Frost for a Thousand Years

The crown prince was genuinely ashamed.

He can't accept everything as a matter of course like his father.

Looking back now, I realize that Song Shi'an's promise to me was sincere.

Unifying the world was indeed his vision.

If we truly entrust this grand ambition entirely to him, it is not entirely impossible to achieve.

No, it is absolutely achievable.

Song Shi'an was an iron-fisted, autocratic ruler, but his abilities surpassed those of any other renowned minister of his time. And the Great Yu was, in fact, the largest of all the states in the world.

The reforms that other countries could not succeed at have been successful. The unification of the world is like a scroll that only needs to be slowly unfolded.

But the crown prince had no choice.

He was never afraid of Song Shi'an, but of Wei Wusheng.

The higher the sixth brother's prestige in the army, the more precarious his throne became.

Even if he was utterly loyal, willing to serve his elder brother through countless battles, and promised never to betray the king, the crown prince still couldn't accept it.

A sense of security needs to be provided; it doesn't come from nowhere.

Because of the emperor, none of these princes felt safe.

Therefore, once the world is unified, nothing else matters.

I will remain emperor for life and will never allow the dynasty to perish within three generations!

After receiving the letter, the Crown Prince summoned a team of advisors and strategists whom he could absolutely trust.

Several people gathered around the letter, studying it carefully.

To ensure there was no hidden agenda or secret message being conveyed, so that the Northern Liang army could be mobilized unexpectedly by the imperial court right in front of him.

The Crown Prince knew that Song Shi'an had always maintained contact with Liangzhou.

But he also knew that communication was mostly handled by caravans, and even if they rushed as fast as they could, they could never match the speed of the official 800-li express courier service.

And it's still far inferior.

If there's nothing wrong with this letter, then the Crown Prince can send someone to take over the military power of Beiliang and hand it over to Xiao Qun.

Wei Wusheng, this major concern, was finally resolved.

"Your Highness, after discussion, we all agree," an advisor said earnestly, looking at the Crown Prince standing to the side. "There is no problem."

The crown prince breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "What do you mean by 'no problem'?"

"There are virtually no hidden meanings, acrostic phrases, homophones, or hints in this letter," the advisor said. "Furthermore, Lord Song must have intentionally avoided misunderstandings by not using any idioms, slang, or words that could easily imply other meanings. The letter is also exceptionally short and concise. To put it simply, if I were to receive this letter, I would not dare to make any other speculations beyond its literal meaning."

In short: A letter of innocence.

"Shi An is truly an innocent person."

The crown prince couldn't help but sigh.

Even though Song Shi'an was utterly disappointed, he didn't compete with him and directly handed over the crucial and strategic position of Beiliang to him.

Even if he hadn't written this letter, there would be no reason to blame him anymore.

At this point, power was completely regained.

"Okay, seal this letter."

The Crown Prince stopped dwelling on the matter and said solemnly, "Imperial Guards, deliver this letter to Qin Kuo of Beiliang within three days. If there is a delay, you will be punished according to military law."

"Yes!"

.........

"Have you completely lost all power now?"

Inside Song Shi'an's room, Xin Yue asked.

"Isn't this land reclamation ceremony my responsibility? How come I have no authority?" Song Shi'an said with a relaxed and lazy smile, leaning back in his chair.

"You built the inns for receiving court officials, you constructed the gardens and altars, and you prepared the banquets, including the fish and wine." Xin Yue recounted everything she had seen. "Logically, you should have been in charge of preparing everything. But the palace eunuchs took over everything, and even the officials in charge of the sacrifices were all replaced, all within a single day."

"Why do you think so?" Song Shi'an asked.

Xin Yue leaned closer to him and whispered behind his ear, "The emperor is afraid you'll poison the wine, so he's prepared executioners at the altar and hidden assassins in the banquets and dances."

“You are absolutely right.” Song Shi’an turned his head to look at Xin Yue, who was standing very close to him, her handsome face completely facing his, and he could kiss her if he leaned in just a little.

“…What do you mean by ‘completely correct’?” Xin Yue retorted.

“That’s what I mean,” Song Shi’an said. “Now, if the emperor wants to kill me, he can do so with just a flick of his finger.”

“Back in Sheng’an, the emperor could kill you in the blink of an eye,” Xin Yue said to him with a serious expression. “But now, he has already taken action to kill you.”

