Chapter 122

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Not investigating, one never knows.

After investigation, the senior figures of the Old Party learned that although Zhang Chun came from a humble background and had once been a lowly palace maid in Empress Xiang's court, she appeared to be of very low birth.

But in truth, she had long since won Zhao Yu's trust, handled his official documents for him, offered him strategies and recommended talent, and was one of the very few who could truly influence Zhao Yu's decisions.

Crucially, it was said that Zhang Chun practiced the Art of Prediction; before Zhao Yu became emperor, she had foreseen that he would surely ascend the throne, secretly pledged her life to him long beforehand, and provided substantial aid in his ascension.

Moreover, Zhang Chun had four fellow disciples, each possessing extraordinary arts; the five of them became Zhao Yu's concubines together, and all now enjoyed his deep favor.

This left Han Zhongyan, Su Shi, and Su Zhe both frowning and rejoicing immensely!

They frowned because a woman deep within the palace竟然 could influence an emperor's decisions, and this woman even guided the Son of Heaven with talk of spirits and gods—was this not absurd?

Yet at the same time, they rejoiced immensely at having finally found someone who might replace Empress Xiang.

To be honest, they even felt it was heaven's will that the Old Party not perish.

But after further investigation, Han Zhongyan and the others learned that Zhang Chun was not a conservative at all—she was a staunch supporter of reform, and even recommended Cai Jing to Zhao Yu; ideologically, she was fundamentally different from them.

This was problematic.

With differing ideologies, they could only temporarily become allies for mutual benefit, never tightly bound together.

This meant Zhang Chun could never fill the role Empress Xiang had once held.

The senior figures of the Old Party were deeply disappointed by this.

At the same time, the senior figures of the Old Party also found themselves confused: why had the Old Party's principles grown increasingly unpopular, at least with those in power?

Since Emperor Shenzong, three successive emperors had all firmly pursued reform; only Gao Taotao foolishly reversed history, and even Empress Xiang merely sought a middle path to reconcile the New and Old Parties.

But then again, precisely because of this, it was all the more necessary to press forward even if opposed by the whole world—they must uphold the Censorate system, using censor officials to supervise and balance imperial and chancellor power, preventing abuse of authority; if they did not criticize unreasonable measures within the reforms and forced the court to reflect and adjust policies, how could political balance and fairness be guaranteed?

Moreover, if economic reforms ignored the people's actual capacity to bear them, they would cause widespread suffering, and the foundation of the Zhao Song dynasty's rule would inevitably crumble; at that point, not only would the Zhao Song dynasty fall, but the people would be displaced and homeless.

Furthermore, agriculture was the nation's root, the cornerstone of stability; the New Party's support for excessive development of commerce and handicrafts would foster a society obsessed with profit, undermining social stability.

Of course, they knew the court promoted industry over agriculture because most land now belonged to high officials, scholar-gentry families, and wealthy clans who paid no taxes—the court could not collect taxes from agriculture at all, so it had no choice but to heavily develop industry.

But this must be solved somehow; one cannot abandon agriculture just because the path is difficult.

In short, many Old Party members believed that if they did not hold firm, the Zhao Song dynasty might be led astray by ambitious men like Zhang Dun and Cai Jing.

Therefore, in the eyes of Old Party members—especially those morally upright men who saw themselves as guardians of the people's welfare—their persistence was essential.

If so, they must survive at all costs—even if it meant cooperating with those who held opposing ideologies.

Ultimately, Han Zhongyan, Su Shi, Su Zhe, and others agreed: Li Qingzhao would return to establish contact with Zhang Chun; Li Qingzhao, Han Yu, Chao Min, Li Chun, and Zhao Mai would temporarily follow Zhang Chun's lead, and the two sides would form a political alliance.

Li Qingzhao then returned to the inner palace.

Coincidentally, as soon as Li Qingzhao returned, Ma Xiao Jiao gave birth to Zhao Yu's fourth son without incident or trouble.

Zhao Yu was overjoyed!

Now Zhao Yu had four sons; he was unlikely to face the awkwardness of having no heir, as Zhao Xu had.

Moreover, since Zhao Yu now had four sons, the imperial succession would likely remain within his descendants alone, just as it had under Emperor Shenzong.

Zhao Yu held his fourth son and said to him: "What name should I give you?"

Zhang Chun's eyes flickered, and she suggested: "'Di' means tree—wood is simple, elegant, and dignified, suggesting composure and grace; it sounds noble and distinguished, rolls off the tongue with vitality. Let us name your fourth son 'Di.' How?"

Upon hearing this, others felt only that Zhang Chun's audacity was immense—how dare she interfere in naming an Imperial Prince? But nothing else seemed amiss.

To people of this era, the character 'Di' meant nothing unusual—it was merely an ordinary name.

But to people of later generations, the character 'Di' referred to one person and one person only—the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di!!

