Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 124 Song Shi'an Returns to Sheng'an
Chen Bao really didn't expect that he could refuse so decisively.

Of all the princes, he was the only one who was different.

The King of Wu, needless to say, had already shown his talent and potential, beginning to display his greatness.

The Prince of Jin may appear to lack ambition, but everything he does is a concrete manifestation of his ambition.

Wei Wusheng was only twenty-one years old when he volunteered during the perilous time of the north wind, and now he was about to be rewarded.

The King of Qin, the Governor of Sili, and the Grand General—each of these three positions represents supreme power and prestige.

Even if accepting it would directly provoke the hostility of the Kings of Jin and Wu, and might even force the brothers to unite and eliminate the outsiders first.

But what is without risk?
Having gained Ji Yuan's approval, how could he not dare to have any thoughts of his own?

Or perhaps, they have even greater ambitions.

No.

Song Shi'an is probably the most important person to him.

"You said it yourself."

The emperor was not surprised by the disobedient request and remained remarkably calm.

The emperor's word is law.

If you don't want it, I won't give it to you.

"Yes, Song Shi'an can live."

Pointing at Wei Wusheng below the steps, the emperor said, "But you will have to take the blame for all those crimes."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Wei Wusheng bowed again, showing no regret or remorse for what he had lost.

Refusing the King of Qin also meant that Wu Sheng had completely given up the opportunity to compete.

"You go down."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wei Wusheng stood up, preparing to leave.

"Go and tell the King of Wu to come here." The emperor did not give this order to the eunuch, but rather to Xiao Wei.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Facing forward, Wei Wusheng maintained his bow, slowly bending backward and retreating. Upon reaching the threshold, he turned and exited the hall.

The moment he walked out, the shrewd and calculating Chen Bao finally understood everything.

And, one can't help but exclaim inwardly:

His Majesty is not old; His Majesty is wise!

.........

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, only the King of Wu and some eunuchs were present. Wei Wusheng then relayed the message: "Fourth Brother, His Majesty summons you."

"Alright." The King of Wu stood up and, facing him, asked in a low voice, "How is it?"

Wei Wusheng also lowered his voice and replied, "His Majesty inquired about the Langya matter, and I said it was all my decision."

"okay, I get it."

The King of Wu patted him on the back, and then went to the Taiyuan Hall.

"My son, please see your father."

"Zisheng, get up."

The emperor clearly felt a greater sense of familial closeness towards this prince.

"Thank you, Father Emperor." The King of Wu acted more like a son, showing less restraint and reverence when facing his father.

"I just spoke with Wusheng and asked him about Langya's unauthorized troop deployment and the arbitrary granting of official titles and promises to soldiers. He said it was all his own decision," the Emperor said. "What do you think?"

"After all, this is a special time, and everything is for the sake of holding off the north wind. And what Wu Sheng did has indeed boosted morale, uniting everyone to fight against the Qi bandits," said the King of Wu. "Your subject believes that everything Wu Sheng promised the soldiers should be honored."

"Naturally, he used the Wei family's reputation as collateral." The emperor's tone suddenly became serious. "I'm asking, who should be held responsible for this?"

"..."

The King of Wu's expression darkened, feeling somewhat troubled. However, remembering what Ye Changqing had told him, he should do his best to shoulder the heavy responsibility of overseeing the country and not shirk it. Therefore, he earnestly said, "Your subject is willing to take responsibility."

The King of Wu also performed very well.

Chen Bao's eyes saw the inevitable trend.

Your Majesty, this is the answer we've been waiting for.

"I want to hear what you said."

Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately said, "At that time, officials will still impeach Song Shi'an and praise Wusheng. Do you dare to send your men to do everything in their power to protect Song Shi'an and get him out of trouble?"

"Your subject dares."

The King of Wu spoke firmly.

This is the emperor's art of benevolent rule.

Song Shi'an would definitely protect Wei Wusheng, but he couldn't attribute this favor to Wei Wusheng, nor did the emperor need it.

The emperor wanted the whole world to see how much kindness the King of Wu had shown to Song Shi'an.

The Emperor wants the King of Wu to win back Song Shi'an's heart.

Let's go back to the choice Wei Wusheng made earlier.

In reality, he had no choice.

