Frost for a Thousand Years

"Your Highness, please come with us."

Wei Wusheng's door was pushed open, and a dozen or so imperial guards, fully armed and in good gear, walked up to him with solemn expressions, devoid of any human warmth, showing no basic respect for this newly crowned King of Qin.

This is a force of tigers and wolves.

Unlike the 10,000 county soldiers under Jia Guihao's command.

They are only accountable for the source of their power, and with absolute loyalty, they control the central authority of the world.

Compared to them, the Imperial Guards were nothing more than a rabble.

Wei Wusheng walked over calmly.

Suddenly, a soldier snatched the sword from his waist.

At the same time, two people, one on the left and one on the right, put heavy hinges on him and shackles on his hands.

"Your Highness, please remove your shoes."

The head of the Imperial Guards glared at Wei Wusheng and spoke in a commanding tone.

Wei Wusheng remained quite calm and offered no resistance.

With his shoe sole held down, he lifted one foot and stepped forward.

After lifting the other foot, he was completely barefoot.

This time is different from every previous one.

This time, he became a 'prisoner'.

The revolution won; the war criminals lost.

As for Song Shi'an...

Did we lose?

Wei Wusheng had no idea what he was thinking.

Although he understood that everything he was doing was right.

Using Beiliang as leverage, using the military agricultural settlement as leverage, and even this midnight disturbance are all ways of severely attacking the foundation of the Great Yu state.

No one can bear these responsibilities.

But this opponent is unlike anyone else.

This emperor would rather lose ten points himself than let his opponent lose ten points.

No, sometimes it might be twelve points.

No one can threaten him.

If he truly had any humanity, how could he have done something so cruel as to name his own son "born of rebellion"?

Wei Wusheng had discussed this with Song Shi'an beforehand. If he was certain that the emperor's visit was to deal with them, they might as well rebel.

Fifty thousand men is fifty thousand men. Even if we don't have any advantage in troop strength, with the support of the people of Huai County and plenty of food, we are not without a chance of winning.
Song Shi'an simply said, "Trust me."

Therefore, Wei Wusheng agreed to his decision.

Even if he sensed beforehand that he would lose in his struggle against the emperor and ultimately die in Huai County.

Flames were burning everywhere.

Those high-ranking officials and nobles fled in panic, trying to leave the area where the ceremony was to be held, but the soldiers guarding the area refused to let them pass, no matter how much they warned and insulted them.

During this time, seemingly out of nowhere, arrows were shot from all directions, killing some officials on the spot. This further intensified the atmosphere of fear, making even the most distinguished and powerful people feel like stray dogs and headless flies.

Because of this reckless abandonment, the scene became even more chaotic.

Wei Wusheng, who was being escorted by heavily armed soldiers and walking barefoot on the road, smiled.

See, Shi An, you've really misunderstood.

He never saw anyone as an exception, except for his family whom he truly acknowledged; everyone else was someone he could sacrifice.

Even if you scheme and plot, you can no longer try to find a reason to kill by exploiting the collapse of order as you did before.

But Wei Wusheng did not blame Song Shi'an.

Because he knew that Song Shi'an's reasons for losing were quite reasonable.

He had a humble but loving mother, a strict but protective father, a sister who was not ashamed of him, and a brother who admired him immensely.

He was enveloped in love.

He believed that everyone possessed at least a minimum level of emotion.

If he had such an experience, he probably wouldn't have lost to His Majesty.

But Wei Wusheng didn't really want him to have this experience just to become a little 'smarter'.

Wei Wusheng was finally taken outside the 'palace'.

But the emperor did not summon him in; he simply waited.

Until Song Shi'an and Xin Yue were personally invited here by the commander of the Imperial Guard.

They were finally able to meet.

Wei Wusheng was quite calm, because he felt that losing was losing, and after all, being the King of Qin, a general, or even the emperor was not something he had always wanted. He did have a compassionate heart for the people of this world and wanted to end the chaos, but he also realized that there was no point in trying to whitewash and repair the corrupt Great Yu.

But he didn't understand why Song Shi'an was as calm as he was.

He must have planned to win, or even meticulously planned to win...

Given his personality, can he accept losing like this?

Wei Wusheng didn't understand, but before going in, Song Shi'an gave himself a smile.

Perhaps it was the last time they would see each other, and Wei Wusheng responded with a smile.

