Chapter 88. Your Majesty, I promise this will only happen this once. ...
"Is this news...reliable?"
Fan Zhongyan was, after all, a man of great experience. He pondered for a while, and between doubting King Cheng and doubting himself, he chose to doubt the source of the information.
"This concerns the imperial family; how could anyone dare to speak recklessly if it were unreliable? This news has already spread throughout the capital. On the bright side, even if it's true or false, the fact that it's spread is enough to show how highly the Emperor and His Highness Prince Cheng regard you, isn't it?"
Fan Zhongyan certainly understood this principle.
The problem is that the stories circulating are so detailed, it's as if someone actually experienced them. Especially the phrase "not elated by external gains, nor saddened by personal losses," which is indeed a line from his recently completed work.
"But I clearly didn't show it to the Emperor!" This was what puzzled Fan Zhongyan the most: "The only people who have seen this article are Zijing, Chunren, and... my young disciple."
Of these three, one was an inconspicuous newly appointed scholar, and another was exiled. The one most likely to see the emperor was surprisingly the youngest, who was currently enjoying unparalleled success as the "four-year-old who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations."
"Could it be him?"
Fan Zhongyan then remembered that his young disciple, besides his remarkable achievement of winning three top honors at the age of four, was also a member of the imperial clan. But that didn't make sense either; not everyone with the surname Zhao could be associated with the imperial family.
He couldn't help but gain a completely new understanding of the relationship between his disciple and the emperor: he had thought the rumors of favor were just exaggerated, but it turned out to be far from true! One could even say that his return to the capital might have been thanks to his young disciple!
Fan Zhongyan stroked his beard, sighing with emotion: "A teacher is supposed to be someone who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts. But I have already benefited greatly from my young disciple without even meeting him once or going through a formal apprenticeship ceremony. How can I not feel ashamed?"
"But no matter what, you're going back to Beijing."
Fan Zhongyan: "Yes, it's time to return to the capital."
Back then, he was demoted to the northwest after his reforms in the capital were thwarted and he was disheartened. But every cloud has a silver lining. Not only did he hold the northwestern border, but he also gained a capable general who helped the Song Dynasty protect the southwestern border. He thought he would spend the rest of his life there, but who could have imagined that he would have the opportunity to return to Bianjing?
"This is clearly a wonderful thing! Master Fu, Master Ouyang, and others are all eagerly awaiting your return to Bianjing. Why do you seem so unhappy?"
"Those who live in peace should be mindful of danger."
Because they were close relatives, Fan Zhongyan spoke without restraint: "You only see that I can reunite with them, but how do you know how many people are unhappy about this?"
"ah……"
"They must have something to do."
The "they" that Fan Zhongyan referred to were the group that had joined forces to suppress the Qingli Reforms. From Lü Yijian and Wang Gongchen in the imperial court, to Consort Zhang in the harem, and even to Dr. Wang in the Imperial Academy who had hindered Fusu, they were united by self-interest, and while there may have been internal divisions, once the new political party gained power, they would inevitably reunite closely.
So, who will they target next?
Fan Zhongyan had just been summoned back to Bianjing by imperial decree. Even to avoid losing face, the emperor wouldn't punish him in the short term. Ouyang Xiu had written "On Factions" last year to prove his innocence, which brought him great fame in literary circles. Fu Bi, during his tenure, fought against the Liao and Xia dynasties, and as prime minister, he was diligent and conscientious in his duties, achieving remarkable results; there were almost no loopholes for impeachment.
So, who will they target?
“Me,” Fusu said.
Empress Cao smiled and patted his head: "My son is intelligent."
"You can imagine, after making such a big splash, a lot of people must be annoyed with me." Fusu lay on the table like a boneless person, and said in a lazy tone, "But I didn't do it on purpose. I just wanted to promote cotton. Why did it cause so much trouble?"
He had just returned from the cotton farm. All the mature cotton bolls had been harvested, and the cotton seeds were being collected for propagation according to his instructions. The seeds were then fluffed with wooden or bamboo bows to make the cotton as fluffy and soft as possible before the next step of spinning could begin. Even with many female workers, this process would still take several days. Fusu couldn't wait that long, so he returned to the palace first.
Upon his return, he was stopped by the people from Kunning Palace. Fusu guiltily recalled that the people he had kept in the dark about, besides the Emperor, were the Empress. He fully expected to be scolded, but to his surprise, Empress Cao only asked him if he was happy to have shown off.
Fusu hesitated for a long time before lowering his head and telling the truth: "Actually, I'm still a little happy."
Although his journey was fraught with setbacks, largely due to luck and misunderstandings, it seemed as if fate itself was deliberately working to make him the prodigy who achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations. But when the entire city turned out to cheer for his name, Fusu's heart was also pounding with excitement. Who wouldn't be moved by such a scene? Perhaps only a sage.
He's not a saint.
"Being happy is enough. Your mother is happy for you too."
Empress Cao then stopped pressing the matter and instead began analyzing the new situation for him. To put it simply, she was truly someone who would support the Qingli New Policies even in adversity; her sense of the conservatives' movements was extremely keen. She immediately foresaw Fusu's inevitably unstable court life, leaving him utterly despondent and instantly diminishing his motivation by half.
Empress Cao smiled and comforted her, "It might not be a bad thing. Now, everyone's watching what you do. Going to be the agricultural promotion commissioner and promote cotton would be twice as effective, wouldn't it?"
