I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 15: Don’t let down the beautiful woman (Happy New Year, brothers!!!)

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Before the blush on Zheng Xiansu's face faded, Empress Dowager Xiang and her entourage arrived at the front hall.

Zheng Xiansu was so frightened that he quickly lowered his head, his heart beating like a deer, "Bang, bang, bang" non-stop!!!
Wang Yisu used his body to block Zheng Xiansu without leaving any trace, buying Zheng Xiansu time to recover.

After a pause, Zheng Xiansu secretly glanced at Zhao Ya, who seemed to be fine, and thought to himself with some resentment: "This enemy is too bold!"

At the same time, Zheng Xiansu, who always abided by the rules of etiquette, felt an unprecedented strange emotion in his heart.

How to describe this emotion?
To put it simply and bluntly, this kind of stimulation made Zheng Xiansu a little intoxicated!
When Empress Dowager Xiang and her entourage entered, Zhao Ya immediately spotted Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng, who were walking at the back. Just like last time, each of them was holding a fan.

Zhao Ya's gaze did not linger on Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng for too long.

As soon as Empress Dowager Xiang came in, Zhao Ya went to greet her.

Unlike the original owner who was full of fear of Queen Dowager Xiang and dared not even speak in front of her, Zhao Ya had no fear of Queen Dowager Xiang at all.

When he came before Empress Dowager Xiang, Zhao Ya did not perform the proper salute. Instead, he directly signaled the palace maid who was supporting Empress Dowager Xiang to move aside, and personally helped Empress Dowager Xiang walk towards her throne.

The Empress Dowager Xiang said calmly, "Why, after sharing my worries, you're taking advantage of me?"

If it was the original owner, after hearing what Empress Dowager Xiang said, she would definitely be so scared that she would kneel down and say she didn't dare.

Zhao Ya, upon hearing these obviously probing words from the Empress Dowager, said bluntly, "In the past, I had not accomplished anything, and was ashamed to be close to you, my Queen Mother. Now, I share your joys and sorrows, like a vine clinging to a high branch, finding support. How could I not take this opportunity to draw closer to you? And I don't know why, but now, beside you, my Queen Mother, I feel so much closer. This overflowing admiration has made me forget myself for a moment."

The Empress Dowager Xiang laughed and scolded, "You are really good at striking the snake while it is still under attack."

Zhao Ya said with a flattering face, "I was just genuinely close to you, Queen Mother. Being by your side, I felt like I was bathed in spring breeze and felt happy. That's why I lost my composure. I hope you will forgive me."

The Queen Mother smiled even brighter: "Sharp teeth and sharp tongue."

Seeing that "Zhao Ya", who had been timid in front of Empress Dowager Xiang before, now dared to chat and laugh with her, the love in Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu's eyes became even stronger. At the same time, they became more confident and expectant about becoming Zhao Ya's princess and concubine.

After Zhao Ya helped Empress Dowager Xiang to sit on the throne, Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu walked to the left and right of Empress Dowager Xiang and stood there. Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng also began to fan her.

Only then did Zhao Ya pay his respects to Empress Dowager Xiang.

"Please sit down." He said to the Empress Dowager.

After hearing this, Zhao Ya found a chair closest to Empress Dowager Xiang and sat down.

At this time, Empress Dowager Xiang's face turned serious and she said, "Did you drive Chief Steward Qian to the western suburbs?"

When Zhao Ya heard this, he knew that Empress Dowager Xiang must have been investigating him a lot in the past few days.

Zhao Ya knew very well that Empress Dowager Xiang did not like people who abandoned them after they had done their work, and she hated ungrateful people even more, especially since Zhao Xu had liquidated a large number of old people from Gao Taotao's time.

Based on this understanding, Zhao Ya didn't mention that General Manager Qian was dishonest, liked to take advantage of his seniority, and was incompetent. Instead, he said helplessly, "General Manager Qian is loyal but lacks ability and experience in struggle. I have already offended Concubine Liu. With her vindictive nature, she will definitely seek revenge on me. If I leave General Manager Qian in charge of government affairs, there's no guarantee that Concubine Liu won't find any loopholes. To be on the safe side, I have no choice but to send General Manager Qian and all the hidden dangers away to prevent the enemy from taking advantage."

After hearing this, Empress Dowager Xiang's expression relaxed, and then she asked tentatively, "Since you know Concubine Liu's temperament, why did you conflict with her that day?"

Zhao Ya said righteously, "My biological mother passed away many years ago, and the late emperor passed away even earlier. Without the care of my mother, how could I have grown up? Crows repay their parents, lambs kneel to suckle; even animals do this, so how much more so humans?"

