Chapter 30 Prince Pu: Damn it! When...?
After a satisfying meal, the event concluded perfectly.
Aside from the fact that Fusu crawled through a dog hole, was forced to write poetry twice, and had to go to the bathroom several times in the middle of the night because he drank too much beverage, it was a very happy day in every other respect.
The next day, everyone was a bit listless and lacked energy. It was like a Monday with low spirits after a weekend.
Fusu was one of them. But at least he had a carrot dangling in front of him; after school, he went to distribute souvenirs.
According to the order, he should go to Kunning Palace to find the Empress first, but unexpectedly, he ran into his long-lost sister Miaowu on the way.
Fusu smiled and was about to have the palace servants deliver the gift he had brought for his sister when he saw Miaowu standing aggressively in front of him.
"I heard from Father that you went out of the palace with your friends yesterday?" She looked a little annoyed. "Why didn't you take me with you?"
A bead of cold sweat dripped down Fusu's forehead.
Oh no, they've come to interrogate me.
Miaowu's complaints didn't stop: "Ever since you went to study at Zishan Hall, I've hardly seen you at all. And then you sneaked out of the palace to play without even telling me!"
From her perspective, her younger brother was the only playmate of similar age in the vast palace. One day, that playmate suddenly disappeared, and she only vaguely heard that he had a new playmate. Not only that, they were secretly playing together and keeping it a secret from her.
Fusu sighed: Thinking about it this way is really upsetting.
He wanted to touch the little girl's head, but when he realized he would have to stand on tiptoe, he gave up and handed her the gift he had bought for Miaowu—a peach wood comb: "I saw this outside the palace and thought it would suit you, so I bought it."
The comb had a simple, antique design, but it was finely polished, without any bumps or burrs, and its surface was coated with oil. As Fusu held it in his hand and stroked it, he suddenly remembered that Miaowu had tried to tie his hair but couldn't quite manage it, and on a whim, he bought it.
Miaowu took it curiously, touched it a couple of times, and couldn't put it down.
"That's more like it!" Though her words were sharp, a smile crept onto her lips. "You absolutely must take me with you next time you leave the palace."
"Yes, definitely," Fusu said. He also felt that girls should see more of the world and broaden their horizons.
It's not about worrying that Miaowu might be easily deceived by small favors in the future; it's simply that the broader one's horizons, the wider one's life can be. This is the heartfelt advice of Fusu, who has lived three lifetimes.
In his first life, he had sisters who, while alive, were like puppets, only able to obey their father's orders. Fusu knew nothing of their fates afterward. Historical records state that they all died at the hands of Huhai.
The second Fusu had no relatives, but he met many female classmates at school, and they lived all sorts of wonderful lives.
Although bound by the feudal era, Miaowu was destined not to be as free as people in the 21st century. But Fusu hoped that she could at least decide what kind of life she wanted to live.
“Then it’s a deal.” Miaowu confirmed again, as if afraid that Fusu would change his mind: “I’ve already told Father. If you forget again next time, I’ll tell him.”
“It won’t just be next time; there will be many more times in the future,” Fusu said earnestly.
Miaowu, holding the comb and having received a promise, magnanimously let Fusu off the hook.
Her back view seemed to indicate she was very happy, excitedly talking to Liang Huaiji beside her, though it was unclear what they were saying.
Fusu turned his back and looked for a while before saying to the palace servants, "Let's continue to Kunning Palace."
On the table in the rear hall of Kunning Palace, refreshments were already laid out. It wasn't dinner time yet, and Empress Cao had prepared them for Fusu, who was hungry after class.
Fusu took a bite of the plum blossom pastry; it was so crispy and sweet.
He quickly took a sip of tea to suppress the sweetness.
Upon tasting the bitter tea, Fusu suddenly missed the sweet beverage he had the day before.
Hmm, it would be even better with some ice. Summer is all about fragrant and sweet iced milk tea with a few water droplets seeping from the cup.
Did milk tea exist in the Song Dynasty? Should we invent it to benefit those with a sweet tooth?
Fusu silently kept this thought in his heart.
He ate a couple more bites and then asked the palace maid beside him, "Where is the Empress?"
"I'm here, I'm here. I heard someone was going to give me a gift, so I came."
Empress Cao also employed the tactic of "hearing her voice before seeing her" before entering the gate. She wore a green dress, and despite the early summer weather, there was no trace of sweat on her forehead, making one feel cool and in a good mood.
This was the first formal meeting between the mother and son since their late-night conversation.
