Chapter 57 "I once served in the Liao palace..."
The earth in front of the door is all used up, and not a single tile remains on the roof.
Their fingers never touch the mud, yet they live in towering buildings.
Suddenly, Fusu remembered Mei Yaochen's poem—his most famous satirical poem.
Those who are untouched by mud and adorned in fine silks can live in grand mansions with ornate carvings and painted beams, while the hardworking construction workers don't even have a single tile on their own roofs.
Similarly, the old woman Fusu saw, drenched in sweat, might have had dark and damp corners in her home, but she would never be willing to put wood shavings there herself. Instead, she would exchange them for a few copper coins to use in places where they were more urgently needed.
Miaowu is absolutely right.
They shouldn't have to live such a hard life. They deserve a better life.
But who is the beneficiary, or rather, who should be held responsible? Fusu looked at his smooth silk clothes and remained silent.
He also recalled that when he read Marx in his second life, he was struck dumb.
He had always admired Confucianism, advocating inner sagehood and outer kingship, and benevolence and gentleness towards the people. In the end, he discovered that he was the culprit who oppressed and exploited them, and everything he had previously advocated had become a weasel's New Year's greeting, crocodile tears, and a huge joke.
During that time, Fusu was in a terrible state.
He discovered that his breakdown when he transmigrated to a feudal dynasty in his third life largely stemmed from this. For a period of time, specifically referring to the naive era where no one treated him kindly, he genuinely pondered every day how to navigate this era.
The result was fruitless.
In feudal times, there were only two options: exploitation and being exploited; there was no middle ground. So Fusu simply gave up hope. He knew that he couldn't drag the Song Dynasty into capitalism on his own, so he settled for second best and wholeheartedly wanted to stay away from the position of crown prince.
If it were anyone else, unable to reach a conclusion, they would probably just drift along carefree. But Fusu is different. He's the kind of person who gets stuck on things that others might see as trivial matters.
Miao Wu's unintentional remark stirred up some unpleasant memories for Fu Su. His eyebrows drooped, and he visibly fell into a slump.
He walked forward silently.
With a "thud," it crashed into a wall of flesh.
Ouch, that hurts!
Fusu clutched his forehead, his face contorted in rage, and was about to speak when the villainous wall immediately interjected, "Young Master Zhao, why aren't you watching where you're going?"
"You're the one who stopped suddenly."
“Because we’ve arrived at our destination.” Su Shi pointed to the small door beside him, showing no remorse for his deliberate act. “Come on, let me see where you bumped into something. Does it hurt?”
While rubbing his forehead, he also smoothed out Fusu's brow.
"Why do you always look so gloomy? That's not good. You looked like a little old man when you were young, and you'll really become an old man when you grow up."
Fusu: = =#
He was about to say that even in old age you're still like a child, but suddenly he fell silent. This old man really is still a child at heart, there's nothing to criticize.
He could only say gruffly, "Remind me next time you arrive."
After saying that, she stepped into the side gate of Xiangguo Temple, her angry back view concealing her reddened earlobes.
This left Su Shi and Miao Wu behind. The two of them looked at Fu Su's retreating figure.
Su Shi curled his lip in schadenfreude and whispered, "As if no one knows he's shy."
Miaowu's smile vanished in an instant, replaced by a furrowed brow and a deep concern: "Was Su'er like this when he was at the Imperial Academy?"
“Back when he was in the palace, he often frowned and sighed, like an adult. My father and I both noticed it. We thought he would be better after he went to the Imperial Academy.”
As the ancients said, "One may live less than a hundred years, yet harbor worries that may last a thousand years."
Su Shi recited a line of poetry: "Zhao Xiaolang is probably that kind of person."
Sometimes he wondered: what kind of scenery did Zhao Xiaolang, who seemed to be born knowing everything, understanding everything, and having compassion for everything, see through his eyes?
However, it was just a thought; if Su Shi had actually experienced it, he wouldn't have been happy.
