[{"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-107":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},2318997,4535,"Chapter 107: The Incompetent But Addicted","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-107",107,"\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jing’s nature was treacherous and cunning; he manipulated others with wit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than nine hundred years after the fall of the Northern Song, both official and popular opinion firmly placed the label of “great traitor” upon Cai Jing’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Anshi had once worn such a label too; he was even regarded as a “rebel and villain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in later generations, Wang Anshi was reclassified as a reformer of the mid-to-late eleventh century in China.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Jing was the inheritor of Wang Anshi’s doctrines; he not only inherited them but also developed Wang Anshi’s reformist ideas in practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Jing’s Chongning Reforms were both a continuation of and an adjustment to Wang Anshi’s Xining Reforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a relationship of inheritance and development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In practical terms, the achievements of the Chongning Reforms far surpassed those of the Xining Reforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Politically, the old faction’s influence had been purged, ending the decades-long party strife that had plagued the Zhao Song dynasty and laying a political foundation for social and economic development;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Economically, agriculture and sericulture were prioritized, land reclamation encouraged, and economic policies regarding tea, salt, and currency restructured, greatly increasing state revenue;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Militarily, an army of one hundred thousand was dispatched westward to reclaim lost territory in Qingtangcheng, consolidate border defenses, elevate the emperor’s and court’s prestige, and raise the Northern Song’s international standing;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In education, during the Chongning era, Cai Jing presided over the “Chongning Educational Revival,” establishing local schools nationwide and creating a three-tiered system linking county, prefectural, and imperial academies, while also restoring medical schools and founding specialized institutions for arithmetic, calligraphy, and painting;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In public welfare, Cai Jing institutionalized and scaled social relief by establishing shelters for the elderly and destitute, charitable clinics, and public burial grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Objectively speaking, Cai Jing’s Chongning Reforms indeed transformed Northern Song society and at one point brought the dynasty to its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, there was considerable falsehood in this portrayal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But speaking strictly of facts, during the years Cai Jing served as chancellor, even with Zhao Ji and his ministers so corrupt and reckless, the Northern Song dynasty could still have endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Fang La’s rebellion erupted, the reserves Cai Jing had built for the Northern Song were exhausted; when Zhao Ji sought to ally with the Jin to destroy the Liao and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, Cai Jing keenly perceived the danger and firmly opposed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because Cai Jing staunchly opposed allying with the Jin to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures, Zhao Ji dismissed him for the third time, appointed Wang Fu as chancellor, and forcibly pushed forward the strategy that led to the Northern Song’s collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhao Ji and Wang Fu had created an irreparable disaster and the Northern Song faced extinction, Zhao Ji once again recalled Cai Jing to serve as chancellor for the fourth time, hoping Cai Jing could rescue the crumbling state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by then, Cai Jing was nearly eighty, his eyesight nearly gone, his legs too weak to kneel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, Cai Jing chose to return to office, determined to prop up a collapsing edifice and stem a raging flood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, you may claim Cai Jing was power-hungry—but did his decision not also reflect gratitude for Zhao Ji’s trust and patronage?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Jing served as chancellor four times in his life, and was dismissed four times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he refused to return for the third time and retired from politics to spend his final years in Hangzhou, his dazzling achievements would have spared him from being portrayed as a villain in Water Margin, and his historical reputation would not have been negative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even had he refused the fourth appointment, he likely would not have been branded the foremost of the Six Evils or made the scapegoat for the Northern Song’s fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had promised Zhao Ji to serve him unto death, and he meant to keep his word—if Zhao Ji needed him, he would gladly return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Jing’s disciple Lu Huiqing wrote his epitaph, which included the line: “At the end of Tianbao, what crime did Yao and Song commit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianbao was the era name of Emperor Xuanzong’s golden age; Yao Chong and Song Jing were virtuous chancellors of that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Huiqing meant: “Emperor Xuanzong nearly ruined his empire—how can the blame fall on the virtuous chancellors Yao and Song?