To Fusu's great surprise, Empress Cao seemed to have forgotten about the nighttime conversation after that day and showed no curiosity about the outcome of the confrontation between father and son.
But that shouldn't be the case... Empress Cao in history supported the Qingli Reforms; she wasn't someone who knew nothing about politics.
But Empress Cao really didn't ask, and Fusu was happy not to think about it either, pretending to be an ostrich and comfortably enjoying his mother's care.
Suddenly, a pair of delicate hands were stretched out in front of Fusu, interrupting his thoughts. Empress Cao smiled and said, "Let me see what Su'er sent me from outside the palace."
"My son bought these on his own initiative."
Fusu took out a box of jasmine-scented face powder and a pearl hairpin with intricate floral patterns and placed them on the table. He glanced at Empress Cao's expression and said, "If Your Majesty is not used to them, it is fine not to use them."
He genuinely didn't know what to buy for Empress Cao. What could an empress possibly lack? In the end, on the shopkeeper's advice, he chose these two items.
He also deliberately avoided options like pearl powder, rouge, and eyebrow pencil, choosing only two categories that were neither troublesome nor eye-catching.
Indeed, Empress Cao did not usually care much about dressing up, and she only chose simple and plain clothes. While the Emperor occasionally received negative comments from the censors, Empress Cao was almost universally praised and was recognized as a virtuous empress.
Originally, she had received some criticism for not having children for many years, but since the birth of His Highness Prince Cheng, even the last negative comments have disappeared.
The current censors are a BOT game that is fully affirmed by Empress Cao!
Getting back to the point, Fusu was initially quite nervous, worried that Empress Cao wouldn't like his gift. But to his surprise, she took the hairpin and tucked it into her thick, black hair, asking her maid, "Does it look good?"
"His Highness Prince Cheng has exceptional taste, and Your Highness is naturally beautiful."
Empress Cao nodded in satisfaction, and without even taking off the hairpin, she simply wore it on her head. She then unscrewed the powder box, brought it close, and gently sniffed it, her expression showing great delight.
Fusu: ...Eh?
Things took a completely unexpected turn. Empress Cao didn't seem to be someone who disliked dressing up, so what was she like in her daily life? Was she trying to maintain the standards of a virtuous empress and gain a good reputation?
Having already revealed his reluctance to become the crown prince, Fusu thought for a moment and felt that his relationship with the Empress was close enough, so he asked bluntly, "Why does Your Majesty usually not wear makeup or adorn yourself with jewelry?"
At the same time, he blinked, trying to increase the probability of getting an answer by acting cute.
Empress Cao's lips twitched slightly.
"Women please men, naturally because... never mind, it's nothing, this is not something you children should know."
Fusu: That expression meant he wanted to sneer but held it back, right? Definitely.
Combining this with what she said, the case was solved.
—Because I don't like the government.
Fusu sighed helplessly, a sense of understanding washing over him.
If he were a child from an ordinary family, he would surely be distressed by his parents' discord. But because of his special background, he now only feels extremely lucky.
Although his parents had a strained relationship, they both loved him dearly, even though he wasn't their child, and never neglected their own family ties.
Fusu sighed again, because he thought of someone else.
“Zhang Xiuyuan, I ran into Zhang Xiuyuan’s family.” Fusu said, “Will she target me? But I didn’t use my identity.”
Although he and several of his companions expressed disdain for Zhang Jifu's powerful connections, Su Shi was still at the Imperial Academy, so it was better to find out more details.
Empress Cao was taken aback: "Who were you back then?"
Fusu said, "The child of the Prince of Pu's mansion." He didn't say whether it was a son or a grandson, leaving it up to what others thought.
Empress Cao's lips curled into a mocking smile: "What a coincidence, His Majesty previously brought Zongshi into the palace, and now you..."
You returned it, right?
However, Empress Cao quickly put away her joking expression: "If you were Prince Cheng, Zhang Xiuyuan would not target you for the time being."
Zhang Xiuyuan had no children. Given this premise, it wouldn't matter whether Fusu or Zhao Zongshi ascended the throne to her. The former might even be better, since he was her stepmother and she would have to be treated with some favor out of filial piety.
"But she may not see you as a good person, and..." Empress Cao's voice suddenly became very soft: "You chose Li Qiu as your study companion, which is not something she would like to see."
Fusu was very puzzled: "Why?"
Aren't both of these families related to the maternal relatives?
"Think about it, why does the Emperor favor Zhang Xiuyuan?"
Fusu touched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed: Discussing with his own mother why his father liked another concubine? His brain was burning up, he felt like his CPU was about to overheat.
