The Beacon of Kyushu

Chen Tuan bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. You are welcome." He was the first to sit down. Seeing his master sitting down, Wan Jianfeng also sat down quickly, saying with a smile, "Your Majesty, your chair is great. It is much better than the ones I have sat on before. The emperor's family is truly the richest! I wonder if the firewood used by the imperial kitchen for cooking every day is also made of this kind of wood. If so, I will definitely take a few with me when I leave."

Zhao Guangyi was used to Wan Jianfeng's nonsense and was too lazy to argue with him. He just smiled at him without saying anything, and his eyes were all focused on Wang Shize who refused to sit down. "Young man, why don't you sit down when I asked you to?"

Wang Shize said, "Your Excellency, you are the ruler of a country, and I am just a commoner in the countryside. How dare I sit on the same level with you? If you insist on letting me sit, it will be against the rules. I would rather be punished than obey your order."

Zhao Guangyi nodded in satisfaction and asked, "What's your name? Since you are a scholar, why didn't you take part in the palace examination? Don't you want to share my worries?"

Wang Shize hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, please allow me to report. My surname is Wang Shuang and my given name is Shize. I am from Guizhou. My family was poor when I was young. I barely made a living by chopping wood and farming. I also studied and practiced calligraphy in my spare time, hoping to pass the imperial examination and become an official. A few months ago, I made an appointment with my classmate Wang Qinruo to go to the capital to take the exam together. We also pooled money together and hired a carriage from my Taishan so that we could reach Tokyo as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, Wang Qinruo was jealous of my talent and was afraid that I would snatch his title. On the way, he took advantage of my deep sleep and rode away the horse pulling the carriage. I was so angry that I wanted to go back to my hometown, but then I thought that if I could travel more at night, I might be able to reach Tokyo before the exam. So I walked for three days and three nights without sleep, and finally arrived in Songzhou five days before the exam."

Zhao Guangyi calculated the distance and said puzzledly: "Shize, according to what you said, you should be able to arrive in Tokyo on time to participate in this imperial examination. Did Wang Qinruo make some arrangements in Songzhou that delayed you?"

Wang Shize nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise. As soon as I arrived in Songzhou, many innkeepers and restaurant owners asked me for money. I didn't understand the reason at first, and thought they had recognized the wrong person. Later, after repeated questioning, I found out that Wang Qinruo had arrived in Songzhou one step ahead and borrowed a lot of money in the local area, and asked these innkeepers to ask for money when I arrived. Just imagine, if I had money, why would I walk here? But I repeatedly said that I had no money, and these innkeepers insisted that I pay back the money. I had to earn some money by writing letters and selling paintings in the local area to help Wang Qinruo pay off his debts. When I rushed to Tokyo again, the palace examination was over. It's not a pity that I missed this imperial examination, but I hate that I have to wait for three more years before I can be loyal to the country and share the worries of the king. I have to wait for three more years before I can receive a salary to support my mother, while Wang Qinruo, a despicable villain, can get a high position and receive a generous salary and be favored by the king. Every time I think of this, I can't help but sigh!"

Zhao Guangyi frowned and said, "Shi Ze, are you serious? I didn't expect Dingguo to be honest, but his methods are so dirty. If everything you said is true, I will never let this traitor off easily!"

Wan Jianfeng smiled and said, "Sir, the one who fooled you with fish scales yesterday was Wang Qinruo, right? This guy even dared to fool you, how could he take his classmates and friends seriously? If I were you, I would definitely send him to the Ministry of Justice and bring him to justice!"

Chen Tuan heard Wan Jianfeng's rude words and glanced at him, "Jianfeng, you are here to recommend Prince Wang as an envoy to the government to negotiate peace with Quyue, so don't talk nonsense!"

Wan Jianfeng chuckled, "Master, I am just throwing out a brick to attract jade. If we don't give Wang Qinruo this broken brick a good beating, how can we show that Brother Wang has a noble character and is capable of taking on great responsibilities? Besides, isn't it in accordance with the will of heaven to punish treacherous people?"

Zhao Guangyi heard that the master and disciple meant to let Wang Shize be the envoy to Quyue this time, and he was somewhat satisfied. "Shize, are you willing to be my envoy to Quyue? If you are willing, I will definitely give you important positions when you return to Dongjing."

Wang Shize bowed and said, "My lord, as long as you trust me, I will repay you even if my body is torn to pieces! But..."

Zhao Guangyi asked: "Just what?"

Wang Shize was about to speak when Wan Jianfeng spoke first, "But my brother is a commoner. If he goes to Quyue like this, Li Huan will laugh at me for having no one in the Song Dynasty. So, if the emperor wants to send my brother, he must be appointed a high official first!"

Zhao Guangyi thought, "Young Master Wan, what you said makes sense. I will temporarily confer the title of Right Official Advisor to Shize, and I will promote you to a higher position when you return from Quyue." Wan Jianfeng didn't know what the title of Right Official Advisor was, and thought it was a high-ranking official of the first or second rank. He quickly clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty! This young master has another unwelcome request, and I hope Your Majesty will agree to it as well."

Zhao Guangyi asked, "I wonder if Young Master Wan has anything else to say?"

Wan Jianfeng pointed at Wang Shize and said, "Your Majesty, this prince is good at literature, but he knows nothing about martial arts. It's a good thing that the peace talks went smoothly this time. If he accidentally said something wrong, Li Huan would be so angry that he would have to kill him with a knife. Therefore, I plan to bring a few hundred people to escort my prince to Quyue. I wonder if your Majesty agrees?"

Zhao Guangyi said: "Okay, I'll have to trouble you, young knight Wan. But I'm afraid the journey will not be peaceful. If you can't reach Hualu safely, I can only ask you!"

Upon hearing this, Wan Jianfeng hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please don't say that! When I came here, I went through many dangers along the way. If it weren't for the help of my master, senior brothers, and my father, I would have lost a hundred lives on the way. What I mean is that the emperor sent a general to lead the troops to protect the imperial envoy's safety. As for me, I am just going with you so that you can take care of me."

Zhao Guangyi thought for a long time before reluctantly saying, "Okay, I will send Gao Huaide's son Gao Chujun to lead 500 imperial guards to escort you. You must not offend General Gao along the way, otherwise if you quarrel among yourselves, it will be bad for Li Huan to take advantage of the opportunity."

Wan Jianfeng patted his chest and said, "Sir, don't worry! This young man has no other abilities, but when it comes to being kind to others, making more friends and fewer enemies, I do better than anyone else."

Zhao Guangyi looked at the sky and saw that it was not far from the time to go to court, so he said: "Three of you, it's getting late, I can't keep you any longer. If you don't have any urgent matters, why don't you stay at Jintingguan Inn for a day? I still have a lot of things to ask the ancestor tomorrow."

Chen Tuan shook his head and said, "Sir, I know you are busy dealing with government affairs, but I think it is better to say something as soon as possible, so as to avoid delaying and regretting it later."

Zhao Guangyi asked, "Grandfather, what else do you want to do?"

Chen Tuan thought for a moment and said with some embarrassment: "Sir, I have an unwelcome request. I hope you will agree to it for my sake."

Zhao Guangyi asked in confusion, "Grandfather, whether it was Emperor Shizong, Emperor Taizu or me, they all wanted to burden you with state affairs, but unfortunately you were unwilling. Are you interested in serving as an official in the court now?"

(End of this chapter)