I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 83 Female Competition
...

Because he had to discuss the liquidation list with Zhang Dun, it was already dark when Zhao Ya returned.

As soon as Zhao Ya arrived at the door of the harem, he saw Pei Sui welcoming him.

It was the coldest time of the year and Pei Sui was not wearing much, which made her pretty face red from the cold and her body was emitting bursts of coldness.

It was obvious that Pei Sui had been waiting here for some time.

Zhao Ya took off his cloak and put it on Pei Sui.

Pei Sui quickly declined: "I'm not cold, Your Majesty, please put it on quickly, or you'll freeze your body!"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ya directly wrapped the cloak around Pei Sui in a domineering manner and said: "I told you to wear it, if you don't, you will be disobeying my order."

Pei Sui's heart warmed when he heard this, and a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes. He no longer dared to disobey and only whispered softly, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

After saying that, Pei Sui bowed slightly and cooperated with Zhao Ya to tie her cloak.

The cloak still carried Zhao Ya's body temperature. Pei Sui no longer felt cold after putting it on, as if her heart had also warmed up.

In fact, Zhao Ya was not only kind to Pei Sui. In his own palace, from concubines to ordinary maids, Zhao Ya was gentle and generous to them all, never harsh at all. Even if they made mistakes in front of Zhao Ya, as long as they were not principled, Zhao Ya would pretend not to see it. He rarely showed off his power in front of servants. Therefore, all the women in the harem said that Zhao Ya was kind and loving, and they were in awe and full of gratitude towards him. Many palace maids fell in love with Zhao Ya and regarded being favored by him as their greatest fortune.

In fact, Zhao Ya was not only good to his women, but also to the people around him, such as the eunuchs and guards.

Let me give you a small example:
Every night, Zhao Ya would arrange for people to deliver hot fried cakes to those on night duty, whether they were palace maids, eunuchs, or guards. The cakes were filled with smoked meat, seasonal vegetables, and served with a large bowl of steaming broth.

This was definitely something that had never happened when Zhao Xu was emperor.

Just think about it, if you were the person on duty, what would you think if you ate these while being hungry and cold?
Moreover, when Zhao Ya had free time, he would chat with his subordinates, asking them how big the oil cakes they were eating were, how many slices of smoked meat were in the cakes, what seasonal vegetables were available, and whether there was enough broth to drink. As a result, no one dared to slack off on this matter, and the people below could definitely get real benefits.

Zhao Ya did small favors like this readily and had become accustomed to them.

This was not Zhao Ya's original idea. He learned it from Cixi.

It was with this skill that Cixi, as a woman, ruled the Qing Dynasty for decades. Guangxu was the emperor but he could never seize Cixi's power. During the Hundred Days' Reform, Guangxu issued dozens of imperial edicts a day, but no one listened. But Cixi sat in the Summer Palace and with just one word, all the civil and military officials in the court stood on her side, and the whole country was mobilized. Even after the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, Zhang Xun, her subordinate, wanted to lead the queue army to restore the monarchy. Those who followed her were in awe of her until their death and remembered her kindness.

Someone in the previous life summed it up: power must be exercised by someone, that is what power is. Otherwise, even if one is an emperor, if he does not understand the ways of the world, his fate will be to be sidelined or imprisoned.

In short, because he learned how to win over the hearts and minds of people like Cixi, those around him respected him, and many even felt grateful to him. Even though they were constantly being conditioned by the feudal system, they would only blame the female officials, eunuchs, and generals who directly managed them, not Zhao Ya. After all, His Majesty was a good man, always being deceived by someone else.

To be honest, this does cause some troubles in the management of female officials, eunuchs, and generals.

Fortunately, unless there are special circumstances, Zhao Ya never interferes with the specific management. Even if there are special circumstances, Zhao Ya will not directly change the decisions made by specific managers, making them lose face and authority. Instead, he will give them orders in private and let them execute them, fully guaranteeing their face and dignity, unless Zhao Ya decides not to use this person.

This made the female officials, eunuchs, and generals all feel awe and gratitude towards Zhao Ya.

Pei Sui is one of them.

It can be said that without Zhao Ya's support, Pei Sui would definitely not be able to manage Zhao Ya's harem in an orderly manner.

Of course, unlike others, Pei Sui is not only a female official, but also Zhao Ya's woman.

At that time, Empress Dowager Xiang sent four palace maids to teach Zhao Ya about matters between men and women. Except for Pei Sui, the other three palace maids all became pregnant one after another, but Pei Sui's belly showed no movement at all.

Since Zhao Ya was able to make the other three palace maids pregnant, the problem could not be with Zhao Ya.

Is that because Zhao Ya didn't give Pei Sui a chance?
It's really not.

