I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 267 Zhao Yu and Yuan Qingcheng reconcile accounts
...

It took Yuan Qingcheng a great deal of effort to superimpose Zhao Yu's young, handsome, and imposing face with the delivery guy's terrified and slightly greasy face.

'They really are the same person!'

Even after receiving confirmation from Zhao Yu himself, Yuan Qingcheng still found it hard to believe.

Seeing only shock and no surprise on Yuan Qingcheng's face, Zhao Yu knew that he had guessed correctly. This meticulous woman, Yuan Qingcheng, had indeed guessed that he was also a time traveler, and she should have even guessed his original identity.

Zhao Yu was deeply disappointed. He truly hadn't expected that a single bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall would expose his identity, which he had kept hidden for twelve years. "Stephen Chow has really done me a disservice!" he thought.

After a long while, Yuan Qingcheng silently walked up to Zhao Yu, then slowly squatted down and reached out to untie Zhao Yu's belt.

Yuan Qingcheng's eyes were filled with deep grievance, which she made no attempt to hide.

This is understandable.

Yuan Qingcheng had always believed that what she and Zhao Yu had was love. She gave herself to Zhao Yu because she loved him, and that she gave birth to five children for him over the course of more than ten years. She also spared no effort in helping Zhao Yu develop high-yield grains and cultivate high-yield and delicious fruits and vegetables.

In the end, it turned out to be a deception. All of this was a carefully planned scheme by Zhao Yu, and she was completely kept in the dark.

'In the end, it was all in vain!'

How could a proud woman like Yuan Qingcheng not feel wronged and resentful?

The crucial point is that Zhao Yu's disguise has now been exposed by her. Not only has Zhao Yu not apologized to her, but he has also used his current status as emperor to oppress and humiliate her.

Yes.

You, Zhao Yu, are the emperor in this life, and I, Yuan Qingcheng, am your concubine in this life.

In my previous life, you, Zhao Yu, were just a food delivery driver, while I, Yuan Qingcheng, was a superstar influencer with tens of millions of followers. I earned more in a day than you did in a year. My suitors were all rich kids, sons of officials, or talented young men, including wealthy businessmen and popular celebrities. And you? In your previous life, you rode your electric scooter through the streets, your mind preoccupied with how much you'd be penalized for being late, and whether to eat instant noodles or spicy hot pot for your next meal. You didn't even have the right to pursue me.

What makes you so great? What gives you the right to be so arrogant?!

The crucial point is that even though you were so despicable in your past life, I was still defiled by you, bore your children, and shared your life with a whole bunch of other women.

I've already suffered so much, and you still bully me! Waaah... Don't you have any conscience?!
Yuan Qingcheng's hands trembled with resentment as she tried to untie Zhao Yu's belt, yet she persisted in doing so. Every movement seemed to tell of her inner struggle and unwillingness, yet she stubbornly continued to untie Zhao Yu's belt, as if trying to unravel the emotional entanglement she had shared with him over the years, thread by thread, until everything was clear.

Of course, this was also because Yuan Qingcheng feared the power of Emperor Zhao Yu, and was afraid that Zhao Yu would punish her, or even kill her here and bury her in the fertilizer.

Just as Yuan Qingcheng was about to untie Zhao Yu's belt, Zhao Yu reached out and grabbed Yuan Qingcheng's slender, boneless hand.

Yuan Qingcheng didn't look up, but stopped what she was doing. Tears silently streamed down her face, dripping onto Zhao Yu's clothes and spreading out in ripples.

Yuan Qingcheng didn't want Zhao Yu, that despicable man, to see her weakness, so she tried to ask in a calm tone, "Does Your Majesty no longer need me to serve you?"

Zhao Yu didn't argue with Yuan Qingcheng, but instead reached out and helped her up.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Qingcheng didn't appreciate it. She turned her head to the side, refusing to look at Zhao Yu or let him see her red eyes and tears.

Zhao Yu still didn't argue with Yuan Qingcheng. Instead, he admired Yuan Qingcheng's extremely aggrieved yet timid demeanor and asked, "Do you feel wronged?"

Yuan Qingcheng remained silent, tacitly agreeing with Zhao Yu's words, 'I'm truly wronged; you're bullying me too much!'

To everyone's surprise, Zhao Yu said, "You only think about your own grievances, but have you ever considered that I am also wronged?"

'What the hell? You're upset?!'

'Did I hear that right?!'

"You've ruined all five of us, making us all bear you several children. We've all been your slaves, helping you stabilize your empire and expand your territory. Oh, and you've also slept with thousands of beauties, like a stud, fathering hundreds of children. Soon you'll complete the unification, becoming a great emperor comparable to Liu Che and Li Shimin, reaping both fame and fortune, surrounded by beauties. And you're still complaining? Complaining my foot! You've got all the benefits. We five are practically transported here just for you, okay?!"

