Chapter 150 is entirely about the Song Dynasty now! ...
“It’s me,” Fusu said.
Long before Yelü Chongyuan's interest shifted to the "Seeking Knowledge" newspaper, Fusu was mentally prepared to frighten people again. However, he didn't like being praised, so he only gave simple answers when asked.
A moment later, Fusu saw a bitter smile appear on Yelü Chongyuan's face—a complete loss of composure. This was a grave lapse in composure for both a crown prince and a diplomat.
This only made Fusu more curious—a curiosity unrelated to his stance. Why was Yelü Chongyuan behaving this way? What exactly had Su Shi instilled in him?
He subtly inquired about it. Perhaps Yelü Chongyuan was truly thoroughly disheartened, for he recounted most of what Su Shi had boasted about. He added, "What I saw and heard in Yunzhou was already unbelievable. I never imagined that upon arriving in Bianjing, I would realize there are heavens beyond heavens."
The merits that Su Shi boasted about were less than half of those of the Crown Prince of Song himself.
Fusu: "..."
He dug his toes into the ground for a while before raising his head and earnestly saying to Yelü Chongyuan, "Actually, you don't need to compare yourself to me, really."
"Thank you for your comfort, Your Highness."
Fusu pursed his lips helplessly: It seems Yelü Chongyuan thought he was just giving official platitudes? Not at all. What he meant was: only the future heir of the Liao Dynasty needs to be compared to him. You are the Crown Prince, destined to be sidelined; why bother comparing yourself to others and making yourself unhappy?
If Yelü Chongyuan could hear Fusu's true feelings, he might not just smile helplessly, but be so angry that he would vomit blood.
Thinking of this, Fusu shook his head: "The newspaper is almost finished, let's go look around somewhere else."
Let's not let them fight amongst themselves anymore; it's against my conscience.
Yelü Chongyuan nodded and gave a wink to the man behind him. The man immediately broke away from the group and bought a brand-new newspaper. The commotion in the group did not escape Fusu's notice. Yelü Chongyuan glanced at his seemingly oblivious expression and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Newspapers are truly a novel and wonderful thing, greatly beneficial for enlightening the people. He felt that the Liao Dynasty could also learn from them and planned to recommend them to his elder brother, the Emperor, upon returning. It seemed that the Crown Prince of Song at least did not object to his imitation.
“Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness,” he said.
Fusu felt that Yelü Chongyuan seemed to have misunderstood something again: Was he not stopping the imitation because he was generous? The literacy rate in Liao was there for all to see, so there was no need to worry.
Within the sixteen prefectures under Han Chinese jurisdiction alone, Fusu could clearly sense after personally inspecting the areas that the literacy rate among the local people was far lower than that of the Song Dynasty. This was even more pronounced in the more northerly regions under Liao rule, inhabited by nomadic peoples.
So even if the Liao Dynasty could publish newspapers, what kind of impact could they possibly have? Focusing solely on building ideological towers while neglecting basic education for the people is destined to result in nothing more than castles in the air.
Fusu paused subtly for a moment: "No need to thank me, just do it if you want to."
Sometimes, it's better to keep things to yourself with good intentions.
"Thank you very much, Your Highness." Yelü Chongyuan said with utmost sincerity. He felt a surge of energy after receiving Fusu's verbal support; at least he wouldn't return empty-handed from this trip to Song.
Fusu: See? I even got a thank you.
Yelü Chongyuan shook off his earlier dejection and regained his interest in visiting Bianjing. After all, the prosperity of Bianjing far exceeded his expectations; he had only pretended to be indifferent to it to maintain the image of the Liao emperor's younger brother.
Now that his burdens were lifted, everything seemed incredibly new and exciting to him. He first bought a newspaper, tipped the tea server, and drank a cup of Bianjing's specialty beverage. After that, Yelü Chongyuan asked Fusu where in Bianjing he could buy books to take back with him.
Fusu raised an eyebrow in surprise: "A book?"
He actually knows that.
