Frost for a Thousand Years

Gao Yunyi was one of the grain storage officials in the Crown Prince's faction, holding the rank of sixth grade.

Being in charge of the warehouse management of one of the five major military settlements was a very important position.

However, before the autumn harvest, this position is not busy. It mainly involves allocating and distributing grain. The work is quite formulaic, and all you need to do is be tough.

Or rather, absolute incorruptibility.

Gao Yunyi was originally a household registration official in the capital. He was transferred to Huai County to participate in land reclamation. After being assigned to this position, he was actually somewhat dissatisfied. After all, his first choice was to be a household registration official, and what he thought of as a granary official was just a warehouse manager, even if the warehouses for land reclamation were particularly large.

But after arriving, I truly understood how terrifying this position was.

He became even more cautious after hearing the news that an entire warehouse in Cishan County had been ransacked, with not a single bag of rice left.

Given Song Shi'an's temperament, even if he was a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the same generation, if the grain accounts were significantly inaccurate and the military farms were destroyed, he would still be able to decisively kill the perpetrators.

"Have you heard? When Eunuch Xi went to the military farm headquarters, the Sixth Prince wasn't in the camp, but in another military camp..."

"So you mean that the Prefect had a premonition that the Eunuch would make things difficult for him, so he went to see the Sixth Prince."

"Otherwise, how could they have returned from such a long distance that same night?"

"Then Your Highness's actions against Eunuch Xi are also in accordance with the Lord..."

"Hey! You can't say things like that. The Prefect was very respectful when he received the eunuch. I also heard that the Prefect was angry with His Highness because His Highness hit the eunuch."

"If you ask me, putting aside the issue of the palace, it's really outrageous that the eunuch accompanying Eunuch Xi asked the Prefect for a bribe of 20,000 taels of silver."

"Where did you hear that it was 20,000 taels of silver? I heard it was 5,000 taels."

"Oh, think about it. Is a mere five thousand taels worth His Highness getting so angry? A Grand Eunuch comes all the way here to offer five thousand taels as tribute. Isn't that what's expected?"

"Hiss, you're right."

As evening fell, just as Gao Yunyi came on patrol, he saw two warehouse clerks squatting at the entrance of the warehouse, gossiping while eating flatbread.

"What are you talking about now, about things that could get you beheaded?" His words sent shivers down their spines.

"Master Gao."

The two men jumped up and quickly bowed to Gao Yunyi.

One of them explained tremblingly, "The officers in the camp are all talking about Eunuch Xi..."

"So, you can talk about anything, right?" Gao Yunyi admonished. "Knowing this is not a crime, but don't make wild guesses without thinking, and certainly don't comment on His Highness and the Prefect."

"Yes." The two men lowered their heads obediently.

"Be careful with fire, keep a close watch, and don't let your guard down for a moment," he reminded them as usual.

"Yes!"

The two responded honestly once again.

After that, Gao Yunyi left.

The hottest topic in Huai County recently is indeed the Sixth Prince whipping the Grand Eunuch like a spinning top.

While it's not unprecedented, this situation certainly didn't occur during the Great Yu Dynasty.

Let alone the chief eunuch, all other eunuchs of the fourth rank and above were generally respected wherever they went, and no one dared to be negligent in the slightest, let alone be beaten.

Your Highness.

No, Your Highness and Song Shi'an's matter has really blown up.

How can this be resolved...?

Just then, he saw a familiar friend riding up to him on horseback.

"Brother Wuji, what a rare guest you are!"

Gao Yunyi quickly stepped forward and bowed with his fists clenched.

Gao Yunyi and Fan Wuji had already banded together for mutual support.

Not only had the two previously chosen each other to be the crown prince of the King of Wu, but they also married each other's sisters, forming a powerful alliance.

The fates of the two families are now almost intertwined.

"It's been a long time." Fan Wuji was a military officer, serving as a clerk in the army. He basically followed the army and had no time to come and catch up with Gao Yunyi. Upon seeing him, he was quite happy and dismounted.

After the stable boy moved the horse away, Gao Yunyi led him to his own office.

After serving tea to the two men, the official left.

"Why did you have time to come?" Gao Yunyi asked.

“My unit was on its way to reinforce a river embankment and happened to be passing by here. The post station where the army is stationed is less than ten miles away, so I came over and thought I’d drop by to see you.” Fan Wuji was a rather serious person, but after working for a few years, he had begun to understand the ways of the world. “However, I came empty-handed, so please forgive me.”

"Brothers, don't say that."

In response, Gao Yunyi said quite magnanimously, "I don't know anyone here. I'm dealing with tens of thousands of bushels of grain every day. I'm practically covered in mold. If an old friend comes to find me, that's like saving my life."

