I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

...

A little over a month after Zhao Yu returned, Zhao Shou fell seriously ill and died at the age of thirty-seven.

Zhao Yu intended to appoint Zhao Shou as emperor, but this was met with opposition from almost all the ministers.

"Your Majesty wishes to posthumously honor the late Crown Prince as Emperor. This is absolutely unacceptable!"

Ancient customs established a strict hierarchy, with clear distinctions between superiors and inferiors. Only descendants could posthumously honor their ancestors; there was no custom of fathers and grandfathers posthumously honoring their descendants.

In the past, when Emperor Wu of Han wronged his crown prince Liu Ju, Emperor Xuan of Han only gave him the posthumous title of crown prince and dared not posthumously honor him as emperor, for fear of disrupting the order of the ancestral temple and ruining the order of the world.

However, Emperor Gaozong of Tang posthumously conferred the title of Emperor Xiaojing upon his son, Crown Prince Li Hong. Previous generations had already considered this improper, and historical records criticized it as excessive favor, which should not be used as a model for future generations.

The crown prince was born before he was granted the rightful position, ruled the world, and governed all people. He died according to his original title, which was in accordance with his proper status.

If Your Majesty were to break with precedent and posthumously honor someone, it would be an act of the inferior overshadowing the superior, of the son ascending to the position of the father, a disruption of the imperial lineage, an initiation of future disputes over usurpation, and an initiation of endless troubles for the ancestral temple.

We, your humble servants, risk our lives to earnestly plead: Your Majesty, please rescind your decree, bury him with the rites due to a crown prince, bestow upon him an auspicious posthumous name, and refrain from placing him in the imperial ancestral temple, so as to uphold propriety and law, and to reassure the people.

Chinese etiquette dictates that one can only posthumously honor ancestors (that is, only descendants can posthumously honor their ancestors), but one cannot posthumously honor a son (that is, a father cannot posthumously honor his son), otherwise it would disrupt the established order.

Liu Ju, the Crown Prince of Wei, died due to the witchcraft accusation. Emperor Xuan was his grandson. After ascending the throne, Emperor Xuan only posthumously honored him as "Crown Prince Li" and dared not posthumously honor him as Emperor. The officials cited the Book of Rites to refute this, saying: "Those who succeed to the throne are sons of the emperor. The order of generations should not be disrupted, and the laws of the ancestors should not be disregarded."

Emperor Gaozong of Tang was particularly fond of his son, Crown Prince Li Hong, and posthumously honored him as Emperor Xiaojing. At the time, the officials in charge of rites objected to this, and later historical records all criticized him, saying, "A father honoring his son as emperor is unprecedented since the Zhou and Qin dynasties!"

Upon hearing this from his minister, Zhao Yu readily accepted the advice and chose to drop the matter.

As the saying goes, good fortune never comes in pairs, but misfortunes never come singly.

After Zhao Shou's death, Empress Zheng Xiansu fell seriously ill.

As winter approached, Zheng Xiansu's condition fluctuated, and despite the imperial physicians' best efforts, they were unable to cure him completely.

One night, Zheng Xiansu suddenly developed a high fever and was shivering uncontrollably.

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Yu urgently summoned the imperial physician to examine the patient. The physician prescribed treatment based on the symptoms of typhoid fever, but the patient's condition not only did not improve but worsened.

The Imperial Medical Academy immediately organized a consultation with imperial physicians, but despite trying various methods, no cure was found.

Chen Miaozhen also examined Zheng Xiansu and gave a diagnosis:
"The Empress's pulse was floating, weak, and disordered, with a weak cun pulse, a sluggish guan pulse, and a faint chi pulse. She had first lost her beloved son, and her grief was excessive, which greatly depleted her heart qi, damaged her spleen and stomach, and disrupted the harmony of her five internal organs. Her vital energy was already extremely depleted. It just so happened that the winter was bitterly cold, and the evil wind and cold took advantage of her weakness to directly invade the three yin meridians. She was ill both inside and outside, with a mixture of deficiency and excess, which is why she had alternating chills and fever, and her condition was lingering and difficult to cure."

