I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 1: Born in poverty, there is no shame

In the first year of Xuanhe, it was March in late spring.

On the surface of Taihu Lake, a passenger ship is sailing towards Gusu City.

In the bottom cabin, a thin young man in a coarse gauze shirt was originally snoring, but suddenly he rolled on the ground with his head in his hands, shouting that he had a headache.

"What's going on? Is he crazy?" Seeing this, the other guests all moved away, fearing that they would get into trouble.

It was not until the ship owner upstairs heard the noise and came down to confirm the situation that he jumped to the young man's side, pinched his chin and gulped down a pill.

The young man in the robe gradually calmed down.

……

"Holy shit! I traveled through time!"

As the pill went down his throat, Zhao Zichen's headache was unexpectedly relieved, and he also successfully integrated the memories of the original owner of his physical body.

That’s right, he just traveled through time.

Yesterday he was a history teacher, but now he has become a member of the lowest royal family of the Song Dynasty.

This body is called Zhao Zicheng, which is almost the same name. He is seventeen years old, has lived in Xiuzhou (Jiaxing) for generations, and is the sixth-generation grandson of Zhao Kuangyin.

However, this identity is of no use at present - Zhao Guangyi's descendants have been emperors for more than a hundred years, and Zhao Kuangyin's lineage has long been suppressed and disappeared.

In addition, as the Zhao Zicheng family grew older, each generation was not the eldest son, and thus could not inherit a title. Therefore, his father, Zhao Linghua, only had the honorary title of Right Palace Guard, a ninth-rank official, with only 40 strings of cash and 20 dan of rice per year, and no other special benefits.

The value is about the same as Liu Bei's "relative of the Han Dynasty".

Fortunately, the original owner of this body was quite capable. Because his family was poor, he studied very hard. Since the Song Dynasty did not prohibit royal family members from attending school, his parents worked hard to support him to attend the Imperial College for two years.

Last month, he had just finished taking part in this year's Imperial College Shangshe Examination in Bian Jing, and finally achieved two excellent results, finally making it.

But the Shangshe Examination is not like the imperial examination of the past after all. You cannot get an official position immediately after passing the exam.

The cost of studying in Bianjing was too high, and the two and a half years of studying abroad had already used up all the family savings. So after the results came out, Zhao Zicheng decided to take a boat back to his hometown to wait for a vacancy.

As a result, when we arrived in Wuxi County, Changzhou the day before yesterday, we happened to encounter a stone bridge on the Grand Canal that collapsed, blocking the canal transportation.

Fortunately, there is more than one way to return to Jiaxing. In order to go home early and save some money, he took a boat passing through Taihu Lake. He was now in Suzhou, and then he crossed over while sleeping on the boat.

Combining the historical knowledge before the time travel, Zhao Zicheng certainly knew that the current time was not a peaceful one.

"Xuanhe was Zhao Ji's final reign title. This meant Song Jiang would become a bandit this year, Fang La would stir up trouble next year, and then the Song and Jin dynasties would conquer the Liao dynasty and suffer the Jingkang humiliation. Time was running out to change fate, especially since Fang La's rebellion happened right next to my home..."

Even if I wait for a vacancy, if I follow the royal family tradition and am given preferential treatment near my hometown, and face Fang La right away, wouldn't that be the end of me? Moreover, there were so many redundant officials in the late Northern Song Dynasty that it's hard to say how long it would take for me to find a real vacancy."

When Zhao Zicheng thought of this information, he couldn't help but frown and felt very stressed.

I must do something quickly and expand my influence so that I can have a foothold in the coming chaotic world.

……

Zhao Zi said that after he recalled and sorted out the above situation, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then he noticed that the air in the cabin was really foul and smelly.

He prepared to get up and walk around, observing the new environment.

I came out of the cabin and took a few breaths of the fresh lake air, and I finally felt refreshed.

Looking out, the Taihu Lake is vast and misty, and some houses and trees gradually appear on the distant horizon. It is estimated that we will reach the shore in a while.

The passengers beside him saw that he was no longer injured and murmured in amazement: "That pill was so effective! It cured him so quickly. I wonder what the disease is that this scholar has."

Zhao Zicheng heard people muttering and recalled that when he traveled through time just now, someone had indeed given him medicine while he was in a daze.

Although the headache caused by memory fusion is not a disease and cannot be completely cured by medicine, it is still necessary to pay attention to etiquette when going out. Zhao Zicheng decided to go and say thank you.

So he straightened his sleeves and hem and prepared to go upstairs to find the ship owner.

Just as he reached the gangway, a burly fat man blocked his way: "Please stop, young master. My young master likes quietness."