Thus, the two were separated by the dark, solemnly standing Imperial Guards.

Suddenly, a foot stepped on the back of his knee.

His legs buckled, and Wei Wusheng knelt on the ground, head bowed, awaiting death.

.........

San Gou had already been detained and brought along, but because of his lowly status, he was tied up and hung from a tree.

The Imperial Guards were ordered not to kill or mistreat, so in addition to using swords, spears, and clubs, they used spitting as a form of humiliation to retaliate against the bandit leader's confidant.

The three dogs stared wide-eyed with anger from beginning to end, enduring the humiliation without uttering a sound, vowing to defend their lord's dignity to the death.

Song Shi'an entered the hall.

After being searched by the palace maids, Xin Yue also entered the hall.

The elderly emperor leaned back in his chair, looking at the two men a few steps away, and said with a very gentle smile, "Lord Song, I respect you."

“You are His Majesty, and an elder, why use such respectful terms?” Song Shi’an countered.

"Regardless of age or status, you deserve my respect."

After the emperor finished speaking, he glanced at the woman beside him and said, "I respect you, so I will spare her."

Xin Yue ignored the emperor completely, maintaining her indifferent gaze and expressionless demeanor.

"Then thank you, Your Majesty."

Song Shi'an bowed to him, which was quite polite.

"But without him, you probably wouldn't want to live either, would you?" the emperor asked.

“Yes,” Xin Yue replied.

"Very well," the emperor decided, "I will let you die like a warrior."

In the past, the spouses and female relatives of the defeated party, even if they were empresses, all met the same fate.

It became a tool for soldiers to vent their frustrations.

When the emperor came in, he even had palace maids do the body search.

Such a ruthless person possesses such a broad perspective.

Song Shi'an probably understood his feelings.

"His Majesty does not hate me."

"Of course, I love you very much." After the emperor smiled kindly, he extended his hand and said, "Xishan, please take a seat."

"Thank you."

Song Shi'an thus openly faced the emperor, sitting in chairs of the same height, and spoke at eye level.

Xi Shan was to the left of the emperor.

Xin Yue was to the left of Song Shi'an.

"Is this your entire scheme?"

This was the very first sentence of the emperor's interview.

"That's all I can do."

Song Shi'an nodded and replied.

"Let me guess." The emperor pretended to think, closed his eyes for a moment, and then said, "The person who assassinated me, was it you who arranged it?"

“I originally intended to keep it for myself, but His Highness Prince Zhongping is a filial son,” Song Shi’an replied. “He spent a hefty sum of seven thousand taels of silver to buy this opera troupe, intending to present it as a gift at the grand ceremony. So, I graciously granted his request.”

"You didn't kill me, was that within your expectations?" the emperor asked.

"Killing them would be best," Song Shi'an said casually, "but if you don't kill them, the effect is the same."

"Do you want to implicate the Prince of Jin by using Wei Yiyuan?" the emperor asked.

“It won’t involve him; he’s your beloved son.” Song Shi’an shook his head. “But it should scare him and his cronies.”

"Hahaha." The emperor raised his finger and pointed at Song Shi'an. "You really understand him. Ziyu, that child, was so scared that he cried when I pressed him onto the dragon throne."

"Then the Crown Prince shouldn't have cried, right?" Song Shi'an asked as if they were having a casual conversation.

"Yes, Your Highness is willing to bear the weight of this crown."

"Your Majesty, you still have a fine son," Song Shi'an praised.

The emperor didn't respond, but just looked at him and said, "But none of these meet your standards."

“They are still young and need to grow.” Despite being younger than most of the princes, Song Shi’an asked in a frivolous tone, “What about Wei Yiyuan? Does His Majesty still want him?”

"No, I'll let him go with you."

The emperor's face darkened, and he said.

Sure enough, this old man still has some family ties.

I didn't feel very comfortable after making fun of myself like that.

After all, he's only human.

"The King of Qin must have advised you to directly raise an army in rebellion, right?" the emperor asked.

“Yes,” Song Shi’an replied.

"Why not do it?" the emperor asked.

“My family is all in Sheng’an. If we really rebel, wouldn’t they be able to be executed by His Majesty without any problem?” Song Shi’an said without thinking.

"Isn't it the same now?" the emperor stared at him, asking skeptically, "Do you think they still have a chance to live?"