Furthermore, the Empress is already advanced in years, and her vital energy is naturally declining. In addition, her diet during her illness was improper, with excessive and varied tonics and rich, fatty foods, which led to sluggishness in her spleen and stomach, weakening their digestive function. This made it difficult for the medicine to penetrate and for the pathogens to be expelled. Now, grief has damaged her heart, cold has damaged her body, and food has damaged her spleen and stomach; these three factors combined have caused her condition to worsen day by day.

After speaking, Chen Miaozhen presented a treatment plan:

"At present, the Empress should rest and recuperate, focusing on calming her mind, warming her body, dispelling cold, and strengthening her spleen and stomach. She should gradually restore her vital energy and should never use strong medicine to attack the pathogens, otherwise her elderly body may not be able to withstand the effects of the medicine."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu immediately understood that the grief of losing her son had devastated Zheng Xiansu's health, and the cold and indigestion had only exacerbated the situation. She was now in grave danger and needed to recuperate slowly.

Seeing Zheng Xiansu's dejected state and loss of appetite, Zhao Yu was extremely anxious but helpless.

Thinking back to the first time I met Zheng Xiansu.

Zhao Yu admitted that he was full of scheming in order to replace Zhao Ji and obtain the throne. He also admitted that his feelings for Zheng Xiansu were impure. He even said that he made Zheng Xiansu empress because she was the most suitable to be empress, not because he liked her the most.

However, as they spent more time together, Zhao Yu truly fell in love with this virtuous empress and even decided to never change her.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu's plans could not withstand the passage of time.

On this day, Zhao Yu was discussing matters with Li Gang, Chen Gou and others in the Hall of Mental Cultivation when news suddenly arrived that Zheng Xiansu was critically ill.

Zhao Yu rushed to Kunning Palace and saw Zheng Xiansu lying quietly on the bed with his eyes closed, his face pale and his breathing weak.

Zhao Yu walked to the bedside and gently held Zheng Xiansu's hand.

Zheng Xiansu's complexion suddenly regained its color, and she slowly opened her eyes and smiled: "The Emperor has arrived?"

Zhao Yu nodded.

Zheng Xiansu shifted slightly, gripped Zhao Yu's hand tightly, her eyes filled with affection, tears streaming down her face: "This humble woman comes from a humble background, but now that I have received Your Majesty's grace, my heart is content, and I have no regrets even if I die!"

Zhao Yu also silently shed tears, without saying a word.

"Though I am buried in the netherworld, my soul will never leave Your Majesty's side. I earnestly hope that Your Majesty will always remember the people of the world and prioritize the ancestral temple and the state. I am reluctant to leave, but my fate has come to this. Your Majesty must take care of your health and not be overly attached to me..."

Zheng Xiansu seemed reluctant to stop, but his voice abruptly ceased. Her face remained rosy, her hands were warm, and her body was still soft.

Zhao Yu couldn't believe she was gone like that, and he held Zheng Xiansu's body, sobbing uncontrollably.

All the concubines in the harem were present, and they all wept uncontrollably.

Zheng Xiansu passed away just like that, and the Empress of the Song Dynasty died.

Frankly speaking, Empress Zheng, who is now sixty years old, has lived much longer than most people of this era.

However, Zhao Yu was still very saddened by the passing of Empress Zheng.

Zhao Yu issued an imperial edict ordering his extraordinary talents to select a suitable mountain and build a sturdy imperial mausoleum for himself, modeled after the mausoleums of Qin Shi Huang and Qianling, so that he and his concubines could be buried together.

Over the years, Zhao Yu's forces have conquered far and wide, expanding the territory to thousands of miles, and have long since gathered skilled craftsmen, magicians, and architectural giants from all over the world to the court.

Among them are descendants of craftsmen from the Qin Dynasty who inherited the construction methods of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, as well as descendants of craftsmen from the Tang Dynasty whose ancestors participated in the construction of the Qianling Mausoleum. There are also skilled craftsmen from both the East and the West who are proficient in the art of mechanisms and secret passages, and even more so, there are sorcerers who are well-versed in feng shui and dragon veins and knowledgeable about mountains and rivers.

Upon learning that Zhao Yu wanted them to emulate the grandeur of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum and the sturdiness of Qianling, choosing a large mountain as their mausoleum and burying them together with Empress Zheng and the concubines for a hundred years, these extraordinary individuals raised by Zhao Yu offered their suggestions.

