Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 158 How old is Miss Xinyue this year?

"Shi An..."

When Song Shi'an entered the mansion, the officials who were about to offer their congratulations were stunned and froze as soon as they opened their mouths.

Everyone turned to look at the girl who was being led into the mansion by the hand.

They began to whisper among themselves after they had walked away.

"Then, was there any point in coming?"

The original intention was simply to use the guise of flattery and congratulations to test whether Lord Song had any plans for a marriage alliance.

After all, he was a great hero who returned from the north wind, and also the top scholar of the current dynasty, so he was definitely a hot commodity.

In fact, from the moment he passed the imperial examination with top honors, his status as an illegitimate son was no longer a problem at all.

Nowadays, who wouldn't want a son-in-law like that?

As a father-in-law, one can easily rise through the ranks of officialdom by following his example.

But this girl was led in hand in hand...

"This woman is exceptionally beautiful and a good match for him, but I wonder which family she belongs to."

"She even carries a sword; she doesn't seem like a typical young lady from a prominent family."

"They seem to be the Sixth Prince's men?"

"That's it..."

……

Xin Yue was caught off guard and then brazenly taken into the house.

"Okay." But she quickly accepted it and said, "I won't run away."

"Not running?" Song Shi'an asked, puzzled. He then slowed his pace. "Let's go then."

The two of them started walking hand in hand.

"Song Shi'an".

Xinyue stopped and pursed her lips.

"Oh." Song Shi'an finally realized what was happening and let go of her hand. "I didn't think that much about it, you know what I mean, right?"

"I know."

Xin Yue finds it hard not to think too much.

But she didn't object to this behavior.

After all, when Song Shi'an was brought into Sheng'an with handcuffs, she had already taken his hand.

However, what she meant at the time was: I won't let you shoulder this alone.

"Your house is so big!" Xin Yue observed the surroundings and found that it was indeed spacious and grand. "It feels even better than Cui Youcheng's mansion."

"The residence of Right Chancellor Cui? I've never been there." Song Shi'an had no idea either.

"Isn't he Song Ce's maternal grandfather?"

“But he’s not my maternal grandfather, so I don’t have many opportunities to go.” After saying that, Song Shi’an explained, “The Cui family is a prominent family in the old capital, and they have a better location in the imperial city. My family is from Huai County. Although my ancestors were high-ranking officials, our mansion was only built in my father’s generation, so it is more spacious and grand.”

For example, Old Cui is a Beijing tycoon living in a courtyard house, while Song is a newcomer to Beijing who later settled in Sheng'an and is considered a new elite in the capital.

"I see." Xinyue understood.

Then, Song Shi'an covered his hands and whispered in her ear, "From now on, you'll all be mine."

"..."

Xin Yue looked at him with a subtle expression, unsure of why he was asking this or how she should respond.

Just then, Song Jing, who had been reported to the servants, temporarily put down his guests and came from the main hall.

Song Qin, driven by her gossipy nature, was afraid of being scolded for coming alone, so she dragged Song Ce along and followed behind Song Jing to meet the girl who was being led in by the hand.

Those are the Sixth Prince's guards.
Song Jing didn't know why, but he, a powerful third-rank official in the imperial court, was a little nervous when he met a girl.

His expression immediately froze.

However, it still looks dignified.

"Xinyue, this is my father," Song Shi'an introduced to Xinyue in a very cheerful manner.

"Greetings, Lord Song."

Xin Yue bowed to him with great solemnity.

A man's etiquette?
Song Qin, who was standing nearby, noticed this key point.

And when she made it, it didn't look out of place at all.

If I do that, I'll get beaten up.

Of course, this has nothing to do with discrimination against women.

Song Ce was beaten even for performing the proper etiquette for women.

"Hmm." Song Jing nodded, quite seriously.

"This is my sister, Song Qin, and this is my brother, Song Ce," Song Shi'an continued, adding, "The one on the left is my brother."

"Do you really need to emphasize that?" Song Qin felt offended and retorted directly.

“My younger brother is more handsome, I’m afraid you won’t be able to tell the difference,” Song Shi’an explained.

"Haha, he is a bit..." Song Qin laughed along, but then realized, "Wait, who are you saying isn't handsome?"

