Chapter 84. Zhao Xiaolang, the champion of stress resistance. ...
On that day, Emperor Renzong got up very early.
Because the imperial examination was the next day, he did not visit any of the concubines' residences the previous night, but rested in the Funing Palace for one night, so as not to be distracted the next day and leave an unserious impression in front of the future emperor's students.
It wasn't just the students writing their essays with fervor under the emperor's throne who were deeply concerned about the imperial examinations.
Emperor Renzong stood before a bronze mirror as tall as himself, arms outstretched, allowing palace maids and eunuchs to dress him in his full imperial robes. Emperor Taizu had established a national policy of shared governance between the Song Dynasty and the scholar-officials; even the emperor's ceremonial robes resembled those of the officials. Furthermore, the emperor personally attended each imperial examination to demonstrate his respect for the scholar-officials.
In this respect, the government believes it has done a very good job.
He gazed at his reflection in the bronze mirror, lost in thought: Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong had Zhao Pu; the late emperor had Kou Zhun and Yan Shu... I wonder how many famous ministers will emerge in his reign, and whether any of them will be among the scholars of this year's examination?
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Before a discordant noise could disturb the emperor's thoughts, it was stopped by the eunuch beside him: "What kind of behavior is this, making noise in front of the emperor?"
Emperor Renzong made a gesture to stop him, looked at the newcomer, and suddenly exclaimed, "Aren't you from the Jiying Hall? What happened? Did something go wrong with the palace examination?"
"I...I just saw His Highness Prince Cheng, in the Jiying Hall..."
Emperor Renzong's mind went blank for a moment: "What did you say?"
After being questioned by the Emperor, the eunuch shrank back for a moment, then went through the scene in his mind and became even more certain: "Yes, it was His Highness Prince Cheng. He was about this tall, and his appearance was very similar to yours. He was chatting and laughing with the other candidates in the palace examination and entered the Jiying Hall together."
Chatting and laughing with other scholars?
Together in the Hall of Heroes?
So what is his identity?
The answer seemed self-evident, but its implications were utterly absurd. For a moment, Emperor Renzong wondered if he was still half asleep. He immediately ordered his attendants to hurry and get dressed, then hurriedly boarded his sedan chair and headed straight for the Jiying Hall.
Upon arriving at the Hall of Heroes, he walked up the high steps from the rear hall and looked down. In that instant, everything became clear.
The students of the modern science school gathered together, all of them handsome and talented. But one in the middle had an unnaturally large depression in his chest, and in that depression, chatting and laughing with someone, who else could it be but his own brilliant son?
Emperor Renzong couldn't help but let out a belated, cold laugh.
For the past six months, there have been reasons why my son has suddenly been studying hard all night and why he refuses to return to the palace no matter how I summon him.
He once lamented that his son was no longer home after growing up, and he complained to Empress Cao about it. The two of them tried everything but to no avail.
It turns out that it wasn't "being so happy here that one forgets about home" that Su'er had secretly carried out a big scheme outside the palace.
Huh, why did she suddenly freeze? Why did she suddenly lower her head, but dare not look at the throne? I understand, she's noticed her father's presence and is feeling guilty.
If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain.
It was discovered that Emperor Renzong was not the only one present, and the vast Jiying Hall quickly fell silent. As the eunuchs guided the students to their seats, everyone tried their best to behave politely and leave a good impression on the emperor, except for one little boy who was fidgeting and scratching his forehead with his finger.
He looked left and right, refusing to look up, as if some ancient god above him would instantly kill him. His heart was filled with anxiety.
Have you found him?
They should have found him by now, right?
"Pfft—"
A rude laugh came from the right front, and Fusu immediately glared at the gloating figure: Su Shi! Don't think I don't know it was you who was smirking!
However, just as he glared angrily at Su Shi, a familiar figure flashed into his peripheral vision. He immediately lowered his head and prayed silently: Don't come any closer, don't come any closer—but it seemed that even the heavens were not on his side, the figure drew closer and closer until it stood right in front of him.
Almost simultaneously, a questioning voice rang out above him, Emperor Renzong: "What's going on? How come there's a child with his hair in his hair among this year's candidates?"
"This, this..."
The eunuch who had just reported to His Highness Prince Cheng awkwardly rubbed his hands, wondering what the father and son were up to.
What does it say on the family law?
Yes, family history!
"Bring up the family records of...!" He dared not address the King as "this person," nor did he dare to reveal his identity.
But another childish voice drowned out his: "If I were to answer to the Emperor, of course I got here on my own merit."
Fusu's voice wasn't deliberately lowered; it carried to everyone's ears in the otherwise silent hall. A few barely audible gasps immediately rose from the surroundings: What's with that tone? It sounds like he's about to argue with the Emperor?
Fusu, who had kept his head bowed his whole life, finally raised it. Now that the Emperor was right in front of him and seemed to have no intention of exposing him, there was no point in him continuing to pretend. He might as well lay his cards on the table now: Yes, it was me, who passed the imperial examination for the Jiying Hall all by myself.
"Does Your Majesty not believe me?"
Emperor Renzong immediately smiled and said, "Oh dear, finally you're not pretending you can't see me. That's more like my son."
He placed the printed exam paper in front of Fusu: "I was just a little surprised because you are so young."
"However, I am probably not the only one who has doubts about you. You will have to write an article that can convince the public in order to silence the criticism."
Fusu immediately understood what Emperor Renzong meant.
Son, once you become an official and enter the imperial court, your true colors will inevitably be revealed sooner or later. People will then think that your passing the imperial examination was due to your father's underhanded dealings. Therefore, you must write well; otherwise, our story in history will just look like a father and son playing house in the imperial examinations.
—Wouldn't that make us like Emperor Ling of Han or Emperor Jiajing?
