I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 335 I still prefer your initial unruly self.
...

Speaking of which, it's hard to say whether Liu Mingjie was lucky to be adopted by Liu Qingjing.

It was Liu Qingjing's unreserved teaching of Liu Mingjie that enabled Liu Mingjie to acquire a wealth of skills, allowing her to maintain a place in Zhao Yu's harem despite Zhao Yu having so many women. She bore him three sons and one daughter, becoming a true winner in life among the women in Zhao Yu's harem.

On the other hand, even though Liu Mingjie has now become Zhao Yu's virtuous concubine, she still has to listen to Liu Qingjing.

Moreover, the daughter Liu Qingjing gave birth to for Zhao Yu was also registered under Liu Mingjie's name, and Liu Mingjie was responsible for raising her for Liu Qingjing.

Crucially, Liu Qingjing needed Liu Mingjie to handle all matters, big and small, in the palace, especially those concerning Zhao Yu. Liu Qingjing knew Zhao Yu didn't care about her, a woman who had eagerly climbed into his bed. Therefore, whenever she wanted to see Zhao Yu or ask him for a favor, she would have Liu Mingjie invite him. This significantly increased her chances of success.

The reason why Liu Mingjie was more able to persuade Zhao Yu was not because Zhao Yu listened to her every word, but because she was particularly good at speaking and always managed to speak to Zhao Yu's heart.

At this moment, Liu Mingjie said to Zhao Yu, "With Empress Meng and Empress Zheng watching over my Empress, how could she dare to have any unrealistic ambitions? However, Your Majesty has been away on this expedition for more than seven months, and my Empress has lost her pillar of support. Princess Yikang is also at the time of choosing a consort, so she asked me to come and see if Your Majesty has any time..."

Liu Mingjie's words implied that Liu Qingjing was either forcing Zhao Yu to take her as a concubine, or that she was very dependent on Zhao Yu and missed him because she hadn't seen him for a long time. Also, Liu Qingjing's daughter with Zhao Xu needed to choose a husband and she wanted Zhao Yu to help her make some suggestions. That was all.

Liu Mingjie also pointed out that with Meng Xiang and Zheng Xiansu suppressing Liu Qingjing, Liu Qingjing would not cause any trouble.

After hearing what Liu Mingjie said, Zhao Yu thought about it and decided to go see Liu Qingjing. After all, she was one of the widows left by the previous emperor, and her status and position were what they were. It would not be appropriate to leave her unsatisfied indefinitely.

So Zhao Yu and Liu Mingjie went to her courtyard.

Liu Mingjie personally cooked braised carp noodles for Zhao Yu, using carp that Zhao Yu had brought back from the Yellow River.

Throughout the entire harem, Zhao Yu only ate food prepared by a few women, one of whom was Liu Mingjie.

Liu Mingjie not only learned excellent cooking skills from Liu Qingjing, but she also specially went to Yuan Qingcheng to become her apprentice and learn cooking skills.

Therefore, when Yuan Qingcheng didn't have time to cook for Zhao Yu, she would sometimes have Liu Mingjie cook for her instead.

After having dinner at Liu Mingjie's place, Zhao Yu called over a few women and played a couple of rounds of the bandit killing game "invented" by Ye Shiyun (which was actually werewolf game).

After dark, Zhao Yu rested as usual and had Liu Mingjie and one of her original palace maids serve him in bed.

After the three finished their conversation, Zhao Yu dismissed everyone else, including the newlywed young woman, saying that all he wanted to do that night was sleep with Liu Mingjie in his arms.

Everyone in Liu Mingjie's palace knew that when Zhao Yu came to their palace, he would only hold Liu Mingjie and sleep with her. Therefore, even though the newlywed young woman was reluctant to leave, she could only turn back every three steps as she left.

After everyone had gone down, Liu Qingjing, wearing a thin, gossamer-like garment that subtly revealed her figure, eagerly crawled out of the tunnel.

—In Zhao Yu's harem, there are several secret passages. These were specially built by Zhao Yu when Yanfu Palace was constructed. Five of them lead to five Shenji Army camps (the Shenji Army members were unaware of these five secret passages). Two more were built from the original palace to Yanfu Palace. One of them is from Chongen Palace to Liu Mingjie's place.

As soon as Liu Qingjing crawled out of the tunnel, she immediately climbed onto the bed in a very seductive position.

Then, Liu Qingjing started smelling Zhao Yu's toes and went all the way up, looking quite pleased with herself.

Once she smelled Zhao Yu's face, Liu Qingjing wanted to take the opportunity to kiss him.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu tilted his head back and avoided Liu Qingjing's kiss.

Seeing this, Liu Qingjing was not angry. Instead, she shamelessly put her arm around Zhao Yu's waist, rested her face on his chest, and said in a soft voice, "Your Majesty has been gone for seven months. I have been waiting for Your Majesty's return. Your Majesty may not know, but since Your Majesty left, I have been eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers every day, asking Buddha to bless Your Majesty's safe return..."

