I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 2 Let’s Change the Emperor
...

Zhang Chun also wanted to change the emperor.

In her opinion, Zhao Ji was not only incompetent and unjust, but also stubborn and self-willed.

——Historically, when Zhao Ji chose the strategy of allying with Jin to destroy Liao and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, which led to the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty, many Song officials, including the then Prime Minister Cai Jing and the two Privy Councilors Deng Xunwu and Zheng Juzhong, tried to stop him, but Zhao Ji still chose to take this dead end.

Moreover, Zhao Ji hated women interfering in politics.

——Historically, Empress Xiansu also tried to stop Zhao Ji from joining forces with Jin to destroy Liao and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. However, Zhao Ji not only did not listen to Empress Xiansu, but also alienated her for a time.

Therefore, most of them could not change Zhao Ji's mind. If they let Zhao Ji become the emperor, it would be difficult for them to avoid the Jingkang Incident, the greatest shame for the Han people. It would be a luxury for them to want to do something like other time travelers.

After thinking for a while, Zhang Chun said to Li Lin, Ye Shiyun, Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng:
"Changing the emperor...is not easy."

"Song Shenzong Zhao Xu had a total of fourteen sons. Eight of them died young. Excluding Zhao Xu, who was about to die, the only ones left were Prince Shen Zhao Qi, Prince Duan Zhao Ji, Prince Shen Zhao Ya, Prince Jian Zhao Si, and Prince Mu Zhao Si."

"Among the five of them, Zhao Qi is the oldest and should have inherited the throne, but he is blind, so there is no chance."

"Except for Zhao Qi, Zhao Ji is the oldest, so it's time for him to take the throne. The key is that, aside from being the emperor, he's capable of everything else. It's difficult for the other kings to compete with him."

"Hmm... Zhao Si might have a chance. He's Zhao Xu's half-brother. Whether from a legal or logical perspective, he should inherit the throne. Furthermore, he and Zhao Xu's biological mother, Empress Dowager Zhu, are still alive, so he has natural support."

"However, it was Empress Dowager Xiang who helped Zhao Xu become emperor. But in the end, Zhao Xu was still closer to Concubine Zhu and was merely polite to Empress Dowager Xiang. After this great loss, Empress Dowager Xiang was unlikely to make another prince who had a biological mother the emperor. This is also the main reason why Empress Dowager Xiang strongly supported Zhao Ji to become emperor in history."

"The key is that Zhao Si was also short-lived. Like Zhao Xu, he didn't live past the age of 25. Having him replace Zhao Ji as emperor wouldn't help matters."

After thinking for a while, Zhang Chun said, "If we have a doctor among us, we can actually try to save Zhao Xu. Among all the emperors of the Song Dynasty, he can barely be considered an emperor who has made some achievements. In any case, he is definitely much better than Zhao Ji."

Ma Xiaojiao said, "Forget it. Seeing Zhao Xu favoring his concubine over his wife and condoning Liu Qingjing to frame Queen Meng, he doesn't seem like a good person."

Zhang Chun wanted to say, "This isn't just about favoring a concubine and abandoning a wife; it also involves the factional struggle between the New Party and the Old Party."

But Zhang Chun changed his mind:
"Empress Meng ignored the immense emotional pain caused by Zhao Xu's abandonment of her. She repeatedly saved the country from collapse, saving the dying Zhao Song Dynasty for another 152 years. This proves she was truly a good empress."

"And Zhao Xu, who allowed the vicious Liu Qingjing to violate the etiquette of a concubine and become arrogant due to her favor, even orchestrating the witchcraft case and framing his first wife, is truly not worth helping."

"To put it another way, even if Zhao Xu was saved, with his already weakened body, he would never have survived to see the Jingkang Incident."

"The most important thing is that we don't have any doctors among us. Even if we wanted to save Zhao Xu, we don't have the ability to do so."

"Then get pregnant with Zhao Xu's child before he dies?"

