Chapter 25 Father's Journey? The Stars and the Sea! ...
The First Emperor's second appearance greatly surprised Fusu.
Fusu initially believed that the First Emperor was an incarnation manipulated by his subconscious mind. Later, when he was certain that the emperor was a real person, he thought that what he saw was a spirit or something similar.
But what happened?
Could the soul in a dream reflect the real world? He suddenly remembered that his father hadn't seemed surprised by the Qin dynasty's downfall after only two generations. Could it be…
Did my father also travel through time to become a descendant?
No, then how did you see him?
First, Fusu felt he needed to figure something out.
"Father, who told you this 'I heard'?"
The First Emperor snorted and said, "I was the one who asked you a question first, but you avoided answering and instead questioned me?"
In Qin Shi Huang's eyes, avoidance was a sign of guilt. So it seems he wasn't wrong at all; Fusu really did call someone "Father"!
His imposing face was etched with accusation; no matter how you looked at it, it was as if several large characters were written on it.
—Fusu, my beloved eldest son, you have changed!
"..."
A bead of cold sweat dripped down Fusu's forehead.
It's strange. If his father had spoken to him in this tone in his first life, he would have knelt down in fear and begged for forgiveness for his inappropriate words and actions.
But times have changed. Was it the rebirth that worked? Or was it because he had let go of his obsession? He felt no fear at all now, and could even hear the deep sense of grievance behind his dissatisfaction.
"Then, Father, shall we exchange questions?"
Qin Shi Huang snorted again: "You must answer my question first, and then I will consider it."
“Alright.” Fusu honestly confessed, “I called someone ‘father.’ He is my biological father in this life.”
Before Qin Shi Huang could speak again, he added, "Today is the first time since I was born that I have called him father."
Qin Shi Huang remained silent.
He silently began to calculate: How old was Fusu when he saw him? Three or four? It's a failure that he only got someone to acknowledge him as his father at three or four years old. Unlike himself, whose son's first words were "Father Emperor."
Thinking about it this way makes me feel much better.
There was even a hint of smugness in his expression.
Qin Shi Huang couldn't be too obvious, lest his son laugh at him, so he asked reservedly, "Are you his eldest son? Has he named you crown prince?"
Fusu blinked: "Mmm!"
"Hmph, that's more like it!"
Qin Shi Huang's double standards were crystal clear: he could let his own son not call him "father" for three or four years, but would a father dare to mistreat his son? Absolutely not!
Fusu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't dare reveal that he didn't want to be the crown prince. If his father found out, he would definitely guess the reason and then blame himself and overthink things.
Having been father and son for decades, Fusu could tell that his answer would generally satisfy the First Emperor, and he had passed this test.
So……
"Please tell me quickly, Father, who told you this?"
"cough."
The First Emperor was a little embarrassed to admit it: "'I heard it from someone' was just something I mentioned casually, but in fact I saw it with my own eyes."
It makes him seem like a voyeur.
He really just took a liking to him!
Fusu: "???"
He felt he hadn't understood: "Saw it? How did you see it?"
The First Emperor's mouth opened and closed repeatedly: "It's a machine that allows you to see the past."
Fusu suddenly realized: "Oh, a machine."
He thought it was some kind of mystical practice like summoning spirits or using a Ouija board, which he genuinely didn't understand. If it were a machine, he'd understand—even if he hadn't invented one in his second life, it was mentioned in science fiction novels!
The First Emperor was taken aback: "Wait? Su'er, do you know what a machine is?"
"Hmm? Of course I know," Fusu said. "Didn't I say before that I traveled to a later dynasty? Machines already existed in that era. But they certainly couldn't compare to the advanced technology you have now, Father Emperor, hehe."
He asked a few more questions out of curiosity, and the First Emperor answered almost every one of them, finally making Fusu understand—
It turns out that in the current dynasty of the First Emperor, humanity has already been able to cross the barrier of four-dimensional space and is making intensive plans to conquer the universe.
Fusu's eyes lit up: "Wow, the interstellar era!"
Is there anything more suitable for Father than the interstellar world?
The universe is boundless, and human lifespan is long—perfect for a map-obsessed emperor like Qin Shi Huang. Who knows, he might actually conquer the stars and the sea in his lifetime. And he could even pilot a mecha Gundam—how cool would that be?
Looking back at his own era, Fusu suddenly felt deflated. Forget mecha, the Song Dynasty couldn't even defeat the ironclad armor of the Western Xia.
He cupped his face in his hands, filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment: "Father, you're so lucky."
The First Emperor genuinely felt that this was the most pleasing thing he had heard from his son since they met. He burst into laughter: "Haha, don't you even know who your father is?"
