Chapter 116: The First Child—Save the Mother or the Baby?

…

According to statistics, during the eighty-eight years from Emperor Taizu's Jianlong Year 1 to Emperor Renzong's Qingli Year 8, the Yellow River breached its banks more than thirty times.

And this was still before the three river reroutings.

After the three river reroutings, frequent breaches and channel shifts posed even greater challenges to management.

Moreover, the Yellow River flows through multiple regions, and conflicts of interest and coordination difficulties arise among these regions in managing the river. Upstream areas may prioritize their own irrigation needs while neglecting flood control safety downstream; downstream areas, in turn, hope upstream regions will reduce water usage to ensure the river's flood discharge capacity. This lack of coordination between regions also hinders Yellow River management.

Crucially, managing the Yellow River requires enormous human, material, and financial resources.

During Emperor Renzong's reign, when the Yellow River breached, the Zhao Song dynasty mobilized hundreds of thousands of laborers to manage it.

Also during Emperor Renzong's reign, Water Conservancy Official Wanyan Zongwang claimed that restoring the river channel required constructing a seventy-li golden dike, demanding one million strings of cash—roughly fourteen thousand strings per li. But this was only the cost of building the golden dike, excluding other river management projects and materials.

All of this meant that without a capable and shrewd person fully in charge, the Yellow River could never be properly managed.

Zhao Yu had previously written historical novels about the Two Song periods and had written about Yellow River management, so he knew that during this era, one man was capable of managing the river.

That man was Tang Ke, chancellor during Emperor Qinzong's reign in history.

In the historical Zhenghe Year 7, the Yellow River breached and Dongjing Bianliang was in peril; Tang Ke was ordered to dredge and successfully eliminated the flood, earning promotion to Vice Minister of Revenue. While serving in Cangzhou, the Yellow River breached again, and floodwaters reached the city walls; Tang Ke climbed the walls to repair them. Water Conservancy Official Meng Changling sent official documents demanding boats and soldiers; Tang Ke refused, citing the violent current, Cangzhou's border status, and the absence of an imperial edict permitting troop deployment. Meng Changling angrily impeached him, but Tang Ke remained unmoved, redoubling his efforts to manage the flood until the waters receded and Cangzhou was saved, earning an imperial edict of praise from Emperor Huizong. Later, when Dongjing suffered severe flooding and the Bianhe was about to overflow, Tang Ke was put in charge. Someone suggested breaching the southern dike to relieve pressure on the palace city; Tang Ke opposed it. He boarded a small boat to trace the water's source and flow, then decided to breach the golden dike to divert the water into the Yellow River; after ten days, the flood subsided.

At this time, Tang Ke was merely a Circuit Transport Commissioner, a petty official.

Logically, such a massive undertaking as Yellow River management should not be entrusted to such a minor official by Zhao Yu.

But Zhao Yu genuinely did not know who else could handle this task besides Tang Ke.

Moreover, Zhang Chun had recommended Tang Ke to Zhao Yu.

So Zhao Yu decided to take a gamble and summoned the barely thirty-year-old Tang Ke to the capital.

Upon learning Zhao Yu wished to see him, Tang Ke traveled from Hebei to Dongjing Bianliang in just two days.

Zhao Yu asked Tang Ke whether he had a plan to manage the Yellow River.

Tang Ke, who had not participated in the earlier court session, proposed a method for managing the Yellow River that matched Zhao Yu's own thinking exactly.

The only difference was that Tang Ke proposed that the key to dredging the lower reaches lay in constraining the flow to scour sediment—narrowing the river channel at critical points to increase velocity, whereas widening the channel would slow the current and worsen siltation.

Zhao Yu recalled that when he had written his novel on Yellow River management, two top readers in the comment section had mentioned this very point.

Tang Ke's ability to propose the same view proved he was certainly capable.

Zhao Yu wasted no time; he promoted Tang Ke to Director of Yellow River Management, established the Yellow River Dredging Bureau, and granted him full authority over all river management.

