Chapter 128

…

Li Lin caught up with Yuan Qing Cheng and said to her: "Don't take Zhang Chun personally—she's just desperate for help and resentful that you refuse to assist her."

Yuan Qing Cheng stopped and angrily said: "I owe her nothing—why should I endure her anger?!"

Li Lin did not say, "In Zhang Chun's view, everything you have today comes from our efforts, and you've been freeloaders," but instead said: "Cai Jing and Cai Bian both hold the post of Chancellor, are leaders of the New Party, have countless disciples and former subordinates, and the Cai family itself is an ancient, deeply rooted aristocratic clan—so when Cai Xuan spoke, Cai Jing presented Zhao Yu with thirty beauties: daughters of the Cai family, daughters of New Party officials, and even West Lake boatwomen…"

Yuan Qing Cheng interrupted Li Lin: "What are West Lake boatwomen?"

"Zhang Chun said they originated in the Tang dynasty, flourished in the Song, and continued through the Ming, Qing, and Republican eras. It's said that when Emperor Yang of Sui toured the south, he ordered women to serve as boatmen, after which boatwomen appeared in the Jiangnan region. West Lake boatwomen each have flower boats with two levels: the upper deck for lodging guests or clients, the lower deck as a parlor. Shaped by the southern waterways, they are petite, graceful, gentle, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; besides providing companionship overnight, they also row guests across the West Lake and are esteemed guests of literati." Li Lin said.

"Cai Jing gave Zhao Yu concubines?!" Yuan Qing Cheng found it hard to believe.

"They're certainly courtesans like Li Shishi who haven't been formally taken yet, and Cai Jing must have already whitewashed their identities."

"Zhang Chun also said that back then, there were no Yangzhou slender horses, Datong wives, or Taishan nuns—otherwise, with Cai Jing's cunning and influence, he'd have surely gathered all four types of famed courtesans for Zhao Yu." Li Lin said.

"Can a Chancellor really do this? What about the censors? Why didn't they object?" Yuan Qing Cheng asked.

"Zhao Yu is relying on Cai Jing to carry out economic reforms—he must protect Cai Jing, even appease him, so Cai Jing dares to push forward with legal changes."

"As for the censors—how could they not object? Chen Guan, Chen Cisheng, Zou Hao, Lü Tao, Sun Jue—all impeached Cai Jing, even directly accusing Zhao Yu."

"But Zhao Yu replied: 'Since ministers are so concerned about the lack of women in my harem, let's hold a selection—three hundred women for now. The thirty beauties Cai Jing presented count toward that number; just select two hundred seventy more.' Zhao Yu even openly encouraged ministers' daughters to apply enthusiastically, specifically mentioning he hoped to see the daughters of those few censors join the selection."

"Thirty became three hundred—Chen Cisheng was so furious he wanted to retire and return home, but Zhao Yu refused, saying: 'Without your censors to supervise, how can the New Laws benefit the people?'"

Li Lin knew Yuan Qing Cheng mostly stayed with her team at Genyue Wansuishan conducting agricultural research and knew little about court politics, which was why she explained so much.

"Huh? How could Zhao Yu use such a shameless tactic?" Yuan Qing Cheng said.

"That's not shameless—it's standard procedure. The court has long had regulations to periodically select virtuous common girls to fill the harem, emphasizing family background, moral character, and beauty, usually requiring noble or wealthy origins with clean lineage—meaning ministers sending their daughters to the harem is entirely within the rules."

"Besides, do you think these censors are truly virtuous?"

"Take Zhao Yu's construction of Yanfu Palace—how many times have these censors condemned it? They nearly called him a foolish ruler for massive construction—but this palace was built with Zhao Yu's own money, and he cut every possible corner. Yet they still clung to it."

Yuan Qing Cheng realized now that not only Zhang Chun, but Li Lin, Ye Shi Yun, and Seeing Ma Xiao Jiao—all were speaking in Zhao Yu's defense. She could no longer speak ill of Zhao Yu in front of these women.

So Yuan Qing Cheng wisely fell silent.

"With Cai Jing's thirty beauties, Cai Xuan copied Zhang Chun's strategy but expanded it further—Zhao Yu naturally went to Cai Xuan's side. Meanwhile, Zhang Chun went to such lengths, even sacrificing her dignity, yet failed to conceive, while Cai Xuan, merely copying her, became pregnant—what do you think her feelings were?"