Empress Dowager Xiang felt extremely comfortable after hearing what Zhao Ya said.

In Empress Dowager Xiang's opinion, what Zhao Ya said must be the truth.

At the beginning, when Concubine Lin passed away, the original owner was only seven years old, and Zhao Si was only five years old. The two brothers and Zhao Ji, who was slightly older than them, were all under the care of Empress Dowager Xiang and did not get married until they were twelve years old.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that Zhao Ji, the original owner and Zhao Si were raised by Empress Dowager Xiang.

However, Zhao Ji had been eloquent, perceptive, and adept at pleasing Empress Dowager Xiang since childhood, and he excelled in every aspect. The original owner and Zhao Si were not only mediocre in every aspect, but one was deeply troubled and the other was taciturn. Naturally, Empress Dowager Xiang preferred Zhao Ji. But then again, Empress Dowager Xiang was also quite tolerable towards the original owner and Zhao Si.

——The Empress Dowager Xiang knew very well that although the royal family members had different relationships, they were all related to the reputation of the royal family and the stability of the court, so she tried her best to treat them equally.

In this way, Zhao Ya was grateful for her upbringing and felt at ease with the Empress Dowager.

Song Shenzong died early.

The son and daughter that Empress Dowager Xiang gave birth to Emperor Shenzong of Song in his early years died young.

Empress Dowager Xiang naturally became a lonely old woman with no one to rely on.

This is also Empress Dowager Xiang’s biggest weakness.

On the other hand, although Zhao Xu was able to defeat his other brothers to become the crown prince and eventually the emperor, and Empress Dowager Xiang made great contributions, Zhao Xu was obviously closer to his biological mother, Concubine Zhu, and was only moderately respectful to Empress Dowager Xiang.

This not only put Empress Dowager Xiang in an awkward position, but she also had to be on guard against the possibility that her position as Empress Dowager might be taken away by Concubine Dowager Zhu due to the conspiracy of someone with ulterior motives.

This also made Empress Dowager Xiang regretful that she had made Zhao Xu, her biological mother, the crown prince.

It was also because of this that Empress Dowager Xiang changed her attitude towards Zhao Ji, who had no biological mother, and raised him as her own son so that she would not be left without support in her old age.

However, Zhao Ji's performance in Funing Palace really hurt Empress Dowager Xiang's heart, especially when compared with Zhao Ya.

Now Zhao Ya is so grateful and repays his kindness.

This allowed Empress Dowager Xiang to finally feel a little comfort in the midst of this undercurrent of palace struggle.

"Strong winds reveal strong grass, and turbulent times reveal loyal ministers!"

Empress Dowager Xiang looked at Zhao Ya with a hint of hope in her eyes. She said to Zhao Ya, "I am very pleased that you are so sensible. The situation in the palace is changing rapidly. You and I, mother and son, need to support each other and overcome the difficulties together."

Zhao Ya immediately declared: "I will follow your mother's lead and will not allow anyone to bully her!"

Empress Dowager Xiang smiled and nodded: "Very good, very good, it is worth it that I have raised my son for ten years."

After feeling greatly relieved, Empress Dowager Xiang reminded Zhao Ya: "The current situation is complicated. Concubine Liu and the New Party are eyeing you covetously. You must not act impulsively. You should plan carefully before taking any action."

Zhao Ya replied, "I understand. I must be careful in what I say and do, and not give the enemy any opportunity to exploit."

He nodded approvingly to the Queen Mother and then asked, "What brings you here?"

When Queen Mother Xiang asked about the reason for Zhao Ya's visit, Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu's hearts suddenly jumped into their throats!!!
Yes.

Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu felt that Zhao Ya had not lied to them, but really wanted to marry them as princesses.

But what if Zhao Ya was lying? Or, what if Zhao Ya was just deceiving their feelings and taking their bodies?

This kind of thing has happened before, and there is no guarantee that it will not happen to them.

The key point is that Zhao Ya just kissed and touched Zheng Xiansu, which directly reached third base. If Zhao Ya does not marry Zheng Xiansu, then Zheng Xiansu will have no other way to go except death.

Also, after all, they are just small female officials. Their families have never produced high-ranking officials, and their family backgrounds are not prominent. They are not qualified to be princesses at all. Would Empress Dowager Xiang agree to let Zhao Ya marry them as princesses?

Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu, especially the former, stared at Zhao Ya with extreme nervousness, their hands unconsciously clenching the corners of their clothes, but they still pretended to be calm.

Fortunately, Zhao Ya did not disappoint Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu. He rushed to the Queen Mother and bowed, saying, "I have come here to ask for marriage from the Queen Mother..."

……

(End of this chapter)