It would have been better if Zhao Yu hadn't said those words; hearing Zhao Yu's shamelessness made Yuan Qingcheng furious.

To be honest, Zhao Yu also felt that he was being hypocritical, having gotten a good deal but pretending to be innocent.

But now that things have come to this, Zhao Yu definitely has to force the issue, otherwise he might lose Yuan Qingcheng, a woman who is still very useful.

So, even though he knew Yuan Qingcheng would be angry to hear him say that, Zhao Yu still said it, and continued according to his own line of thought: "In your eyes, the five of you have gained quite a few benefits with your help..."

Yuan Qingcheng couldn't help but turn around and look into Zhao Yu's eyes, questioning, "Isn't that right?"

Zhao Yu met Yuan Qingcheng's gaze and admitted, "Yes, you have helped me a lot, giving me the opportunity to become a great emperor."

Seeing that Zhao Yu acknowledged their contributions, Yuan Qingcheng felt much better. She asked, "Then why did you say you were wronged?"

Zhao Yu sat down on the edge of the field, then patted the edge next to him, gesturing for Yuan Qingcheng to sit down as well, and that they could talk later.

Yuan Qingcheng remained unmoved, making it clear: "I haven't forgiven you yet, so don't get so close to me!"

In his previous life, Zhao Yu was bombarded with all sorts of love stories for over twenty years because he had to deal with romantic relationships while writing novels; in this life, he has experienced thousands of women, so how could he not understand women?
Sometimes you can't reason with some women, otherwise they'll easily lead you by the nose and keep arguing. You can try being a little domineering, which might have a surprising effect. After all, many women like domineering CEOs.

In this situation, seeing that Yuan Qingcheng was still being stubborn with him, Zhao Yu directly reached out and grabbed Yuan Qingcheng's hand, pulling her back.

For many years, Zhao Yu had been in a superior-subordinate relationship with Yuan Qingcheng, which meant that even in a fit of rage, Yuan Qingcheng dared not disobey Zhao Yu. Therefore, when Zhao Yu pulled her, Yuan Qingcheng obediently sat down next to him.

At this point, Zhao Yu said, "But what you see is only what happened after I achieved fame and success. What about before? Don't forget, this throne should not have been mine in the first place."

Hearing Zhao Yu say this, Yuan Qingcheng remembered that the throne originally belonged to Zhao Ji. If it weren't for these people traveling through time, Zhao Yu would just be a leisurely prince.

Yuan Qingcheng was the relatively calm one among the five women. Moreover, Yuan Qingcheng also wanted to hear what grievances Zhao Yu, who had taken almost all the benefits, had.
After Yuan Qingcheng was seated, Zhao Yu said, "The first problem I faced when I transmigrated was that, in order to prevent the Jingkang Incident from happening again, I had to seize the throne from Zhao Ji."

Yuan Qingcheng nodded secretly, thinking that Zhao Yu knew how to grasp the key points.

"In this matter, can the five of you help me? And have you actually helped me?" Zhao Yu asked.

Yuan Qingcheng wanted to say, 'Why didn't we help you? We…'

But as the words were about to come out, Yuan Qingcheng realized that their greatest contribution to Zhao Yu's ascension to the throne was that Zhang Chun used divination techniques to persuade Zhao Yu to compete with Zhao Ji for the throne, and that was it.

Since Zhao Yu was also a time traveler, how could he not know what Zhang Chun's divination technique was all about?

In other words, even if Zhang Chun did not allow Zhao Yu to compete with Zhao Ji for the throne, Zhao Yu would definitely have to fight Zhao Ji for the throne in order to avoid being killed by Zhao Ji and buried in a manger.

Therefore, to say that Zhang Chun helped Zhao Yu in the struggle between Zhao Yu and Zhao Ji for the throne is a bit of an exaggeration for Zhang Chun.

As for the four of them? At that time, they were just lowly palace maids in the Empress Dowager's palace, with no autonomy whatsoever. How could they possibly get involved in the struggle for the throne between Zhao Yu and Zhao Ji?

Therefore, Yuan Qingcheng could not refute the facts stated by Zhao Yu.

Seeing that Yuan Qingcheng was speechless, Zhao Yu continued, "At that time, not only could you not help me, but I would also have to protect and take care of you. Otherwise, it would be a question whether you could even survive."

Yuan Qingcheng was a little unconvinced. She said, "Don't look down on me. I admit we didn't help you back then, but we didn't hold you back, did we?"

Zhao Yu laughed: "You don't believe me?"

Yuan Qingcheng said with certainty, "I don't believe it."

"Then I'll just mention a few things, and you can be the judge," Zhao Yu said.

Yuan Qingcheng wouldn't admit defeat until she saw the coffin: "Tell me, I want to see how we've held you back?"