Yes.
Does this mean that the places you travel to are assigned based on your personality?
His father, the emperor, allowed him to unleash his nature and conquer the universe. Being of a gentle and mild nature, he was assigned to the refined and scholarly Song Dynasty.
It's infuriating, but I'm still so angry.
However, Fusu was only in a state of unease for a short while. He suddenly realized that the very thing that was bothering him had a ready-made, natural solution right in front of him.
Who else has more authority to speak on national reforms than Qin Shi Huang? He didn't just reform one country, he reformed seven!
"Father," Fusu softened his voice, "I would like to ask you, if one wants to change a country, where should one begin?"
Qin Shi Huang glanced at him: "Are you asking on behalf of your new father?"
Fusu: "Cough cough cough cough!"
Are you still thinking about it?
He looked away: "Hmm..."
It's safer to admit it than to tell my father the truth.
Qin Shi Huang misunderstood Fusu's guilty conscience and scoffed, "Now that you have been reborn as a human, you naturally have birth parents. Do you think I would stop you from acknowledging them?"
To be honest, he was already very gratified that Fusu was still willing to acknowledge him as his father. As for that first sentence, wasn't it just that he happened to see the boy randomly calling him "father" and blurted it out in a moment of excitement?
How can we make the First Emperor admit that it was a genuine expression of emotion?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
As for the question about his son, the First Emperor pondered for a moment and gave a two-word answer.
--"enlightenment."
Fusu was taken aback, then suddenly realized.
Although he had never personally handled government affairs, he had been on the front lines of the court and knew exactly how each of his father's policies was implemented.
Standardize writing, standardize cart tracks, standardize weights and measures, and standardize ethical norms.
Of the several decrees issued by Qin Shi Huang at that time, what was the most successfully implemented and had the most far-reaching impact? It was the first one, "standardizing the written language." What was the most regrettable? It was "standardizing ethical norms."
They are all related to education and moral guidance.
Education is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Fusu did some quick calculations and realized that he still had seventeen years until his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of twenty—longer than the Qin Dynasty itself, to put it bluntly. That was plenty of time for him to put in a lot of effort.
What was the highest educational institution in the Song Dynasty?
—The Imperial College where Su Shi studied.
Fusu realized that his casual ramblings during the day had actually come true. Then he heard his father say angrily, "Liu Bang deserves to die! He inherited the Qin dynasty, yet he wouldn't even build a proper road!"
Fusu: "..."
So you were still thinking about it!
The First Emperor then said, "He copied my methods and gained hundreds of years of imperial rule for nothing. It's too good for him."
After saying that, he glanced at Fusu.
Fusu immediately joined in the indignation: "That's right! He got off too easy!"
-
I woke up from my dream, stretched, and got up to wash.
Ah, it feels so good not to have to go to school.
Fusu himself thought so, and when he saw his classmates at the assembly point at the palace gate, he confirmed that they thought so too.
Everyone's faces brightened up.
Although their purpose was to look after cats, they weren't dressed casually because they were guests. They wore round-necked long robes and silver or jade belts at their waists, looking exactly like young scholars.
Each person was followed by a servant carrying several boxes, which were naturally the gifts to be delivered upon their arrival.
Fusu didn't know what the other person had sent him, but he had the kitchen bake a lot of small dried fish, the kind without salt.
Dried fish? No salt? The kitchen staff initially thought they misheard, but after clarifying the situation, they quickly prepared several popular cat food dishes. The food filled two large, heavy boxes.
Fusu thought that regardless of whether Su Shi liked the gift or not, his little cat would definitely love it.
They initially traveled by sedan chair, but as they reached a bustling area with dense crowds, the four sedan chairs could easily be separated by the current. Fusu decided to have the servants carrying the sedan chairs walk slowly behind them, while the rest of them set off on foot, lightly equipped.
Zhao Zongshi, Yan Jidao, and Li Qiu tacitly arranged for Fusu to walk at the front, while they followed behind. Fusu shook his head and refused.
"Wouldn't that make me look short, like an eagle catching chicks?"
He held one person in each hand, and the group was forced to stand in a row.
Then a section immediately collapsed in the middle.
Li Qiu couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Fusu: "..."
Fusu: "Never mind, let's go!"
The house that Su Shi rented was located three streets outside the Imperial College. Although three streets seemed far, it was still a popular location. His neighbors were all officials, and Su Xun had to pull strings to get the house.
There was no way around it; he doted on his son. Although the Imperial Academy had dormitories for him to stay in, Su Xun couldn't bear to let his son spend all his time there. He wouldn't feel at ease if his son was bullied and had nowhere else to go.
