Chapter 151 Fusu: Look how many of me there are...
Yelü Chongyuan's mind went blank.
He wondered if he had misheard. But unfortunately, the similarly pale faces of the delegation members and the composed, expectant expressions of the surrounding Song officials told him that he had not misheard at all.
Standing before Yelü Chongyuan was an infant, unaware of the ways of the world, who, along with his mother and uncle, had succeeded Li Yuanhao as rulers of Western Xia. Now, they were prisoners of the Song Dynasty.
Yelü Chongyuan felt a great sense of absurdity.
Mingming vividly remembered the last time the Liao Kingdom had contacted the Western Xia. His elder brother had promised many benefits and even acknowledged the title of the Western Xia ruler in order to get Li Yuanhao to agree to set up an ambush on the Song army's inevitable route for their northern expedition.
That was only half a year ago.
Was it enough for the Song Dynasty to capture the ruler of Western Xia in just six months, especially when they were still fighting the Liao Dynasty in the Sixteen Prefectures in the east?
Yelü Chongyuan stared blankly, swallowing unconsciously before realizing he was still holding a cup. He used the brief moment of downing the cup to adjust his expression, and when he reappeared, there was no trace of his lapse in composure: "So it's this Duke of Xia."
Fusu exchanged glances with the Emperor and Empress Cao at the head of the table. The mere fact that Yelü Chongyuan could remain unmoved even in the face of imminent collapse was enough to demonstrate that he was a remarkable person.
Yelü Chongyuan, whom they secretly praised, appeared calm on the surface, but his heart sank deeper and deeper. He was more flustered than he had been since his mission to the Song Dynasty.
The capture of the small Western Xia ruler was a minor matter; the complete subjugation of Western Xia by the Song Dynasty was a far greater one. The border between Liao and Western Xia was much wider and more strategically important than that between Liao and Song. If the Song Dynasty had already seized control of Western Xia's borders, it could, together with Juyong Pass to the east, form an encirclement of Liao.
At that time, the Liao Dynasty would have to send troops to garrison the area and defend it from both sides. The military pressure would be immense.
Yelü Chongyuan couldn't remember how he spent the banquet. The Song state had prepared incredibly delicious dishes he'd never heard of before, treating him with utmost hospitality. They also discussed his favorite poems with him. Normally, these would have been things he'd memorized and used to boast about back in Liao.
But for some reason, the deliciousness of the dishes and the aptness of the poems could only be tasted superficially, failing to truly enter his mind or heart. His gaze repeatedly lingered on the Duke of Xia, the Emperor of Song, and the young crown prince, constantly pondering whether they were demonstrating against him or simply bluffing to deceive him.
Yelü Chongyuan certainly hoped for the latter.
After the banquet, he couldn't wait to return to his residence at Xiangguo Temple. He wrote letters by lamplight that very night, hoping to obtain accurate information about Western Xia from his motherland. He dipped his brush in ink and had only written two lines when a servant came to report: "His Highness the Crown Prince of Song wishes to see you."
Yelü Chongyuan suddenly stood up. For some reason, he felt extremely uneasy.
He put on an overcoat, took a candle, and went outside. In the darkness, he saw a cluster of flickering lights. In the very center was the young prince, surrounded by imperial guards armed with torches.
"What brings Your Highness here so late at night?"
“It’s not that I have anything to do.” Fusu stepped aside, revealing the box behind him: “It was sent by your Liao Kingdom. They said that one of the state gifts they brought earlier had a problem, so they specially sent a better one as a replacement. I’m just here as a messenger.”
A gift? A mistake? How could that be?
My elder brother, the Emperor, attaches great importance to this mission; he personally oversaw the preparation of all the state gifts. It would be utterly unacceptable for anything to go wrong… Wait!
Yelü Chongyuan stared intently at the box on the ground, as if trying to bore a hole through it: Could the military intelligence of Western Xia be stored in this box?
"Thank you, Your Highness. I'm so sorry to have made you laugh." Knowing that there was such a possibility, Yelü Chongyuan would never let Fusu see the contents of the box. "But it's getting late, and you've had a long day at the banquet. You should go back and rest early."