If he were to gain the throne of the King of Qin, he would lose Song Shi'an and the hearts of the people—if he were to sell out even his brothers who had risked their lives for wealth and power, who would dare to follow him?
His political career is over the moment the King of Qin was chosen!
Choosing Song Shi'an means taking on a large part of the blame. You've already become a criminal, so protecting yourself is enough. How can you be qualified to guarantee Song Shi'an's wealth and status?
Now, Song Jing's wealth and Song Shi'an's wealth were all given by the King of Wu.

Is this the kind of dream correction Your Majesty envisioned?
"Then, what happens to Song Shi'an will depend entirely on you," the emperor said.

"Your subject will certainly do his utmost."

"it is good."

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing I would like to ask of you."

The King of Wu raised his head, looked at him, and spoke earnestly.

"Zisheng, speak."

"If we are to exonerate Song Shi'an, then Wu Sheng will certainly bear the vast majority of the responsibility." After internally agonizing, the King of Wu spoke up, "At the court assembly, may I submit a memorial requesting that Wu Sheng be rewarded as appropriate?"

"How shall I reward you?" the emperor asked.

With the arrow already on the bowstring, there was no turning back. The King of Wu said, "I hereby appoint Wusheng as king."

When the words "to be king" were uttered, Chen Bao's heart sank.

Gazing intently at his son, the emperor noticed the son's slight nervousness and said, "I hope His Highness the Prince of Wu is satisfied."

.........

"What does 'As long as His Highness the King of Wu is satisfied' mean?"

In the Wu King's residence, the Wu King told the two men about what had happened in the main hall with some concern.

After listening, both of them felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

"Passed," Ye Changqing said.

"Is it too late?" King Wu suddenly became uneasy.

Zhao Yi looked at him and had no choice but to truthfully remind him, "Your Highness, a king cannot be granted the title of king."

This is what the King of Wu struggled with all along the way.

Now, he has seen through it all in one sentence.

What kind of person is qualified to bestow the title of king?
Only the emperor could do it.

Even if it's just a memorial to the emperor, if the other party doesn't have the intention, the act is considered presumptuous.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I made a mistake." Holding his forehead with both hands, King Wu was truly flustered.

"Your Highness, this is not your fault," Zhao Yi comforted you. "We also told you to actively oversee the country, but it's inevitable that you might not be able to grasp the right balance."

"But I still got a little carried away..." King Wu said to himself with great remorse, "I can't rush it, I can't rush it."

“It’s not a big problem actually.”

At this moment, Ye Changqing said.

"Changqing, there's no need to comfort me. I know how serious it is," King Wu said self-reflectively.

"No, Your Highness, it's really not serious."

Placing his hand on his, Ye Changqing said quite calmly, "If His Majesty were dissatisfied with His Highness's ambition, he wouldn't have given you this opportunity to win back the hearts of the people. Recommending His Highness the Sixth Prince as king is also a way to win back the hearts of the people, it's the same thing."

"But Father is really a little angry."

"His Majesty may indeed be angry, but the reason shouldn't be this."

"That is?"

King Wu and Zhao Yi both looked at Ye Changqing.

"If I were to speculate,"

After boldly imagining the situation, Ye Changqing said, "What displeases His Majesty is that Your Highness has won over the Sixth Prince in order to deal with the Prince of Jin."

The two of them were stunned at the same time before they realized what was happening.

"Actually, I have the same concern," Ye Changqing said. "If we win over the Sixth Prince, our chances of winning will be much greater. However, the Sixth Prince has military achievements. Will you be able to keep him in check?"

Is that possible?
"But the King of Jin also brought in the King of Zhongping to deal with me," the King of Wu said somewhat unconvinced.

"Then what should we do?" Ye Changqing, unusually, became the one asking the question.

Zhao Yi, standing to the side, was also caught in a dilemma: "With the Sixth Prince, our chances of winning are much greater. We can say that as long as we don't make any mistakes, we're guaranteed to win. But the Sixth Prince will indeed wield a lot of power. Without him, our advantage over Prince Jin is very slight. However, if we really have to achieve this ourselves, we'll have far fewer troubles."

This decision involves too many issues; only the King of Wu can make it.

In the end, he decided: "Let's win him over first. Besides, I can tell that Wusheng is quite kind. I treat him like a brother and will treat him well."

Since he had said so, the two people beside him nodded in agreement.

That's how the struggle for succession works: advisors can offer many suggestions, but the person who ultimately makes the decision must be decisive.

This is what makes the King of Wu even more virtuous.

"Then, I would like to ask you two for one more thing."

The King of Wu looked at the two men, finding it difficult to speak.

