Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 169 Court Assembly, Dividing the Merits and Nobles

After the Song Jing case concluded, the first court assembly commenced.

Once again, he attended court.

But unlike the time before he entered the Dali Temple, almost everyone avoided him in fear, afraid of getting too close and being misunderstood.

At this moment, the number of people surrounding Song Jing was no less than that of Sun Situ, the leader of the Jiangnan gentry.

Among them were several high-ranking officials of the second rank, who also served as companions. Song Jing, the protagonist in the center, always remained perfectly centered, no matter how many people were around him.

"Lord Song, you've lost weight," someone said with concern.

"It's not easy to get out alive," Song Jing waved his hand and said with a smile.

"The matter has been investigated and the Prefect is indeed innocent. From now on, his path will be smooth." A person beside him lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is now the Prefect's?"

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, one person asked in confusion, "What about the former Minister Qi? Has he been promoted to Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"

"probably."

"This change is really big."

Everyone turned to look at Song Jing with gossipy eyes.

He, however, acted as if he knew nothing about it, saying, "I've been at home these past few days and haven't gone anywhere, so I really don't know."

"Oh dear, it must be true. We can ask Lord Ouyang; he definitely knows."

"Huh? Where is Lord Ouyang?"

Song Jing's stove attracted many people to cook.

There were even more people who didn't have a fever.

Some are independent and unaffiliated, some are affiliated with factions, and others belong to more sophisticated circles.

Marquis Xun, Zhao Lun, father of Zhao Xiang. Marquis Huai, Zhao Lie, father of Zhao Yi. And Ran Jin, who was stripped of his post and made a fourth-rank general.

Three people traveling together.

Ran Jin, one of the younger generation, stood to the side, showing great respect.

"Is Xunruo still sick?" Zhao Lie asked.

“Ever since his son Wuwei died in battle, he has been devastated. I heard he’s doing a little better these days, but he seems to have no interest in attending court and has claimed illness several times,” Zhao Lun said. “His youngest son has inherited his brother’s official position and is still keeping vigil.”

"The Duke of Wu didn't come today either..." Zhao Lie felt a sense of pressure.

The noble families of Qinzhou numbered nine in total.

Dukes: Wu, Duke of Li, and Chen, Duke of Zhangping.

The feudal lords were: the two Zhao states, Hua state, Xia state, Ran state, Han state, and Xiao state.

Only the Duke of Li, the two Zhaos, Han, and Ran were in the capital.

But now, Han Yuan's family members are either sick or keeping vigil, basically detached from politics, and for some reason, the Duke of Li has not come to court.

Of the remaining few, Ran Jin was demoted, and Zhao Lun's son, Zhao Xiang, suffered a defeat in battle...

The aristocratic group at a turning point in history faces an uncertain future.

“Your son is quite a favorite of His Highness the Prince of Wu.” Zhao Lun had no choice but to turn to Zhao Lie for help. “Could you say a few words for my son? This matter can be resolved with just one word from His Highness.”

“But I can’t make decisions for him…” Zhao Lie said, quite conflicted. “He has to consult His Highness on everything.”

"Sigh..." Zhao Lun thought the same thing, but he really couldn't take the initiative to go to the King of Wu.

It is a major taboo for nobles to get involved in factional struggles.

“Uncles, I think it would be more convenient to ask someone else for help with this,” Ran Jin said.

The two men were taken aback, then looked in unison at the newly appointed Marquis, Song Jing, in the distance.

They didn't think much of Song Jing, this Marquis.

These pure-blooded hereditary marquises are the true masters of the Great Yu.

But one thing must be admitted: going to him really does work.

The person in front of and behind the scenes at Shuofengtai is Song Shi'an.

The Sixth Prince means the same thing as Song Shi'an.

Regarding this battle, the King of Wu's intention is now the same as that of the Sixth Prince.

Therefore, it can be said directly that Song Shi'an could not decide Zhao Xiang's fate.

“Then I’ll go find him and ask him to put in a good word for Xiang’er…” Xun Hou had this idea.

But Zhao Lie suddenly grabbed his arm: "We people from Qinzhou, how can we ask for favors?"

“But Xiang’er’s fate is in Song Shi’an’s hands,” Zhao Lun said with difficulty.

