Chapter 201: Sons Fill the Palace, Imperial Naming Decree; Five Consorts Reunite to Plot a New Scheme

…

Zhao Yu returned and immediately entered his "give, give, give" mode.

Moreover, Zhao Yu, citing his recovery of tribute payments and interest, exempted the entire empire from one year of land tax and one year of head tax, reduced all commercial taxes by thirty percent, and loosened the burdens on the people of the Zhao Song dynasty, allowing them a much-needed breath of relief.

In short, Zhao Yu's victory in this campaign brought benefits to the majority of the Zhao Song dynasty's populace.

This also elevated Zhao Yu's prestige even higher…

…

On the first day of the twelfth month last year, in Xiongzhou, Zhang Chun and Li Lin each gave birth to a son for Zhao Yu.

At the same time, Ye Shi Yun, Ma Xiao Jiao, and Yuan Qing Cheng also gave birth to sons for Zhao Yu.

Notably, Yuan Qing Cheng gave birth to two sons at once, matching the pace of Zhang Chun, Li Lin, and Ye Shi Yun through sheer capability.

During these few months of Zhao Yu's campaign, the five women alone added six sons to his lineage; combined with sons born to his other women, Zhao Yu's total number of sons was now approaching the historical count of sons produced by Zhao Ji.

Crucially, Zhao Yu was not idle during these few months either.

Not only did Li Chun, who accompanied Zhao Yu on campaign, finally become pregnant, but Cui Nianyue, taken to Yanjing by Li Lin, also became pregnant; among the three hundred beautiful girls of various ethnicities and the three Khitan princesses and their attendant brides gifted to Zhao Yu by Yelu Yanxi and his court, many also became pregnant.

Even if only one-third of these pregnant women bore Zhao Yu sons, he would easily surpass Zhao Ji in history, becoming the Zhao Song emperor with the most sons—and even the most prolific male in the entire Zhao lineage.

The reason these sons are mentioned is that, upon returning to the inner palace, Zhao Yu's first act was to visit the women who had just given him sons.

To avoid making these women and their children feel neglected, and to save time, Zhao Yu simply divided the visits into two sessions—one to meet all the women who bore him sons and their sons together; another to meet all the women who bore him daughters and their daughters together.

The five women attended the first gathering, during which Zhao Yu racked his brains to name his new sons.

To be honest, Zhao Yu feared he might forget the names he'd given to the children of lesser-known women, so he deliberately noted each name as he bestowed it, to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to recall his own children's names in the future.

When it came to Qiao Shi and Wei Shi, Zhao Yu first picked up the son Qiao Shi had borne him and studied the child closely.

The little fellow had curved brows and eyes with a slight upward tilt at the corners, identical to Zhao Yu's; his plump cheeks puffed like two ripe peaches, his light-brown irises glistened wetly, like black grapes soaked in morning dew. At that moment, he suddenly grinned, revealing a toothless mouth, saliva dripping down his chin, giggling as he reached out his tiny hands toward Zhao Yu, who leaned over him—full of vitality.

Zhao Yu burst into laughter and said to Qiao Shi: "This little one radiates cleverness in his features—he'll surely grow wise and gifted, achieving greatness. Hmm… let him be named Zhao Rui. May he become a pillar of our Great Song."

Qiao Shi beamed and bowed in thanks: "Thank Your Majesty for naming my son."

Zhao Yu returned Zhao Rui to Qiao Shi and approached Wei Shi, gazing at the son in her arms.

Indeed, historically, Zhao Gou was the most despicable: while his father, mother, wife, five daughters, and entire clan were captured by the Jin and subjected to endless humiliation, he only thought of fleeing, obsessed with his own survival and pleasure, neglecting rescue and revenge—unworthy of the name man.

But if one were to whitewash Zhao Gou, a few so-called justifications could be found.

For instance: if Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were rescued, Zhao Gou's legitimacy as emperor would be challenged. After all, Zhao Huan was the rightful emperor, and Zhao Ji, as retired emperor, still held influence. Zhao Gou feared that rescuing Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan would force him to relinquish the throne or be severely restricted in power, so he preferred maintaining the status quo to preserve his position.

For instance: at the founding of the Southern Song, military strength was relatively weak, facing numerous internal and external threats. On one hand, he had to repel continuous Jin invasions; on the other, suppress local rebellions and instability. Zhao Gou believed the Southern Song's current forces were insufficient to mount an effective large-scale rescue operation; forcibly rescuing Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan might cause even greater losses to the Southern Song army, even threatening the regime's stability.

