I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 85: Bang Bang Bang

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When Zhao Ya arrived at Cide Palace, before Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu could tip him off, many eunuchs, eunuchs, and palace maids reminded him that Han Zhongyan and General Xu had just been there and had talked with Empress Dowager Xiang for a long time.

How could Zhao Ya not know when he heard the news? He guessed correctly that the old party had probably noticed that he and the new party were going to deal with the old party.

As for how the old party knew about it, we have to ask the new party. It can't be that I or Zhang Chun and the others leaked the information, right?
Soon, Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu and Yang Jian came to greet Zhao Ya.

Seeing this, Zhao Ya asked the eunuchs, eunuchs and palace maids to disperse, and then, under the guidance of Zheng Xiansu and others, went to see Empress Dowager Xiang.

I saw that Empress Dowager Xiang had already prepared a sumptuous banquet.

Zhao Ya did the same as when he got home. He walked straight to the table, picked up a duck leg, and started eating it in a very unruly manner.

"I never starved you when you were little, so why are you so rude every time you come to my place?"

Empress Dowager Xiang pretended to be angry, but her face was full of a doting smile, and her eyes were shining with gentle memories of the past.

Zhao Ya chewed the duck leg and said vaguely, "Now that I'm here with my mother, I should prioritize my comfort."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Xiang personally served Zhao Ya a bowl of three-fresh soup, asked Zhao Ya to eat slowly, and then sat down next to Zhao Ya.

Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu walked to the left and right of Empress Dowager Xiang to serve her.

Empress Dowager Xiang said to Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu, "You two should sit down as well."

"If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's education, how could we, two servants, have the blessing of marrying into the emperor's family? Now that the wedding day is approaching, I beg the Empress Dowager to let us stand by and serve for a while." Zheng Xiansu said.

"Even if I marry the emperor, I will still be the empress dowager's servant. I dare not sit down." Wang Yisu also said.

"Nonsense, if you two marry the emperor, you will be my daughter-in-law. How can you be my slaves anymore?" The Empress Dowager Xiang corrected them.

"We know we are wrong." Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu said in unison.

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Xiang's eyes softened, a loving smile curved up at the corner of her mouth, and she said softly, "I am very pleased that you two have not forgotten your roots."

Empress Dowager Xiang said to Zheng Xiansu, "You are about to become the mother of the country. You must remember the responsibility and self-control I taught you. You must also remember that your words and actions must be dignified and appropriate, so that you can be a role model for the country."

Zheng Xiansu replied, "I will keep this in mind."

Empress Dowager Xiang looked at Wang Yisu again and said, "Listen to your sister and you will never go wrong in your life."

Wang Yisu's eyes were slightly moist, and she quickly thanked the Queen: "Your servant obeys your command. Thank you for your grace, Queen Mother."

Unable to persuade Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu, Empress Dowager Xiang could only let them continue to stand by her side and serve her.

Empress Dowager Xiang said to Zhao Ya: "Among the hundreds of ladies in my palace, only these two are the most filial and devoted to me."

Zhao Ya smiled and said, "If it weren't for this, why would I choose to marry only these two?"

Zhao Ya and Empress Dowager Xiang chatted for a while about Zhao Ya's wedding.

Zhao Ya said that everything should be kept simple. After all, he did not strictly abide by the mourning system, so it would be bad to be too ostentatious.

Empress Dowager Xiang told Zhao Ya that Han Zhongyan and his men were planning to threaten the Zhao Song Dynasty by showing off their military might against the Liao and Xia countries, and requested Zhao Ya to use days instead of months, not to strictly abide by the mourning system, and to actively prepare for war just in case.

After discussing Zhao Ya's wedding, the Queen Mother changed the subject and said:

"Wang Anshi's reforms were ambitious and aimed at enriching the country and strengthening the military. However, they were too hasty, ignoring the will of the people and the limitations of national strength. This ultimately led to unrest and widespread public resentment. Sima Guang, on the other hand, advocated a return to the ways of the ancestors. While this stabilized the situation, it failed to address the Song Dynasty's long-standing problems. Instead, it caused the country to miss opportunities for reform and gradually become conservative."

"My son, in governing the country, should take the strengths of both and avoid their weaknesses. He should have the ambition to reform and strengthen the country, while also taking into account the people's suffering, proceeding step by step and not rushing for quick results. If Wang Anshi's reforms had been implemented with greater attention to people's livelihoods and understanding of their suffering, perhaps many unnecessary conflicts and sacrifices could have been avoided. And if Sima Guang's retro style had been integrated with the new ideas of the times and not bound by outdated conventions, it could have brought new vitality and vigor to the country."

Although Empress Dowager Xiang didn't say it directly, Zhao Ya knew that she at least knew that he wanted to liquidate Sima Guang. She said this because she hoped that he would correctly view the dispute between Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, not be blinded by the New Party, and help the New Party to fight against the Old Party. He should take the middle path they had agreed on before, that is, to reconcile the contradictions between the New Party and the Old Party and lead them to find a way to save the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Zhao Ya first asked everyone including Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu to go down.