Zhao Yu immediately issued an imperial edict, ordering the Daolu Academy, the Taishi Bureau, and the Jiangzuojian to lead a team of over three hundred Feng Shui masters to search for auspicious sites throughout the land.

The group first visited the nearest Youyan region, finding the Yanshan Mountains majestic but harsh, and the dragon vein strong but lacking in spiritual energy. They then went west into Guanzhong, where the Qin region was rugged and fortified, but the mausoleums of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were scattered throughout, making it unsuitable to occupy the dragon energy there. They then went south to Jingchu and east to Wuyue, where the landscape of Jiangnan was gentle and graceful, but lacked the grandeur and solemnity required for imperial mausoleums.

After half a year of searching, the group finally found a solitary peak, surrounded by rivers on three sides and backed by a vast mountain range.

This mountain is entirely composed of hard, bluish-gray limestone, as indestructible as Liangshan Mountain in Qianling Mausoleum. Its main peak soars into the clouds, while the peaks on both sides stand like guards on either side. The mountain's shape resembles a "sleeping dragon embracing a pearl." An underground river encircles the mountain at its base, and ancient trees reach for the sky on its slopes. In front of it, a facing mountain pays homage, while behind it, an ancestral mountain provides support.

A Feng Shui master climbed to a high vantage point and, upon looking down, immediately bowed in amazement: "This is a rare and auspicious site, perfect for ten thousand years. It gathers and retains vital energy, and is as solid as a rock, ensuring that the imperial tomb will remain intact for a thousand years!"

The messenger returned to the capital by fast horse to report, and Zhao Yu personally went to investigate.

Zhao Yu traveled by train, then by car, and arrived at this place after three days.

Skillful.

This was the place where I lived in my previous life.

When Zhao Yu ascended to the top of the mountain and looked down at the surrounding area, he saw that the sky and earth were vast and the mountains and rivers were all within his sight. He was overjoyed and immediately named the mountain "Yonggu Mountain" and designated this place as the location of his mausoleum after his death, naming it "Huanyu Dadi Mausoleum".

Next, Zhao Yu conscripted 100,000 able-bodied laborers and 30,000 military workers from across the land. He also ordered the Imperial Workshop to gather the finest iron, stone, and copper materials from the country. Furthermore, he commissioned his skilled engineers to design the mausoleum's defenses, reinforcing the tomb passages with iron-filled methods from the Western Regions. He modeled the mausoleum after Qin Shi Huang's, incorporating mercury, rivers, and hidden arrow traps. He also carved the mausoleum into the mountainside, sealing it with iron-filled stones and layered defenses. The mausoleum construction began from within the mountain. First, massive stones were used to orient the mountain, and then craftsmen painstakingly hollowed out the mountain inch by inch to build the front hall, middle hall, rear hall, underground palace, and side chambers. The walls of the underground palace were constructed of massive stones, with the gaps filled with molten copper and iron, making it seamlessly integrated with the mountain.

The tomb passage was sealed with more than a thousand stone slabs weighing tens of thousands of kilograms each, with iron bolts running through the slabs. The slabs were then filled with molten tin and iron to solidify, making it difficult to move even an inch, no matter how much it was hacked, chiseled, or blasted with gunpowder.

Inside the underground palace, furnishings were arranged according to Zhao Yu's preferences.

In addition, Zhao Yu specifically instructed that enough tombs be reserved for his concubines so that they could be buried together after death.

Before his own imperial mausoleum was even completed, Zhao Yu ordered Zheng Xiansu's coffin to be placed inside. He personally set the rules: Zheng Xiansu would be buried in the main position with the honors due to an empress, and the other concubines would be buried in order of rank. The mausoleum was heavily fortified with traps, piles of sand and stones, poisoned crossbows and hidden arrows, and mercury. Anyone who dared to enter would die.

Of course, Zhao Yu's return was not solely for the purpose of building his own imperial mausoleum.

Although he hadn't personally handled state affairs for a long time, Zhao Yu had been emperor for three or four decades, and this kind of business was already ingrained in his bones.

In addition, there were capable prime ministers and ministers such as Li Gang and Chen Gou assisting in the administration.

Zhao Yu quickly took over the Song Dynasty and even the world.

The saying goes, "A new emperor brings a new court."

