Chapter 60 The Censors Did Not Impeach Empress Cao for Her Reply to the Emperor…
This was not the first time Fusu had witnessed the discord between the Emperor and the Empress.
At least by the time Fusu was born, the Song-Xia War had already begun in earnest. In his memory, whenever the Emperor came to Kunning Palace and discussed the affairs of the previous dynasty with the Empress, the atmosphere between the two would always become extremely awkward.
Fusu had tried to mend the relationship; this was the first time in his three lifetimes that both his parents were alive. Who wouldn't want harmonious parents?
However, every time he dragged the Emperor to Kunning Palace, no matter how hard he tried to act cute and charming, the Emperor and Empress only looked at him with warm and loving eyes. When they talked about each other, it always ended on a sour note.
Forced relationships are never sweet. Around the age of one, Fusu understood this principle and chose to give up. However, Fusu always believed he knew the reason for his parents' discord.
Empress Cao was chosen for the Emperor by Empress Dowager Liu before her death. However, due to the existence of his birth mother, Consort Li, the Emperor harbored resentment towards Empress Dowager Liu. Therefore, he viewed the Empress as an extension of the Empress Dowager's will and found her difficult to approach—this is not a secret; it actually happened in history.
But today, through the map, Fusu saw another side of the story.
Who can draw maps? Someone knowledgeable in military affairs.
Who can read a map? The person who issues military orders.
Or perhaps, those who still hold onto the hope of recovering lost territory. For example, Lu You wrote, "At the family sacrifice, do not forget to tell your father," or Empress Cao, who came from a family of generals and whose grandfather was a meritorious official who helped pacify the Southern Tang Dynasty.
What must Empress Cao, with her profound understanding of the world, have felt when she heard Emperor Renzong speak with a sorrowful expression about the "critical situation at the front," "the army's defeat," and "negotiating peace as soon as possible"?
Fusu couldn't imagine it.
It can only be said that the fact that the censors did not impeach her for "great disrespect" to the emperor must have been the result of her efforts to endure it.
"Your Highness, you said you learned map-making in your youth? Did your family teach you these things in your youth?"
Empress Cao chuckled: "Are you trying to say that I'm improper in my private life?"
"Hmm, that's pretty unconventional. We should have been taught some moral conduct, speech, and skills, but my brother and I insisted on pestering Grandfather to tell us these things. Grandfather said they were useless and that we wouldn't need them at all, but he couldn't resist our pleas and told us anyway. My brother and I listened with great interest."
When talking about her time in her boudoir, Empress Cao made no attempt to hide the longing in her eyes.
At that time, her grandfather discovered that she had secretly drawn maps based on the ancient stories he had told her. Instead of scolding her, he praised her for drawing them accurately, saying that they were exactly the same as the ones he had seen at the Great Ancestor's place.
Then he instructed her to burn the painting after she finished it, and not to let it circulate. She agreed on the surface, lit candles, but then couldn't bear to part with it.
As long as... it doesn't get out, right?
Empress Cao carefully hid this map away. It was eventually placed at the bottom of her dowry chest and even went with her into the Kunning Palace, where it was forgotten in a dusty corner.
Even she herself didn't expect that it would see the light of day again.
"Is that how it is?"
Upon hearing this, Fusu felt as if the thin paper in his hand weighed a thousand pounds.
He pieced the two maps together. The north and south borders intersected, and with the addition of neighboring countries, it resembled the most familiar 21st-century map of China.
Fusu scanned the map, imprinting the images in his mind. Then he carefully rolled up Empress Cao's copy and tucked it into his bosom: "Your Majesty, I will keep it safe and will not give it to anyone. Even if the Emperor comes, I will not give it to him."
"What harm is there in giving it to him?" Empress Cao said.
"Huh?" Fusu looked up in surprise.
"If there ever comes a day when it is truly useful, even if you hand it over to the Emperor, I will be willing to be punished for it."
"..."
Empress Cao bent down and stroked Fusu's fluffy head again.
Her smile held both insight and a deeply hidden expectation: "But Su'er, you'll need it sooner or later, won't you?"
"……Um."
"My son has lofty ambitions."
After saying this, Empress Cao asked no more questions. She also knew that with the current strength of the Song Dynasty, talking about recovering lost territory was just wishful thinking. As a mother, she did not want to put pressure on her son.
"Your mother is waiting for your good news."
Fusu solemnly assured him, "Your son will never let you down."
In a daze, Empress Cao recalled what her sister-in-law had said when she visited her during her pregnancy: "We women can only rely on our husbands when we first marry, but when we get older, won't we eventually have to rely on our own sons?"
At that time, she didn't take those words to heart.
Her situation differed from that of her sister-in-law, a noblewoman from a prominent family. She was already the mother of the nation. The child in her womb was not only her hope, but also the hope of the entire Song Dynasty. Moreover, she had been disappointed by the emperor for too long and had long lost interest in the idea of "hope."
When Empress Cao recalls this incident now, she has to admit that experience is indeed valuable, and her sister-in-law was right.
If it were to recover the sixteen prefectures, pacify the north, and complete the unfinished work of the founding emperor and grandfather... Su'er might truly be her only hope.
"Go quickly to the Funing Palace, the Emperor is waiting for you."
Empress Cao had never spoken these words with such genuine emotion.
"Um???"
Fusu was startled: "Then... I'm really leaving?"
"Go quickly and come back early so you can get a full night's sleep."
As Empress Cao dismissed Fusu, she pondered whether she should be more tactful the next time the Emperor discussed state affairs.
-
Funing Palace. The night was cool and still.
When Fusu's small figure appeared in the hall, Emperor Renzong was extremely surprised.
He blurted out, "Su'er, what are you doing here? How could the Empress bear to let you come here?"
Fusu: "..."
Your Majesty, you seem to know the Empress very well.
However, this time, the Emperor was wrong. Fusu touched his sleeve pocket and pulled out a piece of paper: "Of course, it's because there's something important."
It was so important that the Empress herself took the initiative to send him away.
"Your Majesty, please take a look at this."
Emperor Renzong curiously took the paper: what astronomical phenomena were written on it that could cause even the Empress to act out of character? However, after the first few seconds, the curiosity on his face faded completely, and his pupils trembled uncontrollably, as if he had seen something unbelievable.
"Su'er, this is, this is..."
“I got it from a woman who was abducted to the Song Dynasty. She said she was a palace maid in the Liao Palace. I think Uncle Ba has already told you about it? I visited her today and found out that she not only worked in the Liao Palace, but also memorized all the scenic spots along the way. How is it? Is her drawing accurate?”
"It's more than accurate! Even the founding emperor didn't have such detailed maps back then!"
The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun fell into the hands of the Khitan before the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty. Therefore, even the map in the possession of Emperor Taizu of Song was not an original, firsthand map that had been explored. Rather, it was a map that had been passed down from the late Tang Dynasty and was already a century old.
What will happen in a century?
While the natural landscape may have changed drastically, the distribution of towns and administrative divisions had already differed significantly. It could be said that the importance of the maps in Fusu's possession far surpassed that of any family heirlooms passed down through the Song Dynasty.
"OK!"
Emperor Renzong's eyes lit up with excitement: "Could it be that the report from the Court of State Ceremonial that an unprecedented auspicious omen was planted in the sand was all for today?"
Fusu: "...Auspicious omen?"
He immediately became alert: "What kind of auspicious omen is this?"
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Author's note: I'm so sleepy... I'm already delirious.
I'll add the rest after I wake up.
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