The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

The atmosphere in the side hall of Chongzheng Hall was so subtle it was almost suffocating.

Faced with the emperor's question, which was somewhat childish yet harbored murderous intent, Su Shi was so frightened that cold sweat poured down his back, and he almost slid to his knees on the spot.

Looking down on the emperor? If that's true, it's like a game of elimination for nine generations of your family!

"Your Majesty is wise! The gentleman had no such intention! His reverence for Your Majesty is as boundless as a flowing river! He simply..."

Su Shi's mind was racing, his CPU was about to burn out, desperately trying to figure out how to make amends for his teacher's "laziness".

"Just what?" Zhao Zhen pressed, his eyes scrutinizing a lying child.

"But the gentleman felt the time was not yet right."

Su Shi steeled himself and braced himself to begin covering up Jiang Lin's lie (actually, he continued to boast), "The master once said: 'A doctor does not knock on doors, and the way is not easily passed on.' The illness of the Great Song Dynasty must be felt by Your Majesty yourself, and you must be truly determined to cure it before this doctor can enter the door."

"If His Majesty merely wants a courtier to chat with, or simply wants to paint a rosy picture of peace, then it doesn't matter whether he comes or not. The gentleman said he doesn't wish to be an adornment for a prosperous era, but only a healer for a chaotic one."

These words are extremely bold.

If it were a different, more short-tempered emperor, like Zhu Yuanzhang or Yongzheng, Su Shi would be dead by now. To say that an emperor only wants to find sycophants? That's utter disrespect!

But Zhao Zhen was a masochist... no, a benevolent ruler.

After hearing these words, he wasn't angry at all; instead, he stood there stunned. After a long while, he suddenly slapped his thigh, his expression one of excitement as if he had found a kindred spirit.

"That's right!"

"I was too frivolous before! A great talent for governing the country cannot be summoned like a courtesan."

Zhao Zhen stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, his steps quickening, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented determination.

"I want to invite him again!"

"This time, I will show him my sincerity! I will let him know that the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty is not just a puppet sitting on the dragon throne issuing orders!"

Zhao Zhen stopped and looked at Su Shi: "Minister Su, you know your teacher best. What do you think I should do to get that arrogant Mr. Jiang to come out of seclusion?"

Su Shi's eyes lit up as he recalled his teacher's teachings: "To the emperor, you must provide him with sufficient emotional value, making him feel that he is doing something great."

"His Majesty."

Su Shi bowed and said, "The imperial edict is too harsh, with a commanding tone, which you do not like. The reward is too vulgar, as you regard money as dirt (although Qian Duoduo does not think so). You are a man of great sentiments."

"If Your Majesty could write a letter, as if it were a personal letter, with the respect due to a disciple, earnestly explaining the difficulties of governing the country and the suffering of the people..."

"The gentleman is soft-hearted and will surely be moved."

"The etiquette of a disciple?"

The old eunuch beside him turned pale with fright, and the whisk in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter." The emperor becoming a disciple of a commoner? This was outrageous! If word got out, wouldn't those old men in the Ministry of Rites be driven to despair and commit suicide by banging their heads against a pillar?

But Zhao Zhen didn't care at all. He waved his hand grandly, exuding an air of magnanimity:

"Bring me paper and a pen!"

"If I can find a great sage, what harm is there in becoming his disciple? Liu Bei himself visited Zhuge Liang three times! Do I lack even that much magnanimity? If he can save the Song Dynasty, what's wrong with me bowing to him!"

……

A moment later, a sheet of top-quality Chengxintang paper was spread out on the imperial desk.

Zhao Zhen dismissed his attendants, leaving only Su Shi to grind the ink.

The Song Dynasty emperor pondered for a long time before finally writing the first line. His handwriting was no longer the usual dignified and elegant style, but rather carried a hint of urgency and sincerity:

"I have heard that when a nation is about to prosper, there will be auspicious omens; when a nation is about to perish, there will be calamities. Now, the Great Song Dynasty is beset by internal and external troubles, and I cannot sleep or eat in peace..."

The letter was long and sincere.

There is no "I command you," only "I need you."

In his letter, Zhao Zhen did not put on airs as an emperor, but rather spoke like a bewildered junior, confiding his confusion and helplessness to an elder.

He wrote about the beacon fires on the frontier, the displacement of the people, and his own loneliness and anxiety in the deep palace.

As he wrote, Zhao Zhen became somewhat emotional; his pen trembled slightly, and the ink spread across the paper, forming a small plum blossom.

"If you do not despise me, I am willing to wait for you in the Daqing Palace, showing the respect due to a disciple, and listen to your teachings. The livelihoods of the millions of people in the Great Song Dynasty all depend on your single thought."

At the end of the signature, Zhao Zhen did not affix the cold, impersonal imperial seal bearing the inscription "Mandate of Heaven," but instead took his personal seal from his waist and solemnly stamped it affixed.

"Zhao Zhen bows his head."

After finishing writing, Zhao Zhen let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He carefully folded the letter, placed it in a sandalwood box that he had prepared beforehand, and handed it to Su Shi.

"Su Qing."

Zhao Zhen's eyes were full of anticipation. "I will not send this letter via post stations, nor will I send a large ceremonial procession."

"I will have the most elite guards of the Imperial City Guard escort my personal attendant to Runzhou at top speed."

"Tell me a message."

Zhao Zhen gazed southward, his eyes deep and unfathomable, as if piercing through mountains and rivers to see the young man reclining in a wicker chair, drinking tea.

"Just say: I've been waiting in Bianjing for so long that the flowers have all withered."

Su Shi accepted the wooden box with both hands, feeling as if it weighed a ton.

He knew this was more than just a letter. It represented the heart of the Song Dynasty emperor and a signal that history was about to take a turn.

"Your subject obeys the decree!"

……

As I stepped out of the palace gates, the rain had stopped.

Su Shi looked up at the newly washed sky and exhaled a long breath.

"Sir, oh sir..."

Su Shi shook his head with a wry smile, "You're not here to be a teacher, you're here to make the emperor beg you to be his 'ancestor'!"

"but……"

Su Shi touched the sandalwood box in his arms, his eyes hardening.

"Now that the stage is set up, it's time for the main actors to take the stage."

"It's time for you, the true dragon, to stir up this stagnant pool of Bianjing."