No, wait a minute.
Combining Empress Cao's previous hints with the understanding of the maternal relatives—the Zhang family, the Li family, Consort Zhang, Consort Li… Fusu suddenly realized what was going on.
"Is the Emperor using Consort Zhang to compensate Empress Zhangyi?"
Empress Cao nodded slightly.
Fusu suddenly felt a sense of unreality: No wonder, no wonder.
Consort Li, his grandmother, how helpless she was under Empress Dowager Liu! She had no status or position, and her son was taken away, leaving her unable to recognize her in life or in death. How similar she was to Consort Zhang, who entered the palace with a lowly status and was utterly alone.
This moment is just like that moment back then.
The only difference is that Emperor Renzong in the past was a young crown prince who was kept in the dark by Empress Dowager Liu. Now he has great power and can raise Zhang Xiuyuan's status to make up for the regret of the past.
Fusu even suddenly wondered if the farce of the two empresses, one dead and one alive, was also caused by Renzong's unresolved feelings towards his birth mother.
However, Empress Cao was not Empress Dowager Liu.
Although she was chosen by Empress Dowager Liu to be Emperor Renzong's successor before her death, she could not decide her own fate and was regarded by the emperor as the embodiment of Empress Dowager Liu's power, and was neglected for many years. Fortunately, she did not like the emperor either.
The only innocent person spoke of it as if nothing had happened: "So, Su'er, do you understand now?"
"I understand. Because I chose Li Qiu as my study companion, the Emperor's guilt towards his birth mother's family was alleviated, so what about Zhang Xiuyuan..."
They will become indifferent.
Fusu shook his head: Before clarifying this logic, even he found it hard to believe that it was not Empress Cao who was unhappy to see the Li family receive imperial favor, but Zhang Xiuyuan's family, who were also related to the imperial family.
“I understand, I will remind Su…”
"Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Cheng, Chief Huang is outside requesting an audience."
Fusu wondered if he had some kind of debuff from talking about people behind their backs, because Huang Duzhi mentioned the person he had just been talking about.
"Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to the Chuigong Hall. Before that, Consort Zhang said she has important matters to report and must see the Emperor."
-
Fusu saw Zhang Xiuyuan outside the Chuigong Hall.
Great. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't be caught red-handed by strangers.
The two greeted each other before the long steps.
Zhang Xiuyuan didn't show any unfriendly expression, but Fusu could intuitively sense that she seemed very unhappy.
How can I be happy?
Such a trivial matter as a quarrel at the Imperial Academy, when brought before the emperor, is not about who is right or wrong; the final outcome is simply a matter of which side enjoys more imperial favor.
Zhang Xiuyuan originally thought she had it in the bag.
She clutched her handkerchief, thinking: She had tried so hard to sow discord, only to be dismissed by the Emperor with a mere "he will clarify the truth." What was going on? When did she, a favored concubine of the Emperor, become less important than a minor member of the imperial clan with distant lineage and no imperial favor?
Zhang Xiuyuan instinctively sensed a crisis.
As soon as she stepped out of the Chuigong Hall and saw His Highness Prince Cheng walking inside, she became even more depressed. Who didn't know that Zhao Zongshi, the thirteenth son of Prince Pu, was brought in by His Highness Prince Cheng and transformed from an awkwardly adopted son into a highly sought-after prince's study companion? He must really like him.
Would he speak ill of the Prince Pu's residence?
It's impossible to even think about it.
But Zhang Xiuyuan didn't say much to Fusu. The Emperor and Empress both treated him like the apple of their eye; if she rashly approached him, she wouldn't have a good outcome. This was also her policy when interacting with Prince Cheng most of the time: keep to herself and avoid conflict.
However, there are also very rare occasions.
Zhang Xiuyuan watched Fusu struggle up the steps with small steps, finally disappearing behind the gate of the Chuigong Hall. She sometimes thought, "If only His Highness Prince Cheng were my child."
-
Before Fusu even stepped into the Chuigong Hall, he realized that his new identity could not be hidden from Emperor Renzong. Even without Zhang Xiuyuan, Fu Bi would have complained.
So he chose to strike first.
"Father, look what this is!"
In a rare cheerful tone, Fusu took out a dark object from his bosom and placed it on the table where Emperor Renzong was reviewing memorials.
"This is a gift I brought for you from outside the palace."
Emperor Renzong was taken aback at first, then took the inkstone in his hands, examined it carefully for a while, and then ordered the eunuch beside him to grind ink for him.