"Don't be rude, go back to your room." Song Jing glanced at him sideways. "Ce'er, you too."

"Yes."

The two of them had no choice but to leave.

Xin Yue also smiled at the two children, a rare occurrence for her: "Hello."

I originally thought she was cold to everyone and maintained a pretentious persona, but I didn't expect her to be so considerate.

"See you later, sister."

Before leaving, Song Qin made sure to have a little "date" with her.

After the children left, Song Jing said to Xin Yue, "I know about what happened between you and Shi An in Shuofeng, especially Wu Lei's assassination attempt on Wang Shen. We were able to repel the Qi bandits this time thanks to you."

"Your Excellency flatters me. I was merely a lackey," Xin Yue said modestly. "The credit for holding off the north wind goes entirely to the Sixth Prince and your son."

"Thank you for taking care of my son." Song Jing had nothing more to say, so he said politely, "When you see the Sixth Prince, please give him my regards."

“I definitely will,” Xinyue replied.

"Then Father, I'll take Xinyue with me now." Song Shi'an was about to leave.

"..." Seeing this, Song Jing asked, half annoyed, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Eat it later."

"That's rude. I'm asking a guest."

“My lord, I have already eaten,” Xinyue said.

Song Jing hesitated, then said, "Then you..."

"Dad will say later that something really has come up. Uncle Gan, just bring the food to my room!"

As Song Shi'an spoke, he grabbed Xin Yue's arm and left, just like taking a female high school classmate to his room to play.

"Yes, Young Master Shi'an," Song Gan replied obediently.

Watching them leave, Song Jing felt quite uncomfortable: "Has the social atmosphere changed? Is it now acceptable to bring unmarried women directly into one's own room?"

“Master,” Song Gan said softly, “I have a feeling that when you are with this Xin Yue woman, you don’t seem to treat her as a woman.”

"Indeed, what woman carries a sword when she goes out? What woman goes to the battlefield with her men? What woman can kill the sect leader so easily?"

Song Jing used parallelism to convince herself, but then worry arose: "Won't he postpone the wedding because of this?"

……

"Your Majesty~"

After Song Shi'an was in the room, he couldn't help but start imitating. Seeing his childish appearance, Xin Yue didn't want to pay attention to him. She just sat on his bed, looked at Song Shi'an in front of the desk, and said, "You look a bit like your younger brother, but not very much."

"What do you mean?" Song Shi'an asked.

"They look alike, but their personalities seem completely different," Xinyue said.

"He's always been like this, a very honest kid."

“It’s not because he’s the eldest son…” Xin Yue felt that these words had a provocative meaning, so she didn’t say anything more.

"No, really. He and Song Qin are fine. He's not particularly superior to me. Even before I became the top scholar, he never showed any disrespect." This is also why Song Shi'an is willing to stay in this family.

If his younger brother had Yuan Shu's personality, he would find him annoying.

“That’s really good.” Since they were here, Xin Yue spoke without restraint, “The Sixth Prince and his brothers are not like that.”

"Did the princes also underestimate you before?" Song Shi'an asked curiously.

"It feels like they simply don't see the Sixth Prince at all," Xin Yue said.

Under the extreme worship of royal power, a distorted hierarchical concept emerged.

"Isn't it great now? Everyone loves him," Song Shi'an joked.

"You could say that."

Xin Yue smiled faintly.

It seems that among the three, only Song Shi'an has a happy family.

Therefore, he is the one who should least take the risk of guarding the north wind.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Shi An".

“My mother.” Song Shi’an recognized the voice immediately and turned around to say, “Mother, come in.”

The moment he turned around, Xinyue's body suddenly tensed and straightened.

Then, she subconsciously fiddled with her hair.

The door was opened.

Jiang took the meal from the maidservant and stepped over the threshold to serve Song Shi'an. However, the moment she saw her son, tears welled up in her eyes: "Son, you've finally come back."

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm fine."

Song Shi'an smiled and comforted him, then placed the plate on the table.

At this moment, Xinyue also stood up. She originally wanted to perform a man's greeting, but felt a little awkward, so she simply said honestly, "Auntie."

"Is this Miss Xinyue?" Madam Jiang walked over with a beaming smile and placed her hand on Xinyue's. "I heard about your situation. Shi An was able to return, and you deserve some credit for that."

