I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 123 Zhang Chun Opens Pandora's Box
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Li Qingzhao felt that there was a strange magic in this harem.

Here, no one cares about their own chastity. They only care about how to dedicate their chastity to the emperor.

It seems that all the women in the harem are working towards this goal.

And once someone succeeds, he will be able to find a place in this magnificent palace, enjoy all the glory and wealth, and become the envy of everyone.

But for Li Qingzhao, this was like an absurd dream.

She has been immersed in poetry and songs since she was young, and her sensitive and passionate heart has long been soaked in those beautiful verses that have been passed down through the ages.

What she longed for was to enjoy the spring flowers, autumn moon, summer rain and winter snow with her beloved, rather than competing with other women in the deep palace for the emperor's favor.

However, some things are just so inexplicable.

Li Qingzhao, who didn't want this kind of thing, succeeded in sleeping with the emperor easily.

Moreover, Li Qingzhao succeeded in an extremely absurd way.

Afterwards, Li Qingzhao did not dare to recall the process that would make her blush and her heart beat faster at the slightest thought.

"Why did I go in as if possessed by some mysterious force when Concubine Zhang called me?"

"I heard that Concubine Zhang is a magician. She must have cast a spell of obedience on me. Otherwise, why would I be like that?"

Li Qingzhao forced herself to forget everything that happened last night.

But no matter how hard Li Qingzhao tried, she could not forget Zhang Chun's words "You are so flirty" and Zhao Ya's unbridled laughter...

When Li Qingzhao, who was exhausted by Zhao Ya last night, woke up, Zhao Ya, who had originally hugged her to sleep, had already left. Even Zhang Chun, who had originally slept on the other side of Zhao Ya, had disappeared.

Li Qingzhao sat up wrapped in the quilt, confused, not knowing where to go.

Fortunately, after Zheng Xiansu entered the harem, all matters in the harem had strict procedures.

Soon, a maid from Zhang Chun's palace came to tell Li Qingzhao, "My lady is better now. The Shangqing Palace and others have been waiting for her for a long time."

Then, the palace maids in Zhang Chun's palace helped Li Qingzhao get up and wash.

After Li Qingzhao had finished cleaning up, a palace maid brought her a bowl of lotus seed soup, asking her to have some to cheer her up and also to have some nourishment.

After Li Qingzhao finished eating, the female official of the Shangqin came to record Li Qingzhao's information, the time of sleeping with her, and the process of sleeping with her, so as to check and manage the affairs of the harem in the future.

The court lady in charge of the bedroom asked very detailed questions, so much so that all the things that Li Qingzhao wanted to forget were dug out by the court lady in charge of the bedroom. Even the bloodstains on the bed were checked repeatedly to verify their authenticity and clearly written down.

Next, the rewards belonging to Li Qingzhao, including gold, silver, jewelry, clothing, accessories, daily necessities, etc., were delivered one by one.

Immediately afterwards, Li Qingzhao was invited to meet Zheng Xiansu and serve him tea.

Zheng Xiansu had a good impression of Li Qingzhao and admired her talent, so he chatted with her for a while.

Afterwards, Li Qingzhao was conferred the title of beauty and received housing and treatment commensurate with her status.

It is worth mentioning that when Li Qingzhao was assigned maids, she wanted to bring her maid Cuiyu into the palace and got Zheng Xiansu's permission.

After this, a medical officer conducted a physical examination for Li Qingzhao and then provided corresponding conditioning prescriptions and dietary arrangements to maintain Li Qingzhao's physical condition and prepare for possible childbirth.

Finally, the female official Shangyi taught Li Qingzhao the etiquette of the harem so that she could better adapt to court life and follow the rules and regulations of the court.

After completing this whole process, Li Qingzhao completely became one of Zhao Ya's low-level concubines.

What Li Qingzhao didn't expect was that Zhang Chun opened Pandora's box. Zhao Ya actually liked this tune. For many days, he let Zhang Chun sleep with him in this way.

As a low-ranking concubine, the emperor liked her and used her as a PUA, so Li Qingzhao could only accompany him.