"The first thing Zhang Chun said to me when we first met was: 'The people of Wu will seize the imperial throne, and the court will change from this point on. In a few months, the emperor will be enthroned, and the dynasty will begin a new chapter.' Zhao Yu said, 'She immediately said that I would ascend the throne within a few months. At that time, Zhao Xu was still sitting on the dragon throne perfectly fine. If she had encountered the original owner of this body instead of me, wouldn't she have been courting death? Wouldn't she have killed you all?'"

Yuan Qingcheng was dumbfounded! She knew Zhang Chun wasn't actually very bright, but she never expected Zhang Chun to do something so stupid. 'Good heavens! Has her brain gone mad? She almost got me killed!'

"The second person I contacted was Jiao Jiao. You know her, big breasts and no brains. The day after I slept with her, she sold you all out. You could say that at the time, she told me almost everything except that you were time travelers."

Yuan Qingcheng really wanted to slap her forehead. 'This is the kind of thing Jiaojiao would do.'

"The third person who contacted me was Li Lin. As soon as we met, she asked me if I wanted a strong army to help me conquer the world?"

Yuan Qingcheng really wanted to cover her burning face!

'That's so embarrassing.'

If Zhang Chun, Ma Xiaojiao, and Li Lin hadn't encountered Zhao Yu, and if Zhao Yu hadn't cleaned up their messes, who knows what would have happened to them.

At this point, Zhao Yu's tone changed: "It was through my meticulous planning and scheming that I managed to seize the throne from Zhao Ji. And since then, I have been secretly protecting you, taking care of you, and trying my best to help you realize your dreams. Tell me, who owes me, me or you?"

'this……'

When Yuan Qingcheng considered things from Zhao Yu's perspective, she realized that at least at the beginning of their transmigration, they were able to survive entirely thanks to Zhao Yu. Later, the five of them escaped their status as palace maids, which had almost tormented them to death, also thanks to Zhao Yu. They realized their self-worth, and that was also thanks to Zhao Yu.

Upon reflection, Yuan Qingcheng suddenly realized that it wasn't them who had helped Zhao Yu, but rather Zhao Yu who had been helping them all along.

'How could this be?' Yuan Qingcheng was dumbfounded.

However, Yuan Qingcheng was not so easily persuaded. She immediately retorted, "Even if it's as you say, it can only be considered a mutually beneficial relationship. You can't deny our contributions, can you? Besides, each of us has given birth to several children for you. We've been risking our lives for you every time."

"When have I ever denied your contributions? I also never said that you wouldn't give me children, that women were fighting to have my babies..."

Although Zhao Yu was telling the truth, Yuan Qingcheng felt a lump in her throat. She quickly interrupted Zhao Yu: "Since we have made such great contributions and risked our lives for you several times, why have you been lying to us? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

Zhao Yu spread his hands: "This isn't my fault."

"If not you, then who should we blame?" Yuan Qingcheng asked angrily.

Zhao Yu said leisurely, "Zhang Chun's nickname is 'Empress Dowager Chun,' right? If I'm not mistaken, her original plan was to first give birth to a son for me, then you guys would help her seize the position of Empress, help her son become the Crown Prince, and then kill me. She would then become the Empress Dowager, and at that time, she would rule from behind the curtain as the Empress Dowager, Li Lin would be in charge of military affairs, Shi Yun would be in charge of the economy, Jiao Jiao would be in charge of inventions, and you would be in charge of agriculture. My empire would then be yours. You would then follow Wu Zetian's example, taking in many male favorites and cuckolding me countless times. Am I wrong about you?"

Yuan Qingcheng was completely dumbfounded. She never expected that Zhao Yu would even know Zhang Chun's nickname, and based on Zhang Chun's nickname, he could almost guess all of Zhang Chun's plans. It can be said that, apart from the fact that they never thought of taking many male concubines to make Zhao Yu wear countless green hats, Zhao Yu really did not wrong Zhang Chun at all.

If Zhang Chun's plan had succeeded, given his temperament, he might have actually followed Wu Zetian's example and taken many male favorites. Therefore, Zhao Yu's accusation against Zhang Chun is not entirely unjust.

"We actually tried to outsmart a player who had their eyes open! Oh my god! We were so stupid, we almost got ourselves killed!!!"

At this moment, Zhao Yu looked down at Yuan Qingcheng and asked her leisurely, "If you were me, facing all of you like this, would you admit that you are also a time traveler?"

Yuan Qingcheng instantly lost all her bravado and shrank back into a ball. She thought to herself, 'If someone were to scheme against me like this, I'd have to be a fool to reveal my true colors!'

Upon thinking about it this way, Yuan Qingcheng immediately forgave Zhao Yu.

'Wait, it seems the question now isn't whether I forgive him or not, but whether he will forgive me?'

Having grasped the crux of the matter, Yuan Qingcheng quickly knelt before Zhao Yu and explained, "Your Majesty, these were all Zhang Chun's ideas. I never even considered such a treasonous thing..."

……

(End of this chapter)