I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 217 Zhang Chun Makes Empty Promises to Li Qingzhao

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"Ah...it hurts..."

It hurt, but Li Qingzhao dared not cry out.

Li Qingzhao wanted to cry but had no tears.

At this moment, Li Qingzhao felt only regret and endless resentment towards Zhao Yu.

'Wine has misled me, causing me immense harm; it has even led to me, a respectable woman, being branded as a punishment!'

Tattooing is usually a form of punishment where specific patterns or words are pierced into the face, forehead, or other parts of the body of a prisoner using a knife or other sharp tools. Then, ink or other pigments are applied to the wounds, leaving permanent marks after they heal.

Tattooing as punishment appeared at the end of primitive society, and at that time it was mainly used as a means of punishing prisoners of war from other tribes.

During the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, tattooing was officially included among the five punishments and became a commonly used form of punishment.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the use of tattooing as punishment became more widespread. For example, the Qin dynasty stipulated that tattooing was a common punishment for crimes such as theft.

After the Sui and Tang dynasties, the status of tattooing as a form of punishment in the law declined, but it was still used in some special circumstances.

During the Song Dynasty, tattooing was widely revived and often used to punish criminals or people of low social status, such as soldiers (it was abolished after Zhao Yu ascended the throne).

From the rulers' perspective, tattooing was used to punish crimes, causing criminals physical pain and mental humiliation. On the other hand, by tattooing words on the faces of criminals, they were made easily identifiable, thus preventing recidivism and serving as a warning to others.

For prisoners, the stigma of tattooing is lifelong, severely impacting their social status and lives. Even after release, the marks on their faces can lead to severe discrimination and make it difficult for them to reintegrate into normal society.

Li Qingzhao never imagined that one day she would suffer such a lifelong form of discrimination.

The only thing that made Li Qingzhao feel fortunate was that the tattooing punishment was not inflicted on her face, but in a place that outsiders could not see. Otherwise, she would have no face to live in this world.

Even more tragically, after being tortured, Li Qingzhao had to serve the emperor in bed along with Zhang Chun, Li Lin, Ye Shiyun, Ma Xiaojiao, and Yuan Qingcheng.

It was precisely because of this night when she served the emperor that Li Qingzhao, who was originally extremely depressed and indignant, discovered something she never expected!

—The five women also had tattoos on their bodies!
Li Qingzhao examined them closely and found that each of the five women had the character "俣" on the left and the character "奴" on the right.

Li Qingzhao was very clever; she immediately realized that things were not so simple.

So, in the middle of the night, Li Qingzhao tiptoed out of bed, then asked the palace maid serving her for a lantern and two mirrors, went to the latrine, took off her pants and looked!
'Exactly the same!!!'

Li Qingzhao had confirmed that she had been deceived. Zhao Yu and his accomplices had played her for a fool; they were toying with her!
Li Qingzhao immediately returned to the bedside, then looked at Zhao Yu, thinking about how he had shown no mercy to her and insisted on branding her, ignoring her pleas, and how he had been so despicable when he personally inflicted the punishment on her. She wished she could rush onto the bed and bite Zhao Yu hard.

At this moment, the female guard on night watch looked at Li Qingzhao, who seemed somewhat unusual.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhao, not wanting to cause trouble, quickly went to bed.

Seeing that Yuan Qingcheng had briefly left Zhao Yu's embrace by turning over to adjust her sleeping position, Li Qingzhao quickly crawled over to claim this precious spot and hugged Zhao Yu tightly.

By the time Yuan Qingcheng adjusted her posture and wanted to hug Zhao Yu, it was too late. She could only hold Li Qingzhao as if she were Zhao Yu…

……

The next day, after getting up early, Li Qingzhao found an opportunity to pull the most honest Ma Xiaojiao aside and asked her, "Why were we branded?"

Ma Xiaojiao joined the others in teasing Li Qingzhao, saying, "It is because she committed a crime and was punished that she received this reward."

