I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 3: A mantis trying to stop a chariot?

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Her skin was whiter than snow, tinged with a faint pink, like peach blossoms in bloom in spring. Her eyes were like autumn water, clear and bright, shimmering with a touch of cuteness and curiosity. Her eyebrows were like distant black ink, her nose was small and straight, her lips were naturally red, and a pair of faint dimples were faintly visible on her cheeks. Crucially, despite her young age, her bust was already quite large.

"That's right, it's Da Lei Jiao!"

Although she was more than ten years older than in her previous life, Zhao Ya still recognized Ma Xiaojiao at a glance.

The reason why Zhao Ya was so impressed by Ma Xiaojiao:
First, Zhao Ya has watched all of Ma Xiaojiao's invention videos, from the time she was less than 20 years old to when she was almost 30 years old.

Even when Zhao Ya closed his eyes, he could clearly remember Ma Xiaojiao in work clothes inventing and making those useless inventions.

Of course, what impressed Zhao Ya the most was the video of Ma Xiaojiao inventing the automatic rope skipping machine and the ups and downs during the test.

Ma Xiaojiao became famous thanks to this video, gaining millions of followers overnight and earning the nickname "Big Lei Jiao".

Second, Zhao Ya's last consciousness in his previous life was fixed on the five female internet celebrities who hit him to death, and Ma Xiaojiao was one of them.

How could Zhao Ya not be impressed by Ma Xiaojiao?

However, it is now the second year of Yuanfu, not 2025. Zhao Ya couldn't help but wonder if they just looked alike?

Who would have thought that when Zhao Ya looked to the side, he saw Yuan Qingcheng again.

Yuan Qingcheng entered the laboratory of her school when she was a junior in college, and worked for five years in grafting and seedling cultivation, cultivating new stress-resistant and high-yield rice varieties.

Later, Yuan Qingcheng became popular on the Internet by posting videos of delicious food from all four seasons, and many people, including Zhao Ya, got to know this agricultural goddess.

Her makeup is elegant, her skin is translucent, and her facial features are three-dimensional, as if she came out of a painting. Her temperament reveals an ethereal feeling that transcends the world, like a clear stream that washes away impurities, or like a spring breeze that moistens everything silently.

"It's definitely Yuan Qingcheng."

Seeing Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng who had hit him to death, Zhao Ya immediately thought of the other three female internet celebrities who had hit him to death: "Could it be that Queen Mother Chun, Hao Zhanlin, and Ye Shiyun also traveled through time?"

Soon, Empress Dowager Xiang and her entourage entered the Funing Palace.

After being reminded by Zhao Ji, Zhao Qi led a group of clan members to greet him.

Everyone finished the ceremony.

Empress Dowager Xiang said kindly, "Our ancestors have blessed the Emperor with a son. I believe we should hold a court meeting to express our gratitude to our ancestors. What do you think?"

Everyone said, "The Queen Mother is wise."

Next, someone proposed to ask Zhao Xu to grant amnesty to the whole country and announce the birth of the prince; someone else proposed to hold a grand banquet and invite ministers in the court to celebrate together.

Zhao Ji suggested: "We can ask the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to choose an auspicious day to pray for the prince."

He said to the Empress Dowager, "Prince Duan's suggestion is very good. You can report it to Your Majesty."

Just as everyone was discussing heatedly, the clear cry of a baby was suddenly heard from the inner hall.

Someone seized the opportunity to flatter him, saying, "The prince has a resonant voice and will surely be great and beautiful. One day he will surely lead our Song Dynasty to greater prosperity and strength!"

Many people followed suit and praised the baby, whom they had not yet seen, to the skies.

Only Zhao Ya, Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng knew that this child was not the hope of the Zhao Song Dynasty at all, but Zhao Xu's nemesis.

Soon, Zhao Xu, with a sickly red glow on his face, came to Funing Palace personally carrying Zhao Mao.

What was surprising was that Liu Qingjing, who was supposed to be in confinement after giving birth, also came to Funing Hall.

