I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 344 Zhao Yu, who "lives off a woman's money"
...

As soon as Zhao Yu opened his eyes, he saw Ma Xiaojiao, who had stolen a kiss from him, leaving.

How could Zhao Yu let Ma Xiaojiao take advantage of him and then run away?
Without saying a word, Zhao Yu "captured" Ma Xiaojiao again...

……

Half an hour later.

Ma Xiaojiao lay helplessly on the bed, staring at the ceiling of the four-poster bed, thinking, 'So that's what happened. I was so scared! I thought he'd found out I knew his biggest secret…'

At this moment, Zhao Yu stood up and said, "Since you already know..."

Ma Xiaojiao's heart, which had just settled, immediately jumped again, reaching her throat. 'What does he mean by that?! What does he mean by "since I know?! Does he know I know his biggest secret?!'

'Could this be our last time?!'

Ma Xiaojiao looked at Zhao Yu, who was already sitting on the edge of the bed, with extreme nervousness, as if Zhao Yu would get off the bed and leave her at any moment, never wanting her again.

In fact, Ma Xiaojiao was not unaware that Zhao Yu could forgive Yuan Qingcheng, so he should be able to forgive her as well. She was also aware that she had helped Zhao Yu start the Industrial Revolution and had given birth to six children for him, doing so much for him. Logically and emotionally, Zhao Yu should not have abandoned her after taking advantage of her, nor would he have abandoned his wife and children.

However, because she really didn't want to lose Zhao Yu and her current life, Ma Xiaojiao didn't dare to gamble at all, nor did she want to gamble, even though her chances of winning this round were at least 99.999%.

It's just because Ma Xiaojiao only saw that 0.001%.

So, at this critical moment, Ma Xiaojiao grabbed Zhao Yu from behind, trying to get him to confess: "I didn't hit you with my car, it was Sister Lin who was driving. I was just sitting in her car. It's not my fault, I'm a victim too. You can't blame me for this! I didn't eavesdrop on you and Qingcheng's conversation on purpose, I just happened to be there..."

'？？？？？？？？？？'

Zhao Yu looked bewildered. 'What did I say that caused such a strong reaction from her?'

After a moment's thought, and considering Ma Xiao's petite and delicate personality, Zhao Yu roughly guessed what she was thinking.

Zhao Yu turned around and pulled Ma Xiaojiao into his arms.

Zhao Yu wanted to say, "You really know you were wrong," to scare Ma Xiaojiao and tease her, but he was afraid of frightening his precious daughter. So, instead, he reassured Ma Xiaojiao by saying, "Don't be afraid. As long as you don't betray me, I will never abandon you for all eternity."

Upon hearing Zhao Yu's promise to her, Ma Xiaojiao burst into tears.

No one knows how much psychological pressure Ma Xiaojiao has been under these past few days. She can only remind herself that she is still useful to Zhao Yu and that Zhao Yu will not abandon her by working harder and working even harder.

Ma Xiaojiao understood all the reasons, but she just couldn't suppress the turmoil surging within her. These past few nights, the fear that overwhelmed her, as she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, felt like fine needles pricking her heart, waking her up again and again.

It's no exaggeration to say that last night's sleep in Zhao Yu's arms was the only time Ma Xiaojiao had a truly restful night's sleep in the past few days.

This shows how much psychological pressure Ma Xiaojiao was under and how dependent she was on Zhao Yu.

Hearing Zhao Yu's solemn and heartfelt promise, Ma Xiaojiao's tense nerves finally relaxed, and all her grievances, worries, and fears turned into tears that burst forth.

Zhao Yu gently patted Ma Xiaojiao's back, like soothing a frightened little animal. He recalled every moment since they met, from the time she was the first of the five women he had slept with, to the trials and tribulations they had weathered together. Ma Xiaojiao had always been by his side, supporting his research, bearing his children, and holding up half the sky for his Song Dynasty. She not only gave him tremendous support in his career but also indulged him in every way in life. How could he bear to abandon such a woman?

"Okay, sweetie, don't cry."

Zhao Yu gently wiped away Ma Xiaojiao's tears, "We've been through so much together, how could I not want you? You are the most precious treasure in my life."

Ma Xiaojiao sobbed as she looked up at Zhao Yu through teary eyes, choking out, "Really? You really don't blame us for driving... no, it was Sister Lin who ran you over?"

