Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 265 Ji Yuan's son is dead?!

Is the commotion still going on downstairs?

The emperor leaned back on his dragon throne and asked.

Chen Bao, who was half-squatting beside the case reading the memorial to him, replied, "Your Majesty, there are indeed many people talking about this matter."

"How much?" the emperor asked.

“It’s never been this intense before,” Chen Bao said tactfully. “It might be related to Song Shi’an’s personality; too many people hate him, or perhaps…”

"A spy from the State of Qi."

"Your Majesty is holy."

"We should have some spies," the emperor sighed. "If someone is disliked by court officials and they want him dead, he can at most be considered an outcast, not a loyal minister. But if even people from enemy countries want him dead, who can be more loyal than him?"

This is a loyal minister personally certified by the Emperor of Qi.

It's incredibly valuable.

“One of His Highness Prince Wu’s men is named Jia Guihao, and he is the Commandant of Sheng’anxi,” Chen Bao said. “When the commotion was at its worst, he arrested some people. It had a slight effect, but the gossip continued, and it even carried a hint of ‘denouncing’.”

"Whom are we condemning?"

"Your Majesty, Song Shi'an," Chen Bao said, "even if he returns with the alliance document, the people of Great Yu will not accept it."

“Unless it is clarified that he did not take the 20,000 taels of gold from the national treasury, his reputation will not be restored.” The emperor chuckled. “But I did give him 20,000 taels of gold.”

The emperor had kept this matter hidden in order to avoid affecting the mission.

It was not about protecting Song Shi'an.

"I've said it before, let him gamble as he pleases. If he wins, it's his; if he loses, it's his too. Even the gossip needs to be silenced by him." The Emperor asked, "Then who leaked the information about the 20,000 taels of gold?"

"Your Majesty," Chen Bao said, "I had the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate. Those in the treasury should not have spread the word. However, many people did spread it and then amplified the matter." "The Embroidered Uniform Guard has already followed the clues and should be able to catch some spies..."

"My question is, who was the first person to pass on this message?" the emperor raised his voice.

"Your Majesty, among those I have investigated, those from the treasury should be excluded," Chen Bao said tremblingly.

"That is the King of Wu."

"...This servant would not dare to offend Your Highness!"

"He wouldn't dare, and he has no reason to."

"Song Jing's side hasn't been investigated yet..."

"Do you really think I'm senile? That I would send my own son to the brink of death?"

"This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die!" Chen Bao kept kowtowing.

"Alright, stop now," the emperor called out to him, then murmured, "I already knew who it was."

My old friend.

Even the Duke of Li was getting emotional.

They're expressing their dissatisfaction with what happened before.

Song Shi'an was praised too highly by him, but he went back on his word, deceived the officials, and even made the prince kneel down to clear his name. All these actions made the descendants of the meritorious officials who had followed the emperor feel insecure.

They were also afraid that after the emperor died, there would be no one to protect them.

Does this mean we should really allow Song Shi'an to strip them of their privileges?

Let's do everything another day.

Your destiny is something you must fight for yourselves.

"Your Majesty," Chen Bao said, slightly changing the subject, "besides the common people, some officials in Sheng'an are also complaining about the 20,000 taels of gold. There are also rumors that a certain honest official, because he hasn't received his salary for several years, has reached the point of selling his daughter."

"You insist on selling it at this time, don't you?"

The emperor laughed and casually said, "It's pitiful that the officials of Da Yu can't even afford to eat. They're truly a paragon of virtue. Reimburse their salaries and let them retire."

"Your Majesty is holy."

It is true that some of the officials in Sheng'an are unable to pay their salaries.

It's true that he might need to sell his daughter to make a living.

But to add firewood at this particular time is quite intriguing.

"The Prince of Jin's men are quite good this time. No one has impeached anyone, no one has complained, and no one has even inquired about the 20,000 taels of gold." The Emperor had Chen Bao read the memorial and, finding no trouble from the Prince of Jin's men, praised him, "This child is quite sensible."

Some people just can't play well when they're winning.

When the wind blows against them, they become wise and powerful.

For example, this time, it almost broke his father's defenses.

The rift between the King of Wu and the King of Zhongshan also broke out prematurely.

There was nothing he could do; he had lost control.

Being able to survive this ordeal... might not be a bad thing.

"Eight hundred miles urgent!"

Just then, news arrived from the State of Yan.

The emperor, unusually, tensed up, his heart leaping into his throat.

Chen Bao hurriedly left the hall to receive the urgent message.

Then, very sensibly, she opened it, went to the emperor's side, and asked, "Your Majesty, is this servant looking at it for you?"

"You see."

The emperor has come to accept his age and is no longer overly sensitive about the idea that "you are mocking my old age."

Chen Bao could fully sense the change in his mindset.

"Yes."

Chen Bao began to read it, and after finishing, he exclaimed excitedly, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, Ji Yuan's son is dead!" "..." Suddenly, the emperor clenched his fists, his face flushed with excitement, "He really is dead."

"The general who killed the Yu envoy led his cavalry to cut off Ji Hui's head and fled to Beiliang, where he was taken over by General Dangbei. The man has been protected," Chen Bao said. "When Kang Xun learned of Ji Hui's death, he was furious and wanted to boil Song Shi'an alive. However, Song Shi'an refused to admit it even at the cost of his life. Fortunately, the officials pleaded for him, and he was able to escape and return to Dayu with the alliance document."

"Good, good, good!" The emperor said three times, his unease completely subsided. "The Yan Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom are now completely at odds, and they will no longer have the strength to resist the Yu Kingdom."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Chen Bao congratulated him again with great joy, "The Yan Kingdom in the Northern Territory will surely submit to Your Majesty completely."

