Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 120 The Imperial Envoy Arrives in the North Wind
The north wind has been resting for nearly a month.

During this time, the snow fell heavier and heavier, leaving no energy to rebuild the city's defenses. But it didn't matter, since Ji Yuan's army had returned to Qi after making complete arrangements in Shuobei.

He himself was in Wuwei to appease the people and the army, and after winter, he had to leave.

During this period, Xiao Qun and Chen Ling continuously transported supplies and weapons to this area, and provided able-bodied men to expand the Shuofeng garrison.

It must have been meant to imply the emperor.

This territory was captured by Wei Wusheng, so even the emperor dared not contest it.

If we really want to fight for control, we should replace all the generals and mid-level officers here.

Instead, they deliberately did not send civil officials and generals, but only able-bodied civilians who could supply ordinary soldiers.

Song Shi'an understood the reasoning behind this very well, but he couldn't say it directly: Your Majesty, you also have to coax Xiao Wei.

Through various actions, he showed that you were not afraid, that you could come back, and that he would not really kill you.

Of course, it would be a headache if the emperor started to renege on his promises. Therefore, Xiao Wei would not return without his personal permission.

Otherwise, they might charge you with "absenteeism," which could be a serious or minor offense.

Finally, the imperial envoy arrived.

Zhu Quan, the deputy envoy of the State, entered the county government office.

Upon seeing him, Xiao Wei rose from his desk. Song Shi'an, who was sitting on the left, also stood up.

"Your Highness, it's not an imperial edict," Zhu Quan explained with a smile.

The two sat down again.

"Lord Zhu, please have a seat." Xiao Wei extended his hand.

Zhu Quan then sat down opposite Song Shi'an and said, "Here is a military order from His Majesty, a reply to Your Highness's previous request to return to Sheng'an."

After he presented it with both hands, Xinyue walked up to him, took it, and then passed it to Wei Wusheng.

After opening the package, Wei Wusheng looked up and smiled, "His Majesty has agreed to let me return to Sheng'an first."

"Your Highness, when shall we depart?" Zhu Quan asked.

"Then how about I set off with Lord Zhu tomorrow?" Wei Wusheng asked.

"It is my honor," Zhu Quan said with a slight smile.

"Then today, Shi'an will properly entertain Lord Zhu," Wei Wusheng arranged, "and let the lord experience the unique local customs and culture of Beiliang, as well as the clear and sweet Langjiu wine."

"Then, I'm sorry to bother you, Lord Song." Zhu Quan bowed to Song Shi'an.

"Lord Zhu, please don't stand on ceremony," Song Shi'an returned the greeting.

Suddenly, Zhu Quan asked, "Does Lord Song remember Zhu Chong?"

"Hmm..." Song Shi'an thought for a moment and then asked, "Is he Jingming's close friend?"

"Yes, my son is Zhu Chong," Zhu Quan said modestly.

"I see." Then, Song Shi'an introduced Wei Wusheng, "Your Highness, he is Lord Zhu's son. He passed the imperial examination with my brother last year. He is young and has a bright future."

"Oh, you're an acquaintance too." Wei Wusheng nodded with satisfaction and asked, "What position do you hold now, young master?"

"He's just been promoted to the ninth rank at the Imperial Academy and plans to take this year's provincial examination. However, his talent is still limited, and his academic ability isn't particularly good, so we shouldn't count on him," Zhu Quan said, waving his hand.

"The Jinshi degree is too difficult to obtain. It is held every two years, and only thirty people are admitted each year. Although Sili Prefecture admits the most people, close to ten, Sili Prefecture is the center of the country, the capital region. It is indeed difficult to pass the imperial examinations in the same year as the Juren degree holders." Wei Wusheng understood this.

The title of "Juren" (举人) is the threshold for entering officialdom.

That is a prerequisite.

To get promoted quickly, one had to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Since the Great Yu Dynasty was not a unified dynasty, it was impossible to allow thousands of scholars to waste national resources by preparing for the exams indefinitely. Therefore, the exam questions remained the same two: prose and policy essays, so that officials in office would not have to spend too much energy preparing for the exams and would not fall behind in their studies.

