Chapter 147 Yelü Chongyuan: Your attention...
"cough!"
Wang Anshi suddenly covered his mouth with his hand and coughed heavily, reminding Su Shi to stop while he was ahead: "If you reveal all your secrets like this, what if the Liao people regret it and become rebellious, and insist on taking back Yunzhou no matter what?"
While sipping his tea to moisten his throat, he secretly glared at Su Shi. The latter innocently looked up at the ceiling of the small flower hall, but indeed behaved himself and didn't utter any boastful words.
None of this escaped Yelü Chongyuan's notice.
He couldn't help but become even more suspicious: With that eye contact, that level of understanding, who would believe they were superior and subordinate? Could they really not be father and son? But in the State of Song, fathers and sons shared the same surname. This one clearly had the surname Wang, and the other Su—it was truly strange.
But such things were obviously not convenient to say openly. He glanced around and casually said, "This charcoal brazier looks quite novel. I've never seen one like it before."
He had casually picked up an object, trying to change the subject and ease the tension. But upon closer inspection, the teacup was quite novel: the handle of the charcoal brazier lid was shaped like a little person, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't a little person at all, but rather the image of a minor deity!
The little deity wore a Song Dynasty turban, holding a gold ingot in one hand and a judge's pen in the other. Upon closer inspection, his auspicious face was divided into two expressions. The left half had smiling, curved eyebrows, while the right half had furrowed brows, exuding an air of authority.
As a divine image, it's almost too cute. But is it a New Year's picture doll? It doesn't seem like one.
Yelü Chongyuan was a devout Buddhist and quite interested in such things. He immediately asked Wang Anshi, "May I ask, Lord Wang, which deity is carved on this handle?"
"oh!"
The first to speak was not Wang Anshi, but Su Shi. The latter looked at him with shining eyes: "You have such a discerning eye! I haven't even had a chance to introduce it to you yet, and you've already discovered it."
Wang Anshi's lips parted slightly, his expression one of helpless resignation. So be it, what was bound to happen had happened. Since he had said he would take full responsibility, then so be it. In any case, the Crown Prince wouldn't be holding him accountable in the end.
"Oh?" Yelü Chongyuan: "So it is?"
Su Shi: "You are the Crown Prince of Liao, aren't you right?"
Yelü Chongyuan: "Uh, yes."
No, how did this suddenly become related to me?
“This man is of the same status as you.” Under Yelü Chongyuan’s puzzled gaze, Su Shi spoke with a mixture of pride and schadenfreude: “He is the Crown Prince of the Great Song Dynasty. He is someone who, like you, will ascend the throne in the future.”
Yelü Chongyuan boasted that he had mastered the official language of the Song Dynasty quite well, and he could understand every single word Su Shi spoke. So why was it so difficult to understand when they were put together? Fearing that he had misunderstood, he glanced at Wang Anshi, only to see the latter nod as well.
Yelü Chongyuan's anxiety finally died.
"The Crown Prince?" Yelü Chongyuan said, "But isn't the Crown Prince alive? How can we establish a Dharma image for him?"
Imagine if he had made his face into the likeness of a deity in the Liao Dynasty, and it had even become widely known among officials. What would his elder brother think? Would he still be alive?
Or is this a smokescreen released by the Song people to create the illusion for outsiders that the Song royal family and their sons were on equal footing?
Yelü Chongyuan's mind was a complete blank. Looking up, he saw similar bewilderment on the faces of the other members of the delegation. They couldn't fathom the thought process behind the statue of the Crown Prince. They were even less certain of the Song people's reasoning in spreading this matter so widely.
Wang Anshi pressed his fist to his lips and coughed.
This was all Su Shi's personal behavior; please do not elevate it to any other level.
So what was Su Shi's purpose? It's very simple, of course, to promote his genius friend to the Liao people!
Seeing the bewildered expressions on the faces of the Liao delegation, Su Shi smiled with satisfaction. They didn't understand? That's perfectly fine. What do you Liao people know about the significance of spending a month in Yunzhou and having the entire prefecture spontaneously erect statues of yourselves?
But on the surface, he pretended to shake his head: "No, no, this has nothing to do with His Highness the Crown Prince or the official government of our Great Song Dynasty. It was the people of Yunzhou who spontaneously wanted to build a statue for him, and no matter how much he objected, it was useless. Could we possibly stop him?"
Yelü Chongyuan: "Huh?"
This time, his doubts were no longer concealed and were directly expressed in his voice. "Did I hear that right? Yunzhou was just captured by your Great Song Dynasty, wasn't it? And yet someone has spontaneously erected a statue of His Highness the Crown Prince? Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"
Su Shi's smile remained unchanged: "If you don't believe me, you can go to the street and see for yourself whether what I'm saying is true or false."
Yelü Chongyuan knew that since Su Shi dared to say that, it was probably true. But perhaps it was wishful thinking, or perhaps it was the competitive spirit of a fellow heir, but he immediately stood up and gracefully extended his hand: "Then I'll trouble you to lead the way."
The head of the delegation rose, and the rest of the Liao delegation immediately followed. Partly to satisfy their curiosity, and partly to take the opportunity to observe the situation within Yunzhou and bring back to the court as a reward for their trip.
They filed out of the small flower hall, and the other Song officials who had accompanied them also left in turn, leaving Wang Anshi and Su Shi at the very end.
