Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 226 No One Is Allowed to Scold Song Shi'an
“But without the king’s order, I cannot open the Baitou Pass for trade.”

He Ji had been persuaded, but he still wanted to complete the final layer of armor.

I can be the one joining the group, but I can't be the one leading the group.

"So, if the Prince of Yan grants his permission, then we can do business together?"

Song Shi'an asked with a smile.

"Of course, I will obey the king's orders."

He Ji stated definitively.

"So tacit consent is also considered permission, right?"

"..."

As soon as Song Shi'an said those words, He Ji knew that things were not so simple.

Sure enough, there was a trap here.

He was well aware of the immense obstacles this matter would face.

"The Wealth of Nations" was extremely popular in the Great Yan Kingdom; even a beggar knew that the Great Yu Kingdom was going to wage an economic war against our Yan Kingdom.

We must use open trade to guide the people of Yan to prioritize commerce over agriculture.

At this time, how could the King of Yan possibly announce to the outside world: We want to trade with Dayu and export our animal hides and horses to earn foreign exchange?

Isn't this just a surrenderist movement?
How can a country expect its people to love their country when even its rulers do not cherish their reputation and arbitrarily cede sovereignty?
Even if the Prince of Yan wanted to earn foreign exchange, he couldn't say such things.

He could only issue a direct prohibition.

Not prohibiting it is tantamount to tacit approval.

Those below can then try things out tentatively.

If you try something tentatively and get no punishment, you can do it boldly.

Ultimately, it turned into doing it openly and blatantly.

Once this path is established and more interests are involved, there's no going back.

The saying goes, "Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents."

No one dared to stand up against it, or even advocate for locking the border. To do that would be tantamount to trying to dissolve oneself in water.

As for the local people?
Bai County was originally barren and mountainous, and farming was risky. But if you could hunt down a good animal hide in a year, it would be enough to feed the whole family for a year. Who would bother farming?

The reason why a conspiracy is considered an open conspiracy is that even if you know about it, you can't change it.

He Ji didn't speak, but his expression was quite grave.

At this moment, Song Shi'an clapped his hands.

The next moment, footsteps came from outside the door.

He Ji looked up and saw two very strong men carrying a large box inside.

He could now freely enter and leave his own prefectural residence.

Of course, this is because Lu Chao was acting as a pimp.

So this is his donation...

It actually took two big men to lift it?

"My lord."

After Zuo Ziliang and another member of the Imperial Guard put down their belongings, they spoke to Song Shi'an.

Song Shi'an extended his hand, gesturing for them to leave. The two nodded and left together.

"My lord, what is the meaning of this?"

Those who take the money really only know how to say one thing.

Moreover, they also had to put on an image of being upright and incorruptible.

It's a bit of a Coke.

Song Shi'an did not answer directly, but said, "My lord, please open the box."

"..." He Ji remained silent and slowly walked to the box. He bent down and lifted the lid.

The moment the door opened, his eyes widened, and he froze completely, utterly dumbfounded.

Two thousand gold coins.

This is equivalent to 125 catties of gold.

Moreover, it is real gold with a very high purity.

Song Shi'an smiled.

While the other party was stunned, Song Shi'an slowly bowed.

Then, I logged out.

"My lord—"

He Ji wanted to call out to Song Shi'an, but before he could finish speaking, Song had already left. He didn't chase after him. His gaze was quickly drawn back to the gold.

His hand couldn't help but stroke the gold...

After leaving the room, Song Shi'an said to Lu Chao, who was standing guard at the end of the corridor, "My lord, let's head north to see the Prince of Yan."

"Okay." Lu Chao readily agreed, and the two left.

While Song Shi'an was at the stables, Zuo Ziliang, who had remained silent, leaned close to Song Shi'an and whispered during Lu Chao's brief absence, "My lord, even if trade truly begins, he might not be able to earn this much money. With so much gold given to him, won't he just pocket it?"

The profits from trade cannot be earned by one person alone. Even if He Ji worked his whole life, he might not be able to earn two thousand gold coins.

Zuo Ziliang was worried that he would double-cross him.

But Song Shi'an didn't care at all and laughed, "No matter how big his appetite is, his belly is only so big."

……

At this moment, He Ji, standing before the desk in the mansion, is undergoing a demonic trial.

This gold could be considered his entire life's work.

No, it's several lifetimes.

A rough estimate would be around two thousand gold coins.

That would be enough for him to raise an army of nearly ten thousand men.

It suddenly became the fourth in Liaodong...

After all, the He family already had a strong foundation.

However, his ambition quickly subsided.

At least five people knew about this bribery, including Lu Chao.

The heavy box was carried into the lobby, where at least a dozen people were seen...

He wanted to devour it all in one bite—how big would that stomach be? He even had a vague feeling that Lu Chao knew the exact amount of the money.

Suddenly, he spoke up: "Someone come here."

Soon, the subordinate official entered.

Upon seeing the gold, they were immediately stunned and quickly looked away.

Ke Heji said without any hesitation, "What Song Shi'an sent should be two thousand taels of gold."

"So much gold?!" The official swallowed hard, stammering as he spoke.

Who has ever seen such a scene?
What generous people from Dayu!

Moreover, if even Prefect He sent so much, how much must have been given to Duke Qin and the Prime Minister?
"Take some," He Ji said, extending his hand.

"..." The subordinate official was tempted to make a move after hearing this. However, reason made him wary, and he quickly refused, "This was given to the Prefect by the Magistrate. How could I dare to touch it?"