Li Qingzhao's eyes darted around, and she asked, "What crime have you committed?"

"I……"

Ma Xiaojiao stammered, "I... committed... um... the crime of deceiving the emperor."

Seeing that Ma Xiaojiao couldn't even lie clearly, how could Li Qingzhao not know that she had guessed correctly?
Li Qingzhao used a strategy of retreat to advance: "I thought I was closest to you, sister, and came to you first to ask for your advice. But I didn't expect you to tease me like that. I guess I asked the wrong person. I won't ask anymore."

Ma Xiaojiao softened for a moment and said, "Okay, okay, I'll tell you."

Li Qingzhao continued her manipulative act: "Sister, please don't make things difficult for me."

Ma Xiaojiao rolled her eyes at Li Qingzhao and said, "If you want to blame someone, blame Sister Chun. She saw Xiao Puxian being so frivolous..."

Li Qingzhao interrupted Ma Xiaojiao: "What does 'scroll' mean?"

Ma Xiaojiao explained to Li Qingzhao: "The so-called 'scrolling' is close to 'competing without restraint, striving without end.' People compete fiercely in learning, career, and all sorts of things, fearing they will fall behind. It's like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds, unstoppable, but it goes too far and becomes disorderly. They exert themselves to the utmost, resulting in physical and mental exhaustion, yet they still don't stop. Just like the saying 'when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits,' the competition among people is similar, wasting energy without necessarily achieving a good result. This state of 'scrolling,' although it has the intention to advance, lacks peace and is not 'harmonious yet different, competing with moderation.'"

Li Qingzhao understood, and she asked, "But is it that Consort Zhang is competing with Consort Xiao, and I'm just an innocent bystander?"

Ma Xiaojiao said irritably, "We are all innocent bystanders."

After Ma Xiaojiao's explanation, Li Qingzhao learned that it was because Xiao Puxian had become too effeminate after arriving, which made Zhang Chun feel a deep sense of crisis.

So Zhang Chun found an opportunity to persuade Zhao Yu to tattoo the words "Yu Nu" on her buttocks, saying that she was Zhao Yu's slave to show her loyalty and to please Zhao Yu in order to turn the tables.

Crucially, Zhang Chun not only did this herself, but she also persuaded Zhao Yu to tattoo the words "Yu Nu" on the buttocks of all the concubines she liked.

The first victims were the other four women.

To be honest, the four women didn't want to suffer this ordeal at first.

Moreover, as modern people, how could the four women not know what it meant to do this?
Ye Shiyun immediately retorted bluntly to Zhang Chun: "Why don't you just have the officials tattoo succubi on our lower abdomens!"

Yuan Qingcheng also firmly objected: "If you want to be a slave, then be one, but don't drag me into it. I don't have that kind of hobby!"

Ma Xiaojiao chimed in, "Tattoos hurt so much, I'm not getting one!" Even Li Lin said, "Soldiers like to get tattoos because they're afraid that if they die in battle, their faces will be damaged and they won't be able to identify themselves, preventing their bodies from returning to their hometowns. Tattoos serve as a way to identify themselves and ensure they can return to their roots. Why would we get tattoos? Besides, you want us to get those two words tattooed on our bodies? Aren't you ashamed?!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Chun said leisurely, "I think the Emperor really likes this style. He even said he wants to tattoo these two characters on all his favorite concubines. At that time, it won't be a matter of who has them and who is embarrassed, but rather who doesn't have them and who is embarrassed."

Feeling that this statement lacked impact, Zhang Chun added, "Furthermore, if I were the emperor, I would think, 'If this woman is not even willing to endure this little bit of pain for me, then she certainly doesn't deserve my favor. I should banish her to the cold palace.'"

Since Zhang Chun had said that, the four girls immediately backed down and could only obediently go to Zhao Yu, saying that the two characters on Zhang Chun's butt were really pretty and they wanted the same ones.

After hearing this, Li Qingzhao angrily said, "Consort Zhang has done me a great disservice!"

