I can't think of anything for Chapter 130 right now, I'll leave it blank for now...
Oh no, this is terrible.
The most difficult person to deal with in all of Bianjing has appeared.
Actually, this ranking was originally an unofficial list, and it's unclear who started it or who spread it. But it circulated so widely that it even reached the ears of an unnamed official and the crown prince, who both found it highly reliable.
There was no other way. Several high-ranking officials had a very harmonious relationship with the emperor. Petty men like Wang Gongchen, knowing they weren't favored, kept a low profile and wouldn't disobey the emperor. Only Sima Guang, regardless of whether you were the emperor, the crown prince, a prime minister, or Wang Anshi, if you did something he considered against etiquette and regulations, you could expect to be personally attacked by him.
"Your Highness, regarding the matter of the 'Seeking Knowledge Report,' why did you act first and report later—no, why did you know about it but fail to report it?"
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Fusu's forehead: "Your Majesty, didn't I ask you to keep it a secret from Sima Guang that they were secretly publishing the 'Seeking Knowledge Newspaper' without review and that they didn't intend to submit it for review? What's wrong with you?"
He raised his hand, wiping the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve, deliberately slowing his movements to show that he had traveled a long way: "I know nothing about what happened here. It was all Zizhan's doing. After I return to the palace and rest, I will ask him properly!"
I'm sorry, Su Shi, I've betrayed you. But in this urgent situation, it's best to stall Sima Guang first.
"Oh, really?" Sima Guang sneered, "But why did I hear Zizhan say that the idea of starting a newspaper was approved by Your Highness, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to do it on his own even if he had a thousand lives? He also discussed with you what content to write in it."
Fusu: "..."
You, Su Shi, Su Zizhan! I was just feeling guilty for betraying you, but it turns out you were the one who betrayed me first!
He pouted, a little unhappy, and began to argue with Sima Guang: "But if I make all the decisions for the 'Seeking Knowledge Newspaper,' how can I tolerate Su Shi writing such nonsense? Besides, things in Yunzhou are changing rapidly. If every newspaper is sent back to the Song Dynasty for review, it will be too late by now."
Sima Guang remained silent for a moment.
"And in my opinion, the results are clearly quite good?"
Otherwise, just as Ouyang Xiu speculated a few days ago, how could Fusu, with his easily swayed and fragile nature, tolerate Su Shi's boastful words? It was only because Su Shi was of great use in winning over the hearts of the people.
Sima Guang's expression visibly darkened.
He said, “Perhaps as Your Highness says, those few pornographic magazines are indeed very useful, but... can we use them as an excuse to disrupt the existing rules? If everyone imitates you, where are the rules and traditions?”
Fusu's heart skipped a beat: Oh dear, it seems I said the wrong thing.
Moreover, why does Sima Guang's questioning of him always sound so familiar? If you change the subject, isn't it just Wang Anshi during the reforms of Emperor Shenzong's reign?
No wonder this incident hit a nerve with Sima Guang, prompting him to confront him at the door. He probably hated nothing more than people and things that knowingly broke the rules under the guise of "efficiency" or "usefulness."
Fusu scratched his face, intending to apologize, since fundamentally it was his and Su Shi's actions that were inappropriate. But Sima Guang's gaze suddenly became complicated, slowly sweeping across his once fair and soft, now weathered and grimy, lovely face.
"Furthermore, the tabloids say that Your Highness is the bright sun and clear sky of Yunzhou. But if you are the bright sun and clear sky, then the Emperor... In this world, how can there be two suns in the sky?"
Fusu's big, round eyes widened.
Sima Guang's tone was quite different from usual; upon closer listening, one could detect a hint of worry. Fusu immediately understood that Sima Guang wasn't accusing him of overstepping his bounds, but rather expressing concern for him.
The title "Qingtian" (青天, meaning "Upright Official") is a knock-off of Bao Zheng. However, when the people called Bao Zheng "Qingtian," they only thought of the clean and honest administration under Emperor Renzong. He was also a tolerant official.
But His Highness the Crown Prince of the current dynasty first exerted great effort in the recapture of Yunzhou, and then ordered his "followers" to spread propaganda about "the upright and just ruler" throughout the region, which was many times more sensitive than the former.
