Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 193 Song Shi'an Gets Promoted!
The alleyway outside Taiyuan Hall.

Zhao Lun walked up to the Prince of Jin, his eyes filled with bitterness, and said with some gratitude, "Your Highness, my son is about to leave."

During the previous court assembly, Zhao Xiang was sentenced by Wei Wusheng and almost punished. It was only after the Prince of Jin intervened that he was able to go to Yizhou and temporarily serve as a sergeant in Xia Chun's garrison.

"When shall we depart?" the King of Jin asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Zhao Lun said somewhat apologetically, "My son said he must pay his respects to Your Highness Prince Jin before he departs. However, he is currently a commoner and a criminal, which may cause you trouble, Your Highness."

“His Majesty has already decided on his punishment. He is now a platoon leader in my Great Yu, and also the son of the old general. There is no need for such concerns,” said the Prince of Jin. “If he wants to come, Marquis Xun should not dissuade him, nor should he scold him.”

"Thank you, Your Highness." He bowed, his voice trembling with emotion.

Then the Prince of Jin, with a smile, took his arm, showing great gentleness and magnanimity.

Many of the officials witnessed this scene.

I have also developed a great deal of goodwill towards this prince.

After all, they're in these positions, they're all powerful and wealthy. If they could have a get-out-of-jail-free card, that would be true security.

After bowing to the Prince of Zhongping, Zhao Lun left first.

The two kings walked slowly, discussing the matter as they went.

Wei Yiyuan said with some confusion, "His Majesty has generally not held morning court sessions unless there is something important to discuss these past two years. But this time, why is there not a single word about it?"

"Is there nothing serious happening?" the Prince of Jin analyzed.

"I'm afraid something big has happened that we don't know about."

As he spoke, Wei Yiyuan glanced at the two kings who were also traveling together not far away.

"Don't overthink it, let's go."

The Prince of Jin knew that his faction was in a state of panic, but there was nothing he could do. Everything depended on the military farms, and now they were at a disadvantage and couldn't produce any output.

And so, the officials entered the palace.

After bowing to the emperor, they rose one after another.

Song Jing's position has become very high, and Ye Changqing, the top-ranking official of the third rank, has also moved up a bit.

The situation in the imperial court has become quite volatile.

Moreover, Wei Wusheng, as the Prince of Zhongshan, became a force to be reckoned with.

"Minister Ouyang has been ill at home these past few days. He wrote me a letter of leave yesterday, and it seems he will be unable to take up his post for some time," the Emperor said.

Upon hearing this, everyone expressed their concern for Ouyang Ke.

This includes the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Zhongping.

What bothered them even more was that Song Jing was going to take up such an important position.

Among them, the Prince of Zhongping was particularly displeased.

That old fox Ouyang Ke is a master strategist. He doesn't help either the King of Wu or the King of Jin; he just wants to wait for the conflict to end.

If the Prince of Jin were to truly ascend the throne, he would surely persuade his second brother to strip this old man of his power and leave him with a sinecure to retire.

Of course, that's thinking too far ahead.

"The affairs of the Secretariat will be temporarily handled by Song Jing, the Vice Minister of the Secretariat," the Emperor announced. "If any of you ministers have matters to report to the Secretariat, you may contact the Vice Minister directly."

"Yes," the officials replied in unison.

Song Jing then turned slightly to the side, smiling, and bowed slightly to the officials.

"Today, we will mainly discuss one matter."

The emperor got straight to the point.

In front of all the officials, Eunuch Xi began to read the military report aloud.

As they listened, a commotion broke out in the main hall.

At the same time, many people were filled with indignation.

"This Kang Xun originally submitted to my Great Yu, yet he dares to form an alliance with the pseudo-Qi?"

"Moreover, the prefect who was sent out was intercepted and killed halfway!"

"Would Kang Xun do something so important? Although it happened in Dongliang, there's something fishy about it."

"The issue now is not whether it's strange or not, but that this matter must be attributed to Kang Xun. This cannot be dismissed with a simple excuse of inadequate control."

"Yes, we must make Kang Xun hand over the people and terminate the alliance, otherwise we will send troops to wipe out his mere Liaodong!"

Everyone wore expressions of anger, whether genuine or not.

The same goes for the Prince of Zhongping.

But it was only after seeing the reactions of Wei Wusheng and the King of Wu that he became truly angry.

Quietly, he glanced at the Prince of Jin.

Second brother! Father told fourth brother about this beforehand! You've been abandoned!
The Prince of Jin also directly felt the complete absence of paternal love.

