[Various] The Deposed Crown Prince's Survival Story

Who did you say? Your Majesty, who did you say? Say what you just said again! Did this old minister hear the word "Su"? Your Majesty, do you have any other children in your family whose names contain the word "Su"?

For example, mini crisps.

Yes, actually you didn't mean "Su", you meant "Su".

Seeing Li Si's utterly devastated expression, Ying Zheng rolled his eyes at him.

Li Qing, are you stupid? Xiao Xiao Su just celebrated her first birthday last month. How could she possibly become an associate editor?

Xiao Xiao Su was Fu Su's newborn daughter. According to legend—mainly Ying Zheng and Mi Ji—Xiao Xiao Su looked remarkably like Fu Su when he was a child, hence the name "Xiao Xiao Su".

Seeing her father, people couldn't help but think of her daughter. They all said that little Su would definitely grow up to be a stunning beauty, and wondered if she would be well-off.

His daughter was only one year old when His Highness the Crown Prince tasted the sweet burden of "a family with a daughter has a hundred suitors," including Li Si's granddaughter-in-law, Princess Baozhu.

After confirming that his deputy was indeed "Su," Li Si, as dejected as a frostbitten cabbage, replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Given the current situation, it's no wonder he's been dealt a blow. Li Si originally wanted to rely on his seniority to control his opponent and make them do things his way, but... he may be senior, but the problem is he has absolutely no control over them.

The reason Li Si couldn't control Fu Su wasn't just because the other party was the Crown Prince, but mainly because Li Si was incompetent. He was completely outmatched by Fu Su in every aspect of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

Most literati are arrogant and think they are unparalleled in the world. Compiling a book requires bringing together so many literati, so the internal strife must be particularly lively.

After much thought, it seems that only Fusu had the ability to keep so many scholars in check.

You win people over with your talent; if they don't, you'll get a slap in the face.

As it turned out, not only Ying Zheng and Li Si thought this way, but everyone else in the court thought the same way.

Upon hearing the names of Chief Editor Xiu Li Si and Deputy Chief Editor Xiu Fusu, not only did no one in the court express the opinion that "the compilation of the book is of great importance, and His Highness the Crown Prince is too young to shoulder this heavy responsibility," but many others said, "Prime Minister Li is so old and has so many official duties to handle every day. He shouldn't be occupying that position. It would be better to hand over the position of Chief Editor to His Highness the Crown Prince as soon as possible. His Highness is very learned, and it would be too much of a waste for him to be a Deputy Chief Editor."

Although Li Si had many cronies in the court, no one dared to speak up for him in this matter. This was because the other party was the Crown Prince, and also because what the other party said made perfect sense, leaving them speechless.

Li Si felt wronged, Li Si was sad, Li Si was suffering in his heart.

The problem is that Li Si himself felt that what the other party said made perfect sense, and wondered if he should abdicate and give way to a more capable person.

Fortunately, Ying Zheng was still clear-headed and did not forget that his prime minister had a soft heart. Moreover, considering that Li Si had followed him for so many years, done a lot of dirty and hard work, and had been criticized by many people, Ying Zheng decided to stick to his original intention and entrust him with the task of chief editor, which was destined to be recorded in history.

Li Si accepted the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude. He then obediently followed public opinion and became a hands-off manager, handing over all real power to Fusu.

Fusu didn't stand on ceremony. After politely declining a few times, saying "It's up to this old minister to make the decision," he immediately selected Confucian scholars such as Chunyu Yue and Shusun Tong from the Imperial Academy, as well as a number of Legalists, Mohists, Yin-Yang School, and Logicians to serve as his assistants. Finally, he also brought over the group of people who had been admitted through this year's examination.

In this way, a basic team was formed. As for recruiting people at the lower levels, that was basically not Fusu's business.

How can a good crown prince personally handle every matter, big or small? He'd be exhausted from managing it all.

And so, in the following years, Fusu was busy compiling books and handling official documents, while Ying Zheng was busy traveling, cultivating immortality, and handling official documents.

Several years passed in the blink of an eye, and Ying Zheng received some ominous news: the celestial phenomenon of "Mars guarding the heart" would occur next year.

"Mars guarding the heart? What is that?" When Fusu heard this news from Lu Sheng, his expression faltered slightly.

Because Fusu provided the "elixir of immortality," Lu Sheng, Hou Sheng, and Han Zhong no longer experienced the miserable escape of their father, but instead thrived in the palace. Except for a few people, everyone had to give them some face.

"Your Highness, Yinghuo refers to Mars," Lu Sheng whispered a reminder.

Upon Lu Sheng's reminder, Fusu immediately slapped his forehead, "I remember now, I remember now! Look at my memory, how could I have forgotten?"

Because Mars shines like fire and its movements are unpredictable, it is also known as "Yinghuo" (荧惑). Due to its fiery nature, Mars is also considered the essence of fire and the son of the Red Emperor. It is associated with the regional governor, governing the success or failure of the year, overseeing calamities and anomalies, presiding over the rites of the emperor, the Grand Herald, death, and sorrow.

