Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 119 Sending Song Shi'an away
Imperial power is domineering and unreasonable.

Even after pushing our Lord Sima Yu to this point, he still wouldn't dare say, "Your Majesty, you're taking this too seriously; it was just a dream."

He dared not engage in abstract discussions, telling the emperor that dreams were always the opposite of reality and had to be interpreted in reverse.

What? You mean, the rebellious son is going to take my head and beg for mercy from my imperial grandson?
Bold!

Therefore, he could only use his accumulated political wisdom to make a judgment that was either positive or negative.

He can't compromise his principles, nor can he create something ambiguous.

The emperor is simply asking you to make choices for him.

"Lord Sima, I am at ease with your words."

The duty of the Grand Diviner was to provide emotional support to the emperor.

The emperor also gained emotional value.

Even if the price was that old man Sima was so frightened that he covered his neck with sweat.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, such a great victory at the front is a blessing for the long life of our Great Yu Kingdom," Sima Yu comforted him once again.

"With you saying so, my dear minister, I can finally sleep peacefully." The emperor raised his hand and said on a whim, "I should reward Lord Sima with something."

"His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yu knelt down without hesitation, tears welling in his eyes, and said with deep emotion, "This old minister only wishes for Your Majesty's good health and for the prosperity of our Great Yu Kingdom. This old minister does not want any reward. Please, Your Majesty, grant this old minister's request."

As he spoke, he was on the verge of tears.

He truly begged the emperor.

At this critical juncture, he was summoned to the palace by the emperor and received rewards and promotions.

Later, the emperor bestowed further rewards upon the Sixth Prince and Song Shi'an.

It wasn't immediately obvious to the officials that a treacherous family had produced a villain: this Sima Yu had actually gone to the palace to curry favor with Song Shi'an and become a supporter of Song!

Suddenly, he became a sitting duck for everyone.

Moreover, even if a Grand Diviner is promoted, it will only be a nominal position.

Your Majesty, you're using a nominal position to make me bear the real harm inflicted by powerful families?
Please, please stop.

True damage is the most real damage in the Great Yu Dynasty!
"Oh, oh... I forgot about that." Seeing that he was almost scared to death, the emperor realized his mistake and quickly tried to make amends, saying, "This dream, you know, I know, no third person will know. Don't worry, Lord Sima, I will protect you."

The emperor was not actually incompetent or tyrannical.

He was afraid that the dream would come true and that his son and grandson would be killed, so he wanted to have a divination done, without any connection to any faction. There were also few people willing to win over his old ministers to put his mind at ease and help him make decisions.

I never intended to force Sima Yu to his death.

Don't kill my court pet.

"Then escort Lord Sima back to his residence."

The emperor said to Chen Bao.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Sima Yu, who was kneeling, took the opportunity to bow to the emperor.

Then, Chen Bao went over and helped the old minister up.

The two people slowly walked away.

Sima Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, clearly still shaken.

When Chen Bao returned, the emperor looked at him and asked, "I only told Sima Yu about this dream, didn't I?"

“Whatever Your Majesty does is right,” Chen Bao replied.

Upon hearing this, the emperor smiled slightly, shook his head, and murmured, "This dream is the key to the succession struggle. I have many old friends, but I can't confide in any of them because they hold power. Once they participate in the selection of the heir, they can influence the court and make the final decision. Therefore, this powerless and insignificant Sima Yu has become the person I confide in."

Chen Bao stood to one side, head bowed, maintaining a cautious demeanor.

"You were the former Crown Prince's chief advisor, and you've served me for so many years," the Emperor said, looking at Chen Bao. "Now, you're unwilling to confide in me. Is there something else on your mind?"

"Your Majesty! This servant dares not!"

Chen Bao immediately prostrated himself and kowtowed to the emperor.

"Enough," the emperor said self-deprecatingly. "Why must emperors always refer to themselves as 'I, the lonely one'? No matter what, I am still just a solitary figure."

“Your Majesty, this dream may indeed reflect the state of the Great Yu Kingdom.” Startled by this, Chen Bao had to start talking about something more substantial. “Since Song Shi’an really does resemble him, why not just get rid of him to resolve Your Majesty’s inner conflict?”

Everyone understands this.

The Emperor, Chen Bao, and even the highly intelligent Sima Yu from earlier all understood perfectly.

If this dream is truly to be taken as the 'Way of Heaven,' an inviolable divine decree, then the rebellious minister who answered the dream is already obvious—Song Shi'an.

No one is stupid.

As long as this person is killed, the dream can definitely be broken.

"Did you kill him?" the emperor asked.

“Those who cause His Majesty unease deserve to be killed,” Chen Bao said.

This is the key to preventing tragedy from happening.

"I've thought about killing him, a thousand times." The emperor looked at Chen Bao and then stated the reason why he absolutely did not want to kill him: "There are more than just him who can deal with Ji Yuan. But he is the only one who is suitable."

It was precisely because he saw this that the Duke of Li was unwilling to go to war.

The Duke of Li was originally a descendant of a noble family.

He himself once led a large army to destroy two countries, helping the Great Yu Kingdom reach its peak.

Now that the emperor is old and in poor health, how can he still ask the Duke of Li to save the day? If the emperor had died before him, would the Great Yu still belong to the Wei family?

Are we going to create a Prince Li who wears a sword and shoes in the palace and doesn't have to bow when entering the court?
That is why, when the emperor asked Duke Li whether he wanted to replace Xiao Qun, he politely declined.

