord and the Chancellor are not related by blood, but only have a relationship akin to that of father and son, yet both were willing to build a temple for the Chancellor. Your Highness, you and the Emperor are father and son, do you think he would refuse?"
Fusu: "..."
Fusu: "…………"
Yes, very much so. The emperor, not wanting to claim credit for his achievements as his own, had even considered abdicating in favor of his son. If there were a shrine to praise him, the emperor might not even let Wu Family Village spend the money; he might even allocate funds himself to build it.
Fusu lowered his head helplessly and clenched his fists.
hateful……!
Su Shi then raised his hand and cheered to the villagers, "Your little benefactor has agreed!"
"Waaah—"
"Very good!"
Old Wu, whose emotions were unusually rich, almost burst into tears again. He forced back his tears, carefully gazing at Fusu's appearance, trying to imprint his handsome, childlike features into his mind. That way, when the statue was sculpted, he would be the most qualified person to give guidance, wouldn't he?
It must be said that Old Wu's persistence in seeking the limelight remains as unwavering as ever.
Fusu sensed Wu Laohan's thoughts from his actions, and seeing his serious expression, he couldn't suppress the pent-up frustration in his heart. The villagers, who had been cheering and splashing mud to express their excitement, now had a helpless smile on their faces.
"You really want it that much... really."
Fusu had no idea how much he had contributed to Wujia Village. First, he sent people to distribute food, and later, when a coal mine was discovered, he not only didn't seize it for private use, but also allowed them to exchange coal for food. Every family worked hard and managed to exchange enough coal to last them a whole year.
Later, they even handed over the completed factory buildings and the secret recipe for making honeycomb briquettes to Wujia Village all at once. This wasn't just giving away a few golden eggs; it was giving away a hen that had placed an order.
As the saying goes, cutting off someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents. But isn't pointing out a clear path to wealth just as helpful as giving life back to one's parents?
According to ancient customs, Wujia Village only wanted to build an ancestral hall, which is really a light request.
On second thought, the fact that every household is willing to spend money on an economic activity with little to no real benefit shows that they have the financial security to cope with the future. Doesn't it also prove that all the hard work they've put in these past few days has paid off?
Thinking about it this way, Fusu felt much better.
He is also full of confidence for his upcoming trip to Yunzhou.
The villagers of Wujia Village warmly urged Fusu and Su Shi to stay a while longer, until spring arrived, and also to inspect whether their ancestral hall was built to standard. Fusu declined this suggestion with a complicated expression.
Winter is short, so they need to make the most of their time.
And to see your own clay statue with your own eyes? Isn't that a bit too shameless?!
Fusu immediately ordered his elite soldiers to pack their bags and prepare to head to their next destination. He set his sights on Huai'ren County, because when they were collecting coal in Wujia Village, some villagers from Huai'ren had walked dozens of miles in the snow for just a basket or two of potatoes.
Upon hearing the destination, Fusu couldn't bear it and squeezed a few more potatoes into the already crammed basket. As he listened to the endless thanks, he silently marked the location in his mind.
If they could exchange coal there, there must be a mine. And according to the villagers, it was an open-pit mine.
So what are we waiting for?
It had snowed the day before, and the roads were a neat, uniform white. Riding a horse was fine, but walking was all muddy. For the journey of several dozen li, Fusu, prioritizing safety, took two days and one night to reach his destination.
By the time they reached Huai'ren County, everyone was exhausted.
In Huai Ren County, there were troops left behind by Di Qing, so they went to meet them first. The troops had already restored order to the area, and after discussing it with Fu Su, the leader decided to disperse and resettle the more than 500 people. They would rest in the county town for a day and then head to the mines in the countryside the next day.
The family that Fusu and Su Shi were assigned to stay with was naturally the wealthiest in the area. This man, surnamed Zhang, owned over a dozen shops in the county town, as well as a large three-courtyard mansion. In an ancient county town, this level of wealth sounded incredibly luxurious.