Zhao Zi said he recognized the fat man because it was him who collected the money when he took the boat yesterday.

This fat man's surname was Deng. He was said to own quite a few farms and boats outside of Gusu City, and was even the head of a certain town. Zhao Zi said he had originally thought he was the boat owner, but now, after hearing his words, he realized he actually had another master behind him.

Zhao Zicheng politely explained, "I was just dizzy and confused. Later I heard that the ship owner gave me medicine to relieve my pain, so I came to express my gratitude."

"It's just a tranquilizing pill. My young master is compassionate and doesn't expect anyone to thank him..."

The fat man was about to chase the man away when a clear whisper came from behind him: "Uncle Deng, he seems to be a scholar and quite polite. Let him come up."

Fatty Deng immediately stopped trying to stop him and respectfully let Zhao Zicheng go up to the roof of the cabin.

There was a small wooden pavilion on the cabin roof, with wind blowing in from all sides. In the pavilion, a petite, thin but upright young man in a veiled hat stood with his back to him, his clothes fluttering.

Zhao Zicheng stepped forward and bowed. "I am Zhao Zicheng from Xiuzhou. I was returning home from studying in Bianjing when I passed through here and suddenly fell ill. I am so grateful for the medicine you gave me."

The young man in the veiled hat didn't turn around, but continued to face him with his back, saying calmly, "I don't deserve the title of brother. My name is Murong Yan. To be honest, my family was once a prominent family in Gusu, but unfortunately, my father went insane twenty years ago, and that's why our family fell into decline."

That's why I always carry a tranquilizing pill. Just now, seeing Brother Zhao feigning madness, similar to my father's illness, I felt sympathetic, so I gave you one. It's just a small favor, nothing to be proud of.

Zhao Zicheng was speechless when he heard this.

I didn't expect that I would be sympathized with because of suspected mental illness. Who can I complain to?

The two chatted for a while, and Zhao Zi said that he had obtained some valuable information, which would help him better integrate into the new environment after traveling through time.

Murong Yan was two years younger than him, and came from a wealthy family. This was his first time traveling far away. A few days ago, a bridge collapsed in Wuxi, blocking the canal and disrupting his family's business. He had asked his mother for permission to go to Wuxi to investigate and resolve the situation. The stout man, Deng Yue, was his family's steward, and had been entrusted by his mistress to help out.

So Murong Yan didn't have much experience in the martial arts world, but when he saw someone suddenly suffering from a serious illness, he would immediately help without worrying about being blackmailed by bad people.

Fortunately, Zhao Zicheng is also an open-minded person. He would not do such a bad thing as taking medicine and pretending that the medicine is not suitable for him and lying down due to poisoning.

As the two were chatting, the boat suddenly shook.

Zhao Zicheng almost fell down, but Murong Yan seemed to have eyes on his back. He turned sideways and flicked his sleeves to steady him.

Zhao Zicheng was shocked. He didn't expect that the other party had some martial arts skills.

Murong Yan didn't look at him, but just asked loudly: "Uncle Deng, why is it suddenly bumpy?"

Fatty Deng also shouted back from a distance, "A Hua Shi Gang ship suddenly rammed us from the starboard side. The boatman turned the rudder too hastily. Young Master, please don't blame me."

Zhao Zicheng and Murong Yan walked to the starboard side and saw a large ship passing by.

The ship had a strange shape. Although its hull was huge, the cabins and decks in the middle had been removed just to accommodate a whole huge Taihu stone.

"Is this the Flower and Stone Gang? They're transporting an entire rockery! That's way too top-heavy. But doesn't 'gang' mean a fleet? Why is there only one ship?"

Zhao Zi said that it was his first time seeing the legendary Flower and Stone Gang, and he was naturally amazed. Especially since the ship looked so overloaded, it made people want to take a few more glances.

This thing is incredibly famous. In Water Margin, Yang Zhi was the one transporting the Flower and Stone Gang, but his ship capsized, leading him to become a sword seller. The Fang La Rebellion that later erupted was largely due to the Flower and Stone Gang, which forced the people of Jiangnan into poverty.

Murong Yan, standing by, clearly felt the same way. He couldn't help but slam the railing, "Zhu Zhen is relying on the fact that he built Genyue for Emperor Daojun. I wonder how long he'll continue plundering! I really hope a bolt of lightning will strike this villain to death!"

When Murong Yan said this, Zhao Zicheng was in a dilemma, so he could only cough lightly and kindly remind him, "Be careful with your words."

Murong Yan snorted lightly, not caring at all: "What are you afraid of! He's also a bit of a jerk."