"Now it's all good. I can only come out once every ten days, and the whole place has become Dongjun's den."
"Dongjun" was the name of Su Shi's newly adopted cat, a calico kitten that was only three months old. Upon hearing its new owner call its name, it meowed twice, leaped down from the ceiling beam, and landed steadily in Su Shi's arms.
Su Shi was wearing a dark robe today, and after being pounced on like that, two noticeable cat hairs immediately appeared on his chest. He helplessly tucked them away: "Dongjun!"
Dongjun: "Meow meow meow!"
Then, meeting the cat's innocent eyes, I couldn't even bring myself to scold it. I could only point at it and say, "Look, you're more like the owner of the house than I am."
The others couldn't contain themselves and crowded closer to examine it, but none dared to touch it rashly. Dongjun remained calm upon seeing the strangers, merely flicking its tail twice and meowing twice.
Yan Jidao asked curiously, "Dongjun, judging from this name, could it be a male fox?"
Fusu shook his head: "Impossible, right? It should be a female cat."
How can there be male calico cats?
None of them could convince the others, so they all looked at Su Shi, waiting for him to reveal the correct answer.
Su Shi smiled slightly: "Dongjun is a virtuous lady."
Li Qiu was greatly puzzled: "Huh? Then why name it that?"
Have you not heard of the Lord of Hedong?
"..."
"…………"
The Lord of Hedong, the Lioness of Hedong, the cat, uh... okay. Everyone was shocked by Su Shi's bizarre thought process.
Fusu was speechless for the first time: Lions really are felines, he just happened to be right!
Yan Ji said, "Could it be that the Lord of the East has also roared like a lion?"
But she clearly seems to have a very nice personality. She was jumping around in the room, not afraid of strangers at all.
"That's exactly right."
Su Shi said, "When I went to hire a cat, she was roaring at me like a lion, and I decided to hire her right then and there."
The lion's roar, as the name suggests, is like a cat hissing. Did Su Shi take a liking to a cat that only hissed at him?
Fusu: "...?"
What kind of weird quirk is this? Everyone looks completely bewildered.
"Does she still like you now?"
Su Shi sighed regretfully. Everything was understood without words.
“I haven’t seen it since those hands offered the food. It’s turned into this state.” He pointed to the kitten rolling around in his arms, letting him pet it.
Fusu: "..."
Everyone: "…………"
You may look disappointed, but everyone knows you're secretly pleased!
Su Shi: "Hehe."
Perhaps it was truly a case of extreme joy turning to sorrow, for Dongjun, who was originally in Su Shi's arms, suddenly leaped forward and slipped into Fusu's arms.
Fusu was startled and tried to hold her in his arms, but Dongjun slipped through Fusu's small hands like liquid. Not only that, she treated Fusu like a cat tree, touching and sniffing him here and there.
Su Shi called out with deep affection: "Lord of the East? Lord of the East?"
The Lord of the East turned a deaf ear.
Su Shi: "..."
Seeing that she looked like she was looking for something, Fusu had a guess: "I brought cat food as a gift. Did she smell it and look for dried fish on me?"
He beckoned, ordering a palace maid to bring the box. The box was opened, and Dongjun, as expected, pounced inside. After devouring several dried fish like a hungry tiger, he raised his head and meowed at Fusu!
Hmm, your voice sounds a bit strained.
Fusu stole a glance at Su Shi's face, wanting to laugh but not daring to.
The others, however, found a way to get close to the cat, taking out dried fish from the box and feeding it to Dongjun.
Dongjun's pink nose twitched, and after eating them one by one, it meowed several times at each person who fed it.
Fusu finally couldn't hold back anymore: "...Pfft."
Su Shi expressed his sadness: "Alas."
He then asked, "Young Master Zhao, could you teach me how to make dried fish?"
Fusu: "No problem, I'll go back to the G... residence and ask the kitchen."
He almost forgot that he was now portrayed as a member of the imperial family of the Prince of Pu, and before setting off, he had specifically instructed others to help him cover up the lie. As it turned out, he almost let it slip himself.
Looking around, everyone else was circling around Dongjun, exclamations of "She's so cute!" and "She meowed at me!" echoed everywhere. Even the most reserved Zhao Zongshi couldn't resist.
This cat's charm is evident.
Fu Su quietly added, "By the way, Brother Su, when she gets a little older, you must keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't meet any other men... other men, cats."
Su Shi turned his head: "?"
What's the meaning?
"You didn't know? Calico cats are the beauties of the cat world, they're very popular."
Dongjun's fur is fine and soft, and its color pattern is very symmetrical and even, making it a very popular appearance among both humans and cats.