Fusu thought to himself: This man is richer than me.
What is heartbreaking is that although Fusu had already taken on several profitable businesses, including cotton, potatoes, newspaper publishing, and coal, he still had little personal wealth.
Firstly, he had very high standards for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and had little other material desires, so he had little need for money. Secondly, like many merchants of later generations, he had a tight cash flow, and any private assets he had were quickly put into production.
Therefore, strictly speaking, the copper coins that he, the Crown Prince of the Great Song Dynasty, could produce were actually less than those of any wealthy household in the county town.
“Then let the place where the ancestral hall is built pay you incense money, and you’ll have money then?” Su Shi said with a grin.
Fusu's fist hardened instantly: "You're not happy unless you provoke me a bit, are you! I knew you wouldn't say anything nice!"
Su Shi frankly admitted, "That's really true."
Fusu: "..."
As the two chatted and laughed, they passed the government office in the distance and both slowed their pace. According to Di Qing and the local soldiers' leader, they had already taken control of Huai Ren County, and the government office should also be under their control. However, how well was it actually functioning? Both wanted to find out.
Upon closer inspection, the problem was discovered.
"Huh, did someone faint while kneeling?" Fusu narrowed his eyes. "Am I seeing things?"
“You’re not mistaken,” Su Shi said. “That person was dressed in mourning clothes, blending into the snow, which made it easy to mistake him for someone else. I thought I had misread it just now.”
In front of the government office, dressed in mourning, he knelt and fainted.
Isn't this the standard fare for a wrongful conviction?
The two exchanged a glance, and Fusu immediately instructed the eunuchs who were following him: "Go and help that person up."
"yes."
The eunuchs quickly helped the person up. Judging from the person's figure and the length of her loose hair, it was a woman. Fusu and Su Shi immediately went forward to observe. They saw that the woman had turned over, her lips were already blue from the cold, and she was tightly wringing a tattered white cloth in her hand, binding that part of her arm so that it was bloodless.
Fusu poked her face with his finger; it felt so cold.
"Hey, you guys—"
Suddenly, a man emerged from the previously closed government office, seemingly intending to drive Fusu away. He was tall and strong for his age, and said in a harsh voice, "Who are you? This is a government office! Get out of here! Put that woman down!"
Fusulian looked at him coldly without saying a word.
The eunuch understood the Crown Prince's meaning: "Bah! We've conquered your entire Yunzhou. Who do you think you are, trying to drive us away?"
The burly yamen runner cursed inwardly: Damn it, they're from the Song Dynasty.
The Song people, even before March, were completely unrelated to the people of Yunzhou. It was said that they were short in stature, not skilled in military affairs, and often suffered from famine. But those were just occasional rumors, not part of the main life of the people of Yunzhou.
As a result, just over a month ago, when heavy snow fell in Yunzhou and Manzhou, and the Liao emperor was forcibly requisitioning grain, and a large number of people were about to starve to death, it was the Song people, whom they looked down upon, who stepped forward and secretly transported grain to them. Occasionally, a kind of cotton clothing that they had never heard of before would also fall down.
With the aid from the Song people, the uneasy people immediately stormed the gates of the government office. That's when the lives of the yamen runners began to become difficult. While they were still hoping for outside help to save the government office from its dire straits, they were severely punished by a general surnamed Di.
Damn it! Who on earth is spreading rumors that the Song army is bad at military affairs?! They've already put them through so much trouble, and you still call them bad at military affairs?
From then on, the yamen runners had no choice but to keep a low profile. If they continued to act arrogantly as before, they would only be mercilessly elbowed by the patrolling Song soldiers. Who knew he would be so unlucky? Just sitting at the gate of the yamen, he could still run into Song people, and Song people who looked like they had a lot of influence.
He could only warn her fiercely: "This woman has a complicated past, so be careful not to get into trouble."
