[{"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-93":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},2318983,4535,"Chapter 93: The Grand Wedding","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-93",93,"\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin, having tasted the sweetness, refused to let Zhang Chun have him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past two days, she and Zhao Yu had unlocked many wondrous positions, and her curiosity was at its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, she realized Zhao Yu greatly desired her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Zhao Yu was hungry for her body; she could clearly feel his fondness for her toned muscles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the perfect moment for her to conceive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin was straightforward, not foolish—she understood perfectly that once Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, and Guo Ting arrived, Zhao Yu would likely not touch any other woman for a long time, especially until Zheng Xiansu became pregnant, prioritizing the succession of the Zhao Song dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a matter of true importance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhao Yu named a crown prince, his brothers—like Zhao Ji—would forever lose any chance to claim the throne and would have to remain content as princes of the blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, once Zhao Yu named a crown prince, his position on the throne would be essentially secure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—At that point, no one would dare easily plot to replace Zhao Yu, for even if they somehow succeeded, the new emperor would be Zhao Yu’s son, who, if only to preserve his filial reputation, would almost certainly avenge his father; thus, such an act would be utterly futile and self-defeating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of this, when an emperor had a clear heir, his throne was essentially secure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite Zhao Yu now having several concubines pregnant, legally speaking, even if Ma Xiao Jiao and the others bore sons, none could be named crown prince unless Zhao Yu deposed Zheng Xiansu as empress and elevated the mother of his son to that position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of the reasons Zhang Chun had long desired to be the first to bear Zhao Yu a son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as of now, Zhao Yu had no intention of replacing the empress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Zhao Yu would certainly prioritize ensuring Zheng Xiansu’s pregnancy, to solidify both his own throne and Zheng Xiansu’s position as empress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, every woman in Zhao Yu’s harem must yield to Zheng Xiansu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, attempting to attract Zhao Yu’s attention through any scheme and earning his favor would be pure fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, anyone who dared such a thing would be making a mortal enemy of Zheng Xiansu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, if you could conceive before Zheng Xiansu arrived, then conceive; if you couldn’t conceive before she arrived, you might never get another chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was truly a moment that would not come again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Li Lin also wished to seize this final opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on this, Li Lin told Zhang Chun: “I’m sorry, but I cannot agree. The chance to bear Zhao Yu’s child is equally vital to me. I’ll be honest—I’ve already taken this step, and I must succeed, or all my sacrifices would be wasted. So let us each rely on our own abilities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chun’s face darkened at Li Lin’s blunt refusal; she forced a smile: “Very well. Competition breeds progress. It’s rare for us to be so candid with each other—it’s better than stabbing each other in the back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Zhang Chun took her leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, Li Lin had fully come to terms with it: the women in this harem could never avoid competing for favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, there was only one emperor, and the favor was scarce; it was the sunlight and rain by which they survived in this gilded yet lonely, icy palace. To not compete meant withering, meant being forgotten in the dust of history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For her, not competing meant abandoning self-worth, abandoning her dreams, even meant her entire reincarnation had been in vain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing to say—what she could not yield, she would never yield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The facts proved Zhang Chun had chosen the wrong opponent, and Li Lin had wrongly played the villain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the final three days before Zhao Yu’s wedding, Pei Sui used her position to claim two nights, and the two palace maids who had previously helped Zhao Yu change clothes and been favored by him teamed up to steal another night of service; Zhang Chun got no night at all, Li Lin got no night at all, and Ye Shi Yun could only stare helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the women realize their rivals were not just each other, but also the natives of this era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, they had apparently misunderstood one thing: when it came to competing for favor, they were not necessarily a match for these natives, who spent every day thinking of how to win the emperor’s affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consider a few small examples:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t Ye Shi Yun nearly succeed in being summoned by wearing a qipao?