I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 131 Queen Zheng gave birth

...

Early August.

The northwestern tribes of Liao invaded the border, and Etele, the Liaoxi South Road Recruiting Envoy, led his troops and defeated them.

At the end of the month, Yelu Hongji sent an envoy to the city of Tokyo Bianliang to offer his tribute.

Although he said he came to offer his victory, Yelu Hongji actually came to warn Zhao Ya that the rebellion in Liao had ended and that he was no longer afraid of going to war with the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Zhao Ya estimated that it was because Yelu Hongji's health was failing, otherwise he would definitely use tough diplomatic rhetoric to force Zhao Ya to stop the war to destroy Qingtang Tubo.

Don't forget that Dong Zhen's wife, Xiling Jiemu, was the daughter of Emperor Xingzong of Liao. She married Dong Zhen as a Khitan princess in the fourth year of Qingning reign of Emperor Daozong of Liao.

In other words, behind Qingtang Tubo, there was not only Western Xia, but also Liao, and even the countries in the Western Regions - don't forget, there was also a Uighur princess who married the Zamp of Qingtang Tubo.

To put it in a more vivid way, the Liao Dynasty at that time was just like a certain beautiful country in later generations. When it saw China becoming stronger, it supported all the hostile forces against China to weaken China.

From this it is not difficult to see that the Liao Kingdom is the biggest enemy of the Zhao Song Dynasty, at least at this stage.

In fact, the reason why Western Xia had been at war with the Zhao Song Dynasty in recent years was mainly because the Liao Kingdom was instigating and supporting Western Xia behind the scenes.

Therefore, historically, it was not unreasonable for Zhao Ji to tear up the "Chanyuan Alliance" and settle accounts with the Liao Kingdom when the Liao Kingdom was about to perish.

It’s all because Zhao Ji acted too recklessly during those years and emptied the Zhao Song Dynasty’s treasury, which turned that God-given opportunity into a disaster.

Far away.

Although Yelu Hongji's intervention in the Song-Xia War was countered by Zhao Ya, the Liao Kingdom did not give up its dominance over the situation in the northwest.

This time, the Liao Kingdom came to offer tribute, which should be the foreplay of Yelu Hongji's preparation to intervene in Zhao Ya's destruction of Qingtang Tubo.

In fact, Zhao Ya, Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu had discussed this long ago. They knew that it would not only be the Liao Kingdom, but also the Western Xia Kingdom, that would intervene in the Zhao Song Dynasty to destroy the Qingtang Tubo.

It was precisely because of this that Zhao Ya did not transfer Zhang Qie back to the court, but instead asked him to guard against Western Xia.

To be fair, it would have been impossible for Western Xia not to interfere with the Zhao Song Dynasty's conquest of Qing Tang Tubo.

The Zhao Song Dynasty had seized the Hengshan area, which was vital to Western Xia, putting Western Xia in an extremely passive position.

If the Zhao Song Dynasty had captured Qingtang Tubo, Western Xia would have been surrounded by the Zhao Song Dynasty.

At the same time, as long as the Zhao Song Dynasty opened up the Silk Road and then blocked the trade market with Western Xia, the merchants in the Western Regions would no longer go through Western Xia, but would trade directly with the Zhao Song Dynasty. In that case, the economy of Western Xia would inevitably face major problems.

Then, under the double blow of military and economic attack from the Zhao Song Dynasty, Western Xia would undoubtedly perish.

This is also the reason why Li Qianshun paid tribute to Zhao Ya and was grateful to him, while he continued to support Qingtang Tubo in its resistance against the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Even last year, when the main force of the Song army was attacking Qingtang City, Li Qianshun sent 100,000 troops to cooperate with the Qingtang army to capture Huangzhou City, which was still under the control of the Zhao Song Dynasty at that time.

Fortunately, the veteran general Wang Min led more than 2,000 incomplete Song soldiers in the city to resist resolutely without fear of life and death, and defeated the Xia-Tu coalition forces several times, defended Huangzhou City, and enhanced the prestige of our country.

