Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 31 Let's fight!

That's right.

A slight smile subtly curved the corners of Wei Yiyuan's lips.

The sight before me couldn't help but evoke a sense of amusement.

This trip was truly worthwhile.

Jieyuan, what are you going to do?

Everyone was completely dumbfounded.

To be precise, it refers to all the students except Han Zhongchen.

Even Fan Wuji, who was known for his refined and cultured manners, was so surprised that he became somewhat uneasy.

The seating arrangement he was in, in particular, made him feel an invisible tension.

That Sun Situ!
Gao Yunyi sensed something was wrong when the positions were being assigned. At that moment, all he felt was nausea.

It's secondary to stand up for this kind of malicious targeting.

Instead, as the fourth person on the expedition, he himself was also drawn into the mess!

It's like joining the camp that insults the top scholar.

If word got out, he would be branded as a 'petty person' at the banquet where he ostracized the top scholar.

But if you stand up for Song Shi'an, you'll definitely incur the wrath of the Sun family.

We have all become pawns.

Thinking of this, he turned his head nervously and looked at Song Shi'an.

But they found that this person remained completely calm, showing no surprise or anger whatsoever.

On the contrary, he wore a polite smile.

Raising his head, Song Shi'an looked at Sun Situ, who seemed completely unconcerned and sat as if on a mountain. He raised his hands and bowed to him with an upright posture, saying, "Thank you for the seat, Situ."

You tolerated it?!
Gao Yunyi was utterly shocked.

What man could tolerate something like this?

Even if it's an act, it can't be this natural!

His reaction threw Sun Heng, who was ordered to 'design' the plan, into a state of confusion.

No, this isn't the right reaction.

Is Song Shi'an just pretending to be calm?
Thinking of this, he winked at Han Zhongchen, who was sitting in the middle.

The other party quickly understood and nodded slightly.

"Then let the banquet begin."

Sun Situ's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he spoke casually.

Then, the waiters began serving everyone their meals.

Although the seats are different, everyone gets the same food; otherwise, it would be too deliberate.

Of course, deliberately giving Song Shi'an a small table was already quite an effort.

After the meat dishes were served, the maids then placed a bronze pot on each table in turn.

"This is Langjiu from Liangzhou, brewed with sweet spring water from Wumeng Mountain."

Sun Situ spoke, then looked at Prince Zhongping and said with a smile, "This wine is mellow and refreshing, elegant and delicate, with a long aftertaste and lingering fragrance even in an empty bottle."

"I've heard about it before," Wei Yiyuan replied with a smile.

Then, the maids poured Langjiu wine to everyone.

"Today is my birthday, but it is also the day when the soldiers at the front are fighting against the Qi bandits."

Sun Situ slowly raised a cup of wine.

Everyone quickly raised their glasses to him.

Only Song Shi'an, before he could even speak, brought the wine to his lips and drank it.

Sure enough, some were angry.

Having noticed this detail, Sun Situ raised his voice and said, "With this cup of Langjiu, I wish the soldiers of Liangzhou a swift victory!"

Everyone drank it all in one gulp.

The banquet began in this way.

Next came the song and dance performance that had been prepared in advance.

Song Shi'an was drinking there from beginning to end.

At this moment, Han Zhongchen suddenly laughed and joked, "I remember that Brother Shi'an's favorite thing is to listen to music in brothels. Is it because this Chu dance is too serious and you're not interested? Why are you drinking alone?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the person opposite him burst out laughing.

And it wasn't because I was amused by the jokes.

Instead, they were just agreeing.

Fan Wuji and Gao Yunyi looked at the man and understood completely.

Han Zhongchen, that sycophantic scoundrel, had indeed conspired beforehand, but the person laughing on the other side wasn't rehearsing.

It's a pledge of allegiance.

Today, as long as we insult Song Shi'an, we will gain the favor of Minister Sun.

"I've long heard of Brother Song's romantic escapades."

Hu Yu, who was next to Sun Qian, joined in. "Let's eat the Song blood buns!"

It's a disgrace, it's just plain stupid.

Gao Yunyi understood these people's desire to climb the social ladder, but he scoffed at them, saying they completely misunderstood the importance of feathers.

This Minister Sun is using the insult of the top scholar as a way to protest against His Majesty.

