Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 260 Returning to the Loyal Great Yu

Not long after Zuo Ziliang returned to Sheng'an, he went to Yan again, this time with the new governor of Ji County, who was sent by Sheng'an. Because there were not only Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) but also some officials from the capital, they could not travel as fast as they used to, and it took them ten days and nights to reach the new city.

Zuo Ziliang's mission was not yet complete. Even though he had instructed the Embroidered Uniform Guard to account for every tael of gold, the weight of the national treasury rested on Song Shi'an's shoulders, which concerned his own life. Therefore, not long after arriving in Xincheng, he prepared to enter the pass again.

However, at this moment, news arrived from the State of Yan.

Cavalry scouts from outside Cangliao Pass.

In the prefectural governor's mansion, the governor sat in the main seat, flanked by General Zhong and the prefectural assistant, and they were discussing state affairs.

"Reporting to the Prefect and Your Excellencies, intelligence from the Yan Kingdom!" the cavalryman shouted.

"Intelligence from the Yan Kingdom?" Zheng Qian was taken aback, as he had only just arrived. He then asked the prefectural magistrate beside him, "Where is Lord Zuo? Hasn't he set off yet?"

"My lord, Master Zuo is preparing to depart this afternoon and should still be at the post station..."

"Someone, quickly go and invite Lord Zuo over. Tell him we have intelligence from the Yan Kingdom."

Zheng Qian understood a principle well: a new official should not concern himself with past grievances.

Although he became a regional governor, the emperor's task for him was to replace the assassinated governor, appease the people, and carry out road construction under the emperor's command.

The completion of the new road to the State of Yan in three months was a tremendous achievement. Of course, had he failed, his political career could be said to have ended there.

If things go wrong, it won't just be his political life that ends.

Therefore, he doesn't care about anything else.

"Yes." An official went to summon people.

Then, Zheng Qian waved his hand and said to the cavalryman who had reported, "You wait outside the door until Lord Zuo arrives, then you can come in and talk."

This seemingly insignificant act of shifting blame revealed the professionalism of Sheng'an's bureaucrats to General Zhong and the Prefect.

"Yes." The soldier went out.

A while later, Zuo Ziliang arrived.

The three of them personally greeted him.

“The Yan Kingdom has sent intelligence, and I fear it is of great importance, so I have not yet had him report it. I request that Lord Zuo make the decision.” Zheng Qian extended his hand and said very respectfully, “Please take a seat.”

"Your Excellency, you are the esteemed head of Ji County, please take a seat."

Zuo Ziliang insisted that the other person sit back in his own seat.

The other two also sat down.

"Lord Zuo, please have a seat." Zheng Qian felt it was inappropriate and declined again.

So Zuo Ziliang said, "I am a martial artist, and I am used to standing."

As soon as he finished speaking, General Zhong on the left stood up.

Martial artist, you're targeting me, right?

The general stood up, and the prefectural magistrate quickly stood up as well.

Thus, the scene changed to the chief official sitting in the seat of honor, with Zuo Ziliang standing next to him, and the other two standing below.

Apart from newly rich officials like Song Shi'an, whose status cannot be measured by rank, Zuo Ziliang was a recipient of face-saving benefits in front of other high-ranking officials.

After all, he was the deputy envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the emperor's own grandson.

“Then let him in to report,” Zheng Qian said.

Then the scout came in again, knelt on one knee, and clenched his fists: "Lord, Master Zuo, esteemed officials, according to reports from Yan, the Yu-Yan alliance has been signed, and the hostage from Qi has been sent back to his country."

"Oh, what a wonderful thing!" Zheng Qian exclaimed excitedly, not forgetting to flatter, "As expected of Prefect Song, as expected of Lord Zuo, this is an unparalleled achievement."

"You flatter me," Zuo Ziliang replied with a smile.

"Then Ji Yuan's wolfish ambitions have failed," General Zhong said. "Moreover, Qin Che of Liaonan Commandery is a very troublesome person. With the power of Yan not in his hands, the pressure on Dongliang will be much less."

"Is there anything else?" Zuo Ziliang asked the soldier with concern.

He knew that as long as the emperor responded, the alliance would be immediately established.

But Song Shi'an's plan didn't stop there.

"Lord Song is already on his way back to Dayu under escort. He should arrive at Xincheng in three days, and then..." He hesitated, then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Zuo Ziliang asked seriously.

With difficulty, he began, “I don’t know why, but before Lord Song left Xiangcheng, Kang Xun sent troops to surround the post station and took him and his wife into the palace, saying they were going to boil them alive… Fortunately, thanks to the strong recommendations of Yan officials such as Gongsun Xing, they were not persecuted.”

The moment these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.

Three of them were shocked, while Zuo Ziliang was pleasantly surprised.

Song Shi'an really did it!

This guy is inhuman.

If you say kill, kill.

Moreover, they were able to escape unscathed from the State of Yan.

Congratulations, the rest of the gold is all yours.

"What's gotten into Kang Xun?" General Zhong said angrily. "How dare he treat our envoy like this?"

"What happened?" the prefectural magistrate asked, puzzled.

"Lord Zuo," Zheng Qian asked, "how should we respond this time? Should we send someone to meet us, or report to General Xiang?"

"Please keep this matter a secret and do not leak it. Also, keep the city strictly under control and prevent any malicious rumors from spreading. Please also keep a close watch on Kang Yi's family," Zuo Ziliang said calmly. "I will go to greet the magistrate."

