Frost for a Thousand Years

The news from the Crown Prince came at a very opportune time.

If no further news arrives, some of them will begin to waver.

It's not that they abandoned the 'coup,' but rather that they took it to an even more extreme level.

They wanted to see Wei Wusheng himself appear safely and be officially recognized as a loyal subject.

People always like to make amends. Their previous stance on Wei Wusheng's whipping of the eunuchs has led to these people joining An Sheng's entourage. If they are half-hearted, their deaths will be even more tragic.

Therefore, they only have one option.

This method allows for a clearer identification of sides.

They were all branded as members of the "Zhongshan King's Party".

Isn't this blatant rebellion?
You could say that, but you could also say that it isn't.

Because history is written by the victors.

They absolutely had to see Wei Wusheng.

If the emperor and the crown prince get impatient and kill Wei Wusheng, then the whole country will be in chaos.

After all, the incident of King Zhongping's attempt to assassinate the emperor also occurred at the same time.

With the royal family facing such a upheaval, various factions will inevitably become involved. Even if the Wei family still retains some dignity, the newly enthroned emperor will only be a puppet ruler supported by numerous forces.

Just like when the Lü clan was killed by the meritorious officials, and Zhou Bo and others took the lead in supporting the mild and weak Liu Heng, they all hoped that the person on the dragon throne would be easy to control.

Although no one expected that Emperor Wen would become the most outstanding wise ruler after the Three Dynasties.

However, Zhou Bo and others had good intentions; they wanted to seize power and avoid being purged by a powerful monarch.

But what is reassuring is that the princes of Dayu have long been set in their ways and will not produce an emperor like Emperor Wen of Han.

If a real reshuffling were to occur, noble families, aristocratic clans, and the military class would all be happy to accept it.

Of course, there's also the worst-case scenario.

That was the bloody battle in Huai County, the collapse of imperial power, the complete fragmentation of the world, and the separatist rule of various warlords.

If that's the case, then these generals who have troops and supplies at their disposal will have even less to fear.

What if Wei Wusheng hadn't been killed?
Even better.

The Crown Prince has pulled off this stunt, and he has lost control of the situation. To ease the pressure, they need to ask the Old Ancestor Wusheng to step in.

This is in Huai County.

All the grain in the world gathers here.

There are also 50,000 troops.

Meanwhile, the emperor, his princes, and his officials were also present.

Wu Shengjin could take the emperor hostage and demand that he be made crown prince.

Wu Sheng could become a powerful minister who purged the emperor's inner circle, kill the Prince of Zhongping, pardon the Prince of Jin, weaken the crown prince, and start as a prince of equal rank.

Isn't this the story of Northern Liang?

“Stay with them.”

After saying this, Zhang Mu gave the others a wink.

The four men walked out of the barracks and gathered together.

They were surrounded by their personal guards, and there wasn't a single person they didn't trust.

"How many men did the Crown Prince bring?" Zhang Mu asked the scout.

“Several hundred, probably less than three hundred,” the man said.

“There are indeed very few people,” said Tian Li, a lieutenant general beside Zhang Mu. “If they were coming to suppress the rebellion, why would they come with such a small force? This indicates that their primary objective is to appease the people.”

“Don’t say such things,” Zhang Mu said. “We officers do this because we need to protect ourselves and survive. But the other soldiers will not be rich if they win, and they will be implicated if they lose. How can this be considered as our numerical advantage?”

The Crown Prince's men numbered several hundred—a real few hundred, elite and powerful.

Although they had nearly ten thousand men, the truly loyal ones were only some of their middle and lower-ranking officers and personal guards, plus Wei Wusheng's personal soldiers, totaling no more than a thousand.

If it's a bloody battle, the outcome is still uncertain.

"So you mean to let the Crown Prince enter the military camp, but not the soldiers accompanying him?" someone asked.

Upon hearing this, Tian Li's face darkened, and he said nervously, "Isn't this a bit too disrespectful?"

"You all need to remember this," Zhang Mu said, knowing that everyone hoped to use the gentlest possible means for peaceful evolution. "Since entering officialdom, Lord Song has done great things of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and has made outstanding contributions. Yet, he has always been suspected. His Highness Prince Zhongshan is even more so; he is a pure military general with no intention of overstepping his bounds. But what has become of him?"

The strategy of playing cards openly is not only found among powerful figures.

These military officers, too, saw the cards revealed.

As soon as the land reclamation ceremony began, the army in the core area was completely taken over by Jia Guihao and other confidants of the crown prince.

Meanwhile, the camps outside the circle were taken over by the Huazheng Bureau sent by the Crown Prince without any warning.

Next to East China University of Political Science and Law, there is also Zhao Yi.

Even the tiger tally wasn't handed over!