"You can get moldy and grow hair, but grain can't," Fan Wuji joked.

"I know, you all depend on us for food and drink."

Because the land reclamation was jointly carried out by Wei Wusheng and Song Shi'an, who were so close that they were practically inseparable, the system perfectly exemplified the principle of "what goes up must come down."

All the food supplies for the military and civilians were allocated by the granary officials of the five major camps, which effectively prevented corruption caused by each camp acting independently.

After all, the army and the county government are two completely different systems.

Only An Sheng and his close-knit team could distribute the army's food supplies through the prefect's office.

"Speaking of which..." Leaning slightly forward and getting closer to Fan Wuji, Gao Yunyi asked in a low voice, "What does your army think about the matter of Eunuch Xi?"

Fan Wuji had come for this very reason, so when faced with the question, his expression turned serious, and he said, "There was an uproar, but also a sense of order."

"What does that mean?" Gao Yunyi asked, puzzled.

These two idioms are so contradictory.

"The uproar was because the court wanted to use 100,000 people to build the palace, and Eunuch Xi was pressing hard and deliberately making things difficult for us," Gao Yunyi said. "The orderly situation is because everyone is united and thinks that His Highness's actions are righteous."

"As expected of military officers, they certainly have a dignified and upright air about them," Gao Yunyi remarked.

"After all, this land reclamation was a collective effort. For a full six months, 50,000 soldiers and officers worked together to reclaim millions of acres of land in Huai County... The generals all saw the hard work of the soldiers." Fan Wuji said speechlessly, "At this time, to send out 100,000 people to build a temporary palace, isn't that... sigh!"

The difference between civil and military officials lies here.

The civil official submitted a memorial to Sheng'an, and that was it for his job.

But when it comes to fighting wars, establishing military farms, building roads and bridges, it still takes those generals leading a group of soldiers to travel around.

There is no such thing as true empathy.

"But it's not that simple."

Originally, Gao Yunyi was quite a radical young man. Back when he was in the Situ Mansion, he supported Song Shi'an. But after entering officialdom and being caught up in the vortex, he became more experienced and composed.

“I know those military generals have terrible political sense,” Fan Wuji pointed out. “The root of the problem has nothing to do with building the palace.”

“That’s right,” Gao Yunyi said. “Lord Song’s land reclamation work is excellent. He is a man of noble character, treats everyone equally, is fair in rewards and punishments, and is not afraid of powerful figures. His integrity is frightening.”

“Yes.” Fan Wuji nodded in agreement. “A person like this who accomplishes such a thing is the greatest minister of the Great Yu.”

“Therefore, Your Highness hopes he has flaws,” Gao Yunyi said.

Fan Wuji's expression froze, and he remained silent. But both of them understood what the other meant.

The construction of the temporary palace was carried out without an imperial edict or the crown prince's decree.

If these two things exist, they must be done regardless of whether Wei Wusheng and Song Shi'an agree or not.

Otherwise, this would be disobeying orders, this would be treason.

If the Crown Prince truly wants to express his filial piety and please his father, then he should issue the order.

Why did they specifically send a eunuch to discuss this with Song Shi'an?

“Our fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) is unwilling to tarnish his reputation,” Fan Wuji sighed. “Just like back then, he was unwilling to flatter Situ.”

Song Shi'an wanted to be a clean, sweet, and gentle little magistrate.

For this reason, he did not hesitate to directly confront the Crown Prince.

So, what's the cost?

“Your military officers are probably still indignant,” Gao Yunyi said. “I heard that Jia Guihao, the commander of the county troops, and some other officials have personally gone to Sheng’an.”

"Is it Lord Song's idea to go to Sheng'an in person?" Fan Wuji asked curiously.

"No," Gao Yunyi replied.

Fan Wuji nodded and said calmly, "They are afraid of being implicated in His Highness's affairs, so they went to Sheng'an to prove themselves and clear their name."

This has nothing to do with them.

They fully support the Crown Prince and are happy to build the temporary palace.

The reason for such a swift separation was the fear that An Sheng would be labeled a traitor, and that they would be labeled as a crony of the traitor.

"After this, the Crown Prince will definitely send someone, or have us submit a memorial, regarding his views on the temporary palace," Gao Yunyi asked. "What should we say?"

"What do you think?" Fan Wuji asked in return.

Both of them fell silent.

This is a huge deal.

The goal is to cut ties quickly, just like everyone else, to demonstrate loyalty to His Highness the Crown Prince.

Or perhaps they are speaking up for "An Sheng" while also opposing the waste of resources and manpower.