When only Zhao Ya and Empress Dowager Xiang were left in the room, Zhao Ya told Empress Dowager Xiang all about the practical difficulties currently faced by the Zhao Song Dynasty, the internal situations of the Liao and Xia countries, and his own prepared responses, including the remedies Zhang Chun had given him. Zhao Ya even told Empress Dowager Xiang about the thirteen people he was going to liquidate and the corruption and lawlessness they had committed.

After saying this, Zhao Ya concluded:
"Sima Guang handed back to the Western Xia the territory won with the painstaking efforts of the previous emperor, his ministers, and countless casualties on the front lines. However, this did not bring peace. Instead, the Western Xia took advantage of the Song Dynasty's weakness, intensified their aggression, and repeatedly invaded. The Song Dynasty was forced to expend great expense, labor, and countless casualties to regain these territories. This is an indisputable fact."

"These twelve individuals are all extremely corrupt and are truly pestilent to the nation and a great threat to the people. Killing them will be a great relief to the people and serve as a warning to others."

"Furthermore, the Great Song Dynasty is currently facing internal and external troubles. If we do not find a quick financial solution, we will find it difficult to cope. Therefore, we have no choice but to resort to risky military tactics. I hope that your Majesty will prioritize the overall situation."

After listening to this, Empress Dowager Xiang was silent for a long time before she said, "My son should be extremely cautious in this matter."

Seeing that Empress Dowager Xiang agreed with what he did, Zhao Ya said, "Your Majesty, you are absolutely right. The way to govern a country lies in balance and harmony, like cooking a small fish. I will act calmly..."

Zhao Ya persuaded Empress Dowager Xiang, and the matter was basically settled.

Afterwards, Zhao Ya stayed with Empress Dowager Xiang for a long time, and the mother and son talked a lot - mainly Empress Dowager Xiang imparted to Zhao Ya the governing philosophy and life insights she had summarized in her life, hoping that Zhao Ya could take fewer detours.

When Zhao Ya was about to leave, Empress Dowager Xiang suddenly said to him, "Ms. Meng is a pitiful person. She has been entrusted to the wrong person and has nothing left. She is extremely miserable. How about you take her back to the palace and treat her well, so as to eliminate Zhezong's plan and appease the Yuanyou faction?"

Zhao Ya knew very well that bringing back Meng Xiang was not just about bringing back a woman.

Meng Xiang was originally chosen by Gao Taotao, the culprit of the old party, to represent the interests of the old party.

After Gao Taotao's death, Zhao Xu took power and activated the New Party, deposing Meng Xiang to attack the Old Party.

After experiencing these two events, it is no exaggeration to say that Meng Xiang is a banner of the old party.

Now Zhao Ya is treating the old party members as piggy banks.

As the biggest supporter of the old party, Empress Dowager Xiang naturally wanted to declare her support for the old party by restoring Prime Minister Meng's status.

If Meng Xiang was successfully restored to power, it would also be an important move for the Queen Mother to demonstrate her influence. It can also be said that the Queen Mother wanted to reassure the old party members by restoring Meng Xiang's status as a symbol of the old party.

Again, Zhao Ya now wanted to secure his throne, and Empress Dowager Xiang could undoubtedly play a crucial role in this matter. Empress Dowager Xiang was already on her last legs, and Zhao Ya didn't need to compete with her for a short period of time.

Empress Dowager Xiang did not really want to go against Zhao Ya. She just felt that taking a middle path was more likely to save the Zhao Song Dynasty.

The key point is that Empress Dowager Xiang was really nice to Zhao Ya.

Based on this, Zhao Ya readily responded, "I will personally go to Yaohua Palace tomorrow."

Seeing that Zhao Ya attached so much importance to her opinion, Empress Dowager Xiang was very pleased. She said to Zhao Ya: "My son, don't think too much. I am only doing this to help you stabilize the court."

"I understand, son." Zhao Ya said.

……

Although it was already late at night when Zhao Ya returned to the palace, Pei Sui was still waiting for Zhao Ya in front of the harem door.

Unlike yesterday when she was wearing a little less, today Pei Sui was wearing the cloak that Zhao Ya had given her as a reward.

Zhao Ya knew that Pei Sui's situation was very embarrassing, and he also knew that if he didn't help her, she would definitely have to bear the reputation of being infertile for the rest of her life.

This is very cruel to a woman, especially when she has wasted so many opportunities.

In order to help this girl who temporarily stabilized his harem, Zhao Ya chose Pei Sui to sleep with him.

Just like yesterday, Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun sent Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu to wait for Zhao Ya.

The result was obvious, Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun were intercepted by Pei Sui again.

After Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun heard the news, they were almost mad with rage, especially Zhang Chun.

In order to get Zhao Ya, Zhang Chun racked her brains to help Zhao Ya perfect the piggy bank smashing plan yesterday. Later, she endured the fatigue and pain to accompany Zhao Ya to practice the crappy "Prisoner Conditioning" and "Yoga". In the end, Zhao Ya chose Pei Sui instead of her.

