I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 149 Zhao Gou's Mother

...

Zhao Yu, who already has fourteen sons, should not lack heirs even if he does not have any more sons.

It should be noted that Zhao Yu's adoptive father, Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu, only had fourteen sons, yet all the emperors after the Northern Song Dynasty were his descendants.

Moreover, there are now more than a dozen women pregnant with Zhao Yu's children.

The key point is that Zhao Yu's current physical age is only eighteen years old, and even if we consider the traditional Chinese age system, he is not yet twenty years old.

Men's peak reproductive years are generally between the ages of 25 and 35.

In other words, Zhao Yu's peak reproductive period had not yet arrived.

So, who knows how many sons Zhao Yu would have in the end?
However, this does not mean that Zhao Yu had no worries about the future.

In fact, contrary to the case of Zhao Xu, who had no heir because he had no sons, Zhao Yu had so many sons that he had too many choices and therefore found it difficult to choose an heir.

Moreover, as time goes on and Zhao Yu has more sons, this trouble will certainly become greater.

If Zhao Yu's fertility surpassed that of Liu Sheng, there was a possibility of a hundred princes vying for the throne.

If Zhao Yu's fertility surpasses that of Moulay Ismail, an unprecedented struggle for the throne among a thousand princes might occur.

Of course, this is all just a joke.

However, on the other hand, Kangxi only had thirty-five sons, and only twenty-four of them survived to adulthood. Several of them were still young at the time, which led to the "Nine Princes' Struggle for the Throne".

Learning from history, there are some things that Zhao Yu had to plan ahead of time.

To be honest, Zhao Yu wasn't afraid of having many sons. If all else failed, he could find a way to discover a new continent and then send his ambitious sons who weren't yet fit to inherit the throne to the new continent for fiefdoms.

If that day were to come, Zhao Yu's sons would at most be arguing over whose fiefdom was New York and whose fiefdom was Washington. Of course, at that time, the names would certainly not be like those.

However, the problem remains that even with these measures, the issue of Zhao Yu's succession to the throne is still difficult to resolve.

Unless Jeong Hyeon-suk can give Zhao Yu a legitimate eldest son whose abilities rank among the best of Zhao Yu's sons.

Jeong Hyeon-suk was well aware of this, and she also wanted to give Zhao Yu a legitimate eldest son who was both scholarly and martial, and virtuous and talented.

Therefore, Jung Hyun-suk has been under a lot of pressure lately, especially since she only gave birth to a daughter as her first child.

After hearing about this from Wang Yisu, Zhao Yu thought to himself, 'I must reassure my empress...'

……

Among the palace maids under Zheng Xiansu's command, there was one who was particularly outstanding.

From the moment she entered the palace last year, she was like a bright spot in everyone's eyes. Her figure was graceful, lithe yet upright, her posture perfectly proportioned. Her oval face had soft lines, her skin as white as snow, radiating a delicate glow. Her eyes, like autumn waters containing stars, sparkled with life. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, neither too thick nor too thin. Beneath her high, straight nose was a small, naturally red cherry-like mouth. Her beauty was striking and unique; every gesture exuded charm, making everyone unable to resist taking a second look.

This palace maid is Qiao, who entered the palace last year when Zhao Yu held a selection of 300 beauties.

As soon as she entered the palace, she caught the eye of Zheng Xiansu, who was the first person selected, and was immediately appointed as a royal attendant to serve by her side.

Because of her good looks, lively and clever nature, and her ability to read people's expressions and please Zheng Xiansu, he had her make the bed and serve tea in his room, treating her like a concubine.

Qiao had a close friend, Wei, who was the mother of Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, in history.

Lady Wei was from Kaifeng and came from a poor family. She was sold into the palace as a lowly maid by her family when Zhao Xu was emperor. In terms of time, she actually entered the palace only one year later than Zheng Xiansu, so she could be considered a senior palace maid.

Later, Zhao Xu died, and Zhao Yu succeeded him to the throne. All the palace women that Zhao Xu had never touched were taken into the harem by Zhao Yu.

—In reality, due to his physical condition, personality, and Liu Qingjing, Zhao Xu had only been with a few women. When Zhao Yu ascended the throne, he packed up all the women Zhao Xu had slept with and had them move into a “retirement home” with Liu Qingjing.

Lady Wei was naturally taken into Zhao Yu's harem.

When Zheng Xiansu entered the palace, he lacked someone to do manual labor in his own room.

Pei Sui immediately gathered all the palace maids at Kunning Palace for Zheng Xiansu to choose from.

As a result, Wei's tall figure quickly attracted Zheng Xiansu's attention.

Upon closer inspection, Zheng Xiansu saw that Lady Wei was like a bamboo shoot growing rapidly in spring, much taller than the surrounding palace maids. She had a straight posture, long legs, and a steady gait, exuding a nimble and efficient air; she was clearly a good candidate for manual labor.

What's remarkable is that Lady Wei was tall, yet possessed exquisite features, so she wouldn't embarrass Zheng Xiansu.

Therefore, Zheng Xiansu kept Lady Wei and the other palace maids he had chosen.

