Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 1 The Rebellious Minister Who Responded to a Dream
At midnight, Sheng'an.

The entire capital city was under curfew, pitch black except for the faint glow of the full moon in the night sky.

On the central avenue of the imperial city, six riders galloped, followed by a single-horse carriage.

The six riders dismounted in front of the main gate of a grand mansion.

All six were dressed in black flying fish robes, wearing black gauze hats with gold trim, and carrying gilded crescent-shaped short swords at their waists.

The leader was a man with a piercing gaze, tall and broad-shouldered, with a narrow waist. Beside him was a deputy carrying a night lamp.

The lights illuminated the plaque hanging above the main gate, which read "Sima Mansion".

After the man gave a wink, his assistant grabbed the door knocker and knocked on the door.

After a while, footsteps came from inside the gate. A servant in blue robes, who looked to be in his twenties, pushed open the gate. Upon seeing the crowd and the curved sword at his waist, his impatient expression vanished instantly, replaced by fear.

"Jinyiwei."

The leader showed his waist badge and then said indifferently, "The Emperor summons Lord Sima to the palace."

"..." The doorman was taken aback, then quickly nodded in agreement, "I will go and inform the master right away."

Just as he turned around, Shen Kang called out, "Tell Lord Sima that there's no need to rush. Change your clothes and straighten your hat before you go."

"I understand, little one!"

When the doorman raised his voice slightly, Shen Kang raised his finger to make a 'shush' gesture.

The other person covered their mouth with their hand and then hurriedly went to report it.

About a quarter of an hour later, an elderly official, thin and with white hair at the temples, dressed in a dark scarlet robe with a subtle floral pattern, walked out as quickly as possible, but his steps were heavy and he appeared very flustered.

"Lord Sima."

Shen Kang stood tall and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

Sima Yu forced a smile and returned the bow: "Master Shen, is it for this time to personally come?"

"Lord Sima, please."

Shen Kang remained silent, but extended his hand in invitation.

Sima Yu asked no more questions and was led shakily to the carriage.

Then, three riders in front and three behind escorted the carriage, all the way to the palace along the Imperial City Street.

After Sima Yu got out of the carriage, a kind-looking old man of similar age, carrying a lantern, was already waiting for him.

After the body search was completed, the eunuch led him into the palace.

Between the towering walls on both sides, the old man helped Sima Yu walk briskly.

"Eunuch Chen," Sima Yu finally couldn't help but ask, almost pleadingly, "Why has His Majesty summoned me so late at night?"

Late at night, an urgent summons was issued, and the Imperial Guards themselves came to the door.

With such a stance, no one would be afraid.

It could even be said that it exceeded the standard of a fourth-rank official.

At this moment, Eunuch Chen stopped and looked at him, his kind expression turning somewhat serious: "We can't say too much."

"Please advise me, Father-in-law."

Sima Yu bowed in greeting.

After raising his head, Eunuch Chen looked at him and said, "It's urgent, it's important."

After saying that, he fell silent.

Sima Yu was even more apprehensive than before when he was asked the question.

Then, they were taken to Xuanyu Hall.

After the final body search, he lowered his head and slowly walked into the hall.

The inner room is located behind a screen at the corner.

From his nodding perspective, the first thing that comes into view is a bronze tiger footrest.

On the bronze vessel, a pair of rough, tree-bark-like feet stepped on it.

"Your subject, Sima Yu, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Upon entering, Sima Yu immediately prostrated himself in worship.

Before them, a thick, powerful hand slowly rose.

Eunuch Chen, who was standing to the side, said, "Lord Sima, please rise."

Sima Yu slowly got up.

Before him sat a man dressed in a bright yellow bathrobe, with graying temples like spears, and drooping eyebrows and eyes that were as sharp as a crouching tiger, looking down like Mount Tai.

The emperor glanced at Sima Yu and said, "Please take a seat."

Then, Eunuch Chen brought over a round wooden stool.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Sima Yu sat down to the side, still filled with trepidation.

But seeing that the emperor was in a calm mood, she relaxed a little.

"I had a dream."

The emperor suddenly spoke.

Sima Yu looked at him and asked, "What kind of dream did Your Majesty have?"

With a somber expression, the emperor slowly began to speak: "In my dream, I was sitting in the main hall. The Crown Prince ran in, covered in blood, and clung to my leg, crying and shouting, 'Grandpa, save me!' Behind him, a man was holding a sword in one hand and a head in the other."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yu froze. It was the first time he had ever seen an emperor react so calmly to such a cursed dream, even showing a hint of fear. He then asked, "Your Majesty, do you remember the appearance of the person wielding the sword in your dream?"