Hearing Liu Qingjing "confess her love" to him here, Zhao Yu was half-believing and half-doubting Liu Qingjing's words, but he did not show it on his face. He just gently patted her hand on his waist, and his voice was calm with a hint of estrangement: "I know you are worried. Although this imperial expedition was full of twists and turns, I am glad to have returned safely. You don't need to worry anymore."

Liu Qingjing seemed oblivious to the indifference in his words, still clinging tightly to him, her voice soft and delicate: "After Your Majesty left, I dreamt of Your Majesty's return every night, but when I woke up, there was only an empty palace. That feeling was truly unbearable."

As she spoke, Liu Qingjing began to sob slightly, tears welling up in her eyes as if they might fall at any moment.

'Drama queen!'

Zhao Yu said somewhat impatiently, "Alright, stop crying. I've returned safely."

Hearing Zhao Yu say this, Liu Qingjing stopped crying, raised her tear-blurred face, looked at Zhao Yu with deep affection in her eyes: "Your Majesty, I do not ask that Your Majesty's achievements be the greatest in history, I only wish that Your Majesty be safe and live a long life, so that I may see Your Majesty forever."

Looking at Liu Qingjing like this, Zhao Yu thought to himself, 'I still prefer your initial rebellious self.'

"Alright, let's get down to business and stop with the sentimentality," Zhao Yu said slowly, trying to change the subject.

Unexpectedly, Liu Qingjing had no intention of giving up. She drew circles on Zhao Yu's chest with her index finger while saying in a slightly coquettish voice, "Your Majesty is very busy with state affairs, but I just can't help missing you!"

Zhao Yu knew that Liu Qingjing's greatest skill was providing emotional value to men and pleasing them; if he continued to get entangled with her, it would never end.

So Zhao Yu changed the subject again, saying, "Princess Yikang is not young anymore, it's time for her to marry. Which family's son do you fancy? I will decide for her."

When Zhao Yu brought up the matter of choosing a husband for her daughter, Liu Qingjing stopped arguing with him and quickly took the opportunity to say, "The five sons of Grand Tutor Cai and the eldest grandson of Grand Tutor Su are both suitable."

One is from a prime minister's family, and the other is from a privy councilor's family; both have a long and distinguished family tradition of scholarship. Liu Qingjing really dared to make such a choice.

However, judging from the candidates proposed by Liu Qingjing, she should no longer be involved in politics. Otherwise, she wouldn't only value power and influence, regardless of whether someone belongs to the New Party or the Old Party, since Cai Jing is from the New Party and Su Shi is from the Old Party.

However, emperors are inherently suspicious, and Zhao Yu was no exception. So, he said calmly, "How can a woman marry two husbands? Choose one of them, and I will issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage."

Liu Qingjing knew that Zhao Yu disliked her interference in politics.

Moreover, since Zhao Yu ascended the throne, the new faction no longer paid any attention to her, the former empress who had faded into obscurity; she was now completely detached from politics.

In this situation, Liu Qingjing decided to take a gamble and said, "Your Majesty, I have always admired the literary talent of Grand Tutor Su."

Seeing that Liu Qingjing chose to marry her daughter into the old party, Zhao Yu nodded secretly and said, "Su Shi is in good health and full of energy. He can serve as the Privy Councilor for another three to five years without any problem. He is also a master of poetry, calligraphy and painting. His grandson will surely be outstanding."

As he said this, Zhao Yu, who had been ignoring Liu Qingjing, finally reached out and put his arm around her slender waist. Liu Qingjing wasn't particularly politically astute, or even intelligent, but she understood men and knew how to please them. In her experience, as long as the emperor was pleased, one could get whatever one wanted.

The only problem is that Zhao Yu is not Zhao Xu; he would never and could never devote all his attention to her alone, which makes her somewhat regretful.

However, Zhao Yu also had something that Zhao Xu lacked: he was domineering and strong. This gave Liu Qingjing a completely different experience, allowing her to experience what a real woman is.

To be honest, Liu Qingjing didn't know if she was being too pathetic. Zhao Xu treated her so well, almost giving her the entire Song Dynasty, but she preferred Zhao Yu to mistreat her. No, that's not quite right either. If Zhao Yu could give her a kind look, she could be happy for months.

Sometimes Liu Qingjing wondered, 'Could it be that what Consort Ye said—that the stomach is the gateway to a man's heart—is true, then what is the gateway to a woman's heart?'

Anyway, ever since she tricked Zhao Yu into her life, Liu Qingjing has become increasingly infatuated with the time she spends with him.

The key point is that Liu Qingjing has nothing else to do right now, and if she doesn't want to think about Zhao Yu, what is she going to do?
So Liu Qingjing went to great lengths to be good to Zhao Yu, personally sewing him a dragon robe, making him dragon shoes, cooking him delicious meals, and so on...