To ensure the safety of the military settlement ceremony, everything was handled entirely by the palace, which was somewhat deliberate.

Security is a given; they'll definitely need to be replaced, after all, it's the emperor who's coming.

This land reclamation project was Song Shi'an's achievement project. Now that it's harvest time, if he has any loyalty he wants to express, he can do so through this memorial ceremony.

This is also a channel for reporting on one's performance.

But now Song Shi'an is all alone.

“The Imperial Guards will be stationed around the ceremony and the ‘temporary palace,’ while Jia Guihao’s army was not originally under the Sixth Prince’s command. The other armies can be kept out.” Xin Yue felt that the situation was already very serious. “It can be said that there are layers upon layers of people that you cannot command. Even if you are to be dealt with temporarily, no general or official will be able to speak on your behalf.”

Having been sidelined to this extent, Song Shi'an's fate is entirely in the hands of others.

"Furthermore, Sheng Anzheng has Ye Changqing, the army has the Commandant of the Guards, and Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing's families have also been imprisoned," Xin Yue reminded. "With the intelligence of the Chief Minister, he can definitely guess what happened."

"Don't worry, my dad won't do anything reckless."

"What I mean is, even Todo can't help you anymore."

Xin Yue simply couldn't imagine what other way there was to break through this situation.

"I sold Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing."

Upon hearing Song Shi'an's words, Xin Yue froze, her expression blank.

Looking at the man's serious expression, Xin Yue sensed that he wasn't joking.

That's politics—dark, cold, and all about self-interest.

This is the kind of politician that Xin Yue hates the most.

It's not that she had any feelings for Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing; it's just that she was there when she witnessed the Battle of Shuofeng and the three hundred warriors were cutting their hands in desperation.

It's hard to say about others, but Song Shi'an shouldn't abandon any of his brothers.

If they really abandon me, it means they had no other choice...

Slowly, Xinyue shook her head: "No, you're lying to me."

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Shi'an raised a finger to his lips and said, "Shh."

After a moment of surprise, Xin Yue, knowing Song Shi'an as she did, quickly realized what was going on and whispered, "You lied so convincingly, I almost believed you."

Even Xin Yue, her closest confidante, almost believed it, so how could the Crown Prince not believe it?

At this time, Song Shi'an was practically a caged bird, and the military power of Beiliang was about to be taken back. How could the Crown Prince still have any doubts?
He will definitely lower all his guard against Song Shi'an!
"Xin Yue, it will be tomorrow."

Song Shi'an turned his head to look at the air, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, his expression showing an unprecedented focus.

.........

Song Shi'an's letter had just been sent out from the military settlement ceremony and was heading to Beiliang.

Meanwhile, in the Guiyi General's Mansion in Shuofeng City, Huang Tong sat calmly at his desk, his face grave.

His deputy, a lieutenant, approached him and reported, "General, a report from the front says that Ji Yuan's 100,000-strong army has already entered the pass. If they really want to send troops, it may be within three to five days."

The title of General Guiyi was bestowed upon Huang Tong by the Great Yu Dynasty to commend his act of betrayal and surrender.

This was something Song Shi'an had promised him long ago: not only would he save his life, but he would also give him wealth and honor.

Of course, although he was a general, he was a foreigner, so he had less than 800 troops under his command and his real power was less than that of a colonel.

However, he was already very grateful for this, because Song Shi'an had truly brought him back to life.

"It seems we have no choice but to fight this battle," Huang Tong said very seriously.

“If we have to fight this battle, it will be our time to prove that none of you brothers are cowards,” the adjutant said speechlessly. “But the officialdom of the Great Yu is just too dark.”

They were originally sent by the Duke of Qin to assassinate the envoy of Yu, but later they listened to Song Shi'an and went to assassinate the prince of Qi.

Even traitors, unless they are top-notch, would not be entrusted with such an important mission.

Even though these people have been accepted by the Great Yu now, they still feel insecure because of the terrifying events that happened before. So, they actually look forward to war.

As long as they prove their worth and achieve merit before the battle, they transform from honorary Dayu people into true Dayu people.

But who could have imagined that even at this point, with the enemy on the other side of the river, they would still engage in internal strife!
“Isn’t Northern Yan the same? When Duke Qin was powerful, he didn’t submit to Kang Xun either,” Huang Tong said.

