Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 51 King of Wu, Wei Yiyun
"Your Majesty, the memorial from the Secretariat."

The moment the eunuch delivered the memorial, Chen Bao presented it to the emperor.

"It was drafted in half a day."

The emperor opened the memorial and read it aloud as he spoke.

"This servant gave Lord Ouyang a slight hint at that time," Chen Bao explained.

"Very well, the remaining Asian titles shall be determined according to the opinions submitted by the Secretariat." The emperor casually handed the memorial aside. "Song Shi'an, send it to Shuofeng."

"Yes."

Chen Bao accepted it with both hands, and then asked, "Should it be approved now and sent to the Ministry of Personnel?"

"The Imperial Guards will be setting off the day after tomorrow, so let's give this top scholar some time to meet people," the Emperor said casually. "Or, let someone else go and meet him."

"Yes." Chen Baoyi understood what the emperor meant.

"The official appointment should be tomorrow morning, but the news of the appointment should be released now."

After he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and turned to look at Chen Bao: "Do you think I should give the Prince of Jin some instructions?"

"..."

After His Majesty's previous lament that "there is no one in the world who can confide in me," Chen Bao pretended to think seriously before saying, "This servant believes it is appropriate."

"You also think my son is dull-witted, don't you?"

"The slaves dare not!"

Chen Bao hurriedly knelt before the emperor, and after denying it, nervously said, "Prince Jin is not stupid, but is just afraid of making a mistake."

"Because I am still alive, everything weighs heavily on him, and he is under too many constraints, so he 'does nothing wrong.' After I die, he will be able to do things well."

The emperor was actually very clear-headed.

Upon hearing the word 'death,' Chen Bao prostrated himself on the ground, avoiding the word with awe.

"Ziyu is not dull-witted."

Slowly, the emperor gently stroked his abdomen in a circular motion, relieving his aging indigestion. He then decided, "On the day after tomorrow, let the Prince of Jin hold a sacrificial ceremony in the name of the court to mark the start of the campaign."

"Yes."

.........

Inside the main hall of the Wu King's Palace.

Three people were kneeling around a low square table.

Prince Wei Yiyun of Wu, the handsome and fair-skinned fourth prince, sat at the head of the table.

On the left and right are Zhao Yi, son of the noble Marquis of Huai and a General of the Palace Guard, and Ye Changqing, son of the Grand Minister of Agriculture (one of the Nine Ministers of the Great Yu).

The two men, one scholarly and the other martial, were both remarkably handsome.

Zhao Yi is as his name suggests: resolute and strong.

Ye Changqing, on the other hand, possessed a delicate and handsome appearance, along with a touch of elegance and unruliness.

At this moment, he was drinking while lying down, his loosely folded collar revealing his somewhat prominent collarbone.

Wei Yiyun used a long wooden ladle to scoop the plum wine soaked with ice from the bucket, and then slowly poured it into the wooden wine cups in front of the two of them with both hands.

Zhao Yi nodded slightly to Wei Yiyun, while Ye Changqing picked up his wine and drank it, revealing a contented smile.

"Your Highness."

Holding his wine glass, Zhao Yi looked at Wei Yiyun and hesitated before speaking, "I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should..."

“Within the Wu King’s residence, there are no taboos,” Wei Yiyun said calmly, raising his hand.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi no longer concealed his intentions and immediately said, "Last night, my father and I simulated the battle to defend Shuofeng City more than ten times. Even when I was Ji Yuan and my father was... the Sixth Prince, I won every single simulation."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yiyun's brows furrowed slightly.

“I am certainly not as good as Ji Yuan, and my father is still better than the Sixth Prince in terms of military strategy. Even so, there is still no chance of survival.”

Zhao Yi solemnly gave his assessment: "Furthermore, although Ji Yuan acts domineeringly, he is very prudent in his military strategy. His troop deployment and strategic planning are virtually flawless. When victory is within reach, he is also extremely decisive. Take the battle against Zhao Xiang, for example. He surrounded Wuwei completely, yet he refrained from attacking, allowing his supplies to be consumed at an enormous rate, until Zhao Xiang became impatient and had to leave. Then, he targeted the undefended flank with light troops, outflanking and decisively defeating nearly 50,000 elite troops."

"Zhao Xiang is a good-for-nothing son of a bitch. He was never as good as his father. It was expected that he would lose like this," Ye Changqing mocked.

"But no matter what..."

Wei Yiyun spoke up for Zhao Yi: "He's still better than Wusheng."

“Therefore,” Ye Changqing said incisively, “His Majesty intends to use the Sixth Prince to appease the people of the North.”