"And the Old Party has now turned on her, leaving Zhang Chun utterly isolated."

Hearing this, Yuan Qing Cheng was puzzled: "How could the Old Party turn on her? Didn't Zhang Chun want to ally with them by replacing Empress Dowager Xiang?"

"That was Zhang Chun's delusion—she has none of Empress Dowager Xiang's skill. Think: if she lost Zhao Yu, what power would she have? Even I can see that—do you think the Old Party's seasoned politicians can't?"

"Moreover, Zhang Chun's political stance supports reform—completely opposite the Old Party's ideology. They could never form a permanent alliance."

"Most crucially, Empress Zheng discussed the Confucian classics—The Book of Documents, The Analects, The Classic of Filial Piety—with Guan Zhongyan and the two Sus, then spoke of official conduct, ministerial duty, and the dangers of imperial harem interference in politics—after that, the Old Party cut all ties with Zhang Chun."

"I suspect that besides pressure from Empress Zheng, the Old Party realized it wasn't Zhang Chun influencing Zhao Yu—it was Zhao Yu who had no intention of eliminating them at all."

"Also, everything Zhang Chun has done is unorthodox, despised by gentlemen. They tolerated her only out of necessity—but now their crisis is over. If they continue associating with her, their reputations will collapse."

"Now, except for Li Qingzhao and Li Chun—who hasn't conceived yet—all other daughters of the Old Party have stopped associating with Zhang Chun. They're resting, preparing to rise through their children."

Hearing this, Yuan Qing Cheng could no longer bear it: "These Old Party hypocrites are even more despicable than Cai Jing and Tong Guan—the true villains of the New Party!"

"Those who play politics are like this—only care about interests, no integrity at all."

"After this, Zhang Chun finally understood: without her own faction, relying entirely on others won't work—so she's trying to recruit us to help her…"

In truth, by this point, Yuan Qing Cheng could guess the rest without Li Lin saying more.

Li Lin is interested in military affairs—politics is beyond her, unsuitable for her, so she certainly wouldn't involve herself in Zhang Chun's schemes.

Ye Shi Yun is lazy, only enjoys eating, drinking, and leisure—she'd never help Zhang Chun with politics.

And she and Seeing Ma Xiao Jiao are devoted entirely to scientific research.

Zhang Chun is left to fight alone.

Desperate, Zhang Chun turned to her original family, seeking to build her own political power.

She didn't help—and spoke so harshly to Zhang Chun—it's no wonder Zhang Chun broke ties with her.

Over there, Li Lin continued: "Zhang Chun has always wanted me to join her, but her methods are too extreme—I couldn't accept them, so I refused."

Yuan Qing Cheng thought to herself: "You don't dislike Zhang Chun's scale—you just want to hoard the spoils yourself, so you don't need to join her and fight a hundred women for scraps."

Of course, Yuan Qing Cheng kept this thought to herself; outwardly she said: "You're all draining Zhao Yu so hard—eventually, you'll exhaust his body."

Li Lin laughed: "You're wrong. You don't know the inside story, so you think that way—if you were with Zhao Yu…"

Here, Li Lin realized Yuan Qing Cheng wasn't Zhang Chun, Ye Shi Yun, or Seeing Ma Xiao Jiao—she was still a virgin; some things couldn't be said lightly, so she corrected herself: "I mean, all of Zhao Yu's women know—he stops when he's satisfied, never forces himself, never takes stimulants. He rigorously practices Prisoner Fitness and Yoga, and pays extreme attention to health—his stamina and endurance far exceed ordinary men…"

Yuan Qing Cheng didn't want to delve into Zhao Yu's physical capabilities—she only feared he'd become a foolish ruler. So she changed the subject: "Then why doesn't Zhang Chun ally with the New Party?"

"Do you think Zhang Chun doesn't want to? But among the New Party—whether Zhang Dun, Cai Jing, or any other Chancellor—they're all deeply favored by Zhao Yu. If they have issues, they go straight to Zhao Yu—why risk it by allying with a harem woman and get punished for it? The cost outweighs the gain." Li Lin said.

Yuan Qing Cheng felt pity for Zhang Chun for three seconds, then couldn't help asking: "If politics is this hard, why won't Zhang Chun just give up?"

"Maybe everyone has their own pursuit?" Li Lin said uncertainly. "Besides, as long as Zhang Chun holds onto Zhao Yu, even if she doesn't win, she won't be utterly defeated—so she can play slowly."

