The prince is more stable

Chapter 465: Flowers Blooming on the Road
No one expected that the great writer Su Shi would do such a bold move.

What is he doing?
To put it nicely, he was exporting the Central Plains culture and the teachings of sages, he was promoting literacy in the Liao Dynasty, and he was dedicated to the great cause of ensuring that everyone in the world had access to books and skills.

To put it bluntly, he was inciting the sons of powerful officials in the Liao Kingdom to rebel.

Look at the knowledge points he picked out, such as "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species?" and "The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky should be established"...

Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, which Song envoy dared to commit suicide like this?

But Su Shi dared to do so. He seemed fearless and spoke openly about inciting rebellion. The only thing he did was to tell his disciples to take up their weapons, because the world should not be what it is now!
Not all the disciples present here are brainless. Originally, everyone felt very honored to be taught by Su Shi. After all, he is a living literary giant of the time.

But after listening to a few classes, some of the smarter students began to feel that something was wrong.

The Central Plains culture has a long history of thousands of years. Could it be that the ancient sages of the Central Plains were teaching these?

Teach everyone to rebel and fuck it when they encounter injustice?

This... doesn't sound like something a normal person would say. It sounds more like something a bandit would do.

...Did Master Su take the wrong textbook?
So, the disciple who had other thoughts was respectful on the surface, but still silently took note of what Su Shi taught.

They have to go back and ask their elders, is this right?
Su Shi was completely unaware of his disciples' reactions, or rather, he simply didn't care.

In short, Su Shi was going to cause trouble.

As an envoy of the Song Dynasty, he had only met the Liao emperor once since he was sent to the Liao Kingdom. He was then dismissed by Yelu Hongji and left in the inn without any attention, waiting for him to leave on his own accord.

How could Su Shi just leave like that?
Zhao Xiaoqian personally persuaded the government to obtain the identity of the Song envoy.

Originally, Su Shi had been suppressed by Zhang Dun to the point where he could not raise his head. Even though Zhang Dun was disciplined by Zhao Xiaoqian and became submissive, Su Shi's personal future was still bleak, and he had no other choice but to retire.

It was Zhao Xiaoqian who finally gave him a helping hand, even at the cost of his own face, and lobbied the emperor, who then gave Su Shi a chance to go on a diplomatic mission to the Liao Kingdom.

Su Shi, who was shouldering a heavy responsibility and full of confidence, was poured a bucket of cold water on his head after arriving in the Liao Kingdom.

He was ignored by the Liao Emperor. As a Song envoy, he had no sense of existence and the Liao Emperor had no interest in discussing the affairs of the two countries with him.

Zhao Xiaoqian had fought so hard for his future, but he did nothing during his diplomatic mission to the Liao Kingdom and just returned in disgrace?

Of course not!

Although Su Shi was already in his sixties, he was still full of ambition to serve his country. He would not let down either the Song Dynasty or Zhao Xiaoqian.

So Su Shi wanted to make trouble in Shangjing. He wanted the Liao emperor, his ministers and the powerful to notice him. He wanted the Liao people to hear his voice. He also wanted to make contributions to the Song Dynasty and bring honor to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Even if it meant sacrificing his own life, Su Shi would not hesitate.

His patriotism and his bold and unrestrained nature cannot be reflected only in his articles and poems. No matter how gorgeous his poems are, he is nothing more than a useless scholar.

He wanted to do something practical for the Song Dynasty. His life ideal was never to be a great writer, but to become the pillar that turned the tide in this country that had been weak for a hundred years, to repay the emperor's kindness and benefit the people.

Being neglected by the Liao Emperor, Su Shi had already wanted to make trouble, but he didn't find the right opportunity, so he stayed in Shangjing.

Are you kidding? How could Su Shi leave without accomplishing anything?
Until a few days ago, news came from the Song-Liao front that Zhao Xiaoqian led his troops to annihilate 50,000 Liao troops, and Yelu Chun fled in panic. The Song Dynasty achieved its greatest victory since its founding.

After hearing the news, Su Shi was so excited that he cried and laughed alone in the inn, and bowed facing south.

After calming down, Su Shi gathered his thoughts. He knew that the time to stir up trouble had come. The victory of the Song army was his greatest confidence. With this confidence, he could calmly teach the children of the Liao nobles and incite them to rebel in such a suicidal way.

Will the children of the powerful and wealthy rebel?
Of course not. As the vested interests of the Liao Kingdom, how could they possibly tear down their own corners?

But the content of Su Shi's teaching to his disciples would definitely be spread, and that was enough. He wanted the Liao Emperor Yelu Hongji to see him, look him in the eye, sit down and talk to him calmly.

That was the time for him, as an envoy to the Song Dynasty, to shine for the Song Dynasty.

In class, Su Shi continued his lecture: "Have you all eaten eggs? If an egg is broken from the outside, it is just a dish in other people's mouths. If it is broken from the inside, it is a new life. Taste it, taste it carefully, and appreciate the truth in it."

Su Shi once again planted the seeds of evil in the children of the powerful.

Many disciples began to look confused, and more and more people noticed that something was wrong, but on the surface, everyone still expressed their willingness to learn very respectfully.

Su Shi smiled and stroked his beard.

If you feel that there is something wrong with the classes I teach, believe me, it is not an illusion.

After the class ended, the students said goodbye.

Su Shi sat in the room, drinking wine sip by sip, with a very comfortable expression.

A figure walked into the room quietly. Before Su Shi could be surprised, the person turned around, closed the door, and then looked at him with a smile.

Su Shi looked at the man and frowned, "Who are you?"

The man bowed deeply to Su Shi and said, "I am Zhen Qing, an official of the Imperial City Department, an official of Hejian County Prince Zhao Xiaoqian. I have come here on the orders of Prince Zhao to see Scholar Su in private."