Not to mention that after Ma Xiaojiao, Wang Chuchu and Guo Wei became pregnant, there was a period of time when Zhao Ya had been working on Pei Sui. Just before Ma Xiaojiao and the other two girls became pregnant, because of Zheng Xiansu, Zhao Ya spent most of his time resting in Pei Sui's room.

It can be said that up to now, the person who has slept with Zhao Ya the most times is Pei Sui.

But even so, Pei Sui still couldn't get pregnant.

This had already sparked a lot of discussion. The maids who were jealous of Pei Sui privately blamed him for wasting Zhao Ya's dragon seed, saying that if it had been divided among those who could give birth, Zhao Ya might have had more than ten children. Some even spread rumors that Pei Sui was a sinner of Prince Shen's mansion, and even a sinner of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

This put Pei Sui under tremendous pressure, making her desperate to get pregnant to prove that she was not infertile and to get the best protection for herself.

This pressure became greater with the arrival of Zhang Chun's fifth daughter and the approaching time for Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, and Guo Ting to get married.

——Pei Sui knew very well that with the increase in competitors, especially the arrival of her adoptive mother Zheng Xiansu, she would no longer have so many opportunities, and it was not even certain whether she would have any opportunities at all.

So Pei Sui wanted to seize this last chance to conceive.

To this end, Pei Sui racked his brains to seize the opportunity.

But because Pei Sui still had to show her composure and ability to see the big picture, she couldn't be too proactive in pursuing love, so as not to lose her greatest value.

In this way, Pei Sui could only try her best to manage the harem for Zhao Ya, hoping that Zhao Ya would reward her more times in recognition of her merits.

Of course, Pei Sui will also use the power in her hands.

Just like this time.

Pei Sui took advantage of the fact that she was the only one who could leave the harem and waited for Zhao Ya at the door, ensuring that she was the first woman Zhao Ya saw when he returned to the harem.

Pei Sui quickly reported to Zhao Ya about her arrangements for the four girls, asking whether such arrangements were appropriate or not. She also reported to Zhao Ya what the four girls, including Ma Xiaojiao, had done throughout the day.

Finally, Pei Sui took the initiative to speak: "I have already told everyone, especially those selected by her. Just like Concubine Ma, not a single word about their affairs can be leaked. Whoever reveals it will be severely punished..."

That's right.

Zhao Ya was blocking the five women and trying his best to prevent any information about them from leaking out.

Firstly, this can reduce their influence and prevent them from using their influence to cause trouble.

This is something we must guard against, because their way of thinking is different from that of women of this era, and their courage is incomparable to that of women of this era. To be honest, they truly dare to think and do big things, and they are even holding back their energy to do big things. Secondly, this can also, to a certain extent, avoid unnecessary complications.

After all, Zhao Ya has not yet completely gotten them, and the relationship between the two sides has not been completely settled.

The key point is that for women in the previous life, even if the matter is settled, they will break up with you even if it becomes rice paste, not to mention it. They will move to another place, patch up the membrane, or lie. They even dare to claim that they are virgins and have never had a boyfriend.

Therefore, we must control their contact with unnecessary and especially risky men.

After listening to this, Zhao Ya nodded and affirmed Pei Sui's approach.

It was only then that Pei Sui revealed her true intentions: "Where will your Majesty rest tonight? I will arrange it for you."

Because Zheng Xiansu had not yet married into Zhao Ya's harem, the normal inner court institutions, hierarchical responsibilities, etiquette norms, and financial and material management had not yet been set up.

Also, Wang Chuchu and Guo Wei, who were supposed to help Pei Sui, were pregnant.

Now, Pei Sui, under the title of Nei Zai, is in charge of everything, including the affairs of the Shangqi.

However, it can also be seen that Pei Sui is indeed extraordinary. She is only seventeen or eighteen years old, and she is in charge of such a big business by herself, yet she has managed to hold on to it, and there has not been any trouble so far.

Looking at these, Zheng Xiansu made the right decision when he sent Pei Sui.

If nothing else, it was because Pei Sui maintained her harem on her own. At this critical moment when stability was more important than anything else, Zhao Ya had to reward her for not causing any trouble for herself.

Besides, Zhao Ya didn't think of himself as a breeding animal. He did that kind of thing not just for the purpose of having children, but more for his own enjoyment.

Therefore, even if Pei Sui really couldn't get pregnant, it wouldn't stop Zhao Ya from having fun with her.

So Zhao Ya whispered in Pei Sui's ear: "I will try your Diao Chan worshiping the moon again tonight."

Pei Sui was delighted, and she responded sweetly and softly, "Yes."

Zhao Ya knew very well that although Pei Sui seemed sweet, cute and harmless in front of him, she was very powerful in front of other people, and it seemed that almost no palace servants were not afraid of her.