"No, Zhao Xu's dying body probably can't make a woman pregnant anymore, and there's no time left."

"We still have to seize this opportunity to change the emperor."

"Then there are only Zhao Ya and Zhao Si left now."

"But they have no advantage in any aspect. Their mother died a long time ago. They don't even have anyone who can help them fight for the throne. How can they fight against Zhao Ji?"

"And we are only the lowest-ranking Master Attendants in the harem. Not only do we have little influence, but we also can't get in touch with anyone. We can't help Zhao Ya and Zhao Si at all."

Zhang Chun discussed all this with Li Lin and her four daughters.

After much discussion, the five girls realized that they could not do anything now. They could only serve as palace maids and adapt to this new environment.

This dealt a heavy blow to the five women who had achieved considerable success in their previous lives and were now powerful time travelers.

Finally, the five women comforted each other, saying that at least they were all a dozen years younger, which was a great thing that no amount of money could buy. Moreover, among them were historians, military experts, economic experts, inventors, and agricultural experts. As long as they were given a good platform, they might be able to help the Han people unify the world.

Not long after, a Master Attendant shouted, "It's getting better."

Based on the memories of their original owners, the five women knew that Zheng Yaban and Wang Yaban were going to assign today's work to them, the low-ranking palace maids.

The five girls quickly followed the other Master Attendants to meet Zheng Yaban and Wang Yaban.

On the way, Zhang Chun lowered his voice and said to Li Lin and the other four daughters, "This Zheng Yaban is very likely Zhao Ji's second empress, Empress Xiansu, and Wang Yaban is Zhao Ji's Imperial Concubine Yisu. They are the confidants of Empress Dowager Xiang. If we can win them over, we might be able to achieve something."

After hearing what Zhang Chun said, the four daughters of Li Lin all perked up and prepared to capture Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu.

Who would have thought that after meeting Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu, without waiting for the five girls to find an opportunity to get closer to them, Wang Yisu ordered Zhang Chun and several other royal attendants to weed, while Li Lin and Ye Shiyun were assigned to carry water.

Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng were relatively lucky. Wang Yisu said to them, "You two should bring your fans and follow us to Funing Palace..."

……

The carriage stopped outside Xuande Gate. Zhao Ya got off and was led to Funing Palace by the eunuch.

By this time, many members of the imperial clan had already arrived, including Zhao Qi, Zhao Si, and Zhao Si. The imperial clan and the Zhao Song Dynasty had a relationship of shared prosperity and shared loss. If the dynasty changed, no matter who was on the throne, they would not have a good ending.

As for royal family members like Zhao Ya who were qualified to be emperor, even if they had to hide in the mountains, they had to be searched out by the rulers to eliminate the root of the problem and prevent future troubles.

Therefore, the vast majority of royal family members, especially those who had no idea of ​​the throne, hoped that Zhao Xu would quickly have an heir to stabilize the turmoil caused by the unresolved issue of the Eastern Palace, so that they could enjoy the shade under the big tree.

It is no wonder that when Zhao Xu gave birth to a son, all the clan members, regardless of gender, age or status, came to visit him.

After paying respects to several elders of the clan according to the original owner's habit, Zhao Ya chatted casually with the younger generation including Zhao Qi, Zhao Si and Zhao Si in a low-key manner.

Soon, the eunuch sang, "Prince Duan has arrived!"

Zhao Ji was born with the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix, and was full of the elegance of a scholar. Overall, he was indeed graceful and dignified.

As soon as he arrived at Funing Palace, Zhao Ji greeted the royal family members one by one warmly, and chatted with the elegant scholars among them, such as the son-in-law Wang Shen, about poetry, calligraphy, painting, Cuju and polo.

Soon, Zhao Ji also came to Zhao Ya and the others, and said with a smile: "God bless our Song Dynasty, and help my brother the Pope give birth to a prince."

Zhao Ji had a bright smile on his face, as if he was really happy for Zhao Xu and fortunate for the Zhao Song Dynasty.

