Frost for a Thousand Years

How can you say he's an emperor?

When Song Shi'an summoned the Prince of Jin, the others present were not quite sure what he wanted to do.

Only the emperor resolutely refused immediately.

Now that these words have been spoken, everyone is greatly shocked.

When Song Shi'an sent men to abduct Prince Zhongping, he used the name of Prince Jin to smear the Prince Jin as the real rebel.

But now, they want him to be emperor.

After the initial shock, Wei Le and the Imperial Guard were completely bewildered.

The King of Jin was also taken aback and stunned, not knowing what to do.

Only Hee-sun, who had served the emperor for so long and done so much for the crown prince, knew his intentions.

The only people who have the legal right to become emperor are the crown prince and the Prince of Jin.

Wei Wusheng is also an option.

If we seize control of the emperor and the army, why not declare ourselves emperor right here and now?

But his reign as emperor won't last long.

The Duke of Li and the Crown Prince controlled a portion of the military farms.

Furthermore, Sheng'an is still in the Crown Prince's hands.

Wei Wusheng and Song Shi'an would only have a chance to become the new emperor if they could win a series of victories, defeat the crown prince one after another, and be supported by the people wherever they went.

As for Song Shi'an's family in Sheng'an?
Those are all external possessions.

However, doing so is not only extremely risky, but even if it succeeds, the Great Yu Dynasty is very likely to fall apart.

I don't know how many people have claimed the title of emperor, or how many have claimed the title of king.

Duke Zhangping also stationed troops on the southern border of Yue, and brought with him a Jiangling Prince who was also quite orthodox.

Therefore, the easiest, the gentlest, and the most acceptable to everyone.

That is to establish the King of Jin as the new ruler.

The officials in charge of the land reclamation ceremony will wholeheartedly support it.

No, the altar was right there, and he was directly enthroned on the spot!
"Your Majesty!" Xi Shan, having realized what was happening, hurriedly said to the emperor, "You must not listen to this traitor's slander and allow a villain to disrupt the government. Our Great Yu has fertile lands stretching for thousands of miles; even if these granaries are burned, the grain can be harvested again in the future!"

Xishan was getting anxious.

Even when they hadn't won, they had already angrily cursed Song Shi'an as a 'thief' and a 'traitor'.

Of course, that's totally understandable.

"Your Majesty," Song Shi'an said to the emperor without even glancing at him, "you've fallen on hard times, even eunuchs dare to teach you how to do things."

The emperor is red, but that doesn't mean he's born with a liking for being disrespectful and disrespectful.

Those who dare to punish traitors at this time are still loyal ministers.

His fame was sparked by Song Shi'an.

"Stop trying to sow discord, you traitorous Song!" Xi Shan rebuked angrily. "My loyalty to His Majesty is as clear as day. On the contrary, you have committed treason and shown no respect whatsoever as a subject. You have even gone against the tide of history, interfering with His Majesty's choice of heir! His Highness the Crown Prince will never let you get away with this!"

Xishan had no way to help.

He was someone the emperor had previously entrusted to the crown prince, and he did many great and bad things for the crown prince.

If the crown prince falls, how will little Karami survive?

Therefore, he had to be tough.

At the same time, he also reminded Song Shi'an and the Prince of Jin that the Crown Prince had troops.

If you intend to disrupt the government, aren't you afraid that the crown prince has troops?

But what he didn't know was that what the emperor feared most was that the crown prince had troops.

If I were to pass the throne to the Prince of Jin here, those old fogies full of complaints would surely seize the opportunity to support me, and my call would be met with a hundred responses.

The divine right of kings, which lasts for generations, is all based on legitimate procedures.

What would happen if the crown prince had troops but refused to obey?
That rebel became the crown prince!
This is why he was willing to agree to demands such as handing over military power and being held hostage by these rebels, but he would never allow Song Shi'an to be implicated by the Prince of Jin.

Because the situation was acceptable to everyone except himself.

"Song Shi'an, what exactly do you mean?"

While everyone was on edge, the Prince of Jin, who was usually indecisive, finally spoke up.

There was a serious and earnest look in his eyes.

