Chapter 16, Fusu, a treasure weapon against Western Xia. ...
On the first day of school, Su Shi received a warm welcome from his classmates at the Imperial Academy. After all, resisting the Western Xia was the politically correct course of action for the Song Dynasty. Su Shi used the method most favored by the Song people, severely undermining the prestige of the Western Xia.
Compared to fighting and killing, it's definitely better to use words—no, I mean, to educate with language, to subdue the barbarians so they can't even lift their heads—that would better demonstrate the magnanimity of a disciple of Confucius and the grandeur of China.
After Su Shi nodded in acknowledgment of his identity, the people surrounding him became even more excited and started asking all sorts of bizarre questions.
Are you really only seven years old this year?
What did the people of the Western Xia Dynasty look like?
"I heard that you angered the Western Xia envoy so much with just one sentence that he vomited blood and died on the spot. Is that true?"
Yes, he just turned seven.
They look somewhat similar to Han Chinese, but their etiquette and customs are completely different.
Where did this rumor come from... It's like the saying "three men can make a tiger"!
Su Shi had imagined a thousand different scenarios for starting school, but he never expected it to be like this. Circles of his future classmates surrounded him, as if they were admiring rare birds and animals that had traveled all the way from Dali to Southeast Asia.
It wasn't just his classmates who were joining in the fun; even the lecturers at the Imperial Academy called on him during class to answer questions, taking the opportunity to get a closer look at him.
Su Shi: "..."
Su Shi: "…………"
I'm someone who loves to be in the spotlight, so why do I feel so uncomfortable when it's actually time to shine?
Three nights after enrolling at the Imperial Academy, Su Shi wrote a letter to his father, Su Xun, by candlelight, expressing his doubts in the letter. Besides this, he wrote much more—
The teachers at the Imperial Academy all like me, and my classmates are quite nice to me. I haven't been bullied as you might imagine, so you don't need to worry and lose sleep. Even if there are a few who dislike me, seeing that I'm still in the spotlight, they don't dare do anything to me.
Father, you can go back to your hometown of Meishan to prepare for the exam without worry. After you pass the imperial examination and are selected to serve as an official in Bianjing next year, I will be a legitimate student of the Imperial Academy.
By the way, I should have known better than to agree to keep Zhao Xiaolang's secret. He was the one who brought down the Western Xia envoy, and that spot at the Imperial Academy should have rightfully belonged to him. I hope he won't resent me for taking his place. I wonder if he'll reply to my letter to the Prince of Pu's residence.
Two days later, Su Xun's reply arrived.
Firstly, I'm saying that your father is preparing to pack his bags and return to Meishan to take the imperial examination. My son, although I'm worried about leaving you alone in Bianjing, the most important thing for our Su family is to pass the exam and become an official. Once I pass, you'll be the son of a seventh-rank official, and you'll have a legitimate reason to stay at the Imperial Academy.
Also, your father has rented a two-courtyard house near the Imperial Academy and left two servants there. Son, you can stay there when you're on vacation; it'll give you a place to stay in Bianjing. As for that young man Zhao, just keep in touch with him as usual; you'll meet again someday if fate allows.
If Fusu could see this letter, he would surely guess that Su Xun had most likely discovered his true identity, or at least that he was not simply the son of the Prince of Pu. However, to protect his son's pure friendship, Su Xun said nothing.
He left his seven-year-old child alone in the capital, a truly remarkable act of magnanimity. Yet, upon closer examination, one has to admire Su Xun's intelligence.
As long as the peace talks between Song and Western Xia continue and the envoys of Western Xia remain on Song territory, Su Shi will continue to be in the limelight. The more prominent he is, the safer he will be and the less likely he is to run into trouble. If Su Xun himself doesn't keep an eye on things, the officials, those who have read the official gazette, and the lecturers at the Imperial Academy will naturally keep an eye on things for him.
Furthermore, the word "shameless" has spread far more widely than one might imagine.
As mentioned before, the Song Dynasty was, after all, an era that valued elegance and restraint. When the literati and officials saw others using these four characters to berate the Western Xia envoys so vehemently, they felt extremely pleased. However, they themselves, mindful of the impropriety of direct rebuke, would never use them under any circumstances.