"However, Your Highness, do you know what the next line is?" Su Shi recited, shaking his head: "The days are short and the nights are long, why not light a candle and wander around!"
As the ancients said, why be gloomy all the time? You should seize the day and enjoy life! Prince Qiao, the immortal, won't wait for you!
After saying this, he quickly ran a few steps to catch up with Fusu, grabbed the small man's shoulder, and caused the latter to stumble. The two immediately started shoving and playfully fighting. After a while, they stopped and turned around almost simultaneously, signaling Miaowu, who was lagging behind, to catch up.
"Don't lose them!" Fusu called out.
Miao Wu's lips unconsciously curved into a smile again. She lifted her skirt and caught up in a few steps: "With you all so conspicuous, how could I possibly lose you?"
"It's alright. If you really get lost, Your Highness, just say Zhao Xiaolang's name. Everyone here knows him. You don't know, he's incredibly brave, a great benefactor of Xiangguo Temple... Mmmmmm!"
Fusu immediately blushed from the roots of his ears to his face.
He launched his familiar gag attack, his voice low and gritting his teeth as he said, "Shut up right now!"
"What's wrong? You did it but I can't say anything? Your Highness Prince Cheng is abusing your power!"
Miaowu was utterly exasperated: She wasn't even the eldest, so why did it feel like she was taking care of a child? These two were really going to keep sabotaging each other.
"It's true that you guys are conspicuous."
"Hmph." Fusu.
"Hmph." Su Shi.
The two temporarily suspended their activities and began to focus on showing today's protagonist, Miaowu, around the Xiangguo Temple. As a royal temple, the Xiangguo Temple boasts exceptionally beautiful scenery; otherwise, it would be difficult to attract pilgrims to linger there.
Beneath the towering, lush shade, the sounds of bells and chanting echoed endlessly. The murmurs of tourists drifted in and out of the temple grounds, nestled among the trees and shrubs. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of unknown flowers, instantly lifting one's spirits.
"That's great, I'd like to come again next time," Miaowu said.
Fusu couldn't help but sigh, "Yes."
Meeting the envoys of Western Xia, negotiating between the two countries, setting up stalls at the night market... Fusu has always come with a mission, and has never really appreciated things from a tourist's perspective. Today is the first time he has fully immersed himself in the experience, showing Miaowu and Liang Huaiji around, and he himself finds it all very novel.
Su Shi left the main group first—Fu Su had asked him to find the young monk Jingjue. This was also their last stop for the day.
The young monk Jingjue appeared quickly and immediately bowed to Fusu and Miaowu with a Buddhist greeting: "Amitabha."
Seeing that he knew Miaowu's identity, Fusu didn't say much, only asking, "How is Third Sister's matter?"
Jingjue hesitated for a moment: "Would you like to meet Third Sister and the others?"
"Of course!"
Rather, this is Fusu's destination today.
Miaowu tugged at Fusu's sleeve: "Su'er, who is Third Sister? How come there's a woman in Xiangguo Temple?"
Fusu quickly recounted the whole story, then asked Jingjue, "What happened next? How many of the people who were abducted to Bianjing were found?"
Jingjue: "Including Third Sister, there are three people in total."
Fusu's heart skipped a beat: "Only three? What about the rest?"
Jingjue sighed, seemingly reluctant to continue: "You should go see for yourself in a bit."
He led several men to a courtyard. The courtyard gate was tightly closed, guarded by four armed guards. They tensed up at the sound of footsteps, their expressions relaxing slightly upon seeing Jingjue. But they frowned when they heard Jingjue's request to be allowed to pass.
"His Highness has ordered that this is a sensitive area and strangers should not be allowed to enter."
Jingjue said, "This is King Cheng and His Highness the Grand Princess."
The head guard sized up Fusu, his eyes flashing, and said, "I'm sorry, Master Jingjue, but the Prince and Princess are of noble status, and it cannot be verified by your words alone. I have no choice but to obey the Prince's orders."