However, after the Song and Xia dynasties signed the peace treaty this year, the Western Xia dynasty sent out troops again and cooperated with the Qingtang army to finally recapture Shanzhou, Huangzhou and Guzhou, which were originally controlled by the Zhao Song Dynasty. This forced Zhao Ya to tighten his belt and play this copy again.

In short, the diplomatic and even military game between the Zhao Song Dynasty and the Western Xia and Liao Kingdoms has been repeated, and it did not stop because of the previous peace talks with the Western Xia and the diplomatic victory over the Liao Kingdom.

On the day the Liao envoy arrived in Bianliang City, Zheng Xiansu was about to give birth.

Before Zheng Xiansu, four women had given birth to four sons for Zhao Ya.

After Zheng Xiansu, there were more than a dozen women queuing up to give birth to Zhao Ya's children.

The key point is that Zhao Ya is only seventeen years old and in the prime of his life.

In theory, in this situation, Zhao Ya had no need to be nervous, because he had no shortage of either children or women.

But the fact is, Zhao Ya was really nervous.

Zheng Xiansu and the baby in her belly are both very important to Zhao Ya.

In Zhao Ya's harem, there are women from the New Party, women from the Old Party, women from Qingtang and even from the Western Regions, as well as five time-traveling women: Zhang Chun, Li Lin, Ye Shiyun, Ma Xiaojiao, and Yuan Qingcheng. They are really difficult to deal with.

To be honest, Zhao Ya might not be able to handle these women.

And at least so far, Zheng Xiansu has managed it very well.

For example, under Zheng Xiansu's management, neither the women of the New Party nor the women of the Old Party dared to interfere in politics.

For example, the women from Qingtang and the Western Regions were not used to Zhao Ya's harem at first, so Zheng Xiansu built a Buddhist temple for them, and they immediately followed his orders.

The most difficult ones are Zhang Chun and the other five.

But even they were in awe of Zheng Xiansu.

Even Zhang Chun, who was eyeing Zheng Xiansu's position as queen, had to behave herself in front of Zheng Xiansu.

Take the last time, for example, when Zhang Chun wanted to replace Empress Dowager Xiang and take charge of the Old Party.

Zhao Ya didn't even want to talk about Zhang Chun.

Her idea is too naive.

What is the Old Party?

The old party is the Conservative Party.

One of the things they firmly opposed was the harem interfering in politics.

Of course, those who are involved in politics have no moral integrity.

If Zhang Chun really had the same political power as Empress Dowager Xiang, and if Zhao Ya really looked down on the old party like Zhao Xu, the old party might have formed an alliance with Zhang Chun.

But there is a prerequisite, that is, Zhang Chun must also be from the old party, at least not the new party.

But Zhang Chun, who is well aware of the general trend of history, must vigorously promote reform, so she is a new party that cannot be purer.

How could this old party really form an alliance with Zhang Chun?

Especially those censors.

When it comes to issues of position, they don't care about the code of conduct. Even moral gentlemen can be immoral at times.

Even when they get to the point of arguing fiercely, they will oppose just for the sake of opposing, and will not be unreasonable at all.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Chun, a member of a new party, actually wanted to be the boss of the old party and control those censors. This was too wishful thinking.

What is a censor?

They claimed to be the clean stream in the court and the guardians of morality. They used their pens as swords and their ink as blades, and were not afraid of the powerful or the storms. They specialized in picking holes in the emperor and exposing the ministers' shortcomings.

Their existence seems to be to prove that in this vortex of power, there is still a clear stream that is unwilling to go along with the crowd and insists on that precious, even naive integrity and courage.

Zhang Chun wants to use the New Party to control these tough guys in the Old Party, which is tantamount to trying to get the skin of a tiger.

