Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 213 Song Shi'an has come to Yan!

The Palace of the Prince of Yan.

Kang Xun sat on the throne, and beside him was his chief eunuch, Eunuch Yang.

They were waiting for Ji Yuan's son, Ji Hui, the King of the North.

However, his expression wasn't very good.

"I heard that Ji Hui made many connections with famous scholars and powerful figures along his way to Xiangcheng?" Kang Xun asked unhappily.

"..." Eunuch Yang lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Some people take the initiative to befriend him, and some people also go to him."

"Hmph, a hostage, yet he acts like he's coming to my Yan to be the prime minister." Although Kang Xun said this, he clearly knew that there were differences between hostages.

The hostage sent from Yan to Dayu was a prisoner.

Among allied nations, those sent by powerful countries are truly honored guests.

You can assign him guards, but you can't really control his personal freedom like you would a hostage.

If someone submits a request to go somewhere for fun, you have to agree, right?

Furthermore, the Yan royal family also has to be responsible for his expenses.

Of course, these were all minor matters and not particularly troublesome. What Conson truly cared about was the issue of stance.

He never even considered severing ties with the Great Yu.

However, the people below simply lifted him up.

The people in the south killed the Yu envoy behind their backs.

The people from the west didn't even greet him before personally going to meet the prince of Qi.

An alliance is now imperative...

But a few days ago, I talked to Gongsun Xing about Song Shi'an, and they reached a consensus—this person is here to cause trouble.

The top scholar of Dayu and the hero of Beiliang, such a powerful young man, how could he just give him a perfunctory welcome and rush back?

Kang Xun's biggest worry now is the Qin family in the south. Fearing being blamed for "killing the Yu envoy," they took it upon themselves to make a decision for him—to kill Song Shi'an as well.

Therefore, he has already dispatched his trusted ministers, carrying his royal decree, to the south to personally welcome Song Shi'an.

Hopefully, those powerful ministers will still consider the dignity of the kingdom.

"King of the North, arrive—"

Just then, the guests arrived.

Gongsun Xing brought Ji Hui, a man in his early twenties, handsome, tall, arrogant, yet capable of being 'amiable'.

"Hui pays respects to the Heavenly King of Northern Yan!"

As soon as Ji Hui arrived, he took the initiative to bow to Kang Xun.

Seeing this, Kang Xun quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Your Majesty of the North, please don't stand on ceremony. I am a king, and so are you."

Who wouldn't want to be an emperor, a king?

Conson was also a vain man.

But now that Song Shi'an has arrived, Wei Ye's most trusted and capable minister, if he were to ascend the throne as the Heavenly King at this time, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

After all, nominally he still belonged to Yu Chen.

"Heavenly King, you have brought ruin upon Huiye."

Ji Hui didn't bother with any pretense and said directly, "It was agreed in the alliance that you would ascend the throne as Heavenly King, and be honored alongside the two saints of my Great Qi. My father even sent me with congratulatory gifts. Although you are not yet officially named, you already have the power of a Heavenly King. You are truly the supreme ruler of Yan."

"..."

Although these words were meant to incite conflict, it must be said that Conson was somewhat swayed by them.

For a long time, he has been playing the subservient role to both sides.

On one side is a tiger, on the other a lion, and I am at most a hyena. Who can't verbally take advantage of him?
However, after forming an alliance, he would be able to stand on equal footing with Ji Yuan.

His son, the proper 'King of the North,' had to pay him a visit.

It seems like it's not all bad news...

"Well, that requires further discussion." Kang Xun smiled and looked at Gongsun Xing. "Prime Minister, what do you say?"

“Yes,” Gongsun Xing chimed in, “We must follow the proper order, the opportune time, and consult the stars and divination. Even if we are to ascend the throne as Heavenly King, it will not be at this moment.”

Gongsun Xing could tell what the King of Yan was feeling.

Even if he himself was a member of the Alliance of Qi, he still had to prioritize serving his own king.

It's just an empty title; there's no need to rush into it.

Once things have calmed down in the Yu Kingdom, and we can then work with Qi to reduce our forces so that even without sending reinforcements to the south, we won't suffer a catastrophic disaster, and everything will be completely peaceful. Then, why not promote this Heavenly King?

Top-tier politicians prioritize pragmatism.

"Then please hurry," Ji Hui said with high emotional intelligence. "If I were king and you were king, then I would find it difficult to fulfill the duties of a subject and would inevitably overstep my bounds."

What kind of country can have a 'king' as a hostage?
That would definitely be one level higher than Wang.

"Hmm, I will consider it." Kang Xun didn't indulge him and said, "Then, Your Highness Hui, let a servant take you to the residence."

"Thank you, Prince Yan." Ji Hui thanked him first, then pressed on, "When will the alliance treaty be signed?"

At this point, it's just that the two sides have made an alliance.

But the most important document of the covenant has not yet been finalized.

If this is uncertain, then the exchange of officials between the two countries, the withdrawal of troops from each other's borders, and the commencement of trade cannot proceed.

This is very important.

Hey kid, what are you thinking?
The State of Yu to the south is already mobilizing troops. If I sign an alliance with you now, wouldn't that be like taking the heaviest blow?
“Your Highness, there’s no need to be in such a hurry,” Gongsun Xing said again. “The signing of the alliance is a matter of great national importance, so naturally an auspicious day should be chosen.” “When is the auspicious day?”

