Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 281 Starting a Business

One day, the King of Wu brought a candidate to the palace to discuss matters related to military farming and report to the emperor.

The father and son talked until late at night.

"That's enough for now, you can go back to your residence." The emperor said, having said enough.

"Father, then I shall take my leave."

Before leaving, the King of Wu prostrated himself before the emperor.

Prepare to leave.

As for the line of sight, it should be as level as possible.

"Chen Bao, go and see His Highness off," the Emperor said casually.

The King of Wu tensed up, but quickly concealed his nervousness.

"Yes."

Chen Bao naturally accepted the order.

Then, he followed the King of Wu and left the place.

"How has Father been sleeping lately?"

The King of Wu inquired about Chen Bao with great concern.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is still suffering from insomnia," Chen Bao replied.

"Is there any way to alleviate this?" King Wu displayed the pure filial piety of a son.

It was just awkward small talk.

Because Chen Bao sensed his subtle 'absent-mindedness'.

Or perhaps, it was for ulterior motives.

The two chatted like that all the way.

During the visit, the King of Wu also took the initiative to exchange pleasantries and show concern for Chen Bao, a eunuch.

This has never happened before.

They walked all the way to the alley leading out of the palace.

This is the only road that is absolutely silent.

There was no surveillance around.

As Chen Bao had predicted, the King of Wu finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Eunuch Chen, there is something I wish to ask you about."

"What are your orders, Your Highness?" Chen Bao asked politely.

“This is not an order,” King Wu said, looking at him with some wariness. “Please tell me as we walk.”

The two of them stopped so suddenly, which was quite deliberate.

The King of Wu wanted to do things as naturally as possible.

But the road seems to get shorter and shorter as you walk it; there's no way to finish talking about such a long story.

Therefore, he said very sincerely, "Eunuch Chen, this is my request."

"...This servant dares not." Chen Bao immediately feigned fear. "If it is convenient for Chen Bao, I will do my best."

"When Sima Yu entered the palace earlier, was it to interpret Father Emperor's dream?" King Wu's heart pounded as he asked this question.

Chen Bao was also deeply moved upon hearing this.

"That is true," Chen Bao said.

"What kind of dream was that?"

The King of Wu immediately showed his urgency, because less than half of the journey remained.

You have to finish speaking within one minute.

Chen Bao hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"Eunuch Chen, I beg you," King Wu pleaded.

"Your Highness," Chen Bao said after struggling, "If His Majesty's dream is not to be known by anyone, then Chen Bao must keep his mouth shut and not reveal a single word. Please understand my situation."

Indeed, it's a very big deal!
“I know that Eunuch Chen is in a difficult position, but I really want to share my father’s burden,” the King of Wu said anxiously. “As you know, my father is already old and is still troubled by insomnia. Perhaps it’s because he has too many worries on his mind and no one can help him.”

"But……"

"It's too late," said the King of Wu. "Eunuch Chen, you know that His Majesty trusts me the most. There's plenty of time for us to get along in the future."

The implication is: His Majesty intends to pass the throne to me.

From now on, you will be my chief eunuch.

"This humble servant is merely a servant who serves His Majesty's orders. I dare not overstep my bounds or be so rebellious as to address Your Highness as 'you' or 'me'," Chen Bao said honestly. "Furthermore, it is unacceptable to engage in such incitement behind His Majesty's back at this time, which could implicate the struggle for the crown prince position."

“There is no longer a struggle for the crown prince position,” King Wu said solemnly. “Your Excellency, you are often by His Majesty’s side, you should understand this very well.”

"Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for me," Chen Bao pleaded.

At this point, they were only a dozen steps away from leaving the palace.

King Wu finally opened up and asked directly, "If I become the crown prince, will there be no more competition for the throne?"

Chen Bao remained silent in response.

The two walked all the way to the palace gate.

"Please take your time, Your Highness." Chen Bao smiled and extended his hand in a gesture of respect.

The King of Wu looked into his eyes, a smile playing on his lips, and then turned and left.

But this gave Chen Bao a chill down his spine.

This kid is looking more and more like his father.

After bowing and watching the King of Wu ride away in his carriage, he returned to the palace.

The moonlight was very faint tonight, so even though there were lanterns hanging on both sides of the road, it was still dim.

The emperor had very poor sleep quality and would be awakened by the slightest noise.

Therefore, Chen Bao developed a skill: walking on tiptoe.

It could barely make a sound.

Like a ghost, it left no trace.

However, his feet were now completely on the ground.

One step, one tread.

It landed solidly on the ground.

My walking speed has also slowed down considerably.

Just like the officials entering the court, as the most noble among the noble, they were open and unrestrained.

He's a real man.

A real man.

Why should I be buried alive with my family?
Why should I take sides?
King of Wu, become the crown prince first. I have nothing to lose, I'll just fight alongside you.

However, once he emerged from the alleyway, his steps became light again, and he lowered his head, as if he were no longer worthy of being seen by others.

"Chen Bao, did His Highness the Prince of Wu ask you anything?" the emperor asked.