"You're too kind," Xinyue said with a smile.

"You're really beautiful..." she said, looking the woman up and down with great interest. "How old are you this year?"

“Auntie, I’m nineteen years old,” Xinyue replied.

Jiang was somewhat surprised to find that the girl was so old, but she wasn't too bothered: "Then what have you been doing following the Sixth Prince?"

"I'm a bodyguard, and I also help His Highness buy things when I go out of the palace," Xinyue replied.

"Is there no other relationship between this and His Highness?"

Jiang asked cautiously.

Seeing her confusion, Xinyue replied, "Auntie, you can understand it as, I am a soldier of the Sixth Prince. The prince pays me, and I only have the duties of a soldier."

"Oh, then I understand."

Jiang nodded in relief, then took her hand and said gently, "Then you won't need to practice swordsmanship when you marry into the Song family."

"..."

Xinyue froze on the spot.

At this moment, Song Shi'an, standing behind, is a panda-man holding a bowl, looking stunned.

Xin Yue smiled outwardly, but her brows furrowed in unease as she glared at Song Shi'an with a reproachful look.

"Mother, let people practice swordsmanship if they want to."

Song Shi'an stood up, pressed his hand on Jiang's shoulder, and forcefully pushed her out: "I'll come find you later, Xin Yue and I have some business to attend to."

"I'll speak to Miss Xinyue again..."

With a snap, the door slammed shut.

Song Shi'an returned to his post.

Ke Xinyue still looked towards the door.

So Song Shi'an got up again, went to open the door, and personally pushed Jiang Shi, who was standing at the door, several dozen steps away before turning back to close the door. He then returned to his seat, picked up his bowl, and said, "You have to understand the anxiety a mother feels when her children are over twenty and still unmarried in Dayu."

"Understandable."

Although Xinyue said that, she was still caught off guard just now.

“My mother means well. You can take some of her words seriously, and you can just listen to them as a joke,” Song Shi’an said.

"The joke part?"

"Didn't I just say that wielding swords is your personal preference?"

Xin Yue stared at Song Shi'an without saying a word.

"No, I was just joking, don't be so fierce." Song Shi'an felt that he was just flirting casually, and he didn't really count as a submissive guy.

Moreover, this is clearly a humorous expression.

“Back when Shuofeng was dying, do you remember what you said to me?” Xinyue suddenly asked.

When she said that, Song Shi'an remembered.

Xin Yue wondered why she was alive, why she would put herself in a life-or-death situation, why she would try to survive, and why she was so calm about the inevitable death.

“I told you, let’s get together for a drink and chat about life sometime,” Song Shi’an said. “Shall we go find a bar now?”

“There’s no need to listen to music in the brothel.” Xin Yue looked at him and said seriously, “I would like to ask you some questions.”

Knowing it was a serious matter, Song Shi'an sat up straight.

"Can you see my murderous intent?" Xin Yue questioned.

Song Shi'an was stunned: "My mother was just joking, and you're going to kill me..."

"It's not you!"

Xin Yue was a little agitated, but quickly calmed down: "What I mean is, can you see any murderous intent in me?"

Song Shi'an gazed at her and said calmly, "Your eyes are like frost that has been there for a thousand years, without a trace of warmth."

"So you can tell?"

“No.” Song Shi’an shook his head and said, “You’re carrying too much on your mind, hiding everything, which makes it impossible to guess what you’re thinking.”

After receiving this answer, Xinyue lowered her eyes, clenched her fists, and felt disappointed in herself.

Song Shi'an realized that she was anxious because she had forgotten the meaning of life and was content with the status quo.

She was emotional at that time because of her attitude towards life.

She didn't understand the meaning of Song Shi'an's life.

Therefore, there must be a clear purpose to her living.

"Who do you want to kill?"

Song Shi'an asked.

Needless to say, it's the meaning of hatred.

Now, she feels she has forgotten the meaning of the journey and hasn't done anything worthwhile.

Xin Yue slowly raised her head, her eyes gleaming, and gritted her teeth as she said, "He is a big shot I can never get close to in my entire life."

Slowly, Song Shi'an walked up to her, gently cupped her face, and said softly, "Follow me, and you'll have a chance to kill anyone."

(End of this chapter)