Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 233 When Liu Song was in Yan, he was the prime minister.

Chapter 233 When Liu Song was in Yan, he was the prime minister.
"Have you heard? Wang Ding is dead!"

"Wang Ding? That Wang Ding, the tutor to the crown prince? The veteran of two dynasties, Wang Ding? How did he die?"

"I got scolded to death by Song Shi'an!"

"Huh? I got scolded to death by Song Shi'an?!"

News from the imperial court quickly spread to the common people.

It's unprecedented for a national advisor to be verbally abused to death by Song Shi. Moreover, the content of their argument was also spread, and the phrase "I have never seen such a shameless person" quickly spread throughout Yandu.

Children also use this joke in playful banter.

This was only for a morning.

Sitting in the carriage, Lu Chao felt a pang of guilt as he listened to the people of Yan talking about this.

Rounding it off, it was I who released this monster!

How should we face Wang Ding's family and clansmen then?

It's true, a perfectly normal person can be sarcastic and sarcastic one moment, and then, after just one argument, completely lose their vitality and disappear into the underworld.

That Song Shi'an is a real scoundrel.

But it must be said that this debate with the scholars was actually a good thing.

He refuted almost every anti-Yu argument with sound reasoning, except for his later relentless nagging at Ji Hui. But as Song Shi'an said, a hostage from Qi was indeed not qualified to discuss state affairs with him.

After all, Song Shi'an and the Prince of Yan were both chess players, while Ji Hui, as a chess piece or a bargaining chip, should not have spoken in the first place.

Now, as long as Song Shi'an can persuade the Prince of Yan, his matter can be accomplished.

However, I still have a score to settle with him...

Feeling somewhat annoyed, he quickly got off the carriage after arriving at the post station.

……

Xin Yue sat on the bed, looking at Song Shi'an who was studying a booklet, still feeling astonished: "You really cursed that old man to death?"

“How can you call it an insult? It was just a normal discussion,” Song Shi’an said. “I just didn’t expect that old man to be so narrow-minded that he couldn’t even bear those kinds of words.”

“I don’t think anyone could withstand it,” Xin Yue joked. “You have such a sharp tongue.”

"You have a sweet tongue."

"Tsk."

"I mean speaking gently and having a kind heart."

Xin Yue didn't continue to interrupt him, and then asked, "You should have seen Gongsun Xing today, right? What do you think of his attitude?"

"He is indeed a very composed person. Even I would not have the upper hand in a verbal battle with him."

"So you admit you swore?"

"Stop being silly, get to the point."

"How about we offer a bribe?" Xin Yue suggested. "Even Lu Chao and He Ji were given over a thousand gold coins. That's Gongsun Xing. Wouldn't it be impolite not to bribe him?"

“If I had money, I would just buy the entire Yan Kingdom; why bother with bribery?” Song Shi’an didn’t think that way. “Money should be spent sparingly.”

"Is Gongsun Xing, who holds such a crucial position, being given the provincial governorship?" Xin Yue felt that this prime minister of a country was not receiving the respect he deserved.

“We’ve already spent over four thousand gold coins, and there’s nothing left to give him,” Song Shi’an said. “But he won’t suffer a loss.”

"What do you mean?" Xin Yue asked, puzzled.

“If the King of Yan wants to take over the southern route, he will inevitably offend the Duke of Qin. No matter how big his appetite is, he can't do anything if he doesn't have the strength,” Song Shi’an said. “This time, the Duke of Qin has crossed the line. Kang Xun and Gongsun Xing are probably going to deal with him.”

The bottom line is national security.

In the state of Yan, the Duke of Qin could disrespect the central government, control the people and amass wealth, and even amass military power, but he could not establish a new alliance with the United States.

His actions were a blow to the Confederate system.

“We also need to step up our efforts with Duke Qin.” Xin Yue understood.

Just then, San Gou outside the door said, "Lord, Magistrate Lu requests an audience."

"Oh? Where is he?" Song Shi'an asked.

"Wait outside the inn's gate," San Gou said.

"Let him in." After saying that, Song Shi'an handed the booklet to Xin Yue, "Keep it with you, and be very careful."

"I understand, don't worry."

Xin Yue accepted it and left.

After a while, Lu Chao arrived.

As soon as he entered, Song Shi'an smiled and prepared to pour him tea. But the next moment, he sat down at the table angrily, pounding his fist on the table, clearly very angry.

"Oh, my lord, why are you so angry?" Song Shi'an poured him tea ingratiatingly.

"How did you know about the Qi-Yan Alliance?" he questioned.

"This is a national secret," Song Shi'an naturally couldn't say.

Actually, he knows nothing.

Only a very small number of core officials, including State Envoy Lu Chao, knew the full contents of the text.

But as long as you recite one part of it, without omitting a single word, others will think that you know everything.

That's what deterrence is.

How did he know this?
The old eunuch who escorted him to the post station was a palace official, and of considerable rank.

Song Shi'an spent a full hundred taels of gold to buy this one sentence from him.