Why so urgent?
Even a fool knows that the plan is to lock An Sheng up and seize power!

“Gentlemen,” Zhang Mu’s words made so much sense that they remembered them. So one of them whispered, “Our Crown Prince is certainly wise and mighty, but no one is perfect. He has his flaws too, and his ‘lack of gratitude and righteousness’ is undeniable, isn’t it?”

As an emperor, being ungrateful and heartless is not entirely unacceptable.

There are also quite a few good rulers who are ungrateful and lack righteousness.

But this requires ability.

The Crown Prince is capable, and he will become even more so in the future.

But he was completely clueless about lying low.

How can someone be so ungrateful and heartless before even becoming emperor?
At that moment, their thoughts were immediately unified.

Zhang Mu looked at the three men and decided, "Summon the entire army to welcome the eunuch to read the imperial edict."

Therefore, with Hua Zheng and Zhao Yi under guard, the army assembled at the camp.

There were several thousand people.

At the entrance to the camp, an old man, escorted by soldiers, arrived.

"We pay our respects to Your Excellency."

Zhang Mu led the way, and a group of officers saluted with their fists clenched.

The eunuch nervously walked into the crowd, looking at the soldiers with resolute and sharp expressions from all directions. He couldn't help but feel a little scared, but representing the dignity of the crown prince, he still calmly took out the imperial edict: "All soldiers, listen to my decree."

In unison, the officers and soldiers prostrated themselves in worship.

"Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the imperial edict said:

As the Commander of the Army, I have always valued keen observation. General Zhao Yi, whose duty is to command troops, should have been cautious and prudent. However, he readily believed the rumors spread by the Northern Liang and falsely accused the Prince of Qin's troops of disobeying orders. At that time, the Prince of Qin and I had already agreed that Hua Zheng would temporarily assume charge of military affairs, and the Prince of Qin readily agreed. His noble character and integrity have left me without the slightest doubt!

The investigation has now been completed: the rebellious acts of Qin Kuo, Zhu Qing, and others had absolutely no connection with King Wei Wusheng of Qin. Therefore, King Wei is hereby reinstated to his original post, in charge of the military agricultural settlements. Yi is demoted to Marquis of Qu and his salary is reduced by three years.

However, the generals, with their unwavering loyalty and righteous indignation, have greatly pleased me. Those whom I have strongly recommended will never be held accountable, and their punishments will be forever absolved.”

Although Zhang Mu and the others did not laugh when the imperial edict was issued, they were quite pleased.

Sure enough, they were absolutely right.

The Crown Prince is so ungrateful.

Whenever something goes wrong, someone is always pushed forward to take responsibility.

This time, Zhao Yi was thrown out.

Of course, the punishment was very minor.

But the crime was serious, and it was too late to use him again later.

At the same time, my heart was completely at ease.

Because that last sentence was written on the imperial edict, a personal promise made before thousands: You are innocent.

…………

The Crown Prince and the Duke of Li were sitting in a carriage.

The Duke's expression was calm, while the Crown Prince was clearly very nervous.

Only after arriving here in person did he realize that his ideas were somewhat naive.

He thought that with his own decree as crown prince and the replacement of the commander-in-chief, he could completely control the army.

Wusheng spent a whole year with these guys, and some of them even followed him to fight against the State of Qi.

Their relationship with Wusheng was naturally stronger than that of the crown prince himself.

Otherwise, why would they dare to speak up for the disobedient eunuch who was whipped?
These people are all members of the "Disobedient Party".

They really will rebel.

"Your Highness," the Duke of Li said, perhaps sensing the Crown Prince's unease, "Your expression shouldn't be so restrained."

After being reminded, the Crown Prince forced a smile and then said to the Duke of Li, "Duke, I was just thinking about some things."

"What is it that Your Highness is thinking about?" asked the Duke of Li. This Duke of Li was rather domineering.

The crown prince could clearly sense it.

Because no one dared to criticize the Crown Prince, he was the only one who directly reprimanded him, saying: You can't show that kind of expression.

These are the regents chosen by the emperor for him.

In the future, he will teach him many political tactics, just like his own father.

He was a nobleman, a duke, and also a "father-in-law".

The crown prince knew clearly that once he passed this hurdle, there would be no possibility of him ever regaining absolute power.

But there was no other way; without him, he couldn't even hold onto the throne!
"Duke," the Crown Prince suddenly asked, "this matter is so significant, its impact on our Great Yu will likely be unprecedented, won't it?"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Li smiled and said with a hint of kindness, "How does this compare to the matter between the former Crown Prince and Prince Ning?"

“Of course it’s not that big,” the prince blurted out.

"But the Great Yu is still the Great Yu."

The Duke of Li placed his hand on the Crown Prince's leg and patted it gently.

But Dayu is still Dayu.