Because his situation is awkward; it has already reached its limit.

"Your Majesty, if we don't kill him, could we perhaps make some changes to this dream?" Chen Bao suggested again.

After the other party brought this up, the emperor himself expressed his inclination: "I have been considering this."

.........

"His Highness the King of Wu has entered the palace—"

In the palace, King Wu, Ye Changqing, and Zhao Yi were still planning what would happen after Song Shi'an returned, filled with anticipation and excitement.

However, at this moment, he was summoned to the palace by the emperor.

He couldn't help but feel a little nervous. But as he left the residence, Ye Changqing grasped his hand, looked at him with unwavering eyes: This trip might be a crucial opportunity to turn the tide!
This time, without Ye Changqing and Zhao Yi to offer advice, all answers had to be improvised.

But he was not afraid.

He had ample confidence to face the emperor.

And so, he entered the Xuanyu Hall.

"My son, please see your father."

The King of Wu knelt before the Emperor.

"Please allow His Highness Prince Wu to sit down." The emperor revealed a gentle smile.

So a chair was set up, facing the emperor.

"Thank you, Father."

The King of Wu sat on it.

"I've heard that people are being arrested in the city?" the emperor asked.

"Yes, Father." King Wu answered calmly without any pretense, "That day, rumors spread in the city that the front had suffered a defeat, but Father did not announce the war. I suspected that there were spies from the false Qi regime trying to sow discord among the people and take the opportunity to cause trouble. Therefore, I ordered Jia Guihao, the Western Commandant, to arrest those who spread the rumors in the city."

"Should we arrest everyone?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, no commoners have been arrested. The common people have no source of information, and without an official announcement from the court, they will be swayed by rumors. Those whom I had Jia Guihao arrest were all court officials and sons of officials who were spreading rumors about the court and slandering Your Majesty's will," the Prince of Wu said firmly.

"Even scions of powerful and influential families are treated the same?"

“Anyone who slanders the Great Yu and disrupts stability is a sinner.” King Wu was not intimidated at all. “However, none of those arrested have the background of officials of the fourth rank or above in the imperial court.”

"Indeed, the higher the official rank, the more loyal they are," the emperor joked.

The King of Wu smiled, but only faintly.

"What about Song Jing?"

The emperor slowly spoke and asked.

"..." This sentence made King Wu tense for a moment. He lowered his head and, after a brief silence, admitted, "Song Jing was protected by your son."

Just now, there were some clues to follow.

Arrest those who disrupt social order.

But what about Song Jing?

As the King of Wu, personally interfering in the Dali Temple prison case was an undeniable overstepping of his bounds.

"What are your thoughts?" the emperor asked.

He slowly raised his head, his face betraying no unease. After gathering his thoughts, he stood up, knelt slowly on the ground, and said, "That day at court, the officials were nominally targeting Song Shi'an, but in reality, they were being aggressive towards Wusheng and Father Emperor. They didn't want Father Emperor to fight this battle, but I knew Father Emperor wanted to fight this battle, so I took it upon myself to intimidate Wang Chen. I beg Father Emperor to punish me!"

The most powerful weapon is the most sincere emotion.

"Zisheng, get up." Looking at his good son, the emperor smiled and extended his hand.

The King of Wu slowly rose to his feet.

"I know that Zisheng is the most filial among all the princes. He is also the one who can best relieve my worries."

A hint of relief crept into the emperor's voice. Then, he decided, "When Song Shi'an returns, I'll appoint him as a staff member in the Prince of Wu's court. It'll be perfect for him to teach the heir apparent."

These words made the King of Wu's pupils dilate.

But he quickly masked his excitement.

Quite naturally and confidently, he accepted: "Your subject will obey your father's command."

"Zisheng, you should go back to your residence."

"Yes."

King Wu withdrew from Xuanyu Palace.

Accompanied by someone, they walked out of the palace alleyway.

The moment he left the palace, he clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and imagined the air as the Prince of Jin, punching the prince three times!

Then, he revealed a radiant smile.

.........

The Prince of Jin entered the palace, into the Xuanyu Hall.

Upon entering, he saw a chair in front of the dragon throne that had not been removed.

"My son, please see your father."

The Prince of Jin prostrated himself before the Emperor.

"Get up," the emperor said calmly.

Moreover, the Prince of Jin was not allowed to take a seat.

Then this seat wasn't meant for me.

Or perhaps, the people invited earlier have already sat down.

"What have you been doing these past few days?" the emperor asked.

“Reporting to Father Emperor,” said Prince Jin, “I am preparing for the imperial examination this March, which Father Emperor has entrusted to me.”

"What is the meaning of my appointing you to preside over the imperial examinations?" the emperor asked.

"Reporting to Father Emperor, I will select talented individuals for His Majesty."

"Since this is a matter of selecting talent for me, why not let Zisheng do it?"

"Your Majesty is wise; he must have considered this..."

"Then let him do it, okay?"

Suddenly, the emperor flew into a rage.

Prince Jin immediately knelt on the ground, trembling as he said, "Father...please calm down."

“You and Zisheng are different from the other princes; you are brothers born of the same mother.”

The emperor's voice trembled.

The Prince of Jin slowly raised his head, somewhat fearfully.

Then, he saw his father place his hands on the armrests, lean forward, and plead, "Ziyu, let's protect this Great Yu together with Zisheng. Okay?"

(End of this chapter)