"Why is Your Highness being so polite?" Zhao Yi asked, puzzled.

"Your Highness, rest assured. When Song Shi'an returns, he can be treated as an equal to us." Ye Changqing understood at a glance and smiled lightly, "As long as Your Highness is not too fickle."

"No, definitely not."

Seeing that he understood immediately, the King of Wu quickly promised, "The three of you, even though you are of the same status, you arrived first, and you are definitely the most trustworthy confidants."

.........

It will take Wei Wusheng about a month to return to Sheng'an.

Six days after February, Song Shi'an also received an urgent message from Sheng'an, delivered slightly later.

Let him return to the city.

However, the army doesn't need to return.

All you need to bring is Ran Jin, Zheng Tong, Zhao Xiang, and a group of powerful clans from Shuofeng.

It seems the emperor has accepted the fact that he won't hand over military power, official seals, dragon-headed staffs, or anything else.

I got scolded, I got scolded, I'm going back to get scolded.

The next day, Song Shi'an prepared to set off.

The snowfall has lessened somewhat, and the sun is shining from time to time. Spring should arrive in about ten days.

That trip will be much faster than Xiao Wei's.

Before returning, Song Shi'an continued to enjoy his peaceful time, playing chess with Xin Yue by the fire in the county government hall.

Snapped.

With a crisp sound, Song Shi'an placed the white pieces on the chessboard, then pointed quite seriously: "These five are connected."

Xin Yue frowned, sighed, and then looked up at Song Shi'an with a subtle expression: "Shall we play a serious game of Go?"

"I can't go any further, I'm in a hurry."

Song Shi'an spread his hands.

With her eyes closed and her lips bitten, Xin Yue seemed to see the character "井" (well) from a comic book appear on her forehead: "Again."

At this moment, Zhu Qing walked in.

Seeing the two playing chess, he said, "Shi An, I need to talk to you."

“It’s alright, Xinyue is no stranger.” Song Shi’an didn’t mind at all.

“Alright.” Zhu Qing walked up to him, took out a pure gold reclining tiger from his sleeve, and placed it in Song Shi’an’s palm. “This was given to me by Lord Song.”

"Since I've already given it to you, why are you giving it back to me?" Song Shi'an pushed it towards him, unwilling to accept it.

"Lord Song asked me to protect you, but I did nothing." Zhu Qing originally wanted to leave this to his wife, as this golden tiger would be enough to ensure his future safety. However, his wife knew about the dangers of this trip and asked him to keep it with him, saying that it might save his life in times of crisis.

"Don't say that. If you make San Gou my bodyguard, you'll be worth having this tiger."

"Do not."

Zhu Qing placed her hand on his shoulder and shook her head seriously: "I was originally going to die in the north wind, but I survived. So, you protected me."

After forcibly returning the item, he left.

Looking at the golden tiger in his hand, Song Shi'an studied it for a while before handing it to Xin Yue: "Xin Yue, this is for you."

"Why?" Xin Yue wasn't particularly enthusiastic. "Why are you trying to please me?"

"Flatter?" Song Shi'an said unhappily, "Brother, you're going to be a high-ranking official after you return to Sheng'an. Do I need to flatter you? This is a reward for you."

"I'm not your subordinate, you can't reward me."

Xin Yue had no desire for the money: "I will not accept it without a reason."

This woman is such a hassle.

Helpless, Song Shi'an said impatiently, "We'll leave in June and return in February. That's more than half a year, and your birthday will be around there. Can't I send you a gift?"

"March."

Your mother.

"Since it's a gift, I'll accept it."

After agreeing on a pretext, Xinyue accepted the valuable gift. Then, after searching her pockets, she found a talisman and handed it to him, saying, "This is for you."

"You still believe in this kind of thing?" Song Shi'an asked curiously after receiving the message.

"It was a gift from His Highness."

"Oh."

"It was just a gift from Prince Jin to His Highness, but he didn't want it, so he just threw it to me."

"Hiss...something belonging to the Prince of Jin?"

Holding the amulet, Song Shi'an looked up at Xin Yue with a hint of 'Are you fucking kidding me?' in his eyes.

"Oh, oh." Xin Yue quickly realized, "We're now part of the Wu King's faction, so keeping the Jin King's things isn't really appropriate. How about we just throw them in the fire and burn them?"

"Fine, keep it."

Looking at the delicate little sachet amulet, Song Shi'an held it in his palm: "Maybe it really will be of some use."

(End of this chapter)