Although Zhao Shou's reign cannot be considered a single dynasty, during his more than ten years in power, he emphasized the discovery and cultivation of talent, and indeed promoted many people to enter the court and officialdom.

These people were initially worried that Zhao Yu would replace them after regaining control of the government.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu hardly touched any of the people from Zhao Shou's time, allowing them all to continue shining in their original positions.

This confirmed to the court and the public that Zhao Yu's "restoration" was not a means to regain power, but rather a means to stabilize the Song Dynasty and the world.

After Zhao Yu came to power, many people noticed the differences in the governing styles of Zhao Yu and Zhao Shou.

Specifically, Zhao Yu was willing to delegate tasks to his ministers and dared to entrust them with power. It could be said that Zhao Yu would never do anything himself unless necessary. Zhao Shou, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Zhao Yu. He preferred to keep everything in his own hands and liked to do everything personally.

For ministers who wanted to realize their ambitions, an emperor like Zhao Yu was naturally very appealing, as he allowed them to fully utilize their abilities.

However, some ministers believed that Zhao Yu's "lazy governance" was likely to cause trouble.

They even advised Zhao Yu to learn from Zhao Shou and be more diligent in his duties.

Zhao Yu ignored this completely.

Of course, he did not hold grudges against these loyal and upright officials.

After years of reflection, Zhao Yu concluded that a good court is one that can function normally regardless of whether the emperor is present or not.

Therefore, for a dynasty to develop, the person in power must learn to delegate power.

The same applies to hiring.

Apart from truly major issues, minor matters can be decided and handled by the person in charge.

It's important to understand that the more power is delegated, the greater the pressure on those below.

When there is pressure, there is responsibility.

If they have a responsibility, they must strive for improvement.

Once they become ambitious, they will face competition.

Competition is what keeps the Song Dynasty vibrant.

Only with vitality can the Song Dynasty grow and prosper.

Therefore, being a good emperor is actually about using good people and delegating power.

An emperor's most important responsibility is to keep the dynasty in check, ensuring its stable development and preventing any trouble.

Also, the emperor only needs to do two things well.

These two words are: Choice!

The emperor made strategic decisions, not did everything personally.

Without tranquility, one cannot go far; without going far, one cannot have a direction; without a direction, one cannot make choices; without choices, one cannot have a strategy.

Strategy is about making choices.

In reality, being an emperor is quite easy.

Select talented individuals, delegate authority to them, and let them govern their own country, including letting them conquer it.

Of course, being willing to delegate power to one's ministers does not mean relinquishing all control and ignoring everything—if that were the case, the Song Dynasty would not be far from its demise.

Zhao Yu was well aware of this.

Therefore, while delegating power to his ministers, Zhao Yu also paid special attention to the training of two departments:

One of them is the censorate.

Cultivating this department is simple: just appoint loyal and outspoken officials, like Li Guang, Hu Quan, and Chen Gongfu, and let them dare to say anything without fear.

With these censors who dared to speak out on anything supervising officials at all levels, all officials were instilled with fear and restraint, and dared not be lazy in their duties, much less be corrupt.

In fact, it was precisely because Zhao Yu valued the cultivation of the censorate that he not only did not punish those censors who advised him to learn from Zhao Shou, but also protected and even rewarded them.

The other is the intelligence department.

Zhao Yu controlled four major intelligence agencies: the Imperial City Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Military Intelligence Bureau. All important personnel of the Song Dynasty were under Zhao Yu's surveillance. It is no exaggeration to say that they had absolutely no secrets from Zhao Yu, let alone how they behaved in their daily lives.

In short, Zhao Yu governed the Song Dynasty using this method of outwardly loose governance but inwardly strict control.

As it turned out, Zhao Yu's way of governing the Song Dynasty was very effective.

Zhao Yu not only pulled the Song Dynasty and the world out of the panic caused by Zhao Shou's sudden death in the shortest possible time, but also enabled the Song Dynasty and the world to continue their rapid development...

However, even if Zhao Yu personally took over the throne, there were still hidden dangers for the Song Dynasty and the world.

If this hidden danger is not resolved, the Song Dynasty will not be able to achieve complete stability.

The hidden danger is: who will be the next crown prince, and who will be the new master of the Song Dynasty and the world in the future?

...(End of this chapter)