The emperor's heart sank suddenly.

That's right, this is a situation that everyone except myself can accept.

Including King Jin.

“Your Highness.” Song Shi’an looked at the Prince of Jin beside him, put his feet down, and still showed considerable respect to the ‘new emperor’ he had supported. “Shi’an is not trying to disrupt the government, nor is he going to be a traitor. His Highness Prince of Zhongshan… Prince of Qin is not interested in this throne. What we want is stability in the country and to restore order to the country.”

"The stability of the realm?" The Prince of Jin laughed, then said with great displeasure, "The stability of the realm means burning all the millions of bushels of grain that we have worked so hard to grow? It means letting the Northern Liang army surrender to the north and letting Ji Yuan trample the land of Liangzhou?"

"Your Highness, what you said is very good."

Song Shi'an stood up, walked slowly around the agitated Prince Jin, and continued, "But why was this granary burned? Isn't it because Prince Qin and I, who have painstakingly implemented the land reclamation program, are about to have our hard-earned fruits stolen by those powerful and greedy families, thus hindering our great cause of land reclamation?"

Prince Jin was speechless upon being asked this question. At this moment, Xi Shan immediately rebuked him, "If you traitors hadn't condoned the defection of the Northern Liang soldiers, why would His Majesty have imposed such punishments?"

"You eunuch, how dare you speak of matters of state!" Song Shi'an raised a finger and retorted, "The situation in Beiliang is still unresolved. Yet the Prefect of Shuojun and the General of Dangbei, two high-ranking officials of the court, have had their entire families imprisoned. Are they rebelling? Or are the Beiliang army being forced into rebellion by those treacherous, rebellious, and wicked officials who thrive on chaos?"

This time, even Hee-sun couldn't deny it anymore.

Whether the Northern Liang army's surrender to the north actually occurred is still uncertain. However, Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing's families were definitely imprisoned before this incident.

Procedurally, it is absolutely unjust.

If the procedures are unjust, how can one presume to talk about righteousness?

At this moment, Song Shi'an held an absolute advantage.

But it was not his sharp tongue that won the coup.

Again,
It's not that you can win by killing people, but that you can kill people only after you've won.

With the lifeline of twelve granaries in his hands, Song Shi'an is the real winner.

"Then what do you mean by restoring order!" King Jin glared at Song Shi'an and asked passionately, "In this world, who is right and who is wrong? How can you judge this? Or do you think the emperor is wrong and are here to blame him?"

"How could my father be wrong!"

Song Shi'an made no attempt to evade this political correctness, but instead was even more resolute than his opponent: "There are only ministers who have made mistakes, not rulers who have made mistakes. The mistakes of rulers are not for ministers to judge. If the ruler has not issued an edict of self-reproach, then the ruler could never have made a mistake!"

Song Shi'an's debate at this moment was by no means an act of bullying.

His logic has never collapsed.

Only by acknowledging the underlying logic that "the emperor and father cannot be wrong" can the imperial edicts personally issued by the emperor and father be given irrefutable legal basis.

"Ziyu, that's enough!" The emperor knew that his son was no match for Song Shi'an, so he interrupted angrily.

But Prince Jin had also lost his temper, and with a surge of anger, he vented at the bandit leader Song Shi'an, "Then what exactly do you mean? Who are you going to say is wrong!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor's pupils trembled slightly.

Song Shi'an was also taken aback.

Then, he slowly turned around, pointed at the emperor in front of him, and couldn't help but laugh.

At this moment, the emperor's face was also covered with black lines. For the first time, he felt extremely embarrassed by Song Shi'an's ridicule.

The Prince of Jin's pathetic state was even more painful and unbearable for him than losing his duel with Song Shi'an.

The Prince of Jin, however, seemed oblivious to the ridicule he was being mocked, maintaining his earnest and sincere demeanor as he shared the burdens of his ruler.

"Of course the Crown Prince is at fault."

At this moment, Xin Yue spoke loudly without any hesitation.

This forceful rebuke was like the clamor of a trusted guard, emboldened by the 'military might,' when a powerful minister forces the emperor to abdicate.

Feudal society cannot avoid the concept of the divine right of kings.

