Frost for a Thousand Years

In the main hall of the military camp, Zhao Yi and Hua Zheng had their weapons confiscated, but they were not bound.

Around them were four fully armored generals with swords, completely trapping the two of them in the middle.

Outside the main hall, there were also two fully armored guards standing at the door, holding long spears.

Although the difference in numbers may not seem like much—six against two, which sounds like one against three—the actual battle is basically a 10/0 split.

The chances of winning with a short sword against a long spear are less than 20%, and less than 10% with bare hands. If the opponent is fully armored, the chances are even slimmer.

Therefore, it can be said that the two were completely under control.

If they really decide to fight to the death, then there will be two corpses.

"Have you also taken down the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Zhao Yi glared at these people and asked with hatred in his eyes.

"The lord of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is being waited on and is getting a good rest," Zhang Mu, a burly third-rank military officer at the head of the group, replied. "General Zhao can rest assured."

"This is a power grab! This is a mutiny!" Hua Zhengzhen thought these people had gone mad, and he shouted angrily, "Don't think that just because you've gathered together and forced us to add our names, you can get away with it! The Crown Prince will never forgive you!"

"We know," Zhang Mu said firmly. "This is certainly taboo. But we also want a way to survive!"

"We can die in Beiliang, die at Ji Yuan's hands, but we cannot be treated as traitors without any explanation!"

"We will not be rebels!"

These people keep saying they won't be traitors, but they do the things of traitors.

This paradox infuriated Huazheng.

Just as he was about to say something, Zhao Yi spoke up, "Gentlemen, why do you say you won't be rebels? Who said you were rebels?"

“Just now, we were listening outside. General Zhao and Grand Master Hua said that the assassination attempt on Prince Zhongping had nothing to do with Prince Jin. You need to stabilize the army in order to strip the Sixth Prince of his military power.”

Zhang Mu's thoughts were very clear. He stared at the other party and said, "General, are you saying this because the Sixth Prince is a traitor and you want to strip him of his military power? Or are you just taking a temporary measure because you're afraid that Grand Master Hua will be intimidated by the matter of Prince Jin?"

When this question was raised, East China University of Political Science and Law was also stunned.

Suspicion arose in his mind: who exactly was Zhao Yi up to?

Prince Jin, or the Sixth Prince!

Zhao Yi was also dumbfounded.

Damn it, I'm stuck on both ends!

If I were to target the Sixth Prince, then the Sixth Prince would be a traitor, and these people would be the traitor's subordinates.

If I were to take down the Prince of Jin, then my sincere disclosure to Hua Zheng would be a temporary measure. If he listens to me, he will surely be purged in the future.

Zhao Yi had completely fallen into the other party's logic, and no matter what he said, it was not convincing.

"Gentlemen, stripping the Sixth Prince of his military power does not mean he intends to rebel," Zhao Yi explained to the crowd, forcing himself to remain composed.

This made them laugh.

One of them shook his head and said, "The reason for relieving them of their military command is not because they want to rebel. If they don't want to rebel, why are they in such a hurry to relieve them of their military command without even handing over the tiger tally?"

Blocking both ends again!
“That’s because of the problem with Beiliang,” Zhao Yi said helplessly. “A military report came from Beiliang that Qin Kuo, Zhu Qing, and others are suspected of disobeying orders and declaring independence. And they were all once under the Sixth Prince’s command, so what’s wrong with conducting a preliminary investigation before anything happens?”

These words immediately left everyone looking at each other, unsure of what to say.

indeed.

If there is suspicion of rebellion in Northern Liang, it is not impossible that they are in league with the Sixth Prince.

At this time, it is reasonable to relinquish military power.

Once the facts are verified, the Sixth Prince will be cleared of any 'suspicion'.

Before they even understood the situation, they were already pressuring the Crown Prince for an explanation...

Isn't this going too far?
Seeing this, these people became flustered.

Zhao Yi also sensed that a sense of division and instability had begun to emerge within their ranks.

Great, you found a great spot...

"Has the Northern Liang truly rebelled?"

Just then, Zhang Mu suddenly spoke up.

"Whether it's rebellion or not isn't the key point, but the fact remains that they've defied orders and declared independence," Zhao Yi said sternly. "Does surrendering to Ji Yuan really constitute rebellion?"

"The facts?" Zhang Mu had already gone this far, so there was no turning back. He said with extreme seriousness, "Beiliang controls a thousand miles of land. If they have truly rebelled, then the military settlement ceremony will not continue. General, are you referring to an impeachment or a military report regarding your disobedience and independence?"

“There are military reports of impeachment,” Zhao Yi said.

"Who impeached him?" Zhang Mu asked.

"Xiao Qun, Governor of Liangzhou, and Chen Ling, Prefect of Liangzhou."