Fusu's expression was indifferent; "We should be careful not to get ourselves into trouble if others see us."
Huai Ren County is already under the control of the Song army, and he has five hundred elite soldiers by his side. What trouble could possibly frighten him? To put it bluntly, even if all the men in the county were gathered together, they couldn't withstand the onslaught of five hundred elite soldiers.
But the constable's words only convinced Fusu that the woman, dressed in mourning clothes and who had fainted from the cold, had been unjustly accused. As for why the constable let her collapse at the entrance of the government office, it was probably because he was afraid that disposing of her would alert the Song army, and taking her in would risk being questioned by her enemies. So he simply let her freeze to death in the snow, a slow and painful death.
The surrounding streets were empty and covered with a light, fine snowfall—not a good place to wake someone. Fusu pondered for a moment: "Let's just take him to the Zhang family."
Su Shi said, "I will listen to whatever Your Highness says."
He left without hesitation, ordering his eunuchs to carry the woman, but he had no desire to joke or banter with Su Shi anymore. No matter how poor or penniless he was, he was still the crown prince of the country. In a feudal sense, the entire nation could be under his control.
But what about the woman who fainted? She truly had nothing of value. Fusu took a closer look and noticed that the white mourning cloth she was wearing around her hands was tattered and had a musty smell.
It would probably be incredibly difficult for this woman to gather all the necessary mourning attire for seeking justice.
well……
A barely perceptible sigh drifted through the vast, silent white snow.
"How long until we reach the Zhang family?" Su Shi asked.
The Song soldier leading the way said, "Go through two more streets, then turn one more corner and you'll arrive."
Fusu was once again struck by the Zhang family's wealth: a three-courtyard residence just two streets away from the government office. It was something money alone couldn't buy. The constable had mentioned that this woman's enemies were formidable; could it be…?
Fu Su had a thought in his mind: "Then let's hurry up."
Just two streets away, from a distance, the vermilion main gate of the Zhang family was wide open. A steward-like man paced back and forth. When he saw them, he immediately put on a fawning smile, his wrinkles almost forming chrysanthemums.
"Oh dear, oh dear, I'm so sorry to have failed to greet you properly, distinguished guests..."
Fusu's face was reserved and indifferent as he expressionlessly swept past the man without giving him a second glance: "Let's cut to the small talk; we need to rest."
Su Shi immediately followed up: "Are there any rooms available? Quickly take us there!"
The butler's smooth, ingratiating maneuvering was interrupted, and his smile froze for a moment. He quickly recovered, saying, "Yes, yes, we were blind. The rooms are all ready. I'll send someone to take our esteemed guests there right away."
He pointed with his arm, and immediately two pretty maids appeared from behind him, eagerly pointing out the way. Fusu noticed the vibrant colors on their eyebrows and lips, frowned almost imperceptibly, slowed his pace, and subtly distanced himself.
Su Shi, oblivious to everything, was grinning foolishly at Fusu: "Hehe, Zhao Xiaolang, what you just said really made you look like a nobleman."
He possessed an innate air of nobility, aloofness, and disdain for the common people. It was as if speaking to strangers was an insult to his very being. The butler, interrupted for no reason, dared not say a word, and even had to reflect on whether he had talked too much, offering a fawning smile.
This was the kind of style that Fusu would occasionally display during his first reign, but it was something Su Shi had never seen before.
After all, Zhao Xiaolang was usually all smiles and gentle demeanor in front of him, or he would puff up his cheeks in a huff after being deliberately provoked by him.
"So, Zhao Xiaolang, do you think my performance of that 'lackey of a nobleman' was convincing?"
Fusu looked at the person with pity: "Sigh, I don't understand, how can someone be so happy to act like a lackey?"
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Author's Note: Fusu is about to start the Azure Sky instance [Let me see!]
Let's guess what the statues in the ancestral hall will look like after this battle.
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