To be precise, the goal was to use Wei Wusheng's life to provide an explanation for the defeat in the northern campaign.

Even emperors need to 'report their duties' to the people.

"So what should we do about this battle?" Wei Yiyun asked.

After being asked, Ye Changqing sat up, put down the wooden cup, looked at the King of Wu, and said with great pride, "Your Majesty's move is to win the hearts of the people. Your Highness, the King of Wu, should also consider the hearts of the people."

Wei Yiyun asked Zhao Yi, "Is it alright?"

"Changqing, tell me your thoughts." Zhao Yi didn't answer directly. "The Prince of Jin is afraid of making mistakes, so he avoids doing anything beyond his authority. In a unified and prosperous world, this would naturally be feasible. In fact, he might even be considered a worthy heir apparent..."

"Changqing, please watch your words."

Seeing that he was a little drunk, Zhao Yi reminded him.

“It’s alright, the Wu Prince’s residence is absolutely safe.” Wei Yiyun deliberately avoided referring to himself as ‘this prince,’ “and I have no qualms about it.”

Having said all that, Ye Changqing spoke freely: "But now, we are in a state of division. Ji Yuan is young and strong, and a powerful ruler, so Your Highness must fight for him. As long as you win the hearts of the people, you can defeat the Prince of Jin."

"But there must be limits to this competition," Zhao Yi said.

"Correct."

Ye Changqing raised his finger to confirm the other party's point.

Then, he picked up the wine glass.

Upon discovering that there was no wine in the glass, he went to pour some.

After the King of Wu personally poured wine for him with a wooden ladle once again, he fell into deep thought.

After drinking, Ye Changqing directly stated the plan: "The Imperial Guards are facing a life-or-death situation on this mission. Before they set off the day after tomorrow, Your Highness can use the family fortune of the Prince's Mansion as military pay to reward the soldiers' families, in the name of the Imperial Court."

“No, no, there is no reason to do so in the name of the imperial court,” Zhao Yi objected. “It can be done in Your Highness’s own name.”

"The imperial court is doing His Majesty this favor. Although it is somewhat 'overstepping', it does not cross the line."

“But this move is tantamount to declaring war on the Prince of Jin. We should avoid confrontation for the time being,” Zhao Yi reminded. “Minister Sun has sided with the Prince of Jin, while the Duke of Li remains firmly in his position and has not shown any inclination.”

Now, the Prince of Jin's power is too great.

Even those with discerning eyes can see this clearly.

If the emperor dies tomorrow, then Prince Jin will become the crown prince today.

The two people argued about this issue.

The King of Wu was pondering.

Slowly, he raised his head: "I will donate, but in my personal name."

After he finished speaking, Ye Changqing was about to offer further advice when the King of Wu added, "But, secretly donate it to Wusheng."

After these words were spoken, both of them were stunned at the same time.

After thinking for a while, they all nodded.

"Your Highness is wise."

Ye Changqing smiled and clenched his fist.

"only,"

At this point, the King of Wu hesitated, "That's a thousand-strong imperial guard; the royal family's wealth alone would probably..."

"Your Highness, please contribute as much as you can, and we'll make up the rest."

Zhao Yi said decisively.

"You've said the nice thing," Ye Changqing said with a smile, 'blaming' you. "The rest of us are supposed to add to that line, so why can't I say it?"

"What do you say."

Zhao Yi said impatiently.

“Then it’s decided. I will contribute as much as possible.” King Wu raised his wooden wine cup. “Gentlemen, thank you for your trouble.”

“Your Highness, there’s no need for you to be so polite.”

And so, the three of them raised their cups and drank together.

Just then, a trusted eunuch entered and presented a piece of hemp paper to the King of Wu: "Your Highness, this is the announcement of the appointment of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

"It's out so quickly?"

Wei Yiyun reached out in surprise to take it.

This, in turn, became a topic of interest to several people.

Or rather, a fun little bet about this famous scholar who won the imperial examination.

Both of them knew what Eunuch Chen had said to Song Shi'an at the Ministry of Personnel that morning.

Therefore, Zhao Yi said, "I will definitely follow my father-in-law's instructions and choose An Ding County."

“Even though I’ve never met him, I understand Song Shi’an.”

Ye Changqing waved his hand and said with certainty, "He will definitely fight to the death and will definitely choose 'Cangxia'."

Both men looked at the King of Wu with great certainty.

"North wind".

However, after the two words were uttered in astonishment by the King of Wu, the pupils of both men simultaneously widened in shock.

(End of this chapter)