Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 246 The Succubus of Dayu
Zuo Ziliang lowered his head, his pupils still trembling. Facing the supreme emperor, his fear completely overshadowed his physical pain and exhaustion.

Dereliction of duty, disobeying the emperor's will, and insubordination—these crimes combined mean that even if he were the emperor's grandson and the eldest son of the princess, he would have little chance of survival.

At this moment, however, the emperor's face showed not anger, but rather a rare look of astonishment.

This is the deputy envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the most trusted confidant among confidants, the most trusted henchman among henchmen.

Having him monitor Song Shi'an meant that, despite the constant scrutiny from the Embroidered Uniform Guard with their microscopes, they couldn't find a single problem with Song Shi'an along the way!
This person is terrifying; as an official, he can actually withstand investigation!

"Drag him away and chop him up."

The emperor closed his eyes briefly, then spoke coldly and ruthlessly.

"This guilty subject thanks Your Majesty."

After the death sentence was pronounced, Zuo Ziliang's fear seemed to temporarily disappear, and his bodily functions returned to normal. Then, he prostrated himself on the ground with both hands and slowly bowed his head in reverence.

"……His Majesty."

Seeing this, Chen Bao immediately knelt before the emperor, lowered his head, and whispered, "Zuo Ziliang's crime deserves death, even if he dies nine times, it is not a pity. However, this mission is not yet over, and Song Shi'an is in Northern Yan without anyone to restrain him... so the gold should be temporarily detained in Yan. This servant begs that this criminal be allowed to finish his work before Your Majesty decides on his punishment."

Chen Bao knows everything.

The emperor could not possibly kill Zuo Ziliang.

Once he said that, it became impossible to kill him.

Of course, what he meant was that if he said anything other than that sentence, he would be committing a capital offense.

The emperor ordered you to monitor Song Shi'an, but you not only abandoned your post, but also returned to challenge the emperor. At this point, your reason was "Song Shi'an did this or that". So, were you raised by Song Shi'an or by the emperor?
Whom do you obey?
I admire Song Shi'an.

Only this sentence can save you from death.

After Chen Bao offered him a way out, the emperor stared at him and said in a tone devoid of any tenderness, "If those 20,000 taels of gold disappear without explanation, not only you, but your whole family will die. If you get them back, you can live on."

His entire family even included the eldest princess, who was the emperor's eldest daughter.

This is normal.

No one in the world is worth 20,000 gold.

"This humble subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."

Zuo Ziliang wanted to kowtow again, but before he could finish, the emperor said impatiently, "Enough! Do you want to splatter blood on my robes?"

Because if I keep kowtowing, I'll really die.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zuo Ziliang stopped.

Then he raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, after Song Shi'an entered the palace, the female envoy who accompanied us entered the palace under the guise of being his wife, and then brought out a letter. Song Shi'an told her to give it to His Highness Prince Zhongshan."

After saying this, he raised the secret letter with both hands.

Then, Chen Bao, who was already kneeling on the ground, crawled over to Zuo Ziliang, took the letter, crawled back, raised his hands at the emperor's feet, and stood respectfully and tremblingly.

"Since you are so opinionated, why don't you just bring it to the Prince of Zhongshan?" the emperor teased.

"This sinful subject... dares not," Zuo Ziliang explained. "As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I cannot conceal anything from His Majesty. This sinful subject cannot have any secrets either."

Indeed, Zuo Ziliang's loyalty is beyond question.

Moreover, he had no reason to be unfaithful.

Picture what?
The Embroidered Uniform Guard, being a member of the imperial family, would remain in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for life, much like a eunuch. Their only leader was the emperor, and as long as the emperor favored them, they could enjoy wealth and status for generations.

Knowing full well that this was a capital offense, he still insisted on riding back alone from Northern Yan, risking great disapproval.

Was he too stupid to see Song Shi'an's cunning and treachery?

That's the Embroidered Uniform Guard, ruthless characters who would cut down veteran officials of several dynasties like watermelons. Who could escape their eyes?

Regret.

All indications suggest that Song Shi'an has nothing to do with treacherous officials or villains.

You could even say he was a purely loyal subject.

The emperor took the letter and opened it.

His presbyopia was so severe that his head started to ache the moment he saw it. He casually handed it to Chen Bao.

Chen Bao took it and read it aloud to the emperor:

An Nu bows deeply and respectfully:
I am but a wandering scholar of the brothel, lacking any ambition for high office, indulging in the pleasures of courtesans and dying of drunken revelry. I admire Your Highness, who braved the snow to sacrifice your life for the Yellow Emperor, a figure of unparalleled virtue and lofty ideals, whom I deeply revere and yearn for…

Now I am sent as an envoy to Yan, and my achievements will be realized soon. However, Gongsun Xing has devised a series of treacherous schemes, and I am detained in the Northern Court. The Yu court will surely use the pretext of "cooperating in land reclamation" to sell hostages to feed tigers. An Gan is like phosphorescent fire in Yinshan, but the deep-seated problem of the state lies in the powerful and wealthy blocking the fields and exploiting the people to fill their granaries—the rich tear brocade for firewood, and the poor dig out bones to pay taxes. This will surely destroy the pillars of the Yu state!

I humbly request Your Highness to remonstrate with the King of Wu on the day the alliance is concluded: the land reclamation office must be handed over to the poor and needy, and the tax registers should be displayed in the marketplace.