Later, Zhang Chun further developed this set of techniques and tactics, and Chao Min, Han Yu, Li Chun, and Zhao Mai were all called by Zhang Chun to serve Zhao Ya.

The main point is that Zhang Chun provides whatever Zhao Ya likes, which is very treacherous.

Under Zhang Chun's bold operation, the old party achieved a major counterattack in harem politics.

The reaction in the court was that Zhao Ya approved Chen Guan's advice and agreed to revise the "Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong" and, by the way, the "Veritable Records of Emperor Zhezong" as well.

This time, Zhao Ya asked the New Party and the Old Party to recommend three people each to jointly compile the two historical books. The materials used were also found by each side. After compiling, they would cite the materials they found to prove their points of view, striving to truly restore the history of the two dynasties.

Seeing this, the old party, which had been at a disadvantage before, breathed a sigh of relief.

Don't think this is a trivial matter.

For the old party, this is a crucial battle for them to maintain their footing.

You should know that during the Yuanyou period, a version of "The Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong" had actually been revised, but that version chose the notes of Sima Guang and other old party ministers as the main reference, and it slandered Wang Anshi and the new laws, including Song Shenzong.

Later, Zhao Xu took power and Cai Bian, who was in charge of compiling the national history, attacked the old party with the issue of compiling "Shenzong Shilu". He believed that Song Shenzong's achievements were "outstanding throughout the ages", but in order to discredit the new policies, the old party unilaterally used materials that denied the new laws to compile "Shenzong Shilu", erasing the achievements of Song Shenzong and Wang Anshi. Only by revising "Shenzong Shilu" can future generations examine it without confusion.

The good things the old party did during the Yuanyou period were more than just falsifying history.

Song Shenzong was a very enterprising emperor. During his reign, he relied heavily on Wang Anshi's reforms, with the goal of enriching the country and strengthening the military, which greatly strengthened the military power of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

At that time, not only did the Zhao Song Dynasty's finances turn from deficit to surplus, but it also expanded its territory on the battlefields in the south and northwest, greatly suppressing the arrogance of the Western Xia.

It is known in history as the Xifeng Reforms.

But Song Shenzong died at the age of 38.

After Gao Taotao became regent, he chose to oppose Xifeng's reforms and changed the reign title to Yuanyou, trying to correct the mistakes of Song Shenzong's reign.

This period is called the Yuanyou Reform.

At that time, in order to purge the New Party members, the Old Party members created the Chegaiting Poetry Case, demoting the New Party members and killing many of them. They even demoted and killed Prime Minister Cai Que, who was loyal to Song Shenzong and Zhao Xu.

This was the first prime minister of the Zhao Song Dynasty to be demoted and killed.

During Wang Anshi's period, although a large number of old party members were exiled, there was no political persecution of high-ranking scholars and officials.

It was not until the Yuanyou period that Yuanyou ministers such as Gao Taotao and Sima Guang, worried that the New Party would make a comeback, took ruthless action.

Just for this reason, it is not unfair for the old party members to be retaliated against by the new party members.

Even more outrageous were the Old Party members, who equipped Zhao Xu with a distinguished faculty that included the literary giant Su Shi, the philosopher Cheng Yi, the scientist Su Song, the historians Sima Guang and Fan Zuyu, and the renowned officials Lü Gongzhu, Fan Chunren, Han Wei, Fu Yaoyu, and Sun Jue. In terms of the individual qualities of these teachers, each one could have left a significant mark on Chinese history.

But these people lined up to be Zhao Xu's teachers. Even for emperors of past dynasties, this was a very luxurious thing.

However, the way they trained Zhao Xu is hard to describe.

In order to ensure that Zhao Xu's knowledge accumulation could develop in the direction hoped by the Yuanyou ministers, they presented him with Confucian classics such as "Shangshu", "Analects of Confucius", "Book of Filial Piety", and then added a book "The Sacred Deeds of Renzong's Learning".

This was just short of holding Zhao Xu's head and forcing him to adjust his settings in the direction of Song Renzong.

