Chapter 72 It's like you've ever seen a metal-eating beast...
In Fusu's memory, Di Qing had a tattoo on his face, a punishment left by the government for a fight he committed when he was young. If there was any capable and fierce-looking officer under Fan Zhongyan, it would undoubtedly be Di Qing.
He's already hinted so clearly, it would be impolite not to seize the opportunity! Fusu thought, clenching his little fist.
But after he replied to the emperor with his "brilliant plan," he waited anxiously day and night, only to receive a letter from Fan Zhongyan instead of news from the commander-in-chief.
Fusu clutched the envelope in one hand, his delicate little face filled with nervousness: "It's... addressed to me?"
Fan Chunren asked in confusion, "Yes, why do you ask that? If I don't write it for you, who else would I write it for?"
Then, as if remembering something, he explained, "Recently, matters in the Northwest have been quite complicated, and Father has been unable to attend to them for the time being. He wrote to you as soon as he had a little free time. In the letter, he apologized to you and asked me to convey his apologies again. Junior Brother, please don't be offended."
Fusu breathed a sigh of relief: "Of course not."
What's there to be angry about? He just misunderstood, thinking that Fan Zhongyan knew about his underhanded dealings with Di Qing and wrote to question him. To be honest, Fan Zhongyan's busy schedule these days might have involved him too.
As Fusu opened the letter, he asked casually, "What has Lord Fan been busy with lately?"
"It seems something happened on the frontier, but I don't really know." Fan Chunren scratched his head and then said jokingly, "Why are you still calling your father 'Lord Fan'? You should change your address."
Fusu blushed slightly, but still stubbornly insisted, "I'll change my address after the formal greeting!"
"Alright, I'll do as you say."
After deftly tearing open the envelope, Fusu pulled out Fan Zhongyan's letter, which immediately caught his eye. His neat handwriting held a subtle sharpness in the strokes, possessing a more unrestrained feel compared to the refined elegance of official handwriting.
How should I put it? It's very much like the calligraphy of Fan Zhongyan.
Fusu glanced at the letter from top to bottom, noting that it made no mention of the chaos in the southwest or Di Qing, leaving young Fusu unsure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. The letter's content was actually quite simple: first, it expressed his excitement at having gained such a talented student; second, it apologized for his late reply; and third, it informed him that Fusu would be participating in the imperial examinations this autumn, offering him encouragement.
The letter said, "Young master, you are only three years old (Fusu's inner thoughts: actually four!), yet you already possess such talent that you have achieved the highest honors. This is certainly a good thing, but there are countless talented people taking the imperial examinations. Even if you don't pass, don't be discouraged or deny yourself. Think about those who passed; what were they doing at the age of three? They certainly weren't as good as you. If you don't pass this time, you can always try again at six. A six-year-old scholar will still bring me, as their teacher, pride."
Fan Zhongyan also instructed him, "You are young. If you encounter anything you don't understand or need help with, just ask your senior brother Chunren for help. Don't be shy about asking him for anything."
Fusu pointed to the words with his finger and said to Fan Chunren with ill intent, "Look, senior brother, Master Fan has sold you to me as a laborer."
Fan Chunren leaned over for a look and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Then, to Fusu's incredulous gaze, he picked him up, and with one hand he held Fusu's knees, firmly controlling his two thin legs that were thrashing about in mid-air.
"Since Father has given the order, then as your senior brother, I have no choice but to do the hard work and walk a part of the way for you."
Fusu was furious: "Senior brother, how could you do this!"
Why would they take advantage of me for no reason?
Fan Chunren turned his head away and chuckled to himself. As Fusu struggled wildly like a drowning man, he put him down and said, "Didn't you say it yourself, young master?"
Fusu: "..."
He will never again lift a stone to drop it on his own foot!