And at this moment, the Hua Shi Gang ship had an accident right under their noses.

The boat was already heavily overloaded and had already tilted when it was trying to avoid the collision. It was now tilting even more, and soon one side of the boat was submerged in the water. Everyone was stunned to see the boat sink in just a few seconds!
"Oh no! Help!" Murong Yan was cursing just now, but when he witnessed the accident, his attitude suddenly changed. He shouted to his men to save people without thinking.

He just hated the corrupt officials of the Yingfeng Bureau, but the escorting policemen were innocent.

Zhao Zicheng, who had just advised him to be careful with his words, sensed something was wrong and quickly advised him:

"Wait a minute! Think again, my dear brother! According to the Imperial Court's 'Road Transport Law,' at least ten ships are needed to support the transport. This ship is alone here, and it suddenly sank right next to us. There's no evidence. Could this be a trick?"

Zhao Zi said that he was a history teacher before he traveled through time. Since the Flower and Stone Gang was so famous, he studied the "Gang Yun Fa" while reading Water Margin.

Since I have discovered the suspicious points, I would like to give you a reminder as a way of repaying the other party for giving me the medicine.

In addition, he had just come from a society ruled by law, so his style of doing things was still relatively cautious, for fear of getting into trouble.

Murong Yan was stunned, but his blood boiled with passion. "Who doesn't have troubles when trying to make a living on the water? Are you going to watch you die without helping? If I were afraid, I would have just let you die!"

Zhao Zicheng was suddenly speechless.

He really has no right to object to this matter. After all, he himself is the "beneficiary of the other party's meddling".

You can't recover from your illness but stop the other person from continuing to do justice. That would be too hypocritical.

Besides, I was just an ordinary passenger, coming over to express my gratitude out of courtesy. Since I had fulfilled my obligation to remind him, I had repaid the favor.

Just respect the fate of others.

Perhaps the Song Dynasty people still valued the ancient ways? This was a good opportunity for me to observe the current social trends.

So Murong Yan ordered his men to move the boat over and rescue the escort officers who had fallen into the water one by one.

Zhao Zi said he couldn't help and would not join in the fun.

However, as he was watching coldly from the side, he suddenly had an idea.

"That sunken ship is bigger than Murong Yan's ship. He can only rescue the people, but it's impossible to salvage all the cargo.

This place is several miles away from the shore. Given the mathematical level of the ancients, they might not be able to find the crime scene after leaving.

I can use mathematics to pinpoint the exact location of the sunken ship, so why not draw a map in case I have the opportunity to come back and salvage the property in the future?

And even if I don't salvage any valuables, if this shipwreck is indeed a scam and I get into trouble, it will be easier for me to find evidence to clear myself later, so why not do it?

Anyway, drawing a picture doesn’t take many brain cells, so it always helps to be more careful.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zicheng immediately took out a ruler, a hairpin, a pen and paper from the bookcase on his back.

Then he followed the old-fashioned method used by Zhuzi in the TV series "Drawing Sword" to measure the distance to the Sakata Regiment Headquarters by raising his thumb, and simply measured the azimuth and visual scale of reference objects such as trees and buildings on the distant shore. Of course, he had a ruler at hand, and using it instead of his thumb would allow him to measure more accurately.

This set of geometric measurement methods may seem complicated at first glance, but in fact, it is only at the level of junior high school mathematics. It's just that it's not easy for ordinary people to think of it.

But Zhao Zicheng is not an ordinary person. In his previous life, he had a wide range of interests and was extremely curious. He liked to try everything.

He had played with radio direction finding, flipped through artillery ballistics textbooks, and even used multi-point ranging to locate the address of a female anchor while watching a local live broadcast on his mobile phone.

The trick just now might be extremely difficult for people in the Song Dynasty, but it was child's play for him.

……

After a while, Murong Yan's men rescued everyone, and several passengers on the boat who were good at swimming also lent a hand.

Zhao Zicheng also secretly finished drawing the picture, and then he went downstairs leisurely.

The deck was filled with wet people who had fallen into the water. One of them was dressed as a military officer, one was dressed as a civil servant, and the rest were soldiers serving as sailors.

Zhao Zicheng took a quick glance and saw that the military officer was tall and strong, with muscular body and a large dark birthmark on his face.

This appearance was so obvious that Zhao Zicheng couldn't help but blurt out subconsciously, "Green-faced Beast Yang Zhi?"

The military officer also vaguely heard it and looked in the direction of Zhao Zicheng blankly. Seeing that he was just a poor scholar, he had no impression of him at all, so he asked:
"Forgive my poor eyesight, I don't know this gentleman..."