Fan Wuji, however, understood the implied meaning.

The most harmed aspect of the military-agricultural colonies in Jiangnan was their interests.

The Sun family of Yangzhou opposed the implementation of the military-agricultural colony system. They used the example of excluding Song Shi'an, who wrote the "Military-Agricultural Colony Strategy," to demonstrate their opposition.

Clutching the wine cup in his hand, watching Song Shi'an being attacked by the group, Fan Wuji wondered how this farce would end.

Jieyuan, what are you going to do?
While the others were laughing and chatting, Song Shi'an picked up his wine cup, glanced around to make sure everyone was there, and said nonchalantly, "I didn't expect Shi'an to be so famous. I'm quite flattered. Thank you all."

Having said that, he drank the wine in one gulp.

They've become incredibly stubborn.

This guy is trying to cover up his embarrassment!
Han Zhongchen gritted his teeth, feeling genuinely dissatisfied with his attitude of having no other choice.

What are you pretending for?

"Lord Situ."

Rising to his feet, Han Zhongchen picked up a large box and, taking the opportunity after the dance, began, "This student is unaware of your preferences and dares not presume to show off in front of such a sage. Therefore, I have used Yangzhou paper to humbly copy all of your books, classic quotes, and famous sayings into one volume, to express my boundless respect. And I wish you a happy birthday, Lord Situ."

"Oh, you copied all of them down?" Sun Situ asked curiously.

That's a pleasant surprise.

"It's just what the students know, what they've worked hard to collect, and what they've all verified," Han Zhongchen said with a smile.

Then, the maidservant used a wooden tray to present the box to Minister Sun.

Taking out a thick book, Sun Situ flipped through it while nodding, "You've put a lot of thought into this."

Han Zhongchen was overjoyed, and his expression reflected his inner feelings.

His attempt to "throw out a brick to attract jade" made everyone else feel pressured and disgusted.

He had only taken the exam less than five days ago, how did he prepare?

I had long wanted to take this opportunity to become a disciple of Minister Sun.

The others, though they also searched for precious gifts overnight, could not match this 'sincerity'.

"Not bad, not bad." Sun Situ nodded in approval.

Next, naturally, came the gift display segment.

“This was brought by my father through his student.”

But Fan Wuji remained completely composed, still exuding elegance. After placing the gift on the wooden tray, he said, "This is a pair of horse sculptures made of red jade."

"What do you mean?" Sun Situ asked.

"Master Situ's spirit of riding a dragon and a horse has always inspired his students."

"Haha." Upon hearing this, Sun Situ laughed and gestured with his hand, "Alright, go back and tell your father to thank him for his kindness."

"The students will definitely be informed."

Han Zhongchen started off with a very high tone, but Fan Wuji corrected the style with his gentle and refined manner.

At this point, it's all about flattery, but even flattery can be done with neither servility nor arrogance.

The gentlemen of ancient times all had one thing in common: they had a bottom line.

So, everyone then proceeded to exchange gifts as usual, along with polite greetings and congratulations.

They were presented and introduced one by one, from front to back.

Gold, silver, jade, genuine embroidery, and exquisite cultural artifacts—even families with limited means would offer their best and most valuable possessions.

This is the Sun family of Yangzhou.

Lord Situ has everything and lacks nothing.

All he cares about is your feelings.

Even though out-of-town candidates were not well prepared, each Asian Yuan offered their utmost sincerity.

It wasn't until it was Song Shi'an's turn in the last corner.

Holding the wine cup, Prince Zhongping was extremely interested.

Judging from his appearance, even if he's humiliated to this extent, he still has to make this old man happy.

The rest of the students also focused their attention on Song Shi'an.

Before entering the mansion, everyone was carrying something in their hands.

But this Song Shi'an doesn't exist.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he slowly slipped his hand into his sleeve.

This person is so casual; can't they even afford a nice little box for the gift?
Han Zhongchen was already prepared to mock him.

The others were also filled with curiosity: why would someone who had been humiliated to this extent still send gifts?

Until Song Shi'an's long, slender hand emerged from his sleeve.

Raise two fingers, and a square-holed copper coin lands crisply on the solid wood gift plate.

(End of this chapter)