Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 201 Twenty Thousand Gold, Please Inspect

That night, Song Ce and Princess Changqing achieved a harmonious union.

Having obtained the unique Changqing of the Song family, he completely became a member of this family.

The following morning, they saw Song Shi'an off on his mission.

As Song Shi'an's groom, San Gou, who had returned from Freljord with him, led the horse to the door and carried some of his belongings.

"Shi'an, be careful on your journey, and don't get into any arguments," Jiang said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I know, Mother." Song Shi'an smiled and took her hand.

"Brother, have a safe journey." Song Ce bowed to him.

The younger sister-in-law beside him, whose complexion had become noticeably rosier, also said with great respect, "May Uncle return in triumph soon."

"Yeah, yeah, you two live your lives well." Song Shi'an didn't make any lewd jokes and said quite cheerfully, "I hope I can become an uncle soon too."

Both of them nodded shyly.

"Remember to bring me some good stuff from Yan when you come back," Song Qin said with her usual haughty air.

"Okay, okay." Song Shi'an patted his sister's head, truly like a gentle older brother.

Finally, there's Song Jing, the head of the family at this point.

He said seriously to his son, "You must always remember the way of diplomacy for small countries."

You don't need to be reminded of how a major power conducts its diplomacy, because it represents the major power's position, and you in this position will naturally know how to act accordingly.

However, you need to constantly put yourself in the shoes of a small country at a historical turning point to understand how a true balance can be achieved.

The so-called balance is a kind of precariousness between each other.

Rather than a stable and rigid triangular structure.

“Father, I understand.”

After bowing to Song Jing, he bid farewell to the Song residence.

He had a sword at his waist and mounted the horse led by the three dogs.

"You're still on duty in the Imperial Guard, right?"

After returning from Freljord, he was reinstated to the army, but Song Shi'an specifically requested him for this trip, so he was transferred out.

“Yes, and everyone knows I’m the Lord’s man… no, I mean, he’s the Lord’s man. In the Imperial Guard, even the captains treat me very politely, serving me good food and drink, and I don’t have to do anything.” San Gou said with particular pride.

Is the captain your boss?

I am the boss's boss.jpg

"Would you like me to find you a job?" Song Shi'an asked.

Wang Shuishan's father was a stable boy. Later, because he broke his leg, a military officer found him a job as a local county lieutenant.

“Lord, San Gou wants to be your stable boy, and be a stable boy for life.” San Gou said with a very simple smile, “I don’t want to be an official, nor do I want to be a centurion.”

“Okay, then you stay and watch over me,” Song Shi’an said with a smile.

General San Gou has a very high level of awareness.

Just as the two reached the intersection, a young girl sitting on a horse with her ponytail tied high was already waiting for them.

As soon as Song Shi'an arrived, Xin Yue tossed the fish-shaped tally directly to him.

Song Shi'an casually took it.

The two men rode side by side.

"No problem," Xinyue said truthfully. "I don't know if it's really okay, but I did everything you said."

“Xin Yue, do you know what the key to making this happen is?” Song Shi’an asked.

“Liar,” Xin Yue said.

“This is just a formality,” Song Shi’an said. “The real key is that he had no choice.”

Only after these words were spoken did Xinyue realize that she had already accomplished her task.

And no wonder Song Shi'an felt comfortable letting her do it.

Because this kind of thing can be accomplished as long as it's done in Song Shi'an's name.

She and the prince's wife are two women, making her a good bridge between them.

If Song Shi'an were to speak with the young master alone, it would inevitably raise suspicions of collusion.

If Song Shi'an were to have a private conversation with the young master's wife... rumors would spread about them.

"Also, this matter is not worth mentioning."

Song Shi'an's expression gradually turned serious.

Old Wei has already authorized everything; as long as I get this done, I can stop at nothing.

He won't interfere with the process.

Of course, Song Shi'an was also prepared for Lao Wei to send people to monitor and hinder him.

This is so normal.

With 20,000 gold coins in his pocket, he headed north. He also had a political bargaining chip in his hand. Northern Yan was only a few hundred miles away from Northern Liang. If Song Shi'an decided to stay put and not return, the things he possessed could allow him to establish a fifth kingdom on the spot.

The two men and three dogs arrived at the National Trust Hall.

Since taking office, Song Shi'an has not visited his own unit even once, as he has not had any extra time. However, the journey of these twenty-odd days is enough for them to get to know each other.

A dozen or so officials were already waiting in front of the pavilion. Upon seeing Song Shi'an on horseback, they all went over to pay their respects.

"We pay our respects to Your Excellency."

Song Shi'an immediately dismounted, walked over, and found the leader, a man who looked to be about thirty years old, and asked, "What is your name?"

"Your Excellency, I am Zhou Tong, an envoy from the State Trust Office, a sixth-rank official," the man introduced himself.

"Report the number of accompanying personnel and the number of officials with official positions," Song Shi'an said.

“There are twelve officials in total. Apart from you, three others hold official positions. I am a sixth-rank official, and there is another eighth-rank official and a ninth-rank official,” he said.

“Let’s add two more,” Song Shi’an said with a smile. “This is the Moon Envoy, and this is the Three Dog Envoy.”

As soon as the words "Three Dog Messengers" were uttered, several people couldn't help but chuckle.

But Song Shi'an's gaze then swept over.

Everyone felt uneasy.