“That was just an accident. Wasn’t it a brake failure? Besides, thanks to you all, I became emperor and have thousands of concubines. The key is that you gave yourselves to me, bearing me children and governing the Song Dynasty for me. We lived together for sixteen or seventeen years and our relationship was always very good. How could I never forgive you for one of your unintentional mistakes?” Zhao Yu said.

Although Ma Xiaojiao could have guessed all of what Zhao Yu said, she only felt relieved after hearing Zhao Yu say it himself.

Freed from the pressure of being abandoned, Ma Xiaojiao quickly asked the question that mattered most to her: "Why did you tell Qingcheng that you were also a time traveler, but not me?"

Zhao Yu thought to himself, 'Women will always be women. She was crying her eyes out just a moment ago, and now that she's ashore, she's already jealous again, harping on some trivial matter.'

Zhao Yu chuckled inwardly, but his face showed a hint of doting affection as he gently flicked Ma Xiaojiao's nose and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you jealous?"

Ma Xiaojiao pouted and turned her head away, but her eyes couldn't hide her concern: "Hmph, who's jealous? I'm just curious, why does Qingcheng know, but I don't?"

Zhao Yu gently turned her face to face him and explained, "About five years ago, Qingcheng made me a pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall..."

After Zhao Yu finished explaining how Yuan Qingcheng discovered she was also a time traveler, Ma Xiaojiao widened her eyes and asked, "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is from the Qing Dynasty? No way! Doesn't that sound like an ancient dish?"

"That's what I was thinking at the time, so I casually said, 'It's just a jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, I'll just pay you back.' As a result, Qingcheng, you know, is very perceptive, and she immediately deduced that I was also a time traveler."

At this moment, Zhao Yu and Ma Xiaojiao had already lay back down. Zhao Yu hugged Ma Xiaojiao and told her about the process of how Yuan Qingcheng discovered that she was also a time traveler.

After listening, Ma Xiaojiao said in surprise, "Qingcheng is so smart! If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have noticed, and even if I did, I would wonder which of the four of them told you this."

At this point, Ma Xiaojiao suddenly remembered something and said, "No, Qingcheng knew you were a time traveler five years ago, but she hasn't told us a word all these years. She's really tight-lipped. What a good sister! Humph!"

Zhao Yu defended Yuan Qingcheng, saying, "I told her not to say it."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaojiao raised her head, looked at Zhao Yu with a fierce yet cute expression, and said angrily, "You're even worse! You've been lying to us for so long, you're so cunning!"

Zhao Yu said calmly, "Oh? Am I that scheming?" Hearing the change in Zhao Yu's tone, Ma Xiaojiao immediately cowered. She stammered, "No...no, it's just...I just don't understand why you're keeping this from us?"

Zhao Yu didn't hide anything from Ma Xiaojiao, but instead asked her directly, "If I didn't hide it from you five, would all five of you have followed me?"

Ma Xiaojiao didn't say anything, but in her heart she was thinking bluntly, "Dream on! You're just a food delivery guy; any one of us five would be more than enough for you. And you want all five of us to be with you? What kind of wishful thinking is that?"

Thinking about it this way, Ma Xiaojiao immediately realized that from Zhao Yu's perspective, it would definitely be more advantageous to pretend to be a native in front of them.

As it turned out, Zhao Yu's choice was correct. They were all manipulated by Zhao Yu, and if Zhao Yu were to sell them, they would even help him count the money.

Ma Xiaojiao bit her lower lip, a surge of frustration welling up inside her.

Ma Xiaojiao didn't want to change anything, nor did she ever think about leaving Zhao Yu.

It's just that, just thinking about how Zhao Yu was just a food delivery worker in her previous life, while the other five were all internet celebrities, even the one who wasn't doing so well could still earn a few hundred thousand a year, own her own house, her own car, and several million in savings, she was definitely a high-quality woman. Of the others, only Zhang Chun was doing slightly worse than her, the rest were all doing better than her, yet they were all deceived and cheated on by Zhao Yu, "living off his wife and taking advantage of him," made Ma Xiaojiao feel a bit choked up.

She wanted to vent her frustrations, but Ma Xiaojiao didn't dare.

After much hesitation, Ma Xiaojiao finally couldn't help but ask Zhao Yu, "After you got us, why didn't you tell us your identity?"

"I've already said it: let Empress Dowager Chun chase after me every day for the Empress's position, and then try to kill me so she can become the Empress Dowager she's always dreamed of? Let warlike Lin chase after me every day for the Marshal's position, so I can hand over all the military power of the Song Dynasty to her and lead her to conquer the world? Let Brain King Yun show off her intelligence in front of me every day, so I have psychological trauma from playing with her? Or should I have the five of you become the retired emperors in front of me?"

