Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 171 Seeking a Name for All Ages
"Typing is really hard work..."

Song Shi'an, who had been writing in his room all morning, stretched and felt his bones cracking all over.

The imperial court has not yet officially appointed or dismissed him, so Song Shi'an is essentially unemployed at home, which gives him this extra time.

All of it is used for creative work.

But writing books in this era is different from modern times. We have keyboards, and typing efficiency is high. Moreover, the quality of published articles is incomparable to that of ordinary online novels. If the writing is too poor, you'll be criticized to death.

Song Shi'an had read some excellent works, such as a certain scholar's novels about eating dumplings before he passed the imperial examination. These novels were erotic but not chaotic, and the writing was of excellent quality. Even though they were intentionally written in a colloquial and vernacular style, one could still see the writer's skill. They had a touch of the charm of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School.

After several days of hard work, Song Shi'an managed to produce a beginning of about four thousand words.

If this were to be compiled into a book, it would be at least 50,000 words long, and it would probably take several months to complete.

As soon as he put down his pen, Yun'er stood behind him.

As the ink dried, Yun'er's cool, white hands, exuding a scent reminiscent of hollow rice and soapberry, climbed onto Song Shi'an's shoulders. The warm, plump fat beneath his thin shirt pressed against the back of his neck, the slightly sweaty moisture like warm cheese wrapping around his stiff neck, even pressing against his trapezius muscles with its heavy, supple texture…

Song Shi'an felt his fatigue dissipate, and he completely relaxed.

"Young Master, you've worked so hard. Yun'er feels exhausted just looking at you."

She coaxed him with a smile, and at the same time, matching Song Shi'an's stiff body, she applied even more pressure.

She massaged for a good ten minutes or so, and was clearly tired. Her clothes were damp, the scent of her clothes mingling with the salty smell of sweat emanating from her armpits—a delicate and subtle fragrance. And when she breathed out, her chest rose and fell along her spine…

"Okay, okay."

It was quite tiring to press for more than ten minutes. Song Shi'an wasn't a devil, so he stood up and prepared to go out of the house to get some fresh air.

To be fair, her massage technique was quite good.

Yun'er also quickly tidied up his desk, seemingly not wanting to be left behind.

"What, you want to take a walk with me?" Song Shi'an asked.

"Young Master told me to come, so I came." After getting ready, Yun'er stood up straight and said sweetly and obediently.

"Okay, let's go for a walk."

Song Shi'an said with a smile.

So he led this young girl and strolled around the backyard of the Song residence.

"Where is Young Master Ce?" Song Shi'an asked.

“Young Master Ce had a friend come to visit this morning, and they went out together,” Yun’er explained.

Upon hearing this, Song Shi'an realized that none of his good friends had come to see him.

Of course, he didn't want to see those two idiots, Chunhou and Zhang Ji, when they came.

As for Wang Shuishan, he probably felt that since the Song family had just become a noble family, his visit would be seen as flattering and worldly, so he avoided any appearance of impropriety.

It's alright, I'll see you at the Qionglin Banquet in a few days anyway.

At the same time, you will also meet someone you are quite interested in.

The old emperor.

The two walked along the fish pond in the backyard. As soon as Song Shi'an approached, Yun'er took out the fish bait she had brought in advance, held it in both hands, and placed it in Song Shi'an's palm.

"You're quite thoughtful," Song Shi'an joked.

"Every day, Yun'er thinks about how to serve the young master well." She said this with a hint of pride.

“Oh, then you must know me very well,” Song Shi’an said.

"Mmm." Thinking of this, Yun'er recounted it in detail as if it were a treasure trove, "The young master wakes up very early in the morning, he doesn't linger in bed, he gets up as soon as he opens his eyes. When he eats, he's also focused on his work. When he's doing something, it's as if he can't see anyone else, and he doesn't want to be disturbed in any way. And also..."

“That’s right, you really understand my lifestyle,” Song Shi’an asked. “Then do you understand my personality?”

"Yun'er wouldn't dare to boast; she understands the young master very well..."

"Then tell me, what do you think of me?"

"Young Master is very caring and kind to us servants. He speaks gently. Even when he punishes us by spanking, he only gives us a light pat." This is everything Yun'er sees in him—a truly wonderful master of the house.

"Well, I understand then."

Song Shi'an didn't take it to heart and just smiled.

Yun'er, somewhat puzzled, said, "Others treat servants badly but treat high-ranking officials well. But the young master is different. He treats the servants in the mansion, especially Yun'er, the best, and the others are also very kind to him."

"What do you think I meant by the high-ranking official?" Song Shi'an asked curiously.

"I heard that when the young master was released from prison that day, a high-ranking official of the second rank offered to lead his horse, trying to curry favor with him, but you simply stepped on his back to get on the horse. Later, he even went to jail for it," Yun'er said. "Yun'er also heard that the man had cursed the young master behind his back."

"So, I hold grudges?" Song Shi'an found her perspective interesting and asked.

"No, no, the young master is very magnanimous. Yun'er didn't get beaten even for talking nonsense."

Afraid of saying the wrong thing, Yun'er waved her hand and quickly denied it. But after speaking, she realized something was wrong from the other person's somewhat silent expression, so she muttered softly and timidly, "Yun'er, you're being nosy again."