As for the continuous middle?
Extremely rare.

A twenty-year-old Jinshi like Song Jing was a child prodigy famous throughout the surrounding area.

“I won’t force him. Let him work hard.” Zhu Quan changed the subject. “A genius like the top scholar can’t be produced in every family.”

His words made everyone laugh.

After laughing, Wei Wusheng said, "Then An, you should take Lord Zhu around properly, and then get some rest."

"Yes."

Under Wei Wusheng's instructions, Song Shi'an took Zhu Quan away.

Xiao Wei also returned to the military camp, where he handled some duties while waiting for Song Shi'an.

Finally, at night, the other party came to Wei Wusheng's house.

"Shi An." Wei Wusheng, who was organizing military affairs at his desk, stood up to greet him. "Sit down and let's talk."

And so, the two sat facing each other, with a case between them.

"The situation in Sheng'an is somewhat complicated right now," Song Shi'an said.

"What did Zhu Quan say?" Wei Wusheng asked, quite concerned.

"This story needs to be told from the beginning."

Previously, there was basically no intelligence from Sheng'an, because the 800-li urgent dispatch only reported military intelligence, and the 800-li urgent dispatch was carried out by cavalry in segments, not directly from Sheng'an. So, we had to guess what was going on in the capital.

Now that the Deputy Envoy of the State has arrived, the most accurate intelligence has also arrived.

Of course, the other party couldn't say this openly, so they could only let Song Shi'an say it privately when he received them.

"How many heads are there?" Wei Wusheng asked.

"After we seized all the troops in Langya, we rushed back to Sheng'an. The next day, a court meeting was held, and that's when my father was imprisoned." Song Shi'an knew that his father was in prison, but he wanted to talk about the details. "But in the court, when all the officials strongly demanded that I be severely punished, there was one person who sang a different tune."

"Who?"

Wei Wusheng was very curious.

“The son of the Minister of Agriculture, Ye Changqing,” Song Shi’an said.

Upon hearing this name, Wei Wusheng's expression hardened: "A man of the King of Wu."

"In the imperial court, he questioned the authenticity of the impeachment letter from the powerful clans."

“Then this means they’re actively protecting you,” Wei Wusheng said earnestly.

Don't think that a simple sentence spoken in court is meaningless.

Those who could attend court were the officials.

However, not every official dared to speak up.

Ye Changqing's father was the Minister of Agriculture, a high-ranking official among the Nine Ministers. He was indeed in a position of great power and influence when he went to Yizhou to comfort the farmers. Ye Changqing, on the other hand, was only a lowly fourth-rank official. At that time, everyone was cursing Song Shi'an, and this humble junior dared to talk back.

This is risking one's political life to save another. "Moreover, after my father was imprisoned," Song Shi'an said, "His Highness Prince Wu personally went to the Dali Temple. After that, my father's case made no progress and dragged on until the war was over."

"Not only did the King of Wu's men get involved, but the King of Wu himself also got involved... No wonder the resistance from Sheng'an wasn't that strong." Wei Wusheng had already seen the subtle power struggle between the two noble kings in Sheng'an City.

It has even evolved into an open conflict.

“The King of Wu also deserves great credit for this battle.” Wei Wusheng nodded. “Including his earlier spending of his entire fortune to reward the army, he was betting on us.”

“Yes, he also received a generous gift,” Song Shi’an agreed.

"Well..." Wei Wusheng looked at Song Shi'an, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"What does Your Highness think?" Song Shi'an asked.

“The King of Wu is already so illustrious and noble that he cannot be further ennobled. What he can gain now is the Emperor’s favor and the support of powerful figures in the court.” Wei Wusheng knew what to do, but hesitated, “But to truly alleviate the Emperor’s worries, we must be free from factions and cliques, right?”

"But power arises from struggle."

"what for?"

"Your Highness," Song Shi'an asked, looking at Wei Wusheng, "can we talk about anything between us?"

"On the day of the blood oath, there will be no more of us," Wei Wusheng said solemnly. "Here, there is only Sheng An."

"Then Your Highness should become a member of the King of Wu's faction."

Song Shi'an Dao.