“No, his fate has nothing to do with Song Shi’an,” Zhao Lie reminded him. “No matter how big or small this battle is, losing it won’t necessarily mean your family’s military power will be completely taken away. His Majesty will also remember our past relationship and give him a small punishment as a warning.”

"..."

Zhao Lun also realized that he had been blinded by this crushing defeat. If losing once meant being kicked out of the game, how could the nobility have lasted for so many generations? He stopped and murmured, "So, as long as no one impeaches him and it's entirely up to His Majesty's decision, he won't be completely kicked out of the army?"

“Song Shi’an, as long as he doesn’t do anything malicious, your son will be fine,” Zhao Lie said solemnly. “But if he does something malicious, and his own victory isn’t enough, he wants to suppress others, then he is making an enemy of the people of Qinzhou.”

Suddenly, my thinking became much clearer.

The need to please Song Shi'an has changed to "Song Shi'an, you'd better not offend us."

Keeping quiet is the proper thing to do.

"If it is His Majesty's decision, he will likely use the excuse that the man fought bravely to defend the city after the defeat, allowing him to redeem himself in the future..."

Zhao Lun is in a very awkward situation now, because he has lost more than just his job.

There are also several thousand of Zhao's private troops.

If no one in your family is in the military, then this huge fortune is as good as gone.

Even though most of these several thousand private troops were in Shuofeng and had become Wei Wusheng's men, there were still nearly 1,500 imperial guards in the capital.

This is the source of Zhao Lun's confidence when speaking in court.

The two uncles still carried the glory and pride of nobility.

But Ran Jin, standing to the side, was very worried.

Because he had seen the real Song Shi'an.

The older generation, who held high positions of power, believed that it was Song Shi'an's duty to keep quiet when he shouldn't speak. But if it were Song Shi'an, he would only have one thought—if you don't come to curry favor with me, then I'll make you suffer.

"Yes, if we're not needed after one defeat, who will we be expected to fight for in the future?"

Xun Hou became increasingly insightful.

The more I think about it, the more wonderful it seems.

.........

"Flat body."

In the Taiyuan Hall, after all the officials kowtowed, the emperor spoke calmly and rose one after another.

The morning meeting has begun.

Before the main topic could be addressed, the Grand Eunuch Xi explained to the Emperor, "Duke Li, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is unwell and unable to attend court."

"Ah."

The emperor remained calm, but the officials sensed something amiss. The de facto heads of the civil and military officials were all absent today?

Such perfect understanding?
Is there something they are unwilling to say about today?

After thinking it over, everyone reached a consensus—there definitely is.

"Announce the proceedings."

The emperor seemed somewhat tired and, unlike usual, did not engage in casual conversation with his officials, but went straight to the point.

Then, Eunuch Xi announced: "After a thorough investigation by the Dali Temple, it has been found that Chen Kefu, the deputy general of Sizhou, has repeatedly criticized the military strategies of the court, made wild remarks and interfered in politics; slandered the garrison commander of the north wind, and instigated discord on the border; privately accepted bribes and flattered those in power; he was two-faced and hypocritical; he has completely lost the integrity of a subject, and his crimes are beyond redemption."

These words caused at least a third of the civil officials to lower their heads.

They knew they had betrayed Chen Kefu, but they didn't expect it to be this serious.

In fact, they never expected that this guy would go completely mad later on, actually going to pick up Song Shi'an from prison and even letting him ride on his back like a horse... He really has no sense of dignity at all.

As for the military officers, they also openly mocked this man's terrible misfortune with undisguised laughter: Haha, what an idiot.

"What do you all think?" the emperor asked.

No one answered.

Therefore, the emperor decided: "Confiscate their property and exile them to Lingnan."

The fate of a family was decided so casually.

Then, utter destruction ensued.

Next, the second matter. Eunuch Xi continued to announce: "After the trial by the Court of Judicial Review, the case of the Shuofeng battle has been concluded. All the officers and officials involved, those of rank or above, have been demoted and dismissed. Even Song Shi'an and the Sixth Prince were not spared from being dismissed. The faults have been punished, but the merits should not be overlooked. Therefore, the following rewards are hereby granted."

"The sixth prince, Wei Wusheng, the commander of the Shuofeng Army, is promoted to Left General."

