The prince is more stable

Chapter 293 The Su Brothers
Those who plagiarize will always be plagiarized by others.

Zhao Banque plagiarized so many poems of his predecessors, so what if Su Shi plagiarized a dish of his?
What else can you do except accept it as retribution?
Should Su Shi be sent to an ice well to be punished?

Zhao Xiaoqian took a piece of mutton and put it in his mouth and nodded.

It tastes good, almost the same as what I make myself. I have to admit that Lao Su is a genius, a genius in writing poetry and cooking. He learned Zhao Xiaoqian's skills just by watching him.

Some people are born better than others. If you can accept this truth, then when you face other injustices in the world, you may be able to comfort yourself a little.

Today's dishes are all made by Su Shi himself and they taste great.

It is said that Su Shi was a great foodie. No matter where he was exiled, he would always discover the local delicacies first, study them diligently, and strive for perfection.

After his career failed, he really regarded food as his second career. If there were live broadcasts these days, he would definitely be a big internet celebrity who visited stores, and he would be a very upright one. It would be useless for the store owners to secretly give him red envelopes and ask for good words.

There were three people at the table, and there were about four or five dishes. It was said to be a banquet at Su Che's house, but in fact it was more like a family dinner.

There was no clinking of glasses or socializing during the meal. The three people each had a bowl of rice and were busy eating. No one had time to chat.

Zhao Xiaoqian enjoyed this meal very much, not only in terms of taste buds, but also mentally.

He liked this relaxed and harmonious dining atmosphere and did not consider himself an outsider. Of course, perhaps the two brothers did not consider themselves human beings either.

After dinner, Su Shi actually sat cross-legged at the table and picked his teeth with a toothpick in front of Zhao Xiaoqian. With his grinning face, who would dare to believe that he was the number one literary figure in the Song Dynasty?
We should really ask the courtesans who are willing to offer themselves for sex to see what Su Shi looks like now. This hideous-looking sixty-year-old man wants to sleep with them, so they should ask them if they are still willing.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian put down his chopsticks, Su Shi raised his eyebrows and said, "Are you full, my dear brother Zi'an?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "I'm full."

"How does it taste?" Su Shi smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"I already have 70% of the skills." Zhao Xiaoqian told the truth.

"Huh?" Su Shi was stunned for a moment, then stood up and was about to argue with him. When it came to cooking, neither of them was willing to give in.

Just as she raised her butt, Su Zhe grabbed it with his quick eyes and hands, and pushed it back down heavily.

"Brother, don't be rude." Su Zhe said helplessly.

Su Zhe was truly blessed to have such a brother. He had done nothing else in his life except to plead for his brother, take the blame, and get beaten...

If you want to fly, hurt me.

There is no wine at today's family dinner.

After dinner, Su Che had tea and asked his servants to bring a set of tea sets.

This set of tea set also looks familiar. It was a gift from Zhao Xiaoqian.

After inventing fried tea, Zhao Xiaoqian specially customized a batch of tea sets at a porcelain kiln and gave them to the dignitaries and their friends in the city in order to cultivate their habit of drinking tea.

Only when you have good habits will you become addicted and consume.

Su Che's house also received a set. Roasted tea is very popular among the older generation, and Su Che has now developed the habit of drinking tea after meals.

The tea set was served on the table, and Su Che, as the host, made tea himself. His technique was not fancy, but simple and unpretentious.

After brewing it properly, Su Che poured it into three teacups and gestured to Zhao Xiaoqian to taste it with a smile.

The three of them took a sip, and Su Shi showed a satisfied expression and let out a long sigh.

"Speaking of it, Zi'an's reputation is indeed well-known throughout the world. I have heard of Zi'an's deeds even though I am far away in Huizhou, especially the Song-Xia War. Haha, it's so satisfying!" Su Shi laughed happily.

"Western Xia surrendered, ceded six cities and a thousand miles of land, and even destroyed the enemy's capital. Zi'an's achievements are unprecedented since the founding of the Song Dynasty." "The day I heard the news of the victory in Bianjing, I was drunk in Huizhou and wondered what kind of hero this Zhao Zi'an was. If I could return to the capital, I must meet him."