Why would killing a king in the street leave him with eternal infamy?

Because that would be a disgrace to a subject.

That's disrupting order.

As long as the country exists, it is not the behavior of a subject to point fingers at the emperor and criticize his mistakes.

The true dragon is inviolable.

But the Crown Prince, who is also a "milk dragon," cannot receive the same treatment.

How could the Prince of Jin not know that Song Shi'an had something to say about the Crown Prince?

His question was meant to bring the Crown Prince's mistakes to the forefront for discussion.

The emperor didn't want the Prince of Jin to be a puppet emperor...

The Prince of Jin wanted to be the Prince himself.

Therefore, the emperor felt boundless sorrow.

Looking at his son with dejection, the emperor was speechless, his eyes filled with worry: "Ziyu, do you really think you can sit on this throne?"
The King of Jin was insecure.

He knew that the Crown Prince and he were loved equally by his father.

Father Emperor did so much, even letting Wei Yiyuan die in vain, just to protect him.

He and the Crown Prince were brothers born to Empress Hua, sharing the same mother.

Only after the deaths of the eldest and fifth brothers did the four of them truly become a family.

To illustrate this sentiment, a simple analogy can be used: the historical family of Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Xiong Ying.

But the Prince of Jin could only pretend to be stupid.

As a fool, I was amused by Song Shi'an.

He knew that if he became emperor here, he would be a puppet emperor, but he wanted to give it a try.

Could Song Shi'an win temporarily and win forever?

I am no longer a child. I may not have the power right now, but does that mean I will never have the power?

I'm sorry, Father, but I want to give it a try.

No one can be a good emperor from the start. Weren't you a child emperor at the beginning?
But later, you dealt with the powerful ministers and your brothers.

"Woo——"

Suddenly, a bugle sounded.

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

The sixth granary is about to be burned down.

If this building were to burn down, it would mean that half of the achievements of the land reclamation would vanish in a single night.

"Song Shi'an, stop!" Prince Jin said to Song Shi'an in great anxiety, "Don't burn it! For the sake of all the people and millions of innocent lives, I beg you not to burn it!"

At this moment, the King of Jin humbly begged Song Shi'an, just like a benevolent ruler who cared for the people.

At the same time, he also showed Song Shi'an his 'obedience'.

It's as if you're saying, "You're not wrong to make me the new ruler. I'm not that strong-willed, and my ambitions don't threaten you right now."

"His Majesty?"

Song Shi'an ignored the Crown Prince and turned his gaze to the Emperor, asking in a rather humble manner.

The long, drawn-out blast of the horn continues.

After Song Shi'an finished asking his question, he stopped.

If they do not agree, this granary will soon be burned to ashes.

The emperor continued to look at the Prince of Jin, not quite understanding why he had such an unusual opinion.

My son, do you really not know what Song Shi'an is up to?

That dream, it really wasn't your dad lying to you.

If Father agrees, that dream will truly come true. He's making you emperor so he can deal with the crown prince first, and kill your brother first.

Now that the crown prince is dead, do you think your throne is secure?
My son, Wei Wusheng is also a king.

The emperor had never been so humble.

He now has to make a choice.

Or it could be the doomed Great Yu.

Either he is a son destined for destruction.

His last vestige of humanity led him to believe that, for the sake of his son, he had to get rid of Song Shi'an.

Or rather, kill him by tearing him to pieces, causing him unbearable pain.

But he is, after all, a human being, and he also has selfish desires.

He repaired the imperial mausoleum so that his soul could find peace after death.

He established the imperial examination system, set up the Embroidered Uniform Guard, waged wars in the south and north, and expanded the territory, all in an effort to become a restorer of the dynasty.

How could he possibly allow the Great Yu dynasty to perish in his generation, becoming a deposed ruler etched in history as a figure of shame, ridiculed by future generations?

Under the hopeful gaze of the foolish Prince Jin's son, the emperor closed his eyes.

Slowly, he lowered his head.

"Song Shi'an, stop right now!" Upon seeing this, the Prince of Jin hurriedly said to Song Shi'an.

A smile played at the corners of his lips.

Song Shi'an won.