"Why is Pei Sui so successful? Is her contribution as great as mine?"

"No, there's also Zhao Ya. Don't you get tired of playing with the same person every day? Can you change to someone else?"

"Besides, isn't Pei Sui infertile? Why are you wasting so many seeds on her? Wouldn't it be better to give them to someone in need?"

After thinking about it, Zhang Chun ran to find Ye Shiyun.

Arriving at Ye Shiyun's bedroom, Zhang Chun saw Ye Shiyun pounding a pillow with a picture of a villain on it. "I've already humbled myself so much, and you're still trying to control me. Do you believe it? If I angered me, I'd turn against you?!!!"

Zhang Chun laughed and said, "Wow! Look at how frustrated our Doctor Ye is. He's actually planning to retaliate against the Emperor. Wow, he's really brave!"

Ye Shiyun said angrily: "Can't you knock on the door before you come to someone else's house? Do you have any manners?"

Zhang Chun snorted, "You sound like you knocked on my door when you came to my house."

Ye Shiyun thought about what she usually did and immediately changed the subject: "It's so late, why are you still looking for me?"

"I came to you to summarize the reasons for our failure." Zhang Chun said straight to the point.

"The reason why I fail repeatedly is because you always compete with me, causing that bastard Zhao Ya to see that I wanted to sleep with him. He keeps manipulating me and squeezing out my wisdom, forcing me to compete with you. If it weren't for you, I would have taken down Zhao Ya long ago and made him fall at my feet. I wouldn't have allowed him to be so arrogant with me!" Ye Shiyun said indignantly.

What Ye Shiyun didn't expect was that Zhang Chun didn't refute it, but honestly admitted: "That's true."

Ye Shiyun looked Zhang Chun up and down, somewhat incredulous: "You actually admitted your mistake?"

Zhang Chun rolled his eyes. "Let me correct you. It's not that I admit I was wrong, but I'm facing the problem squarely. People who can't face their problems will never make progress. I don't want to fall over the same stone again and again."

Ye Shiyun agreed with what Zhang Chun said, so she said, "Since you are so sincere, I will listen to what you have to say."

Zhang Chun didn't waste any words and got straight to the point: "First of all, we are in the same group. We must not let our internal intrigues always benefit outsiders."

"Are you referring to Pei Sui?" Ye Shiyun asked.

"Not only Pei Sui, but also anyone except the five of us. The first thing we have to do is to lock the benefits among the five of us, and make sure that the meat is rotten in the pot. We can't do so many things for Zhao Ya, but in the end, we don't get any benefits, and we also disrupt the market, making Zhao Ya nervous, forcing us to engage in female competition. If this goes on, we will be squeezed dry by Zhao Ya and gain nothing. In the end, we can only become Zhao Ya's defeated dogs, wagging our tails and begging for mercy from Zhao Ya. If we want something, we have to rely on Zhao Ya's charity." Zhang Chun said.

Ye Shiyun immediately felt like she had found a confidant. She agreed, "Sister Chun, you're absolutely right. We are time travelers. If we want to play, we have to play with Zhao Ya. We can't let Zhao Ya play with us. If this gets out, we'll bring shame to the time travelers!"

Zhang Chun nodded. "That's right. We absolutely cannot indulge Zhao Ya's bad habits. Even though we are a thousand years ahead of him in knowledge and experience, and we are outnumbered five to one, how can we possibly defeat a mere native like him?"

Ye Shiyun reminded Zhang Chun: "It's four to one. Jiaojiao is pregnant with Zhao Ya's child and can no longer be relied upon. Didn't you see that when he addressed Zhao Ya, he kept saying 'Guan Jia'. He's obviously become a native person. He must have been brainwashed by Zhao Ya. Before we can force her to come over, we have to be careful of her and don't let her sell us all out."

Zhang Chun felt that Ye Shiyun's reminder was very timely. Ma Xiaojiao was indeed too close to Zhao Ya and was a bit unreliable, so he had to be on guard against her.

"Okay, then the four of us." Zhang Chun said, "Sister Lin and Qingcheng have no intention of sleeping with Zhao Ya. Now we are the only two who do. As long as we prioritize and help each other, we will definitely be able to take down Zhao Ya."

"Then who should go first?" Ye Shiyun asked bluntly.

What surprised Ye Shiyun was that Zhang Chun said without even thinking: "I'll let you go first."

Seeing Zhang Chun's sincerity, Ye Shiyun said firmly: "Okay, after I sleep with Zhao Ya, I will definitely help you sleep with him. If there is no good way, even if I have to use force, I will help you get what you want."

Zhang Chun said, "Then we are now comrades in the same trench."

Ye Shiyun said: "Grasshoppers on the same rope."

Zhang Chun added: "In the harem from now on, we will be together."

Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun said in unison: "Bang bang bang!"

As they were talking, Zhang Chun and Ye Shiyun jumped up hand in hand...

……

(End of this chapter)