I studied in modern times

Chapter 1031 Change of Face
Coincidentally, Zhao Xu had just finished baiting the fishing spot and cast his fishing line into it.

The fishing float suddenly sank!
Seeing this, Zhao Xu casually stabbed, and the fishing line was immediately straightened.

Clearly, this is a big fish!
At least a pound or more!
Since he started fishing, Zhao Xu has only caught a dozen or so large fish weighing over a pound each!

Today, we must add another achievement to our list!
"Hahaha..." Zhao Xu, holding a fishing rod, laughed wildly: "Scholar Su, you are truly my lucky general!"

He perfectly portrayed an emperor who loved fishing!

Yes!

Performance!

Zhao Xu was faking it from the very beginning.

Pretending he loves fishing... no, he genuinely does enjoy fishing.

However, fishing is just a hobby.

His character makes it absolutely impossible for him to let personal preferences influence his judgment.

His experience studying abroad in modern times turned him into an extremely rational person.

After all, in the society he lived in, the torrent of capitalist commodity economy was sweeping everything away.

All the old public order, good customs and traditions have been completely destroyed!
Therefore, people laugh at poverty but not prostitution; nothing is off-limits to being a commodity.

As a result, all sorts of strange phenomena emerged, leaving people overwhelmed.

The grand era has swept by in a flash.

After each sprint, a large number of people are left behind.

These people could only stare blankly at the receding figure of the era, completely unaware of what had happened.
How did I get eliminated?!

Therefore, only rational people can keep up with the times and stand firm against the tides of history, avoiding being eliminated by the times.

Because rational people only have interests, not morality.

In such a society, Zhao Xu, who has been tempered for a full decade and has not been eliminated by the times, is no ordinary person.

Therefore, loving fishing is just a pretense.

A ruse to lure you into a trap!
As for the so-called air force, it is sometimes and it isn't.

After all, what child only gets beaten and doesn't get any meat?
Most of the time, what is called "air force" is actually just that the fish simply didn't bait the hook properly.

This is the art of rulership!
Of course, sometimes the weather is indeed bad, the air pressure is too high or too low, and the fish won't bite.

That being said, Su Shi was indeed quite lucky.

Zhao Xu caught a fish right away!

What a lucky guy!

Su Shi, standing to the side, watched Zhao Xu pull on his fishing rod and struggle with the fish in the lake.

His face was also filled with joy, because he remembered what the emperor's chief servant had told him before he came—that the emperor would be overjoyed if he caught a fish, and an overjoyed emperor is usually very generous.

He almost always granted requests from his subjects!

At the same time, the Emperor himself just said he would reward him.

So, it was only after Zhao Xu dragged that lucky fish to the shore that things got better.

Tong Guan immediately and cleverly grabbed a net and scooped it up.

It was a golden-yellow Yellow River carp, weighing about a pound.
Tong Guan held the carp, turned around and knelt down, congratulating him: "Such a dragon carp is rare in the world, yet you have caught it, which shows that your fishing skills have reached a state of perfection!"

Zhao Xu looked at the carp; it was just an ordinary Yellow River carp.

Every day, at least several thousand similar Yellow River carp are sold in the fish market of Bianjing!

If he really was that emperor from his previous life, born in the deep palace, raised by women, and unaware of the hardships of the common people, then Tong Guan's flattery could really fool him, making him truly believe that his fishing skills were unparalleled!
For example, the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was misled by his subordinates and actually believed that an egg cost thirty taels of silver.

But...

Zhao Xu looked at Tong Guan's clever and obedient appearance.

The emotional value provided is indeed quite good!

He laughed and scolded, "You! You're just good at saying nice things to flatter me!"

"I am well aware of my own limitations!"

"However..." Zhao Xu looked at the carp held in Tong Guan's hands: "This fish, caught by me, is indeed its good fortune!"

"Let's send it to the imperial pond behind the Funing Palace to keep it alive!"

From the inner ponds to the emperor's imperial pond.

From then on, the carp bid farewell to its life of hardship and lived a happy life being raised and fed by the emperor.

Over the past year, the fish raised in the imperial pond in Zhao Xu's imperial garden have all become plump and round, looking more like pigs than fish!
But Zhao Xu continued to feed them with great enthusiasm. "Yes, sir!" Tong Guan immediately accepted the order with delight.

At this point, Su Shi also saw the wind was blowing and no longer hesitated to use flattering words.

Appropriate yet not overly flattering words flowed freely from his mouth.

In particular, he compared Zhao Xu's fishing skills with those of the previous Liao emperor, Yelü Zongzhen, bluntly stating that Yelü Zongzhen's fishing skills were nothing compared to Zhao Xu's.