"Then, thank you for your trouble, Lord Zuo."

That concludes the explanation.

Immediately afterwards, Zuo Ziliang left the city, mounted his horse without stopping, and headed alone to Cangguan.

Welcoming this guy who almost got himself killed by his maternal grandfather.

In his view, there were many bastards in the Great Yu Dynasty. These bastards were not stupid; on the contrary, they were extremely shrewd, even he, a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, could not see through them. But he just couldn't stand people like that.

They talk a lot about loyalty to the emperor and love for the country and its people, but all they do are petty and despicable things.

Song Shi'an is arrogant; he will stop at nothing to gain wealth and status.
Tell me, would you dare to throw your life into a pot of boiling oil?
.........

Lu Chao received 1,000 taels of gold, He Ji received 2,000 taels of gold, the spy received 1,500 taels of gold, Kang Xun received 5,000 taels of gold, Huang Tong received 1,500 taels of gold as a deposit, and the eunuchs, including Eunuch Yang, received a total of 600 taels of gold.

Song Shi'an still has 8,400 gold coins left.

However, Huang Tong still owed 1,500 gold coins as the final payment.

So, the total is six thousand nine hundred gold.

All that money went to Song Shi'an.

Of course, he was also very clear about one principle.

Once the money reaches a certain total amount, it no longer belongs to you.

Not to mention that the emperor knew perfectly well that he had that much money in his hands.

But I'm definitely going to spend this money on myself.

The flowers were so beautiful that no one could find fault with them.

Throughout the journey back to China, Lu Chao, who accompanied him, was in a bad mood.

So, on the last stretch of the journey, Song Shi'an invited him into his carriage and took the initiative to soften his stance, saying, "My lord, I'm about to return home. How long are you planning to stay angry?"

"You, you, you!" Lu Chao raised his finger, gritting his teeth, then sighed, "Why did you have to make it like this? This makes me feel like I've released a monster into the Yan Kingdom. How am I supposed to face my king in the future?"

“What are you saying?” Song Shi’an said. “If you insist that Song Shi’an killed Ji Hui, then that’s it.”

"You're still saying things that you can't tell a three-year-old..."

"Wait until I finish speaking."

Song Shi'an knew he was furious, so he explained, "We all know perfectly well how our prefect died, and when we talked about it, didn't we tacitly cover it up?"

“…That’s right.” Lu Chao understood what he meant.

Song Shi'an admitted that he killed Ji Hui and did not shirk his responsibility.

But you can't say it like that.

It's like everyone knows that Chen Xing bribed the Duke of Qin, and then the Duke of Qin sent Huang Tong to kill the Yu envoy.

But the official announcement also stated: Huang Tong, seeing the money, disguised himself as a bandit to ambush and kill Yu Shi, and Qin Gong resigned because he failed to properly control his subordinates.
If it's not done in a dignified way, and the truth is actually reported, it involves at least several taboo areas—

Colluding with foreign forces.

He accepted huge bribes.

They launched terrorist attacks against political figures in friendly nations.

"Don't make things sound so alarming, my lord," Song Shi'an said.

"Then tell me, why must Ji Hui die?" Lu Chao asked.

When asked this question, Song Shi'an calmly replied, "Is that road in the south passable now, or has it always been passable?"

Song Shi'an was referring to the newly built trade route.

This also alludes to the path of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The two are closely connected.

If the State of Yan were to change its allegiance frequently and waver in its political stance, then the importance of this path would also be constantly undermined.

However, if the State of Yan establishes itself as a staunch ally of the State of Yu and severs ties with the State of Qi, then this road will remain evergreen year-round, affecting the livelihoods of millions of people.

"My lord, tell the king that we should just do business properly," Song Shi'an advised. "You too, investing some capital in Bai County won't be a loss."

"Easy for you to say. How can the Yan state resist the advance of the Qi army?" Lu Chao retorted.

"I swear, in any battle that leads to your downfall, Great Yu will provide full assistance. In any battle that Great Yu does not wage, you will not suffer any damage," Song Shi'an said solemnly. "Ji Yuan has only one unwavering commitment in his life: southward, southward, and damn it, southward!"

Song Shi'an excitedly revealed the essence of the world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing both overall situation and overall dynamics).

Even if Yu and Yan form an alliance, they can't really be as close as brothers. But Yu has a bottom line—it will never allow Yan to perish.

At the same time, if Ji Yuan were to fight the Yan state to the death, he would never be able to unify the world in his lifetime, so he had no choice but to head south.

"My lord."

Song Shi'an looked at him and said sincerely, "If Yan is destroyed, Qi will also be destroyed, and only Dayu will win. But you and the King of Yan will not lose."

"Hey--"

Lu Chao looked up and let out a long sigh.

The two then reconciled.

The convoy continued all the way to Cangliao Pass.

After Song Shi'an's entire delegation had crossed the border, the two bid each other a final farewell.

They bowed to each other at the pass.

Then they each looked back and headed towards their own countries.

Despite the deception, the matter has been settled regardless.

The Yan state could only accept its fate.

With that Great Yu...

Let's just make do, what else can we do but get a divorce?

Upon returning to the pass, Lu Chao's face immediately darkened, and he handed a letter to his deputy: "Send it to Xincheng."

(End of this chapter)