Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 210 Go sleep with his wife again?
Kang Qing lived in constant fear.

I was so scared that my whole body went cold and I kept trembling.

Because Song Shi'an said that if the deal with his father wasn't reached, his mother wouldn't be able to survive.

He also told himself that hatred was the right thing to do.

But one must hate Song Shi'an.

Before this, the only thing this young man hated was the State of Yan...

A country I've never met, yet I'm willing to die for it.

If Kang Qing were to gain power, the first thing he would do is to destroy that country.

To be precise, it was to kill Kang Xun, slaughter the Gongsun and Qin families, and wipe out all the old fogies!
He always kept these emotions hidden.

But Song Shi'an saw it immediately.

His deepest darkness, dampness, and cruelty.

They even encouraged him to hate, and helped him to hate...

No matter who it is, when they are in darkness and in dire straits, they will have a belief, like an invisible light shining into a cave, that allows them to keep breathing.

Kang Qing's light is his hatred for the Yan region.

But the more people you hate, the stronger you become.

I'll only feel lost.

Therefore, he did not want to hate Song Shi'an.

He loved this stepfather.

No matter how much he humiliated, beat, or deceived...

Therefore, he did not want his mother to die.

After all, his mother's death meant he would definitely have someone to hate.

But Song Shi'an wouldn't allow himself to hate his biological father, because that would be seen as weakness.

Then he will be abandoned.

"How about we use this kid as leverage?"

The march continued until almost nightfall, and Kangyi still hadn't brought the supplies. Xinyue was starting to get a little anxious.

She was a little worried that the family would tell on her.

Once they have the goods, even if they betray us and it's proven true, we can explain that it was part of the plan.

However, betraying someone midway could cause some misunderstandings.

“No.” Song Shi’an shook his head, then asked the terrified Kang Qing, “If you were me, would you use ‘you’ to threaten them at this moment?”

"..." Kang Qing looked up in surprise, stared at Song Shi'an, and shook his head after a long pause.

"Why?" Xin Yue questioned.

Kang Qing glanced at her, then at Song Shi'an, and said tremblingly, "The ones who are anxious are my parents, not my father... not Song Shi'an."

Song Shi'an immediately laughed, held out his hand to him, and said with satisfaction, "See, isn't this kid smart?"

The core of the negotiation is the division of interests.

It is the weaker party that gets anxious.

“Even if they are important to us, there’s no need to grab them by the neck,” Song Shi’an said. “They are desperate criminals standing on the edge of a cliff. If you chase after them, they might jump if you push them too far, and you can still leave some reputation behind. If you ignore them, they might come to you and ask if they can have some food.”

Xinyue understood.

But she was even more wary of Kang Qing, and even warned Song Shi'an directly: "You'd better keep an eye on him, or I'll kill him sooner or later."

"No, please," Song Shi'an advised. "I'm counting on him to take care of us in our old age."

"If he takes care of you in your old age, how can you sleep soundly?"

Xin Yue thought Song Shi'an had really gone mad.

"It's all uncertain." Stroking Kang Qing's head, Song Shi'an was very open-minded. "If I don't have the ability to control him and I get backstabbed by this kid, I'll accept it."

"Doing such dangerous things all the time..."

After making a comment, Xin Yue didn't argue with him anymore.

Because he also knew that Kang Qing was indeed dangerous, but the politics of Yan were too complex for a mere child to understand. There were several powerful figures like Gongsun Xing, and just fighting against them would be a huge challenge for the kid.

The carriage continued its journey.

Finally, we arrived at the new city.

Having sat in the carriage all day, Song Shi'an prepared to get off.

Suddenly, Kangqing grabbed his leg and pleaded in terror, "Father, spare Mother!"

"Son, you have to accept the consequences of your bet," Song Shi'an said.

"Father, I'll die in Mother's place." Kang Qing shook his head hurriedly and pleaded, "Let me die, please? Father, I beg you."

Where's your brain, you little brat?

Pointing his finger at his forehead, Song Shi'an scolded, "Who do you think you are? Who do you think your mother is? Does she think she can come and exchange you for you? What are you thinking?"

Even if a hundred Zhao Jis died, they wouldn't be worth as much as one Ying Zheng.

Startled by what he was said, Kang Qing paused for a moment, then suddenly reached for the sword at Xin Yue's waist.

Then, Xin Yue punched him right in the face: "You've rebelled?"

“Give it to him,” Song Shi’an said.

"Don't talk nonsense. This kid has a sword; who knows what he might do..."

"Give it to him." Song Shi'an interrupted directly, his tone somewhat displeased.

With a kick towards Song Shi'an, Xin Yue angrily drew her sword from her waist and threw it in front of Kang Qing. However, her other hand remained beside her boot, ready to draw another small knife.

Then, the boy, trembling, picked up the sword and held it directly to his neck. The blade was embedded in his flesh, and a faint red mark had already appeared.

"Father, please spare my mother," Kang Qing said, his voice trembling with tears.