"Haha." Song Shi'an completely ignored him and said, "What does Your Majesty mean by this? Do you want me to beg you one last time to spare my family, or spare my mother alone?"

“If you actually do it, all the respect I have for you will vanish,” the emperor said.

"The last bit of respect?" Song Shi'an asked, puzzled. "Does His Majesty mean that he no longer looks down on Shi'an?"

"Why not rebel?" the emperor demanded sharply. "Why entrust this final decision of fate to others?"

The emperor liked Song Shi'an because, whether in Northern Liang or Northern Yan, he demonstrated the wisdom of a chess player.

However, in the most important battle, his performance completely faltered.

Before that, his identity was completely mismatched with the other party's.

Therefore, he was willing to risk his life to make Wu Sheng, Ji Yuan, and the King of Yan all work for him.

However, his accumulated experience after gaining fame had long since made him someone who could rival the emperor and was almost on equal footing with him.

At this point, why would you still use yourself as a 'lure'?
This greatly disappointed the emperor.

Just then, a member of the Imperial Guard entered. Faced with this strange scene, he hesitated, his gaze wandering, before Xi Shan gave him a meaningful look: "Just say it."

“Your Majesty,” the Imperial Guard reported, “there is a tunnel in Song Shi’an’s residence that leads to the riverbank two miles away. The exit is a disguised tree hollow. However, it does not connect to any other place.”

Sure enough, Song Shi'an's house did have a tunnel.

Moreover, due to the scale of the project and the possibility of exposure, the entire underground area was not excavated to allow him to move freely.

To be precise, this is a path for survival.

It's like what's set up in many royal palaces.

The option to run away while your feet are oiled.

But Song Shi'an didn't run away from the most suitable place.

Seeing that the emperor did not speak, the Imperial Guard continued, "The entrance to the cave is already guarded, and there are also layers of defenses outside the ceremony area. Those rebels have not tried to break out and are still causing trouble in the city. However, one of our soldiers is pursuing them and has already killed more than a dozen, but... we can't leave any survivors."

"Song Shi'an, your assassins can't turn the tide!"

At this moment, Xi Shan directly rebuked him with her disgust: "They can't escape, and they can't be killed. When dawn breaks, there will be no way to pass themselves off as real people. They will be found one by one by His Majesty's army. Your rebellion is over!"

Won.

And it was a resounding victory with irrefutable evidence.

Xi Shan knew that Wei Wusheng and Song Shi'an would die a very quick and decisive death this time.

Song Shi'an's entire family will also be involved in the elimination game.

Let's see how smug you can be now!

Sure enough, after revealing all his last cards, Song Shi'an's face darkened.

With one hand supporting his assistant on the chair, the emperor slowly rose and casually said, "Those people from Beiliang, if they really want to surrender to Ji Yuan, then let them surrender. You're the one who built this empire, so you're going to give it away."

Song Shi'an remained expressionless and did not utter a single word.

After the emperor stood up straight, he looked down at the man before him and warned in an extremely cold tone, "No one in this world can threaten me."

Song Shi'an sat in the chair, staring blankly ahead.

Even if the emperor is standing, he is sitting.

But His Majesty's aura was like Mount Tai, completely suppressing him.

"His Majesty!"

Suddenly, a soldier rushed in and shouted, "A grain depot in the far northwest is on fire!"

The emperor suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Xishan froze instantly.

Slowly, Song Shi'an raised one leg, leaned back in the chair, and looked at him with a smile on his lips.

"Then hurry up and send people to put out the fire!" Wei Le shouted at the soldiers.

"General, it's on fire! There's no way to save it!" the soldier replied.

"What about the other granaries? Are they alright?" Wei Le asked.

"General, everything is alright for now!"

"What do you mean by 'currently'?!"

"Because of the fire..." the soldier said anxiously and with difficulty, "it started burning from the inside!"

These words stunned everyone.

The tunnels indeed did not lead to any other place.

It would be easy to build a small cellar under a huge granary and hide a person there.

"Quickly order the remaining traitors to come out of the granary!"

Wei Le grabbed Song Shi'an by the hair from behind, pulled out his sword, and pressed it against Song's neck. The blade was so heavy that it had already cut open, and blood was flowing out...

Yet, he still wore that smug expression, meeting the emperor's trembling eyes head-on, refusing to yield an inch. (End of Chapter)