Chapter 80. Were you terrified by Di Qing? Hehe. ...
Little did Fusu know that Ouyang Xiu's contingency plan, designed to protect his reputation, was like a bowl of boiling oil, causing Bianjing, already restless due to the appearance of the child prodigy, to completely erupt into chaos.
Since Yan Shu entered officialdom at the age of fourteen, people have regarded the reputation of a child prodigy as a shortcut to success. There are many who engage in deception, but true talent is like an awl in a pocket; once it's there, it can't be hidden. Those who seek fame and fortune may deceive for a while, but they will soon be ruthlessly exposed by some opportunity.
People originally thought that Zhao Zongsu was such a person.
After all, from any angle, he was far too suspicious. His age, his teacher, and his kinship with the chief examiner of this year's imperial examination... In the court, the conservative opposition to the new policies, led by Lü Yijian and Wang Gongchen, all felt this was an excellent opportunity to bring Ouyang Xiu down, and they stirred up trouble and added fuel to the fire in public opinion.
They originally planned to wait until the rumors grew stronger, and the censors heard rumors and filed complaints with the emperor, before seizing the opportunity to act. However, Ouyang Xiu had already foreseen this situation on the very day the exams were opened and the rankings were determined. He didn't give them a chance at all, and instead published Zhao Zongsu's exam himself.
Besides the top scholar (解元), the essays of other officials' sons, such as Fan Chunren and Yan Jidao, were also published. Coincidentally, a nephew of Lü Yijian was among them, barely making the cut-off score for the autumn imperial examination. Ouyang Xiu claimed it was to prove his innocence. But everyone knew that with these other scholars' essays displayed, the Lü family candidate naturally became the comparison point.
Lü Yijian: "..."
This is an unexpected disaster.
He knew the true level of his family's students—the fact that they were at the bottom of the list was only due to Ouyang Xiu's impartial grading. Otherwise, given Ouyang Xiu's and his political enemies' identities, it wouldn't have been a problem for him to be deemed "failed."
What truly surprised him, and all the onlookers in Bianjing, was the article posted by the top scholar Zhao Zongsu. On the first day, crowds thronged in front of Ouyang Xiu's residence; by the second day, all the doubts in Bianjing had vanished without a trace.
Even with the names on the exam papers covered, any scholar with a modicum of literary appreciation would know who should be the top scholar. To propose a national policy-level solution under such tight time constraints, with sound reasoning and detailed argumentation—how many people in the Song Dynasty could do that?
It far surpasses the second place, and even the later ones.
Some people, still indignant after being proven wrong, complained: "Don't you even know who his teacher is or where he went to school? Maybe his teacher tutored him privately."
This statement was immediately met with a retort: "Are you jealous? Even if I told you, what difference would it make? Could you even write one or two parts of this essay in the exam?"
"Are you saying that Master Fan and Dr. Mei are both fools, that they have brilliant strategies for governing the country but don't submit them to the emperor to enhance their own political achievements, and instead save them for their four-year-old disciples?"
Public opinion shifted from a severe drought to a flood of praise, with everyone eager to witness the brilliance of this four-year-old prodigy.
They waited day and night, but no news came of the grand banquet hosted by the top scholar. They didn't even have the chance to sneak a drink or catch a glimpse of him. Some busybodies, or those who saw Fusu's true talent and wanted to befriend him, approached the Imperial Academy again.
No matter how many times he visited, he only saw Yang Anguo or Mei Yaochen. The former was all smiles, while the latter was aloof, but they conveyed the same message: "I'm sorry, the top scholar is currently preparing for the imperial examination and has no time to see guests."
Oh? You say someone in your family is an official? Sorry, Zhao Xiaolang's master was even a Privy Councilor. I won't see him.
I said I wouldn't see him, and I won't even see the officials!
The visitor was turned away, but Zhao Xiaolang's reputation only grew stronger. It's said that pride comes before a fall, and the character of a four-year-old is still uncertain. However, his lack of concern for his reputation, and even his ability to remain vigilant, makes his performance in the Spring Split all the more anticipated.