Fusu nodded and said, "Alright. Don't stay up too late either. There's a military parade to watch tomorrow."
A military parade? What kind of military parade?
Yelü Chongyuan was stunned for a moment before he remembered that it was the Crown Prince of Song who had told him about the arrangements at the banquet earlier. He said that Song was going to tidy up its military appearance, and since he was there as an envoy from a friendly state, he was invited to go and observe as well.
This was a golden opportunity to gather intelligence on the Song army, and Yelü Chongyuan readily agreed. However, he was preoccupied with other matters that evening and was quite distracted. He would have almost forgotten about it if Fusu hadn't reminded him again.
"I will be there on time."
Yelü Chongyuan hugged the box, already extremely impatient. He wasn't sure if the young prince of Song had noticed anything; his gaze lingered between him and the box several times before he finally smiled, waved, and left.
But he couldn't care less about that anymore.
As soon as he returned to the house, he closed the door tightly, then used his small knife to break open the box and pulled out a brand-new cashmere blanket. He shook it vigorously, but there was nothing inside. He then felt around the sides of the box for a while, and when he reached a certain spot, he suddenly paused for a moment, then pulled out a few folded pieces of paper from a crevice.
Yelü Chongyuan eagerly unfolded the paper and began to read it carefully under the dim light. After a few breaths, his face turned deathly pale.
*Snap*
Like the flame of a candle, his wishful thinking was extinguished.
What was written on the paper was exactly what he wanted to know, but it was also the situation he least wanted to see.
“It’s over,” Yelü Chongyuan murmured.
——
Fusu didn't directly inquire what was inside the box that the Liao Kingdom had traveled so far to carry. But that didn't mean he couldn't find out.
The next day, when Yelü Chongyuan appeared at the military parade with huge dark circles under his eyes, and greeted him listlessly and as if he had lost his parents, Fusu guessed that the box must contain some rather ominous intelligence.
Was it a gunpowder ball? Or a battle report of the fall of Western Xia? Judging from how frequently he looked at the Duke of Xia, it should be the latter, right?
Fusu had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but he still maintained an innocent expression of ignorance: "Is it because you're not used to sleeping in the room at Xiangguo Temple? You don't seem to be in very good spirits, Your Highness?"
Generally speaking, a qualified diplomat should respond with a polite remark such as, "Not at all, your country has treated me so well, it's just that I haven't had enough rest."
But for some reason, Yelü Chongyuan said "Ah" and then hesitated before saying, "I think so."
Was he so devastated that he couldn't even come up with an excuse? Fusu glanced at him sympathetically. Then, he stood on tiptoe and patted his arm to comfort him.
"Let's watch the military parade," Fusu said.
They were now on the drill ground of the Imperial Guard camp. Apart from Yelü Chongyuan, the emperor and all the civil and military officials were present. Most of the officials were civil servants who had little contact with the military, and since it was their first time at the Imperial Guard's drill ground, they couldn't help but look around.
Fusu looked around and saw Ouyang Xiu, Su Xun, Yang Anguo... Even the usually rigid Sima Guang couldn't resist raising his head high.
A subtle smile played on his lips, a rare moment of vibrancy for this renowned minister. Suddenly, he felt a pang of loneliness, for the usual chattering voice was absent.
Su Shi always loved lively scenes and grand occasions. If he were still in Bianjing today, he would surely be standing around excitedly talking non-stop, and taking the opportunity to make a few sarcastic remarks about the Liao Dynasty delegation.
Then he was mercilessly punished by Senior Brother Fan, who pressed his hands on his shoulders and reminded him to be mindful of his manners: "Keep your voice down, everyone is looking this way."
The officials wouldn't reprimand them; they would simply stand a few steps away, hands behind their backs, watching them with a silent smile.
Fusu could almost picture everyone's reaction. That's why he felt even more frustrated: Sigh, why did they all go to Yunzhou?
He even started to blame himself for organizing the exam.