Zhao Yu also gave Tang Ke a Shangfang Baojian, authorizing him to mobilize any personnel or resources, and explicitly declared he reported only to Chancellor Zhang Dun.

After issuing this imperial decree, Zhao Yu gritted his teeth and directly allocated three million strings of cash as a special fund for Yellow River management.

Not everyone approved of Zhao Yu's decision and actions; some felt granting such a large sum to this minor official was too risky. Crucially, the court still owed many officials their salaries—why not give Tang Ke only one million strings and use the remaining two million to pay everyone's back pay?

Zhao Yu ignored all such noise.

Zhao Yu knew clearly that the court was merely a few palaces and a few government offices; as Emperor, if he failed to allocate interests properly, these palaces and offices could easily change hands.

Interest allocation has always been a matter of negotiation—no one inherently deserves more, nor less. The Emperor, the bureaucracy, the people—each gets what they can seize through negotiation.

Does the Emperor, by virtue of being the Son of Heaven, expect to take everything?

Impossible.

"The people are most valuable, the state second, the ruler least"; "Water can carry a boat, but also capsize it"—these sayings exist precisely to constrain the Emperor, fundamentally requiring him to divide the cake fairly, even to give up his own share and not hoard excessively.

Does the people, by virtue of being producers, deserve the largest share?

Also impossible.

"The people may be led, but not made to understand"—these sayings exist to constrain the people, fundamentally requiring them to relinquish their share and not hoard excessively.

Does the bureaucratic elite, by virtue of being administrators, deserve the largest share?

Even more impossible.

Anti-corruption, factional struggles, party rivalries—all were deliberately designed to break the bureaucracy's unity, fundamentally weakening its power and preventing excessive hoarding.

In this era, the three parties dividing the cake are essentially just these three.

And since it is negotiation, stability is impossible.

The balance of power among all sides must remain in constant flux.

Sometimes the Emperor takes more—like founding emperors and strong rulers; sometimes the bureaucracy takes more—after each dynasty stabilizes, the bureaucratic elite inevitably grows wildly; sometimes the people take more—during dynastic collapses, when uprisings surge, it's not that the people take more, but that they smash the pot.

As of now, the Zhao Song dynasty has existed for one hundred and forty years; according to the original historical trajectory, it stands in the late Northern Song period, with a stable state and peaceful social order.

Thus, the bureaucratic elite, as primary administrators, must have expanded drastically and inevitably seized the lion's share of interests.

The clearest example: nearly forty percent of current state revenue is spent on official salaries.

Under these circumstances, regardless of how much Zhao Yu as Emperor should take, if he does not tilt more toward the people, the people will rise and smash the pot.

Zhao Yu was fully awake; though Chancellor Zhang Dun appeared problematic, he was in fact the most loyal—he truly pursued reform, truly shielded the Emperor, and without him and his staunch reformist forces suppressing the bureaucracy, the bureaucracy would have gained overwhelming dominance over Zhao Yu himself.

At that point, Zhao Yu might not even enjoy the privilege of choosing concubines without consulting ministers, like Emperor Renzong; he might instead become Chongzhen—calling heaven and receiving no answer, calling earth and receiving no reply, ultimately hanging himself on Coal Hill.

Therefore, Zhao Yu not only staunchly protected Zhang Dun, but also visited Zhang Nan for three consecutive days, clearly signaling his political stance to the world.

As a result, whether old party members, conservative factions within the new party, or even Cai Jing, who coveted Zhang Dun's chancellorship, all had to rein themselves in—because they knew that with Zhao Yu's backing, Zhang Dun was a mad dog who would bite anyone.

Indeed!

With Zhao Yu's strong support, Zhang Dun, whose political style was already resolute, continued forcefully advancing his previous reform policies and implementing the revised reform path Zhao Yu had helped him refine after ascending the throne.

The Zhao Song dynasty entered a period of stable and rapid reform…

…

On the fifth evening after the Imperial Harem Examination ended, Zhao Yu returned to Zhang Chun's palace.

Zhang Chun, having received prior notice, arranged for Li Shishi and others to thoroughly clean the palace inside and out multiple times.