"How is it?" the emperor asked.

"If you know what the person looks like, have an artist paint a portrait of the person in your dream and distribute them to various prefectures and counties. If anyone looks similar to the person in your dream, kill them all."

"What if you can't see their face clearly?"

Did the other party say anything?

“He didn’t, but the person behind him spoke.”

"The person behind me?" Sima Yu asked, puzzled. "What did he say?"

"He said."

Slowly turning his head to look into Sima Yu's eyes, the emperor said expressionlessly, "Your Highness, the struggle for the crown prince has always been like this."

"..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sima Yu hurriedly stood up. He then prostrated himself completely on the ground, his voice trembling, and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me and allow me to retract my words!"

"Raise your head," the emperor said.

Trembling, Sima Yu raised his head.

"I want you to tell me, who is this 'Your Highness'?" The emperor raised his finger and pointed at Sima Yu.

"I do not know!"

"Then guess."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty dares not guess!"

"If you don't guess, I'll kill you."

"..." The imposing gaze, though not angry, nearly terrified Sima Yu. After a moment of struggle and hesitation, he shook his head vigorously, "Your Majesty, I dare not guess!"

"As the Grand Diviner, isn't dream interpretation your forte?"

The emperor stared at him, his tone shifting for the first time: "I want to know now what this dream means."

Kneeling and raising his head to look up at the emperor, Sima Yu had been mentally preparing himself for a long time. Knowing that he could not remain uninvolved, he boldly asked, "Your Majesty, who is the Crown Prince in your dream?"

After the "Crown Prince Rebellion" case more than a decade ago, the emperor never appointed a new crown prince.

Since there is no crown prince, how can there be a grandson of the emperor?

The emperor shook his head: "All I know is that he is my imperial grandson."

"What head is that person holding in their hand?"

"It should be the Crown Prince."

"Did Your Majesty see who it was?"

"He looks a bit like the King of Jin, and a bit like the King of Wu..."

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you refrain from making any guesses."

Sima Yu spoke, his voice trembling.

The reason is very simple.

Whoever's head is on that head will lose their chance to become the crown prince.

Otherwise, he would be cursed; if he became the crown prince, he would be beheaded, and the imperial grandson would be hunted down.

If I don't react at this point, and the capricious emperor spreads this message, the King of Wu and the King of Jin could chop me into mincemeat...

"Was that person wielding the sword also my son?" the emperor asked bluntly. "According to the dream... it's possible."

Sima Yu dared not give a perfunctory answer and replied truthfully.

"If we kill this prince, we can avoid a coup," the emperor speculated.

"But His Majesty doesn't know who this prince is..."

Suddenly, the emperor seemed to remember something and said, "In the twenty-seventh year of the Jia Rui era, when Consort Chen gave birth, the baby boy she was carrying came out legs first. Consort Chen suffered greatly but still bled to death. I named him Wusheng, meaning 'born in defiance.' And who else could have committed such a heinous act besides him?"

"But we can't confirm that it's the Sixth Prince..."

Because of the incident involving Wei Wusheng, six of the emperor's seven sons were granted the title of king, but Wei Wusheng alone did not receive a title.

Therefore, officials, nobles, and common people all called him the Sixth Prince.

"Then kill him."

Suddenly, four words came crashing down without any emotion.

Then kill him.

If it is him, then the curse is lifted.

If not?

If I die, then I die.

"Your Majesty, the indiscriminate killing of innocent princes is a grave misfortune, a grave misfortune!"

Seeing this, Sima Yu kowtowed forcefully and earnestly advised him.

But it seems that it did not work.

With his withered brows furrowed, the emperor felt more and more that the person should be Wusheng.

"His Majesty."

Suddenly, Sima Yu raised his head and, taking the initiative to speak on this sensitive matter, said, "The key to this dream lies in the person behind that 'Your Highness.' It was he who instigated the prince... As long as the treacherous minister who spreads rumors and misleads the public is killed, this dream can be resolved."

What does it mean to "cleanse the emperor's side"?

The emperor and the crown prince are a true dragon and a young dragon, respectively, and cannot be attacked.

Therefore, you can only attack minions with Taunt.

"Can you perform divination to determine who this person is?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, this person began to wreak havoc on the court after his appearance. But now the court is stable, the world is at peace, and the nation is thriving. This shows that this person has not yet appeared. If, at some point, someone intends to shake the foundation of the nation... that person will be the traitor who appeared in the dream."

The establishment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already made high-ranking officials in the court feel insecure.