Besides, the Prince of Pu's residence was visited repeatedly, but Fusu was not at Zhao Yunrang's residence, so he had to order people to close the door to guests. He even refused to listen to the praise and compliments from others about him and his wife. What a joke! Such an excellent son was not raised by him. If you want to praise him, go praise him outside the Chuigong Hall or Kunning Palace!
Sigh, then again, why isn't such an outstanding son his biological son?
Amidst the occasional bursts of praise, Prince Zhao Yunrang of Pu quietly donned a mask of anguish.
If the emperor finds out, I wonder how pleased he will be.
...The officials were unaware.
It was the conservative opposition party that was causing trouble. They had previously sent people to incite public opinion among the literati, spreading rumors of "backroom deals." However, after Ouyang Xiu ruthlessly undermined their efforts, they became guilty and started to act suspiciously.
This dynasty has always attached great importance to the imperial examination system for selecting officials, and has frequently added new laws to ensure the fairness of the examinations.
If the emperor knew that some people were questioning the fairness of the imperial examinations, but the chief examiner had proven his innocence, he would surely send people to investigate thoroughly and trace it back to them. Lü Yijian, Wang Gongchen, and others then held their noses and actively covered it up.
Mei Yaochen, Yang Anguo, and others knew that Fusu was a quiet and upright man, and would not become arrogant once he gained power. They also knew that with Zhao Xiaolang and Zhao Xiaojieyuan's talent, they would sooner or later distinguish themselves in the later examinations.
When the time comes, letting the emperor see the four-year-old prodigy with his own eyes will inspire a love for talent that is refined and nurtured by the experience, which will be far more effective than any exaggerated rumors.
Thus, by a twist of fate, Fusu's fame only spread among the common people and did not reach the imperial palace. The only things he received in his letters home were his elderly father's complaints that he had become too ambitious and no longer liked to come home (Empress Cao joined this group one day), and reports of great victories at the front.
Indeed, the pacification commissioner Di Qing's southward campaign to quell the rebellion was very successful and efficient. Even Fusu, who knew the outcome beforehand, couldn't help but feel happy upon seeing the battle report.
He was originally just a mid-level officer in the Northwest, but when he first led an army of 200,000, he showed no arrogance or bewilderment. After quickly establishing himself in the army, he began to deal with Nong Zhigao.
He employed a feint attack, causing Nong Zhigao to misjudge the Song army's movements. Nong Zhigao, already arrogant and overconfident, had learned through scouts that the Song army's commander was an unknown figure and thus underestimated Di Qing. Underestimating his enemy, Di Qing easily breached his defenses at Kunlun Pass. Di Qing pressed his advantage, ultimately defeating Nong Zhigao's flank forces in the decisive battle at Guirenpu and recapturing the lost Song territory.
Nong Zhigao, after his defeat, fled to the Joseon Dynasty in Jiaozhi (Vietnam), attempting to replicate his past success and stage a comeback. Di Qing dispatched an elite force deep into Jiaozhi to personally capture the fleeing Nong Zhigao. Unfortunately, on the way, he devised a plan to commit suicide while the guards were not paying attention.
When Fusu saw the report of this great victory, he suddenly stood up. Not because of Nong Zhigao's unexpected death, but because of the route he had taken to escape.
In the original history, Nong Zhigao did not flee towards the Ly Dynasty of Jiaozhi, but rather towards Dali. The ruler of Dali, who had always maintained good relations with the Song Dynasty and did not want to cause trouble, immediately sent men to kill Nong Zhigao and send his head back to the Song Dynasty. However, this time, perhaps too unwilling to accept defeat to an unknown military officer, he actually turned back to Jiaozhi, the land where he had a blood feud with his father.
Di Qing, however, showed no leniency. So what if the relationship between Jiaozhi and the Song Dynasty was delicate, and Jiaozhi had once been arrogant? He directly dispatched elite troops to enter Jiaozhi and capture the people.
He did this without any falsehood; everyone knows how much effort Jiaozhi (Vietnam) put into the rebellion before and after Nong Zhigao's uprising. Nong Zhigao's father, the chieftain appointed by the Song Dynasty, was killed by Jiaozhi. Jiaozhi also made up the majority of the troops Nong Zhigao initially dispatched.