"Yun Yi." Just then, Fan Wuji suddenly looked at him and said seriously, "In this matter, who is right?"

“Of course it’s Your Highness,” Gao Yunyi replied immediately.

"But?" Fan Wuji knew he had more to say.

"In court politics, there's no right or wrong." Gao Yunyi had matured.

“Song Shi’an was the person you admired most back then,” Fan Wuji reminded him.

Gao Yunyi understood his attitude.

After clenching his fist and struggling with his thoughts, his brows gradually relaxed, and he laughed, "That's right. We've been farming in Huai County for almost a year. If we lie and say that farming isn't tiring and that it's no big deal to build a temporary palace in our spare time, wouldn't we be complete corrupt officials?"

"Yes." Fan Wuji smiled and said, "Let's not talk about the Sixth Prince or Song Shi'an. Let's just explain the situation in Huai County."

Even if the Crown Prince gets angry.

"Yes, even if the Crown Prince will be angry."

.........

Inside the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince, attended by Eunuch Lian, was reviewing the procedures and difficulties reported by the officials and generals of Huai County.

After all, the matter of the eunuch in charge of the seal being whipped with a top was too serious to go uninvestigated.

Otherwise, what will happen to the Crown Prince's dignity?

Therefore, apart from Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng, all civil and military officials of the seventh rank and above were required to answer one question—whether Huai County had the capacity to build a temporary palace.

This appears to be a survey.

In reality, it was torture—whether you would speak up for Wei Wusheng.

After reading them all, the crown prince looked at the stacks of documents that varied greatly in height and smiled.

"This is the result of the military officers' efforts. It's as if they all conspired to complain to me, saying that manpower is limited and it's difficult to build a palace of normal size." The Crown Prince nodded and said in agreement, "This Wusheng is truly loved by the soldiers."

sarcastic and cryptic, utterly sarcastic and cryptic.

Eunuch Lian dared not speak.

“These civil officials, even those from Minister Song’s faction, mostly believe that the Autumn Harvest Ceremony is important and that building a temporary palace is within their capabilities.” Pointing to two remonstrance officials beside him, the Crown Prince praised, “Gao Yunyi and Fan Wuji, they truly deserve to be called Song’s contemporaries in the imperial examinations. They also have the demeanor of gentlemen. Here in my palace, they have become advisors.”

“Your Highness, those military officers are short-sighted. We should listen to what the civil officials who have passed the imperial examinations have to say,” Eunuch Lian said in a low voice. “Most of the civil officials believe that building a temporary palace would not be a waste of resources and manpower… so building the palace according to the original specifications should be feasible.”

"Alright, I'm not stupid..." Just as he was about to say something wrong, the Crown Prince stopped in time and said, "Issue an edict to Huai County, saying that the military farms are hard work and the army is fighting bravely. Your Majesty is considerate of the local people. Except for the main hall, everything should be simplified and the scale should only be 20% of that of an ordinary palace."

"Yes, Your Highness is benevolent," said Eunuch Lian.

Although the Crown Prince was angry that not all of his faction members had properly pledged their loyalty, he also knew that he couldn't argue with them.

Just then, a messenger came from outside the hall and announced, "Your Highness, Lord Ye has arrived."

He immediately raised his head and said, "Let Changqing in."

"Yes."

After a while, Ye Changqing walked in and bowed to the Crown Prince.

"Changqing, please sit down."

"Thank you, Prince."

After the Crown Prince set up a seat for Ye Changqing, Eunuch Lian also left, leaving only the two of them.

"Changqing, Wusheng, and Shi'an haven't responded at all," the Crown Prince complained. "Such a big thing has happened, and they haven't even sent a single memorial. Is that right?"

When the Crown Prince said he wanted to build a temporary palace, Ye Changqing agreed.

It can be said that the chief strategist agreed with the idea of ​​letting Song Shi'an tarnish his own reputation.

After all, this move is really no problem.

They could also express their filial piety to the emperor.

But things turning out this way was truly unexpected for both of them...

How did Xishan end up being whipped like a spinning top?
“Your Highness,” Ye Changqing analyzed for him, “this person was beaten by His Highness the Prince of Zhongshan. From both a moral and logical standpoint, you shouldn’t blame Shi An.”

Blaming him is tantamount to the Crown Prince believing that Wei Wusheng beat his father-in-law under the orders of Song Shi'an.

This is considered a complete breakdown in relations.

“I understand this principle, but he was present after all and should provide an explanation,” the Crown Prince said.

"Your Highness, what do you want now?" Ye Changqing asked.

"I……"

The Crown Prince frowned, and after a long while, he angrily said, "All I want is an attitude!" (End of Chapter)