Chapter 94: A Little Butterfly

“Your Majesty, it truly is the same person. This humble servant offers his congratulations—such a prodigy sent from heaven is indeed the dawn of a great Song!”

Even without Chen Lin’s words, Zhao Zhen was filled with delight.

A man of the military family who burns his weapons brings him joy. A scholar, he is equally pleased, for this is the governance strategy passed down from his ancestors. Yet, in times of national crisis, if a military family steps forward, his joy is even greater. Like the Yang family of Tianbo Prefecture—when they do not fight, Zhao Zhen hardly remembers them; but the moment they take up arms, they come to mind immediately.

Shen Shi was much the same. In the past, he was known only for burning his weapons and paid little heed to his military duties. Now, with Western Xia gone and the Liao invaders approaching, he recalled his true charge as a warrior.

“Chen Banban, send my decree: confer upon Shen Shi the rank of literary official, grant him one hundred taels of silver and a pair of jade ruyi scepters. Summon him to the capital—I wish to see him.”

Do not underestimate this literary rank. It is an official post, allowing one to present memorials and folk ballads to the throne, and the emperor may consult him on matters of state.

Of course, Zhao Zhen did not elevate Shen Shi’s military rank but gave him a literary post—a rare occurrence. However, Zhao Zhen had previously feigned ignorance of the Liao’s movements and could not openly reward Shen Shi militarily without risking angering the Liao or sullying the emperor’s own dignity. Having just read Shen Shi’s narrative, he could justify this official appointment.

This was a formal position, an official dispatch requiring the prime minister’s seal and proper documentation. Thus, the emperor’s conferment of the ninth-rank literary post upon Shen Shi was a matter for congratulations.

Congratulate whom? Naturally, Shen Renfu, a secretary of the eighth rank currently in the capital.

Shen Renfu was connected to the Shen family of Zhejiang. When the Shen clan left the capital, not all branches were willing to leave the city's prosperity behind. Shen Renfu’s branch stayed.

Upon hearing that one of their own had been summoned by the emperor, Shen Renfu was overjoyed. He bought wine and hurried home to share the happy news with his wife and daughter.

His wife shared his joy: “Though our future in-laws have fallen on hard times, who would have thought our own family would rise again.”

Officialdom in the capital was difficult; life in Dongjing was even harder. Without Shen Renfu’s marriage ties to wealthy merchants, his rank and salary alone could not support his family. Yet their in-laws had recently suffered a business collapse, losing all their fortune to swindlers. While they fretted over this, the resurgence of their own kin was a comfort deeply rooted in the emperor’s favor.

Their thirteen-year-old daughter, Shen Yuejiao, scoffed: “What’s the big deal? It’s just a ninth-rank post.”

“Ha! Don’t belittle the rank. Even the top scholar, the zhuangyuan, begins at the eighth rank as a Xuan Yi Lang after his initial appointment. And Shen Shi was merely a student and already granted this commission. This shows the emperor’s clear favor—truly a cause for celebration! Truly joyous news!” Shen Renfu stroked his beard with a smile.

Shen Yuejiao was undeterred: “Father, rest assured. When I grow up, my husband will be a third-rank official!”

A little girl bringing honor to her parents naturally brought them laughter and pride. But none of them thought of their future in-laws' predicament.

If even a minor official like Shen Renfu knew, the Prince of Runan’s mansion certainly knew.

Upon learning the emperor wished to see Shen Shi, Zhao Zongyong immediately changed his strategy.

“Order the tower ships to set sail. I will personally go to Jinhua to entertain the local officials.”

“But, my lord, General Zhao and the others…” Zhao Xue was puzzled by Zhao Zongyong’s sudden reversal. He had already arranged for the prince’s private militia—bandits posing as soldiers—to act swiftly.

“Tell them to stand down. The emperor’s summons must not reach His Majesty’s ears,” Zhao Zongyong said firmly.

The Runan Prince’s bid for the throne was unlike a conventional usurpation; they played the part of loyal traitors.