For instance: Zhao Gou had a faction of Zhuhe Sect ministers around him, such as Qin Hui. They advocated peace with the Jin, arguing that resistance would bring greater disaster. Under this atmosphere, proposals to rescue Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were seen as undermining the peace negotiations and detrimental to reaching a treaty with the Jin. Influenced by these Zhuhe Sect ministers, Zhao Gou leaned toward maintaining rule through peace rather than risking rescue.

For instance: fully rescuing Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan might enrage the Jin, prompting them to intensify military attacks on the Southern Song. Zhao Gou feared this would endanger his personal safety and plunge the Southern Song court into greater crisis. He preferred a relatively peaceful approach to preserve his rule and security.

Beyond these selfish and so-called pragmatic reasons, Zhao Gou's refusal to rescue Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan actually had one barely acceptable justification.

That justification was Zhao Gou's emotional resistance to rescuing Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan.

As is well known, Zhao Ji's bedding of Wei Shi was not out of affection, but merely to spare Qiao Shi face; after that, he never touched Wei Shi again.

Because Wei Shi was not favored, Zhao Gou was likewise disliked by Zhao Ji—even though Zhao Gou was "intelligent and quick-witted, erudite and with an excellent memory, reading over a thousand characters daily," and mastered music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, especially excelling in calligraphy, and in martial arts, could draw a bow of one stone five dou—matching the standard of a Wu Xue Shengsheng (one stone three dou).

And Zhao Huan had forced Zhao Gou to serve as a hostage in the Jin camp, where he barely survived; how could Zhao Huan have treated him as a brother? Where was any familial affection?

Of course, this is only from Zhao Gou's perspective.

But then again, Zhao Gou could refuse to rescue Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan—what about Wei Shi, who raised him with hardship? What about Xing Bingyi, who endured suffering in his place until death? What about his five daughters, two of whom, as adults, were still enduring punishment in his stead while he lived in comfort?

What immense hatred! Yet Zhao Gou would rather kill generals who could help him avenge them than rescue any of these people—never seeking revenge.

Ultimately, Zhao Gou's every action revealed his selfish, cold, cowardly, and incompetent nature. His scale always tipped toward his own power and comfort, never toward blood ties or national vengeance.

Zhao Ji, when he had the chance, still thought of reclaiming the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun to secure the natural barrier against Hu Ren southward advance; Zhao Huan, after the crisis passed, still refused to cede ancestral lands and sought to recover those he had been forced to surrender; only Zhao Gou, who had the chance to rescue his kin, reclaim his ancestors' territory, and avenge his family, willingly crippled himself—murdering Yue Fei and others, stripping the military power from Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, Liu Guangshi, Liu Qi, and Yang Cunzhong—all to grovel for peace with the Jin and cling to a corner of the realm.

Yet the son born to Wei Shi for Zhao Yu—Zhao Yu knew full well he had no relation to Zhao Gou, since their father was different, how could they possibly be the same person—but Zhao Yu couldn't help associating this son of his with Zhao Gou…

Seeing Zhao Yu instantly pick up and praise every other son, then bestow a name, but now staring silently at her son without reaching out, Wei Shi's heart tightened!

'Before serving Your Majesty, I was a virgin. My son is unquestionably Your Majesty's.'

'Though Your Majesty's favor toward me may not match that of the Five Consorts, it has never fallen short of others', nor have I ever been slighted—why then does Your Majesty now seem doubtful? Could someone have whispered slander into Your Majesty's ear?'

Wei Shi's heart trembled, yet she dared not show a trace on her face—only her eyes betrayed her anxiety and unease.

Seeing Wei Shi's worried expression, Zhao Yu realized he had been acting strangely and hastily added: 'This child has imperial bearing and an extraordinary appearance—he will surely be remarkable. Hmm… what name should I give him…'

Just as Zhao Yu's reason overcame his revulsion toward Zhao Gou and he prepared to give the child an ordinary name to sever all ties with Zhao Gou, Zhang Chun—who always loved stirring up trouble—walked over and said:

'The character "Gou" (構), as defined in the Shuowen, means "wooden structure of a house," symbolizing the act of building and establishing—like erecting a grand mansion from wilderness, raising pillars to hold up the sky, showcasing worldly talent. It also implies planning and design—suggesting ingenious thought, shaping unseen artistry, transforming myriad phenomena into brilliant strategies, revealing exceptional wit. Furthermore, it carries the meaning of connection and integration—like warp and weft interwoven, mortise and tenon locked—symbolizing the ability to unite people's strength, gathering rivulets into rivers and seas, embodying harmony and cooperation. What do you think of naming this child Zhao Gou?'