The Crown Prince began to recall this turbulent history.

Yes.

My father also seized the throne by killing his own brother, but didn't he eventually become a great ruler?
Back then, when my elder brother and Prince Ning were vying for the throne, both of them died, and countless officials were implicated. Their heads rolled on the ground like chestnuts blown by the wind, but the Great Yu Dynasty did not perish.

This dynasty was far more robust than I had imagined.

The crown prince simply took a few detours.

A detour that you thought was a good thing.

He wanted to use Song Shi'an's talent and political skills to completely seize power and become a sage ruler who unified the world.

But now that I think about it, I was really overthinking it.

He feared that power would fall into the hands of the nobility, so he sent Song Shi'an to seize power from them.

But wouldn't that just create another powerful minister?

Moreover, this powerful minister was not related to him at all.

I am the Crown Prince, but I was originally from Qinzhou.

The prince's carriage arrived at the gate of the main camp.

Soldiers guarded the towers on both sides.

Duke Li slightly pulled back the curtain and summoned a cavalryman, saying to him, "Have the accompanying troops line up outside the camp. We only have this one carriage, and two soldiers are to enter the camp."

The crown prince was dumbfounded.

Am I not the Crown Prince?

Why did they issue the order so directly?

"Duke, wouldn't it be dangerous to go in like this?" The Crown Prince asked in a questioning tone, letting Duke Li know that he was still by his side.

"Your Highness," said the Duke of Li, "this entire world belongs to you. Wherever you go, they are all your subjects."

He was definitely not flattering him.

Instead, he used this sentence to dissuade the crown prince from having any ideas.

"I understand."

The crown prince nodded and said nothing more.

So this carriage, carrying two cavalrymen, went directly into the camp.

The news reached Zhang Mu and his companion, who were waiting, quite quickly and quietly.

Upon learning that the Crown Prince had only brought two cavalrymen, the last trace of unease in his heart vanished completely.

It seems the Crown Prince is very sincere.

Of course, no matter how sincere he is, he can't possibly take over this place by himself.

Everyone had already agreed to meet Wei Wusheng.

Until then, they will remain inactive.

Finally, the prince's banners came into view.

Everyone knelt on one knee, clenched their fists, and waited for the arrival of the emperor.

To their surprise, the carriage stopped ahead of schedule.

He got out of the carriage before the crown prince arrived.

Beside them, someone they hadn't seen in a long time was being helped up.

But the moment he appeared, he filled them with fear.

Duke of Li.

Although he hasn't led troops into battle for many years, he was once a 'great general'.

It can be said that all the officers who lived here during that period were his subordinates at the time.

Tian Li was then a vanguard warrior under the Duke of Li.

"calm."

Seeing their surprise, Zhang Mu said, "With the imperial edict just now, we are all innocent. Even if we were to settle scores later, it wouldn't be now."

The other three nodded.

Then, keep your eyes on that side.

The Crown Prince and the Duke of Li walked slowly toward this side.

The crown prince was so nervous that he dared not look to either side.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Li's sharp gaze slowly swept over them.

This made the soldiers on both sides tremble with fear.

"We pay our respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhang Mu took the lead, and everyone spoke in unison.

The synchronized sounds sent shivers down one's spine.

It's as if they're all together.

He gives an order, and these people will obey it unconditionally.

"various……"

Just as the Crown Prince was about to speak, the Duke of Li interrupted him, saying, "Don't you all recognize me?"

"..."

Zhang Mu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "We pay our respects to the Duke of Li!"

This time the sounds were somewhat disorganized and not very coherent.

When crows fly overhead, their mournful cries sound rather jarring.

The unexpected appearance of the Duke of Li disrupted their rhythm.

Furthermore, that terrifying pressure deepened everyone's fear.

Just then, he spoke up: "Tian Li, you did a good job."

"..." Tian Li stared wide-eyed and looked up in astonishment.

The people around him also looked at him in surprise.

Zhang Mu immediately realized that this was a scheme to sow discord.

"Kidnapping the commander-in-chief, holding the army hostage, and coercing the crown prince." Without even glancing at him, the Duke of Li spoke sharply, "Men, seize these three ringleaders."

The crown prince remained in his original position.

They had just said that they would forgive each other and never pursue the matter further.

But this time, the imperial edict was completely overturned, like a fart.

Even if he feared the Duke of Li, those soldiers could not be mobilized by him.

So they all stood there, stunned.

"Guards, seize this traitor who resisted the imperial edict!"

Zhang Mu quickly stood up and pointed at the Duke of Li.

Yet, no one dared to make a move.

Tian Li collapsed to his knees, unable to get up.

Then, the two elite soldiers beside the crown prince, wielding spears, swiftly thrust them towards Zhang Mu and the other two... (End of Chapter)