You must be terrified to see Di Qing flexing his muscles like that, right?
Sure enough, not long after, the Court of State Ceremonial had a new task besides planting cotton. The Li Dynasty of Jiaozhi sent envoys with a letter of state and gifts, saying that they wanted to restore friendly relations with the Song Dynasty.
Emperor Renzong summoned the envoy from Jiaozhi and, after hearing his purpose, expressed his doubts: "Repairing is enough? What do you mean? Haven't the Great Song and your country always been on good terms? Why didn't General Di withdraw his troops? Wasn't it because his 200,000-strong army was exhausted after winning a battle and wanted to rest for a while? Is there a problem with that?"
The envoy exhausted all his efforts but couldn't get a single definite answer. However, he couldn't take back the gifts he had sent, otherwise it would be making enemies, not befriending them. Left with no other choice, he returned home dejectedly. Only when he was halfway there, upon hearing the news that General Di had led a large army back to Bianjing, did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
This happened in February of the fifth year of the Qingli era.
Since agreeing to go into seclusion for the autumn imperial examinations, aside from the ten-odd days around the Lunar New Year, Fusu has only returned to the palace this time. There's no way around it; the teachers have assigned him far too much and too heavy a workload for the spring imperial examinations.
But this time, even though he was far behind in his studies and Mr. Mei was nagging him, Fusu still made a special trip back.
—Because there was one thing in the gifts sent by the envoy from Jiaozhi.
Fusu tried touching the belly of the creature in front of him, and the creature tilted its head, snorted, and was not annoyed at all.
"His temper is too good!" he exclaimed.
Emperor Renzong of Song said with a smile, "This horse has lived near people since it was a cub, so it's not afraid of people anymore. Look at you, you're still so young, so naturally it doesn't feel that you pose any threat to it."
Fusu pouted indignantly, but when he saw the horse's incredibly strong hind hooves rubbing against the sandy ground, he reluctantly shut his mouth.
It looks like one kick could knock out two of them.
Indeed, among the gifts sent by the Ly Dynasty of Jiaozhi (present-day Vietnam) were Yunnan horses, a breed unique to the southwest region. Because the Song Dynasty failed to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun at the founding of its dynasty, it lacked natural horse pastures and could only rely on importing horses through trade with Dali to train cavalry. However, due to the chain reaction of Di Qing's elite troops defeating Nong Zhigao, Jiaozhi seemed to have developed PTSD and sent many horses to Bianjing (Kaifeng), including dozens of stallions.
This is a resource that Dali would never trade with the Song Dynasty.
The lost territory that Di Qing recently recovered happened to include a plateau that could serve as a natural horse breeding ground. This means that the Song Dynasty might finally be able to overcome its perennial horse shortage and even train an infantry force with even greater combat capabilities than before!
The father and son exchanged a glance, both thrilled by the news.
"Only such good news can allow you to return to the palace to see me and your mother," Emperor Renzong sighed.
Fusu gave a guilty smile.
It's almost here, almost here. The imperial examinations are just around the corner.
Once the imperial examinations are over, he'll definitely come back every day!
Perhaps people are always greedy, and Emperor Renzong, stroking the smooth mane of the horse in front of him, was still somewhat unsatisfied.
"The Yunnan horse is gentle in nature, hardy in cold weather, and spirited, making it a fine breed. It's just a pity that it's a bit short."
Is he short? Fusu had to stand on tiptoe to get onto the horse's back. But then he thought about how he was only four years old... and realized he was indeed a bit short.
If the Song army were to fight on short Yunnan horses, with their thighs barely touching the ground as they straddled the back of the horse, they would be at a significant disadvantage in terms of morale compared to the northern cavalry.
Emperor Renzong muttered to himself, "If only we had northern horses. They would be just as imposing as the Liao and Tangut people."
“…Wang Anshi,” Fusu suddenly said.
"What?"
"Isn't Wang Anshi investigating human smuggling cases on the border? Let him go find them! If they can smuggle people, they can definitely smuggle horses!"
-----------------------
Author's note: Tomorrow I'll be making 20 JJB trades!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