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, Zhao Yu agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merit is merit, fault is fault; calling Cai Jing a traitor is fair enough—he did propose the “Abundance, Splendor, and Prosperity” governance philosophy to Zhao Ji. Though rooted in his understanding of the profound philosophy of the Book of Changes and reflecting his vision of ideal governance, it also carried the suspicion of enabling Zhao Ji’s indulgence; he had indeed helped Zhao Ji procure the Flower and Rock Tributes in his early years—these could all be deemed traitorous acts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to deny Cai Jing’s abilities and achievements would be self-deception—or at least ignorance of this history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Zhao Yu still held his original view: anyone who leaves a name in history is no ordinary man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And someone like Cai Jing, who served alone as chancellor for seventeen years, must have possessed extraordinary talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu believed that a man of Cai Jing’s exceptional ability, if properly utilized, could achieve great things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the court officials guessed correctly: Zhao Yu elevated Cai Jing precisely to replace Zhang Dun as chancellor when Zhang Dun became unfit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Cai Jing’s love of luxury, Zhao Yu felt that as long as he himself did not emulate Zhao Ji’s extravagance and remained committed to combating corruption, Cai Jing—and other ministers—would be no more greedy than Kou Zhun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, regardless of others’ opinions of Cai Jing, as the emperor who replaced Zhao Ji, Zhao Yu trusted him completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Cai Jing, the man who truly unsettled Zhao Yu was Zhao Ting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu feared Zhao Ting was ambitious but incompetent and would ruin the currency reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after deciding to appoint Zhao Ting to lead the currency reform, Zhao Yu kept him last and deliberately set aside ample time to discuss monetary reform with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Shi Yun had analyzed and summarized for Zhao Yu the chaotic state of currency in this era:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currency types were numerous—copper coins, iron coins, jiaozi, huizi—all circulating simultaneously, causing market disorder; paper money (such as jiaozi and huizi) was overissued, triggering inflation; private coinage was rampant, flooding the market with inferior currency; monetary policy was rigid, failing to adapt to economic changes; currency circulation was sluggish, hindering commerce; currency depreciation reduced state revenue; corruption in currency management damaged imperial credibility; financial instruments were limited, unable to meet economic demands; currency fluctuations destabilized prices, harming livelihoods; and currency exchange in foreign trade was inconvenient, impeding international commerce…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reform had become an absolute necessity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Jing was useful and capable, but his flaw was clear: he cared only for immediate gains, not long-term economic development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Historically, under Cai Jing’s leadership, the Northern Song exhausted its people’s strength too early and intensified social tensions; the fruits of his economic reforms failed to become drivers of societal progress and instead fueled corruption among Zhao Ji and the ruling elite, accelerating the dynasty’s decline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this must also be blamed on Zhao Ji, whose extravagance and obsession with grandeur forced Cai Jing to rush for revenue; to preserve his power and realize his political ambitions, Cai Jing had no choice but to scramble for money to fuel Zhao Ji’s profligacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, when the ruler favors something, his subordinates take it to extremes: Zhao Ji loved luxury, and his ministers imitated him, each more greedy than the last, building lavish gardens until the Flower and Rock Tributes became rampant and corruption spread unchecked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu would never follow Zhao Ji’s path—needless to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Zhao Yu had to guard against Cai Jing’s short-term economic reforms, avoiding premature exhaustion of the people’s strength, lest the Zhao Song dynasty inevitably retrace its historical path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of these considerations, Zhao Yu chose the relatively conservative Zhao Ting to reform the currency system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ting clearly came prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhao Yu asked him the direction of currency reform, he immediately presented his strategy:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unify the currency system, reduce the number of currency types, clearly define the relationship between main and subsidiary currency, and simplify circulation; establish a reserve system to ensure paper money is backed by sufficient metal or physical assets, preventing overissuance; severely crack down on private coinage, improve minting technology, ensure currency quality, and maintain market order; adjust money supply according to economic conditions to avoid deflation or inflation; establish an independent audit body to ensure transparency in currency issuance and circulation and prevent corruption; regulate money supply to stabilize prices and safeguard the people’s livelihood…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ting’s strategies coincided in part with Ye Shi Yun’s recommendations to Zhao Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhao Ting gave little thought to promoting commerce, increasing state revenue, advancing financial innovation, or strengthening international cooperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Zhao Yu presented Ye Shi Yun’s outline and supplemented Zhao Ting’s plan with the missing elements…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Zhao Yu understood little about economic reform—almost nothing at all—but he had Ye Shi Yun, Cai Jing, Zhao Kai, and Zhang Que as his advisors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, Zhao Yu directly summoned Zhao Kai and Zhang Que, appointing them as Zhao Ting’s deputies to assist him in the currency reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, Zhao Yu and his team established the overarching strategy for currency reform: prioritize currency unification, issuance control, commercial promotion, and fiscal revenue growth, while strengthening oversight and innovation to ensure monetary stability and drive economic prosperity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, Zhao Yu discussed matters late into the night with Zhao Ting, Zhao Kai, and Zhang Que.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Zhao Yu returned to the inner palace, it was deep into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu went straight to Ye Shi Yun’s quarters and laid out all the problems he had encountered while formulating the currency reform strategy, asking her to help resolve them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But instead of answering immediately, Ye Shi Yun simply took Zhao Yu’s hand and led him to bed, whispering seductively in his ear: “Your humble concubine will report to Your Majesty tomorrow. You are exhausted today—why not rest early?