This means they need to prove their identity.
Fusu patted his empty clothes, regretting for the first time that he had dressed too much as a white dragon fish. He pinned his hopes on Miaowu: "Sister, do you have any tokens that can prove your identity?"
Miaowu shook his head: "They were all removed before leaving the palace."
This is going to be a problem.
"Or should I go back to the palace now to get it?"
"Or should I go to Prince Zhou's residence now to call for reinforcements? Which would be faster?"
Fusu and Miaowu stared at each other blankly. Liang Huaiji, unable to bear seeing the two of them looking like headless flies, gently reminded them, "Your Highness, the Imperial Guards are still here."
"Oh right, and the Imperial Guards too."
Fusu immediately asked the guard, "What if there is someone who can verify our identities?"
The guard was already eight or nine parts convinced: but the man had only mentioned "Your Highness," without specifying which king. This man, who called himself King Cheng, immediately said "King Zhou," so he must know the inside story.
So when the furtive Chief Steward Chen was brought out, the guards readily let him pass, but then looked at Fusu as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Fusu: "I will commend you all for your loyalty and dedication to your duties to Eighth Uncle."
The guard immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The courtyard gate slowly opened, and several people stepped over the thick threshold one by one. As usual, the imperial guards followed at a distance, not wanting to disturb the young masters' enjoyment of their play.
The courtyard was lush with grass and trees, but there were hardly any people around, making it seem rather empty for a family of three.
"Where is he?" Miaowu asked, bewildered.
Jingjue: "Your Highness, because Third Sister is... somewhat afraid of people, the abbot specially arranged a more spacious courtyard, separated from the guards by a layer."
Miaowu nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite: "Oh."
He didn't explicitly state why Third Sister was afraid of people. The princess was still young; some things couldn't be said openly.
Miaowu then said, "Then let's wait for them here, otherwise we might disturb them if we go in rashly. What do you think?"
Both Fusu and Su Shi expressed their agreement.
They crossed the outer courtyard and chose a stone bench under the shade of trees, intending to sit and wait for someone to arrive.
Su Shi was the first to sit down, but immediately jumped up: "Ouch, this stone bench is so hot!"
He was sitting on a stone bench that wasn't shaded by trees, and since it was afternoon, the early summer sun was scorching him. He almost got blisters on his bottom when he sat down.
Su Shi covered his back with his hand in an unseemly manner, grimacing.
Fusu immediately mocked without hesitation: "Hahahahahahahaha!"
"..."
Upon hearing the word "buttocks," Miaowu blushed. She quickly turned her back, covering her mouth with her sleeve, but couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.
After Fusu finished laughing, he moved aside and said, "Come sit here, it's not too hot."
The two of them squeezed together on a stone bench, looking rather aggrieved. Since Miaowu was the only girl, she had the other, cooler stone bench all to herself. She had originally wanted to offer Huaiji a seat, like Fusu and Su Shi had done, sharing half of the bench, but Huaiji dared not. He immediately shook his head, indicating that he wasn't tired and would be fine standing.
They waited patiently for their hosts to arrive.
During this time, Miaowu asked Fusu to recount the whole story of meeting San Niang. Su Shi listened in from the side and said at the end, "So it was what happened that afternoon."
"However, according to you, they are clearly afraid of men, so why did they send so many troops to surround this place? Isn't that a contradiction?"
They're probably worried that word will leak out about human trafficking gangs operating along the border.
After all, nobody knows if this gang has any powerful protectors in the court. Didn't you see that Eighth Uncle didn't even invite the Imperial Guards, but instead used his own personal guards?
However, Fusu was soon proven wrong.
Su Shi's doubts were also resolved at the same time.
Because the second woman among the women brought by Master Jingjue made a stunning debut with her very first self-introduction.
"My name is Apu. I once served a noble lady in the Liao Palace."
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