The old emperor
You've been holding me back for so long.

You scared me for so long.

I was forced to kneel before you so many times, even though you used the power of an emperor.

Finally,

Who won?
Looking at the emperor who had bowed his head to him, Song Shi'an raised his hand.

Upon receiving this, Xin Yue coldly ordered the Imperial Guards, "Use the ox horn to blow three times in a row: short, short, long."

"..." The Imperial Guard paused for a moment, then glanced around briefly before rushing out and shouting at the Imperial Guard's signalmen, "Blow the horn! Three short, short, long blasts in a row!"

Although the soldiers didn't understand, they carried out the order very quickly.

And so, that night, horn sounds, with a slightly different rhythm and a rather muffled sound, emanated from the emperor's temporary palace.

Two short, powerful sounds.

The final trombone unleashed its full power.

The assassins, who had just opened the cellar door and were about to set the cellar ablaze with torches, immediately stopped upon hearing the sound.

Is this an order to stop arson?
He wasn't quite sure, but then the bugle call rang out again.

It was repeated twice.

Only then did he close the cellar door and return inside, overjoyed.

Although burning this grain is satisfying, it belongs to the hardworking people. Who can bear to see the farmers' hard work go up in flames?
The sixth granary did not catch fire.

Furthermore, it was accompanied by a bugle call that sounded somewhat different from before.

The officials on the sacrificial altar were all quite puzzled, but at the same time, they breathed a sigh of relief.

The sound of the horn was different, which meant that the rebels had stopped.

The destruction will not continue to escalate.

Of course, this also means...

The rebels succeeded.

"Five large granaries, burned to ashes just like that." An old civil official, seeing the still-burning 'suns', wiped away a tear and said sadly, "How much grain must have been wasted? What a tragedy."

It's no exaggeration to say that any one of these granaries could support an army of tens of thousands of people.

These five granaries, as resources for the Northern Expedition, could keep Ji Yuan occupied for a year.

The rebels are truly ruthless; they don't even blink an eye.

And can't we just sit down and talk?
It had to be one every five minutes, like a gangster killing a hostage, shooting every now and then, it was absolutely brutal!
"Now that the granary has been saved, what will happen next?"

"I wonder how His Majesty is doing..."

"Don't worry, His Majesty has deployed all the troops to protect him, he will be fine."

Knowing that the rebels had won, their Yin-Yang Emperor became even more composed and at ease.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shao Fu pulled Yu Xiu aside and whispered, "Does this mean Song Shi'an won?"

It couldn't have been that he couldn't withstand the torture and was forced to admit defeat, could it?
"I don't know," Yu Xiu shook his head and said, "but this must be His Majesty's decision. As His Majesty's subject, I must absolutely support whatever His Majesty decides."

It seems like saying nothing at all is the same as saying nothing.

In reality, it was just submitting to the rebels.

No wonder he studied under Ouyang Ke, he's truly amazing.

The young master stopped acting and said with a slight smile, "Back when the Song family was ostracized by the court, only your mentor... and of course, Physician Yu, were quite friendly to Song Shi'an. And Physician Yu also served as an assistant to Minister Song, so their relationship was quite close."

This demonstrates Ouyang Ke's great political wisdom when he was a prime minister without any political allies.

When you are powerful enough, the fence-sitters will not lose.

The gains of those who sat on the fence were realized at this time.

"Everything is for His Majesty's benefit. My mentor and I both think this way." Yu Xiu bowed to the Minister of the Imperial Household and said with great respect, "If His Majesty issues any imperial decree, Minister of the Imperial Household, you hold a high position and great power, and your students and former officials are all over Hebei. Please take the lead and guide all the officials."

This is what we call the fence-sitter.

Even if they have already won.

They were fully qualified to compete for the second-place championship, but they had to give that opportunity to someone else.

With such a great contribution in leading the establishment of the new emperor, how could He Shaofu not accept it with a smile?
You should know that the Right Vice Minister of the Imperial Household Department is his advisor and close friend, and he is also Song Ce's maternal grandfather. With such a relationship, what's wrong with me becoming the Minister of Works?
"I have no virtue whatsoever, and am not qualified to lead the officials."

