Frost for a Thousand Years

"Can the mutiny at the headquarters succeed?"

While playing chess with Song Shi'an, Xin Yue suddenly asked a question.

"Dead."

Without looking up, Song Shi'an placed a chess piece in the center of the chessboard and casually said.

"Are they doomed?" Xin Yue looked at him, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Even if they failed to threaten him, they still have a large army, so they should be able to hold out for a while, right?"

“If it really was Xiao Wei who led the operation, and it was his secret order, then there is still a sliver of hope,” Song Shi’an said. “If not, then these guys are doomed.”

“Isn’t this the same as when we were in Liangzhou and Langya?” Xinyue asked. “We were both forced into a corner, and if we didn’t fight back, we would surely die. But now that we have the initiative, how can we be doomed? At least we won’t die so quickly.”

"The reason is simple."

Song Shi'an raised his head, looked at her, and said, "The mutiny in Langya was because those thousand imperial guards went to defend a city where they were doomed; the fates of those thousand men were tied together. But the mutiny in the main camp was ultimately only about the interests of a few people, or a dozen or so. Moreover, their interests were not aligned."

"What does it mean?"

“Those who were able to submit memorials to speak out for His Highness were all mid- to high-ranking officials. The rest were at most coerced or bribed by those mid- to high-ranking officials,” Song Shi’an said confidently. “With this emperor’s wisdom and prowess, this matter can be resolved simply by disintegrating the internal forces. Just like we did before, the ringleaders will be punished, and the coerced will be left unpunished.”

"Isn't that the end of it?" Xinyue asked.

"It was originally just a ploy to confuse the public and lure the enemy away from their stronghold," Song Shi'an said. "If neither the Emperor nor the Crown Prince goes to the General Camp, no one can resolve the situation."

"Ultimately, it's because those people don't have enough prestige..."

Xin Yue picked up a chess piece, and just as she was about to put it down, she noticed that Song Shi'an's four black pieces were already connected, with neither end blocked. So she tossed the piece into the chess box next to her and said, "These are all your guesses. Isn't it a bit too much of a coincidence that things are going to develop in these directions?"

In response, Song Shi'an smiled slightly and chuckled.

Then, taking the first of the four connected pieces, he said, "Now it's your turn. I guess you'll place it here."

"Of course, otherwise you would have four in total."

Xinyue placed the white piece in the position he instructed.

"I'm guessing you'll land here."

Even though one end was blocked, Song Shi'an still connected all four together.

"Of course, otherwise you would have five in total."

Xinyue was quite cooperative and was completely led by him.

"With Xiao Wei stripped of power, his associates will surely try to save themselves."

“If they try to save themselves, the emperor will definitely intervene personally, or send the crown prince to suppress them.”

"If either of them were to personally lead the charge, those generals who lack prestige yet are rebellious would face certain death."

“Every step is necessary. Every step is unavoidable.” Song Shi’an stared at the Go board and said, “Once you push them to the limit, they will have no choice but to follow your plan step by step.”

“But I’ve blocked those four of your pieces,” Xin Yue said. “So I’ve become a living piece again, and our positions are equal now.”

"Then take another look now."

Song Shi'an placed a black piece on one side.

Xin Yue then realized that three more pieces had been linked together during the defense.

She had no choice but to go and frantically block that side again.

There was absolutely no time to plan out one's own Gomoku game.

"Why do I lose more often than I win against you in such a simple game..."

Xin Yue was baffled, because she felt that compared to a normal Go game, this was so simple that even a fool could play it.

"Because."

Seeing her so distressed, Song Shi'an finally smiled and revealed the secret: "In this game, the first player always wins."

.........

When Zhang Mu and the other man were attacked by the soldier, they immediately got up, drew their swords from their waists, and prepared to fight back.

The general named Tian Li had originally planned to do the same, but he realized that because of the Duke of Li's intimidation and the fact that the Crown Prince was standing there, the other soldiers, even the guards who were originally prepared, did not dare to show their faces at this time and all stood hesitantly in place. He panicked completely.

At the same time, a sliver of hope arose in my heart.

Did the Duke of Li call his name just now because he used to be the Duke's personal guard, and that's why he wanted to spare his life at this time...?

You idiot, that's a divisive tactic!