To put it bluntly, they usually enjoy impeachment and take pride in speaking out their opinions. How could they easily succumb to a woman who has different political views from theirs?
Perhaps they will remain silent temporarily, but that is only because the time has not yet come. Once they find a suitable excuse, they will come like a tide, using their sharp words to dissect every thought and every move of Zhang Chun.

But Zhao Ya couldn't tell Zhang Chun all this directly.
Firstly, Zhang Chun worked so hard to please him, even going so far as to organize and personally participate in the group, how could he have the nerve to ask for Zhang Chun's benefits for nothing?
Secondly, Zhang Chun had been helping him so wholeheartedly, so even if it was a matter of rewarding her for her merits, he had to give her a chance. But in reality, Zhao Ya didn't like the harem interfering in politics, so he had to control Zhang Chun to prevent her from carrying out her "Empress Dowager Plan" once she had grown stronger.

This is more troublesome.

Fortunately, Zhao Ya has Zheng Xiansu.

Zhao Ya didn't have to say anything. He just needed to give Zheng Xiansu a hint and Zheng Xiansu would understand.

The next day, Zheng Xiansu chatted with her old party members about their pursuits and gave them a hint that if the time really came, she would persuade Zhao Ya.

The old party decisively abandoned Zhang Chun.

Don't blame the old party for being ungrateful.

The truth is, Zhang Chun and Zheng Xiansu cannot be compared at all.

First of all, Zheng Xiansu is a real queen, and her status is there. She is simply incomparable to Zhang Chun, who does not even have a proper title of imperial concubine.

Secondly, Zheng Xiansu is not a member of the New Party. Strictly speaking, she should be considered a member of the Old Party with a good pedigree.

In fact, after Empress Dowager Xiang lost power, the first political ally that Han Zhongyan, Su Shi, and Su Zhe considered was Zheng Xiansu, not Meng Xiang, who had no power and could not speak to Zhao Ya, or anyone else.

But Empress Dowager Xiang said with certainty that Zheng Xiansu was unreliable and she would definitely follow Zhao Ya blindly, so she was not as reliable as Prime Minister Meng.

In addition, Zheng Xiansu had no intention of interfering in politics.

That's why the old party didn't seek an alliance with Zheng Xiansu.

Now, Zheng Xiansu gave them a chance, but the only condition was that they give up Zhang Chun, who was not in the same camp as them.

How do you think the old party will choose?
As a result, Zheng Xiansu easily helped Zhao Ya solve the problems that were difficult for him to handle.

How can Zhao Ya leave Zheng Xiansu?
The most important thing is, if Zheng Xiansu is gone, who will Zhao Ya make the queen?
Zhang Chun?
Zhao Ya will never forget that Zhang Chun’s nickname is: Queen Mother Chun!!!

"If I don't set up a reliable firewall in front of me, if the ambitious Queen Mother Chun gets angry one day, I will be in danger. Therefore, anyone can become the queen, but Queen Mother Chun will never have this opportunity!"

In fact, no one else was Zhao Ya's ideal queen. At least Zhao Ya didn't know who could replace Zheng Xiansu.

So Zhao Ya definitely did not want to lose Zheng Xiansu.

If Zheng Xiansu could give Zhao Ya a son this time, then the problem of Zhao Ya's succession to the throne might be solved.

Yes.

Zhao Ya also wanted to choose a virtuous and capable son to pass on his kingdom and preferably make it flourish.

But Zhao Ya also knew that the practice of "passing on the throne to the legitimate heir and not to a concubine's son, and passing on the eldest son and not to the most virtuous person" had been in practice for thousands of years, and there must be a reason for it.

Moreover, Zhao Ya felt that he should have quite a few sons.

If there really is no legitimate son, and the throne is passed to a virtuous person, there might be the Rebellion of the Seven Kings, the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, the Jingnan Campaign, the Struggle for the Succession of the Nine Dragons, and other fratricidal incidents.