Zhang Chun herself meticulously dressed up—she cunningly wore a bikini top made of only two palm-sized colored cloths, a short hot pant revealing half her buttocks, and instead of ordinary Song attire, she donned an exquisite short qipao, exposing a pair of long, white, straight legs.

Dressed so enticingly, Zhang Chun naturally stirred Zhao Yu's appetite; as soon as he entered the room, Zhao Yu embraced her.

Having become a true woman, Zhang Chun did not feign modesty; she smoothly straddled Zhao Yu's thighs.

"I haven't come these past few days. Does my beloved consort have any complaints?" Zhao Yu asked.

Back then, what Zhao Yu had agreed with Zhang Chun was that only if Zhang Chun took first place would Zhao Yu bestow upon her a son.

But the final result was that Zhang Chun, relying on cheating, only barely managed to get first place in cultural knowledge.

The key point was that Zhao Yu had already given her the reward for that single-subject first place.

Later, it was only with Zhao Yu's help that she barely managed to get third place.

Zhang Chun was very clear that Liu Mingda was the model and example that Zheng Xiansu had established, Zhang Nan was a political necessity, and that her obtaining third place in the palace examination was purely due to Zhao Yu's favor — otherwise she definitely wouldn't have gotten this female Tanhua.

This Zhang Chun was grateful to Zhao Yu and still felt it wasn't enough — how could she possibly have any complaints against Zhao Yu?

Zhang Chun wrapped her arms around Zhao Yu's neck, pitched her voice, and said: "My lord has treated Chun'er with kindness as heavy as a mountain — how could Chun'er possibly complain? Moreover, my lord first favored Zhang Chongrong, supported the Prime Minister, and stabilized the court — that is truly the best policy. Chun'er is not some ignorant woman; how could she fail to tell which matters are weightier and which lighter…"

After the two whispered and nuzzled for a while, the qipao on Zhang Chun's body was stripped off by Zhao Yu.

Seeing the battle garment Zhang Chun had carefully prepared underneath, Zhao Yu could not restrain himself and immediately carried Zhang Chun into the bedroom.

After two indescribable bouts of intense passion, Zhao Yu held Zhang Chun and fell into a deep sleep.

When the two had slept until the middle of the night, Li Shishi suddenly knocked lightly on the door and said softly: "My lord, it's time to rise."

Zhao Yu opened his eyes and asked: "What is it?"

Zhao Yu was well aware that if there were no especially important matter, no one would dare disturb his sleep.

Li Shishi leaned close to Zhao Yu's ear and whispered: "Shen Cairen is about to give birth; perhaps it requires Your Majesty's decision."

Zhao Yu understood at once — Shen Fuling was most likely having a difficult labor, and might be facing the agonizing choice of saving the mother or the child; no one else dared make that call.

Without a word of hesitation, Zhao Yu got out of bed.

It was only when Zhao Yu moved that Zhang Chun, who had been exhausted from the night before, slowly and groggily woke up.

"Where is my lord going?" Zhang Chun asked.

"Shen Fuling is about to give birth. I'm going to check on her. You go on sleeping."

Having said that, Zhao Yu, attended by a group of palace maids, quickly dressed and went to Shen Fuling's delivery room.

When Zhao Yu arrived, Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, Guo Ting, and many other consorts of Zhao Yu, along with a large group of imperial physicians, midwives, female officials, and palace maids, had all gathered outside Shen Fuling's delivery room.

Seeing Zhao Yu arrive, Zheng Xiansu came forward and said: "It has been rather long. This concubine did not dare make the decision, so I had someone summon my lord here."

Zhao Yu nodded to indicate he understood, then walked to the outside of the delivery room.

Everyone paid their respects.

Zhao Yu waved his hand, telling everyone to dispense with the formalities.

This was Zhao Yu's first child in two lifetimes. To be honest, Zhao Yu was genuinely a little nervous, and also a little expectant.

After pacing at the doorway for a while, Zhao Yu said to Liu Mingda: "Go summon Consort Ye here."