Fusu volunteered to take the position, rolled up his sleeves, and started working hard.
Soon after, black ink gushed out.
Emperor Renzong dipped his brush in ink and wrote two words on the new paper: "Not bad, usable, it's a good inkstone."
Fusu immediately laughed.
"So, this is something Su'er bought for me by crawling through a dog hole?"
Fusu's smile suddenly froze on his face.
After a long while, he complained with a sullen face, "Why did Mr. Fu even write this in? I begged him not to write it."
"Do you think Prime Minister Fu wanted to write this?" Emperor Renzong poked his son's forehead with his index finger. "He's even more eager to maintain the royal family's dignity than you are. He'd rather be blind than see it. He wrote it down just to remind me to discipline you properly."
Fusu: "..."
Knowing he was in the wrong, he remained silent.
To everyone's surprise, he remained silent, as did Emperor Renzong, who, using the ink from the new inkstone, lowered his head and began writing and drawing on a stack of memorials. It was unclear what he was writing.
"...Besides the dog hole incident, is there anything else you want to ask, Father?"
"Oh?" Emperor Renzong finally raised his head, a half-smile on his face.
"Should I ask you why you have poetic talent and composed two poems on the spot, or why you clashed with Xiu Yuan's nephew, making him so angry that he came to the emperor to complain about you, or should I ask you when you became the son of the Prince of Pu?"
Fusu: "..."
Fusu: "…………"
Damn it! We've completely fallen for their trap!
He was hit by a triple whammy of his embarrassing past, and his face turned bright red. In the end, he could only take small steps to get closer to the official and whisper, "I didn't do it on purpose. Others forced me to do it."
Yes, that's it.
Crawling through the dog hole was a result of Su Shi's provocation. Competing with Zhang Jifu was something he was forced to do at the last minute. His poem admonishing the Imperial Academy's dining hall stemmed from his unwillingness to disappoint Dr. Mei Yaochen's protective intentions.
Fusu's words became increasingly reasonable, and his voice grew louder and louder: "As for Prince Pu, it was to protect the royal family's reputation, so that others wouldn't know that His Highness Prince Cheng crawled through a dog hole!"
He immediately used the readily available reason.
Emperor Renzong almost laughed out of anger: "You! You've already drilled in, and only after you're done do you remember how to write the word 'face'?"
Fusu sensed that Emperor Renzong wasn't actually that angry: "I only found out someone saw me after I finished crawling through the tunnel."
"Moreover, it was Zhang Jifu who deliberately bullied his classmates. When we were competing in poetry, he tried to copy mine, but he failed. So he had to put together a poem and hand it in. He was scolded by Dr. Mei, and then he blamed me."
Without hesitation, he filed a counter-accusation against the other party, while resolutely distancing himself from any connection with "Xie Qiao Poetry".
Emperor Renzong nodded: "So?"
"So Your Majesty, could you think of a way to stop Zhang Jifu from bullying his classmates? Su Dalang is a great contributor to the peace talks between Song and Xia."
Emperor Renzong neither agreed nor disagreed, but turned and stuffed Fu Bi's memorial into Fusu's hands: "Take a look at this first?"
Fusu scratched his head, but still read it as instructed.
"The Emperor?"
"A man like Zhang Jifu." After considering for a moment, Emperor Renzong did not give face to his favorite concubine's nephew and chose to tell the truth.
"I can expel one of those corrupt officials, but there will always be another; there's nothing I can do about it. Only Prime Minister Fu's advice hits the nail on the head. But implementing it will be extremely difficult, beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"Even someone as capable as Fan Zhongyan was not up to par back then."
Is Fan Gong referring to Fan Zhongyan?
Fusu seemed to be deep in thought, guessing what Emperor Renzong would say next.
"I promise you today that I will expel Zhang Jifu from the Imperial Academy and seek justice for Su Dalang."
"However, as punishment for crawling through the dog hole into the Imperial Academy..."
Fusu's face twitched. Why are they still bringing this up!
"I intend to send you to the Imperial Academy to study under the Chancellor and the Doctors, while also overseeing reforms within the academy and purifying the academic atmosphere. Su'er, this path may be incredibly difficult. Are you willing?"
-
Prince Pu's Mansion.
Cold sweat streamed down the forehead of the elderly King Pu, who dared not meet his wife's suspicious gaze.
—Damn it!
—When did he get a three-year-old son?!
-----------------------
Author's note: I wrote a few extra words, so it's a bit late!
This chapter includes 20 red envelopes~ [Stand-up rabbit head]
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