Chapter 335: Serves Her Right—Licking Dogs Aren

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A night of surprise?!?!

Well, such things often happen to Zhao Yu; one more time isn't surprising.

Moreover, you may doubt Liu Qingjing's character, but you cannot doubt Liu Qingjing's fertility.

Remember, Zhao Xu had such poor fertility, yet Liu Qingjing bore him one son and two daughters. Zhao Xu had only five children in his entire life, and more than half were Liu Qingjing's contributions.

Such fertility among women is undoubtedly among the very best.

Zhao Yu and Liu Qingjing pairing up, conceiving in a single night—technically, such a possibility certainly exists.

But given Liu Qingjing's character, and her obvious scheme against him—and that she succeeded—Zhao Yu couldn't help but suspect whether the child in her womb was even his.

What if Liu Qingjing didn't even know which random man fathered the child, and made him the patsy?

With such suspicions, Zhao Yu met Liu Qingjing.

The meeting place was certainly no longer Chong'en Palace, a place Zhao Yu found inconvenient to visit, but a small, secluded, quiet courtyard Zhao Yu had specially granted to Liu Mingjie.

That day, "coincidentally," Liu Qingjing came to visit her adopted daughter Liu Mingjie.

As soon as Zhao Yu was led into the room by Liu Mingjie, he saw Liu Qingjing prostrate on the ground, saying: "Your servant knows her crime; I beg Your Majesty to spare my life and my child's. I only wish for one son to console me—I ask for nothing else. I beg Your Majesty to grant this!"

Liu Qingjing calling herself "your servant" was incorrect.

"Your servant" is the self-reference used by concubines and princess consorts toward the Emperor, but Liu Qingjing, as the Empress of the late Emperor Zhao Xu, held noble status as a former Empress and belonged to the "elder generation" (by the late Emperor's rank), and typically referred to herself as "this grieving one."

"This grieving one" is the self-reference of a widow, expressing mourning for the late Emperor while affirming her unique status, maintaining a relationship with the new Emperor that is both respectful and distinct from that of imperial consorts or princesses.

Only such a title can uphold the supreme authority of imperial power and preserve the principle of "hierarchy and order" within the ancestral system.

But Liu Qingjing paid no heed to any of this; shamelessly, she immediately defined herself as Zhao Yu's consort, hence her use of "your servant."

Although Zhao Yu greatly disapproved of Liu Qingjing's character and despised her actions, he had to admit: seeing the once haughty, domineering enemy who never deigned to look at him with so much as a glance now prostrate before him, pleading desperately for mercy, and recalling how she had exhausted every trick to please him that night, Zhao Yu felt an immense, uncontainable satisfaction.

If one word were to describe Zhao Yu's current state of mind, four characters suffice—petty man triumphant.

Notably, Liu Qingjing's favor from Zhao Xu was not without reason; her skills were truly exceptional, granting Zhao Yu an exquisite experience.

Precisely because of this, even though Liu Mingjie had been Zhao Yu's original target, he had unconsciously directed all his energy toward Liu Qingjing.

Perhaps precisely because of this, today's bitter fruit was born.

Zhao Yu looked at Liu Qingjing and asked sternly: "How can you face Emperor Zhezong after doing this?"

Hearing this, Liu Qingjing tried to speak calmly to Zhao Yu: "Your servant had no choice."

It was clear that mentioning Zhao Xu—the man who loved her wholeheartedly, elevated her to the heavens, and even risked the accusation of "favoring a concubine over his wife" for her—still moved Liu Qingjing somewhat.

Perhaps at this moment, Liu Qingjing was recalling the countless moments she had shared with Zhao Xu?

Perhaps she imagined that if Zhao Xu were still alive, it would not be her kneeling before Zhao Yu, begging his forgiveness, sacrificing her own purity and appearing like a promiscuous whore, utterly devoid of the dignity befitting an Empress—but Zhao Yu prostrating before her, licking her feet, pleading desperately for her mercy.

Or perhaps Liu Qingjing truly believed that although she had wronged Zhao Xu, she was driven to this desperate act by Zhao Yu, Empress Dowager Xiang, and Meng Xiang—she had truly been cornered.

As for what Liu Qingjing actually thought, Zhao Yu didn't care; she had already walked this path, so there was no way she could be called a chaste woman, was there?