Therefore, if Zhao Ya really had a decent eldest son, it would definitely be the best outcome if he could pass the throne to his eldest son smoothly in the future.

Both the big and the small were people that Zhao Ya cared about and was worried about.

How could Zhao Ya not be nervous?

This kind of tension is no less than when Ma Xiaojiao gave birth to her child.

The difference is that Ma Xiaojiao may have known that Zhao Ya was worried about her, so she gave birth after a while.

Although Zheng Xiansu's delivery this time did not take as long as Fuling's, it still took more than half an hour.

Seeing this, even a calm person like Zhao Ya couldn't help but pace back and forth at the door.

Zhang Chun, who was in the distance, said with some jealousy, "Finally, I see him getting nervous."

Ma Xiaojiao asked, "Wasn't he nervous when I gave birth to Zhao Di?"

Li Lin said, "He was nervous too. He personally checked every obstetric tool and medical device Shiyun and I brought twice, and even planned to personally go to the disinfection area to oversee it."

Ye Shiyun took over the conversation and said, "Who would have thought that you would be born before the water even boiled."

After hearing what Li Lin and Ye Shiyun said, Ma Xiaojiao felt satisfied.

Yuan Qingcheng said, "You are his big baby, how could he not be nervous about you?"

Ma Xiaojiao replied, "You're talking as if you're not his beloved treasure. I give you one million guan of research and development funding every year, which is several times more than what I give you!"

Yuan Qingcheng blushed and quickly defended herself, "My company is large, and our staff are spread across the country, so the costs are quite high. If you also needed this much R&D funding, he would definitely not be stingy."

During the spring plowing this year, the agricultural tools invented by Ma Xiaojiao, such as the wooden ox and horse irrigation cart, the improved curved plow, the improved harrow cart, the wooden ox and the plowing frame, saved a lot of manpower, and the capital area was able to have a bumper harvest. Ma Xiaojiao made great contributions to this.

Moreover, the tools invented by Ma Xiaojiao also proved invaluable in the management of the Yellow River. For example, the bicycle and improved version of the chicken bus, which Ma Xiaojiao invented based on the later African wooden bicycle, saved a great deal of manpower.

At this stage, the imperial court has sent people to vigorously promote these new agricultural tools and implements in the capital area. They will definitely make the world a better place.

By the way, Zhao Ya has already planted 1,000 acres of cotton.

After the cotton is harvested, Zhao Ya can ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to build a factory to spin cotton cloth.

Ma Xiaojiao's invention is so useful. If she lacks research funds, how could Zhao Ya be stingy?

Ma Xiaojiao knew this very well and Yuan Qingcheng didn't need to tell her.

"Qingcheng is so smart, she should know this, but why is she making small talk?"

Ma Xiaojiao asked bluntly: "Qingcheng, why do I feel like something is wrong with you today?"

Yuan Qingcheng pretended to be calm and said, "No, you're wrong."

Just when Zhang Chun, Li Lin and Ye Shiyun wanted to see what was wrong with Yuan Qingcheng, Zhao Ya suddenly waved at the five of them.

Seeing this, the five women hurried over.

Zhao Ya said to Li Lin and Ye Shiyun, "Get ready."

Li Lin and Ye Shiyun understood that Zhao Ya was worried that Zheng Xiansu would not be able to give birth himself.

Zhang Chun said to Zhao Ya: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I have already calculated that the Empress will be able to give birth smoothly."

Zhao Ya also knew that Zheng Xiansu, who had given birth to one son and five daughters for Zhao Ji in history, should be able to give birth to this child smoothly.

But the problem is, isn't this just worrying too much?

Li Lin and Ye Shiyun did not dare to delay. They quickly made the final confirmation and then prepared to go in.

Unexpectedly, just as Zhao Ya told Li Lin and Ye Shiyun "If things can't be done, save the eldest", the crisp cry of a baby suddenly came from the delivery room:
"Wow……"

……

(End of this chapter)