Chapter 233: The Rules of the Harem

…

Zhang Chun understood how to win people's hearts.

On the day Li Shishi "married," Zhang Chun personally led her own palace staff to dress and groom Li Shishi, unleashing all of Li Shishi's beauty; moreover, Zhang Chun gifted Li Shishi a set of Luoshen-themed attire she had originally prepared to kill Zhao Yu, and lent Li Shishi her finest jeweled necklace.

After putting on this ensemble, the game attire that should have existed only in pixel worlds now awakened on Li Shishi's body with visible opulence.

Layers of moon-bright cloud silk piled one upon another; a thousand cranes embroidered in gold thread seemed to come alive as Li Shishi moved, their feathers as if ready to burst free from the fabric and soar into the sky. The hem's shark-silk shimmered with a deep blue luster, as if woven from crushed starlight of the entire deep sea.

The jade vine necklace was the crowning touch. Ice-type jade glowed with a watery sheen under candlelight; coral beads and lapis lazuli formed a celestial path, resting precisely at the most delicate hollow of Li Shishi's collarbone, making her entire figure appear as if she had stepped out of a Dunhuang mural—a divine maiden.

Gazing at the peerless plaything she had crafted, Zhang Chun felt dazed: "Such a peerless beauty is now going to benefit the Emperor—have I been too kind to him? He's not my son."

Then, Zhang Chun imagined herself wearing this ensemble.

Seeing Li Shishi's more beautiful face, better figure, and more alluring aura, Zhang Chun felt a pang of guilt: "I absolutely cannot wear the same outfit as Li Shishi and humiliate myself!"

That night, after Zhao Yu had decided where he would rest, Zhang Chun personally escorted Li Shishi to the "bridal chamber."

After ushering Li Shishi into the "bridal chamber," Zhang Chun said to her: "Don't be nervous, don't be shy—use every skill you have to please the Emperor, make him unable to let you go, unable to forget you…"

Though Zhang Chun had selfish motives—wanting Li Shishi to hook Zhao Yu so she could gain more opportunities for imperial favor—she must be acknowledged: as a mistress, she truly went all out.

What moved Li Shishi most was that Zhang Chun did not stay to share the bed, but left immediately after giving her instructions, granting Li Shishi a private chance to serve Zhao Yu alone.

Don't think this is trivial.

Wrong.

Utterly wrong.

For the women in Zhao Yu's harem, this was exceedingly rare.

Zhao Yu was especially fond of beauty and particularly enamored with new faces.

Someone had once summarized: since Empress Dowager Xiang's death, Zhao Yu would visit a virgin every three to five days, at least three at a time.

—This was a Daoist practice of absorbing yin to replenish yang, greatly beneficial to the body.

Conservatively speaking, Zhao Yu consumed at least three hundred virgins per year.

So far, in his seven years on the throne, since Empress Dowager Xiang had been dead nearly six years, Zhao Yu had already completed the "Thousand Virgin Kill," and was nearly finished with his second.

And this number kept rising.

Clearly, Zhao Yu never lacked concubines.

Each time Zhao Yu visited a new woman, he would have his bedchamber attendants prepare ten new candidates, from which he randomly selected a few.

Crucially, when these new women served him, experienced concubines or bedchamber attendants would stand by to assist. Very few new women ever served alone.

After all, if a new woman served alone, Zhao Yu would have to teach her everything himself—wasting his precious time.

But once a new woman earned the chance to serve alone, she was virtually on the path to glory. It meant Zhao Yu had granted her preliminary approval and was willing to waste more of his precious time on her, and signaled she might become a unique sight in his heart, rising above the three thousand beauties.

This was an extraordinary honor, the very first night countless women in the harem dreamed of.

Without exaggeration, Zhang Chun had secured for Li Shishi the best possible beginning.

Moreover, Zhang Chun timely reminded the inexperienced Li Shishi to use every skill she possessed, never to miss this rare opportunity due to nervousness, shyness, or other unnecessary negative emotions.

The harem's rule was: if granted one imperial visit, you received a title; if visited again, you advanced one rank; if you conceived the Emperor's heir, you won the grand prize.

This was unquestionably the fastest way for a harem woman to climb upward—no exception.

Thus, if Li Shishi failed to hook Zhao Yu this time, her path upward would become exceedingly difficult.

Clearly, everything Zhang Chun taught Li Shishi were Jin Yuliangyan.