Empress Dowager Xiang led everyone to pay a visit to Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu also paid homage to Empress Dowager Xiang and Concubine Zhu with the courtesy of a son.

Then, Zhao Xu happily showed off Zhao Mao to everyone.

As an uncle, Zhao Ya also went forward with the other kings to take a look at Zhao Mao.

At first glance, Zhao Mao looks no different from other babies.

But if you look closely, you will find that Zhao Mao has a black forehead, a sunken top of the head, and horizontal lines in his philtrum, which is a sign of a short life.

Zhao Ya didn't say anything.

Zhao Xu and Liu Qingjing, who were almost going crazy wanting a son, would definitely not want to hear such unlucky words.

If Zhao Ya couldn't control his mouth and reminded Zhao Xu and Liu Qingjing, he would probably not only not get their gratitude, but when something happened to Zhao Mao, they might even say that it was all Zhao Ya's curse and use it to punish Zhao Ya.

More importantly, if Zhao Mao was cured after Zhao Ya's reminder, Zhao Ya might not have the chance to become emperor.

So this person is not worthy of being called a good person.

Seeing that Zhao Xu was always showing off Zhao Mao and never mentioned what she cared about most, Liu Qingjing said anxiously, "Your Majesty..."

Zhao Xu then stopped showing off and said to the crowd, "Xian Consort Liu gave birth to Yuan Liang and has made great contributions. I intend to make the position of Empress vacant. What do you think?"

Everyone suddenly realized and finally knew why Liu Qingjing did not recover properly and came to Funing Palace in person. It turned out that Zhao Xu was planning to make Liu Qingjing the queen.

It seemed that Zhao Xu was asking for the opinions of the clan members.

In fact, Zhao Xu was only speaking to the Queen Mother, the only resistance.

Zhao Xu succeeded to the throne at a young age, and Empress Dowager Gao Taotao ruled the country from behind the curtain.

Gao Taotao was a very strong person. During her reign, not only did she not allow Zhao Xu to participate in politics, she also disciplined Zhao Xu very harshly.

In addition, Gao Taotao always suppressed Zhao Xu's biological mother, Concubine Zhu, because she was afraid that Concubine Zhu would compete with her for control of Zhao Xu.

Sima Guang and other old party members who were in power did not take the young Zhao Xu seriously. They asked Gao Taotao for instructions on everything and never asked for Zhao Xu's opinion.

At that time, Zhao Xu's throne was opposite to Gao Taotao's seat. When Sima Guang and other old party members reported to Gao Taotao, they always turned their backs to Zhao Xu and treated Zhao Xu as air.

This led to Zhao Xu, after he took power, saying that Gao Taotao's behind-the-scenes rule was all he could see when he talked about Sima Guang and his men. When Zhao Xu turned seventeen, Gao Taotao should have returned the government to him, but she continued to actively participate in government affairs, showing no intention of returning the power to Zhao Xu.

Sima Guang and other old party members still reported to Gao Taotao in advance and would listen to Gao Taotao's words when making any decrees. They did not try to persuade Gao Taotao to withdraw the curtain at all.

These things annoyed the vengeful Zhao Xu.

Therefore, after Gao Taotao died and took power, Zhao Xu overturned all the conservative policies formulated by Gao Taotao, Sima Guang and other members of the old party, dismissed all the members of the old party, and even liquidated them, and instead supported the new party to carry out reforms.

Zhao Xu also didn't like the queen Meng Xiang that Gao Taotao chose for him.

Seeing this, Liu Qingjing dared to frame Meng Xiang. Meng Xiang cursed Zhao Xu with Taoist talismans and set up an altar with his adoptive mother Yan, the nun Faduan and others, claiming to pray for Meng Xiang, but in fact he was transferring the disaster to Zhao Xu, causing Zhao Xu to depose Meng Xiang and fabricate the witchcraft case.

