I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 73: Year Name (Extra update for the leader "Yong Su"!)

...

Unlike the others who didn't dare to look up, the four girls who had not walked far saw Zhao Ya and Zheng Xiansu hugging each other, and they all stopped to watch the fun.

Seeing Zheng Xiansu, who was usually dignified and calm, crying without restraint while hugging Zhao Ya, Ye Shiyun said: "Zheng Yaban has fallen."

"Normal. After this incident, Zheng Yaban's position as queen is completely secure, and the previous rumors have been refuted. Honestly speaking, in this power-struggling harem, Zheng Yaban deserves such a reward for being able to receive such love and protection from the emperor." Yuan Qingcheng said.

"Zhao Yata is quite a man. He always keeps his word and acts decisively. In order to appease Zheng Yaban's heart and to support Zheng Yaban, as an emperor who had just ascended the throne and whose foundation was not yet stable, he did not hesitate to show his affection with Zheng Yaban in front of everyone in the palace, and clearly told the world his determination to make Zheng Yaban the queen. This kind of responsibility and decisiveness is rare." Li Lin said.

Zhang Chun didn't say anything. She was jealous of Zheng Xiansu!
Yes.

Zhao Ya was nice to her, but it seemed that he was not as nice to Zheng Xiansu.

The key point is that Zhang Chun discovered that Zhao Ya was a big scumbag. He didn't take the initiative, didn't refuse, and didn't... He was quite responsible, but he was so good to every woman, not just to herself.

How could she defeat Zheng Xiansu and Zhao Ya's other women and gain exclusive favor like Wu Zetian, Wu Huifei, and Liu Qingjing?
Without such exclusive favor, how could she realize her political ambitions?
"You big scumbag, can't you just learn from your brother Zhao Xu? ! ! ! "

Although Zhang Chun knew very well that jealousy was undesirable and dangerous, and that if she did not change it, she would be finished if her reputation of being "jealous" spread, but how could emotions be easily controlled by reason?

Zhang Chun looked at Zhao Ya and Zheng Xiansu with a complicated expression, feeling a mixture of resentment, sadness, and helplessness. Finally, he said, "How long can such feelings last? Within these deep palace walls, power and love are often like flowers in the mirror, water and moons, fading at the touch of a finger."

After a long while, Zhao Ya helped Zheng Xiansu wipe away her tears, then hugged her and walked towards Cide Palace.

In front of so many people, Zheng Xiansu was actually still a little hesitant to let go, but for the sake of long-term planning, she suppressed her shyness and let Zhao Ya hug her.

As they walked in, Zhao Ya teased Wang Yisu beside him: "Do you miss me?"

As long as Zheng Xiansu's position as queen is stable, Wang Yisu's position as imperial concubine will be stable.

So, Wang Yisu, who had completely let go of his worries, openly admitted, "I thought about it."

Zhao Ya smiled and asked, "Oh? What do you think?"

Wang Yisu leaned over to Zhao Ya's ear and said shyly, "I dream of you every night."

Zhao Ya laughed out loud when he heard this.

Everyone could see that Zhao Ya was sometimes not a very disciplined person.

But so what?
Zhao Ya is already the emperor, and no one can check and balance him. As long as he is not incompetent and does something extraordinary, who can control him?
Soon, Zhao Ya came to Empress Dowager Xiang's bedroom with the support of Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, Yang Jian and others.

Just like before, Zhao Ya did not bow, but walked directly to Empress Dowager Xiang, grabbed a handful of roasted chestnuts, and then sat down below Empress Dowager Xiang as before, asking Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu beside him to help him peel the chestnuts.

Empress Dowager Xiang glared at Zhao Ya: "You are already the emperor, and you are still acting like this."

"I'm in my own home, surrounded by my own people. What's wrong with hugging my own woman?" Zhao Ya said as a matter of course.

"Have they both married yet? You are ruining their reputation like this." Empress Dowager Xiang said unhappily.

"Speaking of this matter, I have to trouble my mother for help." Zhao Ya said.

"How can I help you?" asked the Queen Mother.