Right? Everyone is afraid.

If you were Duke Qin, you could accept any amount of money offered to you without a care in the world.

At worst, we can give our underlings a small reward.

After all, they have an armed force of nearly 20,000 men.

When my neighbor is hoarding food, I am hoarding guns. My neighbor is my granary!
A gentleman is innocent unless he possesses a treasure.

"Civil officials, summon those of the rank of Inspector General and above. Military officials, summon those of the rank of Military Commander and above," He Ji said, bowing to his subordinates.

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, the subordinate immediately agreed and went to fetch people.

The entire bureaucratic system of Bai County was thus conquered.

.........

Inside the palace, the emperor and the King of Wu were enjoying tea and snacks together.

During this time, the emperor coughed from time to time, but the King of Wu dared not ask him anything and pretended not to hear.

The emperor offered no explanation, nor did he try to cover it up.

The two of them understood each other without saying a word.

Father, things aren't going well...

"I didn't discuss the bet with Song Shi'an with you before, you don't mind, do you?" The emperor took a sip of tea and joked.

“If Father wants to tell me, he will naturally do so. If Father doesn’t want to tell me, then I certainly don’t need to listen,” said the King of Wu, who was quite bold.

"You are quite magnanimous," the emperor laughed and said. "Of course, it's not that I can't tell you this. It's just that when he told me, he was already about to go on his mission."

"Yes." King Wu nodded, then added with a hint of concern, "Shi An only has his father in his heart."

"What do you mean?" The emperor immediately guessed his thoughts. "You are holding a grudge, and he did not discuss the matter of the mission with you."

"Such a momentous matter concerns the fate of the nation; the fewer people who know about it, the better. He only told Father Emperor that it was right..."

"Do you think he told Wusheng?"

With just one sentence, he hit the nail on the head for the King of Wu, leaving him utterly powerless to refute, and offering no explanation for Song Shi'an.

"Zisheng." The emperor called his name, and after he raised his head, he said, "Before Wusheng entered the Imperial Clan Court, I asked him what kind of reward he wanted. He told me that he wanted nothing except Song Shi'an."

"..." King Wu was shocked, because he didn't know about this either. "The relationship between Wusheng and Shi'an is indeed very close..."

"I just asked you," the emperor said, staring at him, "Why didn't you defend yourself when he told Wusheng?"

The King of Wu didn't understand, but he sensed his father's sternness and became nervous.

"Such a major matter, he spoke privately with Wusheng, which involves at least two crimes, one major and one minor: leaking secrets, and forming a faction," the emperor said.

“Father, Shi’an certainly didn’t think that way…” King Wu immediately defended himself.

The emperor sighed and said, "He told Wusheng about this, but there's no evidence and no consequences. Why don't you clarify things from this point?"

The King of Wu lowered his head, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"You think that you and I are father and son, that we are family, and that Song Shi'an is an outsider, a foreign official," the emperor said bluntly.

The King of Wu finally understood the meaning of his father's words.

The reason Song Shi'an confided in Wu Sheng was that even when no one was around, even when the father and son were talking heart to heart, he still wanted to protect him.

Always complaining that someone doesn't love you.

Then ask yourself honestly, do you love him?
"Your son will remember your teachings, Father!"

The King of Wu rose and immediately prostrated himself in worship.

Just then, an urgent message arrived.

It was sent by Zuo Ziliang, a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Get up." The emperor told the Prince of Wu to rise, and then reached out to take the letter.

He glanced at it, then frowned and handed it to the King of Wu, who was standing to the side: "Zisheng, you read it."

"Yes, Father."

The King of Wu held the letter, half-kneeling beside the Emperor, and read the secret letter from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But after reading it, his expression became somewhat serious.

"Tell me, what do you think?" the emperor asked.

Knowing this was a test, he said, "This Song Shi'an is truly a genius. Moreover, he is incredibly bold and decisive. He actually led a large army on a mission and directly pried open the gates of the Yan Kingdom."

"Ah."

"But is his prestige too high...?" King Wu said with genuine concern, "He mobilized the border army with just a few words?"

The emperor closed his eyes and sighed again.

Then, he put his hands on the handrails and stood up.

The King of Wu, who was standing nearby, even went to help him up.

Immediately, the emperor, extremely impatient, questioned, "Didn't you see how Zuo Ziliang explained it? It was because the envoy was killed and the border was sealed off. He had no choice but to enter Yan in this way to avoid delaying the opportunity. Even people like the Embroidered Uniform Guard explained it for him. Can't you see at all Song Shi'an's grievances, his helplessness, and his hard work?"

These words made the King of Wu tremble with fear.

"Doesn't he know that this will arouse the emperor's suspicion and lead to his impeachment by his colleagues?" the emperor asked again.

"But Father..."

At this point, the King of Wu's voice trembled with tears: "How can I restrain him in the future?"

The emperor coughed, fuming at the question. After coughing a few times while covering his mouth with his sleeve, he pointed at him and scolded, "Your own people are your own to manage. Don't come here asking me, 'What are you going to do if he wants to become a powerful minister?'"

"Your subject understands... Your subject comprehends."

"You'd better really understand!"

The emperor was unusually agitated by the Prince of Wu, and even displayed the same attitude he usually showed towards the Prince of Jin: "You and I are not one body. I do not want to hear any complaints about Song Shi'an coming from you!"

(End of this chapter)