Li Shishi resolved: today, she would display every skill she had ever learned, and firmly seize Zhao Yu's heart.

…

With the momentum of Song Jiang's rebel army, many gentry in the Central Plains had been eliminated; the rest dared not oppose the court's reforms.

Crucially, with the implementation of the two new policies, a large portion of the Central Plains' labor force had been liberated.

This made it possible for the Central Plains to proceed to the next phase of reform.

According to the pre-established plan, Zhao Yu issued an edict ordering relevant departments to hire local civilians to plant cotton, sugar beet, and sweet sorghum—crops that could support industrial development—on unclaimed land.

—Because Yuan Qingcheng had increased grain yields by nearly double, Zhao Yu dared to use the land this way.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Commerce, newly established three years ago, planned to select sites in the Central Plains to build textile mills, steel mills, cement plants, bearing factories, alkali plants, sugar refineries, alcohol distilleries, machinery plants, paper mills, glass factories, ceramic kilns, and soap factories, providing more employment for the local population and supplying core industrial goods to other regions. Additionally, relevant departments hired local laborers nearby to dredge rivers and strengthen infrastructure such as bridge and road construction, ensuring support for the impending industrial boom.

Notably, Zhao Yu specifically issued an imperial decree ordering the Ministry of Works to strengthen the construction of Dongjing Bianliang Port, Dengzhou Port, and Mizhou Banqiaozhen Port.

Dongjing Bianliang Port, relying on the Grand Canal, was a vital inland port. The Grand Canal connected the Yellow River, Huaihe, Yangtze, and other water systems, enabling goods from the Jiangnan region to be transported by water to the Central Plains. Thus, Dongjing Bianliang Port became the critical transportation hub for the Central Plains and the entire Zhao Song Dynasty's goods distribution and transfer.

Therefore, given the Central Plains' imminent entry into an industrial boom, strengthening Dongjing Bianliang Port was unquestionable—it was currently the economic center of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Dengzhou Port, located in the Penglai region of northern Shandong Peninsula, was one of the Zhao Song Dynasty's key northern coastal ports. It faced across the sea from Liao's Nanjing Dao and Dongjing Dao, was the Zhao Song Dynasty's closest port to Goryeo and Japan, served as a vital maritime gateway for trade and exchange with the Liao and Northeast regions, and was relatively close to the Central Plains via land routes from the Shandong Peninsula.

Mizhou Banqiaozhen Port, situated on the coast of Shandong's Jiaozhou Bay, established its Maritime Trade Office in Empress Yuanyou's third year, becoming a major northern foreign trade port. Backed by the Shandong Peninsula, it also offered relatively convenient land access to the Central Plains.

Clearly, Zhao Yu strengthened these two seaports because the court intended to vigorously develop maritime transport and overseas trade.

Mizhou Banqiaozhen Port, due to its unique geography, was not only a critical node on the Maritime Silk Road but also a bridge connecting inland China with overseas lands. Zhao Yu planned to transform it into a comprehensive port integrating cargo distribution, cultural exchange, and technology importation, making it the Zhao Song Dynasty's frontline for opening to the outside world.

He ordered expansion of port facilities, addition of berths, and increased cargo handling capacity; strengthened the port's defense system by constructing artillery batteries and reinforcing naval patrols to ensure maritime trade security. Additionally, the court encouraged foreign merchants to trade here, offering tax exemptions and other preferential policies to attract more overseas merchants and promote economic exchange and integration between China and foreign lands.

As for Dengzhou Port, the court focused on its unique geographical position relative to the Liao Dynasty and the Northeast regions of Goryeo, Japan, and the rising Jin state, intending to develop it into the Zhao Song Dynasty's northern maritime gateway.

Meanwhile, the court encouraged fishermen to sail out to fish, developing deep-sea fisheries to enrich the people's tables and strengthen oceanic awareness.

To be honest, Zhao Yu originally favored developing these projects in the south.

After all, southern coastal regions boasted natural deep-water ports like Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Mingzhou, and Hangzhou, ideal for large merchant ships to dock and distribute cargo. The best deep-water port in the north, Mizhou Banqiaozhen Port, though possessing some trade volume, was constrained by the shallow waters of the Bohai Bay and winter ice, making its shipping conditions inferior to the south's.

Southern ports were also closer to Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean shipping lanes, allowing reliance on stable monsoons (southwest winds in summer, northeast winds in winter) for long-distance voyages, shortening routes and improving efficiency.

