[{"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-45":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},2318935,4535,"Chapter 45: Even the Newbie Village Hasn","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-45",45,"\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Tihedian Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Shi Yun swallowed a large bite of osmanthus cake with effort, pounding her chest as she said: “This crappy cake—I wouldn’t have eaten it in my last life even if you begged me. It’s not just disgusting, the calories are… ridiculously high!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Ye Shi Yun bit into another huge mouthful and devoured it greedily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chun, Li Lin, and Yuan Qing Cheng weren’t any better than Ye Shi Yun—they too were gobbling down the osmanthus cake in large bites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Xiao Jiao said from the side: “Slow down, there’s plenty more of this cake. If you like it, I’ll have Xiduo bring you more later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s Xiduo?” Yuan Qing Cheng asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My maid,” Ma Xiao Jiao replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four women all turned to look at Ma Xiao Jiao; Ye Shi Yun, envious and jealous, confirmed: “You’ve already got a maid?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On my very first day in the palace… I went to Zhao Yu, and he assigned me a maid. Lately I’ve been so busy, he said he’d give me a few more maids with strong hands to help me, but I never had time to pick any—so I only have Xiduo. Otherwise, I’d already be surrounded by attendants.” Ma Xiao Jiao said with no small amount of pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you trying to kill us with kindness? We’re suffering here, and you’re flaunting how many maids you have. Jiao Jiao, you’ve gone bad!” Ye Shi Yun fumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have to wait forever and stand in long lines just to get a few scraps of leftovers, but you’ve already got servants feeding you and dressing you—what a difference in fate!” Yuan Qing Cheng also complained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I’d known this would happen, I’d have fought harder for the teaching maid position. If I’d gotten out, I could’ve done something meaningful—better than wasting time here uselessly. Those glass windows—were your doing?” Li Lin said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I helped Zhao Yu build a glass factory. So far, I’ve helped him produce samples of colorless glass, mirrors, telescopes, and eyeglasses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, Zhao Yu was just lucky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tong Guan sent people out searching for three days and found several dry or semi-dry lakes and marshes. They brought back soil as I instructed, and under my guidance, the artisans extracted extremely pure natural soda ash from the soil of one of those dry lakes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Ma Xiao Jiao’s tone shifted: “You have no idea how skilled the craftsmen of this era are—we completely underestimated the ancients. I’m now considering whether I should build a machine tool.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Won’t a machine tool be hard to make?” Li Lin asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I were a Level 8 machinist, I might be able to hand-craft the simplest machine tool—but I’m not, and the steel available now is terrible,\" Ma Xiao Jiao said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s hopeless then?” Yuan Qing Cheng asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not necessarily. I know how to do paper crafts—I’ll make a paper model first, then have those skilled craftsmen try adapting it from paper to wood. Maybe we can make a crude wooden machine tool that’s still useful, then slowly figure out how to upgrade it. Anyway, Zhao Yu has handed me full control of his workshops and let me command all his artisans however I want. I ask for money, he gives me money; I ask for people, he gives me people. I can tinker as much as I like—take my time.” Ma Xiao Jiao said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear Ma Xiao Jiao was relaxed and happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s great—you’ve already started your own struggle, unlike us, who are just standing still.” Li Lin said enviously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that bad, is it? Isn’t Zhang Chun already by Empress Xiang’s side? Empress Xiang is the most powerful woman of this era—even Zhao Yu has to flatter her. How could you not make progress beside her?” Ma Xiao Jiao was astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin nudged Zhang Chun: “Ask her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Xiao Jiao turned to look at Zhang Chun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That old feudal, stubborn fool won’t even listen to me. Every day she spouts rules and rituals. When something important happens, I try to warn her—before I can even finish speaking, she orders the Palace Inspector to slap me. Only because Empress Xiansu intervened in time did I escape disaster,” Zhang Chun said through gritted teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… can’t be true?” Ma Xiao Jiao was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought so too. Empress Xiang is a political powerhouse who decides who becomes the next emperor—she should be humble and seek talent. But the reality is, she simply won’t listen to me!” Zhang Chun fumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re just saying that because you were too eager to show off, chose the wrong moment, and flattered your superiors—acting timid and silent before them, which provoked the punishment,” Li Lin couldn’t take it anymore and spoke the real reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You weren’t even there—how can you slander me like this?!” Zhang Chun retorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin held deep resentment toward Zhang Chun. She even believed that their complete lack of progress—and their inability to even leave the Xinshoucun —was entirely Zhang Chun’s fault: too many petty schemes, too many small moves, refusing to cooperate with the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Lin shot back: “I wasn’t there, but this incident has spread throughout Cide Palace. Several palace maids who were present swore that when Empress Xiang was discussing accepting the Western Xia’s peace offer with Han Zhongyan, you blurted out ‘No!’—then sat there for ages without giving any reason. Empress Xiang was furious you embarrassed her in front of outsiders, so she ordered the Palace Inspector to slap you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin turned to Ma Xiao Jiao: “She’s always so articulate and eloquent in front of us—but when facing Empress Xiang and Han Zhongyan, she gets so nervous she can’t speak. That’s bad enough. But she also dragged Zheng Yaban and Wang Yisu down with her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened?” Ma Xiao Jiao asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know how Zheng Yaban and Wang Yisu recommended her? They recommended her to replace them, claiming she had the talent to become a yaban. But then she performed like this—shaming Empress Xiang. How could Zheng Yaban and Wang Yisu not be reprimanded? They would likely have been punished too, except they’re about to marry Zhao Yu—otherwise, they would have suffered alongside her,” Li Lin said indignantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zheng Yaban and Wang Yisu have been good to us. Not only have they kept us cleaning here, they got us moved into rooms with only two per chamber. Whenever Empress Xiang gives rewards, they never eat them all—they always make sure we get our share. Without their care, we couldn’t have survived here at all,” Yuan Qing Cheng agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These two women are truly good. Zhao Yu got a huge bargain marrying them,” even Ye Shi Yun praised Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu effusively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chun stopped arguing, because she knew Li Lin and Yuan Qing Cheng weren’t angry that she’d dragged Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu down—they were angry that she’d wasted her chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Lin put it: “If you can’t do it, let me do it. At least I won’t be speechless. If you have something to say, I’ll say it for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The root of the matter was that Li Lin and Yuan Qing Cheng no longer trusted Zhang Chun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Zhang Chun had already explained to Li Lin and the others: “Li Qianshun conspired with Liao envoys to poison his mother, Empress Zhaojian Wenmu. Now Western Xia is purging its maternal relatives; the political situation is extremely unstable—this is a heavenly-given opportunity for the Song to attack Western Xia. From the outset, I was right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chun had even confessed to Li Lin and the others: “I have a habit of going mute when nervous—but Zhao Yu accepts my flaw. Empress Xiang is clearly not a wise ruler—not worth serving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Lin and Yuan Qing Cheng refused to listen. And Ye Shi Yun cared only about her own comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, after Ma Xiao Jiao left, Zhang Chun felt increasingly isolated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, Zhang Chun felt saying anything more was pointless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she told herself: “Sheep and goats travel in herds; tigers walk alone. You may have talent, but all you know is embellishment. Only I can become the master of this world. If you don’t cling to my thick leg and isolate me, you’ll regret it later…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1396,"2026-06-20T15:06:47.302Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","77c0ff139946b51625dd0a0e865e2ef2151a8ea5d282620105b4320a99abc47d","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-46","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-44",348,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-cover.jpg"]