But the common people of the Song Dynasty didn't have so many scruples. It's unclear who first used it, but the word quickly spread among the common people, and was widely disseminated through neighborhood squabbles. Furthermore, because its backstory contained elements that were popular with the masses, it gained an even more legendary quality.
The rumor that Su Shi heard that "the Western Xia envoy died on the spot" was a byproduct of the widespread circulation of this term.
In addition, many fan works, including those featuring head swapping, have emerged—including but not limited to Yang Guifei rebuking An Lushan and Kou Xianggong infuriating Xiao Guanyin.
Even the original prototype of the story, Zhuge Liang, has been changed. However, the person he angrily berates in front of the two armies is no longer Wang Lang, who is not well-known in history, but Cao Cao or Sima Yi, who are familiar to the people.
Wang Lang became the biggest beneficiary of his shamelessness in gaining widespread attention.
The biggest victims, needless to say, were the Western Xia delegation. For several days in a row, during their negotiations with the Song Dynasty, they could see the Song officials' faces—a forced, strained expression of barely suppressed smiles.
Even the monks coming and going at the Daxiangguo Temple often looked at them with a strange expression. When they went to the brothels and alleys near Bianjing to drink, eat tea, and listen to storytelling, they could always hear a low, loud laugh behind their backs.
The delegation was seething with anger wherever they went, but they couldn't find an excuse to vent it, so they could only helplessly sulk.
What's worse, even their own people are starting to look at Yang Shousu differently. If it weren't for Yang Shousu's inappropriate response that day, which made him a laughingstock, how could they have ended up in this situation?
Some people couldn't stand Yang Shousu, a Song person, climbing over the heads of the Western Xia people. They secretly felt that the child that day was actually right—wasn't it a joke to let a traitor teach the Western Xia what propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame were?
The delegation was showing signs of internal division, and the daily lives were overshadowed by ridicule. As a result, the morale of the Western Xia delegation declined steadily, and they were no longer as arrogant as they had been at the beginning, forcing the elders of Xiangguo Temple to chat with them.
The officials in charge of the peace talks naturally wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. The consultations, which used to take place every other day, became once a day, and the terms of the peace talks became increasingly tighter, all in an effort to leverage the psychological pressure from the Western Xia to secure the greatest possible benefit for the Song Dynasty.
With national affairs at their peak, Song Qi, as the Vice Minister of Rites, even ordered Sima Guang, the tutor, to take over the princes' studies, all in preparation for the peace talks.
So when Fusu was so tormented by Sima Guang, who was acting as his substitute, that he couldn't take it anymore and, with huge dark circles under his eyes, was willing to swallow his pride and whine to get Mr. Song back to teach. He then saw the Emperor, who was usually very accommodating to his requests, hesitate for the first time.
If it was to punish himself for running around, a few days of Sima Guang's gentle and persuasive discipline would be enough; Emperor Renzong certainly wouldn't go too far.
But now Song Qi can't come back. Why?
Fusu carefully examined Emperor Renzong's attitude, and it seemed as if Song Qi was unable to extricate himself from something.
Fusu: ...Hmm?
"Is Mr. Song perhaps busy with the peace talks with Western Xia?"
Emperor Renzong sighed, "You really can't hide anything from Su'er."
He then jokingly added, "You seem to have a connection with the Western Xia."
Fusu looked away, not daring to retort. Aside from the fact that the Song army won a long-awaited victory just three days after his birth—a mere coincidence—every subsequent encounter with the Western Xia was something he had deliberately created to force his way in.
For this, Fusu had to memorize ten pages of the Analects, shamelessly act like a child and beg for mercy, and suffer the painful lesson of being forced to be Sima Guang's student for several days.
Now, he's starting to doubt whether all that effort he's put in for a "pro-war" persona was really worth it.
However, just thinking about the miserable life he led in his first life as the designated crown prince, a life of constant fear and trepidation where he dared not make a single wrong step, Fusu became ambitious again.
The journey of a hundred li is only half complete at ninety.