"Good!" Zhang Mu pointed at Zhao Yi and Hua Zheng, "May I ask, Zhu Qing and Qin Kuo's families and clansmen are all in Sheng'an. They are practically all alone in Shuofeng. Why would they rebel? Moreover, just because of a single sentence from Xiao Qun and Chen Ling, they have become rebels?"

Trust collapsed.

The root cause can be said to be Lian Song, who was previously used as a scapegoat by the Crown Prince.

Labeling someone is too harsh.

Anyone who gets labeled with this accusation is doomed.

"The truth is not something we can say. All of this must be investigated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and decided by the Crown Prince." Seeing that Zhao Yi was somewhat unable to respond to the questioning, Hua Zheng immediately said, "As military officers, it is our duty to be loyal to His Majesty! It is not our place to judge the Northern Liang officers!"

"not us."

Zhang Mu pointed to himself, then said to Hua Zheng and Zhao Yi with a natural distance, "What you said earlier is very true. You are all from Qinzhou. Since our great-grandfather, you have been related by marriage for generations, and your blood ties are intertwined."

And this sentence also made everyone else remember it.

The nobility have always been stepping on their heads, blocking their path to advancement.

Moreover, there is a set of military disciplines that are absolutely double standards.

The things Zhao Xiang did would have resulted in anyone being beheaded, no matter who was in his shoes.

But he received almost no punishment!
Why did the death of a minor figure like Hua Qu cause such a stir?
Because it was rare, and arguably the first time in this dynasty, that the sons of nobles were subjected to strict military law.

The young elites, having reached their limit of tolerance for the nobility, finally gave in.

Class antagonism suddenly emerged.

It started with a military coup.

This trend made Hua Zheng and Zhao Yi realize that things had really gotten out of hand.

In their efforts to protect themselves, they may indirectly trigger a bloody massacre.

.........

it's over... it's over...

The crown prince is now extremely afraid.

If this kind of thing isn't handled properly, many people will die.

The political system of Dayu is truly on the verge of collapse.

"Take me to see my father... take me to see my father."

The crown prince knew that this was no longer a problem that could be solved by his own wisdom.

The current situation has completely exceeded expectations.

A strange feeling completely enveloped it.

He felt that no matter what he did, he was on the wrong path.

Even his own subordinates thought that he had done a flawless job.

Why? Why!
In a panic, the crown prince boarded a carriage and headed straight for the emperor's residence.

As soon as he got out of the car, his legs went weak and he stumbled, almost falling over.

Xishan, who was standing nearby, quickly helped him up. "Make way!"

The prince pushed him away.

Holding his own thigh, the trembling in his hands gradually subsided until he calmed down, and then he walked inside.

Xishan waited anxiously outside.

Upon entering, the Crown Prince saw the Emperor sitting steadily in his chair, his figure appearing very weathered and somewhat thin. Yet, his eyes still radiated a powerful imperial aura.

"Father, Zhao Yi and Hua Zheng have been coerced by the generals who are in charge of the military farms," ​​the Crown Prince said, looking at him.

The emperor remained calm, said nothing, extended his hand, and said, "Continue."

"The two must have been coerced into writing the joint memorial," the Crown Prince said. "Moreover, Hua Zheng and Zhao Yi exposed our plan to strip the King of Qin of his military power. I need to tell those generals whether the King of Qin was truly implicated in the rebellion and whether his removal from military command was related to the mutiny."

Even if the crown prince had a strong heart, he couldn't withstand such pressure.

So as he spoke, his voice trembled more and more.

"What are you thinking?" the emperor asked.

“Father,” the Crown Prince said, “our news reached Zhao Yi… no, it may have even reached Hua Zheng before us, triggering the thing we feared most and didn’t want to happen.”

The Crown Prince knew there must be a traitor among them.

"Just sowing discord between Hua Zheng and Zhao Yi is already quite troublesome, and those generals have also been lured into it." Thinking of this, the Crown Prince said fearfully, "Of course, they certainly don't want to rebel. They must be afraid of being implicated and labeled as traitors."

"If you don't want to rebel, arrest the Imperial Stud and take control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" the emperor retorted sharply.

The Crown Prince's attempt to cover for them at this time was not because he could accept such behavior, but simply because he felt the Crown Prince was incapable of resolving the mutiny.

Therefore, we can only assume that they lack a sense of security!
"Father, those military generals are indeed disrespectful, but there is still a war in the north and an assassination attempt has occurred. I think we should stabilize the situation first..." the Crown Prince said, trembling.

How to stabilize it?

The emperor's single sentence silenced him.

Of course I can't answer that.

After all, he came to his father seeking a solution!