Su Shi stroked his beard and looked at Zhao Xiaoqian with admiration.

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "Who would have thought that meeting him in person would be worse than hearing about him? This Zhao Zian is so rude. He almost pushed Scholar Su into the shit when they first met..."

Before he could finish his words, Su Shi coughed loudly, and glared at him with a red face: "Don't talk about this dirty thing, we just had dinner."

Su Shi then sighed, "The Song Dynasty has been weak for a hundred years. Fortunately, we have a hero like Zi'an who can save the country. Otherwise, with such a powerful neighbor nearby, it is hard to say what the fate of the Song Dynasty's rulers, ministers, and people would be."

"We are all old, and our time is running out, but Zi'an is still young and has great potential. Let me ask you, many years from now, with the strength of our Great Song, can we recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?"

After Su Shi finished speaking, Su Zhe also looked at Zhao Xiaoqian. It was obvious that the two brothers were very concerned about this issue.

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "'Many years in the future', that's not right..."

"Although I am young, I cannot wait for many years. If the Song-Xia War was the battle for the Song Dynasty to establish its prestige, then recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will be the battle for the Song Dynasty to become a powerful nation. The sooner the better."

"The Liao Kingdom won't give the Song Dynasty much time to develop. They're already on guard. The situation on the Song-Liao border is volatile. After witnessing the Song Dynasty's firearms, the Liao Kingdom is already restless and clearly doesn't intend to abide by the Treaty of Chanyuan."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the two brothers and said with a smile, "If you two work hard to live a few more years, you will see with your own eyes the return of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to our Song Dynasty. If this land is not recovered, the Song Dynasty will surely be in danger of extinction."

Su Che seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly straightened up and said, "The emperor gave you four rewards last time, one of which was the governor of Zhending Prefecture. Could it be..."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and nodded. After all, he had been a deputy prime minister, so some things he understood easily.

Su Zhe and Su Shi exchanged a quick glance, and Su Zhe said happily, "If Zi'an can truly take over Zhending Prefecture, with Zi'an's talent, I believe there's hope for him to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, right?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled bitterly and said, "I can only say that I will do my best. You two should know how difficult it is to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. If I want to take it, the emperor and the court must give me sufficient support. No one in the court of Bianjing can hinder me, otherwise I will fail."

Su Shi took a deep breath and said, "Although my position is low and my words are not influential, I still have some respect in the hearts of the common people. If Zi'an becomes the governor of Zhending Prefecture, I will do my best to make the scholars and literati in the world support Zi'an and make those in the court who want to hinder Zi'an feel apprehensive."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Su Shi deeply.

In his impression, Su Shi was a pure literati with a tragic fate, but he did not expect that Su Shi was so concerned about national affairs.

It makes sense if you think about it. If he didn't care about state affairs, how could he have written those classic and bold poems that have been passed down through the ages?

Although my position is low and my words are not taken seriously, my blood is still hot.

This old man, whose entire life has been wasted by internal conflicts, still looks firmly beyond the borders.

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly understood why all the scholars in the world regarded Su Shi as their idol.

In the second year of Jiayou in the Song Dynasty, a man named Zhang Zai and Su Shi were both successful candidates in the imperial examination. Zhang Zai uttered the famous Hengqu Four Sentences, which shocked the world.

Some later scholars used it as a slogan to promote themselves, but others truly regarded these four sentences as their lifelong goal and career.

Su Shi is undoubtedly the latter.

After entering the officialdom, he was on the road to exile most of the time. It seemed that his life was cursed by fate, and he fell to the bottom and could never get out.

People who have experienced darkness still believe in light and have their country and the world in their hearts.

This is what a scholar should be like.

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly felt that people like Su Shi really should not be attacked again and again. Regardless of whether he belonged to the New Party or the Old Party, at least he was pure and upright.

(End of this chapter)