Su Shi immediately raised his hands in surrender: "We agreed beforehand, so if anything happens, just call my name!"
Wang Anshi looked at him and said, "It's not that. It's just that you let the Liao people know about His Highness first. Aren't you afraid they'll be on guard?"
"In the face of an absolute difference in strength, tricks are nothing. That Crown Prince is not bad, but he is still far inferior to His Highness."
Su Shi said, "If he really succeeds to the throne, I feel that the future of our Great Song Dynasty is bright. I hope he can understand this soon and do less trouble and obediently submit."
"Let's go, let's go, Lord Wang." He tugged at Wang Anshi's sleeve: "They're all waiting for us."
On Song territory, the Liao envoys couldn't be allowed to wander around aimlessly. What if they went to places they shouldn't have? Su Shi naturally took on the responsibility of leading the group, taking them to visit a shrine in a nearby mountain.
The road leading to the outskirts was sparsely populated, but when Yelü Chongyuan lifted the curtain to look out, he could still see a few scattered pedestrians.
"Who are they?"
“Of course they’re going to visit the ancestral hall,” Su Shi said. “Look, they’re all carrying things in their hands.”
Yelü Chongyuan lowered the curtain, his heart sinking. Everything he saw confirmed Su Shi's words. This young crown prince, of similar status but even younger, was extremely popular. Yet, he still clung to a sliver of hope.
What if, what if the Song people were fooling the people of Yunzhou, and in reality, this crown prince had no extraordinary talent?
As the carriage approached the ancestral hall, the towering trees provided ample shade for the throngs of people, and the incense burned continuously. It was as bustling as a temple fair during a festival, hardly resembling a city that had just emerged from war.
Su Shi then explained, "Recently, spring plowing has just ended, and overall it went quite smoothly. So everyone has come to pay their respects to His Highness the Crown Prince to express their gratitude."
Yelü Chongyuan hummed in agreement, his face twitching slightly. Spring plowing was still possible; how leisurely! He almost didn't want to count how much their farming and herding had been disrupted by the recent war. He was still dealing with the mess just before his mission.
Yunzhou, a vital supply route and essential passageway, seems to have been largely unaffected.
Yelü Chongyuan felt that he was experiencing far too much culture shock today.
But the real shock was yet to come.
The group stepped down from the carriage, and despite their disguises, their distinctive air about them was still evident. Yet, the passersby showed no alarm upon seeing them, their gazes sweeping over them as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, this."
Su Shi seized the opportunity to explain: "It's probably because His Highness came to Yunzhou and beheaded several wicked and powerful families, so people aren't afraid of the powerful and influential anymore. Maybe they think His Highness will stand up for them?"
"No, wait a minute?" Yelü Chongyuan felt his cerebellum shrink again: "You mean, your Crown Prince once came to Yunzhou?"
“His Highness has been here,” Su Shi said, “but he kept it a secret from the entire court of the Song Dynasty.”
Of course, he wouldn't say that Fusu came to Yunzhou for state secrets like honeycomb briquettes. He only said, "Yunzhou was short of someone who could stabilize the morale of the army and calm the hearts of the people, so His Highness volunteered to the Emperor, and the Emperor agreed."
These few words convey an incredible amount of information.
Yelü Chongyuan asked himself whether, as the Crown Prince of Liao, he could get to the front lines when the fighting was still ongoing.
The answer is... no.
Firstly, his status is undoubtedly higher than the commander-in-chief, and it would be awkward for both of them if he rashly rushed to the front lines. Secondly, swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield; what if he were to bump into something and get injured?
Thirdly, and most importantly, he needed to consider what his elder brother, Yelü Zongzhen, truly thought. Brothers are not like fathers and sons; his position as Crown Prince was precarious, and the slightest misstep could lead to utter ruin. Leading an army to distant, unfamiliar territory—wouldn't his elder brother suspect him?
However, these dark and discordant issues seemed to vanish before the Song Dynasty's imperial family. When Song officials spoke of them, it was as if they were discussing a trivial matter.
That's right. How could an official who allows his son to have statues and temples erected in the countryside have a bad relationship with his son?
Yelü Chongyuan's heart sank a little more.
With heavy steps, he entered the ancestral hall. He had mentally prepared himself to receive all sorts of praise for the Song Dynasty's crown prince from passersby and pilgrims, but the words he heard once again took him by surprise.
"It's so pretty, so cute..."
"That's right, that's right! Little Nobleman looks like he has both nobility and good fortune!"
"It really looks like it was copied from a New Year's picture!"
"When my wife gets pregnant, I'll have her come and pray more often. She'll watch over her every day, and hopefully she'll give birth to a child as beautiful as Little Nobleman."
"Dream on! You think you'll be as pretty as her? With your looks, if your child even bears a sliver of her resemblance, you should be burning incense in gratitude!"
Yelü Chongyuan: "?"
Is there something wrong with your focus? You're sculpting a statue of him simply because he's good-looking?
Even he himself was led astray by the passersby. In the near future, he finally arrived in Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, and when he saw the legendary crown prince, he couldn't help but stare at his chubby face.
This isn't very cute... no, this is definitely much cuter than that statue in the ancestral hall!
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Author's Note: Wow, there really is someone talented! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
Happy National Day tomorrow! Take a day off! This chapter includes red envelopes for everyone! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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