I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 47 You can never wake up someone who pretends to be asleep

When Liang Shicheng led Zhao Ji into Genyue's Yuhua Garden (the word "yu" here means cultivating seedlings, not "yu"), he saw Zhao Zicheng and Jia Dan tinkering with flowers and trees from afar. There seemed to be some fake stones cast with cement that had not yet dried, and they had not been polished to look old.

When Liang Shicheng saw this situation, he was slightly shocked: Jia Dang is really unreliable!

I clearly gave him an urgent notice this morning, asking him to be more careful and clean up today, but why didn't he understand?

The emperor personally visited the garden to inspect it, but they hadn't put the items away yet, leaving behind such a blunder! If the emperor questioned the Chief Engineer's research into "cement imitation stone" and why he substituted cheap fakes for the Lingbi and Taihu stones in the Flower and Stone Gang, thus fumbling the imperial garden project, what explanation would he give?
But Liang Shicheng really had no choice. Firstly, Zhao Ji came too suddenly. Before he entered the palace to receive orders this morning, he had hurriedly given Jia Dan instructions, and it was difficult for him to explain it too clearly.

Jia Dang's rank was too low to be privy to the news of the emperor's incognito visit. It now appeared that this type of technical officer also had relatively low emotional intelligence, lacking the ability to listen to instructions and understanding what to pay attention to and what not to pay attention to.

In a hurry, Liang Shicheng quickly came up with the idea of ​​sacrificing the car to save the king: If the emperor doesn't ask about it later, it's fine. If he asks, he will say that it was done privately by Jia Zhubu and the royal family scholar who is waiting for the vacancy, and we know nothing about it!
If Your Majesty thinks this is a good job, we can use this technology and make a contribution.

If Your Majesty feels that this is wrong, please push those two people out and punish them!

Liang Shicheng was indeed a shrewd man who had served the emperor for many years. He had learned countless tricks from the power struggle and came up with a plan to deal with the problem in an instant.

While Liang Shicheng was thinking quickly, Zhao Ji had already seen someone tinkering with something new. There were several pots of white floribunda flowers blooming very large, and there were some strange-shaped trees next to them.

Although Zhao Ji's aesthetic taste did not allow him to appreciate the white floribunda flower, after all, who would appreciate the beauty of cotton? But he still watched it for fun. The size of the flower was unusual, which made him curious.

Zhao Ji walked over and stared directly at the huge bonsai pots that Zhao Zicheng and Jia Dan were tending to. In some of the bonsai, Jia Dan had taken the initiative to place a few imitation stones made of trial cement to form rockery in the bonsai.

However, because the imitation stone is not aged, it can be seen as fake at a glance.

Zhao Ji has always been casual and enjoys things as if no one is around. Today he is wearing luxurious casual clothes, so others can't recognize his identity.

As the chief clerk of the Imperial Household Department, Jia Dan almost subconsciously wanted to scold someone when he saw him wandering around recklessly. However, as soon as he looked up and cleared his throat, he noticed Liang Shicheng wandering around not far behind him.

Since Liang Xianggong had already arrived and no one had announced it, it was likely that this stranger had obtained Liang Xianggong's permission to visit the garden. Jia Dan was too tactless to make such a low-level mistake and hurried over to greet Liang Shicheng.

"Your humble servant greets you, sir! I wonder if this... distinguished guest requires any explanation from your humble servant?"

Jia Dan had no idea where the other party was coming from, so he could only throw a stone to test the waters.

Liang Shicheng also knew that he had to reveal his identity and could not expect to completely fool people. He had already consulted Zhao Ji before coming here, so he coughed lightly and casually introduced himself to Jia Dan and Zhao Zicheng:
"This gentleman is also from the lineage of Prince Pu. He came to the capital from Huazhou today to contribute the flower and stone tribute. Your Majesty, considering the relationship between the royal family, has allowed him to visit the garden and enjoy the scenery."

Liang Shicheng seemed a little lacking in confidence when he lied.

In contrast, Zhao Ji himself was much more open and honest. He was very familiar with telling lies and was not worried about violating taboos. He said to Jia Dan and Zhao Zicheng with a graceful demeanor and condescendingly: "I am Zhao Shicong."

Jia Dan heard this without question. Legally speaking, the descendants of Prince Pu had been separated from the main line of the imperial family for five generations. However, from a bloodline perspective, they had only been separated from the main line for three generations—because Emperor Renzong of Song had no descendants, and Emperor Yingzong of Song was adopted from a distant cousin.

However, according to the legal theory of the Song Dynasty, it was believed that Emperor Yingzong of Song and Prince Pu had no relationship anymore. For this reason, a major case occurred during the reign of Emperor Yingzong, namely the "Pu Debate", which discussed whether Emperor Yingzong should call his biological father Prince Pu "Emperor Father" or "Emperor Uncle". In the end, the conclusion was that he could only call him "Emperor Uncle".

Since he is a descendant of Prince Pu and a duke of a certain lineage, it is reasonable for His Majesty to allow him to visit the garden and for Prime Minister Liang to lead the way.

Liang Shicheng lied so because he considered that it would not deceive the emperor. The current emperor was indeed a descendant of Prince Pu, and Liang Shicheng did not say which branch he was from.

Prince Pu had many sons, a total of twenty-two. If he could just pick one of their descendants to impersonate the prince, the lower officials would not be able to tell and would not be able to disprove it. With such a close relationship and status, he was worthy of being treated with courtesy.

After Liang Shicheng finished his introduction, he pretended to be busy with other inspections and left. He had stayed here too long, and if he showed too much respect to Zhao Ji, it would be easy to be exposed. He didn't dare to show insufficient respect, so it was better to stop at the right time.