He worried that... if he had written something taboo, it might cause the king to become wary and father and son to drift apart.
No wonder Sima Guang was both indignant and worried. Fusu understood that in Sima Guang's eyes, this "Seeking Knowledge Report" was a political test of his own arrogance. Su Shi was an out-and-out, arrogant "princeling."
When the officials find out, it's no wonder they're having second thoughts!
So, his act of stopping and questioning people before returning to the palace... was it to find another reason to scold him before the Emperor could, so that the Emperor would have no excuse to retaliate and the matter would be resolved peacefully?
Thinking of this, Fusu's heart melted into a pool of soft spring water.
He patted his cheeks, then solemnly bowed deeply to Sima Guang, his expression filled with boundless respect and gratitude: "I have learned a great deal from Lord Sima's words today."
Sima Guang quickly stepped aside, saying, "How could I dare accept the Crown Prince's courtesy?"
“But you are also a teacher. It is only natural for a teacher to receive the respect due to his students.” Fusu winked playfully: “Have you forgotten that you taught me the Analects when we were at Zishan Hall?”
However, that was a long time ago. At that time, he had a problem with his mindset and was obsessed with becoming a wealthy and idle person. So he made up an excuse to run away and went to study at the Imperial Academy.
Sima Guang then turned around.
He knew that His Highness the Crown Prince was intelligent by nature and that he could understand things even without them being explicitly stated. However, seeing Fusu's smiling face, he felt that Fusu seemed not to have listened, so he could only wrinkle his nose unhappily and say a few more words: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty comes first and Father comes second."
"Mmm-hmm." Fusu listened with a smile and said, "But I believe in the Emperor. He will definitely be proud of me."
He looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting late, Lord Sima. I'm afraid the Emperor and Empress are getting impatient waiting in the palace. I will remember your kindness and will definitely come to thank you properly another day. But I must take my leave now."
If Your Highness were to visit and express your gratitude another day, wouldn't I then be considered a member of the Crown Prince's faction?
Sima Guang thought to himself.
Watching Fusu's excited and impatient return to the palace, his brows furrowed deeply. He knew that the Crown Prince had certainly not taken his advice to heart.
He's only eight years old.
Now we can only hope that the authorities will take this into consideration, show more leniency, and prevent things from escalating to the worst possible outcome.
——
Just moments before, Fusu had been confidently declaring, "I trust the Emperor; he won't harm me." But upon returning to the familiar Kunning Palace, his expression changed drastically.
"Your Majesty! What's wrong with you?"
He flew into a rage, his soft hair standing on end: "Didn't I tell you to keep this a secret and not tell Sima Guang? And just now he stopped me right in front of everyone! What happened?"
Although the ending was perfect, Sima Guang standing on the road with his sword drawn at the beginning, looking like he was going to settle scores later, still scared him to death, okay?
The emperor, who had been smiling and eager to see his eldest son, who had returned like a hero after a month's absence, suddenly drooped his eyebrows upon hearing this, looking aggrieved and speechless.
"puff."
Empress Cao couldn't help but laugh, covering her face with her sleeve. After laughing, she asked, "Well, did Lord Sima give you a hard time?"
Fusu's eyebrows drooped as well: "There wasn't any at the end, but there was a little at the beginning."
"That settles it then. If you can't do anything to Lord Sima, how can your father possibly do anything to him?"
Fusu's eyes widened immediately. Two seconds later, he realized that the Empress was pleading for him on behalf of the Emperor. A sight rarely seen in many years: "Yes, indeed."
The official lowered his head even further.
As a monarch, his fear of his ministers was something that, when pointed out by others, was somewhat embarrassing. However, the thought that the other party was Sima Guang eased his conscience. Given Sima Guang's skill in impeaching and remonstrating, he would definitely deserve a separate page in history. The list of those he remonstrated with was also filled with figures of immense importance.
The Emperor, the Crown Prince, Fan Zhongyan, Zhang Yaozuo...
