Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 261 Conson's Revenge!

Song Shi'an rode in a carriage back to the new city.

The convoy suddenly stopped en route.

"what happened?"

Song Shi'an was puzzled and lifted the front curtain of the carriage to ask San Gou.

However, he froze as soon as he finished speaking.

Then, seeing Xin Yue's stunned expression, he excitedly jumped off the carriage.

Ahead on the dirt road, a man sat on a horse, waiting in advance.

Upon seeing Song Shi'an come down, he also jumped down gracefully.

"Brother Ziliang!"

Upon seeing him, Song Shi'an immediately pounced on him, hugged him tightly, and spun the strong man around in the air: "My benefactor has arrived! Without you, I certainly wouldn't have been able to return to the country!"

"You're too kind," Zuo Ziliang said with a smile, quite pleased. "It is His Majesty's concern and high regard for you, my lord. I merely relayed a message."

What happened to your head?

Seeing a fresh scar on his head, Song Shi'an asked with great concern.

"I fell off my horse on the way back," Zuo Ziliang said casually, then extended his hand. "My lord, let's go back to Xincheng first and talk as we walk."

"please."

Song Shi'an also extended his hand.

The two mounted their horses and rode side by side in front, while the others sensibly kept their distance, giving them space to talk.

"The alliance agreement has been signed and is stored in a box. Brother Ziliang, why don't you keep it with you?" Song Shi'an asked.

"No need. I trust you with your work, my lord. When we return to Sheng'an, you can hand it over to His Majesty yourself." Zuo Ziliang wasn't greedy for credit, and he knew he couldn't claim it anyway. What he truly cared about was something else entirely. "That Ji Hui, he must be dead, right?"

"I was almost cooked alive by Conson, how could I not die?"

"Your Excellency is truly virtuous," Zuo Ziliang said earnestly after praising him. "And Huang Tong, has he left the State of Yan?"

“I don’t know, but when they wanted to cook me, I certainly hadn’t been caught,” Song Shi’an said. “I’ve already spoken with General Dangbei in Beiliang. If he makes the necessary arrangements, he will send a message to Xincheng. At that time, please have the Embroidered Uniform Guard deliver the remaining 1,500 gold coins.”

"Really giving it to us?" Zuo Ziliang couldn't help but ask. "This kind of despicable person can betray Yan twice, so he can betray us too. Fifteen hundred gold coins should be enough, right?"

“This is something we cannot skimp on,” Song Shi’an explained. “This is a test of the integrity of our Great Yu. Even if it is a villain that the other two countries despise, we must repay him.”

Those who betray me will be given three thousand gold pieces.

And what about those who follow me?

I'll just give you ten thousand gold coins!
Understand the applause.

"I will obey your every command, Your Excellency. I am completely subservient."

Zuo Ziliang originally thought that everything he had imagined was going too smoothly and that the actual development would not be so cooperative. However, after experiencing it with him, he realized that each step was made possible by his corrections.

When Song Shi'an went on his mission, he was risking his life.

Every step is an effort on the edge of the limit.

Tell me, who can bear the responsibility for arbitrarily mobilizing a large army?

When someone orchestrates their own assassination attempt, who would dare to let an arrow fly past them at night, risking their life for someone others consider to be 'the most skilled archer in the Imperial Guard'?
Furthermore, the 20,000 taels of gold in the national treasury belong to His Majesty the Emperor. Would you dare to casually give away several thousand taels of gold?
It wasn't a coincidence, nor was it just good luck; it was inevitable.

Zuo Ziliang finally understood how he won against Ji Yuan—by using any means necessary.

Only Song Shi'an truly treated life as a game of chess, with everything he did in order to win.

The difference is that if he loses this game, he will die.

"My lord, there are some things I need to tell you." Aside from his personal admiration, he also had to fulfill his duties as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. "The Prince of Yan's personal letter has reached Sheng'an. Since you did not express any objection, His Majesty still put this matter in court for the officials to discuss."

Whether this whitewashing is useful or not, it has to cover up for the emperor.

"Shi'an understands." Song Shi'an feigned complete nonchalance, but still asked curiously, "But given Shi'an's character... surely you gentlemen would strongly agree?"

"The governor is a man of good character, but everyone agrees that the diplomatic relations between the two countries are invaluable. Therefore, the result of the discussion is that we agree to appoint you as the prime minister of Yan."

Song Shi'an isn't going back to Sheng'an forever, so Zuo Ziliang couldn't just lie through his teeth and make things up.

"I had already made this decision before I arrived. And after I met His Majesty and handed the letter to His Highness Prince Zhongshan..." Zuo Ziliang said with some difficulty, "Both princes have made a lot of efforts."

"Is it inconvenient to say?" Song Shi'an asked.

After a moment's hesitation, Zuo Ziliang stepped forward and said, "The King of Wu and His Highness the King of Zhongshan knelt outside the palace for an entire night, just to recall you. Because of them, His Majesty also withstood the pressure and refused Kangxun."

"..."

Upon hearing these words, Song Shi'an's expression darkened.

Then, while on horseback, he slowly raised his hands and bowed deeply to the south, expressing his boundless respect.

The old emperor was truly something; he was the one who could be right or wrong.

Even at his advanced age, he is still able to manage the political situation so skillfully.

Of course, this is something only someone who is quite old can do.

Doing things like that when you're young is undoubtedly cutting off your own path.

They've completely abandoned all sense of shame; they're paving the way for the King of Wu!

Zuo Ziliang, standing to the side, didn't know whether the bow was addressed to the emperor, the King of Wu, or the King of Zhongshan. But he knew that this action had indeed placed him in a dangerous and sensitive position.