It was a rare occasion that Zhao Xu wanted to read "Mencius", so the Yuanyou ministers would carefully select the fourteen volumes of "Mencius Jiejie" that were in line with their own ideas and present them to the emperor.

This is mainly because Wang Anshi also made his debut by promoting "Mencius".

The Yuanyou ministers must strictly guard against every knowledge point of ideology.

Also, one day, when Fan Zuyu finished teaching Zhao Xu, he found that the two pictures of "Wu Yi" and "Xiao Jing" were not hung in the palace.

The theme of these two pictures is to study hard and say goodbye to entertainment; the other one is about being filial to elders.

Fan Zuyu was worried that Zhao Xu would not be able to accept these constant admonitions. What if he grew up to be a perverted and incompetent ruler?
Therefore, Fan Zuyu quickly submitted a memorial to Gao Taotao, stating that during the reign of Song Renzong, these two pictures had been hanging in the palace, so that Song Renzong could be trained to become a sage monarch. Now that these two pictures are no longer in the palace, how can Zhao Xu become Song Renzong 2.0?

Gao Taotao sent someone to get the two pictures and hang them up without saying a word.

When Cheng Yi taught Zhao Xu, the requirements were even higher.

Not only must daily necessities be frugal and not luxurious, but the palace maids serving Zhao Xu cannot be young and must all be old ladies.

It is no exaggeration to say that these Yuanyou ministers worked tirelessly and worried day and night to prevent Zhao Xu from growing into a pervert.

Perhaps, Zhao Xu's childless life was also thanks to these Yuanyou ministers.

Later, Zhao Xu, who had been suppressed for many years, had accumulated rebellious resentment towards the Yuanyou ministers and Yuanyou politics to an unprecedented level. What about making the king like Yao and Shun, what about becoming a sage king, all go to hell. After he came to power, he thoroughly liquidated the old party and even agreed to let Cai Bian, who regarded Wang Anshi as his father, to recompile the "Shenzong Shilu". He regarded the efforts of the old party members during the Yuanyou period as a historical regression and even as a chaotic regime.

However, Su Che and other old party members of the Yuanyou period cited the example of Emperor Zhao of Han correcting the harsh policies of Emperor Wu of Han in his later years, emphasizing that the Yuanyou period was also about reconciling national strength, not chaos.

However, the New Party seized on this as an excuse, believing that Su Che compared Song Shenzong to Emperor Wu of Han, and subsequently exiled Su Che.

If the "Records of Emperor Shenzong" compiled by Cai Bian is not changed, the efforts of the old party members over the years will become worthless, and they will also be branded as traitors.

Now, Zhao Ya obviously wants to inherit the will of his father and brother and continue the reform.

Under such a political background, it was really rare for the old party that Zhao Ya agreed to revise "The Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong" for the third time and to face this history from an impartial and neutral perspective.

In addition, after so many years of reflection, many members of the Old Party have realized that the "persecution" of Zhao Xu by the Old Party ministers during the Yuanyou period has made the emperor wary of them.

Under such circumstances, Zhao Ya still continued to give the old party opportunities, which was enough to prove that Zhao Ya had a broad mind.

Let’s talk about Zhao Ya.

He actually knew very well that the old party members would only stick to the old ways and even engage in inward-looking activities, and would not develop the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Moreover, the old party members sought to limit the imperial power and the power of the prime minister in order to realize their political ambitions and dreams.

From this perspective, killing the old party doesn't seem to be a big deal.

But Zhao Ya was very clear-headed. Without the old party, the new party would also split and fight among itself. They would never unite as one and work together to develop the Zhao Song Dynasty.

This has been the reality throughout all dynasties of human history, regardless of ancient or modern times, China or abroad, and it cannot be eliminated.

Taking a step back, if the ministers really stopped fighting each other, then the emperor might be in danger, because then they might unite to fight the emperor.

The key point is that in history, Zhao Ji and Cai Jing tried to kill all the members of the old party, including those of the new party who disagreed with their political views. As a result, this not only failed to completely eliminate party disputes, but also led to the Jingkang Shame.