Strangely enough, after this incident, he no longer worried about Di Qing's whereabouts. Instead, following Fan Zhongyan's instructions, he focused on preparing for the exam. Unlike Yang Anguo, Mei Yaochen, and others who encouraged him, Fan Zhongyan wrote a long, cautionary letter, probably indicating that he didn't think he would pass the exam.
This, however, fueled Fusu's competitive spirit. To outsiders, he was only four years old. But only he knew the truth. If he couldn't pass the exam, how embarrassing would it be for the Qin Dynasty and the new China?
By the way, he also took leave to return to the Prince Pu's residence. Not to "visit relatives," but to confirm his identity. The Prince Pu currently holds the position of the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan Court, making him the perfect person to forge documents.
With a complicated expression, Prince Pu handed the family register named "Zhao Zongsu" to Fusu. The latter opened it and saw that, well, going back three generations, everyone was of impeccable character—of course they were! The only way for a member of the imperial family to avoid such a situation was to rebel. Perfect for dealing with the Ministry of Rites' investigation.
He happily tucked it into his arms: "Thank you, Uncle Wang. I hope you won't tell anyone."
This "anyone" certainly includes government officials.
King Pu hesitated, then spoke again: "...Uh, it can't be what I'm thinking, can it?"
Fusu cupped his face in his hands, swung his legs, and said mysteriously, "Uncle Wang, you'll find out when the time comes."
It wasn't that Fusu was deliberately trying to be mysterious; it was because he himself was quite uncertain. If he spoke too confidently now, and then failed the exam, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?
Fusu was bursting with competitive spirit, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy. Until the day before the exam, he went to Xiangguo Temple to draw a fortune stick and accidentally drew a rare "great luck" result.
"Great fortune!" Fusu quickly shoved the fortune stick into the hands of the monk on duty: "Excuse me, could you please interpret this fortune stick for me?"
The monk on duty glanced at the fortune slip and said leisurely, "Amitabha, this means that the benefactor's long-cherished wish has been fulfilled."
Fusu's bright eyes instantly lit up with an incredible light.
Doesn't that mean... hehe!
He's saved!
Your Majesty and Lord Fan, you're about to be in for a big surprise!
He was in high spirits, even the autumn breeze felt refreshing and pleasant. He strolled back to the Imperial Academy, a stark contrast to the anxious and absent-minded demeanor of the other candidates. He overheard his classmates discussing the news that the imperial court had dispatched troops to quell the rebellion in the southwest.
"The name of this commander-in-chief...I've never heard of him before..."
"...He's said to be a martial artist..."
Fusu's heart skipped a beat. He rushed to his two senior brothers and hurriedly asked, "May I ask what the name of that general is?"
Zhao Xiaolang was a household name at the Imperial Academy. The two students who happened to meet him smiled as soon as they saw Fusu: "Zhao Xiaolang, it's your turn to take the exam. Are you nervous?"
Fusu gripped the slip of paper in his hand: "Of course I'm nervous."
"Alright, alright, he has an exam coming up soon, stop teasing him and answer the question."
"Cough cough!" The senior brother who had been elbowed earlier finally became serious: "Let me think... the commander-in-chief's name seems to be... Di Qing?"
"I can remember this name because he looks somewhat like Wei Qing. Hey, do you think the court appointed him as commander-in-chief because his name sounds like Wei Qing, so it's a good omen?"
Then he got an elbow strike.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Don't slander the imperial court!"
"Ouch!" the senior brother exclaimed dramatically, pouting unconvinced. "Tch, how could I have slandered him? It's just that this person is unknown and can't possibly convince anyone. If it were Lord Han, I guarantee I wouldn't utter a single word of slander."
Fusu suddenly spoke, his tone extremely confident and unquestionable: "But I believe that this Commander Di will definitely be able to defeat Nong Zhigao."
"Huh? Why?"
"Young man, you've only just learned this person's name, yet you're so certain?"
Fusu lowered his eyes: "I know this man is under the command of Lord Fan, who even gifted him the Spring and Autumn Annals. If he were just an ordinary warrior, he wouldn't be worthy of Lord Fan's attention."
