I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 134 Zhao Yu: I almost revealed that I'm also a transmigrator

...

After Zhang Chun instructed Li Shishi to find a master of bedroom arts, he personally directed the skillful palace maids to help her make a cat-eared girl outfit.

'I wonder if Zhao Yu, this little native, can appreciate such fine things?'

Zhang Chun put on the cat ears that had already been made and looked in the mirror.

She saw herself in the mirror, with a pair of cute cat ears swaying gently as she moved. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and anticipation, and a playful smile played on her lips. She exuded a charm that was both alluring and mischievous.

Zhang Chun then picked up a meticulously sewn cat tail and tied it around her waist. The tail seemed to come alive, swaying gently with her steps, adding to her liveliness and charm.

"Your Majesty's attire is truly fascinating; His Majesty will surely delight in it," said a palace maid standing nearby.

Hearing this, Zhang Chun's confidence soared. She said, "If His Majesty likes it, I will make a set for each of you, so that he may be trapped in my Ten Thousand Demon Cave."

Just then, Li Shishi returned.

Seeing Li Shishi return, Zhang Chun was taken aback and asked, "Why did you come back? Didn't I tell you to go find a master?"

Li Shishi said, "I have found you, my servant."

'Found it so quickly?'

Zhang Chun looked out the door and, sure enough, there was someone there.

But, 'How could it be her?'

who is it?

Cui Nianyue, Li Lin's maid.

Zhang Chun looked at Li Shishi and asked, "Is she a master of bedroom arts?"

Li Shishi replied, "She is several years older than me, knows how to deal with people, and has a bright future. Therefore, an old courtesan taught her so that she could take care of me."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chun beckoned to Cui Nianyue: "Come in quickly."

Upon hearing this, Cui Nianyue entered and bowed to Zhang Chun, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Zhang Chun smiled and said, "Shi Shi Yan, do you have any bedroom arts that you can teach me?"

Cui Nianyue hurriedly said, "This servant wouldn't dare, but this servant does know a little trick that might be useful."

Zhang Chun knew that people never act without self-interest, and she had long wanted to recruit all four famous courtesans.

So Zhang Chun said, "I see you're not young anymore, why don't you serve me in bed with me next time?"

To Zhang Chun's surprise, Cui Nianyue refused: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but my affairs are entirely up to my mistress. I dare not make decisions on my own. Please forgive me."

Zhang Chun was both surprised and puzzled. She asked bluntly, "Why did you teach me at that time?"

Cui Nianyue didn't say anything. She felt that such petty tricks couldn't possibly win Zhao Yu's heart. If she wanted Zhao Yu to have her in his heart, she would have to cultivate her character. Instead, she said frankly, "Firstly, Your Highness and my lady are good sisters. If Your Highness is in trouble, this servant will be there without hesitation. Secondly, this servant is naturally fond of making good connections. Your Highness has a bright future ahead of you. Today, I have the opportunity to befriend you. This servant is naturally willing to make good connections with Your Highness."

Cui Nianyue's answer surprised and impressed Zhang Chun. She shamelessly poached her directly, saying, "You're quite good. Why don't you come work for me? I will definitely treat you well. As for your mistress, you don't need to worry. I will talk to her myself."

Fearing that Cui Nianyue would not agree, Zhang Chun took the initiative to say, "You should know that most of the people in my palace have already served the Emperor, and two of them are pregnant and have already risen to prominence. If you come here, you will surely have your day."

Cui Nianyue knew that Zhang Chun was generous and "a lady of leisure," and had already sent many women to Zhao Yu, and helped many of them get pregnant.

To be honest, Cui Nianyue helped Zhang Chun for this very reason.

However, Cui Nianyue would never switch allegiances, because she knew very well that trust and loyalty, once lost, are very difficult to regain.

Therefore, Cui Nianyue politely declined, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, but my lady is not particular about details, and I am really worried about her."

Zhang Chun never expected that Cui Nianyue would be so loyal, which made her admire Cui Nianyue even more and want to have her even more.

Based on Zhang Chun's understanding of Li Lin, if Cui Nianyue wanted to come over on her own, Li Lin definitely wouldn't stop her.

But if Cui Nianyue doesn't want to come, and she dares to poach Li Lin's people, she might anger Li Lin.

Given Li Lin's fiery temper, she might even beat him up if she lost it.

The key point is that if Li Lin were to beat her up, no one except Zhao Yu could stop that female tyrant.

It's estimated that even if they fought their way to Zhao Yu, he would probably just give them each a beating and that would be the end of it; she wouldn't gain the slightest advantage.

Based on this, Zhang Chun said, "Since you have made up your mind, I will tell your mistress that you have grown up."

This time, Cui Nianyue smiled.

To be honest, she really liked Li Lin. She was generous, unconcerned, and entrusted her with all the important and trivial matters in the palace. Li Lin herself didn't interfere at all and trusted her completely.