Upon hearing this, the nobles and others immediately noticed the problem.

This was exactly Zhao Xiang's previous position.

Of course, given the magnitude of Zhao Xiang's mistake, it's impossible to leave such an important position vacant and wait for him to be promoted back.

However, if the King of Wu's faction is given military power, then the King of Jin's side will be in trouble...

Silence, utter silence.

The King of Jin and the King of Zhongping remained expressionless.

"My lord, thank you Lord for your kindness."

Wei Wusheng knelt down and prostrated himself to accept the reward.

"Flat body."

The emperor looked at Wei Wusheng, who was slowly standing up, and said, "This battle against Beiliang is the first great victory of our Great Yu in recent years. Not only did we defend the city, but we also severely damaged the Ji bandits. You did a very good job."

"Thanks to the blessings of Heaven and the grace of His Majesty, and thanks to the selfless dedication of all the soldiers, we have achieved this victory," Wei Wusheng replied with considerable composure.

"Don't worry, they will all be rewarded," the emperor said.

Then, Grandpa Xi read out the list.

It was the commendation letter that Wei Wusheng had written for him that day, completely unchanged.

What he says goes.

This also made the officials keenly realize that the former "disobedient son" now actually wielded considerable power.

"Song Shi'an will also receive a reward, but he happens to have passed the imperial examination with top honors. Let's promote him to the Ministry of Personnel together in the future," the emperor said.

This seemingly casual remark instantly made Song Jing the object of envy and jealousy among all the officials.

What does it mean to happen to be the top scorer in the exam?
He performed an extraordinary feat, and while he was back in jail, he also managed to get his highest degree upgraded. What a joke!

"Those involved in the Battle of Shuofeng have all been basically dealt with, with rewards and punishments as appropriate," the emperor said dryly. "But there is one more person who is of paramount importance. Without him, there would be no victory in the Battle of Shuofeng."

The emperor's words left everyone puzzled.

Who is left in the Battle of Shuofeng? Without him, there would be no victory in the Battle of Shuofeng.
Let's discuss Zhao Xiang.

The moment those words were uttered, all the officials completely lost their composure.

Many people lowered their heads and tried to hide their laughter.

A few others couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Our emperor was quite humorous.

Zhao Xiang's father, Zhao Lun, could only lower his head in shame and tremble with embarrassment.

Of course, he knew he couldn't blame the emperor.

The prerequisite for a minor punishment to serve as a warning is to give someone a good scolding.

This mockery is also included in the 'lesson'.

Suffering some humiliation is a form of atonement.

Seeing His Majesty's attitude, the officials would go along with it, preventing the Zhao family of Qinzhou from being driven to the brink of despair.

"Minister Sun, please speak," the emperor appointed him to speak.

Zhao Lun immediately tensed up.

The conflict between the powerful families of Jiangnan and the noble families was too deep.

Whenever something happens, both sides start attacking each other.

Can he let go of such a good opportunity?
"Your Majesty, I am ignorant of military affairs and do not know whether such a great defeat should be punished," said Minister Sun smoothly. "General Ran Jin and the Sixth Prince are in Shuofeng and know the whole story. Perhaps they have a better understanding of Zhao Xiang's merits and demerits."

"Hmm?" The emperor looked at Ran Jin.

Ran Jin clenched his fist, lowered his head, and said, "Your Majesty, I am a defeated general and have no face to comment."

"Then, General Zuo, you speak."

The emperor then passed the message to Wei Wusheng.

Zhao Lun also glanced over quietly.

He swallowed nervously.

As the commander-in-chief of the entire army, the Sixth Prince's words determined everything.

As long as he utters even a single word like "actively defending the city," Zhao Xiang will come back to life.

This also reflects the attitude of the King of Wu behind the scenes.

This is a perfect time to win over the hearts of the nobles...

"Return to Your Majesty."

Wei Wusheng stood in the middle, clenched his fist and said, "If we only consider the Battle of Shuofeng, Zhao Xiang has neither merit nor demerit."

Thankfully, at least he said something nice...

and many more.

What are the merits and demerits?

When Zhao Lun realized what was happening, his pupils dilated in shock.

A surge of anger welled up inside him.

Song Shi'an, how dare you impeach my Zhao family of Qinzhou!
(End of this chapter)