He led Yelü Chongyuan to a bookstore and gestured for him to enter. This was a bookstore operated by the Imperial Academy, which had been open for three years. For the past four years, as a personal favor to his alma mater, Fusu had entrusted the printing of newspapers to the Imperial Academy, which led to the Academy's printing house growing increasingly larger.
Seeing this, Fusu suggested using the spare manpower at the bookstore to print rare and incomplete books from the library, and also open a bookstore to sell them. Perhaps they could earn some extra income. The bookstore's business has thrived ever since.
As soon as Yelü Chongyuan mentioned it, Fusu brought the person here. He led the person around the bookshelves: "Is there a book you'd like to see?"
Yelü Chongyuan: "Yes, absolutely!"
His expression was like that of a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar. He would glance at a title on the bookshelf, casually flip through the contents, and pick up anything that interested him without hesitation, completely disregarding the price. He bought more than a dozen books just by walking through one shelf.
Such a whirlwind of activity even impressed Fusu, who exclaimed: "Good heavens, it seems his 'fondness for Han studies' is no exaggeration. He has selected mostly Tang and Song poetry collections, lyrics, and notes. Some of these are books that even Fusu has never heard of, yet Yelü Chongyuan holds them in his hands as if they were priceless treasures."
Yelü Chongyuan's exaggerated act of sweeping books naturally attracted the attention of others. Some students in the prison school were quietly reading when they heard the noise and frowned, wondering who this person was, only to see a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
It seems like the person he saw a few years ago when he was observing lectures at the Imperial College... the age matches up... couldn't it be...?
"too……!"
Fusu immediately reacted: "Shh!"
The words "Your Highness" came to an abrupt halt, the speaker nearly biting his tongue. He confirmed his suspicions from Fusu's actions, his face flushing with excitement as he nodded emphatically. Then he saw the Crown Prince point at the man frantically scanning the books, then clasp his hands together and offer an apologetic smile.
The students were even more speechless.
So cute.
Why didn't anyone tell him that His Highness the Crown Prince is so adorable?! No wonder the Emperor dotes on him so much; everything makes sense!
The bookstore where you could read for free no longer appealed, and the ancient texts in their hands no longer held any allure. The students' gazes followed the Crown Prince, secretly wondering what kind of person could have prompted the Crown Prince to apologize on their behalf.
Considering recent national events, could it be... a member of the Liao Kingdom's envoy delegation?
The student guessed the answer and immediately put down his book and left the bookstore. Partly, he was afraid that his presence might interfere with the Crown Prince's affairs and affect diplomatic relations. More importantly, he wanted to share his good fortune from that day's encounter.
His heart pounded all the way back to the Imperial Academy when he bumped into a classmate. The classmate saw him and greeted him warmly. Before he could reply, his words came out as, "How did you know I'd run into His Highness the Crown Prince today?"
Classmate: "...Who asked you?"
Only after everyone around the student had adopted a "okay, we know you bumped into His Highness the Crown Prince, no need to say anything more" attitude did he quiet down for a while. Or rather, he simply let go of his friends and family and instead wrote an article recording the events of that day.
Then, I submitted the article to Qiuzhi Bao (Seeking Knowledge Daily).
It's unclear what the editor-in-chief, Shen Kuo, and the chief reviewer, Sima Guang, were thinking, but they both approved the article and published it in that issue. The student instantly became famous.
Just before the Liao delegation left, Yelü Chongyuan sent someone to buy the current issue of the newspaper. He first saw the headline, and then thought to himself, "After I started a newspaper in Liao, would someone write a similar article and publish it just to record my chance encounter with him?"
What if I become even more depressed?
Your Highness the Crown Prince of Song, you really don't let anyone leave in peace, even on your last day.
Of course, that's a story for later. At this moment, Fusu had no idea what kind of absurd consequences his small act of apologizing would trigger. Looking at the mountain of books almost reaching Yelü Chongyuan's head, his heart pounded—what if this man got hit on the head by a book?
