Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 131 Sun Jinhua's Food Delivery
After leaving Dali Temple, Xinyue had nowhere to go.

She was able to enter and leave the palace because Wei Wusheng had arranged for her to be a palace maid, and a high-ranking one at that, whose duties included going out to purchase supplies.

But Wei Wusheng has definitely been taken to the Imperial Clan Court, so there's no point in her going back now.

Moreover, given his involvement in the Langya case, he might be arrested the moment he enters the palace.

Rather than having one's personal freedom restricted, it's better to be outside, where one can at least do something.

Whether in the imperial city or the outer city, the Sixth Prince owns some properties, so he is not without a place to live.

She was powerless to help the prince.

However, she should be able to do something for Song Shi'an...

With this in mind, Xinyue found direction.

However, on the road, a carriage stopped in front of her.

The curtain was lifted on the side of the carriage, revealing a remarkably beautiful and gentle face.

"Is this Miss Xinyue?" she asked.

"Yes."

Xinyue made no attempt to conceal her true feelings.

She wasn't afraid of anyone at all, and besides, she had a sword at her waist. If someone really came to kill her, she would fight to the death.

However, judging from her lamb-like physique, she shouldn't pose any threat.

"Wait a moment." The girl stepped down from the carriage and walked up to Xinyue, placing her hand on her arm and whispering, "May I speak to you in private?"

"Who are you?" Xinyue asked.

After a brief hesitation, the other party said seriously, "Sun Jinhua, the daughter of Sun Situ."

.........

The two chose to take a detour under a banyan tree in a deep alley of the imperial city.

They looked each other up and down.

Sun Jinhua knew that she was the Sixth Prince's bodyguard and had done many remarkable things with the Sixth Prince, Song Shi'an, such as holding the Langya garrison commander hostage and staging a mutiny.

On the way back to the city, she held Song Shi'an's hand, who was wearing handcuffs, without any fear or hesitation.

Xin Yue also knew her; she was the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan.

That day, Minister Sun invited the top scholars and runners-up to his residence because he wanted to betroth his daughter to this mansion.

Unfortunately, Song Shi'an's outburst ruined the whole thing.

And she seems to have some special connection with Song Shi'an.

“Miss Xinyue,” Sun Jinhua looked at her and asked very seriously, “How is Lord Song doing at the Dali Temple?”

Faced with this question, Xin Yue calmly retorted, "You are Sun Situ's daughter, and now you're asking about Song Shi'an. Do you think I'll tell you?"

"..." Seeing the other party's hostility, Sun Jinhua quickly explained, "Please rest assured, I will definitely not tell my father."

These words left Xin Yue, who always had a cold face, speechless. She said, "Do you know that even the oath that Song Shi'an made the Sixth Prince swear by pointing to the Chishui River might not be able to keep."

You think you can extract information from me with just a casual remark, and then have your father use it to attack Song Shi'an?
"I……"

Sun Jinhua fell silent after being rebuked, then simply confessed, "I have great respect for Lord Song, and I sincerely admire what Miss Xinyue and he did in Liangzhou. There are indeed differences of opinion between the officials, but I have never been hostile. I want to help him."

"Then tell me, how do you want to help him?"

Xin Yue looked at her with interest.

“My elder brother is the Left Supervisor of the Court of Judicial Review, and many of the officials in the Court of Judicial Review are disciples of the Sun family. I am willing to bribe those jailers in private and have them clean and arrange the prison cells properly.” Seeing that the other party remained expressionless, Sun Jinhua added, “I can also personally deliver hot meals to Lord Song… I will say that Miss Xinyue sent me.”

These words immediately made Xin Yue feel disgusted with this woman.

Do I need to compete with you for attention?

“That’s not what I meant,” Sun Jinhua waved her hand and explained, “It’s just that the food in prison is all cold, which isn’t good for your health. I don’t know when Lord Song will be released, and I want to try my best to improve his situation.”

"Is he the kind of man who can't stand eating a few cold meals?"

"But this is the only thing we can do..."

"Then don't do it."

With a cold tone, Xin Yue interrupted Sun Jinhua.

She finally understood the meaning behind Song Shi'an's words.

So, what about feelings?

He had been through life and death with the Sixth Prince. The King of Wu only needed to say a few nice words to remove the Sixth Prince from his position.
Sun Jinhua, also known as the arrogant young lady, is the daughter of a father who is at odds with Song Shi'an, fighting to the death. However, because she has feelings for her father's nemesis, she hopes to dissolve this hatred with just a few hot meals and become the understanding and gentle woman by Song Shi'an's side.

There's no such thing as cheap affection.

"Miss Xinyue, do you hate me?"

Because she was being constantly criticized, Sun Jinhua looked at her and asked, somewhat puzzled.

"No, I think you are very cute and very kind."

Gazing at the young girl, Xin Yue smiled, a rare occurrence for her: "Song Shi'an survived malaria, so he won't die from eating these few cold meals. If you really want to help him, persuade your father, Situ, to stop targeting him."

"But my father will definitely not agree..."

"See? You haven't even tried, and you're already saying it's impossible to agree."

Her expression changed instantly, and Xin Yue said disdainfully, "You always pick the easiest things."

"No, I can..."

"Is it true that the meals you're delivering aren't cooked by you?"

"..."

Sun Jinhua suddenly became very popular.

Xin Yue, with her hand on the hilt of her sword, turned and left without hesitation.

Sun Jinhua was left standing there, clenching her fists and staring at the woman's back. Even with her good temper, she was filled with anger, but she had no way to vent it.