“Your Majesty,” Chen Bao replied, “His Highness seemed to want to ask something, but hesitated. Then, he talked to me about your sleep, showing great concern for Your Majesty’s health.”

He answered very smoothly, without the slightest hint of lying.

The emperor smiled and didn't press the matter further, but instead casually asked, "What has Song Shi'an been doing these days?"

"Your Majesty," Chen Bao replied, "According to Consort Xu, she stays at home all day and does nothing. Moreover, she spends most of her time in her study, supposedly reading."

"Alright, no need for excessive surveillance," the emperor said. "Once you leave the residence, don't provoke him."

It was just that they had a nanny in the mansion who would report on the situation from time to time.

If they really have to spy on you even when you go out, and send someone to monitor you, they'll annoy a young man like Song Shi'an.

He really can lose his temper.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Chen Baoping responded.

"Chen Bao." The emperor slowly looked at the old eunuch who had accompanied him for many years, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Your Majesty, this servant is here." Chen Bao

"It's nothing." The emperor shook his head slightly, then sighed, "Never mind."

.........

After returning from the Prince's mansion, Song Shi'an stayed in his room every day and didn't go anywhere else.

Whether the emperor discovered that he had met with Sima Yu or not was no longer important.

When you repeatedly try to justify yourself out of worry, you've already fallen into the self-justification trap.

He knew all too well what kind of evil the old emperor was planning.

"But I'm a rebellious person by nature."

After finishing the first part of this work, Song Shi'an stretched and closed it.

"Young Master, have you finished writing?" Yun'er asked curiously upon seeing this.

"Would you like to be my first reader?" Song Shi'an asked.

"Young Master is bullying me." Yun'er blushed and complained, "He knows perfectly well that Yun'er can't read."

“However, there are quite a few literate people in our Great Yu,” Song Shi’an said with a smile.

"The Strange Tales" is also the best-selling novel of this era.

Although over 95% of them are pirated.

However, he also sold nearly 500,000 copies of the official version.

A total of twenty-two volumes.

Each book is roughly 50,000 to 60,000 words long.

Therefore, this market is definitely a red ocean.

"Out."

…………

Yuewenge is the largest store in Sheng'an.

This place not only sells novels, but also handles manuscript collection.

A poorly dressed, thin scholar walked inside and asked, "Is the master here?"

"What, you've written a book?" asked the stall owner, who was sitting with his legs crossed and wearing an embroidered hat.

"Please take a look." He extended his hands and presented them to him.

In Dayu, becoming an official is the right path.

Therefore, every scholar wanted to pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).

However, becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) was not easy, so many scholars from ordinary families would write books as a way to make ends meet while preparing for the exam.

Of course, not everyone is just looking to make some money.

The author of "Strange Tales" has made a fortune and even opened a fairly large bookstall. He is now a well-connected and wealthy businessman.

He casually took the book from the stall owner, who, upon seeing the title, tossed it back at him, saying, "What the hell is this?"

The scholar quickly hugged the book that had been thrown away, somewhat angry, but still patiently asked, "Is it alright now?"

"Look for yourself," the stall owner said casually, pointing. "Peach blossom, spring fragrance, wild fox, enchantress, these are the proper book titles. What do you mean by 'A Thousand Years of Snow'? Who knows what kind of nonsense you're trying to write?"

"The name can be changed again, please take a look at the content." He quickly flattered her.

The stall owner clicked his tongue, impatiently took it, and looked at it: "Hmm, it's not badly written."

Upon hearing this, he quickly forced a smile.

“It’s written off-topic,” he said. “These entire pages are completely devoid of any positive aspects. Do you even understand novels?”

"Snow-white? Oh, there's more to that later on..."

“Wrong, I need to see it from the beginning,” the stall owner lectured. “If there’s no pure, innocent writing, who’s going to pay to read it? Also, the first chapter is about family matters, why didn’t you introduce a sister-in-law here?”

"Sister-in-law? But in this family, the main character is the eldest brother."

"Then it's your sister-in-law."

"..."

"What, you're not satisfied?" The stall owner immediately showed his disdain. "You bunch of stinking scholars, you think you're learned just because you've read a book. If you look down on this line of work, then don't do it. If you want to do it, then keep your head down and do it properly."

Suppressing his anger, he forced a smile: "Then take a look at the back, it's nicer there..."

"Let's talk about it after you add your sister-in-law."

The stall owner simply threw the books onto the road.

"You!" The scholar glared at him, but the next moment, he gritted his teeth, picked up the book, and said humiliatingly, "Then I'll go back and revise it first."

After saying that, he left.

The stall owner chuckled, appearing quite relaxed.

At that moment, a rather stern-looking man with a small mustache stood in front of him, holding a book in his hand.

"You write books too?" He looked at Song Shi'an's clothes with some suspicion.

Clearly, he doesn't seem like someone who's short of money.

Song Shi'an didn't say anything, walked up to him, and placed the book in front of him.

"Journey to the West? What's that?"

(End of this chapter)