Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 176 The Emperor Sets the Trap
The Qionglin Banquet is the biggest event in the palace these days.

The royal garden, the West Garden, had been prepared well in advance, and during the banquet, idle palace maids and eunuchs were not allowed to approach.

The concubines in the palace were also not allowed to appear in public at this time.

She was, after all, the emperor's woman, and for a scholar to covet her was a grave offense.

Meanwhile, in He Ning Palace, eunuchs and palace maids were preparing for Wei Wusheng's move, taking inventory and making records as they went.

After outlining some key points, Wei Wusheng handed the tasks over to the eunuchs. He then sat in a reclining chair, thinking about the upcoming banquet, and looked at Xinyue beside him, saying, "You said Shi An and his brother have already entered the palace, right?"

“At this time, they should have entered,” Xinyue said.

"Would you like to go and take a look?" Wei Wusheng asked.

"Is there anything Your Highness requires me to do?" Xin Yue asked.

“Nothing special, just going to see him,” Wei Wusheng said.

“Hmm…” Xin Yue thought for a moment and then said, “Then I’ll go with you when we leave the palace.”

"Haha." Wei Wusheng, unaware of her hesitation, joked, "If you want to see her, then go see her."

“It’s not a matter of whether I want to see you or not…” Xin Yue was unusually indecisive, and her words became a little clumsy. “What I mean is, since His Highness has recently moved into the Prince’s residence, there may be a lot of things to do, and I should protect him.”

"Oh, there are indeed some things." At this point, Wei Wusheng seemed to remember something and said, "You will also be going out with us. I will send a few maids and eunuchs to take inventory of the things you need to move out. There is a house in the capital city that you know well; you will live there from now on."

"Am I not in the Prince's mansion?" Xin Yue asked in surprise.

It seems she was fired?

"Yes, I will send someone to inform you if there are any operations in the future," Wei Wusheng said. "You will also have maids to serve you."

"Your Highness, I don't quite understand. As guards, shouldn't they be on duty in the Prince's residence?"

“That’s true, but things are different now. I need to consider your innocence.” Looking at her, Wei Wusheng said seriously.

“I am completely innocent before Your Highness,” Xin Yue said solemnly.

"But I have to consider Shi An's feelings and reputation."

"..."

Xin Yue was completely stunned when Wei Wusheng said those words.

After understanding what he meant, she asked uncertainly, "Your Highness, does this mean I should marry Song Shi'an?"

"It's not that I'm allowing you to marry him, it's that you can marry him. And he can marry you too."

“But I never said I wanted to marry him, and he never said he wanted to marry me,” Xinyue said.

“That’s your business,” Wei Wusheng said. “Oh, you mean women are too embarrassed to bring it up? Then I’ll have Shi An bring it up.”

"No, that's not what I meant, Your Highness."

Xin Yue's secret was known only to Song Shi'an, and he had never even revealed it to His Highness.

She also vaguely told Song Shi'an that she wanted revenge, which might take a long time and might even lead to her death.

In summary: Song Shi'an, don't wait for me.

Now it's as if Song Shi'an has reached marriageable age, and Xin Yue also has to prepare herself in her boudoir, dressed in red and wearing a veil, waiting to be married.

"Then you can accept him marrying someone else?" Wei Wusheng asked.

She knew that Xinyue was a free bird, unconventional in nature, and a born killer.

But there's no need to be free for the sake of freedom.

What difference would it make if she married the son of a noble family, an earl, and they were mutually in love?
"I will accept whoever he marries."

After a long pause, Xinyue gave this answer.

And, it had no choice but to do so.

He should and must accept whomever he loves, whomever he gives a title to, and whomever he marries.

Because she couldn't give Song Shi'an a promise.

You absolutely cannot selfishly tell him: "Wait for me."

"Oh..." Wei Wusheng leaned back in his chair, looking at the woman with a rare look of melancholy in her eyes, somewhat puzzled.

When did Xinyue become so awkward?

What happened between her and Song Shi'an that she didn't know about?
Just then, the fifteen-year-old Princess Changqing, lifting her gold-embroidered skirt, stepped across the threshold and into He Ning Palace.

She wore a red beaded half-sleeved blouse paired with an apricot-yellow silk skirt, which made her look elegant and noble, while also revealing the sweet charm of a young girl in the bud.

"When are you leaving?" she asked as soon as she came in.

"It'll be a few days," Wei Wusheng said. "Would you like to help me move?"

Upon hearing this, she subtly pursed her lips and whispered, "The mansion you moved into used to be the Ning Prince's mansion."

"Then go on a trip, and perhaps you'll dream of your fifth brother again when you get back."

"Stop talking." Princess Changqing covered her ears, her voice trembling. "Shut up."

"Then I won't spoil your mood," Wei Wusheng joked.

"What good mood? What are you talking about?" Princess Changqing's face flushed slightly.

"You're not going to see Song Ce, are you? Then why are you dressed up so beautifully?" Wei Wusheng pretended to be stupid.

"What? And what do you mean I dressed up? My beauty is something I put on?" she said, her gaze drifting away.

"Then I advise you to appear at your most beautiful. Song Ce is a Jinshi this year, and he is also a handsome man. Don't let him look down on you," Wei Wusheng reminded him.

"I'm a princess, why would he look down on me?" After saying that, she added seriously, "Besides, have you even met him? How can you say he's such a handsome man?"

"You've met Xinyue before, haven't you?" Wei Wusheng said.