Zhao Yu had already seen the "Ye Shi Yun Medical Canon" (that is, the "Barefoot Doctor's Manual") that Ye Shi Yun was writing, and knew that Ye Shi Yun had some grasp of advanced medicine, so he had sent for her — she might well prove useful.

Another hour passed, and Shen Fuling still had not given birth to the child. By now, her cries had become very weak.

Beside him, some people were already itching to try, wanting to advise Zhao Yu to give up Shen Fuling and save the child.

In this era, this was a perfectly normal choice — after all, Shen Fuling was merely a low-ranking consort of humble status, while what was in her belly was a dragon's heir.

Seeing this, Zhao Yu did something that took everyone by surprise — he actually walked toward the delivery room.

Liang Shicheng reacted fastest. He hurriedly knelt before Zhao Yu and stopped him, saying: "My lord, you absolutely must not enter this inauspicious place!"

Seeing that Zhao Yu was about to enter the delivery room, everyone was terrified. From Zheng Xiansu on down, a great crowd dropped to their knees with a clatter, all urgently advising Zhao Yu by no means to enter the delivery room.

In the eyes of people of this era, certain abnormal occurrences during childbirth — such as a baby not crying, or a difficult labor — were regarded as inauspicious omens.

Furthermore, the Daoist scripture "Yuan Shi Tianzun Jidu Xuehu Zhenjing" states that the foul water discharged by women during childbirth would pollute the water in streams, rivers, ponds, and wells; ordinary people who drank the polluted water, or used it to offer sacrifices to the gods, would profane the deities, and the woman who produced such sins should "fall into the Blood Lake and suffer without end" — this further deepened people's taboos about the delivery room.

Moreover, in the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, women were regarded as the embodiment of yin, with heavy yin qi. During childbirth, large amounts of blood and water would flow out; people of this era considered blood and water filthy, believing they would attract unclean things and spread this foul qi throughout the entire household, bringing misfortune to every member of the family.

At the same time, the process of giving birth was considered a state of yin-yang imbalance, liable to give rise to all manner of inauspicious events.

In short, there were many similar theories.

Therefore, the men of this era did not enter the delivery room.

As the Emperor sitting high above all, Zhao Yu's personal fortune might even be bound to the nation's fate — by all rights, he should have been even less inclined to enter the delivery room.

To be honest, Zhao Yu was not very familiar with Shen Fuling, and had little feeling for her — Shen Fuling had originally been merely a palace maid in charge of medicines in the pharmacy, with little contact with the original host, and little contact with Zhao Yu either. But during that period, Zhao Yu was in his mating season, and when he happened to pass by the pharmacy, he saw that Shen Fuling was pretty, so he went in and took her. Later, Zhao Yu specifically summoned Shen Fuling to attend him once more, and Shen Fuling became pregnant.

In other words, the reason Zhao Yu had taken Shen Fuling was simply to satisfy his own physical needs — to speak of feelings would be putting on airs.

However, although he had little feeling for Shen Fuling, at this very moment Shen Fuling was risking her life to bear Zhao Yu a child, and Zhao Yu truly did not want to leave her to face this life-or-death moment alone.

But then again, so many people stopping him from entering the delivery room also made Zhao Yu realize that if he acted rashly, the harm might be considerable.

Just imagine — if some misfortune really did happen in the near future, this could become a handle for others to attack Zhao Yu, and might also implicate Shen Fuling and her child.

After all, this was a feudal society.

So, in the end, Zhao Yu — who was still relatively amenable to persuasion — stopped in his tracks at the door of the delivery room.

Time passed little by little.

Shen Fuling's voice grew fainter and fainter; it was clear she was nearly unable to cry out any longer.

Soon, the midwife came to Zhao Yu's side and said to him: "Please, Your Majesty, make the decision."

Zhao Yu understood — the midwife had already determined that Shen Fuling could not deliver this child, and wanted him to issue an edict to give up Shen Fuling and do everything possible to save the child.

But what the midwife never expected was that Zhao Yu said in a deep voice: "Save the mother."

……

(End of this chapter)