But Zhao Ya keenly caught that there was a hint of reluctance in Zhao Ji's smile.

This is also normal.

Only because Zhao Xu had no children did Zhao Ji have the opportunity to become emperor and break free from the constraints of his clan status.

The Song Dynasty had a strict management system for the imperial clan. Specifically, members of the imperial clan within the five mourning periods were strictly prohibited from leaving the city of Bianliang. Even if they temporarily left the city, they had to explain their reason to the Grand Zongzheng Temple in advance and return quickly, otherwise they would be severely punished. Imperial clan members were also forbidden from holding local or military positions. Those who were qualified to participate in court meetings were not allowed to express their opinions and could only observe the excitement from the sidelines.
For an artist, nothing is more valuable than freedom.

What's more, Zhao Ji not only yearned for freedom, he also had great political ambitions. He wanted to be an accomplished emperor, or even an emperor of all ages, whose name would be recorded in history.

But all this became hopeless because Zhao Xu gave birth to a son.

Let me ask you, how could Zhao Ji be in a good mood?

Although Zhao Ya was well aware that the opportunity to compete for the throne had arisen and that Zhao Ji would be his biggest competitor, he still calmly feigned friendship with Zhao Ji and even took the initiative to discuss Cuju with Zhao Ji.

Seeing Zhao Ya's interest in Cuju, Zhao Ji suggested, "We haven't gotten together for a while. How about we all come to my house and play Cuju someday?"

All the kings said, "Great."

Soon, Empress Dowager Xiang also arrived at Funing Palace accompanied by Concubine Dowager Zhu and other concubines, palace maids and eunuchs.

Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng were also among them.

However, without Zhang Chun, who was well versed in history, by their side, they dared not do or say anything. They could only follow Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu obediently, holding their fans, according to the original owner's memory.

Empress Dowager Xiang was the empress of Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu, and the biological mother of Zhao Xu and other kings. She was also the head of the harem and the most powerful woman in the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Zhao Ya looked at Empress Dowager Xiang and thought to himself, "Only by dealing with this old lady can I defeat Zhao Ji and become emperor."

When it comes to external affairs, Zhao Ya is most concerned about solutions and often ignores external constraints.

This has lowered Zhao Ya's moral bottom line to a certain extent.

However, Empress Dowager Xiang was over fifty years old and was Zhao Ya's biological mother. Even if Zhao Ya had no moral bottom line, he would never have any ideas about Empress Dowager Xiang.

Zhao Ya shifted his gaze to Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu standing behind Empress Dowager Xiang.

Zheng Xiansu was absolutely stunning. Her skin was white as snow, her eyebrows were as black as distant ink, her nose was straight, her lips were naturally red, and her face had soft lines. Against the backdrop of her red palace dress, she looked like a fairy from a painting.

Wang Yisu, on the other hand, was truly peerless. Her features were exquisite, her brows and eyes seemed to conceal a millennium of sorrow and allure. Her eyes, like deep, deep pools, shimmered with a thousand strands of emotion. Dressed in a purple palace dress, she moved with the air of a banished immortal.

"These two women were personally trained by the Empress Dowager Xiang, and they are also the closest people to the childless Empress Dowager Xiang."

"Every time Zhao Ji went to Cide Palace to pay his respects, Empress Dowager Xiang would order them to serve him. Later, when Zhao Ji ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Xiang gave them to him."

"Many years later, one of them became Zhao Ji's empress and gave birth to one son and five daughters; the other became Zhao Ji's imperial concubine and gave birth to five sons and three daughters. Their families were also treated very well. From this, it can be inferred that Zhao Ji's ability to defeat the kings and become emperor must have been inseparable from their help."

"I must seize them before Zhao Ji does, so that I can use them to help me ascend the throne!"

Zhao Ya withdrew his gaze.

Inadvertently, Zhao Ya glanced to the side and saw the sneaky Ma Xiaojiao!
"Big Lei Jiao?!!!"

……

(End of this chapter)