……

Zhao Zicheng didn't see anything wrong at first, and just thought that the other party was indeed a prince or duke from the Pu Wang lineage.

Since the other party has obtained a special permit to visit the garden, it is enough to give them the necessary respect.

Zhao Zicheng then bowed with a proper attitude, "My nephew greets my uncle." Zhao Ji had originally been thinking about how to get along with these technical officers, but when he saw this young man take the initiative to speak, he couldn't help but be curious:
"Oh? Why do you call me uncle?"

Zhao Ji was now thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, a little short of forty, but he was used to calling himself "I". He would feel uncomfortable if he suddenly called himself "I" to a mortal, so he would rather call himself "old man".

Zhao Zicheng saw that he was not very old, so he felt a little strange: "My nephew is also a member of the royal family of the Song Dynasty, but he is the sixth generation after Taizu. My uncle is from the lineage of Prince Pu and is of the Shi generation..."

Zhao Ji hadn't expected to come to Genyue to enjoy the exotic flowers and plants, and also meet a distant nephew of his family. His curiosity was slightly aroused: "Oh? Which lineage are you from? What is your current title?"

Zhao Zi said, "I am of the same lineage as the King of Qin and the Duke of Ying, but my nephew has never been the eldest son in the family. I have no title at all and am only a student in the Imperial College. I have failed the imperial examinations and have been waiting for two vacancies. I am sorry to have caused you to laugh at me, uncle."

Zhao Ji waved his hand casually, not caring about it, and did not even ask why Zhao Zicheng was colluding with the people of the Chief of Works. Instead, he changed the subject directly:

"Why is this white sedge flower so much larger than usual? And so short?"

Zhao Zicheng and Jia Dan were both stunned. How could this old man from the Pu Wang clan be so careless about etiquette? He spoke so unsteadily, could he be a bohemian?

Zhao Zicheng answered every question: "This is something I happened to observe in the countryside. When the white sedge flowers are growing taller, the terminal buds should be removed. This prevents the soil and nutrients from being wasted on growth, and the nutrients are naturally infused into the flowers and fruits. Several other flower species also have this habit."

Then he explained in detail some of the principles of "apical dominance" in later botany, using words that the ancients could understand.

"It seems my nephew also enjoys gardening. I think we have something in common, not bad. But why are the stones in this pot in such a shape? They look oddly shaped and jagged, but they are not smooth or translucent at all."

After hearing this question, Zhao Zicheng became a little alert. Liang Shicheng had hinted to him before that if this technology was leaked, it could only be said that he and Jia Dan did it privately, and Liang Shicheng was unaware of it.

Although the purpose of the confession was to conceal it from the emperor, for safety's sake, it should be said to everyone, because if it was leaked, it would eventually reach the emperor's ears.

Zhao Zicheng thought about it, and since he couldn't avoid this question, he said openly, seven truths and three lies:
"This is an idea that my nephew came up with. With all the construction going on in Bianjing these days, a lot of stone is needed. I'm thinking of using mortar to solidify the stone. If I could sell it to the Ministry of Construction, wouldn't that be better than shipping the stones and flowers from the south of the Yangtze River?

But my nephew doesn't have the ability to pull it off himself, so this Jia Zhubu is quite ingenious, and since we're friends, we're thinking of giving it a try. Right now, these stones haven't been washed or polished, so they don't look very smooth. Once they're cast, they'll be lowered into a large frame by the river and washed for a few months, and then they'll be ready to use."

Zhao Ji always liked new things, and he was quite curious about cement imitation stone.

He didn't want to use this kind of thing when building the rockery, but he didn't mind knowing where it came from and giving it to others.

He then spoke in affirmation of the work of the Supervisor, and involuntarily revealed the aura of a superior. The more Zhao Zicheng listened, the more he felt something was wrong, and finally he began to suspect this man.

"Just now I saw that Liang Shicheng didn't dare to neglect him. The so-called Zhao Shicong, the descendant of Prince Pu, could actually be..." With this thought in his mind, Zhao Zicheng became more cautious and didn't dare to speak nonsense anymore, but he basically answered every question.

They chatted for a while, and Zhao Ji was greatly enlightened.

I also heard Jia Dan talk about Zhao Zicheng's use of plants absorbing nutrients to supply various organs to illustrate the human world, and mentioned Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, arguing whether "the wealth of the world has a fixed amount, it is not in the hands of officials but in the hands of the people" or whether it is possible to achieve "the people do not have to pay more taxes but the country has enough money."

We are all educated people, and it is inevitable that we quote from classics when speaking. Then we moved on to the line from the Analects: "If the people are well-off, who can be dissatisfied with the ruler? If the people are dissatisfied, who can be satisfied with the ruler?"

Zhao Zi said that he had already doubted Zhao Ji's identity and did not want Jia Dan to elaborate further, but Jia Dan had already brought the topic to this point, and he could only sit back and watch.

Zhao Ji, however, showed no sign of anger. Instead, he cheerfully suggested, "It's a rare opportunity to meet such a talented young man from our Zhao family today. Why don't we find a quiet place, have a few drinks, and chat. If my nephew has any other opinions, please feel free to share them."

Zhao Zicheng was slightly worried. He was already 70% to 80% certain that the man before him was Zhao Ji, the man who had come to visit the garden incognito. But then he thought, as long as he pretended to be ignorant and spoke tactfully, this was a good opportunity to express his attitude.

Including his attitude towards the Flower and Stone Gang and his attitude towards Zhu Jie. The only thing he needed to worry about was whether Liang Shicheng would think he was taking advantage of the situation and "jumping the social ladder" as soon as he found an opportunity if he said too much.

However, he couldn't refuse now, so he might as well pretend to be confused and deny it when the time came.

"Uncle invites me, how dare I refuse."

(End of this chapter)