Of course, the other party must have been very surprised as to why they would do such a thing.

Even more perplexing, Song Shi'an said just one sentence, how could it make the Prince of Yan distrust everyone around him?

Regret? Too late.

"confidential?"

Lu Chao was genuinely a little scared.

"Don't worry, my lord, this has nothing to do with you," Song Shi'an reassured him. "How can I be at ease?" Lu Chao laughed in exasperation, retorting, "I received you as the envoy, and I was one of the few who knew the contents of the alliance. Yet you quoted the original text directly in court; wouldn't the King immediately suspect me?"

"Of course I'll have doubts."

"Isn't that still harming me?"

"But this doubt will be clarified soon."

"Words are no proof. Once Your Majesty harbors doubts, it will forever remain a knot in your heart. How can you possibly clear things up?"

“Because you know about this, and I told you, you will be suspected.” Song Shi’an looked into his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips. “If I told you something that even you don’t know, then why would I need to know it from you?”

"..." Lu Chao looked at him, swallowing nervously. "What other supernatural powers are you going to show?"

.........

After dealing with some matters concerning Wang Ding and returning the old man's body to his residence, the Yan King's Palace urgently summoned Gongsun Xing.

"Prime Minister, please."

Eunuch Yang led him all the way to the palace gate and then reached out his hand.

"Thank you," Gongsun Xing said with a smile.

After that, Eunuch Yang stood guard outside the palace gate.

At the same time, I felt a sense of unease.

Upon meeting the King of Yan, Gongsun Xing bowed and immediately asked, "Your Majesty, what are the contents of the alliance?"

“I revealed it to Song Shi’an,” said Prince Yan in a calm tone.

of course not.

But with a traitor on their side, they couldn't even control the situation. How could they let the powerful minister know about this?

"I see." Gongsun Xing nodded without asking any further questions. "When I let Ji Hui into the palace, that was pretty much the idea."

"Does the Prime Minister know that he won't be able to win the argument with Song Shi'an once he goes in?" the Prince of Yan asked curiously.

“Your Majesty,” Gongsun Xing laughed, “I let him in to be humiliated by Song Shi’an.”

Even the Imperial Advisor Wang Ding was scolded to death. How could a pampered prince win?
Gongsun Xing had anticipated that situation would arise, even that Ji Hui might take action if he got too angry from being scolded.

"Prime Minister, you are truly cruel," the Prince of Yan joked. "It's just a child."

"This can be considered as Song Shi'an avenging the king."

"Ji Hui really went too far, it's good to suppress him. But it's a pity that Old Wang was sentenced to death." That's what an emperor is like, even if he has no regrets, he still wants his subjects to feel his benevolence.

"Alas, this child is too extraordinary; his future is boundless," Gongsun Xing sighed.

However, the two quickly returned to the main topic.

"Song Shi'an insulted Wang Ding and Ji Hui in the court. Those extreme anti-Yu factions should be suppressed," said the Prince of Yan.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we need to change our strategy," Gongsun Xing said with some regret. "Our previous plan is probably no longer feasible."

"Does this mean we won't send reinforcements to the south?" asked the King of Yan.

"Yes."

Gongsun Xing did indeed take Qin Gong's money, but that five hundred gold pieces was merely the price for taking sides in the court.

Now, Duke Qin has run out of money.

Those good-for-nothings pocketed two thousand taels of gold after just one scolding.

With a slight furrow of his brow, Kang Xun said solemnly, "Tell me, isn't this Duke Qin going a bit too far?"

Angry.

"Let's set aside the assassination attempt on Song Shi'an for now. But the fact that troops were sent outside the pass to ambush the delegation is basically true," Gongsun Xing said.

They also have informants; such a big matter simply cannot be suppressed.

“The assassination attempt is most likely true,” said the Prince of Yan. “Lu Chao assured me it couldn’t be fake.”

But after he finished speaking, he thought of the leaked alliance agreement.

There was something about it that bothered me.

"Your Majesty," Gongsun Xing asked uncertainly, "the Duke of Qin has gone so far, isn't he really worried about war?"

"What does the Prime Minister mean?" The King of Yan sensed a hidden meaning in his words.

"This is not a subject to make hasty guesses..."

You can guess whatever you want.

“Fighting in the south is advantageous to Duke Qin. But if he really loses, it will be disadvantageous for him,” Gongsun Xing said. “Could it be that Duke Qin’s connection with the south is closer than we thought?”

The two looked at each other, their expressions cold.

It's impossible for that place to have no connection with the south.

But if that limit is crossed, it will be intolerable to the king.

The other two of the three starter families want to fight him.

That's really going too far.

Conson was already furious.

This fire was started by Gongsun Xing.

So he was a little angry too.

The two joined forces, which inevitably disrupted the tripartite balance of power.

This also implicitly acknowledges one thing—the termination of the alliance.

"So, what should we do?"

The matter that the King of Yan inquired about, and the outcome of this matter.