That's right, Li Lin is too ambitious. She doesn't know how to fight for the benefits of her own family, nor does she know what her family really wants.

With Zhang Chun's promise, Cui Nianyue didn't even need to ask; she said, "This servant knows a move called 'Upside-down Golden Hook'..."

……

After the Song and Xia dynasties signed the peace treaty, they should have lived in peace for a while.

Unexpectedly, after Zhao Xu's death, Xia ruler Li Qianshun took advantage of Zhao Yu's youth and low prestige.

Of course, it was also because the Song Dynasty continued to recover Qinghai and Tibet that it put enormous pressure on the Western Xia.

Even a fool could tell that if the Song Dynasty conquered Qinghai and Tibet, its next strategic target would undoubtedly be Western Xia.

Therefore, Li Qianshun had been secretly supporting the Qinghai-Tibetan Empire, which was hostile to the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Furthermore, Li Qianshun was well aware that the Zhao Song Dynasty was now very powerful, and he had to handle the relationship with the Liao Dynasty carefully. Otherwise, if the Western Xia were to face the increasingly powerful Zhao Song Dynasty alone, it might risk the destruction of the country.

Therefore, after discussing it with his advisors, Li Qian sent someone to the Liao Kingdom to make a request, hoping to marry the Liao princess.

However, Yelü Hongji was already seriously ill at this time and could not take care of Western Xia for the time being.

There was no other way for Li Qianshun but to save himself. It must be said that Li Qianshun truly deserves to be called the restorer of Western Xia. In such a short time, his wisdom and prudence have earned him the recognition of the civil and military officials of Western Xia.

Although Li Qianshun was once forced to submit to the Zhao Song Dynasty under military pressure, he never forgot the humiliation of losing his homeland.

Since assuming personal rule, Li Ganshun not only established a national school in the country and recruited 300 disciples to promote Confucianism and cultivate talents, but also granted land to the families of generals such as Renduo Xizhong who died in battle against the Song army, in recognition of their merits.

Li Ganshun's peace negotiations with Zhao Yu were never about holding onto a piece of land and prolonging his life. What he wanted was to buy enough time to prepare his troops and, in the near future, take revenge on the Zhao Song Dynasty and wash away the shame left by his mother, Empress Dowager Xiao Liang.

Li Qianshun's younger brother, Richard, was also the most important assistant in his brother's great cause of revival.

As early as during Zhao Xu's reign, when the Song army first launched an attack to destroy Qing Tang, Li Qianshun sent his general Ren Duo Baozhong to provide support.

At that time, Richard was only sixteen years old and was among the reinforcements from Western Xia.

Although the Xia army was defeated by the Song army, Richard used his powerful bow to shoot down Miao Lü's deputy general during the retreat, thus forcing the Song army to retreat and buying time for the Xia army to withdraw.

Richard became famous overnight.

After returning to Western Xia, Li Qianshun enfeoffed Richard as the Prince of Jin and ordered Richard and others to retrain the army.

Richard fully absorbed the strengths of the Song army to reorganize the Xia army, greatly increasing its combat power.

Later, the Western Xia army, in coordination with the Tibetan army, defeated the Song army. As the main force of the Song army was driven out of the Shanzhou and Huangzhou areas, the Qinghai-Tibet Tibetan Empire was finally re-established under the leadership of the new Zanpu, Xisheluosa.

After observing for a period of time, Li Qianshun saw that Zhao Yu had no intention of relinquishing Qinghai and Tibet, so he married a princess of the Western Xia royal family to Xisheluosa, making her his sworn brother.

The Western Xia and Qing Tang officially became allies.

Subsequently, Li Qianshun dispatched the Western Xia general Renduo Baozhong to assist Xisheluosa, intending to join forces with the Tubo army to repel the Song army and take the opportunity to occupy Huangzhou, thus infiltrating his influence into the Qinghai-Tibet region.

Because Li Qianshun openly intended to interfere with the Song Dynasty's recapture of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and even brazenly sent troops into battle, Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu, who were mainly in charge of the Northwest war, decisively closed all border markets with the Western Xia and started an economic war with the Western Xia. The relationship between the two sides quickly plummeted to a freezing point.

At the same time, Zhang Jie strengthened the construction of fortresses and strongholds in the Tiandu Mountain area on the Song-Xia border, and the Sui Rong Fortress and Huai Rong Fortress were further built during this period.

War between the Song and Xia dynasties could break out at any moment.

In addition, news came back from Song Dynasty spies that Li Qianshun had sent envoys to the Liao Dynasty, requesting that the Liao Dynasty send reinforcements to Western Xia, seemingly making final preparations for the upcoming war.

However, firstly, the war between the Song and Xia states had not yet officially begun, and the Liao state did not want to send troops to provoke the Zhao Song dynasty and cause the war to break out prematurely; secondly, Yelü Hongji's health was deteriorating day by day, and at a time when the Liao state could change its monarch at any time, the Liao state really dared not start a war lightly.

