The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 121 Sun Fujia: You brat, I'm convinced today!

A few days later.

East of Chang'an City, the ancient bridge over the Ba River.

The spring breeze is gentle, the willows on the embankment droop gracefully, and the warm wind brushes past their tips, causing a shower of light catkins to fall.

Several carriages were quietly parked on the banks of the Baqiao ferry, the carriages and horses at ease, and the servants standing at attention.

Standing on the water's edge were several people, including Li Xiang, Wang Xuance, Chen Zhijian, and Sun Fujia.

They have gathered here today to bid farewell to Sun Fujia, who is about to travel to Shangzhou.

Sun Fujia and Li Xiang jointly investigated the corruption case in the imperial examinations, offending many powerful families. Furthermore, Sun protected many scholars who had engaged in a brawl with members of these families in the East Market, delaying the investigation and further deepening his offenses.

As a result, he was universally hated in the officialdom of Chang'an.

Even old friends are now avoided.

Today, I am traveling to Shangzhou, and despite being a high-ranking official of the third rank, very few people have come to see me off.

Only a handful of people, including Li Xiang and Wang Xuance, stood forlorn and desolate on the banks of the mighty Ba River.

"You brat—I specifically told you not to cause trouble, and here you are!"

"Just by hosting a farewell banquet, such a huge controversy has been stirred up again."

"Luckily, I was busy that day, otherwise, wouldn't I have been humiliated in Pingkang Ward along with you juniors?"

Sun Fujia glared at Li Xiang, puffing out his beard. But Li Xiang saw through the old man's loud laughter and curses, which concealed a sense of disappointment and bewilderment.

Thirty years a guest in Chang'an, now banished to Shangzhou. Not a single old friend or relative came to see him off. Even if Old Sun's heart were made of iron, how could he not be heartbroken?

It should be noted that travel was difficult in the Tang Dynasty, and Sun Fujia was already of advanced age. Going to Shangzhou, he would most likely die in office there.

Thinking of this, Li Xiang patted Sun Fujia on the back and said, "Old Sun, don't worry."

"True friendship is revealed in times of trouble. It's better that those who fawn over the powerful and belittle the weak don't come to see you."

Beside Li Xiang, Wang Xuance also bowed to Sun Fujia and said, "My lord, please forgive my breach of promise."

"I had already agreed to go to Lord Sun's camp, but—"

Seeing him bow, Sun Fujia quickly helped him up, saying, "Xuan Ce, there's no need for that."

"You have a wide circle of friends and are a reliable person. It's good that you stay by this brat's side and look after him." Sun Fujia looked at Wang Xuance and sighed.

"Now that I have been removed from my post at the Court of Judicial Review, if those scions of powerful families retaliate again using the matter of the East Market, there will be no one to protect you."

"Since Xuan Ce is staying in Chang'an, we must be careful. Those scions of aristocratic families are not easy to deal with."

Among these scholars from humble backgrounds, only Wang Xuance was favored by Sun Fujia, who considered him the most promising. If he could be recruited as a retainer, even if they went to Shangzhou, he might be able to rely on him to break through the current situation.

Although Shangzhou is a superior prefecture, it is mostly mountainous, and as its name suggests, it is primarily a trading prefecture. However, this trading activity is largely controlled by numerous powerful clans and wealthy landowners. As a newcomer, Sun Fujia will undoubtedly be at a loss and will need a considerable amount of time to wrest some real power from those powerful clans and wealthy landowners.

Sun Fujia is getting old and probably doesn't have the energy to compete with those local gentry. Therefore, a capable deputy is crucial.

It would be a lie to say that Wang Xuance felt no regret at his sudden decision not to go to Shangzhou with him.

Hearing the deep concern in Sun Fujia's words, Wang Xuance was also deeply moved.

"My lord, I am staying in Chang'an for a very important matter," Wang Xuance said.

"I have a plan that might open up new possibilities for you in Shangzhou—"

The important matter he spoke of was bamboo paper. Wang Xuance had a wide circle of friends, and after learning about Li Xiang's method of making bamboo paper, he took it to heart.

Ordinary people thought that this bamboo paper might sweep away the decline of poor families having no books to read and change the trend of paper being expensive in Chang'an.

What Wang Xuance was thinking about was that this bamboo paper recipe would not only benefit the poor families of the world, but if handled properly, it could become a powerful tool for Sun Fujia to open up the situation in Shangzhou, and could also win the hearts of the poor families and even all scholars of the world for the imperial grandson!

Shangzhou was a vital thoroughfare connecting Sichuan and Jingzhou, and also a crucial route from Guanzhong to eastern and northern Sichuan and Jingchu, making it a place with convenient access in all directions.

In the past, all matters in Shangzhou were decided by the local powerful families because all the business affairs in the prefecture belonged to these powerful families. If one wanted to achieve political success in Shangzhou, one had to first win over these powerful families.

If local powerful families are unwilling, not only will they fail to achieve political success, but they may also be unable to collect taxes.

However, if the bamboo papermaking technique can be mastered, Sun Fujia could easily develop the bamboo paper industry on a large scale in Shangzhou: Shangzhou connects to Bashu, which is rich in bamboo. Sun Fujia could import bamboo from Bashu to produce paper, and then transport it to Guanzhong and Jingchu.

Having an industry under one's control means one no longer needs to be subservient to others. If managed properly, leveraging the bamboo paper industry to control local powerful families and achieve political success, a return to Chang'an in the future is not impossible.

Sun Fujia is already a high-ranking official of the third rank, and he was appointed to an outside post with the prestige of one of the Nine Ministers. If he were to return to Chang'an, he would surely wield great power.

At that time — if there is an opportunity.

He will be a great help to His Highness the Imperial Grandson! And Wang Xuance will rise from the dragon's flight and achieve great success!

