Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 307 Song Shi'an is still an honest and kind person (5k)

"Sima Yu is dead."

Upon entering the Ye residence, Zhao Yi stared blankly at Ye Changqing and said...

"Come in and talk."

Ye Changqing had known about this for a long time, so he didn't show too much shock. However, his expression remained very serious.

The two went directly to the tea room in the Ye residence.

"Is the Minister of Agriculture coming back?"

After taking his seat, Zhao Yi asked.

Ye Changqing's father was the Grand Minister of Agriculture, one of the Nine Ministers of the court. After the turmoil in Yizhou, he personally went to comfort the farmers.

However, there had been rumors before that he would be returning.

"Let's wait a few days," Ye Changqing said.

“Then I will visit Lord Ye again at that time,” Zhao Yi said.

"Hmm." After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ye Changqing got straight to the point, saying very seriously, "You haven't asked His Highness the Crown Prince, have you?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yi's expression became somewhat ambiguous. Then, looking at Ye Changqing, he asked, "And you? Have you spoken to His Highness, or has His Highness spoken to you?"

"Nothing," Ye Changqing said.

This puzzled Zhao Yi.

The former Prince Wu was known for his great trust in Ye Changqing.

His Highness the King of Wu's strengths also include his ability to listen to others' advice, take full responsibility, and decisively adopt it.

But now, His Highness Prince Wu… no, His Highness the Crown Prince’s strengths are even more prominent.

Even without them, the decision could be made.

Zhao Yi frowned, about to say something, when he looked to the side.

"It's alright, no one will come," Ye Changqing said.

But Zhao Yi was still uneasy, so he opened the door. Then he returned to his seat.

At this moment, there were only the two of them in the tea room.

There was no one within dozens of steps outside the door.

"Do you know how you died?" Zhao Yi asked in a low voice.

“He died of illness,” Ye Changqing said. “That’s what Sima Yu’s son referred to himself as.”

"His Highness's men had barely arrived at the Sima residence when, less than half an hour later, Sima Yu died of illness at home..." Even a military general like Zhao Yi wouldn't be so careless. "Imagine, after meeting the emperor once, Sima Yu never left his residence again. Later, the two princes sent people to visit him many times, but they couldn't get a meeting with him. Now that His Highness the Prince of Wu has become the crown prince, after going to see him again, he died?"

“I know what you want to say,” Ye Changqing said.

"Changqing, you weren't like this before. Back then, you were so outspoken that even I was afraid of you. But now, you won't even say a few more words to me?" Zhao Yi was very flustered.

Even though he went to the north and won a small victory, he still didn't feel safe.

Sheng'an, there's a problem.

"Alright." Seeing that he had gone this far, Ye Changqing couldn't bear it any longer and said, "I'll tell you, Sima Yu was forced to his death by His Highness the Crown Prince."

"..." Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi was dumbfounded. "But didn't His Highness the Crown Prince want to know the interpretation of Sima Yu's dream? Why force Sima Yu to his death?"

"Because Your Highness already knows about that dream."

When Ye Changqing learned about it yesterday, he spent the whole night at home pondering it, and now he roughly understands.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Zhao Yi became increasingly frightened.

Ye Changqing raised his finger and tapped it on the table, saying firmly, "The dream that Sima Yu interpreted for His Majesty the Emperor concerns the struggle for the throne. His Highness the Crown Prince already knows about this dream, so Sima Yu, who knows about this dream, can die. Furthermore, anyone who wants to know about this dream again will die!"

"..."

Ye Changqing had made his point so clear that Zhao Yi knew asking any further questions would make him seem foolish. However, he couldn't help but ask, "If we knew, would we die too?"

Ye Changqing remained silent.

He simply stared at the other person, without any expression.

Zhao Yi closed his eyes.

Then, he let out a long sigh.

The two remained silent for a very long time.

"There are bad people in my dreams."

This was also something Ye Changqing figured out.

Moreover, this bad guy is not of low status.

A fourth-rank official, a diviner, died so easily in order to keep a secret and protect his family.

Could the traitor in the dream be a nobody?
"Do you think His Majesty might have any other dreams?" Zhao Yi asked.

The essence of this matter is that the emperor had a dream.