From the emperor to the crown prince, from reformers to conservatives, he offered advice to everyone he could. He wasn't afraid at all. Perhaps only someone like Empress Cao, who had long resided in the palace and rarely caused trouble, could escape unscathed.
If it weren't for the inability to travel through time, the Emperor would really like to personally experience and compare his ability to advise others with that of Wei Zheng in the early Tang Dynasty.
But Fusu remembered the well-intentioned words Sima Guang had spoken to him in the second half of the speech. He touched his nose and said, "Your Majesty, you've read the newspapers from when I was in Yunzhou, haven't you?"
The official snapped out of his daze and immediately nodded repeatedly, looking quite proud: "Of course I've seen it!"
"That……"
Empress Cao smiled and, with ill intent, undermined him: "It's not just the Emperor. Minister Fan and Minister Fu have also seen it all. Your father even specially summoned them to the Chuigong Hall to see it."
"After leaving the Chuigong Hall, Master Fu went to find your uncle and complained about his son for a long time."
Fusu's maternal uncle, who was also Empress Cao's elder brother, was named Cao Ping, and he was also the descendant of a founding general. He and Fu Bi had always had a close personal relationship, which is why Fu Bi had pulled him aside to listen to his family affairs. After many twists and turns, this matter reached Empress Cao's ears.
Fusu: "..."
The Emperor: "..."
The father and son, both with a strong sense of morality, were surprisingly of the same mind at this moment: I'm sorry, I've implicated you, innocent son of Master Fu!
After silently apologizing in his heart, two feelings welled up in Fusu's heart at the same time. One was relief and certainty: he had boasted to Sima Guang that he trusted the Emperor, and the Emperor had not contradicted him at all. This unusually excited action made him even happier than if he had achieved some great accomplishments himself.
Secondly, there was the belated shame: Had they really summoned Master Fan and the others to the Chuigong Hall to have them try every possible way to boast about themselves? To even cause Master Fu psychological trauma—this was simply too much…
Inside the thick boots, Fusu's toes silently dug into the ground.
His accusing gaze immediately shot towards the Emperor: How could this be? Including the one he let slip to Sima Guang, he would settle both old and new scores!
"Gurgle—"
A suspicious cry came from somewhere, shattering the tense standoff between father and son. Fusu abruptly looked down at his stomach: Could it be? Did he hear wrong?
"Gurgle—"
A longer cry shattered his reverie. Even his body couldn't bear it anymore, reminding him that before settling scores with his father, he needed to eat his fill and conserve his strength.
Fusu: "..."
Empress Cao had no idea how many times she hadn't been able to suppress a smile today. It seemed her lips hadn't left her lips ever since her son returned to Kunning Palace. She seemed to have laughed more times today than in the entire past month.
But she knew her son was easily embarrassed, so she pretended not to hear anything and turned to ask the emperor earnestly, "Your Majesty, it's time for dinner. Would you like to eat?"
The Emperor said with a serious expression, "Then let's have a meal. It just so happens that I'm hungry too."
They got up and left one after the other, giving Fusu no chance to expose their clumsy observation. Fusu stood up abruptly, wanting to say something, but his stomach growled again, making his face turn bright red with embarrassment. He clutched his stomach and stomped away as well.
It was the familiar little flower hall again, and the familiar dinner. Fusu noticed that since the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun Project was launched, the three of them had been eating together much more frequently.
As was customary, the Emperor and Empress Cao piled food into Fusu's jade bowl. Since the table was full of his favorite dishes, they took whatever they could find and quickly filled Fusu's small bowl to overflowing, almost covering half of his face.
"Eat more," Empress Cao urged. "Look how thin you've become! You probably haven't had a decent meal in Yunzhou."
"If I don't gain weight, how will I survive in the future?"
Fusu was happily eating with his head down when he heard this, but he put down his chopsticks and looked up: "There's still spring, spring is coming soon, the weight you lost can be slowly regained."
Empress Cao was taken aback: "Is that so?"
Then, she visibly became happier, her eyebrows raised high, and she gradually reduced the frequency of picking at her food. Although recovering the sixteen states was also her grand ambition, if it meant sacrificing her son's health and spirit, then that grand ambition could be postponed.