Zhao Yuzhen didn't intend to speak to Ma Xiaojiao in his capacity as emperor, but having been emperor for over sixteen years, that imperial aura had long been deeply ingrained in his bones. Every gesture he made carried an imposing presence, especially when he uttered the taboo term "retired emperor."

Not only was Zhao Yu accustomed to being an emperor, but Ma Xiaojiao was also accustomed to Zhao Yu being an emperor.

Upon hearing Zhao Yu say that they wanted to become the retired emperor, Ma Xiaojiao was so frightened that she immediately knelt down before Zhao Yu and explained, "Your Majesty, I dare not! Your Majesty..."

At this point, Ma Xiaojiao's voice abruptly stopped.

Ma Xiaojiao secretly raised her head and looked at Zhao Yu, who was still lying there like an emperor.

'He doesn't just resemble an emperor, he *is* an emperor… He's no longer the delivery guy from his previous life. And I… am no longer the minor internet celebrity from my previous life, but his concubine.'

At this moment, Ma Xiaojiao completely understood; she even figured out why Zhao Yu had kept it from them.

If Zhao Yu had told them earlier that he was also a time traveler, Ma Xiaojiao could even imagine what that would have been like. Given the personalities of the five of them—no, given Zhang Chun, Li Lin, Ye Shiyun, and even Yuan Qingcheng—they would definitely have used their shared identity as time travelers to make all sorts of demands on Zhao Yu, and even tried to influence his decisions.

Now, under Zhao Yu's manipulation, he has become the absolute ruler among these transmigrators, and all their abilities have been squeezed out by him.

From Zhao Yu's perspective, this was undoubtedly the most correct choice.

Looking at Zhao Yu's face, which she knew all too well, Ma Xiaojiao thought, 'How amazing... Luckily, he no longer holds a grudge against us and didn't intend to harm us; otherwise, even if we had a hundred lives, we might all be dead.'

Ma Xiaojiao thought again, 'Sister Chun still wants to control him, to make him our puppet. What's the difference between that and courting death?'

Seeing Ma Xiaojiao kneel down, Zhao Yu was momentarily at a loss for words.

He waved to Ma Xiaojiao.

Upon seeing this, Ma Xiaojiao immediately crawled back into his arms obediently.

Zhao Yu offered a token explanation: "I have my reasons for not telling you."

Having already guessed the reason, Ma Xiaojiao hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to say anything more. I will not ask anymore, and I will never ask again. As long as Your Majesty does not abandon me, I will be Your Majesty's woman for all eternity. If I break this vow, may I die a terrible death."

Zhao Yu didn't stop Ma Xiaojiao from making this vow, but instead made up a story: "I suffered a lot in my previous life, and I'm afraid of suffering, so I dare not gamble."

Ma Xiaojiao asked cooperatively, "How much suffering did Your Excellency endure in your previous life?"

Zhao Yu said, "Rich people can easily possess the youth of many girls, while poor people like me may struggle their whole lives and still not be able to possess a girl that they once possessed."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaojiao thought to herself, 'This excuse, though absurd, seems plausible enough. After all, who wouldn't cherish being emperor after enduring so much hardship?'

Ma Xiaojiao instinctively wanted to know about Zhao Yu's past, so she asked, "Did Your Majesty do anything lowly back then?"

Zhao Yu said, "Of course I've done it."

Zhao Yu said with a look of reminiscence, "Because I was poor back then, I couldn't afford to get married, so I could only mooch off my neighbors."

After a moment's thought, Ma Xiaojiao really wanted to punch Zhao Yu to death. 'How can you talk about something like this so confidently?! This isn't just being humble, it's being despicable! Aren't you afraid someone will beat you to death for doing this?'

The two chatted for a while longer, and Ma Xiaojiao realized that because he had been emperor for so many years, Zhao Yu was no longer very accommodating (which was normal, after all, since he transmigrated, Zhao Yu could have any woman he wanted just by beckoning with his finger, and she would happily rush over to throw herself into his arms, even the five transmigrators were no exception), but he was still trying his best to lower his posture to flirt with her and make her happy.

Ma Xiaojiao was deeply moved! She understood that this was precisely how Zhao Yu showed that he cared about her.

Ma Xiaojiao tightened her arms around Zhao Yuhu's waist. 'Whether he's a delivery guy or an emperor, all I know is that he's my man and the father of my child, and that's enough...'

……

(End of this chapter)