The emperor scoffed and said, "You failed to properly select your officials, listened to Zhao Yi's slander, framed loyal ministers, and doubted your own brothers, causing the army to be thrown into turmoil. Then, you issued an edict of self-reproach, offered to resign as crown prince, and let Wusheng sit on the throne, while Song Shi'an became the powerful minister assisting the state?"

"..." The Crown Prince immediately knelt down and solemnly said to the Emperor, "If this can bring peace to the world, your son is willing!"

The crown prince really wanted to be emperor; he couldn't be more determined.

However, he was even more unwilling to accept the possibility of the Great Yu Dynasty collapsing before he even became emperor.

Now, it's no longer a question of whether or not one can become emperor.

It was a mutiny, and it could break out at any moment.

Swords flash and blood stains Huai County!
After saying this, he continued to look at the emperor.

The emperor showed no expression.

Suddenly, he picked up a bronze vessel and smashed it towards the prince's face.

It struck his cheek squarely, the bronze vessel slicing across his face and leaving a gash from which blood flowed incessantly.

The enraged emperor pointed at the pitiful and despicable cowardly crown prince and cursed, "You worthless wretch! I entrusted the world to you to play with, and after you've played it like this, you tell me you don't want to play anymore?"

If things get out of hand, I'm done playing.

The price is simply not becoming the crown prince and returning to being the carefree prince he always was?

How could such a good thing happen!

"Father, please tell me what to do!" The Crown Prince covered his face and cried out, "I am not afraid of death, I am only afraid that if the Great Yu kingdom is lost, I will have no face to face our ancestors!"

The crown prince never imagined that being emperor would be as enjoyable as he had thought.

Not only could he not kill people at will, but even the death of a eunuch would haunt him like a ghost.

"Do you know why you can't kill people at will?" the emperor asked, as if he could see right through him.

"Your subject does not know," the Crown Prince shook his head.

"You've got it backwards," the emperor said, almost with exasperation. "Think about it, how did Song Shi'an manage to 'kill' someone?"

"..." The Crown Prince's mind was in complete disarray, and he had no idea how to answer the question.

"Let me tell you!" the emperor roared, "It is winning that allows you to kill, not killing that allows you to win!"

The crown prince looked at the emperor with trepidation, his face trembling.

"Why have I allowed you to do so many foolish things and turned a blind eye all this time?"

With a rage, the emperor said, "Because I had already decided that no matter what you do, at the Grand Ceremony of Land Reclamation, I will discard you after you have served your purpose. Those from Northern Liang with scars on their hands will all die. Wei Wusheng will be placed under house arrest in the palace. Song Shi'an will also be forced to leave the court. Then, I will issue an edict of self-reproach to the world, declaring that I failed in my selection of officials, and I will pass the throne to you. This is the price I pay for killing indiscriminately without winning, do you understand?"

Only by winning can justice be served.

A reckoning when you're losing is called flipping the table.

But if you flip the table, no one will want to play with you anymore.

Therefore, the price was that Wei Ye lost the throne.

He had calculated everything.

"You're probably thinking, 'If we had known this would happen, we should have completely trusted Song Shi'an and let him carry out the reforms to bring peace and order to the world,' right?"

After thoroughly understanding the Crown Prince's intentions, the Emperor said, "Foolish! Do you think he wants to weaken the nobility? Once he gains power, he will kill all the nobility who do not cooperate!"

"..." The Crown Prince.

"And if Qinzhou falls, can the Wei family remain safe?"

Regardless of whether he had that dream or not, the emperor could see through Song Shi'an's ambition.

Previously, he had naively thought that Song Shi'an was a mature reformist.

But gradually, the emperor understood everything.

Song Shi'an didn't care what kind of emperor he was.

He only wanted the world to become the way he wanted it to be.

"Push it out!"

The emperor suddenly spoke in a loud voice.

Then, behind the screens on either side, a blood-covered eunuch was thrown to the ground, barely alive.

The crown prince was dumbfounded.

Isn't this the Prince of Jin's eunuch?

Then, the emperor threw a blood-stained belt at him.

When the prince opened it, there was a piece of silk inside.

The silk bears the name of the King of Jin.

"Father..." The Crown Prince raised his head and said in surprise, "Prince Jin, is this to inform Hua Zheng?"

Use your brain.

The emperor stared at his dull-witted son and said, "If he wants to rebel, should Hua Zheng take a letter to the Empress Dowager to plead for him, or should Hua Zheng bring troops to plead for him from me?"

The prince stood stiffly.

If the assassination was related to the Prince of Jin, how could he have been completely unprepared?
Why would he prepare to write a letter to his mother to complain at such a crucial moment?
All of this was clearly unrelated to the Prince of Jin.

The purpose of the assassination attempt by the Prince of Zhongping was also quite bizarre.

He was confused.

The emperor's anger gradually subsided, and he said:

"Think about it, who else don't you suspect?" (End of Chapter)