In general, Mars is seen by the general public as a malevolent star, responsible for the transgressions of the people and their subjects, and associated with droughts, famines, wars, deaths, and monsters.

The "heart" refers to the Heart Mansion, one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions in traditional Chinese astronomy. At the bottom of the Heart Mansion are three stars, which the ancients believed represented the emperor and the princes, the most important members of the royal family.

"Mars guarding the heart" refers to the phenomenon where Mars "stays" within the constellation Antares.

In Chinese astrology, it is considered the most ominous, symbolizing the death of the emperor and the resignation of the prime minister.

When Fusu read it, he thought that the people of Earth were truly imaginative creatures. They could even come up with such absurd ideas. How could they not conquer the entire universe?

Therefore, Fusu forgot it after learning it, because he felt that it was completely useless to learn it. Wasn't it just an astronomical phenomenon? As a knowledgeable person, I have even traveled to black holes, why should I care about something like Mars guarding the heart?

"So, what should we do now? Prepare chicken drumsticks, jerky, fine wine, and delicacies, and then look at the stars and make a wish tonight? Uh... this isn't a meteor shower, so it seems we can't make wishes, right?" Fusu stroked his chin, while Lu Sheng and the other two spoke with a particularly serious expression.

Uh! Your Highness, aren't you focusing on the wrong thing? This isn't about whether or not you can make a wish, this is...

“You should be able to see them with the naked eye, right? Perfect timing, I’ll take my six kids and little Su to see the stars tonight, so they won’t keep complaining that I don’t play with them,” Fu Su continued.

“Your Highness, that’s not what we wanted to talk about,” Lu Sheng couldn’t help but say.

This Crown Prince is a fairly normal person when he's in a normal state, but when he's not in a normal state, he's not human at all.

What kind of wild imagination could lead someone to describe something so important as stargazing?

What are you looking at, stars? I'm looking at the moon!

"Then what do you want to say?" Fusu scratched his head, asking in confusion.

Aren't astronomical phenomena meant to be observed? Like meteor showers, solar eclipses, and lunar eclipses.

He didn't know what the people of Earth were thinking, but on their planet, whenever a rare astronomical phenomenon appeared in the sky, everyone would go out with their families, and there would be a lot of people posting beautiful pictures on forums, making it feel like a national carnival.

"Your Highness, if Mars is in conjunction with the heart of the sky... it will hinder His Majesty the Emperor and Your Highness the Crown Prince," Lu Sheng cautiously reminded him.

"Obstruction? What obstruction?" Fusu was still puzzled.

What can a single star possibly do to me? If I weren't a human from Earth, believe me, I'd blow it to smithereens right here and now in my spaceship! Anyone who dares to get in my way will die!

"The obstacle is...maybe...that..." Faced with Fusu's serious expression, like a "good student asking for an answer," Lu Sheng stammered, not knowing where to begin.

Perhaps, all he wanted to do now was to grab Fusu by the neck in a completely unrefined manner, and then shake him while roaring, "Why did you treat me like this?"

"That means... His Majesty... might... pass away..." Lu Sheng closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and finally uttered that taboo word.

"Huh? He's going to die?" Fusu opened his mouth, thankful that he was listening to the news instead of drinking tea, otherwise he might have spat the tea out of his nose.

Just because Mars occasionally changed its fixed orbit, his boss's father would die? Are you kidding me? He's protected his boss's father for so many years, how could he die so easily!

"Absurd! Nonsense! How could such a thing be? Others may not know about Father's health, but do you think you don't? He's healthy enough to kill a tiger cub. Even if the three of you die, he can still live." Fusu said angrily, pointing at Lu Sheng and the other two.

Fusu's furious outburst immediately caused Lu Sheng and the other two to kowtow repeatedly on the ground, chanting, "Your Highness, please forgive us."

"What crime are you talking about? How dare you curse my father! Speak! Who is behind this?" Fusu slammed his hand on the long table and casually called out to the three men, "Han Sheng, you speak."

Han Sheng raised his head and looked at Fusu's furious appearance. His arms and legs began to tremble slightly. He looked at Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng and saw that neither of them intended to help him. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Your Highness, this is not what we said, but what His Majesty... His Majesty himself thinks."

"Huh? Father is sick... Doesn't he know whether he's sick or not? A few days ago, when the imperial physician took his pulse, he was saying that he could live to be a hundred years old." Speaking of this, Fusu felt heartbroken thinking about the energy he had lost over the years.

Although Ying Zheng was afraid of death, he didn't pay much attention to maintaining his health. He didn't care about things like being celibate or eating a light diet. He only took elixirs of immortality very diligently and didn't follow any of the doctor's advice.

Every dish is fatty, meaty, oily, and salty. He also likes to chat with all sorts of pretty girls, changing them every night. He especially likes to chat with a lot of pretty girls at once, as if he's made of iron.

Therefore, the energy that others could sustain for a month was used up by Ying Zheng in just ten days.

If he weren't his biological father, Fusu would have stopped supporting him long ago.