Fusu, you can do it!
While mentally making a cheering gesture for Lu Xiao Kui, he propped up his chubby cheeks with his hands and asked, "So, Your Majesty, when exactly will Mr. Song be back?"
"So you want Mr. Song to come back?"
After receiving a nod in agreement, the Emperor smiled again: "But he's busy outwitting the Western Xia envoys and can't leave right away. The sooner the peace talks end, the sooner Mr. Song can return to Zishan Hall. Su'er, why don't you think of a way to get the peace talks to end sooner?"
Fusu pointed to himself, his face full of disbelief: I'm going to negotiate? Really?
Your Majesty, have you forgotten? I'm only three years old this year!
But the emperor just stared at him, his fair and refined face showing no change in smile: "Su'er, do you have any clues?"
Following Emperor Renzong's words, Fusu actually pinched his chin and pondered for a while.
Believe it or not, there is indeed a way. It could not only speed up the peace talks, but also potentially expand the Song Dynasty's advantage.
Just as Fusu was about to speak, he met Emperor Renzong's smiling gaze and suddenly realized something was amiss.
The idea he could come up with, surely the emperor, who had been emperor for many years, could have thought of it too? Since he already had an idea in mind, why did he need to ask himself?
He even deliberately used Song Qi and Sima Guang to coerce and entice him... How despicable! Perhaps he was being tested. Emperor Renzong was testing him, trying to see if he was smart enough, if he had political talent, and if he could come up with that answer.
So, has he already thought of it and is he going to say it?
Suddenly, the image of a scale appeared in Fusu's mind. On one side of the scale was the weight, "So smart at the age of three, damn it, he's obviously going to be the Crown Prince of our Great Song Dynasty," and on the other side was the image of Song Qi's delayed return and the scene of him being tortured day and night by Sima Guang in Zishan Hall.
The two ends of the scale were sometimes high and sometimes low, pulling at each other, and Fusu's expression changed several times.
How should I choose?
Of course... a short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one.
Within seconds, Fusu succumbed to Sima Guang's tyranny. He had no choice; he could find another way to avoid becoming crown prince later, but he absolutely refused to endure being tormented by Sima Guang for even a single day longer!
Fusu's face looked like a steamed bun that had been creased into wrinkles, as if someone owed him millions: "My idea is that Your Majesty should personally go and negotiate with Western Xia."
"Hahahaha, as expected of Su'er, she is indeed incredibly intelligent."
Emperor Renzong, as usual, offered a pat on the head and showered him with compliments, but this time, his son neither felt shy nor accepted them. Instead, he unusually grabbed the jade belt around his waist and, as if venting his anger, nuzzled his head against him twice.
Emperor Renzong was completely bewildered: "...?"
What's wrong with Su'er?
He was completely unaware that his son had already developed signs of paranoia from being tortured by Sima Guang, and that his casual question had stirred up such a huge wave in people's hearts.
Emperor Renzong carefully reviewed the preceding text. Could it be that his son missed Mr. Song? Was he unhappy because he heard that Mr. Song couldn't come back for the time being? Thinking of this, he found it both amusing and somewhat jealous.
Being jealous is one thing, but coaxing one's son is absolutely essential. Fortunately, Emperor Renzong was already quite adept at this; he personally soothed Su'er when Su cried for the first time in his swaddling clothes.
Emperor Renzong hesitated for a moment: the Song Dynasty had won a battle when Su'er was just born; the Western Xia agreed to peace talks shortly after the conferment of the title of Prince Cheng; and the morale of the Western Xia envoys was once again defeated as soon as he casually went out of the palace to join in the fun.
Could it be that his long-awaited child is born with a natural affinity for the Western Xia? If so, and given Su'er's unusual interest in Western Xia, then perhaps...
"Or, when I personally negotiate peace with the envoys from Western Xia, Su'er, will you accompany me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Renzong saw that the little boy, who had been sullen just moments before, suddenly brightened up, his eyes shining brightly with joy and excitement: "I want to go! I want to go!"
A note from the author:
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Fusu, outwitting and outmaneuvering the air...
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