After speaking very modestly, Shao Fu said helplessly, "But someone has to take the lead in this matter... So this old man will respectfully accept the offer, haha."

.........

"Your Majesty, the granary hasn't burned down!"

At that moment, a soldier came in to report.

The Prince of Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

To others, it seemed that the food supply had been saved.

But Song Shi'an knew all too well that this was the relief he felt after finally becoming emperor.

Song Shi'an knew how highly he regarded himself.

He may genuinely believe that he has a chance to regain power and eliminate himself.

Of course, Song Shi'an supported his actions.

This emperor is just too clueless.

He always felt that his two sons should be grateful for everything he had done.

They must not forget their good intentions.

Then the filial sons united to fight against the powerful and noble families.

But how could he know the fear in the heart of the Prince of Jin?
If the crown prince really becomes emperor, even if we don't kill him now, we will kill him later!

But once you become emperor, you can't be so easily killed.

However, Your Highness Prince Jin, your hard times are yet to come.

"stop."

Just then, Xishan quietly moved away from the emperor, trying to sneak away along the edge of the hall. She was then immediately arrested by Xinyue, whose eyes were as cold and sharp as ice.

"..." Hee-sun stood still, her legs began to tremble, and she was covered in sweat in despair.

“If I do not take control of all military power within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after this bugle sounds, the remaining seven granaries will be burned down at the same time,” Song Shi’an said.

The emperor did not speak, but looked at Wei Le.

Knowing that the emperor had already accepted it, Wei Le realized that no matter how loyal he was, he would only end up as a corpse. He then knelt on one knee before Song Shi'an and presented him with half of the Imperial Guard's tiger tally.

Song Shi'an accepted the tiger tally that had been stored away.

Power in his hands became incredibly heavy.

This is the highest power.

I already have half of the Great Yu in my hands.

Jie Jie Jie...

Wait, do I look like a villain?
"Summon General San Gou in."

Song Shi'an, holding the tiger tally, gave the order.

General Three Dogs...

These four words left these people bewildered.

Where did this General San Gou come from?
They only know Xiaobing Sangou.

However, they couldn't create such a dramatic effect, so they quickly took down the soldier who had been hung up, humiliated with saliva for a while, and whose body was covered in marks of shame.

Even after being hung up for so long, he remained incredibly proud, and carrying his sword, he headed towards the emperor's temporary palace.

Everyone along the way was terrified by his fierce gaze.

General Three Dogs has arrived.

"General San Gou, protect His Majesty well."

Song Shi'an held the tiger tally in his hand and said to him, "Have His Majesty draft the imperial edict as soon as possible."

"Yes."

San Gou nodded, then walked to the emperor's side, gripped his sword, and loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, please issue the decree!"

The emperor looked at Xishan and gave a shrill laugh.

Then, Wei Le, the Prince of Jin, the Imperial Guards, and the soldiers at the gate were all taken away by Song Shi'an.

There was no one in the emperor's main house or around it.

Only the three dogs protected him, allowing the trembling Grand Eunuch to draft the imperial edict.

After leaving the palace, Song Shi'an and Xin Yue met Xiao Wei, who had been unshackled, put on boots, and had a sword at his waist.

“Everything is settled.” Song Shi’an said, holding his hand. “Xin Yue and I will now take control of the military. You go to the emperor to get the imperial edict, and then go to meet with the officials.”

"Okay, be careful!"

Xiao Wei nodded and walked away from the two.

Then, they ran inside.

We really won.

However, the more Ke approached the man with the air of a victor, the more numb his excited heart became.

Eventually, it became peaceful.

After the door was opened, the emperor sat in the very center.

He walked over expressionlessly, and extended one hand toward the emperor.

Xi Shan presented the imperial edict with trembling hands.

Xiao Wei grasped the imperial edict, said nothing, turned and left, heading towards the door.

"King of Qin, can you treat your brothers well?"

Just then, a tentative request came from behind the emperor.

Wu Sheng, who had his hand on the sword, suddenly stopped and slowly turned his head:
"Your Majesty, have you treated your brothers well?" (End of Chapter)