Suddenly, Fusu seemed to remember something, rushed to the Emperor, and tugged at his sleeve: "Your Majesty, have you had someone record today's events?"
The official was puzzled and asked, "Well, the 'Seeking Knowledge Daily' and the historians should have recorded it, right?"
When he heard the concept of the Imperial Guards' military parade, he was utterly shocked. It's truly baffling how Su'er's little brain is structured; it's completely filled with things he's never seen before.
If successfully held, it will surely be recorded in history, marking a glorious moment. Future generations may even learn from it.
But the emperor also found it strange. Wasn't Su'er always indifferent to good reputation? Why did she suddenly bring up records today?
"I'm not talking about words, I'm talking about paintings, drawings. Are there any people from the art academy here today?"
Emperor Renzong's eyes widened for a moment: "Oh dear, how could I have forgotten about them?"
This is definitely the moment when Fusu misses Emperor Huizong of Song the most since he traveled through time—if he were an art enthusiast, he would definitely send painters to record it from multiple angles and with multiple cameras.
He pouted slightly in frustration.
Not only did the officials forget, but he himself also forgot about it.
"It's alright." Emperor Renzong patted Fusu's round head reassuringly. "Before the military parade begins, I'll send someone to summon them now. But, Su'er, tell me first, why did you suddenly think of this?"
He looked up and around, and suddenly remembered the letter Su Shi had sent to Su'er in Yunzhou last winter: "Was it so that my friend could also witness the magnificent scene today?"
The friend mentioned by Emperor Renzong usually refers specifically to Su Shi.
Fusu blushed, his thoughts having been read so clearly, and turned his head away: "That's not entirely true."
Emperor Renzong looked at his son, who was saying one thing but meaning another, with amusement: "Oh? What else could it be?"
"Of course..."
Fusu, using his sleeve as cover, pointed in the direction where Yelü Chongyuan was.
The official gave a knowing "Oh".
“Good idea,” he said with a smile.
Yelü Chongyuan was completely unaware that he had been tricked by the Song Dynasty father and son once again. He stood on the high platform in front of the drill ground, looking around with his head up, just like every other Song Dynasty official who was curious about the Imperial Guards.
Wasn't it supposed to be a military parade?
Where are the soldiers? Where are they?
As far as the eye could see, there was only a large open space in front of the drill ground, and a bunch of people standing foolishly on the high platform, enjoying the breeze.
Just as Yelü Chongyuan was emotionally suspicious that he had been tricked, but rationally felt that it was impossible, he was torn between the two when he felt a dull thud coming from under his feet.
The earth dragon has turned over?!
He was about to flee when he realized something was wrong. How could an earth dragon's flips occur at such a synchronized frequency?
Yelü Chongyuan reluctantly stopped and immediately turned his gaze to Fusu: although there was no reason, his intuition told him that this matter was definitely related to the Crown Prince of Song!
The officials of the Song Dynasty reacted much like Yelü Chongyuan, turning to Fusu first when faced with something they didn't understand. However, unlike Yelü Chongyuan, their reactions were based purely on experience: cotton, potatoes, auspicious lightning strikes… weren't all these things orchestrated by the young crown prince?
In an instant, Fusu was stared at by dozens of eyes. He innocently touched his nose: Was it really necessary?
If everyone could hear his true feelings, they would all say in unison: Absolutely!
Alright, now that everyone knows it was his doing, there's no need for the prepared platitudes to comfort everyone. Fusu raised his hand and pointed forward: "Gentlemen, please take a look."
Following the direction he was pointing, everyone looked into the distance and actually spotted one, uh... a neat black square?
This eerie black cube was slowly and steadily moving towards the platform where they were. Combined with the words "military parade," what else was unclear to everyone?
Someone exclaimed, "It's the Imperial Guard!"
It is... the Song army.
Yelü Chongyuan held his breath, preparing to investigate carefully. Who exactly were these people—the Song imperial guards and the military parade that the Emperor and the Crown Prince allowed him to observe, viewing it as a show of force against the Liao?
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Author's note: Getting ready to unleash a barrage of powerful moves! [Sunglasses]
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