By chance, Ms. Qiao and Ms. Wei were assigned to work together.

The two women spent a lot of time together and often helped each other, and gradually became good sisters.

Back then, Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu became sworn sisters before they rose to prominence, supporting each other. Later, they were taken in by Zhao Yu. One became Zhao Yu's empress, and the other became a noble concubine because she gave birth to a son for Zhao Yu. They both rose to great heights and became phoenixes.

The story of Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu spread widely in the palace, becoming the best example of palace maids' rise to power. This led many palace maids to follow suit and become sworn sisters. There were even more than a dozen palace maids who became sworn sisters and made a pact that if one of them became rich and powerful, she would not forget her sisters.

Qiao and Wei followed suit, pledging to be sisters and vowing that if one of them became rich and powerful, they would not forget the other.

At this moment, there was no one else in Zheng Xiansu's bedroom except for Lady Qiao and Lady Wei. Lady Qiao was dusting with a feather duster, while Lady Wei was adjusting the tables and chairs.

While casually dusting off the dust, Madam Qiao couldn't help but complain: "Now that Her Majesty is pregnant, it should be the women of my Empress's palace who serve her in bed. But Her Majesty is too kind and never competes with those ambitious people. Not only do Consort Zhang and Consort Cai benefit, but they also benefit from it. It's a pity that it's a hardship for you and me, as we are deprived of the opportunity to serve her in bed."

"Your Majesty has your reasons for acting this way. You should not criticize her, lest others hear it and ruin your future," Lady Wei advised.

“They all accompanied Her Majesty to the Great Xiangguo Temple to pray for blessings. Only you and I, sisters, are left here. What’s wrong with us having a few heartfelt words?” Madam Qiao said with exasperation, “You are just too timid. Otherwise, having been in the palace for so long, you would have risen to prominence long ago. How could you still be a mere imperial attendant?”

Madam Wei sighed, "Alas! The waters of this palace run deep, far more complex than you imagine. One wrong step and you're doomed. A few years ago, I witnessed firsthand how people from Empress Meng's palace were taken away. That eunuch Gao Jinfeng, such a capable person, managed all the affairs of the harem perfectly, big and small, yet in the end, she was beaten beyond recognition, her tongue cut out and her limbs severed, suffering a fate worse than death. We should take this as a warning."

"That's because Empress Meng was not favored by the late Emperor. My lady is the apple of His Majesty's eye. How could such a thing happen? Besides, who in the palace doesn't know that His Majesty is kind-hearted and benevolent, far surpassing the late Emperor? How could the tragedy of Yuanfu happen again?" said Lady Qiao.

Mrs. Wei was speechless, because what Mrs. Qiao said was true. She could only weakly say, "Being careful is always the right thing to do."

Lady Qiao did not refute, but only said, "I wonder when we will be able to serve His Majesty in bed. If we gain His Majesty's favor, who can do anything to us?"

"With your looks, you'll surely win His Majesty's favor sooner or later, but I'm afraid that will be difficult. I can only blame my parents for making me so tall and imposing, which only makes me unpleasant to others," Lady Wei said dejectedly.

"Who in my harem doesn't know that His Majesty greatly favors Consort Guo? He first made her bear a son, and now he has made her pregnant a second time. She is extremely favored. Your figure and appearance are no less than Consort Guo's, so you may very well win His Majesty's favor," Qiao Shi comforted Wei Shi.

Lady Wei smiled bitterly: "Consort Guo's father is Grand Commandant Guo, a renowned general of our time, while my father is a commoner. How can we compare?" In fact, even now, many people believe that Emperor Zhao Yu didn't truly favor tall, imposing women. They simply believe that Zhao Yu's continued favoritism towards Guo Ting was merely a means to win over capable and powerful officials.

Of course, it's understandable that these people have such misunderstandings.

Zhao Yu did indeed show a greater preference for the women sent by the prime ministers and those with powerful backgrounds.

Like Cai Xuan.

She was very flamboyant in the palace. Apart from Zheng Xiansu and the five women, she hardly paid any attention to any of the concubines, including Wang Yisu and Guo Ting, and always showed her special status.

However, even so, Zhao Yu still doted on Cai Xuan, not only frequently visiting her but also favoring the women she recommended.

This gave Cai Xuan considerable power in the harem.

Some even speculated that Cai Xuan was the second Liu Qingjing and would eventually seize the position of Empress from Zheng Xiansu.

Therefore, Qiao could understand Wei's lack of confidence, and she continued to persuade Wei: "It's alright. If I can successfully serve the emperor in the future, I will definitely find an opportunity to recommend you to His Majesty and teach you how to serve him in the emperor's bedchamber."

Lady Wei was twenty-one years old, which was no longer considered young among the palace maids. She was truly afraid that she would never have the chance to serve the emperor again and would be forced to leave the palace after she turned twenty-five.

Like Wang Wen and other palace women who were unwilling to leave the harem, Lady Wei had long been accustomed to life in the harem and was unwilling to return to her impoverished home.

"Sigh! I can only hope that you will help me out now."

