Chapter 120

…

Zhao Mingcheng was born into an official and scholarly family, received a fine education from childhood, studied the classics and read history, and with his intelligence and diligence, he entered the Imperial Academy as an adult, his future undeniably brilliant.

Recently, Zhao Mingcheng's father, Zhao Tingzhi, has come under Zhao Yu's favor and begun reforming the crucial monetary system.

This monetary reform is not only a vital part of the broader reforms but also the most direct means of increasing the court's financial revenue.

During Emperor Zhezong's reign, Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun, ruler and minister, strongly advocated expanding borders—launching foreign wars—which brought considerable military achievements to the Zhao Song dynasty.

Yet simultaneously, to support these wars, the Zhao Song dynasty's economy was severely drained, especially after the decade-long reforms of the Old Party, during which the fiscal system established by Wang Anshi and Emperor Shenzong had never recovered, leaving the court's ability to centralize and allocate national resources extremely fragile.

Yet Zhang Dun also valued the people's livelihood and insisted on incorporating the Yuanyou spirit to nurture the people's strength.

This constant warfare alongside the refusal to open new revenue streams directly led to the imperial treasury growing ever emptier.

Added to this were the great chaos caused by the three river reroutings, along with natural disasters and human misfortunes, all demanding constant outlays from the court.

As a result, when Zhao Yu ascended the throne, he inherited a bankrupt court, starving everywhere, begging for sustenance.

At this point, reforming the monetary system to build financial reserves for the court became especially critical.

Logically, such an important task should have been entrusted to a chancellor or vice-chancellor.

But in Zhao Yu's court, while there were many chancellors and vice-chancellors, either they lacked financial acumen, or were occupied with other urgent matters and could not fully pursue reform, or were in poor health.

Coupled with the ongoing strife between the New and Old Parties, this crucial assignment ultimately fell to Zhao Tingzhi.

Now, although Zhao Tingzhi has not yet become a chancellor or vice-chancellor, the current officeholders—Zhang Dun at sixty-five, Ceng Bu at sixty-four, Han Zhongyan at sixty-two, Xu Jiang at sixty-three, Su Zhe at sixty-one, Su Shi at sixty-three, Lu Huiqing at sixty-eight, Li Qingchen at sixty-eight—all are elderly and will soon be replaced, while the younger Cai Jing, Cai Bian, and Zhang Shangying are all New Party members; if Zhao Yu seeks balance, Zhao Tingzhi may well become a chancellor, even prime minister.

Without exaggeration, Zhao Tingzhi has already become a political star among the Old Party, and he may well be the most likely contender to challenge Cai Jing for the next prime ministership.

With such a father, Zhao Mingcheng has quietly risen to the ranks of the elite young nobles.

Just as women in later generations favored marrying wealthy, handsome men, women today are willing to marry Zhao Mingcheng, a young noble with such a promising future.

Yet Zhao Mingcheng looked down on such common, vulgar girls—he had already set his heart on someone.

The young lady Zhao Mingcheng could not forget was Li Qingzhao.

Not long ago, he happened to hear classmates discussing Li Qingzhao's poetry, and out of curiosity, he began paying attention to her verses.

Soon, Zhao Mingcheng became utterly entranced by her exquisite poetry, gradually falling in love with this extraordinary woman he had never met.

Later, Zhao Mingcheng learned that Li Jiong was Li Qingzhao's cousin, and deliberately befriended Li Jiong.

Given Zhao Mingcheng's family background, how could Li Jiong possibly refuse to become his closest friend?

During this year's Lantern Festival, Li Jiong invited Zhao Mingcheng to visit the Grand Pharaoh Temple.

The Grand Pharaoh Temple opened five times a month for public trade, offering a vast array of goods—from birds, cats, and dogs to rare beasts, mats, bamboo mats, screens, and daily necessities, to books, curios, paintings, and local specialties and medicinal herbs brought by officials from all regions.

The temple's book market was the most important book trading hub in Dongjing, opening eight times a month, where scholars sold historical texts and contemporary treatises, primarily catering to literati and officials, attracting many cultured figures such as Huang Tingjian and Mi Fu to "treasure hunt."

On the Lantern Festival, the Grand Pharaoh Temple was especially bustling, with many young ladies who normally never stepped beyond their inner gates venturing out to stroll.

Zhao Mingcheng thought to himself, "Will Miss Li come here today?"

With this thought, Zhao Mingcheng gladly accepted Li Jiong's invitation.

That day.

Lanterns of all kinds hung from trees, eaves, windows, pillars, everywhere, transforming the temple into a dreamlike sea of light.

Inside and outside the temple, performances abounded—puppet shows, sword dances, acrobatics, storytellers, singers, and zaju actors, their dazzling acts leaving spectators spellbound.

Yet despite this grand spectacle, Zhao Mingcheng paid no attention—he kept searching through the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Li Qingzhao, though he had never seen her before.