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Li Lin, by wearing a qipao, successfully earned summoning—and was favored for three consecutive nights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made the qipao a sensation in the harem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, if a woman didn’t own a qipao, she was too ashamed to greet others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, the hairstyles “invented” by Ye Shi Yun and Zhang Chun had spread beyond them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crucially, whether the qipao or the new hairstyles, all had been improved upon; some knockoffs were even more beautiful than the originals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, Zhao Yu liked physical training and admired Li Lin’s lean muscles—so many women had secretly taken up fitness, and somehow, they had learned The Prisoner’s Workout and Yoga, even the Daoist health practices Zhao Yu himself trained with Zhang Xubai and other Daoists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without exaggeration, whatever Zhao Yu liked, women would adapt to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learning this, the women finally believed: “When the king of Chu favored slender waists, the palace filled with starving women”—it was absolutely true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The women gathered together, faces filled with helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chun smiled bitterly: “I thought our knowledge would let us easily win Zhao Yu over—turns out these natives are all so fiercely competitive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Shi Yun sighed along: “Yes, we planned to stand out with novel things, but now they’ve copied them—and even upgraded them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Li Lin said: “Have you noticed how skillfully they use their own authority? Take those two maids who helped Zhao Yu change clothes—they asked him whether he preferred to put his left leg or right leg in first, played off each other, and stirred his desire, thereby securing the chance to soothe him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Li Lin smiled bitterly: “I thought if we just let go, they couldn’t possibly outdo us—but I greatly underestimated these natives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve become quite well-informed lately—even about those two maids,” Zhang Chun said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin didn’t hide it: “My maid—Cui Nianyue—is exceptionally capable inside and out, skilled in dance, poetry, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I previously treated her as an ordinary servant, but after she made me the qipao, I realized her talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chun thought: ‘Cui Nianyue? Could she be the same Cui Nianyue who was famous during the Zhenghe era, once ranked alongside Li Shishi?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t Zhao Xu shut down Fanlou because Zhao Ji visited brothels?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That incident had further consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, the court, seizing the emperor’s anger, launched a crackdown, cleaning up all the brothels and sending many courtesans to the Jiaofangsi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, Zhao Xu died, Zhao Yu ascended the throne, and once the storm passed, the brothels paid heavily to redeem their courtesans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, the court was broke and used Zhao Xu’s rage as an excuse to raise funds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this process, many unclaimed courtesans were sent to the palace by Ministry of Rites officials eager to please the new emperor, Zhao Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu entered the palace this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Cui Nianyue must have entered the same way—but when did Li Lin choose her? I never noticed… Hmm… Probably because I was too busy competing with Ye Shi Yun for Li Shishi.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Oh, and there’s also Wang Zhongduan—who was also famed alongside Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu. I’ll have Li Shishi find out if she’s still alive. If I can gather all four famous courtesans, I’ll see how Zhao Yu escapes my grasp.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Ye Shi Yun spoke: “The real problem lies with Zhao Yu himself—if he weren’t so fickle, no matter how hard these women competed, it wouldn’t matter—we wouldn’t have to compete at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin spoke fairly: “From Zhao Yu’s perspective, he wants his own comfort and his descendants to flourish. He’s not Sun Wukong, freezing the Seven Fairies just to steal peaches. Honestly, if I were him, I’d spread my seed everywhere too. And the facts prove his strategy works—how long has it been, and already five women are pregnant with his imperial seed? He won’t repeat Zhao Xu’s mistakes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another palace maid had just become pregnant—the same one who had snatched Zhang Chun’s night of service.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin silently added: “If you count me, that’s six.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin had a hunch—she would likely conceive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Li Lin’s words, the women fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a self-interested standpoint, Zhao Yu’s actions were entirely understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The course of events unfolded precisely as Zhang Chun had predicted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, the Empress Dowager herself intervened, and Zhao Yu agreed to hold the wedding—for the sake of the state, the people, and filial piety—but since Emperor Zhezong had just passed away and the treasury was empty, everything must be kept simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor’s wedding in this era still followed the traditional “Six Rites”: Nai Cai, Wen Ming, Nai Ji, Nai Zheng, Gao Qi, and Feng Ying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Zhao Xu’s death, the first four steps had already been completed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now