"Perhaps… as Zhang Chun herself says, as long as you stay at the table, you still have a chance to win."

Yuan Qing Cheng still didn't understand why Zhang Chun was so obsessed with politics—but after Li Lin's explanation, she was no longer so angry at her.

After all, in this world, only the five of them came from the same place; only they could speak openly with each other—not family, yet closer than family.

After clearing the air, Yuan Qing Cheng let Li Lin return, then walked alone back to Genyue Wansuishan.

Yuan Qing Cheng didn't ride in the imperial carriage. Though she wasn't as obsessed with physical training as Li Lin, she often walked—even ran at night—because it kept her figure, improved her health, and most importantly: "A good body lets me work in the fields every day."

The walk back to Genyue Wansuishan happened to match her daily exercise quota. If she walked back now, she wouldn't need to run tonight.

Unexpectedly, just as she was about to leave the palace, she met Zhao Yu face-to-face—he had just returned from Genyue Wansuishan.

Yuan Qing Cheng immediately stopped and bowed to Zhao Yu, who also wasn't riding: "Your humble servant Yuan Shi pays homage to Your Majesty."

"Rise." Zhao Yu then volunteered: "I just visited your agricultural base…"

Yuan Qing Cheng's heart tightened instantly!

So far, she had only done simple grafting—her most desired research on rice cultivation had made zero progress.

Therefore, up to this point, she had virtually no research achievements.

Under these circumstances, she naturally feared Zhao Yu would grow impatient, lose trust in her, or even cut off her research entirely.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu said: "Good. The seedlings and seeds I sent you have all taken root—this is a good start."

Yuan Qing Cheng never imagined Zhao Yu's expectations were so low.

Zhao Yu added: "Lately, I've been overwhelmed with affairs and cannot focus on your work..."

Hearing this, Yuan Qing Cheng's heart rose again: "First praise, then criticism? Now comes the harsh part, doesn't it?"

But Zhao Yu's tone shifted: "I find your hybrid rice project promising. Yet, testing it here alone will yield limited results. Thus, I plan to instruct the Ministry of Personnel to recruit three hundred literati with agricultural foundations. You will teach them, then send them across Great Song to conduct trials—you oversee and coordinate, nothing more. I will allocate one million guan annually for your use, and issue an imperial edict ordering all local administrations to fully assist your teams. With this, can your hybrid rice be developed sooner?"

Yuan Qing Cheng never imagined Zhao Yu wasn't withdrawing funding—he was increasing it, and not by a little, but by one million guan per year.

What did one million guan mean?

Zhang Chun said that at this time, one guan was roughly equivalent to six hundred yuan in the future.

That meant Zhao Yu was giving her six hundred million yuan in annual research funding.

If that still meant nothing to you—

Zhao Yu's budget for building Yanfu Palace was only one million guan.

Clearly, Zhao Yu's investment in her was enormous!!!

Would Zhao Yu's massive investment be worthwhile?

Of course it would!

Remember, when Yuan Lao first began researching hybrid rice, he had only himself—and for the first ten years of his research, he had few people and even less money.

Now, she had abundant manpower and financial resources, and crucially, she stood on the shoulders of giants like Yuan Lao. If she still failed to achieve anything, it would be entirely her own fault.

Yuan Qing Cheng, who never made absolute promises, declared for the first time: "Your Majesty, I will not disappoint you!"

Zhao Yu nodded: "Don't feel pressured, and don't worry about managing these people. Any matter you cannot handle, delegate to the Ministry of Agriculture. If, in the future, you need more personnel or funds, come to me—I will consider adding more."

Zhao Yu's wholehearted support left Yuan Qing Cheng dazed. She felt the Zhao Yu before her had transformed into the domineering CEO from her romance novels, pinning her against the wall and saying: "Girl, go ahead and do as you please—I'll clear every obstacle for you."

When Yuan Qing Cheng came to her senses, Zhao Yu had already left.

Yuan Qing Cheng hurriedly asked the maid beside her: "What did His Majesty just say?"

The maid replied: "His Majesty said he trusts Her Majesty, and that he has already dispatched envoys to Dali, Champa, Goryeo, Japan, and other neighboring states to obtain their specialty seedlings, seeds, and soil—to further assist Her Majesty..."

After hearing this, Yuan Qing Cheng didn't know why, but she felt a faint disappointment: 'Is it all just work-related?'

…

(End of Chapter)