Just then, someone shouted, "Her Majesty has returned to the palace!"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qiao and Mrs. Wei quickly went out to join the others in greeting them.

To the surprise of Lady Qiao and Lady Wei, not only did Zheng Xiansu return from burning incense and praying to Buddha, but Zhao Yu also came.

Mrs. Qiao and Mrs. Wei exchanged a furtive glance: "What's going on?!"

……

Let's rewind to this morning.

Today is the first day of the lunar month, and because he is about to give birth, Zheng Xiansu decided to personally go to Daxiangguo Temple to burn incense and pray for a child.

Zheng Xiansu only invited Wang Yisu, who was also pregnant with her second child, intending to keep a low profile.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yu still found out about this.

To Zheng Xiansu's surprise, Zhao Yu turned down many official duties and accompanied her and Wang Yisu to the Daxiangguo Temple.

Zhao Yu also heard Ye Shiyun tell the rumor that "Cai Xuan is the second Liu Qingjing, and will seize Zheng Xiansu's position as empress sooner or later."

This is definitely nonsense.

Zhao Yu's first, and perhaps only, principle in choosing an empress was virtue.

Cai Xuan was strong-willed, reckless, and flamboyant, which did not meet Zhao Yu's requirements for an empress.

To put it bluntly, even if Zhao Yu had chosen Zhang Chun as his empress, he wouldn't have chosen her.

Moreover, there are a large group of more suitable candidates ahead of Zhang Chun, including Liu Mingda, Zhang Nan, and Han Yu.

However, the fact that such news could even circulate indicates that Zheng Xiansu is indeed under considerable pressure; otherwise, no one would dare to spread such rumors and challenge Zheng Xiansu's authority.

In almost every other aspect, Jung Hyun-suk is impeccable; her only problem is that she has no son.

Zhao Yu keenly realized that if Zheng Xiansu could not give birth to a son this time, and if he did not interfere with and protect Zheng Xiansu, there was a possibility that some audacious person might follow Liu Qingjing's example and challenge the position of Empress. In that case, his harem might become as chaotic as Zhao Xu's harem.

Given this, Zhao Yu would certainly support Zheng Xiansu to the end, leaving no opportunity for any ambitious individuals.

Seeing that Zhao Yu had appeared again at this crucial moment and had not disappointed her, Zheng Xiansu felt much more at ease.

Even Zheng Xiansu felt that whether or not to worship Buddha was meaningless.

Because praying to Buddha was not as effective as Zhao Yu's strong support for her.

After all, there were quite a few empresses who lost power even though they had sons.

As long as Zhao Yu is willing to continue supporting her, even if she can't give birth to a son, she will definitely be able to remain as empress in peace and stability.

Therefore, Zheng Xiansu was very relaxed and happy during the rest of his Buddhist pilgrimage.

Zheng Xiansu put his arm around Zhao Yu's arm, and the two admired one by one the calligraphy works left by famous people at the Daxiangguo Temple.

Next, Zheng Xiansu burned incense and prayed to Buddha for a son.

After that, Zhao Yu did not urge Zheng Xiansu to leave, but patiently accompanied her to browse the bookstalls at Daxiangguo Temple and bought her many books she liked.

Later, Zheng Xiansu felt that they were occupying these stalls, preventing the vendors from making money and preventing pilgrims and tourists who wanted to visit the Daxiangguo Temple from entering, which was suspected of disturbing the peace, and advised Zhao Yu to return to the palace as soon as possible.

Otherwise, they might have spent the whole day at the Xiangguo Temple.

To be honest, Zheng Xiansu also wanted to spend a whole day with Zhao Yu at the Daxiangguo Temple, she really wanted to, but she knew very well that she could not indulge in personal pleasure and ignore her duties and etiquette as the head of the harem.

Therefore, despite his longing to spend time with Zhao Yu, Jeong Hyeon-suk wisely chose to withdraw at the right time, prioritizing the overall situation.

Zhao Yu liked Zheng Xiansu's character, who always put the big picture first, so he naturally gave Zheng Xiansu this opportunity to make a name for himself.

Moreover, Zhao Yu believed that as long as this matter spread throughout the palace, it would be enough to demonstrate his favor towards Zheng Xiansu and let everyone know that no one could shake Zheng Xiansu's position as empress, even if she could not bear a son.

Back in the palace, Zheng Xiansu assumed that Zhao Yu would go about his own business, since Zhao Yu still had memorials to review that day.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu ordered Liu Mingda to take people to move the memorial to Kunning Palace, and said to Zheng Xiansu, "I will be resting here with you for the time being, accompanying you as you give birth to this child."

Zheng Xiansu immediately understood that Zhao Yu was making thorough preparations in advance in case she gave birth to another daughter, in order to consolidate her position, provide her with the strongest support, and allow her to give birth to the child with peace of mind.

A warm feeling welled up in Zheng Xiansu's heart, his eyes slightly reddening, but he tried hard not to let the tears fall. He simply nodded slightly, his voice trembling with a barely perceptible sob: "Thank you, Your Majesty..."

……

(End of this chapter)