[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them":3,"chapter-i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-106":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Transmigrated to the Northern Song with Them",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2318996,4535,"Chapter 106: A Once-in-a-Century Marvel","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-106",106,"\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Kèfēi felt his daughter had surely been spoiled by him—how could she even dream of entering the imperial palace to watch the palace examination? Her audacity was too great!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, his daughter had far too high an opinion of him, believing that this newly appointed Assistant Minister could get her into the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good heavens, he was merely a seventh-rank minor official!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right here under the Son of Heaven’s gaze, calling him a mere speck of dust was no exaggeration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of his daughter, Li Kèfēi could not admit he lacked the ability—he could only summon paternal authority and shoo Li Qingzhao away: “Go, go, stop acting foolishly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being driven off by Li Kèfēi, Li Qingzhao felt resentful. She had heard that the inner palace teemed with hidden talents; competing in literary skill with the imperial consorts would be fascinating—and if she won first place, it would be even more entertaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The imperial examination has never allowed women to sit, but to test one’s ability in the palace examination is indeed a rare honor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Li Qingzhao went to her master’s master Su Shi’s home, hoping he could help her find a way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be clear, Su Shi’s fondness for Li Qingzhao had nothing to do with Li Kèfēi introducing her to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, when Su Shi was recalled to the capital by Zhao Yu to serve as a chancellor, his disciples agreed to gather and welcome him back as a returning king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At such an important occasion, Li Kèfēi certainly wouldn’t bring his daughter to gain fame—it would make him look too opportunistic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Qingzhao had been greatly praised by Cháo Bǔzhī, Su Shi’s foremost disciple, who had regarded her since childhood as possessing extraordinary literary talent, rivaling the masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coincidentally, Li Qingzhao had just become wildly famous for her poem “Ru Meng Ling: Last Night, Sparse Rain, Strong Wind,” bringing great honor to Su’s circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Cháo Bǔzhī specifically asked Li Kèfēi to bring Li Qingzhao to show her to their master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, even Su Shi had heard of Li Qingzhao’s name and her poem “Ru Meng Ling: Last Night, Sparse Rain, Strong Wind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Shi lavished praise: “Her phrasing is fresh and ingenious; truly a model of ci poetry—I applaud it wholeheartedly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qingzhao revered this literary titan, her master’s master, above all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their homes were not far apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qingzhao often visited Su Shi’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Shi’s home was always filled with disciples of the Su school, drinking, reciting poetry, and composing couplets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucky for her, these were precisely her favorite pastimes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Li Qingzhao blended seamlessly with Su’s disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immersed in this rich literary atmosphere, shaped by its environment and aided by her sharp intellect, Li Qingzhao’s talent rapidly advanced, showing clear signs of rising above her peers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Su Shi grew even fonder of his brilliant young protégée; in his leisure, he would offer her guidance—or rather, exchange poems with her as a fellow scholar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Qingzhao arrived at Su Shi’s home, she saw dozens of Su disciples or aspiring followers gathered in his courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qingzhao knew most of them weren’t there to visit their master—they were there to seek official posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Zhao Yu had entrusted Su Shi, Zhang Shangying, and Li Qingchen with screening talent, while Su Zhe oversaw purging corruption and creating new positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combining the two meant a direct, tangible path to office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Zhao Yu chose Su Shi, Zhang Shangying, and Li Qingchen not only because their integrity was unquestionable, but also to ensure mutual oversight among men from different factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Zhe was also a man of integrity; those he assigned to investigate corruption might be from the old party, but the officials he promoted were always those who could truly benefit the people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t merely out of gratitude to Zhao Yu for their promotion—it was also because they bore responsibility for their reputations, status, and conscience. After all, if the talent they selected failed, they would be shamed and condemned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crucially, the Song Dynasty’s cultural foundation was extraordinarily rich: imperial examinations produced wave after wave of candidates, and students at the Imperial Academy came generation after generation; the court was bloated with officials, with seven or eight men jostling for a single post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Song Dynasty certainly had no shortage of talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, since Zhao Yu so trusted and relied on Su Shi and Su Zhe, they must help him select and