Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 223 Gold, put it to use!
Before dawn, everyone in the delegation got up and set off for Bai County, carrying chests of gold.

Before leaving, Lu Chao specifically instructed the manor's steward: "Don't let the news of Lord Song's assassination leak out. Don't let anyone know."

This 'temple' belongs to the Prince of Yan, and the stewards and maids inside are all his people.

"Yes." The steward nodded seriously.

Then, taking advantage of the faint light on the horizon, the group quickly set off.

The steward stood still, watching the delegation's procession. After seeing them depart and head east at the next crossroads, he said to his subordinate, "Go quickly and report to Lord Qin that Song Shi'an has been assassinated."

"Yes!" the servant replied.

"And one more thing." Just as the other person was about to leave, the steward called him back and added, "The delegation is heading east, probably to Bai County."

"Yes!"

The servants quickly did as instructed, mounted their horses, and galloped towards Duke Qin.

At noon, they finally arrived at the Qin Duke's garrison and, citing an urgent military situation, reported directly: "Qin Duke, there is an important matter."

“Minister Yuan is no outsider, so please speak plainly.” As Minister Yuan prepared to leave, Duke Qin casually displayed his methods of winning people’s hearts, appearing quite enlightened.

"Yes." The servant replied directly, "Yesterday, Song Shi'an stayed overnight at the villa. At night, he went out for a walk with Lord Lu and was then attacked by an assassin who shot arrows. He was nearly killed."

"?!"

Upon hearing this, both of their pupils dilated in shock.

Then Yuan Zhubu subconsciously looked at Qin Gong, but seeing that the other party was also surprised, he immediately turned his head away.

"Wait a minute." Duke Qin raised his hand and then asked Yuan, the registrar, "Your first reaction was also that I did it, right?"

"I dare not..."

"No, no, those who speak out are not guilty," Qin Gong said calmly. "A normal person would think I did it, right?"

Registrar Yuan was embarrassed to speak and lowered his head.

The Duke of Qin frowned, sitting in his seat and looking at the somewhat nervous servant in front of him, muttering, "Which idiot tried to assassinate Song Shi'an in Qin, and failed?"

Regardless of who did it, the blame has been entirely placed on Duke Qin.

The assurance that Yu and Yan would not go to war likely did not include the possibility of Song Shi'an being killed on his own territory.

The two people beside and in front of Duke Qin were at a loss for words...

Is this old man faking it?

Just a forced installation?
The entire Qin territory is yours, and this area is under your core control, with nearly 10,000 soldiers.

Without your order, who would dare to kill Song Shi'an?
Duke Qin could tell that they were also suspicious. However, he didn't care too much. Their opinions weren't important; Song Shi'an and Lu Chao's attitudes were what mattered. But clearly, the fact that he had sent the assassins was a consensus they insisted on.

"Are you sure it's a real assassin?" Qin Gong asked.

“I’m certain,” the servant said. “It’s said that the arrow flew right past Song Shi’an. If it hadn’t been night, he might have been shot through the head on the spot. Moreover, after the assassination, the mansion was locked up and a headcount was conducted, and not a single person was missing.”

Even after the other party had said all that, Duke Qin's expression remained solemn.

This does not rule out the possibility that Song Shi'an orchestrated the whole thing himself.

But most importantly, it's about Lu Chao's attitude.

If he really believes it was someone he sent, then Conson will be in trouble...

"Lord Qin, shall we investigate who committed the murder?" Yuan, the registrar, asked.

"No, pretend you don't know, don't worry about it."

"Lord Qin is wise." Yuan, the registrar, quickly understood his meaning and said to his servant, "Everyone in the villa must keep this a secret. And no one should know that you came to inform Lord Qin."

The murderer always returns to the crime scene immediately to admire his masterpiece.

If Duke Qin simply pretends he knows nothing, then it has nothing to do with him.

Maybe it really has nothing to do with him?
"Lord Qin," the servant added, "they set off before dawn. And it seems they headed east."

"They went to Bai County?" Yuan, the clerk, guessed immediately.

"Go back now," Duke Qin said to his servant.

"Yes." The servant withdrew.

Then he looked at the chief clerk and said, "Lu Chao no longer trusts me either."

“After all, Huang Tong also offended him…” the clerk whispered.

"Perhaps it was Huang Tong who did it." Qin Gong felt that he had the greatest direct interest in Song Shi'an.

After all, for everyone except him, the cost-effectiveness of assassinating Song Shi'an was very low.

Killing him would be fine, but if he wasn't killed and the assassin was caught, that would be a catastrophe.

"But Huang Tong was being watched, so how did he manage to hire someone?" Yuan, the clerk, was also curious.

"Yes," Duke Qin said, puzzled, "then it really was me."

Yuan, the chief clerk: "..."

"Or, Song Shi'an did it himself."

After some thought, Duke Qin's trust in his earlier conjecture deepened.

One perspective is who would benefit most from the assassination of Song Shi'an.

However, the failure to assassinate Song Shi'an raises another question: who benefited the most?

"Does the Duke of Qin mean that he is intentionally trying to sow discord between the Prince of Yan and you?" Yuan Zhubo thought with growing dread.

"I won't let him succeed."

"Should we stop him in Liaonan Commandery?"