Su Shi was stunned for a moment, then asked happily, "Zhao Xiaoqian has been granted the title of Prince?" Zhen Qing smiled and said, "Your Highness has made unparalleled contributions to the Song Dynasty and deserves a promotion."

Su Shi nodded repeatedly, picked up the jar of wine and took a big gulp, as if he was congratulating Zhao Xiaoqian.

"That's right, you are indeed worthy of being named a Prince, Zhao Zian. Haha, Your Highness, you are great! You are worthy of being a descendant of the Zhao family, and you are worthy of being a real man of the Great Song Dynasty!"

After saying this, Su Shi glanced at Zhen Qing and said, "Although I have never liked the Imperial City Division, in this foreign country, and since you are Zi'an's subordinate, I don't know why I find you a little pleasing to my eyes."

Zhen Qing still had a smile on his face and did not dare to be rude in the slightest.

"It is truly my great honor to be favored by Scholar Su. I thank you for your kindness."

Su Shi hummed and said calmly, "Why did you come to see me?"

Zhen Qing said respectfully, "Today I received a secret letter from His Royal Highness the Prince, instructing me to meet with Scholar Su."

"What does Zi'an want you to tell me?"

"His Highness the Prince asked me to tell Scholar Su, 'Flowers are blooming on the roadside, so you can take your time returning home.'"

Su Shi was stunned for a moment, then his eyes quickly turned red, and turbid old tears involuntarily slid down his old cheeks.

This sentence was not created by Zhao Xiaoqian and Su Shi. It was a sentence in a letter written by Qian Liu, the King of Wuyue in the Five Dynasties period, to his princess. This short sentence expresses the love between the king and his wife.

It is worth mentioning that Qian Liu’s descendants are many talented people who have made great contributions to China thousands of years later. Among them are Mr. Qian Xuesen, Mr. Qian Sanqiang, Mr. Qian Weichang and so on.

Su Shi respected Qian Liu very much. He once wrote an inscription for Qian Liu himself and composed three poems for the line "Flowers bloom on the road", which were named "Flowers on the Road".

Today, Su Shi heard the poem "Moshang Poem" again, and it happened to be the season of spring flowers blooming. It was appropriate to the situation, but it was his close friend who urged him to go home. The friendship between them made him cry.

After silently weeping for a while, Su Shi finally said with a choked voice, "Go back and tell Zi'an that I...will not be returning for the time being."

Zhen Qing was surprised: "Why?"

Su Shi shook his head and pulled out a letter he had written long ago. He said, "Forward this letter to Zi'an. It will fully describe the reasons why I will not return."

After saying this, Su Shi waved towards Zhen Qing and said, "Go back quickly and don't attract attention. Although you and I have different paths, we are both men who serve our country. You should take care of yourself in this dangerous place."

Zhen Qing was speechless. He carefully placed the letter in his arms, then silently bowed to Su Shi. Just as he was about to leave, Zhen Qing suddenly turned around and said, "Your Highness, I have something else to tell Scholar Su."

"explain."

"His Royal Highness said that he personally hunted a mature black bear in Zhending Prefecture and specially reserved a bear paw for Scholar Su. It is the front paw with rich meat. The bear paw has been pickled and air-dried. He is waiting for Scholar Su to return so that you can feast on it."

Su Shi laughed heartily: "Zi'an, with his frail appearance, can actually hunt bears? You're kidding me, you're totally shameless!"

As he spoke, Su Shi started to cry again, but he forced a smile on his face: "Tell Zi'an that I will keep the bear's paw for you, and you are not allowed to touch it."

…………

Feihu Military Command.

Zhao Xiaoqian was sitting in the main hall of the government office, with a clerk who came from Zhending Prefecture standing in front of him.

The clerk was probably someone like the prosecutor of Zhending Prefecture, so Zhao Xiaoqian didn't ask in detail.

He was sent by Li Qingchen to report the matter.

Last month, when Zhao Xiaoqian led his troops in a fierce battle with the Liao army, a group of officials from Zhending Prefecture came.

The officials were selected by the court from a group of salaried officials after consultation with the ministers in the Council of State, and were assigned to various official positions in Zhending Prefecture by the Ministry of Personnel.

Since Zhao Xiaoqian used thunder-like means to interrogate officials such as Liu Qianliang, almost half of the officials in Zhending Prefecture were cleared out. All the officials involved in the case were arrested and imprisoned and escorted to Bian Jing to be punished.

The criminal official was apprehended, but the position was left vacant. Zhending Prefecture was in a state of disrepair and needed reconstruction. Li Qingchen had to take on several duties at the same time and was almost exhausted.

However, the court's efficiency was extremely slow. It had been more than two months since Zhao Xiaoqian submitted his memorial urging the Council of State to recruit officials for Zhending Prefecture, but those officials only took up their posts today.

Zhao Xiaoqian was truly amazed by such efficiency, but it was not convenient for him to point his finger at Zhang Dun and curse him in his memorial.

After the clerk in front of him reported, he stood quietly by with his hands hanging, waiting for Zhao Xiaoqian's instructions with a respectful look on his face.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't have any instructions. As the prefect of Zhending, he was now like a spiritual leader. He never cared about real business and left it to his subordinates.

The cattle and horses were quite conscious, especially Li Qingchen. As the judge of Zhending Prefecture, he still sent fast horses to report all matters, big or small, to the Feihu Military Headquarters, for fear of leaving a bad impression of Zhao Xiaoqian being autocratic.

In fact, Zhao Xiaoqian had no impression at all.

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that the place he looked at was a sea of ​​stars, but it was definitely more than just a small piece of land in Zhending Prefecture.

(End of this chapter)