Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 164 Major Changes in Important Officials!
It's not that you can't marry a princess, it's just a matter of whether you can handle her.

There is absolutely no doubt that General Wei Qing married Princess Pingyang.

However, this is somewhat special because Princess Pingyang had been married twice before, making it her third marriage.

Generally speaking, having a wife who is a princess is basically a debuff.

Even the heads of top aristocratic families like the Duke of Li and the Duke of Zhangping were reluctant to have their sons marry the emperor.

At most, they would send away a son born out of wedlock.

For someone like Princess Changqing to marry the son of a prominent family who had also passed the imperial examination, it was undoubtedly a marriage of convenience.

Therefore, Song Shi'an did not quite agree.

He also reminded Song Ce to think things through carefully.

"..." Song Ce was bewildered. He looked at Song Jing, then at Song Shi'an, "If it is His Majesty's request, can we refuse?"

“His Majesty has not made any requests yet,” Song Shi’an said directly. “We can pretend we didn’t realize it. Anyway, so many people have come to propose marriage these days. We can choose a beautiful daughter from a noble family.”

"You're really obsessed with being pretty..."

After making a small complaint, Song Qin couldn't help but voice her doubts: "Those scholars from humble backgrounds who passed the imperial examinations were indeed unwilling to marry princesses because they couldn't offend His Majesty or the princesses. It was like finding a master. But our family... isn't it quite good?"

“If you marry Princess Changqing, you won’t suffer mistreatment, and she won’t be unvirtuous,” Song Jing declared to Song Ce.

The meaning is clear: the Song family is not a small, isolated family, and we will not find him a living father.

Married life will certainly not be unhappy.

The meaning behind his words is quite clear...

Song Jing wanted his son to agree.

"Father, if I marry Princess Changqing, will it be beneficial to our family?" Song Ce asked.

Song Jing didn't know how to face his son.

It's really hard to bring it up.

The fact that the emperor had bestowed upon himself the title of marquis and upon Song Shi'an the title of earl meant that the emperor had designated the Song family's successor.

But the emperor knew that his two sons were better than all his other sons.

If two people are allowed to join the game at the same time, the brothers will work together, and the imperial power will surely be threatened.

If Song Jing were still alive under these circumstances, it would mean that the three Songs had devoured the Wei.

Therefore, the emperor exerted pressure – Song Ce wanted to withdraw.

"Don't ask what benefits it will bring to the family; you need to know what harm it will do to you," Song Shi'an said seriously.

Song Shi'an didn't care. After Song Ce was banned, his family's development momentum would be weakened. He just didn't want Song Ce to lose his future and give up everything he wanted to do.

After I die, I will not care about the great flood.

As a time traveler, Song Shi'an was selfish and never thought of benefiting others.

However, he didn't want Song Ce to sacrifice himself silently to protect him.

Brother, you can have your own life.

"What are the harmful effects?" Song Qin asked softly.

Song Ce knew this without anyone else having to tell him. He murmured absentmindedly, "I can't hold any official position with real power anymore."

Why?

To prevent relatives of the empress from seizing power, emperors would never allow their sons-in-law to have the opportunity to get involved in politics.

If a person is both a prince consort and a powerful minister, what will happen to his subordinates and colleagues?
Yes, I will definitely try to curry favor with them.

If a prince consort could use the royal family's name to embezzle and break the law, he could make money faster than printing money.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward at that moment.

Song Jing and Song Shi'an held opposing opinions.

But the two of them had no conflict.

Because Song Shi'an knew that Song Jing was doing it for the good of the family.

Song Jing also knew that Song Shi'an was doing it for his younger brother's own good.

In fact, Song Jing was even a little happy.

He cared so much about his younger brother that he never thought of using his brother's sacrifice to comfortably dominate the officialdom... This is truly commendable.

Song Shi'an, like Song Ce, is a very good kid.

“Is this Jinshi degree something you obtained for me, brother?” Song Ce said.

"You took the test yourself."

Song Shi'an said it casually, but knowing the other party wouldn't believe him, he added, "In addition, our father is quite old and spent more than half a year in prison."

"I know everything."

Suddenly, Song Ce smiled gently, as if he had suddenly figured it out: "I don't know what kind of official I can become, nor do I understand what I can bring to this world, but I am certainly not as good as my brother."

"These are two different things..."

"It's the same thing."

Interrupting Song Shi'an, Song Ce said, "No matter what I choose, His Majesty will be wary. But the wariness from marrying the princess is far less serious than our deliberate disobedience to His Majesty and resistance to the marriage alliance. I do have some ambitions, but there is one thing that is more important to me."

His words made everyone look at him seriously.

That is it.

After a moment's thought, he decisively said, "Peace and tranquility for the home."

These four words warmed everyone's hearts.

Song Shi'an even felt a little ashamed.

Little brother, who are you trying to disturb the peace of our home?

"My good child, your father will always be proud of you."

Song Jing was deeply moved when he put his hand on Song Ce's shoulder.

Dad, whoever you choose isn't a good child?

"Besides, Princess Changqing has no choice," Song Ce said. "Even if marrying the princess ruins my career, I won't complain." My brother is such a sweetheart!