"Or... do you not trust the Emperor?"
Fusu immediately shook his head repeatedly: "I just think those people are annoying, they don't let people have peace."
It also left him with a psychological scar—he easily recalled the days in his first life when he was obsessed with Confucianism and its philosophy of bringing peace and prosperity to the people, and was relentlessly impeached by many people throughout the Qin state. At that time, his father, perhaps influenced by someone's slander or already displeased with his "being misled by Confucian scholars," severely reprimanded him.
Fusu could still remember the scene of him kneeling before the throne and being reprimanded, the way his father waved his sleeves and trembled his beard when he got excited.
That scene remains vivid in his mind even after three lifetimes. Even though the Emperor unequivocally supported him throughout his life, Fusu still felt uneasy. Even though he rationally understood the principle of "not interfering in the affairs of relatives."
He bit his lower lip, unsure how to express his feelings, or whether Empress Cao would understand them properly. But she seemed to understand everything, leaning close to his ear and saying, "Then why don't you take the initiative to face the challenge?"
initiative……?
Rise to the challenge?
Fusu's eyes widened suddenly, their dark, bright eyes looking incredibly cute: "Your Majesty, do you mean I should find myself to be impeached?"
"That's exactly what I mean," Empress Cao said. "Since we're destined to be watched anyway, doesn't that mean my son can do whatever he wants now? It's just a matter of whether the impeachment memorial is one or two pages long."
"Your Majesty, this is who you are."
Fusu gave a genuine thumbs-up. "As expected, as expected..." He was even a little speechless.
"Moreover, this is a good test for your father, to see if he will let you off the hook. So that you can feel completely at ease in the future and not be too hesitant to act freely." Empress Cao said, "As for the Emperor, how can father and son hold a grudge overnight? If they do, your mother will plead for you."
Following her train of thought, Fusu felt as if he had opened the door to a new world: "So, I should do something, um... something taboo. As long as the Emperor can cover for me this time, no one else will have anything to say, and I can act with impunity?"
Empress Cao smiled slyly: "Don't tell the Emperor that this idea was given to you by your own concubine."
Fusu thought it over twice and couldn't help but admire how clever this tactic was. Even in the worst-case scenario, where the trust between him and Emperor Renzong was broken, there would still be the unbreakable bond of blood. And at the very least, there was the credit for promoting cotton.
There's only one person he's wronged by: the official who had to cover for his mistakes.
Fusu clasped his hands together in a cross shape and silently said in his heart, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. It's just that the shadows from my past life are too deep. I'll only be willful this once; I'll never cause trouble again and will honestly help you."
No, that's not right either.
Who says that his recent transgression and taboo can't be a harbinger of national reform? Or perhaps if he were to be even more radical than the reformists, the latter would gradually be accepted as well.
Fusu recalled the article he had written to Mei Yaochen—that the key to eradicating the deep-seated problems of the Song Dynasty lay in making soldiers literate and knowledgeable in etiquette. To be honest, it was a somewhat shocking article, so much so that he dared not show it to the emperor. But Fusu genuinely believed that if the Song Dynasty wanted to compete with the naturally tall and fierce cavalry of the Liao and Xia states, its only hope lay in its well-trained soldiers.
Furthermore, what was the most taboo thing in the Song Dynasty? Emperor Taizu's "releasing military power over a cup of wine" incident resulted in the loss of 800,000 imperial guards in the central government. Later, Di Qing was impeached after becoming the Privy Councilor.
It all boils down to two words: "military power."
Fusu immediately had an idea.
So, the next day, even though they had won a great victory, General Di's residence, which was rather deserted and where he was content to spend his days in seclusion, welcomed a new visitor.
He was dressed in the robes of a top scholar—a style specially tailored by the government officials, as if afraid that others wouldn't recognize him. He had a thick book of Confucian classics tucked under his arm and knocked on the copper ring at Di Qing's door.
The news spread throughout Bianjing at lightning speed.
Good heavens! That elusive Zhao Xiaosanyuan, who doesn't hold a thank-you banquet for his teachers, doesn't attend the literary gathering of his classmates, and doesn't even pay respects to the wealthy young master and Ouyang Gong who helped him become the top scholar, actually went to pay his respects to Di Qing first!
Good heavens, is he giving up such a bright future?
Everyone knows that the emperors of the Song Dynasty were all known for their benevolence, yet they all feared two things: first, the power of military officials; and second, collusion between civil and military officials!
Those in the court who had a favorable impression of this prodigy were all filled with regret and sighed deeply. But those who had long held prejudices against him and were wondering where to begin their attack swarmed towards him like flies drawn to carrion.
They were absolutely overjoyed.
They thought Zhao Sanyuan was a smart guy. At such a young age, he had gained a good reputation but kept quiet and hid himself away, so they couldn't find any flaws in him.
Who knows?
He actually delivered one right in front of him!
Then they won't hold back!
The night the news spread throughout Bianjing, the candles in the offices of the censors and remonstrators burned continuously. The next day, impeachment memorials poured in like snowflakes, piling up on the officials' desks.
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Author's Note: Your Majesty: Can't you let me be happy for a little while longer? [Angry]
Officials: You mean you've gained another future famous minister, and this famous minister is your son? How come you get all the good things?
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