It's important to know that Yelü Chongyuan was a northerner, a Liao dynasty nobleman raised on meat, eggs, and milk; his height was not to be underestimated. The mountain of books that could even cover his head was truly enormous. If it were to fall on Fusu, it would most likely cause injury.
"Why are there so many?"
Yelü Chongyuan's voice came from across the mountain of books: "Besides my own, there are also some that relatives and friends asked me to bring. I didn't realize I had so many. Your Highness, please forgive me."
"I see," Fusu said.
People tend to feel closer to those who identify with their own culture. Yelü Chongyuan thus gained a slight advantage in Fusu's eyes. Considering his uncertain future, Fusu couldn't help but sigh: "You were a beautiful woman, yet you joined the rebels… and even then, you didn't succeed."
He glanced at Yelü Chongyuan with a hint of pity: "I'll pay for you, as a gesture of hospitality." Yelü Chongyuan did not refuse—mainly because he was in such a state that he definitely wouldn't have a free hand to pay.
"Then I shall accept it without hesitation."
The rest of the delegation also bought a lot of books. The popularity of Han studies among the Liao dynasty's upper nobility was no exaggeration. Their purchases alone amounted to half a month's sales for the bookstore. Fortunately, the books openly sold at the Imperial Academy Bookstore weren't sensitive content. Fusu simply considered it an increase in tourist spending.
Yelü Chongyuan was somewhat uncertain. After his visit to the bookstore, the young crown prince of the Song Dynasty seemed to have softened his attitude towards him, displaying a more amiable demeanor. Was it just his imagination?
If he had asked Fusu directly, he would have received an answer.
no.
Fusu's attitude toward Yelü Chongyuan did indeed improve somewhat.
Firstly, after what happened at the bookstore, he felt a bit sorry for this unfortunate fellow who had been kicked off the throne by Emperor Tianzuo. Secondly, he was about to give him a good beating, so wasn't he allowed to be a little nicer to him?
——
At the welcoming banquet that evening, Yelü Chongyuan stood at the forefront, as the head of the delegation and the Crown Prince of Liao, to receive the greetings from the Song Dynasty. First, he greeted the Emperor and Empress of Song with the courtesy due to an equal, and promptly drank the wine in his cup.
Then came the young prince of Song, whom Yelü Chongyuan had just met during the day. Yelü Chongyuan keenly noticed that the young prince's cup did not seem to contain wine, but rather a brightly colored fruit drink.
Only now did he truly grasp the meaning of his age.
He's still just a kid.
Yelü Chongyuan chuckled, his feelings complicated, and drank the full glass of wine in one gulp.
Who will be the next to offer a greeting?
"It is the Duke of Xia," Fusu kindly replied. "However, the Duke himself is still an infant and cannot drink alcohol. How about having his mother or uncle, either one, drink a cup on your behalf to express their gratitude?"
No, the question is, who is the Duke of Xia?
In Yelü Chongyuan's understanding, the most honorable people in a country, besides the monarch and the crown prince, were the prime ministers. The Liao and Song dynasties both had similar systems. He wouldn't be mistaken about this.
So, what exactly is the background of the Duke of Xia? How could an infant be ranked before the prime minister of a country? Could he be the youngest son of the Song state's official?
But when the mother of the Duke of Xia rose to her feet following Fusu's words, Yelü Chongyuan immediately dismissed the idea: No, impossible. This person's appearance and demeanor were completely unlike those of a Song person. She was more like a noblewoman from their northern border.
Wait, to the north? The Xia Kingdom?
Two sensitive keywords immediately gave Yelü Chongyuan a bad feeling. He swallowed hard: Could it be?
“You must not have met her,” Fusu said. “This mother of the Duke of Xia is the wife of Li Yuanhao. When Li Jiqian was in power, your brother should have met her, right? So it can be considered a kind of fate.”
During Li Jiqian's reign, there was no "Western Xia" yet; the Tanguts were merely vassals of the Liao Dynasty.
Now, the Duke of Xia, along with hundreds of square kilometers of Western Xia territory, all belong to the Song Dynasty!
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