'Same fourth son, same name 'Di'—what is Zhang Chun trying to do? Does she intend to raise this child of Ma Xiao Jiao into Zhu Di?'

'Wait—wasn't there another fourth prince who also ascended the throne?'

'Will this child of Ma Xiao Jiao also ascend?'

Zhao Yu looked at Zhang Chun and thought: 'You truly delight in stirring up chaos!'

But Zhao Yu was not as rigid as old Zhu; he did not stubbornly insist on passing the throne to his eldest legitimate son, then to his eldest legitimate grandson after that son's death, ignoring more suitable heirs—this had caused so many later troubles.

To Zhao Yu, as long as the throne passed to one of his sons who could further glorify it, which son mattered?

Based on this, Zhao Yu looked at his fourth son and said: "Zhao Di? Good, very good—a fine name. You shall be called Zhao Di."

Seeing Zhao Yu actually adopt Zhang Chun's suggestion, Li Qingzhao gained a completely new understanding of Zhang Chun's power.

Soon after, Zhao Yu went to be with Ma Xiao Jiao.

Seizing this moment, Li Qingzhao sought out Zhang Chun and delivered the message from the senior Old Party figures: "Prime Minister Han, my master, my uncle, Chancellor Li, and Minister Zhao all say that should the opportunity arise, they will come to pay their respects to Your Majesty; we who have entered the palace are entirely at Your Majesty's disposal."

In truth, Zhang Chun was not at all worried the Old Party would not ally with her—because the Old Party had no other choice.

From the beginning, the only thing Zhang Chun ever feared was whether Zhao Yu would allow her to manage the Old Party.

Zhang Chun looked at Li Qingzhao and devised a plan; she smiled and asked: "Do you truly follow me?"

Li Qingzhao thought: 'Do I have any other choice?'

But outwardly, she replied: "Your Majesty may command—I shall spare no effort."

Zhang Chun smiled faintly: "Then I shall teach you how to serve him tonight—will you listen?"

Zhang Chun's bluntness caught Li Qingzhao completely off guard; she could not understand why Zhang Chun was so eager—Zhao Yu had not even summoned her to his bed.

"Confused?" Zhang Chun asked.

Li Qingzhao nodded.

Zhang Chun patiently explained: "If you cannot think as the Emperor thinks, nor hasten as he hastens, how could I, among three thousand beauties, stand out?"

Seeing Zhang Chun treat her as a mere tool to please Zhao Yu so unapologetically, Li Qingzhao felt deeply repulsed; she had not mentally prepared herself for bed service, and remained silent.

Seeing this, Zhang Chun retreated slightly: "If you refuse, it's fine—I can find someone else."

Li Qingzhao's first thought was: Could Zhang Chun be planning to turn to the New Party's Cai Xuan, Wei Zhi, and other women?

If so, she, Li Qingzhao, would have committed a grave offense—she might as well be called a traitor to the Old Party.

This isn't to say Li Qingzhao deeply loved the Old Party, but her family was already deeply entangled with them—prosperity and ruin shared alike—and crucially, this involved the political ideals of countless moral sages; she could not destroy it all due to her own capriciousness.

Based on this, Li Qingzhao could only suppress her hesitation and shyly said, "Your Majesty must allow your humble servant a little modesty."

Seeing Li Qingzhao submit to her tyranny, Zhang Chun was exhilarated: "The taste of power is truly wonderful!!!"

—Though in the end, Zhao Yu was the one who reaped the benefits, for some reason, whenever she imagined Li Qingzhao, the greatest literary talent in history, being dominated beneath Zhao Yu, Zhang Chun felt a strange thrill—especially since she herself had made it happen.

Zhang Chun thought to herself, "Have I become a bit perverted lately?"

But soon, Zhang Chun found an excuse for her perverted mindset: "Only by treating Zhao Yu as myself—even prioritizing myself—can I gain Zhao Yu's favor and thereby seize power from him."

With this thought, Zhang Chun immediately felt at ease.

Soon after, Zhang Chun had another idea: "Do I have the potential to be a corrupt minister?"

Zhang Chun quickly shook her head, driving away the foolish thought: "No no no, everything I do is for my political ambitions, my dreams—I'm not wrong!"

…

Zhao Yu wanted to spend the night at Ma Xiao Jiao's quarters.

But Ma Xiao Jiao drove Zhao Yu out.

Ma Xiao Jiao meant that she herself couldn't accompany Zhao Yu now—why monopolize him? Better to give him to someone who needs him.

Zhao Yu never expected Ma Xiao Jiao to be so noble.

This left Zhao Yu momentarily speechless.

Unexpectedly, Ma Xiao Jiao then spoke bluntly: "When I'm well again, Your Majesty must visit me often."

