Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 228 Entering Yandu

"My lord, Xiangcheng is just ahead."

On the carriage, Lu Chao leaned out and, seeing the capital city not far away, pointed to the magnificent city gate and said with great enthusiasm.

Song Shi'an also peeked out and saw a city of unusually large size, a sight rarely seen in the Yan Kingdom.

Leaving aside Sheng'an, among all the cities he had seen, neither the new city of Ji County nor Langya could compare to it.

Perhaps only Yongcheng, the first city of Liangzhou, can compare to it.

It cannot be said that the Northern Yan state did not contribute anything to Liaodong.

For at least several generations, this place was a wild and untamed frontier.

Therefore, this country should not be underestimated at all.

If it were to unite with the State of Qi and jointly reduce the number of troops on the border, the pressure it would exert on the State of Yu would truly be on par with that of a major power.

Conservative estimates suggest that nearly 50,000 troops could be mobilized to invade the territory of the Great Yu.

If I were a subject of the King of Yan, I would have to plead with him to the death to establish an alliance with Qi.

Only by uniting with Qi can the State of Yan win.

The key to a successful mission gradually became how to persuade Conson to put his own interests above those of the nation.

Again,
Yan will win, you will lose.

"I never expected that there would be such a wealthy and large city in this frigid northern land," Song Shi'an praised.

"Therefore, the people cherish this hard-won peace and tranquility," Lu Chao said gently.

Song Shi'an sensed the hint in his tone.

In the state of Yan, the vast majority of people did not want to fight.

One of the effects of Kang Xun's long-standing policy of submitting to both sides and acting as a subservient grandson on this land was that, since the Duke of Li destroyed Ji and Xu, the Yan region had not experienced a major battle.

So Song Shi'an smiled and said, "I have come to bring peace to the Yan region."

"The magistrate is benevolent and righteous."

Lu Chao, who had long been bribed by a thousand gold coins and had no bottom line, praised enthusiastically. Then, as they approached the city gate, he said to his subordinates, "Go and tell them that Lu Chao is taking your esteemed envoy back to the country (capital). Have the army clear the way and pacify the roads."

"Yes!"

.........

Inside Xiangcheng, nearly a hundred soldiers, armed with shields and swords, began clearing and blocking the road along the central axis.

The vendors on both sides all moved to the side.

All pedestrians on the road were forced to the shoulder by armored soldiers spaced every few dozen steps.

Soon, a wide, deserted road was opened up.

Seeing this, the locals, being quite gossipy, joined in the discussion.

"Is this Song Shi'an, who has come to meet our king?"

"Is that the top scholar from the Great Yu Dynasty who wrote 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River'?"

"What Great Yu? This is the State of Yu. Moreover, this brat wrote 'The Wealth of Nations,' intending to have their emperor wage a trade war against us and lead the people of Yan to abandon farming and return to hunting. This man's heart is wicked!"

Many ordinary people harbor inexplicable hatred towards Song Shi'an, this stranger.

But most of the time, it's just for fun.

Women make up a particularly large portion of this group…

"Hey, have you heard? Song Shi'an is quite the handsome man."

"It is said that he is the most handsome man in Sheng'an, especially handsome, and not completely effeminate, but quite masculine."

"After all, he is an envoy, representing the face of the country, so naturally he should be chosen to be respectable and upright."

"It's all just hearsay, nothing more," an old woman said. "You've never seen a truly handsome man. When Grand Tutor Sun of the Great Yu Dynasty came, the women of the whole street blocked the road, preventing his carriage from passing..."

"Yes, yes, the sachet he wore was imitated by all the princes and nobles in Xiangcheng."

"This is really unnecessary..."

"You young people don't understand. The Great Yu Dynasty back then was not like it is now."

The older generation of the Yan state had indeed lived through an era.

At that time, the Great Yu was at its peak. The surrounding small states were destroyed one by one. Meanwhile, the Yan state had a more decentralized system of government than it does now. Every common person lived in fear and genuinely believed that the powerful Yu was invincible and that if they attacked, the country would be destroyed.

Moreover, the people have not experienced major wars, which is why they have such extreme ideas as "we might as well fight the State of Yu."

These are all things that can be utilized.

"The carriage is coming in!"

Just then, the mission's convoy entered from outside the city.

At the very front were dozens of fully armored cavalrymen from the Yan state, carrying long spears and leading the way with imposing grandeur.

On either side of that impressive carriage stood a man and a woman, along with two cavalrymen.

San Gou and Xin Yue.

"Does the Great Yu Dynasty even have women serving in the army?"

"She's so beautiful. Even with her hair down, you can tell she's stunningly beautiful."

"His expression is so cold, kind of fierce..."

However, everyone's thoughts were mostly on the car.

Everyone eagerly squeezed in, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, wanting to catch a glimpse of its true form.

Only the rest of the delegation could be seen; the main character was hidden inside the airtight carriage.

"Why isn't Song Shi'an showing up?"

"In that carriage?"

“Back then, Minister Sun rode his horse into Xiangcheng with great composure and openness. If he were truly as handsome as Minister Sun, why would he be reluctant to show his face?”

"Lord Song! Show yourself! We all admire your talent immensely!"

"Lord Song, who is the subject of the 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River'?"