promote the very best among this vast pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, seeking fortune at the Su household remained the finest route to office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many lacked not talent, but opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving at the Su household and demonstrating one’s ability might just open that door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence, the two most sought-after circles in the Song court today were the Cai family and the Su school—even the Zhang family was beginning to pale in comparison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely why Zhao Ting, after offending Cai Jing, hurried to find a way into the Su school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qingzhao warmly greeted the many Su disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After asking around, she learned Su Shi and Su Zhe had been summoned by Zhao Yu after court and had not yet returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Li Qingzhao cheerfully joined a few disciples in drinking; they sang to their wine, composed poetry, and expressed their feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Su Shi and Su Zhe returned, Li Qingzhao was nearly drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, she had forgotten why she had come to see Su Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Su Shi and Su Zhe return, and with so many people waiting for them, they clearly had urgent matters to attend to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She herself was thoroughly merry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to go home—don’t delay their important business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Qingzhao bowed to Su Shi and Su Zhe: “Your humble servant greets you both, masters.” Then she prepared to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Su Shi laughed at her: “You’re so fond of wine—how will you ever find a good husband?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qingzhao replied with ease: “Without wine, how can one produce fine poetry? Wine is the spiritual spring of verse. A good husband? I can do without. But no fine wine? That I cannot accept.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Shi burst into laughter! Wasn’t he himself just as unbound? He understood—this wasn’t pretense; she truly was this free-spirited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Shi casually remarked: “You idle away your days drinking here—doesn’t your father mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Shi’s remark jolted Li Qingzhao—she smacked her forehead: “Drunk and distracted—I nearly forgot my purpose! I came today to ask you for a favor, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What favor?” Su Shi asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qingzhao spoke openly: “I heard the palace will hold a palace examination. I came to ask if you have any way to let me observe it? If you could let me take part, that would be wonderful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing she had come for this, Su Shi laughed: “This palace examination is a refined affair organized by the emperor’s consorts—you’re not one of them. Why would you go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke without thought; she listened with intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Su Zhe studied Li Qingzhao closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her figure was slender, like a tender willow swaying in spring wind; every gesture revealed a girl’s delicate grace. Her face was pale as jade, flushed with wine like the first blush of dawn clouds. Her eyes were clear and bright, like autumn pools brimming with curiosity and longing for the world, sparkling with wit and intelligence; when she smiled, they curved into crescents, as if holding a sky full of stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall, Li Qingzhao was not a peerless beauty—but she was clever, charming, and captivating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Zhe thought: “The emperor has no shortage of beauties; ordinary beauties won’t catch his eye. But a woman like Li Qingzhao—a rare genius, a once-in-a-century marvel…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Zhe knew well: though Zhao Yu now walked a middle path, employing both new and old party members, this was not his own political choice—it was the Empress Dowager Xiang’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it was clear this path was failing. The rift between new and old parties was too deep, their prejudices too entrenched, each side refusing to yield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could say that after the Empress Dowager Xiang’s death, Zhao Yu wouldn’t grow weary of endless bickering and, like Gao Taotao and Zhao Xu, choose one side and abandon the other entirely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which side would Zhao Yu choose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, even with his heel, Su Zhe could guess: if forced to choose, Zhao Yu would likely side with the new party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only because Zhao Yu had already embarked on reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because the Song Dynasty had truly reached a point where reform was unavoidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To speak plainly: if the ancestral laws had always worked, the Song Dynasty would never have reached its current state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crucially, the conditions under which those ancestral laws worked were utterly different from today’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving other matters aside, how much land was then held by the high officials, scholar-gentry, and wealthy clans exempt from taxes? How much land has since been seized by these parasites?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without this vast source of tax revenue, how could the Song Dynasty survive unless it reformed? Wait for death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, during Gao Taotao’s rule, the old party had already tried—mere austerity could not sustain this vast empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, why, after Zhao Xu took personal control, could he so easily return to the path of reform?