It turned out to be Yang Zhi!
I don’t know what kind of world I have traveled to, and how these people in the martial arts world still exist.

Without giving it much thought, he bowed and said, "My name is Zhao Zicheng from Xiuzhou. When I was a student at the Imperial College in Tokyo, I heard that there was a blue-faced officer in the Palace Marshal's Office who was very skilled in martial arts."

Yang Zhi didn't expect that there were scholars who knew his reputation, and he sighed in shame:
"I am indeed an envoy from the Palace Marshal's Office, ordered to escort the flower and stone tribute. It is rare that you, a student of the Imperial Academy, can recognize a warrior like me.

Alas, it is a pity that we met too late. Now Yang has made a serious mistake and will inevitably be dismissed from office and punished. I am not worthy of being associated with an official."

Zhao Zicheng said sternly, "Who do you think I am, Yang Zhi? Do you think you have to base your friendship on status?"

Yang Zhi didn't refute it, but only admitted his fault weakly. He was obviously in a state of depression after just going through a great disaster.

Seeing this, Zhao Zicheng had a thought: he had no foundation at the moment, relying only on his two-excellent grades in the Imperial College exam. Recruiting future famous officials and generals to his service would be difficult at the moment.

The Fang La Rebellion was imminent, and having more thugs around him would provide an extra layer of security. Although Yang Zhi wasn't particularly righteous, he was a decent martial artist and a legitimate officer of the Imperial Guards. If he could find a way to help him out when he was in trouble, he might be able to win him over.

Murong Yan, who was standing by, felt unhappy when he saw Zhao Zi said that he did not contribute in saving the man just now and now he was trying to make himself familiar with him.

When he heard Yang Zhi complaining to Zhao Zicheng, he snorted coldly, "The shipwreck wasn't entirely your fault, so why should you be dismissed from office and punished?

In my opinion, the person in charge of the project is a good-for-nothing. Why not move such a heavy rockery via the canal?"

He was young and hot-headed, and he had always disliked Zhu Zhen, so his words were inevitably sarcastic.

Yang Zhi sighed and explained, "This young man is also knowledgeable. I also want to take the canal. It's just that my ship is the slowest to load the most cargo, so it's late to start.

The day before yesterday, I suddenly heard that a bridge collapsed in Wuxi, blocking the canal. Nine other ships in the same group had already passed through in advance.

Shangguan was pressing me, so Duguan and I decided to go to Taihu Lake to catch up. But I didn’t expect… Alas!

Murong Yan felt sorry for them and asked with a chivalrous heart, "If we retrieve the lost goods, will our guilt be mitigated?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhi's face lit up with joy. He bowed and said, "Sir, you have already saved our lives. If you can also help us salvage the goods and absolve us of our guilt, that would be a great favor!"

As Yang Zhi spoke, he wanted to show some sincerity to express his gratitude. He subconsciously touched the sword in his hand, but in the end he was reluctant to let it go and put it down again.

Murong Yan didn't care about these details at all. He was just quite proud and was about to order Deng Yue to help dive and salvage the property.

But at this moment, the clerk who had just been rescued suddenly spoke up to stop him:
"Wait a minute! This cargo is very heavy. It would be dangerous to salvage it hastily. Besides, your ship can't hold it all. If you really want to help, why not find a few more large ships and bring enough people with you?"

Everyone looked towards him upon hearing the voice, and Yang Zhi quickly introduced him as the manager sent by the Yingfeng Bureau, named Duan Ming.

During the Song Dynasty, when the government escorted important property, civil and military officials always had to monitor each other.

In "Water Margin", Liang Zhongshu asked Yang Zhi to deliver the birthday gift to Cai Jing, and sent Xie Duguan to accompany him.

At first glance, Duan Ming's words seemed to be in good faith, so Murong Yan did not become suspicious. He ordered the boat to sail, intending to find enough people to come back and salvage the goods.

But Zhao Zicheng on the side felt something was wrong: Duan Ming was too "selfless".

Coupled with the sinking process of the ship just now, the whole thing seems strange.

Zhao Zicheng thought about it for a moment and decided to try it indirectly:
"Wait a minute! Have you ever thought about this? Taihu Lake is so vast and misty. If we leave now, will we be able to find it next time?"

As soon as Zhao Zicheng finished speaking, Murong Yan and Yang Zhi were stunned, and then they looked relieved. They almost ignored this problem.

Duan Ming, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, immediately had a flash of resentment in his eyes, and the lines on his cheeks twitched instinctively.

(End of this chapter)