Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 206 Song Shi'an's Good Son

Inside the Prince of Jin's residence, the two princes sat together.

Both of them were in a very low mood.

Because they suddenly realized they knew nothing.

Even regarding this mission, as the emperor's own son, he couldn't get a single clue about its contents or conditions.

The position of Minister of State Affairs fell into the hands of Song Shi'an's father.

The position of Sheng'an Ling has also fallen into Ye Changqing's hands.

It seems the emperor is determined to officially recognize the King of Wu as the legitimate ruler.

“This mission is being handled with such tight secrecy…” King Jin looked at Wei Yiyuan and said, “It seems that it involves many things that cannot be made public.”

The only thing we know is that the hostage's family was also taken there.

"Second Brother," Wei Yiyuan smiled, and asked, "Do you think Fourth Brother would know these details?"

"Of course." The Prince of Jin was not one to deceive himself.

“If we can stabilize Northern Yan without even fighting a single battle,” Wei Yiyuan warned, “then we will have absolutely no chance of turning the tide.”

“We can pray that Song Shi’an’s mission fails,” the Prince of Jin said solemnly. “Then we must not sabotage his mission…”

"Second brother, you're saying that again."

Wei Yiyuan was already getting fed up with this pedantic brother.

“Listen to me,” the Prince of Jin explained, “I am not merely a hypocrite, trying to please everyone. If you were to use a sly trick at this time and it were discovered, what do you think would happen?”

"..." Wei Yiyuan was stunned for a moment, "They wouldn't possibly kill us."

“They won’t kill us over such a trivial matter,” Prince Jin said, staring at him. “But to pave the way for the fourth prince, will they imprison us in the Imperial Clan Court?”

"They won't be locked up for life..."

"Once they're out there, who will listen to us?"

That one sentence calmed Wei Yiyuan down.

True.

If they were imprisoned for crimes during the power transition, the world would be very different when they were released a few years later.

It's like a Hong Kong movie: the boss bravely slashes people and gets sent to the orange pit, but after he comes out, his former underlings dare to step on him.

Political figures enjoy performing and often stage a "stepping down" act.

However, if one lacks sufficient control, simply mentioning one's name will not have the deterrent effect that inspires fear, and the risk of stepping down becomes very high.

“We have only lost the battle, not suffered heavy losses or been completely routed,” the Prince of Jin patiently told Wei Yiyuan. “In fact, our supporters are now even stronger than before.”

The core base remains unchanged, and has even grown larger.

"But the King of Wu expanded even faster."

"Yes, but we are still full of energy."

"Second Brother," Wei Yiyuan said, looking into his eyes, "how long has it been since you last saw Father?"

"Since the last court assembly..."

The Prince of Jin was halfway through his speech when he suddenly realized what he meant.

Even if they were being neglected, it shouldn't be to the point that they weren't allowed to see each other at all, right?

The emperor's body...

It's not very good.

Like a fierce old wolf, it no longer hunts easily. It dares not show signs of impending decline, lest its leadership vanish in an instant.

We have to speed up.

"Do you know that the King of Wu has some personality issues, since we grew up together?" the King of Jin asked.

"what is the problem?"

"He seemed very generous, the most extravagant among our group, always giving gifts to everyone he met."

After the Prince of Jin spoke, Wei Yiyuan nodded in agreement, saying, "But the things he gives to others are things he doesn't want. Even if he's willing to share, he won't give them up if they're his favorite things."

The Prince of Jin laughed: "If you want something from him, and he really likes that thing, he will be quite enthusiastic in giving you something else in return."

This certainly doesn't count as being stingy.

The King of Wu was even willing to donate all his wealth to cultivate a good relationship with Wei Wusheng, even if the latter was doomed to die. All that money was only enough to buy a good reputation, and he did not hesitate.

However, this can also be considered a drawback.

Because the higher up a person is, the more they can get.

What the King of Wu could give, he himself could also receive.

What he wanted was something he couldn't obtain on his own, but could only get from the King of Wu.

The Prince of Jin was willing to give it.

“He can’t tolerate disobedience.” Wei Yiyuan understood. “We’ll start with the disobedient.”

“Yes, he not only cannot tolerate Wusheng, but he also cannot tolerate Song Shi’an if he is unwilling to completely submit to him,” said Prince Jin. “We can’t do other things, but we should keep an eye on his subordinates, Wusheng, Song Shi’an, Zhao Yi, and Ye Changqing. We will eventually reap the rewards.”

The Wu king's entourage expanded too quickly.

The current harmony between the nouveau riche and the old money is only superficial.

As long as we separate those two kings who appear to be united but are actually estranged...

……

We kept heading north, without stopping, for more than ten days.

We are getting closer and closer to Dongliang.

Song Shi'an also got along well with the rest of the team.

But ultimately, I couldn't be completely convinced.

After all, the Imperial Guards were Wei Ye's personal troops.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were also his loyal family dogs.

Only temporary obedience.

In fact, if he ruined his plans, Song Shi'an wouldn't even be able to kill him on the spot; Zuo Ziliang would have to use private torture instead.