The reason this unjust case erupted, besides Liu Qingjing's selfish desire to seize the throne, was also because Gao Taotao, Empress Dowager Xiang, and Prime Minister Meng had always supported the old party and opposed reform; while the current Prime Minister Zhang Dun and others were members of the new party and insisted on reform. The two sides had been fighting openly and secretly.

Let’s put it this way, in order to eliminate the stubborn old party forces, the new party members cooperated with Liu Qingjing to fabricate the witchcraft case and get rid of Meng Xiang.

The ultimate goal of the New Party was to push Liu Qingjing to the throne, let her fight against Empress Dowager Xiang, and overthrow her.

Empress Dowager Xiang was well aware of the evil ambitions of Liu Qingjing and the New Party members. She could guess with her heels that if Liu Qingjing became the queen, Liu Qingjing and the New Party members would definitely replace her with Concubine Zhu next.

Concubine Zhu had no ambition, no ability, and no power, so she could not pose any threat to Liu Qingjing.

If Empress Dowager Xiang was defeated by Liu Qingjing, Liu Qingjing would inevitably become the new head of the harem.

If the ill Zhao Xu suddenly passed away and Zhao Mao succeeded him, Liu Qingjing, who had the support of the New Party and the position of empress, would definitely follow the example of Liu E and Gao Taotao and rule the country from behind the curtain.

In that case, the Zhao Song Dynasty would fall into Liu Qingjing's hands.

Could Liu Qingjing be like Liu E and Gao Taotao, who simply assisted the Zhao family without any ambition to stand on their own? What if she imitated Wu Zetian and turned from a female chicken into a male?
Empress Dowager Xiang did not trust Liu Qingjing, who was ambitious, vicious, and would do anything to achieve her goals.

Therefore, even if it was not for herself, but just for the Zhao Song Dynasty, Empress Dowager Xiang would never let Liu Qingjing become the queen.

Based on this, Empress Dowager Xiang has been suppressing Liu Qingjing over the years.

This also led to a hostile relationship between Empress Dowager Xiang and Liu Qingjing, and they were even at loggerheads with each other.

As things have developed to this point, Empress Dowager Xiang is even more afraid to let Liu Qingjing become the queen.

This is also the main reason why Meng Xiang was deposed for two years, but Liu Qingjing, who was very favored by Zhao Xu, was never reinstated.

However, now Liu Qingjing gave birth to Zhao Mao, solving the inheritance problem of the Zhao Song Dynasty and making great contributions.

More importantly, Liu Qingjing received strong support from Zhao Xu, who particularly wanted a son, and even obtained Zhao Xu's promise to make her the queen.

This is not difficult to see from the fact that Zhao Xu has personally forced the Queen Mother to compromise.

Zhao Xu was a ruthless person. After he took power, he vigorously cracked down on the old party and pointed out that Gao Taotao was "an old treacherous man who was usurping power" and wanted to abolish Gao Taotao's title of queen mother and her treatment.

In the end, it was only after the Empress Dowager instructed Concubine Zhu to come forward and persuade Zhao Xu that he gave up.

Think about it, Zhao Xu even dared to touch his own grandmother who was once powerful, let alone her nominal mother who had no blood relationship with him?

Empress Dowager Xiang knew very well that if Zhao Xu was determined to make Liu Qingjing the queen, she would definitely not be able to stop him. If she tried to stop him, it would only anger Zhao Xu, allowing Liu Qingjing to overthrow her faster and gain power in the harem sooner.

Empress Dowager Xiang thought that it would be best if someone could stand up and block Liu Qingjing for her, to buy her some time so that she could slowly find a way to convince Zhao Xu that Liu Qingjing must not be left as a hidden danger for the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Empress Dowager Xiang looked at the royal family members around her.

But whoever the Empress Dowager looked at would lower his head.

This is also normal.

The New Party members have been waiting for this opportunity to overthrow Empress Dowager Xiang for too long. Anyone who dares to stand up and stop Liu Qingjing from ascending to the throne today will definitely be severely impeached by the New Party tomorrow.