It wasn't until much later that she suddenly realized, "Wait, what did I do wrong?"

.........

Sun Jinhua did absolutely nothing wrong.

In her position, she can't make any decisions.

If you dare to suggest to Sun Situ not to target Song Shi'an, you will not only be scolded, but Sun Situ will also remember that you have a daughter who is still unmarried.

On the contrary, she is also kind.

In wealthy families, it's relatively rare to find a young lady with such simple values. But she's not extremely rare either; as the population grows, she becomes more common.

Of course, for Xinyue, there was only one reason to refuse—boredom.

After leaving Sun Jinhua, she went directly to her destination.

Cui Mansion.

At the home of Cui Ting, the Right Vice Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

This Cui family was one of the five prominent families in the capital, with a large and powerful clan, even more illustrious than the Song family of Huai County. Song Jing's first wife was the eldest daughter of this family.

He was also the maternal grandfather of Song Shi'an's younger brother, Song Ce.

The position of Shaofu was relatively powerful among the Nine Ministers, ranking above Fengchang and Dianke, but this did not mean that the Right Vice Minister of Shaofu also had any real power.

The ranks in Dayu are all inflated, many being second rank, which are considered honorary titles bestowed upon the esteemed members of powerful and influential families.

On the contrary, Song Jingyuan, who was originally the third-rank magistrate of Sheng'an, was unwilling to change his position, even though there were many second-rank and first-rank officials available.

But lacking real power does not mean lacking a voice.

A distinguished family background is the greatest source of confidence.

"Who are you?" the doorman asked as he saw her standing at the door.

“I am the Sixth Prince’s man,” Xin Yue said. “Please see Right Chancellor Cui.”

Hearing this, he tensed up and said somewhat uneasily, "I can inform them, but could you... perhaps not be so conspicuous?"

"Okay, I'll wait at the side gate."

Xin Yue doesn't confront everyone head-on, nor is she a bully who preys on the weak.

She learned a little about 'politics' from Song Shi'an.

If you want to get things done, then you must be pragmatic.

Being pragmatic means prioritizing solving problems above all else.

Just like when she and Song Shi'an went to Wang Gong's Wulei, it was both a honey trap and a way to act like a grandson.

No one cares whether this 'respect' is actually achieved.

And so she stood by the small door, waiting quietly.

After a while, the doorman returned and extended his hand: "Please."

Upon hearing that he was a member of the Sixth Prince's faction, they let him in without much hesitation, which already revealed the attitude of this Right Chancellor Cui.

After all, the officials in the capital are quite sensitive right now.

Even if they ignore Song Shi'an, they shouldn't openly show their support.

Otherwise, you will be hated by your colleagues.

However, his daughter is now also restricted in her personal freedom... so perhaps he can't completely absolve himself of responsibility.

Xinyue was led to the main hall of the Cui residence.

Up there sat an old man with a cane, who looked quite amiable.

"I pay my respects to Right Chancellor Cui."

Xin Yue took the initiative to bow.

"No need to be so polite." Right Chancellor Cui smiled and gestured for him to sit down and talk.

"Thank you."

Xinyue sat down, and soon someone poured tea for her.

"Get down, and don't let anyone near."

After instructing his servants to leave only the two of them there, Cui Youcheng asked directly, "Was Luo Ting taken hostage in the Langya mutiny?"

"Yes, Right Chancellor."

"Did you also go into the fortified village with Song Shi'an and kill a minor bandit surnamed Wang?" he asked again.

"Reporting to the Right Chancellor, it is also me."

"Hahaha." Cui Ting was amused. "How come you're so clever, little girl?"

"I am simply obeying the orders of the Sixth Prince."

"Then, what about Song Shi'an's orders?" Cui Ting asked tentatively.

After a moment's thought, Xin Yue raised her head and stated directly, "The Sixth Prince will bear all the blame in the Imperial Clan Court. But he doesn't know that Song Shi'an will also bear all the blame in the Court of Judicial Review."

This is top secret.

She didn't know at first, but the Sixth Prince had already returned, and on the way back to Sheng'an with Song Shi'an, Song Shi'an confessed to her.

As for who he could tell in order to gain off-stage support, Song Shiquan was leaving it to Xinyue herself.

After careful consideration, Xin Yue decided to go and find this person.

"Did Song Shi'an ask you to tell me this?" Cui Ting asked, his tone gradually becoming serious.

"No, no." Xin Yue stood up and said apologetically, "Right Chancellor, it wasn't Song Shi'an who requested it, but at the moment, I feel that you can help him. Please forgive me for taking the liberty of involving you."

“Song Shi’an dragged me into this, so you’re apologizing to me on his behalf.”

"Yes."

"Why did you do this for him?" Cui Ting pressed. "Are you working for the Sixth Prince or for Song Shi'an?"

"I am the Sixth Prince's man."

After giving a firm answer, she lowered her head and slowly said, "Song Shi'an is my dearest friend."

"it is good."

Cui Ting readily accepted this answer and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

“The imperial examination is about to begin, and Song Ce and Song Shi’an are both involved in a prison case and are not free,” Xin Yue pleaded. “I hope the Right Chancellor can register them for the exam.”

In principle, it's impossible.

How can criminals and suspects apply for the national civil service exam?

But how many principles are there?

"can."

His straightforward answer surprised Xin Yue. Looking at him, she asked in confusion, "May I ask, are you not afraid of offending the officials as a result?"

Leaning on his cane, Cui Ting stared straight ahead and calmly said, "They've already offended me by arresting my son-in-law."

(End of this chapter)