When Wang Xuance was at the Imperial Academy, he was determined to accomplish great things and establish his career. Now that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for achievement was before him, a rare and valuable opportunity, how could he not make many plans?

"Once this plan is clear, I will write to the magistrate. If it fails, I will travel south to seek refuge with the magistrate. I hope the magistrate will not abandon me then."

He naturally wouldn't reveal all his hopes, only mentioning his desire to research bamboo paper and help Sun Fujia open up the situation in Shangzhou.

"You little rascal, sometimes I really don't know how much you've got up your sleeve."

Sun Fujia looked at Li Xiang, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He had spent thirty years navigating the treacherous waters of the imperial court, encountering countless people, from proud sons of noble families to talented individuals from humble backgrounds, from shrewd old officials to stubborn and loyal ministers. Yet, he could never truly understand Li Xiang, the man before him.

Arrogant yet composed, calm amidst turmoil, seemingly carefree and casual, yet always planning before acting.

He had previously thought the imperial examination scandal was just youthful passion and acting impartially, only to realize in the end that it was a steady and reliable way to break the predicament of the powerful families; now, Wang Xuance’s brilliant plan to rely on bamboo paper to break the deadlock in Shangzhou still stems from Li Xiang.

Although he didn't know if bamboo paper could be successfully made, he was already quite old and might not have the temperament to undertake such a risky endeavor.

But I did feel the sincere sincerity of these young men.

He turned to look at the surging Ba River, its waters flowing eastward without ever stopping, just like the ups and downs of life and the warmth and coldness of people's hearts.

The sun gradually rose higher, its rays filtering through the willow leaves and spreading across the river, scattering golden fragments everywhere. It was already late, and the journey was long; any further delay on his way to Shangzhou would put him behind schedule.

"The time has come, I must set off." Sun Fujia adjusted his official robes, his expression gradually returning to calm, the loneliness in his eyes was forcibly suppressed, leaving only a calm demeanor that had weathered many storms.

Looking at Sun Fujia, whose temples were now streaked with gray and who had spent half his life as an official but ended up in a remote post, Li Xiang felt a deep sense of emotion.

He reached out and plucked a tender green willow branch from the bank. The branch was slender and delicate, adorned with countless flying catkins—the most elegant farewell gesture recorded in the Book of Songs. He solemnly handed the branch to Sun Fujia, remaining silent, though reluctant to part.

Seeing his appearance, Sun Fujia's troubled mind suddenly relaxed, and he couldn't help but sneer. "Hahaha, you lazy good-for-nothing who's always been good for nothing, you've actually become quite refined today."

"Breaking willow branches as a farewell gesture? If someone else did this, it would probably become a common scene of farewells in Chang'an in the future. But you, you brat, have done it—"

Tsk tsk.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiang immediately became displeased, raising an eyebrow and retorting, "Old Sun, I don't like hearing you say that. What do you mean by being unlearned and incompetent? I composed poetry at Furong Garden, and my skill astonished everyone present; you haven't witnessed that."

Sun Fujia, holding the willow branch, smiled so broadly her eyes crinkled and her white eyebrows arched: "You still have the nerve to say that?"

"You're the first to stand out with anti-Chinese poetry. Occasionally, one or two lines might have a decent idea or be somewhat brilliant, but the majority are just nonsense, frivolous and unrestrained, hardly worthy of being considered refined. You're the only one who thinks highly of yourself."

Li Xiang was so angered by his retort that he immediately puffed out his chest and said, "You old man, I was afraid you would be lonely, so I specially came to see you off, and you actually started mocking me."

"You don't recognize the value of my rebellious poems. Today, I'll show you! I'll bestow upon you a new poem that will surely make you famous for eternity and spread throughout the world. I'll let you bask in its glory and go down in history!"

"No, no, no! Who doesn't know that you, Li Xiang, specialize in writing rebellious poems? To be remembered for your rebellious poems for eternity? This old man cannot bear such a reputation!"

Sun Fujia dismissed it as youthful bravado, comforting himself, and shook his head and laughed along. The others also knew that Li Xiang was deliberately trying to liven things up, and joined in the laughter, not taking Li Xiang's talk of writing poetry to heart.

Li Xiang was indeed trying to be funny, but seeing Sun Fujia's graying temples and the loneliness in his words, he genuinely wanted to cheer him up.

He looked up at the distant clouds, the wind causing his clothes to flutter.

"Do not worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world does not know you?"

He recited two lines of timeless poetry in a loud voice, the words ringing out with a powerful force, piercing the spring breeze and landing on the banks of the Ba River: "Old Sun, this poem is for you. Can you call it a masterpiece? Do you agree?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wind stopped and the catkins fell silent, and the banks of the Ba Bridge fell into a moment of stillness.

Sun Fujia's playful smile froze instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers gripping the willow branch tightened abruptly, his fingertips turning slightly white.

He stared blankly at the boy before him, the two lines of poetry echoing in his ears, his heart filled with the pent-up grievances and disappointments of many days.

The loneliness and confusion vanished completely at that moment.

Wang Xuance and the others stood aside, their eyes gleaming with a sharp light. They repeatedly pondered the two lines of poetry, feeling that each word carried immense weight, was expansive and magnanimous, and unparalleled throughout the ages.

The river breeze blew again, scattering catkins everywhere, brushing past the shoulders of the group. The mighty Ba River flowed on and on, witnessing this farewell that would surely be remembered for generations to come.

"Excellent! What a wonderful line: 'Don't worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world doesn't know you?'"

"You brat, I am utterly defeated today! I am completely defeated!"

Sun Fujia laughed heartily, and in his laughter, there was finally no trace of loneliness or dejection left.

And it was full of heroic spirit.

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