Ma Xiaojiao comforted Li Qingzhao, saying, "It is human nature to want to possess what one loves, so one must mark it to make it known. Even the Emperor, though supreme, is not immune to this. Besides, choosing a hidden place on the buttocks and thighs for the tattoo will not attract outside attention, so there is no need to worry about it. The Emperor can do as he pleases."

Looking around and seeing no one there, Ma Xiaojiao lowered her voice and said to Li Qingzhao, "The same goes for the Empress, Consort Wang, and Consort Guo. Consort Zhang, Consort Cai, and others begged the Emperor for a long time before he personally tattooed these two characters on their foreheads."

Upon hearing that Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, Guo Ting, and others also had this tattoo, and that Zhang Nan, Cai Xuan, and others had begged many times to get such a tattoo, Li Qingzhao immediately stopped being angry.

Moreover, Li Qingzhao not only stopped being angry, but also suddenly felt a little proud because she had the same tattoos as the five women, Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, Guo Ting, Zhang Nan, Cai Xuan and other concubines who were favored by Zhao Yu.

After figuring out all the causes and consequences, when Li Qingzhao saw Zhao Yu again, that is, when she was having breakfast with Zhao Yu, her eyes were filled with a tender, almost seductive look.

Li Qingzhao knew what good deeds she had done, which was one of the reasons why she obediently lay there and accepted everything despite her unwillingness to be branded.

Unexpectedly, despite Li Qingzhao's disgraceful actions, Zhao Yu not only did not punish her, but also personally tattooed a precious tattoo on her, a symbol of his affection.

This filled Li Qingzhao with an indescribable sense of emotion and secret joy. She thought to herself, 'Perhaps I hold a place in the Emperor's heart; even my drunken misbehavior doesn't seem to have diminished his affection in the slightest.'

Seeing that Li Qingzhao wasn't eating her breakfast properly and was just staring at him, Zhao Yu asked with a stern face, "Is there something on my face that would make you stop eating and stare at me?"

Li Qingzhao, who was not particularly afraid of Zhao Yu to begin with, became even bolder now. She actually teased Zhao Yu in return, saying, "Your Majesty's dragon-like bearing and phoenix-like beauty are incomparable to ordinary flowers. When I look at you, my heart is filled with longing, and I lose my appetite. That is why I can't stop gazing at you."

If Li Qingzhao dared to joke with him, how could Zhao Yu not know? She must know what that tattoo was all about.
Zhao Yu thought to himself, 'Looks like they still haven't learned their lesson.'

Thinking of this, Zhao Yu said to Zhang Chun, "Take her there later."

After saying this, Zhao Yu gave Li Qingzhao a meaningful look, and then continued eating by himself.

As the saying goes, it's not the shock that's scary, it's the lack of knowledge.

With Zhao Yu acting like this, how could Li Qingzhao possibly eat?

Li Qingzhao regretted it a little. If she had known that Zhao Yu couldn't take a joke, she wouldn't have teased him. She wanted to ask Zhao Yu, "Is it too late for me to take back what I just said?" But Zhao Yu didn't give her that chance.

After finishing breakfast, Zhao Yu left without saying anything more.

After seeing Zhao Yu off, Li Qingzhao immediately asked Zhang Chun, "Where did the Emperor ask you to take me, elder sister?"

Zhang Chun said with a forced smile, "You'll find out when you get there."

After that, no matter how Li Qingzhao asked, Zhang Chun wouldn't say anything, and the other four women didn't know what was going on either.

Helpless, Li Qingzhao could only anxiously wait for Zhang Chun to finish tidying up and take her to the partially completed Yanfu Palace.

We arrived at the north corner of Yanfu Palace.

Here stands a three-tiered pavilion with a golden plaque bearing the three seal characters "Chongwen Pavilion".