But this is normal. If Pei Sui didn't have this ability, she would not be able to stabilize Zhao Ya's harem.

Zhao Ya did not act pretentiously about Pei Sui's two sides.

On the contrary, Zhao Ya felt a little proud and excited when he thought of such a powerful Pei Sui, who was under him, letting him play with him and trying his best to please him.

As soon as Zhao Ya and Pei Sui entered the Funing Gate, they saw two incredibly beautiful little girls standing there in the cold wind.

The two little girls, one standing quietly, resembled an elegant ink painting. Her figure was lithe, like an orchid swaying gently in the breeze, exuding an innate grace. Her face, the size of a palm, was whiter than snow, seemingly radiating light. Beneath her curved eyebrows were a pair of almond-shaped eyes, deep and piercing, as if holding endless stories. Their gaze held the innocence of a child her age, yet also carried a hint of precocious composure.

The other, upon first sight, felt like a tender bud just opening in spring, radiating a vibrant energy. Her figure was slender, like a spring willow, graceful and elegant. Her face was round, like a plump peach under the warm spring sun, rosy and white. Her eyes were large and round, like a clear spring, full of innocent curiosity, and as they swirled around, they seemed to reveal countless whimsical thoughts.

Zhao Ya smiled and said, "Oh, when did two such beautiful maids come to the palace?"

Pei Sui introduced them to Zhao Ya, "The quiet one is Li, nicknamed Shishi. She was chosen by Madam Zhang as her personal maid today. The lively one is called Yuannu. She originally had the same surname as the emperor, but to avoid using the surname, she changed it to Shao and was taken in as a maid by Madam Ye. They were both originally courtesans trained at Fanlou. Before, because they seduced Prince Duan to come, the late emperor closed down Fanlou. She and the other young ladies from Fanlou entered the Jiaofangsi. The officials from the Ministry of Revenue saw that they were well-educated, beautiful, and had not been tainted by filth, so they thought it would be a pity to keep them at the Jiaofangsi, so they sent them to participate in the selection. Unexpectedly, all twelve of her group were selected, and she and the other two were the most outstanding in appearance."

It turned out that during the day, Li Shishi was snatched away by Zhang Chun. Ye Shiyun was very unwilling to accept this, so she acted like a spoiled child and pestered Pei Sui, insisting that he find her a better one.

Pei Sui didn't want to offend Ye Shiyun, so he gave the Zhao Yuannu he had kept for himself to Ye Shiyun.

In terms of appearance, Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu are equally matched, but in terms of character, Zhao Yuannu is more clever and more sensible. In Pei Sui's opinion, she should be more successful in the harem, so she wants to adopt her as her daughter and train her to be her right-hand man, just like Zheng Xiansu adopted her as his daughter.

But Pei Sui knew that Zhao Ya had taken a fancy to the five girls, so he didn't want to offend them, and even wanted to make friends with them, so he reluctantly gave Zhao Yuannu to Ye Shiyun.

Seeing that Pei Sui still had a private collection, Li Lin and Yuan Qingcheng also wanted such a beautiful maid.

But this time, Pei Sui was really gone, so he could only tell the truth.

Fortunately, Li Lin and Yuan Qingcheng were both easy to talk to. Pei Sui helped them pick two well-behaved, cute and obedient ones, so they stopped making things difficult for him.

Zhao Ya remembered that the Minister of Rites He Zhizhong had submitted a memorial to him, asking whether it was possible to allow suitable young girls from the Jiaofangsi to participate in the selection of palace maids.

At that time, Zhao Ya didn't take it seriously and just casually approved it.

Unexpectedly, this led to two famous prostitutes of the time, Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu, entering his harem, and they were taken in as maids by Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun respectively.

"This……"

Zhao Ya really didn't know what to say.

If he had to say something, Zhao Ya could only be grateful that God had been so kind to him.

Zhao Ya asked Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu, "Why are you two waiting for me here?"

Li Shishi spoke first, "My wife has something important to present to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty have the time?"

Zhao Yuannu then said, "My wife said she has come up with a plan that might be worth a try, and she requested to come and discuss it with us."

Seeing Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun so enthusiastic, Zhao Ya was not in a hurry anymore. He felt that he could hold them back for a few more days, letting them compete and pour out more.

Besides, I have already promised Pei Sui, so how can I go back on my word?

So, Zhao Ya said to Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu, "I am busy tonight. You two go back and tell your wife that if she needs anything, she can come and see you tomorrow."

After hearing what Zhao Ya said, Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu had no choice but to go back and report to Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun.

Zhao Ya took Pei Sui back to Funing Palace to rest...

……

(End of this chapter)