Zhang Mu was in trouble because of his teammate who was dragging him down, but he didn't have time to fight.

He understood that his men dared not step forward, nor listen to the Duke of Li, and could only watch the show from the sidelines.

If the three of them can defeat the two Imperial Guard spearmen, the Crown Prince and the Duke of Li will be theirs for the taking.

However, as the spear thrust at him, the expected parry with his sword did not occur.

The first thrust caused him to stagger backward.

The second stab went straight to the heart.

The same applies to the other person.

The only remaining person swung his sword at the Duke of Li.

However, the opponent suddenly glared at him, drew his sword from his waist, and with a powerful swing, the force of a hundred pounds struck, instantly beheading him.

Blood gushed out, staining half of the Duke of Li's face red. His cold face was filled with the killing intent of a war god.

The crown prince, whose legs were trembling behind him, was also splattered with blood on his python robe.

He had never seen a murder so close before, and he panicked completely, his face turning pale with fright.

He finally realized that he was still incredibly far from his father.

He is far from enough now.

What was I dreaming about back then, thinking that as long as Song Shi'an dealt with those nobles and aristocratic families, I would surpass my father in power?
I'm so stupid.
Really.

"General Tian."

After the three men were killed, the soldiers were all dumbfounded. Fear filled their faces, and they didn't even dare to breathe. But when the Duke of Li called out the name, everyone looked over and stared at the limp Tian Li.

"Duke".

Tian Li forced himself to stand up, suppressing the despair in his heart and trying to make himself seem less guilty.

"You deserve immense credit for eliminating these three traitors," said the Duke of Li. "Please lead your troops immediately to rescue Grand Master Hua."

"Yes!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Tian Li quickly led his men toward the main hall of the headquarters.

"Your Highness, it's resolved." The Duke of Li turned to the Crown Prince beside him and said calmly.

"Sir, you've worked hard."

The crown prince stared at him stiffly, his voice trembling.

"Your Highness, it's your turn to speak," the Duke of Li said with a smile.

"I..." The crown prince's mind went blank, and he asked, "What should I say?"

After this battle, the Crown Prince finally understood his own situation.

The Duke of Li was quite satisfied with his performance.

Of course, he would still do his best to carry out the tasks assigned to him by the emperor.

The Crown Prince is a child who doesn't know any better and keeps making a fuss about "reducing the power of the princes." As an adult, can the Duke of Li really argue with him like that?

At least from beginning to end, the emperor cared about them.

As an old friend, helping his son out is a matter of goodwill.

"Your Highness, please speak. The ringleader who falsely claimed to be protecting the King of Qin but actually tarnished his reputation is dead. All the others who were coerced by him are innocent. Soldiers, return to camp!" said Duke Li.

Generally speaking, one wouldn't educate a crown prince to this extent.

It was as if they were treating him like a fool. But the child was already terrified.

It would be too cruel to ask him to understand at this point.

"Commanders!"

Remembering the Duke of Li's words, the Crown Prince directly addressed the generals and soldiers, saying loudly, "Under the guise of protecting the King of Qin..."

"In reality, it tarnishes the reputation of the King of Qin." Duke Li instructed softly, word by word.

It's like treating him like a puppet on a string.

The crown prince is now incredibly grateful for this complete control.

And so, the matter of the General Camp for Colonial Land Reclamation was resolved satisfactorily.

All the soldiers returned to their positions.

The Crown Prince also took his seat at the commander's desk in the main hall.

Before he could offer him a seat, the Duke of Li, who was sitting on the left, took his seat.

"Your Highness, I am incompetent and have been held hostage like this..." Zhao Yi knelt on the ground, head bowed, his cheeks flushed, and said, "I have disgraced Your Highness and have no words to face Your Highness anymore."

Huazheng, who was also kneeling beside him, did not feel as strongly guilty.

After all, the whole thing started because they didn't trust him, which caused a rift between him and Zhao Yi, and then the other generals took advantage of the situation.

What did I do wrong?

"Get up, all of you," the Crown Prince said, pursing his lips, somewhat speechless.

The two then stood up.

“Although the soldiers of this military agricultural colony were not previously under your command,” the Crown Prince said with a punitive tone, “you bear a great deal of responsibility for how things turned out this way.”

"Please, Your Highness, punish me!" Zhao Yi said, clenching his fist.