With the confidence that his father had, Ji Hui pressed on with the question.

“Then we need to consult a divination master,” Gongsun Xing said.

"Shouldn't divination be done on an auspicious day?" Ji Hui asked with a smile, "When should we do the divination?"

Seeing the young man's aggressive manner, Kang Xun's tone became less gentle, and he said calmly, "May the fortune teller burn incense and bathe, and perform divination three days later?"

"Once the Prince of Yan has made his decision, that's fine." Ji Hui nodded and said politely, "Hui wouldn't dare interfere in such important matters."

What a convenient excuse for not daring to interfere; they insist on getting to the bottom of things.

Ji Yuan's son is truly remarkable.

"Then please, Your Highness, go and rest." Kang Xun forced a smile and extended his hand.

"Hui, I'll take my leave."

And so, the father was asked to leave.

Gongsun Xing and Kang Xun looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then, Kang Xun's expression darkened, and he said, "Song Shi'an brought my elder brother with him on this trip. You said before that Song Shi'an would never return him to us. Has the Prime Minister come up with a respectable solution these past few days?"

The so-called dignity is what the Yan state should do when the Great Yu takes its elder brother hostage as a threat, so as not to violate 'benevolence, righteousness, filial piety and virtue'?
After all, he's my own brother; I can't just ignore him.

Although Gongsun Xing was shrewd and had very mature political skills, there were still some boundaries to his advice.

That is, the king's thoughts.

Wang definitely wants his brother dead.

But Wang would never directly say that he wanted his brother dead.

He will subtly hint that you should help him deal with his brother.

But when the condemnation from all over the world swept in, Wang would shift the blame and say: You're the one who ruined my brother!

Furthermore, I have never hinted that I would ask you to do such a thing. If my brother could come back, I would even be willing to give up the throne!
Why would Gongsun Xing take the blame?

So he sighed, shook his head, and said with shame, "Your subject is foolish."

.........

The Song Shi'an delegation only stayed in Xincheng for one day before heading directly north.

And he also brought Kangyi's family along.

However, this Kang Yi was meant for them to see, not for them to take to Northern Yan.

This is also to prove my sincerity—I didn't just make empty promises.

On their way here, the previous prefect, who was also the prefectural governor, was killed by the Yan people. He suggested to Song Shi'an that they bring more troops, at least a hundred cavalrymen and armored soldiers, but Song Shi'an refused outright.

This made the other side extremely anxious: "You must be careful on this mission!"
Song Shi'an is very stubborn.

I won't bring it, I won't bring it.

And so they continued until they reached the border army's encampment, a fortified outpost.

This is a pure fortress, entirely for military purposes, with only a very small number of family members living inside.

Originally, Song Shi'an didn't need to pass through here to get to Cangliao Pass, and it had nothing to do with him.

But Song Shi'an came up with an idea...

"My lord," Zuo Ziliang said before he left, "I can go with you, though I cannot speak on your behalf."

“Brother Ziliang, coming here will inevitably implicate you, and your identity is special,” Song Shi’an politely declined.

"..." Zuo Ziliang knew how serious this was, so he accepted it and reminded him, "My lord, it is my duty. I will record everything that happens and report it to His Majesty truthfully when the time comes."

"Yes, that's how it should be."

After exchanging pleasantries, Song Shi'an and Xin Yue rode their horses toward the fortress.

After completely distancing herself from the delegation, Xin Yue asked, "Would the Embroidered Uniform Guards spread rumors?"

“He’s here to keep an eye on me, not to target me,” Song Shi’an said with a smile.

"What about your previous scheme..."

"I really wanted to tell you that time, but I..."

“No, don’t think like that.” Xin Yue waved her hand and said, “It’s right that you didn’t tell me. I really can’t act like that; I’ll just mess it up. I don’t feel any displeasure that you’re hiding things from me. On the contrary, I think you’re really smart.”

"Xinyue, you're so kind." Song Shi'an looked at this wonderful girl, deeply moved. "How did I end up meeting such a wonderful woman?"

"..." Frowning and pursing her lips, Xin Yue was utterly disgusted by his mushy manner. She got straight to the point, "This time, does it count as a crime?"

“You’re overthinking it,” Song Shi’an said. “Knocking out a third-rank military officer, emptying a city’s supplies, and evacuating several thousand elite troops—compared to all that, what are the minor evils I’m about to commit?”

After comparing the two, Xinyue was convinced: "It's a good thing."

Ever since the Langya incident.

If someone says: Song Shi'an is a traitor who commits murder, arson, rape, plunder, and all kinds of evil!

Xin Yue: Not that kind.

And so, the two riders walked all the way to the barricades outside the fortress gate, where they were stopped by several soldiers.

Upon seeing that the other party was wearing the robes of a fourth-rank official of the Great Yu Dynasty, everyone knelt on one knee and clenched their fists.

After bowing, the leader stood up and asked, "May I ask who you are, sir?"

On horseback, Song Shi'an solemnly said, "I am Song Shi'an, Deputy Envoy of the Great Yu Kingdom and Earl of Pingbei, requesting an audience with General Zhen Dong."

(End of this chapter)