However, judging someone as a traitor and a usurper based on a single dream is a bit too domineering.

"The key issue is not what His Majesty is dreaming about," Ye Changqing murmured, shaking his head slightly. "It lies in His Majesty as he is now."

The ancient Chinese ideas of divine right of kings and the interaction between heaven and man destined emperors to become abnormal.

Even they themselves felt that they had received a divine revelation.

And this was the emperor at that time.

If pushed to the limit, he'll kill whoever he dreams about.

Who cares about right or wrong?

You're no pushover if you can even appear in my dreams!
"How should we serve His Highness in the future?" Zhao Yi was somewhat hesitant.

The three of them once believed that their love could overcome any obstacle.

Others are others, and we are us.

Even if I, the King of Wu, become emperor, we will have no taboos.

"How do the courtiers of the world treat the emperor in this day and age?"

After Ye Changqing finished speaking, he slowly turned his head to one side and said, "We should decide how to deal with the Crown Prince."

.........

"Your Highness Prince Jin and Your Highness Prince Zhongping, please come in."

Upon hearing the eunuch's words, Prince Jin, seated in the pavilion, did not even turn his head, continuing to gaze at the lake: "I will not see him."

"Then this servant will go and report it."

Originally, when Prince Zhongping came here, he did not need to announce his arrival as long as Prince Jin was in the palace. However, since Prince Zhongping was stripped of his power by the emperor, Prince Jin has not easily allowed him to come to the palace.

However, not long after the eunuch went to deliver the message, Wei Yiyuan rushed in and headed straight for the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

"Second brother!"

"Oh, Zishang is here."

Since the other party had forced their way in, the Prince of Jin had no choice but to accept it, turning around and greeting them with a smile.

"Get out." Wei Yiyuan waved his sleeve in displeasure, dismissing the eunuch who had followed him.

Then the Prince of Jin waved his hand gently, signaling him to leave.

The two of them stayed together like that.

But King Zhongping still didn't feel at ease. After looking around, he picked up his fishing rod and stirred the surface of the lake.

"What? The Embroidered Uniform Guards can be hiding in the lake eavesdropping on our conversation?" Prince Jin joked.

"Sima Yu is dead. He was forced to his death by the Crown Prince to keep that secret," Wei Yiyuan said, extremely agitated. "What secret could be worth someone dying for?"

"..."

“Chen Bao, the chief eunuch in charge of the seal, was exiled to guard the imperial mausoleum,” Wei Yiyuan continued. “Anyone involved in this dream met a bad end. Could someone in this dream be a nobody?”

"Who do you think it is?" the King of Jin asked.

"It will inevitably involve the struggle for the throne, and someone will inevitably play the villain in the emperor's dreams." Wei Yiyuan pointed at him, then at himself, "If it were you, if it were me, and we handed over everything, could we survive!"

"Yiyuan..."

“Even without this dream, he wouldn’t tolerate you or me. If we’re still the bad guys in the Emperor’s dream, wouldn’t we be worse off than dead?” Wei Yiyuan interrupted Prince Jin before he could finish speaking, and said with great certainty, “I don’t know if Father Emperor likes you or not, but he definitely doesn’t like me!”

Insecure.

I feel completely insecure!
"Yiyuan, are you in a hurry?"

He was already so agitated, but the Prince of Jin remained calm. He looked him in the eyes and asked calmly.

That calm, still gaze revealed a hint of sharpness to Wei Yiyuan.

"Were you pointing at me just now?"

After he calmed down a bit, the Prince of Jin suddenly asked a question in return.

"..." Wei Yiyuan swallowed fearfully, then lowered his head. "Second brother, I was wrong."

“You’re not wrong, you’re just afraid.” The Prince of Jin turned around, put his hands behind his back, faced the lake, and said, “So afraid that you’ve completely lost your wit.”

"Second Brother?" Wei Yiyuan didn't understand the meaning behind the Prince of Jin's words.

"If the traitor in your dream is one of the many princes, what do you have to fear?" Prince Jin questioned with a hint of criticism.

"Second brother, if this prince were me..." Wei Yiyuan said, "Fourth brother would kill me."

"If he kills you, would I allow it?" the Prince of Jin retorted. "You don't believe in brotherhood, do you believe in the saying 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'?"