“See? You get it right away,” Song Shi’an said. “That’s right, the truly important person is you. If you want to threaten me, you can only do it yourself. Only in this way can you achieve your goal.”

Xin Yue finally understood.

He was giving the kid lessons the whole way.

Lesson One: When weak, bow your head before the strong. Lesson Two: Don't trust anyone.

The final lesson: Understand your worth.

Indeed, once you understand these things, at the very least you'll be able to survive...

"Father, spare my mother."

Kang Qing had no other intentions; he only wanted to threaten Chenggong.

“Yes, I promise you,” Song Shi’an said. “I will return the sword to your Yue Niang.”

"..." Looking into the other person's eyes, Kang Qing slowly put down his sword.

But the next moment, a hand came over.

He instinctively closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and braced himself for the slap, but the large, kind hand stopped on his head and gently stroked it a few times: "Yes, I promise you, I'll let your mother go."

"...Thank you, Father."

Domination is Stockholm syndrome.

"Let's go, we're heading into town."

Song Shi'an, Xin Yue, and Kang Qing then disembarked from the carriage.

Not far away lies a fortified city—the New City.

Originally a prosperous capital, it was burned down and became primarily a military stronghold. In terms of economy and population, it ranked only fourth in Liangzhou, just slightly better than Shuofeng.

The moment Xin Yue saw it from afar, her eyes widened in shock.

But she quickly calmed down.

Song Shi'an taught her to stay calm.

If a person seeks revenge with hatred in their heart, they will not even see the enemy, and will be chopped into mincemeat.

As they walked, Xinyue whispered, "Did you really agree to that kid's offer?"

Song Shi'an laughed: "That good-for-nothing Kang Yi, do you really think he's that tough?"

Similarly, there is also a trading mentality involved.

The weaker party, by dragging their feet until the last minute to reluctantly agree, will save face and appear less 'cheap'.

"Lord Song, Lord Zuo, and Prefect of Ji County pay their respects to you both."

In the middle of the night, the prefectural magistrate led his men to greet them at the city gate.

The two walked over and bowed slightly.

Then, the Prefect of Ji County added, "General Zhong has gone to the border."

Zhong Ji was the military commander of Ji Commandery. His official title was Commandant, equivalent to General of the Household, a fourth-rank official.

However, he could only command the county troops under his command, and was under the command of the General Zhen Dong, who was responsible for defending against Northern Yan.

“Mm.” Song Shi’an nodded with a slight smile, then said, “It’s already too late today, there’s no need for any welcoming ceremony. Just let the delegation and the brothers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard rest.”

“It’s all arranged. I’ll take you there,” the Prefect said.

“And these three, hostages from Northern Yan,” Song Shi’an said. “Then, keep a separate watch over this kid.”

"Yes." The prefectural magistrate agreed to everything Song Shi'an said and did as he was told.

After all, he knew very well that the title of Deputy Envoy of State Affairs, a fourth-rank official, was fake and should not be treated according to that rank.

This guy's power, right now, is so great that even a second-rank official wouldn't be enough to buy him.

"Then, Brother Ziliang," Song Shi'an said to Zuo Ziliang with both fists clenched, "let all the brothers get some rest. There are important matters to attend to tomorrow."

"Hmm." Zuo Ziliang nodded, then, quite politely, said to the others, "Did you hear the magistrate's order? Everyone, get some rest today."

Gradually, everyone entered the city and was settled in.

The Kang family, in particular, were separated and taken to different post stations.

Just as they moved in, the princess suddenly clutched her stomach and whispered something to the guards.

Then, the guard came over and reported to Xinyue.

"What's the matter?" Song Shi'an asked.

In response, Xinyue casually said, "She's having her period and needs a menstrual bag."

After she said that, everyone else avoided the topic.

The decisive Xinyue took out a cloth bag with ties at both ends, filled with wood ash and cotton, from the carriage, walked over, and handed it to the young master's wife.

Then, they were each assigned to their rooms at the inn...

As soon as Song Shi'an lay down, Xin Yue arrived.

Walk up to him and open your palm.

It is a white cloth.

What is this thing?

Song Shi'an felt that it was too hasty to use this thing as physical evidence.

"Take a look," Xin Yue said, handing it to him.

When unfolded, it was just an ordinary note that read: "Yi, personally delivers the gift."

"I don't know what he's wary of," Xin Yue reminded her, "but the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already noticed. It's very dangerous for him to meet with you alone like this."

“They probably had their concerns too, after all, it’s such an important thing,” Song Shi’an said.

“If it weren’t for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, everything would be fine…” Xin Yue sensed trouble.

Soldiers and mission officials can all be bribed.

For the Embroidered Uniform Guard, even the act of offering bribes is considered a serious crime.

"Why don't you go sleep with his wife again?" Xin Yue suggested.

"You're quite magnanimous," Song Shi'an laughed.

"What should we do then?" Xinyue asked.

"The Imperial Guards are all asleep; now the guards are the soldiers from Ji County."

After a moment's thought, Song Shi'an said, "I'll go get it myself in the middle of the night."

(End of this chapter)