"I thought things would be better in the Great Yu," the adjutant said helplessly.

People tend to romanticize a path they have no other choice about.

After choosing this path, one will initially have inexplicable expectations.

But we'll see how things go.

See, it was only after this incident that we realized everywhere is the same.

"I think they just want to get rid of that official right now," the lieutenant said.

That person was Song Shi'an.

For these North Korean defectors (those who surrendered and returned from Northern Yen), he was the sun.

Both powerful and radiant.

"So what do you think?" Huang Tong asked.

“Although we haven’t really been accepted, even though they don’t include you, General, in their important meetings, we are still newcomers,” the adjutant said. “At this time, we should stand firmly with General Zhu and the others.”

Xiao Qun and Chen Ling, these two important figures, are indeed very intimidating.

How can a person surrender twice?

"Brothers, is that what you all think?" Huang Tong asked.

“Of course,” the adjutant said earnestly. “Lord Qin and General Zhu are that lord’s absolute confidants. We can only follow what they do. Only in this way, after we get through this ordeal, will we be truly accepted.”

Enter the One Heart Society.

After saying that, the adjutant stretched out his hand and whispered to Huang Tong, "We brothers all want that scar."

"That's good, that's what everyone thinks."

Huang Tong slowly stood up.

The adjutant sitting to the side looked up at the general with some puzzlement: "General, who are you?"

"I need to go see Lord Qin."

"So late?"

"Yes, you stay here."

With that, Huang Tong donned his armor and left the Guiyi General's Mansion.

They rode their horses directly to the prefect's residence.

Upon arrival, he quickly dismounted. Seeing that the visitor was General Guiyi, the guards immediately saluted and asked, "General, what brings you here?"

"Please see Lord Qin."

"Please wait a moment."

"it is good."

At night, Huang Tong stood outside the mansion gate with a solemn expression.

A short while later, the gatekeeper returned and said, "General, please come in."

Huang Tong entered the prefect's mansion. In the main hall, Qin Kuo, dressed in plain robes, was waiting. Upon seeing him, Qin Kuo said apologetically, "General, you have come in armor, while I am so inappropriate."

"Your Excellency, I have something very important to discuss with you."

Huang Tong's straightforwardness made Qin Kuo serious as well.

It seems like this is a very big deal.

"Can General Zhu come?" Huang Tong asked.

Because the current situation is quite sensitive, Zhu Qing is basically staying in the military camp to prevent rumors and unrest from occurring in the army.

"Someone come here," Qin Kuo said. "Please summon General Zhu Qing."

"Yes!"

So his subordinates hurriedly went to report it.

The two waited in the hall, and because Huang Tong didn't speak, Qin Kuo didn't speak either.

It seems the other party means that what follows is very important and all three of them must be present.

And so, Zhu Qing also rushed over at full speed.

"what happened?"

As soon as he came in, he asked with great curiosity.

"General, Lord Prefect," Huang Tong said, looking at them. "You two are Lord Song's trusted ministers, quite different from a surrendered general like myself."

"Why do you say that, General?" Zhu Qing asked.

Does he feel that his small group doesn't include him?

"Thank you for your comfort, General," Huang Tong said. "But I do not feel neglected; on the contrary, I am very grateful."

This left both of them in the dark, wondering what he was trying to say.

The man removed his armor, then took out a dagger from his waist, cut a slit in the leather padding inside, and pulled out a thin brocade pouch. He then held out his hand and said, “Lord Song sent his personal guard to give me this brocade pouch. He also told me that if the Qi army were to press on the border, war would break out at any moment. Now I am showing this brocade pouch to you two.”

Upon hearing this, both of them immediately thought, "Why should Song Shi'an's military order be given to this surrendered general?"
Then he quickly realized what Huang Tong meant.

Oh, he meant that they were the true confidants of Lord Song, and that Lord Song must have his own reasons for sending him a message. Please don't be jealous.

"I swear I have never seen this brocade pouch," Huang Tong said, extending his hand.

"I believe you."

After Qin Kuo responded, he slowly opened the brocade pouch.

Inside was a strip of cloth.

When unfolded, there are words.

"It's the Sixth Prince's handwriting."

Qin Kuo recognized them, then exclaimed in astonishment, "Shuofeng and the armies of the other cities have all left the city, and the entire army is arrayed on the south bank of the Chishui River..." (End of this chapter)