This immediately pleased Zhao Xu greatly—the Zhao emperors loved to compete with the Khitan ruler.

I'll be happy as long as I can crush the Khitan ruler.

This can be considered a kind of Ah Q mentality—I may not be able to beat you on the battlefield, but in other aspects, how could I possibly lose to you?
However, Zhao Xu's laughter suddenly stopped halfway through, and he looked at Su Shi with a dark expression: "Scholar Su, are you trying to criticize me, like Emperor Xingzong of Liao, for indulging in frivolous pursuits and neglecting my duties?"

During his lifetime, Yelü Zongzhen loved fishing and even more so, falconry.

Legend has it that during his lifetime he possessed dozens of pieces of imperial fishing gear made of gold, jewels, and jade, and also kept five hawks—all of which were gyrfalcons offered by the Jurchen tribes and golden eagles presented by the Zubu tribes.

During his reign, he often took his five hawks with him on hunting trips, and there was even a legend that he would always seek out the local waters to fish wherever he went.

As a result, there has been considerable dissatisfaction about this throughout the country.

It is said that when Yelü Zongzhen was on his deathbed, he ordered the imperial fishing gear to be destroyed in front of Yelü Hongji, and released all the five hawks and falcons. He also left a will asking Yelü Hongji not to follow his example.

Su Shi was startled by Zhao Xu's sudden change of attitude. He quickly stood up and apologized in a flustered manner, saying, "Your Majesty is wise and benevolent, loving the people. How can the ruler of the Northern Barbarians compare to you?"

Zhao Xu's face immediately brightened again. He stepped forward to help Su Shi up and said, "What the scholar says is very true!"

"How can I be compared to that Northern barbarian ruler?"

"Emperor Xingzong of Liao only had comfort and pleasure in his heart... but in my heart..." Zhao Xu said meaningfully, "I have the whole world in my heart!"

“So…” Zhao Xu looked up at the seven-foot-tall Su Shi: “Scholar Su, even when I am having fun, I am thinking about the vast world and the millions of people!”

"Your Majesty is wise!" Su Shi quickly offered a compliment.

Zhao Xu chuckled and then said, "Right! Where were we?"

"A reward... um..."

He sat down leisurely and looked at Su Shi: "Scholar, tell me, what reward do you want?"

Su Shi swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and then bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I do have something I wish to ask for your gracious favor..."

"What does the scholar desire?" Zhao Xu smiled and said, "I still stand by what I said: as long as it is permitted by the law and does not violate the ancestral precepts, I will grant it without hesitation!"

Su Shi bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty extend your great grace and bestow your holy virtue upon me, Wen Zhong, the Prefect of Qingzhou... to pardon my crimes and forgive my clan!"

Zhao Xu's face immediately darkened, and he said coldly, "Does the scholar know that he does not wish to be my subject?"

Su Shi bowed and said, "I inform Your Majesty that Wen Zhong's loyalty is as clear as day!"

"Heh..." Zhao Xu sneered, "If he were loyal, if he truly regarded me as his sovereign and father..."

"Why is it that after getting sick, you refuse to seek medical treatment, and even more so, you refuse to take medicine?"

"He committed suicide!"

"They do not wish to be my subjects, and are filled with resentment towards me and the court!"

"Such a minister, yet the scholar calls him a loyal minister?!"

Sweating profusely, Su Shi could only brace himself and defend Kong Wenzhong: "Your Majesty, I have known Wenzhong for decades and know his loyalty is as clear as day and night... I believe there may be some misunderstanding... I humbly beseech Your Majesty to investigate!"

Zhao Xu snorted coldly.

He certainly knew that Kong Wenzhong was a loyal minister.

However, he was loyal to the Song Dynasty court, not to him, the emperor.

Therefore, he began to feel disappointed when Zhao Xu's behavior did not meet his expectations.

These disappointments accumulated and, accompanied by Zhao Xu's political persecution, slowly reached their peak.

So, he decided he didn't want to live anymore.

After being demoted to Qingzhou, he began to seek death.

Originally, whether Kong Wenzhong lived or died had nothing to do with Zhao Xu.

But the timing of his death was so perfect that if Zhao Xu didn't use it as a pretext, it would be a waste of his talent!

Moreover, he has countless friends, disciples, and followers.

Among them, the most famous is Su Shi, also known as Su Dongpo.

Su Shi was a man of strong emotions; he would truly go to great lengths for his friends.

With such a good hand, if Zhao Xu doesn't play it, he'll be letting himself and the world down!

(End of this chapter)