"Please, Your Highness, forgive me," Hua Zheng said softly.

"Punish them? At this critical juncture, who else can I use or trust besides you?"

After a few mocking remarks, the Crown Prince said with a hint of pity, "We are all from Qinzhou. This empire still depends on you to protect it for His Majesty."

Finally, at this moment, the Crown Prince uttered the concept of "people from Qinzhou".

Rather than the previously touted concept of 'Dayu people'.

This is a very important statement.

The Wei family were the rulers of Qinzhou.

The Great Qinzhou is the true master of the Great Yu.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Zhao Yi secretly vowed that he would make up for the humiliation he suffered today tenfold in the future.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Hua Zheng bowed and finished his formalities.

"Then you may leave and take good care of the army, making sure there are no more mishaps." The Crown Prince said, while observing the Duke of Li, and then said, "Now, the most important thing is to stabilize the morale of the army. Apart from these three, do not investigate who the accomplices are or who the lackeys are. Do not investigate who started the previous rumors or who helped spread them either."

"It's Your Highness!"

The two then withdrew.

Only these two people remained in the lobby.

"Your Highness's words just now were truly wise," the Duke of Li praised.

"It is entirely thanks to the Duke's support that we have the current stability."

The crown prince is not stupid at all; he just lacks a bit of vision and experience.

Then, they are easily frightened when faced with sudden major events.

Looking back now, he can fully understand how humiliating he was when the Duke was teaching him to speak, word by word.

"Then what does Your Highness intend to do with Tian Li?" the Duke of Li asked again.

"What does the Duke think?" the Crown Prince asked.

The Crown Prince had a complete plan.

That means don't rush to settle accounts. Wait a few years, then find another reason, such as massive embezzlement, to kill him.

But the matter was settled by the Duke of Li, and Tian Li used to be one of his men.

We should really take this person's opinion into consideration.

“Your Highness,” said the Duke of Li, “I believe we must not break our promise. Let him live a few more years in peace before everything is settled.”

The main problem is that Dayu's credibility is extremely low right now.

Many imperial edicts and policies were issued repeatedly, but they were all just empty words.

It was only thanks to its formidable military strength and relatively stable imperial structure that the court was not filled with resentment and the country was not thrown into chaos.

It has been properly repaired.

"Then we'll do as the Duke says."

The Crown Prince smiled faintly and nodded.

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness," said Duke Li.

"Then, Duke, has His Majesty said when we can return to his place?" the Crown Prince asked with some curiosity.

He knew that his father had entrusted him with all his authority.

However, the emperor's health was not good, and even though Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng were imprisoned, there were still other destabilizing factors.

For example, the Prince of Jin was one of them.

"Your majesty is wise and wise."

The Duke of Li bowed slightly and then said, "From now on, it all depends on His Majesty."

.........

"Xishan, do you know why I didn't just arrest Prince Qin and Song Shi'an?"

Sitting on his throne, while studying the detailed map of the Grand Agricultural Settlement Ceremony, the emperor asked a question.

This topic was too sensitive, but Xishan had already been exposed, so she had no choice but to speak up: "This servant believes... it was His Majesty's benevolence that led to his leniency towards them."

"You've certainly learned to be glib," the emperor said. "Because I haven't won yet."

Xi Shan was puzzled and said, "Your Majesty, with the Duke of Li assisting, there shouldn't be any problems at the military agricultural settlements, right?"

“That’s fine then,” the Emperor said. “But there are too many people in this headquarters. There are also too many high-ranking officials. If I want to take them down, I either need solid evidence, or they will rebel themselves.”

But right now, there is absolutely no conclusive evidence.

It's also unlikely that they would rebel on their own.

"Your Majesty, shall we keep him imprisoned for now?" Xishan asked, puzzled.

"Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng have been here for over a year," the emperor said. "Do they dare to challenge me without any foundation of support?"

"Your Majesty is holy."

Xishan thought so too.

The fact that the Crown Prince's military intelligence was a step behind Song Shi'an's meant that if Song Shi'an were to issue an order, his loyal followers and his henchmen would immediately launch a chaotic battle.

A chaotic melee is the worst solution.

"It seems that I have already trapped the two of them in this grand ceremony."

The emperor smiled dismissively and said, "He has also trapped me here." (End of Chapter)