Chapter 78. Emperor Renzong: Ah? Insufficient fatherly love? I…
As for Fusu, who was sweating profusely from being tricked into revealing information and was looking around for an opportunity to escape, he suddenly bumped into a passerby who took the initiative to intercept him and was bombarded with questions, leaving him completely stunned.
When he finally saw the person's face clearly, he was momentarily at a loss for whether to be happy or sad.
Help! How could it be him?
This is going to be difficult.
Who else could be described as "difficult" by Fusu, able to recognize his identity at a glance, dare to intercept servants who looked like troublemakers on the street, and always talk about "propriety"? It could only be Sima Guang, who had taught at Zishan Hall.
Fusu opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, but ultimately, intimidated by Sima Guang's "tyranny," he decided to wait and see—especially after the head of the servants seemingly unintentionally uttered the phrase "You are his father."
It's easy to imagine what kind of storm this person will face next, so he'd better not provoke him.
As expected, Sima Guang's face flushed red: he had always considered himself a gentleman, and regarded loyalty and filial piety as his duty. To falsely claim to be the father of a prince? That was a grave offense of disloyalty and filial impiety, and even being mistaken for someone else was unacceptable!
The head servant, thinking he had revealed the truth, was then scolded by the passerby who had suddenly appeared. He was accused of "making a joke about matters of human relations" and "leading others into unrighteousness and immorality." What was that all about? He had just guessed wrong. Why was he so angry?
In an instant, the imposing man was overwhelmed by the scholar's imposing presence. Even his burly servants, intimidated by the intimidating aura of Sima Guang's cursing, dared not utter a sound. Coupled with the silence of Fusu and Su Shi, for a moment, only Sima Guang's vehement rebuke echoed through the street.
As for the identities of Fusu and even his father, Sima Guang made no mention of them, subtly avoiding the topic in his words. If he revealed them, and word got out that he was impersonating the emperor, he'd be facing impeachment petitions from the censors and regents. Even if they were his colleagues, they'd still be subject to impeachment!
Hiss... The head of this household suddenly felt a bit tricky.
Originally, their method of choosing a son-in-law based on the list of successful candidates was all about speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness—making it a fait accompli. It was certainly against reason, but once the marriage was done, the status of husband and wife was there for all to see; could they possibly back out? Besides, the temptation of a beautiful wife in one's arms and a fortune was not something anyone could resist.
The reason this trend has become so widespread is because many Confucian scholars have been reluctant to participate.
But things are different now. They caught a baby instead of a son-in-law, and even ran into the "son-in-law's" friend, getting a good scolding. With the friend's temper like that, do you think the "son-in-law" will take it lying down?
Should we continue?
Fusu caught the leader's hesitation in an instant. He quickly stepped forward and tugged at Sima Guang's sleeve: "Sir, they are merchants looking for a son-in-law after the autumn imperial examination results are announced. They want to take my father as their son-in-law!"
Sima Guang: "!?"
He exclaimed, "What did you say?"
His gaze slowly shifted to the long queue. He had previously assumed that His Highness Prince Cheng had casually befriended some shady characters and made a boastful promise to let them tour the palace. But now, the words "merchants," "marrying a son-in-law," and "my father" struck a nerve, causing him to instantly reveal a terrifying expression.
The leader couldn't help but shiver.
Scholars held extremely high status in this dynasty, and Sima Guang was the kind of scholar who was most difficult to offend. To put it simply, if this were Changban Slope, no one present would doubt that Sima Guang, holding Liu Bei's son A Dou, could easily deter Cao Cao's million-strong army with just his words.
Nothing more than a strong mouth.
Of course, a subject would never voluntarily confess to something as disgraceful as "merchants threatening to arrest the emperor's son-in-law after the imperial edict was issued." But even so, Sima Guang's mouth never stopped, and after a barrage of "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness," the leader looked dehydrated and wilted.
He no longer wanted to think about catching a son-in-law; he just wanted to run away. Just as Sima Guang caught his breath and was about to continue, he cupped his hands in greeting, said, "I have other matters to attend to at home; I will meet with you another day," and then slipped away unexpectedly.
And the long line of groomsmen behind them also slipped away.
Fusu gazed at their backs and thought, "They really do look alike—when I hurriedly fled Zishan Hall and went to the Imperial Academy, I was probably just as disheveled."
Su Shi, who was standing nearby, suddenly joked, "What is meant by 'subduing the enemy without fighting'? I have finally seen it today. You have truly mastered the art of war by reading Sun Tzu's Art of War."
Fusu: "..." A tonic, huh?
Su Shi, even if you and Sima Guang later belonged to the opposition to the reforms, he still wouldn't like you, really.
As expected, Sima Guang, who had only spoken halfway through the interview, was extremely displeased. He glared at Su Shi, ignored him, and instead looked at Fusu: "Why did the matter of finding a son-in-law under the examination list come to Your Highness?"
"Well," Fusu blinked, "the top scholar in the autumn imperial examination is surnamed Zhao. When they heard that my surname was also Zhao, they assumed I was the son of the top scholar, and then..."
To avoid another scolding from Sima Guang, he preemptively offered a backup plan: "The area is crowded with people. If I reveal my identity and shoo them away, wouldn't that cause a civil unrest? I have no choice but to lure them out as a pretext."
Sima Guang: "..."
That makes a lot of sense, and he has the makings of a wise ruler.
He couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Upon careful consideration, it became clear that His Highness Prince Cheng had indeed suffered an undeserved calamity, quite different from what he had initially imagined. Moreover, it was evident from this that His Highness Prince Cheng truly cared for the people and acted with remarkable thoroughness.