The building features soaring eaves reaching for the clouds, with dragon-head ornaments poised to take flight. The entire building is constructed with steel reinforcement, cement as its frame, and glass as its windows. The carved railings are adorned with dragon patterns, the corridors are inlaid with mica, and the glass doors are two zhang wide, exuding an imperial grandeur.

Stepping into the pavilion, one is greeted by a domed ceiling painted with the twenty-eight constellations. Nine-tiered sandalwood bookshelves, several meters high, encircle the walls, requiring a vermilion-lacquered ladder to reach the books. Classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections are arranged by category, with hemp paper scrolls wrapped in brocade covers, and the air filled with the fragrance of rue to repel insects and bookworms. Hundreds of glass windows are specially designed, and Huizhou ink and Duan inkstones are laid out on pear wood tables for people to copy and annotate.

This place is actually a library.

Now that they were at this point, Zhang Chun stopped beating around the bush and bluntly told Li Qingzhao, "This campaign against Liao and Xia yielded over ten thousand ancient texts, historical records, inscriptions, oracle bones, and antiques. The Emperor has no intention of allowing the cultures of both regions to perish..."

After Zhao Yu recovered the eleven prefectures of Yanyun and Western Xia, including the earlier recovery of Qingtang, even though he implemented the Han-style reform in these three regions, he did not completely destroy their culture. Instead, he ordered that all written records from these three places be transported back to Bianliang (Kaifeng) for safekeeping.

However, Zhao Yu worried that after a few generations, no one might understand the local language or culture anymore. After all, the Song Dynasty had killed most of the high-ranking officials, gentry, wealthy families, and powerful clans in these areas. The remaining people fled the areas where they had once lorded over the country in order to survive and began to live in anonymity.

In this situation, if another one or two hundred years pass, some of the cultural treasures that Zhao Yu painstakingly collected may be completely lost in the long river of history because no one can interpret them.

Therefore, Zhao Yu planned to arrange for these things to be compiled and translated into Chinese characters so that they could be passed down.

Li Qingzhao was the person chosen by Zhao Yu.

Emperor Zhao Yu planned to have Li Qingzhao lead the women in his harem to do this, which would also give them something to do and prevent them from having nothing to do and engaging in palace intrigue.

Of course, this is also because Zhao Yu's harem had women from all walks of life, and many of them were familiar with their respective cultures, which was a condition that was not available outside.

After hearing Zhang Chun relay Zhao Yu's request for her to do, Li Qingzhao's eyes lit up. She thought to herself, 'Isn't this about continuing the lost learning of the sages? This is one of the greatest wishes of all scholars!'

Li Qingzhao hurriedly asked, "Does the Emperor really intend for me to take responsibility for this matter?"

"This matter should have been handled by Her Majesty the Empress. However, firstly, Her Majesty the Empress has been staying at home lately and does not want to be in the limelight. Secondly, Her Majesty the Empress has important matters to oversee in the palace and to teach the Crown Prince, so she has no time for this matter. Therefore, I recommended you to His Majesty. His Majesty also thinks you are quite talented and has decided to appoint you."

After a pause, Zhang Chun continued, "You should know that this is something that all of us scholars aspire to. If we were to recruit from outside, countless great scholars would come uninvited. Now that you are in charge, you must not disappoint the Emperor's good intentions."

Li Qingzhao was overjoyed and quickly said, "I will do my best and will never let the Emperor down. Thank you for your guidance, Sister!"

Zhang Chun nodded and then gave Li Qingzhao a piece of advice: "If you do this well, when similar matters arise in our Great Song Dynasty, you will surely be in charge again. I will then petition the Emperor to gather all the literature from various fields of our Great Song Dynasty, including classics, history, philosophy, literature, astronomy, geography, yin and yang, medicine, divination, Buddhist and Taoist scriptures, drama, crafts, and agriculture, to compile a 'Hongwu Encyclopedia.' At that time, you can be the chief editor, leading the scholars to promote the glory of our Chinese civilization, leaving a lasting legacy and a place in history..."

……

(End of this chapter)