Faced with this crisis, Yelü Hongji finally relented and agreed to allow Yelü Yanxi to re-appoint officials below the rank of Grand General.

It is not difficult to see from this that Yelü Hongji also knew that his days were numbered and was making preparations to pass the throne to Yelü Yanxi...

……

On this day, a researcher sent by Yuan Qingcheng to plant rice on Jinghu North Road traveled for seven days to deliver a special rice plant to Yuan Qingcheng.

This rice plant has a large, neat ear of grain, with plump kernels and more than 230 seeds, more than twice that of ordinary rice.

Yuan Qingcheng was overjoyed. 'Could this be a naturally grown hybrid rice plant?'

Rice male-sterile lines are unable to self-pollinate and produce seeds, but they can be fertilized and produce seeds by accepting pollen from other rice varieties.

This makes it possible to combine the superior traits of different varieties through hybridization, thereby cultivating hybrid rice varieties with heterosis and significantly increasing rice yield.

Moreover, in hybridization breeding, using male-sterile lines as the female parent can eliminate the tedious process of artificial emasculation, reduce the cost and difficulty of hybrid seed production, improve seed production efficiency, and facilitate the large-scale promotion of hybrid rice.

To put it simply, with this special rice plant, Yuan Qingcheng could finally begin her research on hybrid rice.

Yuan Qingcheng, for the first time ever, took the initiative to approach Zhao Yu to request a reward for the researchers who discovered this natural hybrid rice.

Zhao Yu understood that Yuan Qingcheng hoped he would reward this researcher handsomely to motivate other researchers. In this way, she could control her researchers even when she was far away and unable to reach them directly, so that they would work hard on their research.

Zhao Yu immediately ordered Liu Mingda to draft an imperial edict, promoting the researcher by seven ranks and awarding him 10,000 strings of cash. At the same time, he also bestowed the title of Ruren upon the researcher's wife.

Yuan Qingcheng was very satisfied.

To be honest, Yuan Qingcheng was becoming more and more willing to work with Zhao Yu.

Emperor Zhao Yu knew that food was the foundation of the nation and that people depended on food for survival. He was particularly concerned about agriculture and therefore always gave her the greatest support and trust in her efforts to increase crop yields.

This is why, as soon as she achieved something, she rushed over to tell Zhao Yu the good news.

However, those who understand hybrid rice know the significance of discovering male-sterile lines, while those who don't should not see how much progress it has made.

Yuan Qingcheng felt a little guilty that Zhao Yu had bestowed such high praise upon her for such achievements.

Then, Yuan Qingcheng presented another of her achievements: "Your Majesty, I have another method that can increase grain production."

While reading the reports of victory from the front lines, Zhao Yu, without much thought, casually said, "Oh? Tell me more about it."

"???"

Yuan Qingcheng's heart skipped a beat. 'This doesn't sound like something people from this era would say!'

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhao Yu realized he had misspoke and quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "What I mean is, you may speak your mind freely, and I will listen attentively. Chun Chun and Shi Yun often say the same thing, don't you understand?"

Upon hearing that Zhao Yu had learned it from Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun, Yuan Qingcheng laughed at her for overthinking it, saying, "That's true, Zhao Yu often has close contact with the four of them, so it's perfectly normal for him to learn a few phrases from later times from them."

Then, Yuan Qingcheng proposed: "Your Majesty could establish a 'Fertilizer Administration' agency, with local officials organizing the collection of manure and the promotion of green manure, recording the effects of fertilization on different soil types, and then publishing my newly completed 'Qingcheng's Agricultural Book' to popularize the precise fertilization concept of 'using manure like using medicine'..."

Yuan Qingcheng meant that while improving rice varieties is important, chemical fertilizers are also essential for high yields.

Yuan Qingcheng proposed that manure be collected with wood ash and straw, mixed and composted, and made into high-efficiency organic fertilizer through anaerobic fermentation (sealed pits) or aerobic composting (regular turning). Biogas digesters could also be built here for lighting or cooking. In addition, green manure crops such as purple clover and alfalfa could be promoted in rice-growing areas such as Jiangnan (sown in autumn and plowed into the soil in spring as base fertilizer).

Yuan Qingcheng further proposed that during this period, there was already a "rice-wheat" rotation, which could be combined with green manure to form a three-year "rice-wheat-green manure" cycle. Farmers could also be organized to dig up silt from the bottom of rivers/ponds, dry it, and apply it to farmland. Additionally, animal bones (containing phosphorus and calcium) from slaughterhouses could be crushed, mixed with vinegar or manure, and fermented to make bone meal fertilizer.

Finally, Yuan Qingcheng proposed trying mineral fertilizers such as lime, wood ash, and natural phosphate rock.

Yuan Qingcheng predicted that if these methods were systematically implemented, grain yield per mu could increase by 20%-30%, significantly alleviating the grain pressure on the Song Dynasty…

……

(End of this chapter)