"..."

"Furthermore, if he were to kill you or me, would Wusheng allow it?"

"..."

The Prince of Jin's two consecutive questions made Wei Yiyuan understand: "The one who is troubled by this dream is not you or me, but Fourth Brother." "No matter who this prince is, the remaining princes will feel threatened." The Prince of Jin said with a firm look in his eyes, "They will all be forced to band together."

“He forced Sima Yu to his death and the emperor exiled Chen Bao, essentially to prevent this secret from being exposed and to make us princes stick together.” Wei Yiyuan suddenly understood everything. “Furthermore, it made us afraid to stand out, forced us to restrain ourselves, be careful in our conduct, and not have the slightest thought of disloyalty.”

"Only in this way can the throne be securely passed to the crown prince."

The Prince of Jin originally didn't understand these things, but after adopting the emperor's perspective, he understood them all.

"As expected of the old man..."

Wei Yiyuan clapped his hands in a daze.

He finally understood the emperor's final plan.

The emperor released this dream to instill a sense of insecurity in everyone.

After all, if the King of Wu were directly designated as the crown prince, there would be many problems when he ascended the throne.

The Prince of Jin, who already had many supporters from prominent families, and Wei Wusheng, who had just established his reputation in the army.

If he doesn't reduce the power of the king, the position of the King of Wu will be unstable.

Therefore, the old emperor personally intervened.

What I want is to trap you in a self-justification trap.

A gentleman is innocent unless he possesses a treasure.

Hand over your precious jade.

“I merely handed over my cronies and sent them out of the capital,” said Prince Jin. “But my stance remains unchanged. If it does, the powerful and noble families will also become my supporters.”

The Prince of Jin is not a fool.

He's too strong when things are going against him.

Also.

If it weren't for Song Shi'an interfering, he would be the crown prince.

"I just don't know," the Prince of Jin said with considerable unease, "whether anyone else knows about this dream."

"Although I don't know who the other person is."

Thinking back to that day when he caught Sima Yu sneaking out of the mansion, Wei Yiyuan smiled: "But Fourth Brother really can't rest easy."

.........

In October, Sheng'an City was transformed into a meticulously painted scroll with a gray-blue background by an early cold snap.

In the mourning hall of the Sima Mansion, a fourth-rank official's robe with a cloud-and-goose design hung above the ebony coffin, its corner of the embroidered blue-gold thread fluttering in the draft, like the struggle of a dying bird. As the white banners brushed past the imperial plaque inscribed with "Loyalty, Diligence, and Outstanding Achievements" in front of the hall, the cold wind swept up paper money scattered all over the ground.

This is a message of condolence from the imperial court, personally brought by Eunuch Xi.

Sima Yu's eldest son, Sima Jin, looked haggard and filled with sorrow. The mistress of the Sima household was also choking with sobs and tears, unable to stand on her own and needing the support of her maids.

"Madam, please accept my condolences and do not grieve too much, lest it harm your health," said Eunuch Xi, trying to comfort her.

"Thank you, Eunuch..." The mistress began to cry even harder as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Quickly take Mother back to rest," Sima Jin said.

"Yes."

And just like that, the maid took the lady away.

“Young Master,” said Eunuch Xi, “Lord Sima served the Emperor his entire life, just like me. He was loyal and diligent, and he died a peaceful death. Please accept my condolences. After the mourning period is over, please carry on his legacy and take up the post of Grand Diviner.”

"Father-in-law, I have neither merit nor talent, and I am afraid I am not up to the task," Sima Jin said tactfully.

“Don’t say that. Even if he didn’t achieve great merit, he still put in a lot of hard work, didn’t he?” said Eunuch Xi. “His benevolent emperor values ​​relationships and will not forget loyal ministers. Lord Sima Yu’s previous hard work and great achievements have accumulated merit for the young master.”

"Father-in-law..." Sima Jin had no choice but to dodge the question for the time being, saying, "Then let's talk about everything after I've observed three years of mourning for my father."

Three years later, the emperor also died.

"Alright then." Eunuch Xi smiled slightly.

After a while, an elderly official finally came to offer his condolences.

He was an old friend of Sima Yu.