Your Highness need not worry about my situation. In the Northern Court, I am as secure as a rock, my status comparable to that of a duke. Everything here is provided for, and I am treated with the utmost courtesy. Though in a foreign land, I can still fulfill my aspirations and find peace within our borders, sheltered from the cold like a mulberry grove. My only thought is of Your Highness…

Fallen blossoms cast a solitary shadow on the lonely minister, while a light rain falls, and swallows fly in pairs. The moon that once shone brightly over the Ling Pavilion now shines upon the phoenix's shadow as it chases the clouds homeward.

Now that I am about to depart, tears stream down my face as I write this, and I am at a loss for words.

After reading the entire letter, even Chen Bao choked up a little.

When Kang Xun proposed, or rather Gongsun Xing used, this conspiracy, Song Shi'an already knew his fate.

They're definitely not coming back.

Moreover, he directly predicted that those powerful families would offer to cooperate with the land reclamation program in order to save his life and to amass wealth for the emperor.

Therefore, the Sixth Prince was instructed to advise the King of Wu not to allow powerful families to control the military farms, otherwise, if this continued, it would surely bring disaster to the country and its people.

I've calculated everything.

And you don't need to worry about me in Yan. Even if I never come back in this lifetime, Kangxun will treat me well. But the only one I miss is you, Xiao Wei.

"As expected of Song Shi'an, he foresaw the despicable nature of the officials and even my cold-heartedness." The emperor smiled, but his expression was unusually heavy.

That dream seems to be wrong.

Neither Song Shi'an nor Wei Wusheng are the treacherous officials Ying Meng is involved in; I shouldn't be so afraid.

But that dream seemed to be true.

Because I feared this dream, I slowly tried to correct it, but unknowingly, reality gradually led me into the dream.

The Emperor had taken note of the utterly disappointed look in Wei Wusheng's eyes when he looked at the King of Wu in court a few days ago.

Originally, killing one's brother out of spite would require a struggle.

But that moment of despair made Wei Wusheng's knife both swift and sharp.

Often, on the path of escaping fate, one unexpectedly encounters it.

"Your Majesty," Chen Bao said, looking up at the emperor after reading the letter, his voice trembling as he suggested, "Song Shi'an's letter is intended to sow discord; it should not have been sent to the Sixth Prince."

This is not provocation at all.

Although Song Shi'an was a talented writer, he was very simple and honest in his feelings.

Not a single word in it carries malice or satire of the imperial court.

But if Wei Wusheng sees this, he will be angry.

I'm angry at many people.

"If I hide this letter from Wusheng, will he not see it?" the emperor asked with a smile.

"..." Chen Bao lowered his head, at a loss for words.

It's impossible for two people to lose contact.

When the accounts are reconciled later, Song Shi'an will find out that his 'family letters' to Wei Wusheng have been intercepted. How could he not hate the emperor?
Now that he's in power in the Yan state, he has no choice but to relentlessly seek revenge against the Great Yu.

If Wei Wusheng knew that his letter had been confiscated by the emperor, would he still be able to maintain basic courtesy as a subject, given that he already disliked the old man?
The emperor was indeed able to suppress the hatred between the two men.

But the gold is still in Song Shi'an's hands, and Northern Liang still has tens of thousands of soldiers.

"Send the letter to the Prince of Zhongshan," the emperor said.

Chen Bao, who was kneeling, took the letter, knelt down and walked to Zuo Ziliang, handing it to him.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zuo Ziliang replied.

"You know what to say, right?" the emperor asked.

"I first gave this letter to His Majesty, but His Majesty did not review it and instructed me to pass it on directly to Your Highness..." Zuo Ziliang said softly.

Who would believe that he didn't show it to the emperor?
Would the Embroidered Uniform Guard do such a thing?
Mixing half truth into a lie makes it seem very real.

"You weren't stupid after all?"

The emperor looked at Zuo Ziliang and said sarcastically, "You just want to talk back to me, don't you?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Ziliang was about to kowtow again.

"Stop kowtowing!" the emperor interrupted with annoyance, then waved his hand, "Get out."

"My lord, I obey."

Zuo Ziliang thus escaped with his life and left this place.

After he left, the emperor said to Chen Bao, who was standing trembling beside him, "Get up, Eunuch Chen."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chen Bao stood up, remaining respectful.

After all, he was not wrong; even when he pleaded for Zuo Ziliang, he was merely guessing at the emperor's thoughts.

"I was wrong."

Upon hearing these three words, Chen Bao immediately lowered his head: "Your Majesty is not wrong, Your Majesty is wise beyond compare. It is Song Shi'an who is too good at guessing people's hearts. Sending Zuo Ziliang back to Yu and bringing back this letter is his strategy."

"My son's heart has been bewitched by him, but what about the Embroidered Uniform Guard? They are tough as nails, their hearts are as hard as knots, and they are ruthless killers. Have they also been seduced by him?" the emperor asked.

“Great loyalty can appear as treachery. Although Song Shi’an doesn’t appear to be treachery, such great loyalty is no different from great evil,” Chen Bao said earnestly.

"I know."

The emperor always understood that these powerful families needed to be weakened, and he believed that Song Shi'an could succeed.

Was he foolish to choose this path to national ruin?
Big mistakes.

When Song Shi'an became his own executioner, power had already been born.

If he could suppress all powerful ministerial families, how high would his power reach?
A country will not perish if it has many treacherous officials.

But if there is a loyal minister who can kill all the treacherous ministers, then that will lead to the downfall of the country.

Because at that time, the loyal ministers were only one step away from conforming to the will of Heaven and the people.

What was the explanation then?

There was only one way, and that was to beg Song Shi'an, who was truly a selfless and great minister.

"tonight."

The emperor looked at Chen Bao and said, "Make the Prince of Wu kneel at the palace gate for one night to plead for Song Shi'an."

(End of this chapter)