Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 234 Intimidating Conson

On the evening of the day of the morning court session, Song Shi'an was summoned by the Prince of Yan.

But this time it wasn't Eunuch Yang or Lu Chao who came, but another eunuch whom I had never seen before.

It was clear that the King of Yan was still angry about the 'leaked alliance agreement'.

It really did ruin Lu Chao.

But this is only temporary.

When Song Shi'an came to Yan, he didn't bribe anyone. He just waved his hand and gave you such a large sum of gold. Some of the pressure is something they should bear.

Remember, no gold comes for free.

With the introduction, Song Shi'an walked all the way to the outside of the palace that is now the royal palace.

He raised his hands and was searched.

Then, the guard took out a pouch from his sleeve, weighed it briefly, and knowing there were no hidden weapons or blunt objects inside, asked, "What's inside?"

“Confidential,” Song Shi’an said.

The guard prepared to open it, but kept looking at Song Shi'an until the other said, "You'd better not look at this."

"Why?"

"Apart from the Prince of Yan, anyone who watches will die," Song Shi'an said calmly.

But the guard wasn't stubborn; he reached out and handed it back to the other man, saying, "My lord, please come in."

And so, as night fell, he entered the main hall.

On the steps sat a somewhat weary king.

Upon seeing Song Shi'an, before the other could even greet him, he said, "Why be so aggressive towards Old Wang Ding, only to cause his sudden death in court?"

"Your Highness," Song Shi'an looked at him, showing no nervousness whatsoever, but rather a hint of mockery, "then in your opinion, between me and Wang Ding, who is more loyal?"

Kang Xun pursed his lips, then reluctantly admitted, "You're loyal."

There is no standard for loyalty.

But if we have to set a standard, then we can only judge by actions, not intentions.

Judging from his actions, Song Shi'an risked his life to save his country and ensure his safety. Wang Ding, on the other hand, had no roots and defected to the enemy.

Although the two men had a forty-fold difference in seniority, the fact remains that Wang Ding served two masters.

In ancient times, loyalty was to die rather than surrender to one's monarch, to surrender and then commit suicide to protect the people, to die rather than serve two masters, and even if one served two masters, to be willing to collect the body of one's deceased monarch.

Wang Ding had many opportunities to embellish this experience, but he didn't make the effort.

The phrase "the former king was a wise ruler" perfectly reveals his clownish nature.

The former king was a wise ruler, so the previous ruler must have been a foolish one?
Modern capitalists know that you shouldn't hire people who badmouth their former employers when they switch jobs.

"Your Highness," Song Shi'an said after receiving this reply, "Sometimes etiquette is important, but can we also seek 'truth'?"

What is the pursuit of truth?

"Do the right thing."

"So, is allying with Yu against Qi the right thing to do?"

Kang Xun was slightly displeased to see the child teaching him how to do things.

"The right thing to do depends on who it is right for," Song Shi'an said.

"Then when you cursed Wang Ding to death, were you right against whom?" the King of Yan questioned.

“Your Highness is right.” Song Shi’an stared at the other person. “The death of a hypocritical old good-for-nothing has also shown the world that there is no good end for those who oppose you.”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Kang Xun retorted seriously, “I only have respect for the royal army. I sent you to Yan as an envoy and summoned you to the court only to maintain diplomatic relations between the two countries, not to ally with you. I will certainly not stand up for you.”

Song Shi'an's attempt to bind Kang Xun together was quickly severed.

You were the one who verbally abused Wang Ding to death, so how can you say it was because of me?
“Regardless of whether Your Highness has stood up for me or not, those ministers who accepted bribes from Chen Xing are now speechless.” Song Shi’an smiled slightly. “Now, Your Highness can make your own choice.”

"The major policies of the Yan Kingdom rest with me, and I can make decisions at any time."

Conson was unhappy that he had spoken so bluntly and without giving him any face, so his negative emotions intensified.

Song Shi'an remained silent, continuing to smile.

Instantly, the King of Yan became enraged and angrily shouted, "Don't think you can bribe my men with a little gold! I already know who leaked the alliance to you. He's been thrown into prison, and I know everything about your dealings!"

As a king, what I hate most is having ghosts around me.

But he had no evidence, and he couldn't just take down Lu Chao and the others who he suspected were the mole.

So he simply told all of them not to show up.

Let's talk about the deception of Song Shi'an.

Anyway, he's here now, so there's no way to verify it.

Song Shi'an remained calm, but Kang Xun saw it as a bluff.

"Your Highness, I don't know who you arrested, but that's not important."

As he spoke, Song Shi'an took out a letter tube from his sleeve and handed it out with one hand.

"How dare you be so disrespectful to His Majesty!" Following the Prince of Yan's mood, the eunuch beside him also breathed directly at Song Shi'an.

Yet he still held it in one hand, looking at the Prince of Yan with considerable composure, completely unconcerned about his anger, his accusations, and his probing.

"go."

The King of Yan glared at him, then said solemnly.

So the eunuch went down, and quite displeasedly took the things from Song Shi'an's hands with one hand, walked up to Kang Xun, and presented them with both hands: "Your Majesty."