The key point is that Zhao Xu has already stood on Liu Qingjing's side.

Moreover, judging by the current situation, Liu Qingjing would soon defeat Empress Dowager Xiang and become the most powerful woman in the Zhao Song Dynasty. If Liu Qingjing was lucky enough and outlasted Zhao Xu before Zhao Maocheng's death, she would likely become the "female emperor" of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Also, Zhao Xu only had one son, Zhao Mao, who would be made the crown prince sooner or later. Even if Liu Qingjing could be prevented from ascending to the throne today, she would certainly not be able to prevent Liu Qingjing from ascending to the throne by virtue of her son's status when Zhao Mao became the crown prince.

In other words, Liu Qingjing's momentum is now unstoppable.

Let me ask, in this situation, who would dare to help Empress Dowager Xiang, who is about to lose power, and stop Liu Qingjing from taking this most critical and important step?
Seeing that she had fallen into a desperate situation and the Zhao Song Dynasty was in danger of collapse, and with so many royal family members present, no one dared to stand up and help her, to fight for the Zhao Song Dynasty, Empress Dowager Xiang was extremely heartbroken. She couldn't help but think: "If I had my own children alive, I would never be so cowardly and so careless about the overall situation!"

After Zhao Ji, who was usually well-behaved and sensible and knew how to please her, lowered his head, Empress Dowager Xiang closed her eyes and two lines of hot tears slid down her old face:
"Never mind, never mind. I've done my best and have done justice to the ancestors of the Zhao family. If the Song Dynasty really perishes at the hands of this vicious woman, it's not my fault. I can only blame the Zhao family for being so cowardly that no one dares to stand up for their country!"

Seeing that Empress Dowager Xiang had surrendered, Liu Qingjing was overjoyed! She thought that her time was about to come.

Zhao Xu sighed in his heart! He knew that although Empress Dowager Xiang did not allow Liu Qingjing to ascend the throne of empress, she had selfish motives, but it was also because she was worried that the ambitious Liu Qingjing would do something that would harm the Zhao Song Dynasty.
In fact, the reason why Zhao Xu never helped Liu Qingjing ascend to the throne was because he had concerns in this regard.

But now Liu Qingjing gave birth to Zhao Xu's only son. Whether as a reward for Liu Qingjing or to pave the way for Zhao Mao, Zhao Xu had to make Liu Qingjing his queen.

Of course, this was also because Liu Qingjing's words, "The Empress Dowager inherits the Grand Empress Dowager in everything. Isn't the Emperor afraid that she will become the second Grand Empress Dowager and Mao'er will experience the Emperor's suffering again?" moved Zhao Xu.

What Zhao Xu hated most in his life was that Gao Taotao had tightly controlled him and treated him, the emperor, as a puppet to be manipulated at will. How could he allow his only son to experience such suffering?
So Zhao Xu wanted to leave someone for Zhao Mao who could compete with Empress Dowager Xiang.

And who else could this person be but Zhao Mao’s biological mother Liu Qingjing?
As for what Empress Dowager Xiang was worried about, Liu Qingjing would bring chaos to the court.

Zhao Xu felt that, putting aside the fact that he and Empress Dowager Xiang were still alive, they would definitely be able to suppress Liu Qingjing's ambition. Even if they died, Liu Qingjing and Zhao Mao were mother and son after all, so Liu Qingjing should not go too far.

Only then did Zhao Xu make up his mind to help Liu Qingjing ascend to the throne.

Zhao Xu intended to make Liu Qingjing the queen and surrendered to the queen mother. Although others were worried about the future of the Zhao Song Dynasty, they did not dare to say anything.

It seemed as if Liu Qingjing becoming the queen was a foregone conclusion.

But just as the dust was about to settle, Zhao Ya suddenly straightened his clothes, stepped out of the line, and said in a loud voice: "Your servant Zhao Ya, I oppose Consort Liu becoming empress."

……

(End of this chapter)