If there is a great traitor among you.

Kyoto officials, they wouldn't be able to survive.

"besides."

Raising his finger, the emperor added to Sima Yu's words: "Whoever colludes with the prince is a traitor who will appear in the dream."

"Yes."

Sima Yu affirmed.

At least for now, this group of bureaucrats is safe.

Although killing a 'disobedient' person whom the emperor despises sounds more efficient.

But what if the emperor continues to have that dream if Wusheng is killed?
Given the authority of a monarch, it is quite possible that he would say something like: "It seems I killed the wrong person. In that case, you shall compensate me with a son."

After receiving this response, the emperor seemed to gradually accept it.

At this moment, Sima Yu asked, "Your Majesty, did you only tell me about this dream?"

"Yes."

Although Eunuch Chen beside him also heard it, he was clearly not considered a human being.

That is the incarnation of the emperor.

With his hands on the ground, the sixty-year-old Sima Yu swore with a firm and powerful voice, "I will carry this dream with me to the Yellow Springs!"

.........

.........

Headache.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

Song Shi'an lay in bed, feeling a splitting headache.

Just then, a stern-looking man in a fine robe walked in. Seeing the young man lying on the bed and the woman sitting beside him with a mournful face, he suddenly burst out cursing, "Is this beast dead or not?!"

"..." Upon hearing this, the woman stood up and threw herself at him, sobbing, "Master, this is your own son."

"I don't have a son like that."

Pointing at the young man lying on the bed, the man gritted his teeth and said, "He actually drank himself into a river at a tavern just days before the provincial examination. What's the point of such a disgraceful wretch still being alive?"

"Shi An was taken there by those rich young masters... He can't hold his liquor, and those people insisted on teasing him, which is why he got drunk and fell into the river. How can you blame him entirely, sir? Even if he bears the main responsibility, don't those people also have some fault?"

"Why did he fall into the water when no one else did?"

The man couldn't help but feel angry when he thought about it, and his cheeks turned red with rage.

"Master, he has an exam tomorrow. Please don't scold him after he wakes up..." the woman pleaded.

"Exams? He's been taking them since he was fourteen, and he hasn't even passed the provincial exam. I passed the imperial exam at twenty! How could such a fool, such a beast, be my son?"

For ordinary people, passing the imperial examination to become a scholar is indeed quite difficult.

But if a father is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and comes from an official family, it would be shameful for him to fail the exams several times in a row.

The woman had no choice but to continue appealing to family ties: "Sir, no matter how foolish Shi'an may be, he is still your son..."

“Song Ce is my son. This disgraceful beast, get out of the Song mansion as soon as you wake up.”

After the man finished speaking, he pushed the woman who was clinging to him away: "If you say another word, you can get out of here too."

After saying that, the man stormed out of the room.

The woman knelt beside Song Shi'an and cried loudly, "Shi'an, oh Shi'an, wake up! If you don't live, neither will I..."

It's so heavy and so noisy.

Song Shi'an felt a pressure on his body.

He recalled that he had finished a meeting in the city, met with a few friends, and then drove back to the town overnight.

Yes, it was the national highway at 11 p.m.

He was driving normally, and as he was going through a green light, a truck with its license plate covered, weighing over 100 tons, turned into the road without slowing down at a red light...

That's where my memory ends; there's no more to it.

Did they hit the jackpot?

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

There was no pale white ceiling above.

Instead, a few rough solid wood beams supported the triangular roof...

The interior was completely unfamiliar.

Unlike old houses in the countryside, this place resembles a theater used for filming in Hengdian, but it's simpler and exudes a rustic charm.

"Son, you're awake?!"

A woman exclaimed in surprise after he opened his eyes.

At the same time, a face covered in tears forcefully occupied his entire field of vision.

The woman cried so bitterly and miserably that her eye bags drooped heavily.

"Shi'an, can you hear me? Mother is here. Tell Mother anything you want to say."

The woman's face lit up with surprise, and her tone was very excited.

娘，
There is also 'Shi An'.

My name is indeed Shi An.

But my mom doesn't look like that!

Suddenly, a surge of memories was forcibly poured into my mind.

Various scenes flashed by like a revolving lantern.

Of course, this also includes the identity of the person in front of you.

Most importantly, an outrageous worldview and identity have emerged.

Yu Dynasty?

Song Shi'an, the illegitimate son of the magistrate of Sheng'an?
"Shi An, speak up! You're driving your mother crazy!"

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound. After looking at her for a long time, Song Shi'an said, "I'm hungry."

(End of this chapter)