The former, as emperor, spearheaded the sale of official positions, while the latter included "the art of immortality" in the imperial examination questions. Fusu felt immense pressure as he picked up his pen. Only by writing an exceptional essay could he prove himself different from those two abstract masters.
This palace examination is a battle for enlightenment.
But he was unaware of what the scholars present thought of him when he was under immense pressure. When he had confronted Emperor Renzong directly, even to the point of mocking him, countless people in the Jiying Hall had secretly held their breath, fearing that his tone might anger the emperor and implicate them.
Among them, Fan Chunren, Zeng Gong, and others who were acquainted with him were especially on tenterhooks. If it weren't for the strict examination discipline, they would have wanted to jump in front of Fusu immediately, cover his mouth, and shut him up. Having finally caught the emperor's attention, instead of saying something nice to leave a good impression, they had to refute him—wasn't that tantamount to self-destruction?
When the official gave his answer, all the students were completely bewildered.
What's going on?
The Emperor wasn't angry at all; in fact, his tone suggested he quite appreciated the boy. He was even considering his feelings, encouraging him to write an essay and give it his best. The person who had been secretly blaming Fusu for ruining the atmosphere was now secretly envious: Ah, it's so good to be a child. And a cute child, especially a bright prodigy, has an immense charm—even the Emperor couldn't resist.
Of all those present, Su Shi was probably the least stressed. Whether it was Fusu's retort or the emperor's retort, he simply twirled his brush with his fingers, looking on with a leisurely, detached expression. He nonchalantly opened the scroll, but his gaze suddenly froze as he scanned the questions.
Huh, why is this question here?
When Fusu saw it, he exclaimed "Huh?" and looked at the Emperor with confusion and disbelief: How could it be this question? He hadn't told the Emperor about his ambitions, had he?
The exam paper prominently displayed the words, "Please discuss the gains and losses of the current dynasty's management of the sixteen prefectures."
This question was a complete fluke for Fusu; none of the students present shared his comprehensive perspective. But he felt no joy at having guessed the question correctly; only one thought occupied his mind.
Isn't it a bit too early?
Now that no preparations have been made, some rumors have already surfaced during the scientific expedition. Is this a good thing?
Emperor Renzong sighed softly, patted Fusu's head, and spoke in a voice that was almost a thin line: "You should write well."
He looked up and surveyed the entire Jiying Hall. Many students were scratching their heads and looking troubled as they stared at their exam papers. The Sixteen Prefectures were a place that had been rarely mentioned since Emperor Taizong's defeat. After the Treaty of Chanyuan, the borders between Liao and Song had been peaceful for several decades. Most of them had grown up in this hard-won peace, and many still held onto the idea of the Song Dynasty's external adversaries from two or three years prior.
—Isn't it the Western Xia?
"Yes, isn't it Western Xia?" Emperor Renzong sighed. At one point, even he himself thought so. He believed he had failed his ancestors' martial virtues, and that maintaining peace in this generation would be enough, since they couldn't even defeat this tiny region in the northwest corner.
However, the unexpected arrival of Su'er, along with the great victory of Di Qing, whom he recommended, gave Emperor Renzong a new and faint hope—what if?
What if he really did recover the Sixteen Prefectures in this generation...? Just thinking about it is exhilarating. When he meets his ancestors in the future, he can probably hold his head high, right?
Emperor Renzong strolled slowly through the vast hall. But wherever he occasionally paused, many scholars subtly shifted their bodies, using their elbows to cover their examination papers, trying to reveal as few words as possible.
It's not that they don't know how to seize opportunities to showcase themselves, it's just that—they can't write anything!
Your Majesty, please stop watching!
My mind is completely blank!
Their inner cries were also reflected in their body language; several people unconsciously swiped their pens outwards, leaving crooked, illegible marks. Their handwriting was also no longer as neat and clear as usual.
When Emperor Renzong saw it, he couldn't help but chuckle.
However, he was always kind and forgiving, and didn't mind the students' lapses in behavior. Instead, he took the initiative to move on to the next student who interested him. As a result, several students who were somewhat interested stopped there, which more or less affected their performance.
He touched his nose and went back to Fusu's side.
Fusu was writing furiously when he suddenly felt a shadow looming over him. He looked up helplessly, signaling with his eyes: "Weren't you telling me to focus on my writing? Why are you here again?"
The official looked completely innocent: Wouldn't going to other people's places disturb them?
Fusu immediately glared angrily: What about me! Aren't you going to bother me?!
Anyone who frequently takes exams knows how incredibly annoying it is to have a proctor standing in front of you. You don't even know what you did to get their attention. Was it because you answered the questions too well? Or too poorly? Or were they just bored or simply passing by?
This is really messing with people's mentality!
Especially when you're still in the drafting stage, even your jumbled thoughts while piecing together the article are scrutinized. If you're not in a good mindset, you really won't be able to write a single word.
Fusu tried to drive Renzong away with his eyes, but to no avail.
But then he thought again, he was facing his own father, whom he knew inside and out. But for other scholars, it was like the emperor was above them. He was lucky he hadn't fainted on the spot.
Fine, I'll just have to put up with it.
So, occasionally, when a student finished writing a passage and looked up to stretch his neck, he would find the official standing next to Zhao Xiaolang, seemingly watching him intently as he wrote furiously.
I looked up again, and it was still there.
When I looked up again... why was it still there?
Gradually, many students noticed this situation.
At this moment, what surged in their hearts was not jealousy that someone in the same room had gained the emperor's favor, but rather a deep sense of admiration.
He was able to hold off the government all by himself for so long!
Zhao Xiaolang, no matter how well you write, as long as you can write it, we are willing to recommend you as the champion of stress resistance!
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Author's Note: [Let me see]
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