"Xinyue, tell me," Princess Changqing looked at her expectantly, but still maintained a haughty demeanor. "Is he handsome?"

"Your Highness," Xin Yue replied truthfully after bowing with her fist clenched, "very handsome."

Handsome is one thing... but extremely handsome.

Princess Changqing's face became even rosier.

"Well, everyone's definition of handsome is different. You might be biased because he's Song Shi'an's brother," Changqing continued to tease.

Xin Yue: "..." Why does everyone think that they should naturally favor Song Shi'an?

"If you're so curious, why don't you two go and take a look together?" Wei Wusheng urged.

Changqing didn't want to appear too eager, so he didn't answer directly. After a while, he turned around with a rather arrogant air and said with a snort, "Zou Xinyue, come with me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

.........

Thirty successful candidates in the imperial examinations arrived one after another.

After presenting the gold invoice, a senior eunuch led the group respectfully towards the palace.

The person at the very front and center of the list of successful candidates was naturally Song Shi'an. Even though he didn't express any particular opinion, the others consciously stepped back and showed him great respect.

This is the true value of a leader among the scholars of the world.

Ge Zhao, who was standing beside him, was humble, respectful and admiring throughout the journey, and took the initiative to talk and laugh with him.

Don't say that everyone is a hero among men, young and promising, so there will always be a huge gap between them.

There's a top scorer every year.

But Song Shi'an is more than just a once-in-a-decades occurrence.

After returning from the Battle of Shuofeng, he had already amassed a great reputation. Now, with the writing of "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River," his academic credentials have reached their peak.

Sun Qian was indeed jealous of this situation where everyone admired him, surrounded him, and fawned over him. However, he also felt a little smug.

A young man's brilliance is so dazzling, which emperor could possibly tolerate him?!
He would act the same way in front of the emperor.

Then he's not far from death.

"The scholars passed the Half-Moon Bridge—"

The aged voice of a senior eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs rang out as they approached Taiye Pond.

As the thirty newly appointed nobles crossed the boundary marker, a hundred kingfishers suddenly swirled up from among the embroidered rocks, startling the red-robed officials so much that their robes turned into a flowing cloud of rosy clouds.

As the procession passed through the L-shaped corridor, a sweet breeze wafted through the air. It turned out that the lychees from Southeast Asia, hanging in golden cages, had ripened and split open, their juices dripping onto the duckweed in the imperial moat, which attracted a red-scaled dragon-eye fish to leap up and snatch the food.

Young masters from noble families are all born with a silver spoon in their mouths, living lives of luxury and extravagance. But once they enter the palace, they discover what true nobility is.

His Majesty is relatively frugal.

How great would it be if the emperor were a tyrant?
Everyone's horizons were broadened a little.

Except for Sun Qian.

His family's garden in Quyang, Yangzhou, is no less impressive than this one. In fact, it is even more elegant and refined.

As for Song Shi'an, he could understand why, in ancient times, even though kings were so noble, they still had to fight for the position of crown prince. What would he do if he just wanted to be a carefree prince?
Because there is only one master of this vast palace.

The imperial palace was merely the tip of the iceberg of the emperor's wealth.

This entire world belongs to the emperor.

At a distance from the scholars' ranks, Changqing, accompanied by Xinyue, secretly peeked and observed from afar.

"I can't see anything here either." Changqing was getting anxious because Song Ce was inside, but she could only see a blurry figure. "If we go any further in, we'll enter Zhaoming Palace."

"Does Your Highness wish to see me today?" Xin Yue asked.

"I was just curious... I didn't say I particularly wanted to see him," Changqing explained.

Seeing her like this, Xinyue realized just how obvious it was when a woman was being coy.

Am I being coy too?
I'm sure I don't.

“When we leave the palace, I can call out to Song Shi’an, and Your Highness can observe from the carriage,” Xin Yue said.

Hearing this, Changqing was quite satisfied: "Okay, this is acceptable."

At this moment, the thirty successful candidates finally arrived at Taiye Pond.

There is a covered bridge by the pool.

Leading to the center is a huge and magnificent palace.

After each student unconsciously looked up, they gradually lowered their heads again.

The emperor was among them.

"All candidates for the imperial examination, enter the hall—"

.........

"Second Brother, I heard you caught a cold and couldn't attend the Qionglin Banquet. Is that so?"

When Empress Hua arrived at the imperial bedchamber, she found the emperor reviewing memorials, showing no signs of illness.

"I hereby send Ziyu and Zisheng to the Qionglin Banquet in my place," the emperor said without looking up.

"But Ziyu and Zisheng haven't been getting along very well lately..." Empress Hua said worriedly.

"Wouldn't it promote harmony between the two brothers if I allowed them to jointly perform the duties of the emperor on my behalf?"

The emperor raised his head and asked in return.

Upon hearing this, the Empress realized what was happening. A look of joy appeared on her face as she said, "Indeed, these two brothers should support each other more."

"Now is the time to support each other," the emperor said.

"Then Erlang, you should explain your thoughts to them," Empress Hua said.

"I've already appointed them both to co-host the Qionglin Banquet?" the emperor retorted. "Can't they see that?"

That's right, the emperor didn't say anything.

They were simply summoned directly, leaving their advisors no room to maneuver.

Let them perform the emperor's duties.

That doesn't mean that one can overstep boundaries at this time and actually act like an emperor.

What I give you is truly yours.

You cannot take what I did not give you.

(End of this chapter)