only Gao Qi and Feng Ying remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Qi meant Zhao Yu, through the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and other institutions, selected an auspicious wedding date, then dispatched envoys to the bride’s family to announce it. The envoys carried edicts and documents, informing the family of the exact date, which the family had to accept and approve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu were from Kaifeng Prefecture; their families lived within Bianliang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Cheng had already arrived at court to report, and his entire family had moved with him to Bianliang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, this step required no wasted time—simply follow the established rites, and all would be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Zhao Yu’s wedding reached its most critical phase: Feng Ying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the wedding day, as dawn broke, Bianliang City was bathed in festivity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu did not personally go to fetch the bride; instead, the Ministry of Rites carefully selected several high-ranking ministers—men with both sons and daughters, and great moral authority—to serve as envoys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These envoys, dressed in wedding robes, led vast processions of ceremonial guards and musical bands, each heading toward the Zheng, Wang, and Guo households to receive the empress and two imperial consorts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wedding processions were enormous; the imperial orchestra played vigorously, creating spectacular scenes wherever they passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lanterns hung along both sides of the streets, red and swaying in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, commoners gathered to watch, whispering that the Zheng, Wang, and Guo families had struck lucky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Chen hour, the processions arrived at the Zheng, Wang, and Guo households.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each envoy read the imperial edict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiansu, dressed in empress ceremonial robes, wearing the phoenix crown and embroidered veil, slowly knelt and reverently received the golden scrolls and seals symbolizing her status as empress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after, Wang Yisu and Guo Ting, each wearing imperial consort ceremonial robes, likewise knelt in solemn reverence to receive their investiture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the auspicious hour, Zheng Xiansu, surrounded by the wedding procession, boarded a lavishly decorated phoenix palanquin and slowly proceeded toward the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though today was also the great joy of Wang Yisu and Guo Ting, how could they possibly compete with the empress for the spotlight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After receiving their titles, they were quietly carried into the palace through the side gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the procession escorting Zheng Xiansu arrived at the palace, and Zheng Xiansu was carried through the main gate into Daqing Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, under the guidance of the ritual officers, Zhao Yu and Zheng Xiansu performed the solemn rites of bowing to Heaven and Earth and the grand wedding ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the rites concluded, Zhao Yu and Zheng Xiansu entered the bridal chamber according to imperial protocol and performed the He Jin ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Candlelight flickered, illuminating the warm, festive bridal chamber. Crimson silk hung low, sheer veils danced gently, incense filled the air. Zheng Xiansu sat upright on the wedding bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu lifted her veil with a ceremonial scale rod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Freed from the veil, Zheng Xiansu’s exquisite face was revealed before Zhao Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the candlelight, her cheeks flushed crimson like blooming peach blossoms in spring, radiant and dewy. Her eyes were bright and clear as autumn water, glancing with gentle shyness. Beneath her high nose, her cherry lips were naturally red. Her gentle face now radiated a mixture of modesty and dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu looked at Zheng Xiansu and said: “From this day forward, may I and the Empress share the storms of life, stand united, never betray each other, and grow old together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the incident of Zhao Xu’s final edict, Zhao Yu still kept his promise and married her as empress—Zheng Xiansu knew she owed Zhao Yu, for this life and all lives to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Zheng Xiansu gently parted her vermilion lips and spoke with solemn gravity: \"Your Majesty’s profound favor, this humble consort feels deeply in her heart. From now on, I shall devote all my energy and diligence, strictly follow Your Majesty’s teachings, uphold virtue and propriety, and meticulously manage all affairs of the inner palace, ensuring its peace and tranquility, relieving Your Majesty of rearward concerns, and aiding Your Majesty in expanding the imperial lineage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yu said no more; after drinking the wedding cup with Zheng Xiansu, he proceeded to the most essential step of the bridal chamber ceremony...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, some loves cannot be spoken—they must be...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2301,"2026-06-20T15:06:47.302Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","317fc1b12d30ccf3926819cad3ffee1f24db3b9f5107d89478cc780b2b51916e","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-94","i-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-chapter-92",348,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-transmigrated-to-the-northern-song-with-them-cover.jpg"]