The Song Dynasty did not yet have sterilization technology, or even the concept of it. It was foreseeable that once Dongjun grew up, it would be a scene where every household wanted a cat and everyone wanted one. Fusu could only remind Su Shi to prepare accordingly.
He then saw Su Shi looking around warily, as if a yellow cat was secretly watching him.
Fusu: Uh, isn't this a bit of an overreaction?
He was a little reluctant to deal with the cat lover and joined the feeding frenzy himself. As luck would have it, Dongjun, who had just swallowed the dried fish from Yan Jidao's hand, sniffed the one in Fusu's hand and suddenly didn't want to eat anymore.
She had just finished eating.
The remaining few people let out low, mocking laughter.
Fusu: "..."
She didn't want to stay in this place anymore!
They also had lunch at Su Shi's house. Su Shi originally wanted to take them to a random restaurant on the street for a meal, because—
"My old servant only knows how to cook Sichuan cuisine, and I'm afraid you won't be used to it."
But Fusu refused to believe it: chili peppers were only introduced from the Americas in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and the spicy spices we use now are all made from dogwood, Sichuan pepper, ginger, and mustard.
Is he afraid?
Then I was quickly proven wrong QAQ
Since it was agreed that it was just a simple meal and there was no need for extravagance, the dishes served were all the food that Su Shi usually ate. For example, what was placed in front of Fusu was a bowl of noodles called "stir-fried meat noodles", with a thick layer of red oil floating on the soup, and a few slices of freshly cut meat and minced meat sauce.
Fusu, caught off guard, picked up a piece of chili oil with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He was immediately choked by the chili oil, coughing until his whole face turned red, looking utterly disheveled.
Su Shi quickly poured him water: "I was worried you wouldn't be used to the food, and sure enough!"
Fusu: QAQ
He clearly has a high tolerance for spicy food, but he underestimated the Song Dynasty, which is why the spicy spices in the noodle soup ended up down his throat. No wonder he felt terrible!
Yan Jidao took a bite slowly, displaying the demeanor of a young nobleman or a Song Dynasty prince: "It's alright, not very spicy."
He appeared completely calm and collected.
Li Qiu immediately saw through her lie: "I just saw you drink water!"
Yan Jidao: "..."
Zhao Zongshi was much more obedient—he ate his noodles obediently, he cried from the spiciness obediently, and he drank water obediently.
The meal turned into a chaotic mess.
In the end, it was Su Shi's old servant who advised them not to force themselves to eat, and that if they couldn't finish it, they couldn't finish it. Only then did Fusu reluctantly put down his chopsticks and have the servant go to the street to order a few more dishes to pack up, thus solving the lunch problem.
The food at this restaurant was quite good, featuring the popular sweet and sour flavors of Bianjing. Su Shi, who shouldn't have been used to it, ate with great satisfaction: "It's much better than the food at the Imperial Academy!"
When Zhao Zongshi asked him why, Su Shi wrinkled his nose and said, "It's because the sons of officials are used to bringing their own food or bribing the chefs. Over time, the catering service has stopped paying attention to it. As for the rest of the people, they can only eat whatever is available; they can't just starve to death, can they?"
Rice, pickled vegetables, soybean paste, chives... eating with the taste of meat from someone else's bowl. The future gourmet was now forced to become a victim of the Imperial College canteen's neglected state.
Li Qiu: "Huh? Why is the Imperial College like this?"
Su Shi said, "If you want to devote yourselves to studying, you should go to the Imperial Academy. The Imperial College is not a good place to study."
When Fusu thought of the word "education" that the First Emperor had said to him in his dream, a sudden thought struck him.
He asked, "Brother Su, could you take us to see the Imperial College?"
Yan Jidao had a family member studying at the Imperial Academy, so he knew more specifically: "I heard that outsiders who are not related are not allowed to enter or leave easily there."
His Highness Prince Cheng has made his identity clear, so it is naturally acceptable.
But since I'm still in the White Dragon Fish costume, I'll pass.
Su Shi's expression was a bit strange: "There is a way... but are you sure you want to go?"
Fusu naturally wanted to go. He then asked Li Qiu, Yan Jidao, and Zhao Zongshi for their opinions, and they all expressed their desire to go as well.
Honestly, who wants to go on a spring outing during a holiday and then visit another school? But Su Shi hinted that his method of getting in was against the rules. Wouldn't illegally entering the school make it more exciting and interesting?
"..."
A quarter of an hour later, the group looked at each other in bewilderment as they stared at a dog hole hidden by weeds at the foot of a wall on the edge of the Imperial College.
Su Shi asked, "If I bring up the rear, who will go first?"
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