The real reason is that Di Qing was actually recommended by him. And the fact that Di Qing would achieve a great victory is something history has told him.
The two men awkwardly shut their mouths. Turning back, they wished Xiao Fusu good luck in the autumn examination, said a few auspicious words, and then parted ways.
Back in the dormitory where he was all alone, Fusu sat on the bed, his little face scrunched up, and he sighed helplessly.
He looked at the long, thin slip of paper in his hand, having just deciphered it as meaning "a long-cherished wish fulfilled," and thought his chances of passing the imperial examination were secure. But upon returning to the Imperial Academy, he heard that Di Qing had become the commander-in-chief. This was something he had been worrying about for a long time.
If the "long-cherished wish" in the fortune slip refers to Di Qing taking command... then is his chance of passing the imperial examination still secure?!
Fusu suddenly fell backward onto the bed, rolling around left and right until the blanket wrapped around him like a cat-like worm, at which point he stopped, utterly dejected.
He slunk up again, sat down at the table, and read a few pages of a book. Words like "canal transport," "water conservancy," and "border defense" filled his eyes, but couldn't absorb a single word. After a while, Liang Huaiji brought him dinner, a deluxe version of the Xiangguo Temple night market food, but he ate without tasting a thing.
Having been through countless examinations in his previous life, Fusu knew that he was suffering from pre-exam syndrome.
In other words, he won't be able to have a peaceful life until the exam is over.
...What a terrible fortune slip!
Fusu had a whole night of chaotic dreams, and sure enough, he woke up the next day with dark circles under his eyes. When they arrived at the agreed meeting place, Su Shi, true to form, started nagging again: "Huh? I'm clearly in Bianjing, not my hometown of Meishan! How come I saw an iron-eating beast?"
Fusu: "..."
"If you had really seen an iron-eating beast, would you still be standing here unharmed?"
In the stereotypes of the ancients, the iron-eating beast, namely the giant panda, was a kind of bird of prey.
Su Shi gritted his teeth and turned his head away: "Tch! You talk as if you've ever even seen an iron-eating beast!"
Fusu said quietly, "I really have seen it."
Now it was Su Shi's turn to fall silent. After a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "Damn it, so what if you're born into a good family!"
He clearly misunderstood something, thinking that Fusu had seen the iron-eating beast in the royal private zoo for rare birds and animals. In reality, Fusu had never been to that place. Because giant pandas and such... Fusu had seen them in his previous life, or even the life before that.
"..."
Fan Chunren sighed, "I knew it, you two would start arguing the moment you met."
He abruptly interrupted their bickering and handed two baskets to Fusu and Su Shi. Inside were water, candles, and food—essential items for the exams. Su Shi was a child, alone in the capital, and no one had prepared these things for him. As for Fusu? He was his junior fellow student.
Fusu curiously lifted a corner of the food, and the aroma of fried starch and white sesame seeds immediately filled his nostrils.
"Senior brother, what is this? It looks delicious!"
Fan Chunren blushed and looked away.
"...It's your sister-in-law's cooking."
Fusu: "..."
Thank you, I'm already full from dog food before I've even eaten.
“This is fried dough twists,” Zeng Gong kindly explained to Fusu. “It’s made by kneading dough into thin pieces and then deep-frying it. When we go through the inspection before the exam, all food will be broken into small pieces to check for any items being smuggled in. Even if the fried dough twists are broken, it won’t affect the taste.”
"I see."
Having reached this point, Fan Chunren reiterated the examination rules to prevent the two young boys from being mistaken for having ulterior motives and expelled. Even after hearing them several times, Fusu and Su Shi nodded earnestly, promising not to break any rules.
"Then let's set off."
The time had come, and the five of them immediately headed to the examination hall for the autumn imperial examinations, queuing up to go through security. While waiting in the line, Fusu noticed someone he hadn't expected.
"How could he be here?!"
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Author's note: I thought I could write until the exam...
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