This is what we call being hindered.

Very effective.

As for Kang Yi's side...

They still didn't hand over the writing materials they were asked to write.

During this time, Xin Yue went to his wife several times, but she only said that she was trying her best to persuade him, but she couldn't convince him.

There's no need to guess; this couple probably has some ulterior motives—we can't easily compromise and sell ourselves out, otherwise we'd be as cheap as prostitutes, wouldn't we?
It's alright, they're not that superior.

In Song Shi'an's eyes, they were people he could bully at will.

"Hey kid, can you ride a horse?"

After sitting in the carriage for a while, Song Shi'an jokingly asked his son.

No one else knew that Kang Qing was his son. The boy was also very sensible and didn't tell anyone that he was required to call him "Dad."

He insisted that the bump on his head was from bumping into something.

“Father, I don’t know how,” Kang Qing said.

“Those born in the proton house have never left there, so they probably don’t have that opportunity,” Xin Yue said.

"Okay, let's learn to ride horses today."

After Song Shi'an told the coachman, San Gou, to stop the carriage, he got off.

Seeing this, the others also stopped their horses.

Then, Song Shi'an casually pointed out, "Unload one of these horses from the carriage and let Kangqing ride it."

“Lord,” San Gou said, “this horse is too strong and tall, and this child is too young.”

"How about it, do you want to change to another horse?" Song Shi'an asked, stroking Kang Qing's head.

Song Shi'an is one of the two.

Kang Qing pointed directly to the darker, stronger Liangzhou horse on the left: "This one."

"Wow." Seeing this, Zuo Ziliang laughed and clapped his hands. "The Kang family still has some real men."

The others were also laughing heartily.

Everyone looked at this spirited child.

Kangyi and his wife, who were in the carriage, were unaware of what was happening. The caravan stopped, and his wife lifted the curtain to see her son being put on a horse with his feet being stuffed into the stirrups.

The rest of the Dayu people watched from the sidelines.

She panicked immediately and shouted loudly at Song Shi'an, "Lord! Qing'er can't ride a horse!"

"That's why you have to learn."

Song Shi'an said with a smile.

Seeing that everyone was laughing at Kang Qing and had no intention of teaching him, and besides, that horse was so tall...

Unable to contain herself any longer, she broke free from Kang Yi's hand and ran off the carriage.

They wanted to pull Kang Qing down, but they couldn't get through the encirclement at all.

So she ran straight to Song Shi'an's side, grabbed his leg, and said with tears in her eyes, "Lord...please let him go."

"What are you saying?" Song Shi'an was unhappy. "Am I harming him? I'm teaching him a lesson."

“Madam,” Zuo Ziliang, who was standing to the side, said, “It is very shameful for people from Yan not to be able to ride horses. You can ask the young master if you don’t believe me.”

"You can't do this..." the young master's wife pleaded, "Someone should take care of him."

“Then I’ll take him.”

Song Shi'an reached out and took a horsewhip.

Then, he casually waved his hand, signaling his men to pull the princess away.

Then, he walked over to Kang Qing and asked, "Are the stirrups ready?"

"It's ready." Kang Qing nodded.

“Look ahead,” Song Shi’an said.

"Yes."

"Holding the reins tightly."

"Yes."

"Are you holding on tight?"

"Hold it tight."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Song Shi'an lashed the horse's rump with his whip.

pia!

In an instant, the black Liangzhou horse charged out like a sharp arrow.

Kangqing, who had been gripping the reins with both hands, was suddenly jolted up, one hand slipping from his grasp. He was almost thrown off balance, his center of gravity shifting completely backward, hanging askew to one side.

The horse continued to gallop wildly, and seemingly sensing everyone's teasing of Kang Qing, it deliberately bullied him, swaying from side to side from time to time...

"Ah!" The young master's wife almost burst into tears. "My lord, please save him! He's going to fall!"

Kang Yi also got off the carriage, looking anxiously into the distance, at a loss for what to do.

"This horse is too wild; it's not suitable for children," someone said.

“That’s what I think too,” Song Shi’an stated. “I just asked him if we should change to another horse.”

Zuo Ziliang said, "What you said is right, sir. I heard it too."

"My lord!" The young lady knew perfectly well that this was forcing her to submit. Song Shi'an had lost his patience, so she crawled to his knees, grabbed his thighs, and said with tears in her eyes, "My lord, please let him go. I will try even harder to satisfy you..."

The voice wasn't loud, but Zuo Ziliang heard it and glanced over suspiciously.

Then, she saw Song Shi'an glare at her.

The princess consort, however, continued to gaze pleadingly.

"I'm riding it!"

"It's tamed!"

"This kid's got guts!"

Just then, Kangqing conquered the Xiliang horse and galloped forward.

The fun that everyone had turned into tension as the distance between them gradually increased.

A member of the Imperial Guard hurriedly said, "My lord!"

Song Shi'an raised his hand and waved it.

Everyone watched as the black horse rode away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As it got further and further away, almost out of sight, it gradually slowed down, then suddenly reined in its horse and turned around.