Zhao Yu once again wanted to strangle Zhang Chun: 'Are you forcing me to be entangled with Zhao Gou? What's in it for you?'

But Zhao Yu had hesitated so long, and if he now rejected Zhang Chun's suggested name "Zhao Gou," it might arouse suspicion among the Five Consorts—they might realize he was also a transmigrator.

Moreover, Zhao Yu thought further: "Zhao Gou" was merely a name. Would giving this child the name "Zhao Gou" truly make him as cowardly, weak, selfish, and unfeeling as the historical Zhao Gou?

Also, Zhao Yu considered: he already had too many sons. If he gave this child a different name and he didn't stand out, he'd likely be ignored; but if he was named "Zhao Gou," he'd inevitably draw Zhao Yu's attention.

In other words, to a certain extent, naming this child "Zhao Gou" wasn't harming him—it might actually help him.

With this thought, Zhao Yu followed Zhang Chun's suggestion: "Zhao Gou… that's a good name. Let him be named Zhao Gou."

Seeing Zhao Yu actually name the child "Zhao Gou," Zhang Chun herself felt a twinge of regret: 'Why did I open my mouth? Why did I make this child Zhao Gou?'

Li Lin, Ye Shi Yun, Ma Xiao Jiao, and Yuan Qing Cheng, upon hearing Zhao Yu had named the child "Zhao Gou," all turned their eyes toward the child in Zhao Yu's arms, then glared furiously at Zhang Chun.

Zhang Chun knew she had messed up and quickly looked away, pretending not to see the four women's murderous glares.

Wei Shi knew Zhang Chun practiced divination, and that the other four women also possessed unusual abilities.

In fact, over time, the legends surrounding the Five Consorts had not faded—they had only grown stronger.

Crucially, the Five Consorts had consistently proven, in their own ways, that they were no ordinary women.

And Zhao Yu's attitude toward the Five Consorts—especially during this campaign, when Zhang Chun and Li Lin, both pregnant, were still brought along—made Zhao Yu's other concubines fully aware of the Five Consorts' uniqueness.

Thus, regarding Zhang Chun naming her son "Zhao Gou," Wei Shi felt no resentment; instead, she felt immense anticipation—especially after seeing the expressions of the other four women change—she now wished even more fervently that her son be called "Zhao Gou": 'May my son achieve extraordinary greatness.'

Zhao Yu returned Zhao Gou to Wei Shi, beaming with joy, then walked toward Wang Yisu and Guo Ting to name their son...

Because he understood that it was not scarcity but inequality that caused unrest, Zhao Yu strove to treat each of his sons equally, so none would feel favored or neglected—at least before they were born—and though their futures would ultimately depend on their own efforts, Zhao Yu could at least ensure each had a fair chance to display their talents.

Precisely because of this consideration, beyond the children born to Zheng Xiansu, whom Zhao Yu favored slightly, he treated equally the sons of all other women—including the five concubines—as well as Wang Yisu and Guo Ting, ensuring fairness in both enfeoffments and displays of affection.

Thus, even though Zhao Yu had already named the children of Zhang Chun and Li Lin, he had already decided on names for the children of Ye Shi Yun, Ma Xiao Jiao, and Yuan Qing Cheng—but still had them bring their infants to the "Ceremony of Bestowing Names," and after naming Wang Yisu's child "Zhao Xing" and Guo Ting's child "Zhao Ang," he went through the motions of naming Zhang Chun's child "Zhao Kai," Li Lin's child "Zhao Jiang," Ye Shi Yun's child "Zhao Shou," Ma Xiao Jiao's child "Zhao Cheng," and Yuan Qing Cheng's two children "Zhao Xing" and "Zhao Sheng."

When it came time to name his daughters, Zhao Yu grew casual: Mei, Lan, Zhu, Ju; Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua; Jin, Xiu, Ling, Duan—each name inserted with the character "Wan," and done.

As Zhao Yu named his daughters, the five concubines, who had not gathered in months, reunited once more in Zhang Chun's palace.

No sooner had the five concubines seated themselves than Zhang Chun eagerly said: "I have a matter of great importance concerning us all that I wish to discuss with you..."

(End of Chapter)