Song Shi'an heard everything. This included some extreme statements from Song Shi'an, such as "I am your father."

"The people of Yan are very hospitable," Song Shi'an said to Lu Chao.

“My lord,” Lu Chao interrupted him sternly, extending his hand, “you mustn’t think about such things; it’s very dangerous.”

"Is the security situation in Xiangcheng also bad?" Song Shi'an asked.

"Your 'The Wealth of Nations' has hurt the feelings of the people of Yan. Do you know how many people hate you?"

"Of course I know."

Just like when Sun Situ was sent as an envoy to the Yan state, it was actually quite dangerous.

Because the relationship between the two countries is very sensitive.

The state of Ji was also massacred by the Great Yu.

Therefore, some of the fear and hatred towards Dayu was transferred to this envoy.

But the young Sun Situ was not going to be lenient. He already had a good image, and when he entered the city, he rode a Xiliang horse, wearing a jade crown, a sachet, and a sword at his waist.

If an extremist were to shoot an arrow into his head, Sun Situ would have died in Northern Yan.

But it didn't happen.

At the same time, the aura of the Great Yu he represented made the people of Yan, who had no concept of the strength of southern states, fully tangible.

So, I can tolerate it?
Suddenly, Song Shi'an lifted the carriage curtain before Lu Chao could react.

"Is this...is this Song Shi'an?"

"He really is handsome!"

After Song Shi'an appeared, some girls immediately started screaming.

Song Shi'an was truly as the legend described: elegant and refined, as bright as the sun and moon, and as dignified as the wind beneath the pines. He was indeed a noble and elegant gentleman!
Xin Yue was annoyed by Song Shi'an's conspicuous behavior.

Moreover, the workload suddenly became enormous.

She could only treat everyone as an assassin, her eyes scanning everywhere.

The soldiers suddenly felt immense pressure, and countless people surged forward, eager to witness the true face of the sharpest sword in the Great Yu Dynasty.

No one who saw it was disappointed.

"The legendary person who defeated Ji Yuan is actually so young?"

"At such a young age, he holds a high position and is still unmarried."

"Is he here in our Great Yan to find his wife?"

Xin Yue found these infatuated comments amusing.

"He's so young and accomplished, yet he remains unmarried. It seems he's truly waiting for that goddess of the Luo River..."

Upon hearing this, Xin Yue could no longer laugh.

"My lord, my lord, that's enough!" Lu Chao was getting anxious and urged him to quickly pull down the curtain.

"Ah."

Having casually agreed, Song Shi'an smiled and extended his hand in greeting. Then, he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and tossed it in front of him.

Instantly, the crowd rushed forward to grab it.

A quick-witted little boy grabbed the handkerchief and immediately held it up for auction: "Governor Song's handkerchief, five thousand coins, who wants it!"

"I'll offer eight thousand coins!"

"I'll offer ten thousand coins!"

Seeing Song Shi'an's casually placed object receiving such adoration, Xin Yue felt utterly bewildered. She was also wondering, "He doesn't seem to carry a handkerchief with him at all, does he?"
The wealthy merchant who bought the handkerchief for ten thousand coins originally intended to resell it, but he was astonished when he stretched out the thin silk handkerchief.

"How could such a small handkerchief be embroidered with such an exquisite picture of a hundred birds?"

Those who saw this thing were also dumbfounded.

Is the outside world developing this fast?
"This must be Hangzhou embroidery, right?"

"Jiangnan's hands are so skillful?"

"This handkerchief, even if it doesn't belong to Magistrate Song, must be worth more than ten thousand coins!"

Inside the carriage, Lu Chao looked at this genius and shook his head with some emotion: "My lord, how wonderful it would be if you were one of our Yan ministers."

Song Shi'an smiled, but didn't respond. He said, "I also brought quite a few gifts for Madam."

"Not a few?"

"a lot of."

“She can’t use it all by herself,” Lu Chao said. “Could my wife give it to someone else?”

"Then it'll be hard work."

In ancient Northeast China, a thousand miles of bitter cold prevailed. All that existed were grain, strong liquor, Korean horses, coarse cloth for covering one's body, and mountains teeming with large, white-browed tigers with piercing eyes.

The trade route that Song Shi'an was about to open was also a path to civilization for the millions of people of Yan.

.........

Inside the hostage's residence, Ji Hui could feel the clamor of the entire city.

In the courtyard, he, who was quite knowledgeable about the outside world, asked the attending eunuch, "Has Song Shi'an arrived?"

“Yes, Your Highness,” the eunuch replied.

"Why are you making such a racket?" Ji Hui asked.

"..." The eunuch explained cautiously, "The people of Yan all want to see Song Shi'an's true face and whether he is as handsome as the legends say, so they blocked the road and crowded around to admire him."

"Tsk." Ji Hui said disdainfully, "What's so great about Song Shi'an? He just wrote a few poems..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ji Hui suddenly realized that this was one of the main reasons why Song Shi'an was attracting attention.

In his early twenties, he had already fought to a draw with his father, the emperor who ruled the world...

This is not critical.

The crucial point is that someone is trying to sabotage the Yan-Qi alliance!
"Go and inform the Prince of Yan that I wish to see him."

(End of this chapter)