"Yes, yes." Fusu smiled at Empress Cao: "In the spring, the white disaster in Liao will be over, and they will be able to free up their hands to deal with the troubles in Yunzhou."
"Therefore, we need to send the county magistrates there before they can react. So that they won't have a chance to act."
He blinked as he spoke.
——
Yunzhou has been captured!
Seventeen stone ore mines were discovered, and His Highness the Crown Prince invented honeycomb briquettes as a result!
Currently, the production of honeycomb briquettes in Yunzhou has stabilized, enough to supply the entire city of Bianjing with hundreds of thousands of people. As for the mines within the Song Dynasty, they have also been put on the agenda and are progressing steadily.
At today's morning court session, three pieces of news, enough to cause a great uproar, were announced all at once by Di Qing and Fusu.
Many people looked at the young prince, who had not appeared for a long time, and suddenly realized what was going on.
Oh, so it's been so long since we've seen you. Were you busy inventing honeycomb briquettes? So, the limited edition from a while back was also your doing?
Most of the court officials assumed that Fusu was working in seclusion in some dark and gloomy room. They had no idea that he had personally gone to Yunzhou. The few who knew the truth remained silent.
Fusu nodded generously: "That's right, that's right."
Although it was the government, not him, who was responsible for the scam—or rather, making money off the limited edition—Fusu was willing to take the blame since he got all the benefits.
He fully expected to be resented by some people, but that wasn't the case at all. Many people who spent a lot of money to buy commemorative and limited edition honeycomb briquettes were secretly delighted: they thought it would be difficult to get in touch with the Crown Prince, but they didn't expect that they could do it with just money.
They threw away so many copper coins, Your Highness should have some recollection of their names, right?
Many people harbored even darker thoughts: "Hmph, Su Shi, don't think you've gained the upper hand just because you struck first. Once I've got my hands on the Crown Prince's card, you'll prove to be nothing special."
Su Shi, who was inexplicably glared at: ?
Are these people crazy? Why are they glaring at me for no reason?
Only after all the strange looks had disappeared did he dare to change his position, secretly rubbing his bottom: Ouch, that hurts so much. Why did Father hit him so hard? He knew he had to go to court.
Those who thought they could curry favor with the Crown Prince were now watching Fusu closely, hoping he would say something next.
Yes, there really is.
Fusu announced with a smile: "Now, more than ten counties in Yunzhou are under the rule of the Song Dynasty. Most of the official positions there are vacant. So Your Majesty and the Prime Minister have discussed it and decided to select virtuous and capable people from our own dynasty to fill the gaps."
"Due to the special geographical features of Yunzhou, it is a major prefecture. Its prefect is a third-rank official, its vice-prefect is a fifth-rank official, its county magistrate is a seventh-rank official, and so on."
As soon as he finished speaking, countless eyes lit up in the court.
In the Northern Song Dynasty, positions such as "Prefect" and "Prefectural Judge" did not have fixed ranks; their ranks were determined by the importance of the prefecture they governed. The Prefect of Yunzhou started as a third-rank official, meaning that once they became the Prefect of Yunzhou, they could be promoted from the third rank upwards after their term ended.
A higher rank means absolute power, and this was far faster than accumulating seniority in a lower prefecture. And from the third rank upwards, there were figures like Song Qi, Han Qi, and Fu Bi—all important officials in the court. Therefore, this was a blatant, direct ladder to advancement!
The same applies to sub-prefects and county magistrates. Moreover, due to the large number of redundant officials, the competition for promotion at the middle and lower levels is even more intense. Every official in a substantive post is under the watchful eyes of countless people.
Those with ambition all looked at Fusu, hoping to learn more from him.
Fusu lived up to everyone's expectations: "Moreover, everyone knows the special nature of Yunzhou. Therefore, the officials of this prefecture and county all have the authority to act expediently in times of emergency, and can execute first and report later!"
This statement was like a drop of water splashing into a hot oil pan.
"Using expediency in times of crisis?" What an alluring phrase! But one must know that the Song Dynasty's power structure was riddled with layers of checks and balances. It wasn't uncommon for a prefect to have several sub-prefects overseeing him. The feeling of not having to heed even the court's checks and balances was something many people never experienced in their lives.