I'm definitely going to be labeled a member of the Shian Party.

.........

After Song Shi'an arrived in the new city, news from Beiliang arrived ahead of schedule: Ji Hui's head had been sealed in a box and delivered. After Song Shi'an inspected it, he had the remaining 1,500 taels of gold sent over by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and solemnly instructed them: before receiving any orders from the emperor, the lives of Huang Tong and the other cavalrymen must be protected.

After arriving in Xincheng, Song Shi'an also discussed the important matter of road construction with the newly arrived prefect, Zheng Qian.

As a bridgehead for communication with the Yan Kingdom, the importance of Xincheng will continue to rise in the future.

The greater the hatred that the Great Yu held for the State of Qi, the higher the military status of the Northern Liang.

The more the Yu state loved the Yan state, the higher the economic status of the Eastern Liang state became.

But since it is the border, it will inevitably be shrouded in unpredictable events... "This is a secret letter sent by Lord Lu Chao. Please take a look, sir."

In the new city, at the home of a seventh-rank military officer, a commoner scout presented a letter with both hands.

If the Great Yu was able to plant so many spies in the Yan Kingdom, the Yan Kingdom would naturally not be foolish enough to allow the other side to infiltrate it completely without making any effort.

Even though their intelligence spending was far less than the other side's, they still managed to plant many spies and bribe many officials in this important border town of Xincheng.

The seventh-rank military officer took the letter, glanced at it, and then suddenly widened his eyes, looking at the other party in disbelief: "Is it really...is it a letter from Lord Lu?"

"Yes," the man replied.

"Are you sure you want me to kill Young Master Kangyi?" he asked nervously.

"Yes," the man said seriously, "there's no way it could be fake."

"Is this Lord Lu's intention, or..." he asked with suspicion, "...the King's intention?"

There was no answer.

Silence says it all.

It means the king.

Then Lu Chao will carry it out.

If it leaks out, Lu Chao will be the one to take the blame.

"Lord Lu, can you hold out?" the military officer asked.

“My lord, you know this as well.” Seeing that the other party was still suspicious, he knew that without explaining, it would be difficult to assign this task, so he said, “Song Shi’an led troops into the pass as an envoy, and then instructed Huang Tong to assassinate Ji Hui. Song Shi’an could not possibly be responsible for this matter.”

The only person responsible is Lu Chao, who brought Song Shi'an into the Yan state and directly caused all of this.

That matter is in the past.

But it won't pass muster with the king.

"For this matter, the chief eunuch, Eunuch Yang, was boiled alive."

"Eunuch Yang was boiled alive?!"

The military officer was almost dumbfounded, never expecting the king to be so furious.

Therefore, he understood why Lu Chao was the one who came to do this.

Those who accepted bribes from Song Shi'an, you damn well better atone for your sins.

"grown ups."

As he spoke, the man beckoned to the side, and at that moment, the person standing outside the door came in carrying a box.

It was placed in front of him.

When the seventh-rank military officer opened the box, the sight of five hundred gold coins nearly blinded him.

“There are still five hundred gold coins left, to be paid out after the matter is settled,” he said.

"This……"

The military officer stared at the gold, wanting to say something, but the gold completely confused him.

"My lord, you know this task is not difficult."

He was in charge of the city's defenses and responsible for patrolling during the curfew.

The military officer frowned and said, "But if the person really dies, and the blame is placed on me..."

"A thousand pieces of gold."

These three words silenced him once again.

You should know that this thousand gold pieces would be worth twenty-five million in modern times.

And the purchasing power of gold in ancient times.

Damn it, I couldn't earn this much in ten lifetimes!

"Then the king won't sell me, will he?" the military officer asked again to confirm.

"Ji Hui died in Yan, so even if we didn't do it, we're still the ones who got blamed. And Kang Yi died in Dayu, so even if they didn't do it, shouldn't he be the one to take the blame?"

The man stared at him with a serious expression and said, "If the person dies, you can get the money, Lord Lu can give you instructions, and the king can secure his throne and even seek compensation from Great Yu. The only one who will suffer is Great Yu."

.........

Song Shi'an was in his room with Xin Yue.

After the events in the Yan Kingdom, the two were officially recognized as husband and wife, and it was only natural that they lived and slept together.

While Song Shi'an was soaking his feet, he looked at Xin Yue, who was sitting next to him trimming her nails, and asked, "Tell me, how do we get Kang Qing to Bei Liang?"

"Didn't we already think it through? We'll discuss it directly with Zuo Ziliang."

"Previously, it was perfectly legitimate for safety, but now that I've been through the process of becoming prime minister, bringing it up again would make it seem like I'm dissatisfied with the emperor and want to seize power."

"How about I stage an assassination and use this incident to break up that father and son?"

"Why not just say it directly? If we get caught, that's the end of it."

Song Shi'an disagreed, saying it was too dangerous.

Just then, the two suddenly smelled smoke.

Xin Yue quickly went to the window, opened it, and leaned out. She exclaimed in surprise, "It's on fire! And it looks like it's at Kang Yi's place?"

"Huh? Why is it only that place on fire?" Song Shi'an exclaimed in surprise, then quickly realized, "It's an assassination attempt!"

Upon hearing this, Xinyue exclaimed with delight, "That's great! We can take this opportunity to split it up."

"What if they get killed?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Song Shi'an quickly stood up and put on his shoes. Xin Yue also took the sword from the sword rack, and the two left the room together.

If Kang Yi were to be killed, we'd be finished; we'd lose everything!

(End of this chapter)