"..." Although Wei Wusheng was resistant, he also knew that this was only natural.

In politics, the most taboo thing is to be heartless and ungrateful.

If the King of Wu invests in this way and receives no return, then the others who invested in Xiao Wei will also withdraw their investments one after another.

“After returning this time, Your Highness will definitely be granted the title of King, a title that rightfully belongs to Your Highness. However, it is highly unlikely that it will be the most prestigious single-character kingdom,” Song Shi’an speculated. “At that time, Your Highness’s status will be slightly lower than that of King Su, but slightly higher than that of King Zhongping.”

The current order of the kings should be:
Jin was slightly stronger than Wu, and Wu was far stronger than Su. After Su, Zhongping and Jiangling were roughly equal in strength. Changsha was young and powerless, so the best option was to become the carefree Prince.

The Prince of Su is difficult to evaluate.

He was the third son, and his maternal family was very powerful, belonging to the lineage of the Duke of Li. Logically speaking, he should also be a strong contender.

But he was sickly.

Therefore, the only one in the Great Yu who was qualified to compete for the crown prince position was Jin Wu.

Giving the title of "King of Words" to the unruly student means allowing him to compete; not giving it but granting him real power means giving him a choice.

Since it is considered an act of disobedience, the emperor will not give it a chance to fight back.

“If I become a supporter of the King of Wu, the King of Wu’s chances of becoming the crown prince will be even greater,” Wei Wusheng said.

"At least, they were evenly matched with the Prince of Jin."

Lowering his voice, Song Shi'an said, "And if the subsequent land reclamation is successful, the ratio will be at least 70/30."

"I understand."

Wei Wusheng understood completely.

His joining the party was equivalent to giving the King of Wu a Prince of Zhongping, enabling him to contend with the King of Jin.

If the King of Wu wanted to become the emperor's sword, he had to implement land reform.

The Prince of Jin wanted to protect the aristocratic families, so he had to resist land reform.

The reforms were successful, and the King of Wu became the next Emperor of Yu.

The reforms failed, and the Prince of Jin became the next Emperor of Yu.

Whether the loser survives depends entirely on how ruthless his own brother is.

But being coerced is different.

If they fail, those who are coerced will surely die.

This coerced accomplice naturally refers to Song Shi'an.

“But Your Highness, your membership in the Wu King’s faction does not prevent you from accumulating power at the same time,” Song Shi’an said. “Even if the Wu King does become the crown prince, as long as you preserve your strength, you will still be of the highest rank.”

He was the thirteenth prince, the executive vice emperor.

As for what happens next, it doesn't matter. What dynasty doesn't fall, or what powerful minister doesn't perish?

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings.

But no matter what, it's still much better than being penniless and destitute.

Moreover, at this point, he simply doesn't have the strength to compete.

With such a small force and no food, the idea of ​​marching back to the capital and killing all the other heirs is child's play.

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

Wei Wusheng nodded, agreeing with everything.

The two settled on this, and chatted for a long time.

Song Shi'an left very late.

Not long after he left, Wei Wusheng ordered the guards to summon Xinyue.

Xin Yue, dressed in casual clothes with a sword at her waist, walked up to Wei Wusheng.

"It's so late, I'm sorry to have bothered you." Wei Wusheng smiled slightly.

"Your Highness, you seem very troubled."

Xin Yue saw his heaviness.

Wei Wusheng, whose identity had been exposed, lowered his head and after a long while said, "Shi An's family is protected by King Wu."

"Mm." Xinyue nodded.

"Shi An and I both felt that we should become part of the King of Wu's faction."

After speaking, Wei Wusheng raised his head and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, will you give Shi An to the King of Wu? And will you reward me and him separately?"

"..." Xin Yue paused for a moment, then said rationally, "It's possible."

With these concerns in mind, Wei Wusheng looked into Xinyue's eyes and said, "I will go back alone tomorrow. You and Shi'an will go back to Sheng'an together."

"I will obey Your Highness's orders."

After answering, Xin Yue looked into his eyes.

Finally, Wei Wusheng gave his explanation: "Only you are the reason why he doesn't leave me."

(End of this chapter)