I'm determined to give it a try.
"However, the principle of 'when things are urgent, one should act expediently' refers to situations where Liao or Western Xia armies invade. If the Song army is not in place, local officials can lead the local residents to resist on their own."
"..."
It turned out that what jumped into the oil pan wasn't a drop of water, but a large basin of cold water. In an instant, it extinguished the fire that had caused the oil to boil.
In just a few words, Fusu watched as the expressions of the officials below the stage changed three times, and couldn't help but find it amusing. He looked in the direction of the Emperor. The Emperor, though his lips tightened as if he was trying not to laugh, shook his head at him.
Stop trying to get to your nerves, just give them a quick death.
Fusu: "Oh."
Then he began to list all the shortcomings of Yunzhou: how it was extremely cold in winter, with water freezing instantly; how the local people were exceptionally fierce; and how you could tell if he didn't believe you by looking at General Di, who was from Dengzhou, which bordered Yunzhou, making them half-brothers from the same hometown.
Furthermore, the people of Yunzhou don't know much about our Great Song Dynasty. If someone were to become their local official, it might be quite challenging.
He did not reveal his reputation as an "upright official," so the officials believed it to be true and no one noticed anything unusual.
In short, the more Fusu spoke, the more disheartened the man who had been so confident moments before became: it was clear that advancing to this rank was no easy feat. It sounded like one wrong step could lead to his death in a foreign land!
The person who was just now happy to have gotten on the Crown Prince's good side also backed down: "Why don't we wait until next time? There will be plenty of opportunities to make a deeper impression on His Highness the Crown Prince. There's no need to rush."
Interestingly, these two groups largely overlapped. However, according to Fusu's observation, they didn't make up a large portion of the total. The remaining group consisted mostly of people with burning passion in their eyes, whose determination remained unwavering despite countless difficulties.
The Song Dynasty is still salvageable.
He announced the final news with a smile: "The promotion will be based on examinations. Anyone who meets the required rank, regardless of whether they hold an official title, may apply. The examination will be held at the Jiying Hall in ten days."
"The examiners are the Emperor, Minister Fan, Minister Fu, and even the mere Crown Prince myself."
"The registration location is at the Ministry of Personnel. I will await your good news."
In addition to publicly announcing the news in the main hall, the *Qiuzhi Bao* newspaper also dedicated an extra page to the story. For a time, it caused a great stir among officials and common people in Bianjing.
After reading today's newspaper, Su Zhen carefully and neatly put it away: "Brother, are you going?"
She knew where her younger brother was; he had abandoned himself and her father and rushed north. It had terrified her.
Su Shi looked distressed and said, "I haven't decided yet."
When he was in Yunzhou, Zhao Xiaolang asked him this question. He said he preferred to start a newspaper in Yunzhou because he wouldn't be bound by Sima Guang. However, Su Shi's announcement at the morning court that they could "act expediently in urgent situations" rekindled his interest.
There were no complicated arrangements, no obstacles in his life. And no father who would spank him... cough cough cough.
In Su Shi's mind, being free was more important than anything else.
However, there was another real concern that made Su Shi somewhat hesitant: "I have never governed a region before, and I don't know if I can do it well."
During his time following Zhao Xiaolang in Yunzhou, Su Shi gained a great deal of knowledge. He only learned the basics of governing a region; more importantly, he became aware of the hardships faced by the people.
The numerous handwritten petitions and the typical cases copied into the Qiuzhi Bao newspaper made Su Shi realize how disappointed and how much of a blow the people under the shadow of a bright, sunny day would be.
Su Zhen frowned in confusion: "Isn't His Highness the Crown Prince your friend? If you have any questions, you can write to him. He should be happy to answer them, right?"
Su Shi's eyes widened, and he immediately jumped up: "That's right! How come I didn't think of that?"
If he was unsure about something, he could write a letter to harass Zhao Xiaolang!
"Sister, you're so quick-witted! Sister, I'll listen to you, I'll register this name first."
At the same time, many other people made the same decision as Su Shi.
They've signed up!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Guess who they are? [Let me see!]
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