Yet fate is so wonderfully unpredictable.

At a stall selling lanterns, Zhao Mingcheng and Li Jiong truly encountered Li Qingzhao.

Seeing Li Qingzhao exactly as he had imagined, Zhao Mingcheng fell hopelessly in love and swore he would marry no one but her in this life.

Though Li Qingzhao never spoke a single word to Zhao Mingcheng from beginning to end.

It was as if a male fan had irrevocably fallen in love with his favorite celebrity and vowed never to marry anyone else.

After returning home, Zhao Mingcheng wrote a riddle for his father: "Yan yu si he, An shang yi tuo, Zhi fu cao ba."

Zhao Tingzhi understood his son's intent: "Yan yu si he" formed the character "ci" (poetry), "An shang yi tuo" formed the character "nü" (woman), and "Zhi fu cao ba" meant "zhi fu" (husband of)—meaning Zhao Mingcheng wished to become the husband of a certain "ci woman," and asked his father to propose on his behalf.

Zhao Tingzhi loved this youngest son most, and now that Zhao Mingcheng had reached marriageable age, he was delighted to fulfill his wish.

So Zhao Tingzhi asked Zhao Mingcheng which girl he had set his heart on, so he could arrange the proposal.

At first, Zhao Mingcheng was shy and refused to say who it was.

After repeated pressing from Zhao Tingzhi, his eldest brother Zhao Cuncheng, and his second brother Zhao Sicheng, Zhao Mingcheng finally said: "The young lady of the Ministry of Rites' Assistant Minister Li."

To Zhao Mingcheng's utter shock, the moment he spoke, Zhao Tingzhi and his two sons fell completely silent.

Zhao Mingcheng looked at his father and brothers, puzzled.

All three faces were grim.

Soon, Zhao Tingzhi said in an unyielding tone: "Impossible."

Zhao Mingcheng had sworn to marry only Li Qingzhao in this life—how could he accept his father forbidding it?

Zhao Mingcheng asked urgently: "Why impossible?"

Zhao Sicheng answered for Zhao Tingzhi: "If you wish to destroy the future of my father, brothers, and myself, go ahead and pursue this woman."

Zhao Mingcheng was baffled—he merely wished to marry Li Qingzhao; how could that affect their futures?

Zhao Cuncheng explained: "This woman once entered the palace to take the Imperial Women's Examination with my fourth sister."

"What?!!!"

Zhao Mingcheng turned pale.

Though Zhao Mingcheng had not known Li Qingzhao took the Imperial Women's Examination, how could he not know his own sister Zhao Mai had remained in the harem after taking it and become Zhao Yu's concubine?

And Zhao Mingcheng well understood why the chancellors sent their daughters to the Imperial Women's Examination—in short, they were offering women to Zhao Yu, signaling their allegiance, effectively marrying their families into the imperial house, choosing sides with their feet.

Logically, having learned this, Zhao Mingcheng should have immediately severed all unrealistic fantasies about Li Qingzhao.

But Zhao Mingcheng truly wished to marry Li Qingzhao, so he clung to a sliver of hope: "If Miss Li did not remain in the palace, it must be because she refused to become Your Majesty's concubine—or…"

Zhao Tingzhi, hearing this, cut off Zhao Mingcheng with a frustrated sigh: "If she truly thinks that way, if she's so naive as to believe that refusing to serve Your Majesty means she can avoid the palace, then such a girl who doesn't understand gravity—my Zhao family can't possibly take her in, or she might well doom us all!"

Zhao Mingcheng still refused to give up: "Perhaps Your Majesty has no interest in Little Miss Li?"

Zhao Cuncheng shattered Zhao Mingcheng's fantasy outright: "Though Little Miss Li never stayed in the inner palace, Your Majesty granted her a golden tablet. If he didn't favor her, how could he have done such a thing?"

Zhao Mingcheng, who aspired to officialdom, could hardly be unaware of the famed golden tablet.

And Zhao Yu had already given Li Qingzhao the golden tablet—his intentions were plain.

Zhao Sicheng analyzed for Zhao Mingcheng: "Since Little Miss Li's father, the Assistant Minister Li, already sent her to take the palace examination, his intent is clear. Even if our family were to propose marriage, it would be utterly futile."

Zhao Cuncheng added: "Marriage is decided by parental decree and matchmaker's word. Little Miss Li reads the sages' texts—how could she defy her parents? Forget about Little Miss Li…"

After being torn apart by her own kin, Zhao Mingcheng could only reluctantly abandon his dream of marrying Li Qingzhao—and, his heart deeply wounded, he fell gravely ill.

Not only Zhao Mingcheng—anyone who had once sought to wed Li Qingzhao now dared not approach the Li household upon hearing she had taken the palace examination and received a golden tablet from Zhao Yu.