You should know that the emperor had consulted with him on some matters before.

Although it wasn't really a discussion, and he was forced to make the decision, it was mostly a teaching and testing session, but now this person had become the King of Wu!

He has already been considered the crown prince!

If Father's health isn't good and he can't last three to five years, then it's all over.

Even though the land reclamation project was not successful, but only in progress, the throne of the King of Wu was still very secure.

We need to step up our game today!

Sun Situ outwardly appeared angry and continued to curse, but inwardly he was secretly delighted.

With this 'kill,' the Yan-Qi alliance is now secure.

If he were from the State of Qi, he would have sent the hostage over as soon as possible, making the situation irreversible, and the entire north would be in danger.

Farming?

Hoarding my ass.

It's definitely too late. Qi is so close to Northern Yan, even if Sheng An were to go on a mission now, it wouldn't be enough time.

Good, good! Ji Yuan truly deserves to be called a great ruler; he is decisive.

"My beloved ministers, what do you think?" the emperor asked.

Zhao Yi's father, the iron-fisted hawk Zhao Lie, stepped forward: "Your Majesty, the alliance between Yan and Qi is beyond repair. I request permission to send troops to attack Yan. Even if we cannot achieve a complete victory, we must at least capture Cangliao Pass and make a treaty with Kang Xun under duress."

Many military officers agreed with his words.

"Yes, even if the Northern Yan and the pseudo-Qi will interfere, we have the advantage in military strength. We only need to win one battle and take Cangliao Pass. Once the Northern Yan loses its barrier, it will be impossible for it to form an alliance with Qi again."

“That’s right, Kang Xun is cowardly and reckless. Just a little scare will surely make him cower and immediately confess and repent.”

"We must fight! We must fight!"

As they were speaking, Sun Situ suddenly said, "The disloyalty of a vassal state should indeed be severely punished. I am not knowledgeable in military affairs, but if we only take Cangliao Pass, will Kangxun sever ties with Ji Yuan, or will they become even closer?"

Upon hearing this, all the military officers were stunned.

By exerting all their efforts, they can indeed achieve local victories; the generals' plans are sound.

But in politics, the old Situ was more scathing.

It's obvious at a glance that winning only local battles isn't enough.

“Unless we can easily take Cangliao Pass and then return it to Kang Xun, demonstrating our ability to suppress him at will, he will turn to us,” Sun Situ added. “But if we fight tooth and nail and can only take one pass, and Kang Xun is worried about the crisis of national subjugation, he might want to form an alliance with Ji Yuan.”

“What Situ said is absolutely right,” Zhao Lie said. “Therefore, a small local victory is naturally not enough. After taking Cangliao Pass, we still need to attack cities and territories, seize people, station troops, and severely damage the vitality of Northern Yan.” The nobles need a victory to regain face.

Zhao Lie's biggest hated opponent right now is Song Shi'an, who has been praised the most but only won a battle to defend the city.

Even though his son is now a member of the Wu King's faction along with Song Shi'an.

But in the eyes of the King of Jin, Zhao Lie was also a member of the King of Wu's faction.

Therefore, he immediately gave a wink to his cousin, Hua Zheng, who was ranked among the Nine Ministers, controlled the national army, and whose civil and military officials each made up half of the ranks.

Hua Zheng was also a nobleman, and the current Empress Hua was his aunt. However, his father died a little early, so he became the head of the family in his forties.

Upon receiving the hint from the Prince of Jin, he stepped forward directly and said quite firmly, "Kang Xun is a traitor who is unrepentant and two-faced. He truly deserves severe punishment. I am willing to lead troops to punish him."

Although both were nobles and natives of Qinzhou, Zhao Lie wanted to personally humiliate Song Shi'an, so he argued with him, "Grand Master Hua, wasn't it this old minister who spoke first?"

“General, you are advanced in years, the journey is long, and Liaodong is a remote and desolate place. I cannot bear to see you suffer.” Hua Zheng said compassionately, then knelt down on one knee and said to the emperor, “Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops!”

Zhao Lie was displeased: "You..."

But as soon as East China University of Political Science and Law did this, others immediately followed suit.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to be the vanguard and win the first merit for my Great Yu!"

"Your subject is also willing to go to war!"

Many generals seized the opportunity to rise to prominence.

Including Hua Zheng, there was also a figure who was vaguely associated with the Prince of Jin.

Of course, the rest were mostly military generals who felt Song Shi'an was in danger and wanted to prove their worth.