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, if Zhao Yu is truly forced into a binary choice, the old party will be discarded—and likely suffer worse than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were only Su Zhe himself, though he had never reached the chancellorship like Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, or Zhang Dun, he had long been perilously close; politically, he had no regrets or lingering desires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his brother Su Shi was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of his blunt, candid nature, Su Shi had spent years in political despair, exiled again and again, finally banished to Danzhou in the hot, malarial south of Hainan—enduring great suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, just as Su Shi was about to break, Zhao Yu ascended the throne, issued a decree recalling him to court, and promoted him to chancellor, entrusting him with great responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waiting for years, Su Shi could finally fulfill the political ambitions he had pursued for decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frankly, Su Zhe did not want his brother to endure another crushing blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If another came, Su Zhe didn’t know if his aging brother could withstand it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, a plan must be devised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old party’s greatest current asset was undoubtedly the Empress Dowager Xiang—high in status and deeply indebted to Zhao Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, with her protection, the old party should not suffer further devastation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But recently, the Empress Dowager Xiang’s health had deteriorated sharply; she fell ill frequently and visibly aged before their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering her age—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew whether tomorrow or misfortune would arrive first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, even if the old party could no longer rival the new party, to survive, they must find someone to replace the Empress Dowager Xiang—someone who could, at critical moments, persuade Zhao Yu not to listen to the slander of Zhang Dun, Cai Bian, or Cai Jing and massacre the old party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, enlightened figures in the old party had already recognized this: Han Zhongyan, for instance, had begun cultivating ties with Cai Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empress Dowager Xiang herself had realized this too—her reason for restoring Meng’s position as empress was precisely to guard against this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Meng was merely Zhao Yu’s sister-in-law, not his mother, and one with whom he had little connection—she could not replace the Empress Dowager Xiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiansu, however, was a promising candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Empress Dowager Xiang had already told Su Zhe and others: Zheng Xiansu was unreliable; at the critical moment, he would unquestionably follow Zhao Yu’s lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, why would the Empress Dowager Xiang have cultivated Meng as her successor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But clearly, Meng alone was insufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, someone who could assist Meng must be created.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frankly, Su Zhe wasn’t sure whether Li Qingzhao—neither a peerless beauty, but a drunkard, rumored to love gambling—could fill this role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Qingzhao undeniably possessed a charm no other woman had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if Zhao Yu, who has tried every kind of woman, happens to like this unusual type?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Li Qingzhao’s status is excellent; her forehead already bears the deep mark of the “Su” name. If she truly enters Zhao Yu’s harem and gains his favor, she will surely support their Old Party, at the very least speak up for the Su clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key is, if it works, they gain immensely; if it fails, they lose nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this through, Su Zhe spoke to Su Shi: “Brother, why not take this girl to show His Majesty? If His Majesty permits her to sit for the examination, all the better; if not, it’s merely a matter of sending her home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Zhe’s attitude surprised Su Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Su Shi trusted his younger brother one hundred and twenty percent. Without this brother, he would have died countless times already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Su Shi knew well: in poetry and lyrics, Su Zhe was no match for him; but in officialdom and statecraft, he was no match for Su Zhe. If Su Zhe had spoken up now, there must be reason behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Su Shi said to Li Qingzhao: “You’re lucky, girl. I’ll take you to see His Majesty later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qingzhao was overjoyed; her lovely face flushed a charming rosy hue under the influence of alcohol, like the most delicate peach blossom on a spring branch. Her eyes grew even brighter, as if holding a sky full of stars, sparkling with vitality and delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? Don’t you dare trick me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Shi laughed heartily: “It’s a deal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fearing Su Shi might renege, Li Qingzhao made him swear: “Even four horses couldn’t pull back this promise!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2303,"2026-06-20T15:06:47.302Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a785b271d434e113d33e9eca3bbd05123dba6a3a262e81a457899c647ee22488","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-107","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-105",348,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-cover.jpg"]