Crucially, Li Kefei showed no intention whatsoever of arranging a match for Li Qingzhao, now at marriageable age.

It seemed Li Qingzhao had only one path left: becoming Zhao Yu's concubine.

Li Qingzhao did not dislike Zhao Yu—she simply did not wish to be trapped within the palace walls, losing her freedom.

Thus, she kept delaying, never taking the initiative to go to the palace and seek Zhao Yu.

Two days ago, Censor Chen Guan, invoking the historical case of Emperor Zhezong's reign, once again impeached Zhang Dun, Ceng Bu, Cai Bian, and Cai Jing, arguing that using Wang Anshi's daily records as reference for compiling the Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong was absurd—it was clearly an attempt to flatter Wang Anshi while defaming Emperor Shenzong.

Riding this momentum, many former party members once again tried to topple the new party.

—Notably, these former party members were not directed by the old party's senior leaders; rather, they were mostly remonstrating officials, each a moral gentleman, unable to tolerate Zhang Dun and his ilk's misdeeds.

Zhao Yu, having fully reclaimed imperial authority from Empress Dowager Xiang, no longer indulged the former party—he issued an edict rebuking them:

"I have treated the Yuanyou ministers thusly to encourage you to uphold the sacred teachings, unite in heart and effort, to fulfill the legacy of my father and elder brother, and preserve our wealth and honor… If you feign public virtue while secretly forming cliques, I shall openly punish and expel you, to warn all officials. I owe you nothing; you owe me much. The disaster you bring upon yourselves—how can you regret it too late?"

Zhao Yu was plainly saying: I've shown you Yuanyou ministers leniency so you may serve me well and continue my father and brother's reformist legacy to govern the Zhao Song dynasty. But if you cloak your secret factional plotting under the guise of public righteousness, don't blame me for treating you harshly.

Zhao Yu's anger was understandable.

These former party members had neither the ability to solve the Zhao Song dynasty's crises nor any restraint—they spent their days impeaching one official today, scheming against another tomorrow, merely causing chaos. How could Zhao Yu not rage?

Meanwhile, Zhao Yu had recently visited Wei Zhi and Cai Xuan—both women presented by new party chancellors—while the women offered by former party chancellors—Chao Min, Han Yu, Li Chun, Zhao Mai—remained untouched by him to this day.

Not to mention that Zhang Dun's granddaughter, Zhang Nan, was already pregnant.

The former party's position now appeared perilous.

Indeed, from the standpoint of palace politics, the former party had already suffered total defeat.

Crucially, Empress Dowager Xiang had been ousted—the former party had lost its greatest shield.

Moreover, Su Zhe received word that Cai Bian, angered by the former party's attacks on his beloved father-in-law Wang Anshi, was preparing a counteroffensive against them.

Perhaps the former party members would be expelled from court again—and possibly face even fiercer retribution.

Su Zhe once again sought out Li Kefei and laid out the dire situation facing the former party with absolute clarity.

This time, Su Zhe emphasized to Li Kefei the longstanding feud between the Cai brothers and his Su clan, plainly stating that if they were driven from court again, all of them might meet ruin—and Li Kefei would surely be branded a Yuanyou partisan and swept up in the purge.

At this point, Li Kefei could no longer tolerate Li Qingzhao's defiance.

Returning home, Li Kefei said to Li Qingzhao:

"Your body and hair are given by your parents; marriage and betrothal must be decided by them. Whether you enter the palace or not is my decision—it is natural law. How dare you act on your own whim?"

"Your defiance of me is a grave act of treason! If you refuse to enter the palace, you may endanger the lives of all Yuanyou partisans."

"If I cannot make you enter the palace, I will betray my master's teachings above and my comrades' trust below—how could I possibly live with such shame?"

"…."

Under Li Kefei's coercion, Li Qingzhao could only suppress her childish resistance and go to meet Zhao Yu—the man she both dreaded and refused to see.

Thanks to the golden tablet, Li Qingzhao passed unimpeded through the palace gates.

Once inside the inner palace, she hesitated—where should she go? Should she seek out Chao Min, or Zhang Chun and the others?

After thinking it over, Li Qingzhao decided: if Chao Min and the others had been viable, there would have been no need for her to enter the palace. As for Zhang Chun and the others, they were all deeply favored—only by aligning with them could she stand a chance of sleeping with Zhao Yu and fulfilling the Yuanyou faction's heavy burden.

So Li Qingzhao went to find Zhang Chun and the others.

What she never expected: Zhao Yu was there too.

This caught her utterly off guard.

Upon seeing Zhao Yu, she immediately recalled that night's indiscretion—her face flushed crimson.

To mask her guilt and embarrassment, she forced herself to compose herself and bowed gracefully before Zhao Yu: "Your servant, Li Shi, pays homage to Your Majesty…"

…

(End of Chapter)