Moreover, given that Liu Qingjing could even seduce Zhao Yu, her former husband's younger brother, Zhao Yu reasonably assumed that even if Zhao Si had remained alive and become Emperor, Liu Qingjing, ruling from behind the curtain, would have become like Wu Zetian, keeping numerous male favorites and placing countless green hats on Zhao Xu's head.

Thus, emperors like Li Zhi and Zhao Xu were utterly foolish: they had become emperors, real sovereigns, yet stupidly hanged themselves on a single twisted tree. In the end, people like Wu Zetian and Liu Qingjing, relying on their favor, grew arrogant, blocked other consorts from conceiving, Wu Zetian even killed five of Li Zhi's sons (two of whom were her own), and Zhao Xu died without a single surviving son—even his only son perished in infancy.

This is the tragic fate of emperors who dote on a single woman.

To this, Zhao Yu had only one saying: Serves her right—licking dogs aren't worth sympathy.

Now, about Zhao Xu.

Although he was a decent emperor, he owed Zhao Yu not a single favor; he never once intended to pass the throne to Zhao Yu, even though Zhao Yu clearly proved himself the most suitable heir.

Moreover, until his death, he remained suspicious of Zhao Yu, determined to pass the throne to his younger brother Zhao Si, despite Zhao Si being utterly unfit to rule.

Furthermore, Zhao Yu was a reincarnated soul; he had no fraternal bond with Zhao Xu whatsoever.

Given all this, bedding Zhao Xu brought Zhao Yu zero psychological burden.

In short, Zhao Yu did not probe Liu Qingjing's excuse but cut straight to the point: "What exactly do you want?"

Seeing Zhao Yu no longer pressed her about betraying Zhao Xu, Liu Qingjing secretly exhaled in relief and emphasized for the third time: "Your servant only wants a son—I ask for nothing else. I beg Your Majesty to grant this."

Seeing Liu Qingjing still using this excuse to evade him, Zhao Yu asked coolly: "Why do you want a son? Moreover, Emperor Zhezong has been dead for a year—how do you explain giving birth now?"

Liu Qingjing replied: "Your Majesty, do not jest. Whether one has a son or not makes a world of difference for a woman, especially in this inner palace. I am a woman, and I dwell in this inner palace—how could I not desire a son?"

Uh… alright.

That reason is perfectly valid.

Under the feudal palace system, motherhood determines status—it is the core logic of survival. Without offspring, especially a prince, a woman's position and fate in the harem are fraught with uncertainty; even an Empress may face a miserable end.

Liu Qingjing, in her current "final verdict" state, is actually better off.

Otherwise, in the fierce competition of the harem, imperial favor is fleeting; without a son as foundation, once she loses favor, she will easily be ostracized by other consorts with children, even deposed and banished to the cold palace.

Consider Liu Qingjing's situation further.

In this era, women depend on men for survival. After the Emperor's death, consorts with sons may accompany their sons to their fiefs or live in honor within the palace; those without offspring may be sent to guard the imperial tombs, spend their remaining years in solitude, or even be forced into suicide.

Moreover, a harem woman's status is tightly linked to her family's interests; without a son to solidify her position, her family may lose the Emperor's trust and support, suffering political suppression.

Thus, having a son versus not having one makes a crucial difference to Liu Qingjing—it concerns not merely her ability to survive peacefully, but whether her family can continue to flourish.

The key is, Liu Qingjing's downfall lies precisely in her son's early death; otherwise, she would have been the final and greatest victor.

Under these circumstances, Liu Qingjing's obsession with a prince is entirely understandable.

Seeing Zhao Yu seemed to have accepted her desire for a son, Liu Qingjing quickly revealed her plan: "Your servant has heard that several of Your Majesty's consorts are currently pregnant; their due dates should be nearly identical to mine. At that time, let one of them 'give birth' an extra child for me. Later, under the pretext of continuing the late Emperor's lineage, Your Majesty may return the child born to her to me…"

Liu Qingjing meant: she would secretly give birth, and Zhao Yu would find a consort with a similar due date, claim she gave birth to twins, then adopt the extra child as Liu Qingjing's.

This way, the child's identity would be whitewashed.