[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them":3,"chapter-i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-305":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Transmigrated to the Northern Song with Them",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2319195,4535,"Chapter 305","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-305",305,"\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the imperial expedition imminent, Zhao Yu had many matters to entrust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this journey would take him far across mountains and rivers, with no certain return date, and the Zhao Song dynasty had a heap of trivial affairs to manage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Crown Prince Zhao Shou, though always composed, was still under fourteen and not yet fit for great responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Empress Zheng Xiansu was both capable and steady; setting aside her character, Chancellor Cai Jing’s ability and experience were unquestionable; Su Shi’s integrity and loyalty were reliable; and the younger generation—Tang Ke, Li Gang, Zhao Ding, Lü Yihao—were all capable of bearing heavy burdens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall, Zhao Yu’s conditions for this imperial expedition were considerably better than last time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, during his last imperial expedition, Zhao Yu had been able to depart for months, defeat the Liao, recover the Eleven Prefectures of Yan-Yun, and reclaim the tribute payments, thanks to the iron-fisted chancellor Zhang Dun holding the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for why Zhao Yu chose to lead the expedition himself rather than send others to reclaim Yan Di Wuzhou, Pingluan Yingsanzhou, and Juyong Pass to complete the unification of Zhao Song, it was because Zhao Yu knew well: to forge steel, one must be strong himself; only by being powerful could he fear no foreign enemies afar or internal traitors near, and never be undone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu, well-read in history, knew that every powerful minister in history, before openly rebelling, existed in a state combining Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Zhuge Liang, no further explanation is needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven captures of Meng Huo, six expeditions to Qishan, exhausting himself until death—a model of loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even before his betrayal, Sima Yi was no slouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A veteran of four reigns, he resisted Shu Han, pacified Liaodong, crushed rebellions, and was entrusted with guardianship twice. At first glance, he was clearly the pillar of Great Wei, the nation’s backbone—no less than Zhuge Liang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who could have imagined that at seventy-one, this old man launched the Gaoping Ling  Incident—when others should have been buried, he turned his twilight into the prime of his ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Zhou feared rumors in his day; Wang Mang seemed humble before his usurpation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he died at the outset, who would ever have known the truth of his life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu can view people from a certain godlike perspective, but do not forget: people change with time, status, environment, and experience. A loyal minister in history need not be immune to the corrosion of power; a humble minister—how can anyone guarantee he won’t reveal his ambition when Zhao Yu offers him greater temptation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reality offers few multiple-choice questions; most are open-ended problems where the answer shifts with the conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu knows well that human hearts are like oceans—deep and unfathomable. Only by steering himself can he hold course through this turbulent political sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Zhao Yu’s late father, Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu, left one decree: “Who recovers Yan and Yun shall be made king.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhao Yu lets someone else reclaim Yan and Yun, should he grant a living non-imperial king title—or withhold it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the complete recovery of Yan and Yun, and the fulfillment of unification, is best left to Zhao Yu himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This way, he showcases his own glorious martial achievements while avoiding future suspicion and strife from ministers whose merit might overshadow the throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After delegating other matters and dismissing Cai Jing, Su Shi, and the other chancellors, Zhao Yu asked Xiao Puxian and Xiao Sese: “Have you selected the Liao envoy to Yanjing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Puxian replied: “I have a candidate. If all goes as planned, he will depart northward tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu did not ask who she had chosen; he merely warned her: “This man is crucial. If he is truly capable, I may reclaim the entire Yan and Yun region without a single battle, completing unification.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Puxian said: “I understand the gravity. If he accomplishes what I described, he is surely the most suitable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she finished speaking, her maid appeared at the door and gave her a signal: success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Xiao Puxian smiled at Zhao Yu: “I’ve arranged several palace maids to see off His Majesty. I hope His Majesty will rest in my palace tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, Xiao Sese sensed this arrangement for bedding was far from simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Zhao Yu’s personal campaign, unless it was a matter of utmost importance, he always rested at Zheng Xiansu’s quarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an unspoken rule everyone understood: even Zhang Chun’s five daughters would not dare challenge Zheng Xiansu at such a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crucially, Xiao Puxian will accompany Zhao Yu northward—there will be ample future chances to be with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most crucially, Xiao Puxian is pregnant and unfit to serve him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she insists on arranging palace maids to see him off—Siao Sese would never believe there was no ulterior motive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Sese stood silently, her fingertips idly tracing the hidden embroidery on her sleeve, her mind as clear as a mirror. Xiao Puxian’s move was suspicious, but now was no time to ponder it. Yelu Ao had just, through her mediation, gained eligibility to become emperor of Liao—this was the critical moment when the Song court’s full support was needed. One misstep, one hint of displeasure from Zhao Yu, and their entire plan could still collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Sese glanced at Xiao Puxian. The woman’s face bore a perfectly composed, gentle smile—no trace of deceit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow slightly, as if finding the invitation sudden—but said nothing, only murmured, “Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Sese’s doubts vanished instantly: *Let her play her games—so long as they don’t touch my son’s ascension, let her do as she pleases.*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the emperor visited tonight, what currents stirred in the harem—none of it mattered compared to Xiao Sese’s core interest. Her only thought now was to ensure Yelu Ao firmly sat upon the Liao throne. Only then could she truly breathe easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu arrived at Xiao Puxian’s palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lanterns in Xiao Puxian’s palace burned brighter than usual, as if welcoming a moment of great significance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over a hundred palace maids, slender and plump, stood with bowed heads—every detail exuded an unusual allure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhao Yu stepped inside, his gaze swept the courtyard and settled immediately on the two beautiful women flanking Xiao Puxian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman on Xiao Puxian’s left wore a sheep-fat jade hairpin that caught the light, yet her entire presence was plain—no gold ornaments, no cloying fragrance, merely a breath of cool wind slipping from the eaves, lost among the crowd of attendants, utterly unremarkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhao Yu arrived, she knelt with the others, her eyelashes lowered further, hiding any trace of that inappropriate, clear-eyed gaze deep within the shadow of her sleeve—as if she were merely a silent silhouette along the corridor, separated from the opulence and clamor by an invisible veil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stood like a forgotten magnolia, revealing only half her profile. Her brows were faint, like distant mountains veiled in mist; her eyes slightly upturned, yet her pupils still, like ink-stones submerged in water. Her nose was straight and refined, accentuating her lips—naturally pale pink, slightly parted in a timid curve. Her skin, white as snow, trembled in the corridor breeze, like newly bloomed pear blossoms—so plain, so pure, one dared not look too long.\u003C\u002Fp>",1228,"2026-06-20T15:06:50.687Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","fcd51938195a7642133c76407382a8094e07e914f07addf86def313d80d435c7","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-306","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-304",348,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-cover.jpg"]