After greeting Sima Jin and Eunuch Xi, they began to offer incense, kneel, and kowtow.

Yes, some people did come to pay their respects to the father.

Of course, the main group consisted of close relatives of the Sima family, as well as some elderly people who had no power and had already retired to the second line.

The rest of the people couldn't even come and deliver a message.

The news had already spread throughout Sheng'an's officialdom.

Less than half an hour after the Crown Prince sent someone to summon Sima Yu, Sima Yu died suddenly at home.

Now, Sima Yu has learned a shocking secret, and it is no secret that he will die for this secret.

What puzzled Sima Jin was...

Why did Father ask me to relay a message to Song Shi'an?

Of course, he didn't delve into the root of the problem, because if he knew too much, his father would have died in vain.

What he couldn't understand the most was that his father actually thought Song Shi'an would come.

If they come at this time, doesn't that mean their relationship is extremely illicit?
If you were to deliver the message yourself, why would you say: If Song Shi'an comes to offer condolences, then tell him.

After much thought, Sima Jin could only come up with one possibility.

My father did indeed have dealings with Song Shi'an.

He did indeed want to save Song Shi'an.

However, it depends on whether he is worthy or not.

If he can withstand such immense pressure just to offer incense to his father, then his father will give him one last word before he dies.

But how could there possibly be someone...?

Just then, a person dressed in black robes, wearing a black crown and black belt, with a white cloth wrapped around his arm, walked out from the courtyard gate and appeared outside the mourning hall.

Why is this guy here?

Grandpa Xi's eyes widened.

Although he dared not investigate further, he kept pondering what the dream meant.

Then he figured out a principle—if Sima Yu kept the secret to himself and didn't tell anyone, the only people he could stick with were the traitors in his dreams.

Someone who has absolutely no connection to this place came here.

He is a traitor!

Sima Jin was completely dumbfounded when he saw Song Shi'an arrive. Although he quickly composed himself, he couldn't help but admire inwardly: This Song Shi'an is indeed an honest and kind person.

"Please accept my condolences, young master." Song Shi'an bowed to Sima Jin.

"Thank you, Lord Song." Sima Jin returned the greeting.

"Greetings, Grandpa Xi."

Song Shi'an bowed to Eunuch Xi.

"Greetings, Lord Marquis." Eunuch Xi returned the greeting with a smile, then asked curiously, "Does Lord Marquis still have a relationship with Lord Sima?"

"I have great respect for the Grand Diviner and have long admired him."

After giving a serious response, Song Shi'an went to offer incense.

"Lord, young master, then we'll head back to the palace now."

After concluding the visit from the imperial court, Eunuch Xi bid farewell to the two men and left.

As he was about to leave the courtyard of the mourning hall, he slowly turned his head to look back.

At this moment, Song Shi'an prostrated himself in worship after offering incense.

When he got up, Sima Jin stepped forward to help him.

Grandpa Xi turned around.

Sima Jin spoke slowly in Song Shi'an's ear the instant he turned around and helped him up.

Upon hearing the eight words uttered, Song Shi'an's pupils dilated in shock.

He did not come to steal intelligence.

He came to tell the Crown Prince and the Emperor—yes, I already know about what you call a cursed dream.

At the same time, it is also a tribute to Sima Yu, who risked his life to protect this secret and refused to become the Crown Prince's lackey in order to survive alone.

Sima Gong seemed to also be thinking about himself, who was also a victim.

"Take care, young master."

Song Shi'an bowed.

"Young Master Song, please take care."

The two greeted each other very quickly, with almost no exchange.

Song Shi'an turned and left.

At the front, Grandpa Xi, who was just about to leave, turned around, put his hands in front of him, and waited for him with a smile on his face.

Song Shi'an walked over.

On the coffin in the mourning hall, the fourth-rank official robe with the cloud-and-goose design swayed gently in the autumn wind.

It seemed to reflect the silhouette of a person.

Under the beam, a white silk ribbon tied into a loop. Holding the ribbon with both hands, Sima Yu slightly raised his feet and stuck his head inside.

Before kicking off the stool, he stared intently ahead, almost gritting his teeth as he said:

"Song Shi'an, let this dream come true..."

(End of this chapter)