“Of course, he had no other choice,” the emperor said. “He spread the news of the alliance between Yu and Yan, and said that Ji Yuan’s son, Ji Hui, had died in Yan.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

These two sentences, when put together, are more effective than any clarification.

Just moments before, Song Shi'an signed an alliance with the Yan Kingdom.

With the next kick, Ji Yuan's son died.

Think about it carefully, really think about it, who could have done this?
"And another thing," the emperor said, "is to spread among the people the story of how he was nearly assassinated in Qi, how he cursed two senior officials of Yan to death, and how he was almost boiled alive by the King of Yan because of Ji Hui's death."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Bao obeyed the order, then asked in a low voice, "This involves some important military and political matters. Should we disclose this to the people?"

"I have said that if he wins the bet, it is his," the emperor said. "He should be the one who earns this good reputation."

Putting everything else aside, the emperor's gambling skills were truly excellent.

"Besides, no matter what my son is like..."

Leaning on the dragon throne, the emperor rarely showed a relaxed smile: "His son, however, died first."

.........

In the marketplace, because the King of Wu's men arrested some people who had spoken out sharply, the common people in the marketplace became much more restrained.

However, the discussion is still taking place in a small circle.

The pancake stall owner that day even turned into a Song hater: "If the matter of 20,000 gold coins isn't clarified, then it means it's true. Moreover, the fact that Song Shi'an's people came to arrest people further shows that they have a guilty conscience."

"You should say less, or you'll be branded as a spy for the State of Qi."

“It’s really disheartening. Song Shi’an has changed too.” The pancake stall owner waved his hand. “When he was imprisoned in Dali Temple, I even went with him to protest. You could say I deserve some credit for getting him out.”

“He is indeed brave and resourceful,” someone said. “But after all, he is a young master from a noble family, raised in luxury, and doesn’t understand the hardships of ordinary people. He thinks it’s nothing to exchange the money of the Great Yu for peace. Unlike Liu, a scholar from the west of the city, who comes from a commoner background, understands how to care for the people, is honest and upright, and is so poor that he has to sell his daughter.”

"If I were to become an official, I wouldn't be greedy for a single penny."

Song Shi'an's reputation has plummeted to rock bottom because of that indelible 20,000 taels of gold.

No one cares whether the Yu-Yan Alliance succeeds or not.

Suddenly, several cavalrymen banged gongs and announced loudly along the way: "Good news! The alliance between Yu and Yan has been established, and Ji Yuan's own son, Ji Hui, has died suddenly in Yan!!"

Upon hearing this, the people were completely dumbfounded.

In fact, as soon as the first half of the sentence was finished, some people immediately expressed their dislike.

But after the next sentence came out, the sarcastic expression on his face froze completely.

"What the heck? Ji Yuan's son is dead?"

"Did I hear that right? They're talking about the sudden demise of the Yan Kingdom!"

"A prince, how did he die? It couldn't have been the people of Yan who killed him..."

"Nonsense, how could the people of Yan dare to kill Ji Yuan's son? Aren't they afraid of offending Qi and being destroyed?"

"It's related to Song Shi'an, isn't it..."

"Song Shi'an used 20,000 gold coins to buy Ji Yuan's son to die?" the pancake stall owner asked suspiciously.

"Even if there were many Jin Kangxuns, they couldn't possibly kill Ji Yuan's son! Would he even survive?"

"I understand now, Song Shi'an must have used the gold trap to kill him!"

“I know, I know.” Just as everyone was discussing heatedly, someone came over and said, “The person who killed our envoy earlier killed Ji Yuan’s son and then ran to our Northern Liang with the head.”

"That has nothing to do with Song Shi'an..." the pancake seller said.

"How stupid! How could it be unrelated?"

"He ran off to Beiliang, do we need someone to receive him?"

“In Beiliang, Governor Song has many acquaintances.”

In an instant, he was surrounded and attacked.

Her cheeks gradually turned red.

"It must have been Song Shi'an who killed him, because Kang Xun had already set up the pot, intending to cook him to death."

"Oh? Is that so? Where is she? Is she alright?"

"Fortunately, the officials begged for mercy, so Kang Xun didn't dare to do it. So some people say that the 20,000 taels of gold were probably used to bribe officials in Yan and those assassins... Anyway, it wasn't for Kang Xun."

"They threw the Yan state into chaos with just 20,000 gold coins and completely alienated the Qi state? That's incredibly profitable!"

"Anyway, it's quite difficult for Governor Song. The Duke of Qin on the Cangliao side is related to Qi, so he won't let him enter the pass. He can only send troops to escort him to the pass. He was almost assassinated in Liaonan County. An arrow flew right in front of him! It was just an inch away!"

"Oh dear! My lord, this is truly a difficult situation, a life-or-death struggle."

"A fourth-rank official in his early twenties, who else in the world can achieve this? This is a young master from a prestigious family, yet he doesn't enjoy his good fortune and instead risks his life for the Great Yu!"

The reversal in public opinion was like a tsunami turning around, surging and swift.

All the negative reviews were wiped out in an instant.

When these ordinary people learned that Song Shi'an had narrowly escaped death several times, they were all moved to tears.

"When Magistrate Song cursed Old Wang Ding to death, he said something very insightful. I think those who slander Magistrate Song are shameless!"

"Anyone who uses these 20,000 taels of gold to slander Lord Song, I'll fight them to the death!"

"First, we decisively defeated Ji Yuan, and then we killed his son. Our Great Yu's only hope against Qi lies with Song Shi'an!"

(End of this chapter)