"From now on, if there is any news and I am not present, you can report to Yue Shi." Song Shi'an calmly established the rules. "And if I have any orders to convey, seeing the Three Dogs Messenger is the same as seeing me."

"Yes."

The words "Three Dog Messengers" were still uttered, but no one's expression changed because of this ridiculous title.

They've established their authority.

"I'm new here and don't know much, please teach me, Zhou Jieshi." But soon, he showed a friendly smile and patted Zhou Tong on the shoulder.

The main character is someone who is unpredictable and moody.

"My lord, I dare not presume to offer advice, but I will certainly do my utmost to assist you," Zhou Tong said humbly.

"Okay, who else will accompany us?" Song Shi'an asked.

"My lord, please take a look at the list. There are still twenty-eight people left." When this was mentioned, because of some sensitive topics, Zhou Tong took out a list and said in a low voice, "Six are Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) and twenty-two are Imperial Guards. Among them, the leader is Master Zuo of Jinyiwei, a fourth-rank official."

Zuo Ziliang, Deputy Envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Shen Kang's deputy.

Like Song Shi'an, he was a fourth-rank official.

But his rank of fourth grade was terrifying; many officials of the second grade in the imperial court had to address him with respect.

After all, he directly represented the emperor.

After all, his appearance signifies something big, something bad.

Moreover, Zuo Ziliang has a very special identity.

His maternal grandfather was Wei Ye.

That's right, the emperor's grandson.

In ancient times, it was quite normal for a sixty-year-old emperor to have a thirty-year-old grandson.

To ensure absolute loyalty, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were selected from the sons of noble families, many of whom were related to the emperor and empress.

Therefore, they made the officials tremble with fear even more.

"Oh, I see."

However, Song Shi'an didn't take it seriously and spoke in a very relaxed tone.

Yours is a fourth-rank official, but mine is?

A short while later, Zuo Ziliang arrived with his guards.

He dismounted his horse some distance from Song Shi'an, showing none of his former imposing manner.

Prompted, Song Shi'an slowly turned around. Upon seeing him, he walked over and greeted him with a bow, saying, "Master Zuo has arrived."

As soon as Song Shi'an made this gesture, Zuo Ziliang immediately clenched his fists, lowered his head, and said with utmost respect, "Your Excellency may simply call me Ziliang."

Little Stomach Ryoko is here.

Song Shi'an was quite satisfied with his reaction.

A team can only have one leader. Both of them are fourth-rank officials, and he is also a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If this authority is not established, then the leadership cannot be determined.

Song Shi'an couldn't do this job either.

The other party must have been trained by Lao Wei and told that he should put himself first in everything.

"Brother Ziliang, we'll be relying on you for the rest of the journey," Song Shi'an said with a smile.

"You're too kind, Your Excellency." Zuo Ziliang smiled and continued, "There are two more things that require Your Excellency's authorization to receive."

As he spoke, Song Shi'an took out the fish-shaped tally and said, "Please send someone, Brother Ziliang, to bring the hostage out for me."

Zuo Ziliang accepted the document with both hands, then said to the Imperial Guard standing beside him, "Go and bring Kang Yi and his family out for the magistrate, and escort them by carriage."

"Yes!"

The Imperial Guard clenched his fist to receive the order, and then carried it out.

In reality, they were still following Zuo Ziliang's orders.

But there was nothing Song Shi'an could do; he couldn't control him.

"The remaining items," Zuo Ziliang said, "will still need to be inspected by the magistrate himself."

Twenty thousand gold coins.

"Understood." Song Shi'an nodded, then casually said to Xin Yue beside him, "Let's go."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a member of the Imperial Guard said, "Only Your Majesty can go to the national treasury."

Song Shi'an's face darkened instantly. He slowly turned his head and stared at him.

"You scoundrel!" Zuo Ziliang immediately slapped him across the face. "Have you forgotten His Majesty's words? We are here to assist and protect the envoy on his mission. When did you become the one to tell the envoy what to do?"

The Imperial Guard who had been slapped immediately lowered his head: "Yes!"

As Zuo Ziliang spoke, he also looked at Song Shi'an, whose expression was clearly not good.

Then suddenly, the other party's expression changed, and they said quite gently, "It's just business, I understand."

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency," Zuo Ziliang said.

Xin Yue, standing to the side, couldn't help but feel worried.

Song Shi'an could be fierce to anyone, but he couldn't be rude to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The emperor will definitely find out, and he'll definitely be angry...

Song Shi'an has already seen his future.

A conflict has already arisen.

But he couldn't help it.

He couldn't possibly bring a bunch of fathers with him to do this.

You'll have to reluctantly play the role of my son for now.

Even if these people have already remembered me.

"please."

Zuo Ziliang extended an invitation to Song Shi'an.

The three men rode their horses to the national treasury, which was under the supervision of the Ministry of Personnel.

Because of the wedding, the emperor granted his father a few days off.

It's hard to imagine how surprised he would be when he went to his workplace and discovered that 20,000 yuan had been withdrawn from the national treasury.

He probably never imagined that it was all his son's idea to leave.

Accompanied by the deputy envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Song Shi'an entered the gates of the national treasury.

Then, in a heavily guarded warehouse, they saw a total of ten wooden crates.

The officials in charge of the treasury used keys to unlock the locks one by one. After opening each box, the gold ingots were revealed to be pleasing to the eye, radiating an alluring luster.

Trypophobia miraculously healed in an instant.

"My lord," the treasury official turned and bowed, "please inspect."

(End of this chapter)