"Mother, please help me come up with an excuse. Tell me to use days instead of months. At worst, I can keep a low profile and not hold a grand ceremony. Otherwise, if I really wait for more than two years, who knows what those troublesome women in my harem might do. Besides, they're both not young anymore, and I can't bear to delay them for another two years." Zhao Ya bluntly expressed his thoughts. Seeing that Zhao Ya not only didn't change his heart, but was even willing to excuse them from fully observing the mourning system, Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu were even more moved!
They expressed their willingness to wait for Zhao Ya for another two years, or even longer, and begged Zhao Ya not to bear the reputation of being unfilial for them.

But in front of Zhao Ya and Empress Dowager Xiang, they had no right to speak at all.

And deep down, they also hope to get married soon and become queens and imperial concubines, rather than continue to suffer in Cide Palace.

So, Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu peeled chestnuts for Zhao Ya in an orderly manner and fed him gently.

Seeing that Zhao Ya did not forget his roots and attached importance to the role of his wife, the Empress Dowager Xiang was very pleased.

The key point is that if Zheng Xiansu does not marry Zhao Ya as soon as possible and give birth to a legitimate son, it will be a trouble when it is Zhao Ya's turn to pass on the throne in the future.

So she said to the Queen Mother, "You only cause me trouble. Well... I'll ask Han Zhongyan to come up with a decent excuse for you later."

Zhao Ya said with a playful smile, "Thank you, mother."

"You came to see me for more than just this little thing, right?" Empress Dowager Xiang asked.

Zhao Ya didn't beat around the bush, but answered the Queen Mother's question directly: "The ministers are discussing the reign title. I have come here to ask your mother for her decision."

Choosing a reign title is no trivial matter.

In addition to demonstrating the legitimacy of the ruler, rallying people's hearts and strengthening their rule, the ruler often uses the reign title to express his political ambitions and ideas on governing the country.

In other words, the reign title Zhao Ya chooses will largely represent the path Zhao Ya wants to take next.

Now that Zhao Ya has taken over the Zhao Song Dynasty, he naturally has to take over the party strife that has troubled Zhao Xu for a long time and which he was unable to solve until his death.

It is worth mentioning that the New Party and the Old Party not only did not stop fighting because the emperor was replaced by Zhao Ya, on the contrary, they both hoped that Zhao Ya would support them and help them get rid of the other side. Therefore, the two parties now accuse each other more harshly and the struggle is more intense.

In such a political context, Zhao Ya's attitude was crucial. His attitude could even determine the fate of both the New Party and the Old Party.

But Zhao Ya did not make this choice rashly, but instead passed the buck to Empress Dowager Xiang.

Empress Dowager Xiang said calmly, "You are the emperor, why are you asking me this?"

Zhao Ya said seriously, "If I were in charge, they would have no luck. However, this matter is of great importance. It would be better to hand it over to my mother. I can also take this opportunity to stabilize the country, control the people, and consolidate the foundation of the country."

Empress Dowager Xiang understood that it was not that Zhao Ya did not want to take action himself, but that Zhao Ya had just ascended the throne and the regime was still unstable. If he acted rashly without being prepared, the consequences would be disastrous. At the same time, Zhao Ya also wanted to give her a chance to realize her political ideas in order to repay her for supporting him to become emperor.

After a moment's silence, he said to the Empress Dowager, "Han Zhongyan's proposal of 'Jianzhong Jingguo' means to establish a moderate and upright path and stabilize the country. This is similar to Taizong's change of era name to 'Taiping Xingguo' after he ascended the throne. You and Taizong both share your brother's aspirations. Why not give it a try?"

Empress Dowager Xiang obviously hoped to reconcile the struggle between the old and new parties through "Jianzhong" (impartiality), and at the same time to quell internal turmoil and restore social order through "Jingguo" (stabilizing the country).

Although history has proven that the path of compromise that Empress Dowager Xiang wanted to take was simply unworkable, history has also proven that advocating a balance between the forces of the new and old parties can help the emperor consolidate his power and lay a solid foundation for his rule.

So Zhao Ya said: "I hate the word 'Jingguo', so let's just use 'Jianzhong'..."

……

(End of this chapter)