"Ah, I overthought it—Big Lei Jiao's thinking is classic STEM female logic: everything based on rationality. What does this have to do with nobility?"

As he walked out, Zhao Yu thought:

"Where should I sleep tonight? Maybe I should summon Xu Qing? Her face is a perfect oval. Her eyes aren't startlingly large, her nose is just the right height, her mouth is perfectly sized. Her height and build are ideal—too tall by an inch, too short by an inch, too fat by a bit, too thin by a bit. Most beautiful of all is her face shape: smoothly tapering from top to chin, neither abrupt nor sluggish, neither sharp nor upturned—just deeply comforting, more beautiful the longer you look…"

"Besides, taking her would soothe Xu Jiang's heart, letting him depart in peace…"

At that moment, Li Shishi appeared before Zhao Yu, curtsied gracefully, and spoke in a voice of exquisite beauty: "Your Majesty, my lady has prepared a surprise for you. Might I ask if you have time tonight to rest at my quarters?"

The attendant lady-in-waiting beside her was speechless.

Throughout the entire harem, only Zhang Chun and her three companions were the most rule-breaking. When they wished to serve him, they always sent someone to find Zhao Yu—or even came themselves—never waiting for him to select their names from the imperial tally. They always took more than their share.

Fortunately, Zhao Yu didn't always agree to these four; he chose based on his mood or other considerations, or else others would have no chance at all.

"A surprise?"

Zhao Yu immediately thought of Li Qingzhao, taken away by Zhang Chun.

The title of "greatest literary talent in history" still carried weight.

Thinking Li Qingzhao might be his bed companion tonight, Zhao Yu immediately moved Xu Qing to tomorrow night.

Zhao Yu arrived at Zhang Chun's palace and instinctively looked for Li Qingzhao.

But where was Li Qingzhao's figure?

This left Zhao Yu slightly disappointed: "I misunderstood—Zhang Chun's surprise isn't Li Qingzhao?"

Seeing Zhao Yu come straight to her and immediately search for Li Qingzhao, Zhang Chun thought: "Men are all fickle pigs—after only dozens of nights together, you've lost interest in me?"

But these thoughts, Zhang Chun could only mutter inwardly.

She welcomed Zhao Yu into the bedroom, eagerly following his health habits: she ordered maids to bring warm foot-washing water and personally washed his feet.

As she washed, Zhang Chun said:

"Chen Guan's remonstrance was not without merit. During the Shaoxing era, the Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong were compiled using Wang Anshi's daily records as reference—this was truly absurd. Historians must gather all opinions, carefully verify facts, and supplement with relevant documents to produce trustworthy records, so future generations may know Your Majesty's sagacity."

"Cai Bian, Wang Anshi's son-in-law, has devoted himself to deifying Wang Anshi, promoting intense personality cults, and fervently advancing New Learning. As for the ancestral temple offerings, the order was Confucius, Mencius, Yan Hui—with Wang Anshi ranked fourth. How excessive! How absurd!"

"Wang Anshi certainly possessed outstanding talent and rendered great service to our Great Song. Yet elevating him excessively benefits neither court stability nor his own reputation. What does Your Majesty think?"

Zhang Chun's words were indeed reasonable.

The key point: Cai Bian now wasn't even satisfied with Wang Anshi being ranked fourth—he wanted him placed on equal footing with Confucius.

Only because of fierce opposition from the Old Party had he temporarily abandoned the idea.

But Cai Bian's ambition remained undimmed.

Not long ago, Cai Bian's men, overseeing repairs to the Confucian Temple, placed Yan Hui and Mencius on the left of Confucius's main seat, and Wang Anshi on the right—since the right is honored, Wang Anshi effectively occupied the second seat in the temple.

If Cai Bian continues this way, Wang Anshi might truly be enshrined.

Moreover, Emperor Shenzong was Zhao Yu's adoptive father; constantly highlighting Wang Anshi while diminishing Emperor Shenzong, as a "son," Zhao Yu could not ignore it.

Notably, Zhao Yu is often swayed by Zhang Chun because, both being from the future, their values and views align closely.

For instance, their evaluation of Wang Anshi.

Zhao Yu also believes Wang Anshi's reforms offered some help to the Zhao Song dynasty, but neither his achievements nor his New Learning were exceptional enough to rank fourth in the Confucian Temple, let alone second.

Thus, it's not so much that Zhao Yu was persuaded by Zhang Chun—he simply agreed that Cai Bian had elevated Wang Anshi too high.

After discussing court affairs for a while, they rested.

Yet even after Zhao Yu had made love to Zhang Chun once, he still saw no sign of her promised surprise.

Just as Zhao Yu was about to ask Zhang Chun, "What surprise did you prepare for me?" Zhang Chun suddenly said: "Your Majesty is too vigorous—I alone cannot bear you. Shall I summon someone else? We two shall serve you together, how?"

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(End of Chapter)