However, the King of Wu remained remarkably calm.

This made the King of Zhongping realize a problem—could it be that His Majesty has reached a consensus with the King of Wu?

"Hmm." The emperor responded knowingly, then asked the Duke of Li, "What does the Duke of Li think?"

The Duke of Li slowly stepped forward.

All the generals kneeling behind him looked at him intently, hoping that the old general would give them a chance: Let us fight.

“Fighting is the only option,” said the Duke of Li. “But I believe that before we fight, we could make a final envoy trip to warn them, which might help us avoid this battle.”

It turns out the emperor had already planned this mission!
The Prince of Jin noticed this, and then gave Hua Zhengshi a meaningful look: When he says he's going on a mission later, you go!

Hua Zheng was tense and dared not look at Prince Jin.

"The Duke of Li is absolutely right." The emperor nodded, then asked, "Who can serve as an envoy to Northern Yan?"

His question immediately silenced those who had been shouting so fiercely.

"Both civil and military officials are acceptable," the emperor added.

Hurry up and tell me you're going!
The Prince of Jin glared at Hua Zheng, unwilling to be marginalized in politics.

The Prince of Zhongping also glared at him.

Hua Zheng frowned and dared not speak.

If you ask me to go to war, I certainly can.

There are wins and losses in war, but no matter what, you don't need to go to the battlefield yourself.

But when one goes on a diplomatic mission, one enters the palace alone.

How many monarchs in history have cooked and killed envoys from enemy countries?
If Yan and Qi form an alliance, wouldn't Dayu become an enemy state?

No, I'm not going!
The Prince of Jin had no choice but to turn his attention to other members of his faction. However, since they all shared the same idea, none of them dared to speak.

The previous messenger died on the way—a bloody lesson indeed!

You should know that those who can sit in the main hall are all of the fourth rank.

Which fourth-rank official would dare to vie for such wealth and status?
The useless Jinwang Party.

The King of Wu smiled to himself.

“Your Majesty,” he stepped forward and said, “I recommend someone to be sent on this mission.”

Upon hearing this, Song Jingdu was taken aback.

Could it be that……

Damn it, my own son still wants to go to Northern Yan!

This must have been planned beforehand!

What an unfilial son! What a truly unfilial son!
"Who is it?" the emperor asked.

“Song Shi’an, who just won a great victory over Ji Yuan in Beiliang.”

As soon as the King of Wu finished speaking, everyone immediately began to discuss.

Sun Situ, however, had a serious expression.

Why is this kid still trying to get rich?

Is this crazy?
Can this work?
"Song Shi'an is indeed very suitable."

“That’s right. Kang Xun is afraid of Ji Yuan, but Song Shi’an just defeated Ji Yuan, so Kang Xun is even more afraid of Song Shi’an.”

"It might actually work."

The Prince of Jin was somewhat desperate.

The Wu King's faction got there first again.

Prince Zhongping, however, seemed to have calmed down a bit.

If Song Shi'an had died in Northern Yan...

"Song Shi'an should not know about this, right?" the emperor asked.

“Your Majesty, Song Shi’an is unaware,” said the King of Wu.

This is the face the emperor gave him.

It wasn't that Song Shi'an knew about this matter, which is why he volunteered to go on the mission.

However, no one in the hall dared to go on the mission. Therefore, His Highness the King of Wu recommended a suitable person for the mission.

This is the emperor asking Song Shi'an for help.

Of course, this is the basics.

The emperor knew Song Shi'an's temperament and that he would never sell himself so easily.

"Then we'll have to ask Minister Song about this matter." The Emperor looked at Song Jing. "This is Minister Song's own son. Even others are reluctant to part with him. Can you bear to?"

The entire audience bowed their heads in embarrassment.

“My son is unaware of this yet, but he is willing to serve the Great Yu.” Song Jing was at a loss.

Because this scoundrel had already secretly discussed it with the King of Wu.

"Hmm, truly a man of impeccable loyalty." After praising him highly, the emperor asked, "What is Song Shi'an's current official position?"

"Your Majesty, I am currently a fifth-rank official, but because there are not many candidates for this position, I have not yet taken office." Yu Xiu took the initiative to speak because Song Jing wanted to avoid suspicion.

"Based on Song's courage and loyalty, he should be promoted by half a rank, to the fourth rank."

Without a second thought, the emperor immediately decided: "Appoint Song Shi'an as the Deputy Envoy of State Affairs, and he shall take office today."

(End of this chapter)