“No, we have to find an opportunity to meet him.” Song Shi’an said quite seriously, “Jingming is such a handsome and refined young man, we can’t let him marry an ugly woman.”

“Not ugly,” Song Qin said. “I’ve heard of this princess; she’s beautiful.”

The gossip about this wealthy young lady is really well-informed; she even knows this much.

"That's good." Song Ce smiled slightly, appearing quite easygoing.

The atmosphere gradually became harmonious.

However, everyone knew that Song Ce was probably not feeling good about it.

This wasn't directed at the princess, but rather at the fact that in ancient times, the ultimate ideal for a scholar was always to be loyal and upright in literature.

"And what about you? Your younger brother is already married, but you're not?" Song Qin asked.

After saying that, she received a flick on the forehead from Song Jing. She immediately winced in pain.

The Song family does not tolerate comedic women.

"Didn't you say it? Go ask Minister Sun for a marriage proposal. I will only marry Sun Jinhua," Song Shi'an said.

This is undoubtedly the attitude of contemporary young people towards rejecting blind dates.

Because Song Jing could not possibly propose marriage to Sun Situ.

It was even less likely that Sun Situ would bring it up on his own initiative.

Upon hearing this, Song Jing showed no mercy and bluntly replied, "Marry me or not, it's up to you."

.........

"I am captivated by her beauty and grace, yet my heart is trembling with unease. Lacking a suitable matchmaker to convey my affections, I entrust this message to the gentle breeze..."

Lying on the long corridor of the Wu King's mansion, holding this model text in his hands, Ye Changqing didn't know how many times he had read it. Every time he read it, he felt his heart ripple with spring water: "This Song Shi'an, under the guise of writing about water, is actually writing about women."

"Does the goddess really exist in reality?" asked the King of Wu, who was sitting to the side.

“I believe it definitely exists. In fact, Song Shi’an wanted to use this work to let that woman see it.” Ye Changqing said with certainty, as if he could read his mind. “What kind of woman could withstand such a confession? As a goddess in a timeless masterpiece, who wouldn’t want such vanity?”

"Let alone women, if Song Shi'an wrote a good article praising me, I would be moved and vain too," King Wu joked.

Ye Changqing sat up and looked at him with a smile: "If Your Highness wishes, I can write an essay or song for you."

"How can one's own people praise their own people? This is going too far." King Wu waved his hand.

"Your Highness seems to prefer the new bride."

"No, no," King Wu replied with a smile, then changed the subject, "Then do you think this woman is the daughter of Minister Sun?"

"There is indeed such a rumor, saying that the goddess is the youngest daughter of Minister Sun, after all, she is the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan," Ye Changqing muttered. "But why, why not the Soul Maiden?"

"What is the meaning of this '魄'?" King Wu asked.

Ye Changqing said, "It's generally used to refer to souls and spirits. 'Po Nu' is a female ghost, which can be explained, but it's impolite to use it to describe Sun Situ's daughter, who is a living person."

"Then it doesn't mean it's Miss Sun Situ, or rather, it doesn't mean it's a soul."

"Furthermore, the word 'zhaopo' (糟魄) is a derogatory term."

"That's even more impossible."

"It seems there's another meaning, but it's rarely used."

Ye Changqing suddenly thought of something and said, "Even where the moon is without light, it can still be called a spirit."

Upon hearing this, the King of Wu suddenly widened his eyes in surprise.

Ye Changqing's eyes widened as well.

King of Wu: "You know?"

"I don't know, but Your Highness seems very surprised. Could it be that you know?" Ye Changqing asked.

"I might actually know her. There was a woman who accompanied the army, Wu Sheng's bodyguard," the King of Wu recalled. "I think her name was Xin Yue?"

The name came out.

Eye to eye!

Then, simultaneously raise your fingers to form an "O" shape with your mouth.

Look what secret we've discovered, bro!

This is really big gossip.

Interesting, extremely interesting...

Just then, Zhao Yi suddenly ran over excitedly, but was somewhat puzzled by the two men's behavior: "Your Highness, what's going on?"

"We've just learned something interesting..." King Wu couldn't wait to share.

But Zhao Yi wasn't very curious, and even interrupted the King of Wu's presentation: "Your Highness, please wait until later. I have brought good news."

“But my discovery with Changqing is also very…” King Wu couldn’t help but express his feelings, but still said, “Alright, you go first.”

“I just met an official from the Ministry of Personnel, and he personally told me that there will be major changes in the officials,” Zhao Yi said.

Upon hearing this, both of them tensed up.

"The former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was promoted to Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. The current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is Song Jing," he said.

Although the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is only a second-rank official, his authority exceeds that of many first-rank officials, making it a very important position.

They have the power to influence the appointment and removal of officials.

"It is indeed excellent." King Wu nodded.

"But Your Highness, Changqing, do you know who the Sheng'an Magistrate is?" Zhao Yi asked.

"Who?" King Wu asked seriously.

Zhao Yi smiled, then pointed at Ye Changqing sitting on the ground: "You."

"?!"

Upon hearing this, the two were stunned.

Ye Changqing stood up abruptly, still shocked: "His Majesty has given such an important position to the Wu Prince's faction?!"

(End of this chapter)