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu knew Ye Shi Yun was not playing games with him—she had developed a taste for it and was insatiable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matters Zhao Yu raised were not urgent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, so many questions could not be answered in a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was already very late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Zhao Yu indulged Ye Shi Yun twice, until she begged for mercy; then, equally weary, he fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Zhao Yu, now accustomed to rising early, awoke at dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Ye Shi Yun still asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu thought for a moment, did not wake her, and decided to wait until after his morning qigong practice with Zhang Xubai and others before asking her to answer yesterday’s questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as Zhao Yu finished washing and dressing under the care of servants like Zhao Yuannu, and was about to leave, Ye Shi Yun, without turning her head, said: “The solutions to all your questions are on the desk. I am too tired to rise and see you off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu walked to the desk and saw a neat stack of yuan paper and a book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stack was densely filled with solutions to every question Zhao Yu had asked her the night before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Shi Yun had written them in meticulous detail, analyzing and answering each point without omission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the volume of paper, Zhao Yu guessed she had stayed awake all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu understood why she had not answered him last night—if she had, he would have had to stay up all night too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the book was Basic Economics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu opened it and found nothing but dense, practical knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Shi Yun explained in simple, direct language what economics was, how to apply it, and answered many economic questions Zhao Yu had never understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu guessed that Ye Shi Yun feared his intelligence was insufficient to grasp even her clear explanations, so she kindly included simple, accessible examples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu sat beside the bed and kissed Ye Shi Yun’s lovely face: “My beloved, you’ve worked hard.” Then he promised: “I will return to your quarters tonight to rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Ye Shi Yun heard him or not, she gave a half-hearted reply: “Mm, okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Zhao Yu left, Ye Shi Yun slept until the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her awake, Zhao Yuannu hurriedly brought a bowl of bird’s nest, eagerly saying: “Your Ladyship, good morning. This bird’s nest was specially prepared for you by the imperial kitchen, kept warm all this time—please eat it while hot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although bird’s nest was not yet as widely recognized or used in this era as it would become later, people already had some awareness of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, however, bird’s nest had not become a popular or common ingredient; it remained in the early stage of discovery and recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Ye Shi Yun, the food enthusiast, who specifically ordered Huang Jingchen to procure bird’s nest and learned its preparation from Yuan Qing Cheng, then taught the imperial chefs how to cook it—only then did bird’s nest gradually become a popular dish among Zhao Yu’s concubines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this stage, bird’s nest was not expensive—it was even cheaper than its accompanying ingredients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was not about cost—it was that Zhao Yu had specifically ordered this bird’s nest for Ye Shi Yun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And crucially, Zhao Yu had said he would return to her quarters tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Zhao Yuannu and the other women in Ye Shi Yun’s palace, this was unmistakable evidence of favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, they all knew Ye Shi Yun’s stamina—so long as she held the emperor’s favor, they would eventually get their share of the leftovers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Added to that, Ye Shi Yun had a kind disposition and was generous to her servants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yuannu and the others strongly supported Ye Shi Yun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zhao Yu still thought to send her bird’s nest for nourishment, Ye Shi Yun felt sweetly satisfied: “Not bad—he’s worth the effort I’ve poured into helping him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ye Shi Yun ate her bird’s nest and imagined what new games she might play with Zhao Yu tonight, Li Lin, Ma Xiao Jiao, and Yuan Qing Cheng arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Ye Shi Yun still in bed, Li Lin asked: “How many times did Zhao Yu exhaust you last night that you can’t even get out of bed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Shi Yun said casually: “Not much—just seven times a night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin snorted: “I wish he really had the ability you claim.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Shi Yun knew that Li Lin, with her formidable physique, must know Zhao Yu’s true nature; in this matter, she could never outwit Li Lin in banter, so she wisely changed the subject: “Why did you all come to my place so early?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one corrected Ye Shi Yun that it was already afternoon, not morning; Ma Xiao Jiao stated outright why they had come: “Hasn’t Zhang Chun been pushing herself too hard lately? Xiduo heard Li Shishi say she hasn’t left her room in over a month—I think we should go check on her; she might be in trouble…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2551,"2026-06-20T15:06:47.302Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","afed11ac4109318a2ccd889d0ef0ee06a26d9f57edc60ebe5487df979971e689","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-108","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-106",348,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-cover.jpg"]