Liu Qingjing was being far too attentive, which made Zhao Yu worry that this would expose their secret relationship, and that Liu Qingjing might take advantage of the situation and try to become his concubine.

In fact, Zhao Yu was wrong about Liu Qingjing.

It's true that Liu Qingjing was infatuated with Zhao Yu and pursued him relentlessly, but she never considered becoming one of Zhao Yu's concubines.

It's not because Liu Qingjing's status would decline, but because once she becomes Zhao Yu's concubine, she would be no different from Zhao Yu's thousands of concubines. How could she be as attractive to Zhao Yu as his sister-in-law?

As I said before, although Liu Qingjing is all looks and no brains, she understands men. She knows very well that no matter how Zhao Yu seems to be unwilling to talk to her, just because she is Zhao Yu's sister-in-law and because she used to suppress Zhao Yu a lot, unless she is really old and past her prime, Zhao Yu will definitely be sexually interested in her.

After all, who could refuse a woman with such a prestigious status being beneath them, at their mercy?
Seeing that Zhao Yu had finally embraced her, Liu Qingjing immediately coiled herself around him like a snake, and then whispered in his ear, "Ning'er has been married for some time now. What path does Your Majesty intend to take her?"

Zhao Ning is Liu Qingjing's first son with Zhao Yu. He got married two years ago and is now studying at the Imperial Academy.

Zhao Yu said, "That depends on which path you want him to take and his own aspirations."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Yu said to Liu Qingjing, "In a few years, I plan to enfeoff some of my princes to the South Seas. If Ning'er wants to have her own fiefdom, she will have to train in the army for two years."

Liu Qingjing had heard rumors about this before, but none of them were as reliable as hearing them directly from Zhao Yu.

Previously, Liu Qingjing valued Zhao Ning highly, but as she focused more on Zhao Yu, she stopped paying as much attention to Zhao Ning.

Of course, this is also because Liu Qingjing has a young son and two daughters, so she doesn't lack children.

Therefore, Liu Qingjing has now begun to plan for her son's future. After all, whether her family can continue to prosper largely depends on whether her son can live up to expectations.

Based on these considerations, Liu Qingjing said to Zhao Yu, "Ning'er doesn't want to live a mediocre life, but I fear that swords and spears on the battlefield are indiscriminate..."

Zhao Yu said, "Then let him go to the General Staff first, and then find an opportunity to go to a safe defense zone to serve as a military supervisor for two years. When I grant him a fief, I will help him choose a piece that will not be in dispute."

Hearing Zhao Yu's arrangement for her son, Liu Qingjing was very satisfied. She immediately gave Zhao Yu a kiss on the cheek and then began to tease him more.

It has to be said that Liu Qingjing was already very capable, and after spending so many years with the seasoned Zhao Yu, she became even more talented in this area.

in short.

Before long, Liu Qingjing had reignited Zhao Yu's fighting spirit, who had already killed two generals.

Zhao Yu then mounted his horse and beheaded the third general...

……

After daybreak, Liu Qingjing, feeling extremely satisfied both physically and mentally, returned to the secret passage and then went back to Chongen Palace to catch up on her sleep.

After Liu Qingjing left, Zhao Yu, served by Liu Mingjie and other women, washed up, got up, ate breakfast, and then went to the martial arts hall to practice "Convict Conditioning" and "Yoga," as well as to practice combat with Zhou Tong and others.

After that, Zhao Yu went to the Chuigong Hall to handle government affairs.

On his way back to the palace that evening, Zhao Yu was stopped again.

This time it's definitely not Liu Mingjie. Last night's battle is enough to keep Liu Qingjing quiet for months.

The visitors were Meng Xiuyi and Meng Shunrong, Meng Xiang's two nieces.

They were the daughters of Meng Yanbi, the elder brother of Meng Xiang, and also the 47th generation descendants of Mencius.

During the period when Meng Xiang was banished to the Cold Palace by Zhao Xu, that is, when her position as Empress was abolished and Zhao Xu placed her in Yaohua Palace, where deposed concubines resided after becoming nuns, she received much care from Meng Yanbi.

Therefore, not long after Zhao Yu restored Meng Yanbi to the position of Empress, Meng Yanbi's official career began to flourish, and he is now the military governor of Ningyuan Army.

Fourteen years ago, Meng Yanbi sent his eldest daughter into the palace.

Meng Yanbi's eldest daughter had been in the palace for many years, but she only gave birth to a daughter for Zhao Yu and never gave birth to a son for him.

The Meng family had also suffered greatly because Prime Minister Meng had no son, and they knew how difficult it would be for their clan to survive without the protection of a prince.

So, a few years later, Meng Yanbi sent his second daughter into the palace, and she finally gave birth to a son for Zhao Yu.

Upon seeing Meng Xiang's two nieces arrive, Zhao Yu thought to himself, 'Same recipe, same flavor, only this time it's Empress Meng. You two truly are lifelong enemies…'

……

(End of this chapter)