Historically, their ruse succeeded. Emperor Renzong, long without an heir, deemed Zhao Yunjing’s thirteenth son, Zhao Zongshi, honest and reliable and renamed him Zhao Shu. Upon Renzong’s death, Zhao Shu ascended the throne as Emperor Yingzong.

It was the most successful act of deception, performed a lifetime over. Hence, Zhao Zongyong chose to halt his plans now.

Of course, in this era of slow news, it was difficult to know exactly what transpired in Jinhua from their base in Ningjiang. They only knew of the bandit suppression there, but rebellions were common each year throughout the Song, and countless local warlords ruled the mountains—Er Longshan, Er Hushan, Liangshan—what mountain lacked a strongman?

The Song even issued laws for capturing wild men, a testament to their prevalence. No one dared claim that Bao Zheng’s campaigns extinguished their own people. The Runan Prince’s mansion was heavily militarized: Zhao Yunjing’s eldest son, Zhao Zongyi, served as garrison commander of Suzhou; the second son, Zhao Zongpu, was defense commander of Longzhou; Zhao Zongyi reached the rank of military governor of Zhaohua; Zhao Zonghui inherited the title Duke of Puguo and was military governor of Huaikang; Zhao Zongsheng governed Wuan; Zhao Zongyu, Zhen’an; Zhao Zongchuo, Heyang San Cheng; Zhao Zongchu, Wusheng; Zhao Zongyou, Qinghai; and Zhao Zonghan, Zhangde.

History even records an incident when the palace was attacked and no reinforcements came, forcing Empress Dowager Cao to rely on palace maids and eunuchs to protect Emperor Renzong.

Thus, the Runan Prince’s mansion, commanding military might, had no fear of a small bandit suppression in Jinhua. Even if Jinhua wished to suppress them, what cavalry could they muster?

Confidence in cavalry was the consensus among the Runan Prince’s household; otherwise they would not have been so intent on gathering warhorses.

But because of Zhao Zhen’s imperial edict, Shen Shi was granted an audience with the emperor, forcing Zhao Zongyong to abandon his gamble. If he stirred the emperor’s interest in military affairs, the risk would outweigh any gain.

Zhao Xue, seeing the young prince unwilling to resort to force, naturally complied. Truth be told, he had no desire to confront Shen Shi. Yet, he never expected that his own description of Shen Shi’s martial prowess would prompt Zhao Zongyong’s militia to act prematurely—and be annihilated by Shen Shi.

In other words, a future general of the Yuhang Prince’s mansion died before taking office. By his own life’s trajectory, he should have succeeded as commander of the Huaihai army.

Put another way, it was because he bore such a fate and mission that the King of Hell refused to claim his soul, allowing him to rise as an undead.

Bao Zheng had never served in the underworld; the realm of the dead operated strictly by the Book of Life and Death and the cosmic balance of fortune and merit. Souls were collected only when their time came. Fortunes were extended or renewed accordingly. The underworld’s operation was thus “just” and “rigid.”

If accidents occurred—like Shen Shi, a time traveler, killing someone not meant to die—the underworld did not intervene. First, because time travel violated the laws of space and time beyond the underworld’s power.

Second, beyond time travel, the world always held countless accidents—called miracles by mortals and “threads of life” by cultivators and demons.

Even if they knew Shen Shi was a traveler, under these “threads of life,” they would do nothing.

Third and most importantly, this was the Age of Decline. Spiritual energy was dissipating; immortals and deities had long left for worlds better suited to cultivation. Even revered underworld elders were recalling their avatars in search of replacements.

Against this backdrop, they eagerly hoped for miracles and the rise of cultivators. As for whom Shen Shi killed, the natural order would take its course; they neither could nor would expend great effort to intervene.

The world of Liaozhai was already that “thread of life,” the final immortal realm. As beings who followed Heaven’s will, how could immortals act against fate?

This was the worst of times, yet also the best era for a time traveler. A small pond—let us see who transcends it.