Therefore, Zhao Ya felt that leaving the old party behind to monitor the new party, monitor the new legal reforms, and even monitor himself might not be a bad thing.

……

After nearly a year of diplomatic maneuvering, Yelu Hongji, whose health was getting worse, and Li Qianshun, who was trapped in stabilizing the internal political situation, were getting restless.

This is mainly because Zhao Ya was really mobilizing troops and seemed to be willing to fight a war with the Liao Kingdom.

Moreover, when Lu Huiqing was in charge of Fuyan Road, while accepting the diplomatic envoys sent by Western Xia for negotiations, he also sent troops to recruit the foreign tribes who fled from Western Xia to surrender.

Upon seeing this, Western Xia sent General Ling Ji Eyu to stop these tribes.

Lü Huiqing seized the opportunity and sent General Liu An to fight back against Ling Ji's emissary.

In this battle, Liu An unleashed an exceptionally formidable fighting force. On the fourth day of his advance, he encountered 3,000 Xixia cavalrymen at Shenjiliu and defeated them. On the sixth day, at a place called Bozilik, he defeated another 5,000 Xixia troops. On the seventh day, he reached Luxunmaidale and then defeated 7,000 Xixia cavalrymen. Through these battles, he beheaded over 4,000 people, captured over 500, and seized over 100,000 weapons, cattle, and sheep.

After this battle, Zhao Ya transferred Lu Huiqing back to the court and organized the Hebei Imperial Guards and the Jingji Imperial Guards to assemble in Hebei together with Guo Cheng. If war with the Liao Kingdom was unavoidable, he would appoint Guo Cheng as the general and Lu Huiqing as the commander-in-chief, and personally lead the army to fight against the Liao Kingdom.

Forced by Zhao Ya's dominance (also thanks to Zeng Bu's good talk), Yelu Hongji, who felt that his time was running out, finally gave up and no longer mentioned the issue of redividing the border.

At the same time, Lu Huiqing commanded Liu An to continue sending troops to sweep the Yanbian area of ​​Western Xia and continue to encroach on the territory of Western Xia.

Seeing that the Liao Kingdom had backed down and Li Qianshun could no longer bear the pressure, he decided to give up demanding the territory occupied by the Zhao Song Dynasty.

In his memorial to Zhao Ya, Li Qianshun blamed all the repeated provocations against the Zhao Song Dynasty on his mother, Empress Dowager Xiaoliang, and made it clear that in the future, Western Xia would serve the Zhao Song Dynasty as a vassal, and the territorial division of all border areas would be carried out in accordance with Zhao Ya's edict. As for a series of other restrictive clauses, they were all implemented based on the oath issued by Song Renzong in the fifth year of the Qingli period.

Zhang Dun did not let Xixia off easily just because of its and Li Qianshun's respectful attitude. He told his border officials that when negotiating border division with Xixia, they should extend the territory to the deepest fort built by the Zhao Song Dynasty and extend it more than a hundred miles further.

Unexpectedly, in the face of the Zhao Song Dynasty's "unreasonable behavior", the Western Xia still accepted such extremely unequal terms.

Lü Huiqing, who had severely defeated the Xia army, advised Zhao Ya: "The war has been going on for a long time, and both China and foreign forces are exhausted. It is time to make peace."

Zhang Yu, the commander-in-chief of the Northwest Front, also advised Zhao Ya not to fight anymore, saying that the border areas needed rest and recuperation.

Zhang Dun wanted to destroy Western Xia in one fell swoop, but this time Western Xia and Li Qianshun were too respectful, which made him complacent about the peace agreement. In addition, the Zhao Song Dynasty had many internal problems, so he reluctantly accepted Western Xia's request for peace.

At this point, the Song-Xia War, which had lasted for nearly forty years since the reign of Emperor Yingzong of Song, finally ended temporarily with the retreat of the Western Xia.

Zhao Ya's correct response and persistence ensured that the Song Dynasty did not lose the years of hard work of Zhao Xu and his ministers, and won a complete victory in the war with a resounding victory...

……

(End of this chapter)