"No, let him go, let him leave here as soon as possible." Qin Gong said with a slight frown, "This guy is a real scoundrel."

"Yes."

Slowly, Duke Qin raised his head and looked at the student: "Chen Xing came to Yan and gave me five hundred gold coins. Later, he asked me to kill the envoy and gave me another thousand gold coins, of which I took seven hundred gold coins. Then, I will add another eight hundred gold coins, for a total of two thousand gold coins, which I will give to you."

This is a full two thousand gold pieces, perhaps the majority of Duke Qin's gold reserves.

Such a large sum of money could buy him ten lives... Yuan, the magistrate, was terrified.

"Take them all to Xiangcheng."

Duke Qin felt no regret whatsoever and decisively said, "Distribute all the money to those influential figures, including some members of the Kang family, and explain the advantages and disadvantages to the king, forcing him to sign the alliance immediately!"

……

A journey of 200 li (90 km) would take more than a day and a night to complete. But along the way, these light cavalrymen basically did not stop, except for the necessary rest and feeding of their horses.

Finally, on the second night, after a total of more than thirty hours of forced marching, they had covered nearly two hundred miles.

Such a speed is impossible to extend to the march of a large army, given the drastically different circumstances.

They could say they were running for their lives.

Along the way, thanks to Lu Chao's royal decree and status, he traveled without hindrance.

The others also realized that Duke Qin would absolutely not dare to kill openly.

And so, after arriving at an official post station at the border of Liaonan and Baijun, everyone felt as if they were coming home...

"Please rest well, everyone. I'll send someone to deliver food to your rooms." Lu Chao was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, but he still took the initiative to greet them.

At this moment, Zuo Ziliang walked over and said, "Lord Lu, do you have any empty warehouses?"

Although Zuo Ziliang had a secret mission to keep an eye on Song Shi'an on this trip.

But the most important thing is to keep an eye on these gold reserves.

This is the lifeblood of the Great Yu Dynasty.

"Take this gentleman with you," Lu Chao ordered.

Then, Zuo Ziliang led all his Imperial Guards away with the gold.

"Lord Song, please get some rest." Lu Chao extended his hand.

"Lord Lu, you've worked hard too." Song Shi'an nodded to him.

The two of them parted ways just like that.

Song Shi'an returned to his room.

Three dogs were guarding the door.

Although he was also working very hard, this room was one that only he could guard. After all, Song Shi'an couldn't allow anyone to monitor him.

After a while, Zuo Ziliang came in.

"Brother Ziliang."

Song Shi'an was stretching his muscles on the bed when he saw him come in, and immediately got up with a smile.

"My lord, everything is proceeding according to your plan," he said with a smile.

"The hardest part is yet to come," Song Shi'an knew perfectly well.

"Where?" Zuo Ziliang asked.

"Kang Xun was already difficult to persuade, and Duke Qin's powerful influence is likely to intensify soon." Song Shi'an was prepared for a verbal battle with the court officials in Yandu.

"Let's take it one step at a time," Zuo Ziliang comforted her, then said, "Then we should probably use the money soon, right?"

“Yes.” Song Shi’an nodded, then asked, “One has already been used, right?”

"That Imperial Guard gave him a gold ingot worth twenty taels of gold and an address in Qin, where our people are located," Zuo Ziliang said.

"Looking at it this way, the money goes quite well, doesn't it?" Song Shi'an joked.

"My lord, twenty taels of gold is equivalent to three hundred taels of silver," Zuo Ziliang reminded him, adding that twenty taels of gold was only less than twenty thousand taels of gold.

"I understand that."

After picking up the conversation, Song Shi'an went straight to the point: "Then please, Brother Ziliang, give me a thousand taels of gold."

"As you see fit, Your Excellency." Zuo Ziliang agreed without asking any questions.

.........

"Lord Lu, Magistrate Song requests your presence."

Lu Chao had only been lying in his room for a short while when someone came to report.

"Okay, here we come."

Lu Chao set off without hesitation, heading towards his house.

He and Song Shi'an did not reach any agreement.

But after that day, he also became a 'Wang Ying faction' in his heart.

Indeed, the alliance with Qi was intended to prevent the destruction of the Yan state.

However, if an alliance with Qi were to be formed, Yan would become the state of the Duke of Qin, and the King of Yan would be nothing more than a puppet...

I might as well become a minister of a powerful state.

Moreover, it's still uncertain whether the Great Yu can defeat the State of Qi.

However, he was not entirely satisfied.

After all, when Chen Xing came, he didn't just treat him as an envoy, but also as a close friend...

Finally, he arrived at Song Shi'an's door.

When San Gou saw him arrive, he opened the door slightly, leaving just enough space for a person to pass through.

As an envoy, he was quite indignant at being humiliated like this: "Open the door."

The three dogs did as instructed.

The door was opened, and Lu Chao strode straight in...

The moment he stepped inside, a sea of ​​gold unfolded before him, right on a table, with Song Shi'an standing behind it.

Immediately, Lu Chao turned and slammed the wide-open door shut. Then, his heart pounding, he looked at Song Shi'an and asked in a serious tone, his voice trembling slightly, "My lord, what is the meaning of this?"

(End of this chapter)