...But why did he have such a burning desire inside him?
Sima Guang was very well-mannered, and even when he was angry, he would not vent his anger on the child. Instead, he would ask the same old question that all teachers loved to ask: "How is Your Highness's study during your recuperation?"
His initial strike and job change were due to the fact that Prince Cheng's palace was too weak to continue his studies.
Su Shi said with great interest, "Sir, you don't know yet, do you? His Highness Prince Cheng just got..."
Fusu ruthlessly covered her mouth.
"...Ugh...Ugh...Ugh!"
"Cough cough, I caught a cold, cough cough—cough." Fusu covered his lips with his fist and coughed twice, concealing his merit and fame.
Sima Guang frowned deeply.
It wasn't directed at Fusu, but at his father. He couldn't help but think to himself: What kind of father is the Emperor? His only son is sick, yet he still lets him out in disguise, and the friends he makes are so unruly and irresponsible (Su Shi: ?). There are no guards around him either.
Emperor Renzong, who was completely unaware of what was happening in the palace, sneezed.
Achoo!
Amidst the concerned inquiries of the eunuchs around him, he rubbed his nose and said, "It's probably just the autumn chill; you all don't need to make a fuss. I wonder how Su'er is doing. Sigh."
It's no wonder that Emperor Renzong suddenly thought of his son, for in his hand was a memorial from the Imperial City Guard regarding cotton planting. It stated: "The cotton bolls in the fields have budded, from which emerge silken threads as white as down. They have extracted the seeds and, in a secluded imperial estate, chosen a fertile plot of land and planted the second batch."
Once this batch of cotton has borne fruit, we can start trying to make products from it.
By then, Su'er will probably be able to fully display his talents, right? He has never broken a promise he made to me.
Emperor Renzong imagined the scene and a slow smile appeared on his face. He then ordered people to prepare autumn and winter clothes to be sent to the Imperial Academy later.
He issued this order in the Chuigong Hall without regard for others, and by sheer coincidence, it was overheard by Fu Bi, who had come to report on matters.
Emperor Renzong turned around: "Fu Qing has arrived, please sit down?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After Fu Bi sat down, he did not immediately report on state affairs: "I overheard Your Majesty saying that His Highness Prince Cheng is still studying at the Imperial Academy?"
Emperor Renzong feigned helplessness, as if saying, "My son is grown up and I can't control him anymore," but his tone was actually full of boasting: "Yes, you know Fuqing, he's ambitious and capable. Let him be for now."
Fu Bi nodded, seemingly understanding: "I see. I understand now."
In a corner unseen by Emperor Renzong, his fingers twirled a memorial in his hand—the list of successful candidates from the autumn imperial examinations in Bianjing in the fourth year of the Qingli era. The name of the person they were discussing was prominently displayed at the top of this list.
Yesterday evening, Ouyang Xiu, having just left the examination room where the papers were being graded, rushed to his residence without even having time to bathe or change, complaining that he had suffered a terrible misfortune. He had clearly selected a brilliant talent, but his reputation was about to be ruined.
Fu Bi: "Who?"
"The top scholar of this year's imperial examination is Zhao Zongsu. Do you know his name? He's only four years old!"
Fu Bi: "..."
We know each other very well.
As one of the few people who knew about Prince Cheng's incognito visit, Fu Bi didn't know how to comfort Ouyang Xiu: What's there to be discouraged about! You recruited Prince Cheng, the future emperor!
But this matter couldn't be made public. He could only suppress the envy in his eyes and comfort Ouyang Xiu, saying, "Slander can only be popular for a short time. What about ten or twenty years from now? The current gossip might envy you then!"
Ouyang Xiu looked worried, clearly not taking his words to heart: "I hope so, I take Yan Guo's good words to heart."
He added with a hint of resentment, "Perhaps it is fate. Originally, you, Yan Guo, should have been the examiner for the autumn imperial examination."
Fu Bi: "..."
Give it to me! I'd love to!
Having missed his chance, Fu Bi still had to report the list of candidates for the autumn imperial examination. Originally, this was just a minor matter, and the autumn imperial examination was hardly worth the emperor's attention, but who could blame him when the top scholar was that person?
However, since His Majesty seemed to know about this matter and appeared to support Prince Cheng, then as a subject, there was no need for him to speak. Fu Bi's fingers simply skipped over the memorial and began the day's proceedings from the next one.
Thus, Emperor Renzong, who was kept in the dark and encouraged, lost his only chance to learn the truth.
The very next day, Emperor Renzong, who had received few impeachment petitions since the Song-Xia War, was suddenly impeached. The name on the petition was: Sima Guang?
Emperor Renzong: "?"
He certainly recognized the man, having carefully selected the Zishan Hall commentator's piece for Su'er. The Empress had privately told him that Su'er and this serious and rigid teacher didn't get along at all. However, after Su'er went to the Imperial Academy, this teacher was put to good use by Emperor Renzong and transferred to the Censorate, where he indeed thrived.
Why would he impeach himself?
Emperor Renzong reviewed everything he had done recently, and it seemed... there was nothing wrong with it.
He wasn't angry, only filled with curiosity. He opened the memorial and saw various quotations and eloquent writing, which could be summarized in four words—
Insufficient paternal love.
Emperor Renzong: Huh? Insufficient fatherly love? Me?
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Author's Note: The unlucky dad takes the blame (
The next chapter will be about the Imperial College reaction.
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