Southern coastal regions had also developed cash crops tied to foreign trade (such as sugarcane and citrus), further supporting overseas trade demand.

Crucially, although Zhao Yu and his companions had traveled back to the Northern Song and the Jin invasion had not yet occurred—nor could it—causing massive northern Han migration southward, due to multiple reasons, the Zhao Song Dynasty's economic center had still shifted southward, making Jiangnan the primary production base for porcelain, silk, and tea exports, supplying abundant goods for maritime trade.

Moreover, the Zhao Song Dynasty had established multiple Maritime Trade Offices in the south to manage foreign trade taxes, issue trade licenses, and set up "Fanfang" quarters for foreign merchants, forming a mature trade management system. Southern ports were core nodes of the Maritime Silk Road, maintaining close trade ties with Southeast Asia, Arabia, and even East Africa. Guangzhou and Quanzhou's "Fanfang" attracted large numbers of Arab and Persian merchants, forming stable international trade communities that further promoted commercial prosperity.

Also, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, and other places were the Zhao Song Dynasty's shipbuilding centers, capable of constructing large ocean-going vessels carrying five thousand dou, equipped with advanced technologies like watertight bulkheads and balanced rudders, suitable for long voyages. Southern sailors were the first to use the compass and other navigational tools, greatly enhancing the safety and efficiency of long-distance sea travel.

In short, the advantages of maritime trade in the south are the result of combined geographic, economic, policy, and technological factors. Southern ports, relying on mature international trade networks, advanced navigation technology, and open trade policies, can fully become the core of the Zhao Song dynasty's maritime trade, while the north lags far behind.

This pattern also established the historical trend that, after the Southern Song, China's marine economy became dominated by the south.

Originally, Zhao Yu very much wanted to go along with this momentum.

But because the south was monopolized by the Jiangnan gentry faction, who fiercely resisted the Two New Policies, Zhao Yu did not wish to implement all this in the south now, lest he enrich those greedy gentry.

Crucially, historically, the south developed faster than the north partly because the Song dynasty stood in confrontation with the Liao and Jin Chao, and northern ports, being near enemy territory, frequently suffered trade bans. To guard against the Liao and Jin Chao, the Song strictly restricted northern maritime trade, even banning merchant ships from going to Goryeo, causing northern trade volume to remain limited.

But after Zhao Yu and his companions crossed over, they no longer had this concern; to develop the economy, they even strengthened trade with Goryeo, Japan, and even the Liao state.

This means that, at this stage, northern maritime trade volume is not much less than that of the south.

Therefore, Zhao Yu ultimately decided to temporarily shift the focus of development to the north, especially the Central Plains region and coastal ports, aiming to break historical inertia and forge a different path to economic rise.

At least for now.

This can also, to some extent, alter the economic imbalance of a strong south and weak north, slightly balancing northern and southern economies, and laying a solid foundation for the long-term development and lasting stability of the Zhao Song dynasty.

To ensure the smooth advancement of northern industrial construction, Zhao Yu specifically transferred a large number of experienced craftsmen and related talents from Jiangnan.

Today, Zhao Yu was discussing with Zhang Dun and Zhang Shangying what kind of treatment these talents should receive to make them willingly remain in the north.

By the time Zhao Yu and the others finished their discussion, it was already pitch black.

Returning to the inner palace, Zhao Yu remembered he was supposed to open Li Shishi's chamber tonight.

Thinking he would become the first man—and the only man—in history to take the number one courtesan, Zhao Yu was still very excited.

The only slight regret was that, because these time-travelers had rewritten history, Li Shishi would never again have the chance to become the number one courtesan in history.

Zhao Yu had no intention whatsoever of making up for this regret. He had no habit of self-greening.

Arriving at the prearranged residence, Zhao Yu randomly selected one room from the nine, entered it, and ordered someone to bring Li Shishi over.

Not long after, Li Shishi, wrapped in a cloak, walked in gracefully from the doorway.

Candlelight flickered, casting upon Li Shishi's flower-like face an added softness and gentleness. Her eyes seemed to shimmer with anticipation and shyness; her steps betrayed a hint of nervousness, yet could not conceal the peerless elegance unique to the number one courtesan in history.

Li Shishi glided gracefully before Zhao Yu, removed her cloak to reveal the battle robe beneath, then bowed deeply to him and said in a voice sweeter than a oriole's: "Your servant… Consort Li Shishi comes to serve you tonight…"

…

(End of Chapter)