Song Shi'an was worried that if this guy were already leaning against the pond railing, sticking out his hips and waiting for his punishment, he would look like a pervert who indulged in debauchery in broad daylight and harassed the maids everywhere, so he patted her head and said, "No, you said it very well. In fact, I'm quite happy."

"As long as the young master is happy..." she smiled demurely.

But Song Shi'an did become wary.

Even a maid knows how high she's raising her voice. Not only Chen Kefu, but also Zhao Xiang, Song Shi'an launched indiscriminate attacks.

He appeared to be acting as a loyal and upright minister.

The road ahead must be absolutely flawless; not a single mistake can be made, and no fatal weakness can be allowed to be exploited.

"Young Master, the Master is waiting for you in the study."

While the two were feeding the fish, Song Gan arrived to report.

As if he had been waiting all along, Song Shi'an scattered all the bait in his hand and headed to the study.

Song Jing sat at the desk, doing nothing, not even drinking tea, just waiting there.

After Song Shi'an went in, he extended his hand, gesturing for Song Shi'an to sit down in front of him.

After he sat down, Song Jing got straight to the point: "Something happened in the court today. Would you like to know?"

"Please enlighten me, Father." Song Shi'an was still quite respectful.

“Three things.” Song Jing raised his finger and gestured one. “Chen Kefu’s home was confiscated and he was exiled.”

"Secondly, the Sixth Prince was enfeoffed as the Prince of Zhongshan, and many generals in Shuofeng were rewarded. Shuo County was also renamed Nanshuo County, with its capital in Shuofeng."

"Third, the King of Zhongshan requested that Zhao Xiang be punished, but the King of Jin personally intervened to protect him and saved Zhao Xiang."

Song Shi'an listened and nodded.

Then, Song Jing exposed him, saying, "No need to pretend, you know everything. And it's all related to you."

"It's not my father," Song Shi'an quickly retorted. "I should be a low-ranking official at home now, how could I possibly be involved in so many things?"

“Yes.” Song Jing’s expression darkened, and he said seriously, “As a pawn, you must have this attitude. No matter who says it, you must not accept it.”

This statement left Song Shi'an stunned.

Then, she began to examine the father.

Song Jing slowly rose, put his hands behind his back, and walked slowly as he spoke: "When I passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty, I also thought about how I wanted to cleanse the world of demons and monsters, and I was also filled with disgust for this world. I always thought that as an aristocratic family, we are already rich enough, with land and people. We have enough wealth that we could never use up in eight lifetimes. If I were to govern, I would definitely restrict the wealth of aristocratic families. I would let the common people breathe and live like human beings."

“But,” Song Jing stopped in his tracks, “if you want to be able to do these things, you can’t just be a seventh-rank official, can you? If you don’t climb up and become a high-ranking official, how can you punish evil spirits? But it’s not easy to become a high-ranking official. You need to be talented, you need to have support, you need to be good at networking, and you must be able to understand the emperor’s will. It took me twenty years to get to this position.”

“It’s already very fast,” Song Shi’an said.

"Having reached this position, one would expect me to be able to do something, right?" After asking himself this question, Song Jing waved his hand. "No, I've changed. I'm older now, I've lost my ambition, and I've developed weaknesses. Even the people of Sheng'an think I'm still capable. Is that my achievement as an official? No, you'll understand once you've truly entered officialdom. As long as a politician doesn't harm anyone, he's a benevolent official."

Song Shi'an sensed that Song Jing was going to teach him something.

Perhaps this can resolve his doubts.

"I may not harm others, but can I control whether others harm others?" Song Jing shook his head. "I can't, I don't have the ability. At the same time, I'm afraid."

"Shi An." Song Jing stopped and faced his son, who was sitting there. "The worst thing a person can do is to be arrogant. You can certainly change some things, within the rules, and even manipulate some things. But never think that everyone follows the rules."

“Father, I understand.”

Song Shi'an understood.

Everything he does now is the most correct course of action after weighing the interests of all parties.

But not everyone is rational.

Just like that day when I killed Zhang Gong's son, it was clearly a foolish move.

But he still killed him.

The impact isn't that significant.

And now, there is a powerful force that he thought he could 'fight' against—the emperor.

But if pushed too far, even with huge losses, the emperor could still kill him if he found an opening.

“No, you don’t understand.” Song Jing shook his head and told him, “You think what you’re doing now is navigating the political arena, fighting with your wits, and filled with your own selfish motives. Then you’re wrong.”

Song Shi'an's situation is somewhat complicated.

Do you understand me better than I do?
“I’m telling you, if you want to do something but you don’t even believe it’s right, then it can’t possibly be right. If you feel you have ulterior motives, then it’s unfair.”

Pointing forcefully at Song Shi'an, Song Jing said with extreme conviction, "You must believe that what you did was right!"

"..."

After the words were spoken, Song Shi'an was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized the truth.

My father's words were not a sophistry to justify his ambition to become a powerful minister or to disrupt the court.

It's not just stubbornness or self-deception.

Instead, he was reminding Song Shi'an that he had no selfish motives.

If I were seeking wealth and status, why would I choose this path?
That means I'm not after wealth and status!

In a daze, Song Shi'an saw the famous ministers of the brilliant history vividly before his eyes.

Zhuge Liang, Fan Zhongyan, Hai Rui, Zu Ti, Zhang Juzheng, Yue Fei...

(End of this chapter)