Conson roughly took the letter, opened it, and found a piece of gold and silk.

A familiar feeling came over me.

Holding the silk in both hands, he slowly unfurled it, then his eyes widened suddenly, his pupils trembling, and his hands shook uncontrollably…

My mind was instantly filled with heat, and my heart started racing.

Even the eunuch standing nearby sensed his unusual behavior and began to feel uneasy. "Get out!"

Suddenly, Conson shouted.

"Song Shi'an, step back!" The eunuch continued to abuse his power.

But the next moment, Conson roared, "It's you! Get out of here!"

"Yes... Your Majesty!" The eunuch trembled with fear, immediately lowered his head, and retreated hastily.

"And the guards at the gate, leave them all behind!"

At this moment, Conson trusted no one.

"Your Majesty, how can the guards retreat? It would endanger your safety..."

"Get out! All of you get out, or we'll drag you out and chop you up!"

Conson went completely insane.

No one dared to stay here any longer.

Even the personal guards stayed away from the palace.

Song Shi'an has a chance to defeat the king in a one-on-one fight.

But it's meaningless.

While this man was having a fit of madness, he slowly walked up the steps, then sat on a golden step, resting his hands on his knees, as if he were at home, completely unrestrained and at ease.

They completely disregarded the king.

Conson dared not say anything.

This royal edict, with its gold and silk, seal, and embroidery, essentially proves that it originated from the State of Yan.

The phrase above, "Passing the throne to the eldest son Kangyi—Edict of the Prince of Yan," was even written in his own father's handwriting.

Although I've forgotten some of the words "Kang Xun is unrighteous, return to the Great Yu" written in blood, they are indeed Kang Yi's handwriting.

There is absolutely no possibility that it is fake.

Conson's hand trembled.

He was really scared.

Fortunately, this thing was in my possession.

If the throne were given to the Duke of Qin, that man who clearly harbored rebellious intentions, something even more serious than the destruction of the Yan state could happen—his own throne would be at risk.

Therefore, Song Shi'an resorted to blatant sarcasm, revealing that he had no real authority in the Yan state.

He really has the confidence to back it up.

Kangxun put down the imperial edict and saw Song Shi'an sitting below his steps. He then rose, walked over, and half-knelt beside him, showing no airs of royalty whatsoever. The two seemed to have no hierarchical relationship whatsoever, and Kangxun questioned, "Where did this come from?"

Then, Song Shi'an said, "When the old King of Yan sent Kang Yi as a hostage, he promised that before he died, he would send someone to bring him back and pass the throne to him, and he left behind such an edict."

Conson swallowed hard, continuing to watch him with even greater tension.

"The old King of Yan died suddenly, so the Duke of Qin and other veteran ministers put you on the throne. Kang Yi has always harbored resentment, so when you were preparing to ally with Qi, which was recently, he used this edict. He also bribed people to try to secretly send it to the State of Yan," Song Shi'an said.

"Then how did it end up in your hands?" Conson asked in astonishment.

“The person he’s trying to bribe is also one of ours,” Song Shi’an said with a smile.

Upon hearing these words, Conson broke out in a cold sweat.

It felt like I had just experienced a top-level battle of wits.

"Then who is he going to deliver it to?"

Conson asked hastily and fearfully.

"I know, is that a good thing?" Song Shi'an was relieved.

"Do you think I don't believe you?"

“No, whether you believe it or not is no longer important,” Song Shi’an said. “Knowing who it is is enough.”

We know who it is, and we have Kang Yi.

They can completely control you.

"Tell me!" Kangxun cried impatiently, "Who is secretly colluding with that traitor Kangyi to plot my throne!"

Song Shi'an looked at him and shook his head: "Prince Yan, do you not understand the current situation at all?"

"What do you mean?" Kang Xu asked in a panic.

Then, Song Shi'an stared at him and warned him directly: "If we unite with Qi against Yu, the Duke of Qin will win, and you will lose."

"If we unite with Qi and stabilize the situation, Yan will win, but you will lose."

"If you try to please both sides, Yan will lose, and you will lose even more."

These three sentences are extremely concise.

However, Conson quickly grasped the meaning.

If they unite with Qi to resist Yu, Qin will seize military and political power.

By uniting with Qi to stabilize Yu, Yu's government intervened in its internal affairs, unleashing a major move to support Kang Yi.

Needless to say, you've already taken in all the hostages from Qi, so how could you possibly engage in any ambiguous relationships?

"What can we do?"

Suddenly, the Prince of Yan stood up and shouted, "You control Kangyi, do you think you can threaten me for the rest of my life? I am the Prince of Yan, am I supposed to be controlled by you for the rest of my life? At worst, it's a bloody battle!"

"Your Highness, if we really want to hinder you, why don't we keep this?"

Song Shi'an's question left him stunned.

Indeed, this is a divine weapon that strikes at his vital point.

Slowly, Song Shi'an raised his hand and said gently to the king, "Your Highness, go to the candle and burn it. Then you will be at peace."

(End of this chapter)