Frost for a Thousand Years

The Duke of Li's sudden rebuke startled even the Crown Prince.

The sword in his hand clattered to the ground.

Zhao Yi and Hua Zheng, standing to the side, stared at them dumbfounded, their eyes filled with terror.

In this world, the greatest being is the emperor, who is the true dragon.

Anyone who dares to rebuke the emperor is doomed to have their entire family wiped out.

Even the most tyrannical and powerful ministers, if they want to maintain the stability of their regime, must put on a good show and not humiliate the emperor in such a way.

Although the Crown Prince is not as powerful as the Emperor, he is still a step up from the Emperor and is a prince who deserves the same respect from all officials.

The Duke of Li's actions were simply because he was entrusted by the emperor to guide the new emperor's growth, and he didn't take the Milk Dragon seriously at all.

Even before ascending the throne, this is already the case.

If he becomes emperor in the future, won't he become even more tyrannical?
So, in what ways is he better than Song Shi'an?
"Your Highness, please calm down." The Duke of Li realized that he had displayed his prestige too early, so he quickly said in a gentle tone, "Please forgive this old minister for being too excited."

The crown prince, of course, would not blame him.

If Song Shi'an were to succeed, the grain and army for the grand ceremony would become An Sheng's private property, and he would have no way to solve this problem without the help of the Duke of Li.

If you can't solve the problem, then you're truly doomed.

"Just now," the Crown Prince said with a smile, after closing his eyes, holding his breath, and then opening them, "it was my excitement that almost made me disregard the voice of my loyal ministers."

The prince has matured.

Looking at him, Zhao Yi sensed that the Crown Prince was not as 'obvious' as before.

They wear their emotions on their sleeves, making it easy for others to guess what they're thinking.

At the moment, he couldn't fathom whether the Crown Prince truly felt apologetic for his impulsiveness or kept the humiliation he had just suffered to himself, saving it for a future revenge.

But that's a good thing.

As long as their crown prince doesn't cause trouble, they haven't lost this battle.

“Your Highness, what we should know now is exactly what they want,” said the Duke of Li. “After all, we know nothing about what’s going on over there.”

"What the Duke just said was that they may have already completed the process of establishing a new emperor." Hua Zheng asked, puzzled, "Then isn't that already quite clear?"

"Then do you know whether the new ruler is the King of Qin or the King of Jin?"

The Duke of Li's rhetorical question left Hua Zheng speechless.

Holy crap, it really is true.

If the new emperor were Wei Wusheng, it would be fine; we could simply send a large army to suppress the rebellion and rescue His Majesty.

But what if the new ruler is the Prince of Jin?
It should be noted that Prince Jin was initially the top choice for crown prince.

The Crown Prince was able to win the struggle by adopting the policy of land reclamation and centralized power, relying on Song Shi'an's political achievements to gradually consolidate his advantage.

The Prince of Jin was a conservative, aristocratic, and anti-military agricultural colony. Even though he was being held hostage and was a puppet emperor, the officials could still accept that the one on the throne was the Prince of Jin, whom they preferred.

"Establish the King of Jin?" Zhao Yi found it unbelievable. "Having already gone this far, why doesn't the King of Qin dare to go any further? Is he simply trying to appease those powerless officials?"

The King of Qin is also a noble king. Even if his status is questionable, he is still the emperor's bloodline and has achieved so many military exploits. Why should he retreat at this time?

Wouldn't it be more convenient to do it all in one step?

"How could you say such a thing? Where did you learn your books?" Seeing the next generation of noble leaders make such remarks, the Duke of Li, like a stern teacher, mocked Zhao Yi, "A warrior who doesn't use his brain will remain a warrior his whole life."

A gangster who doesn't use his brain will remain a gangster for life.

"What the Duke says is absolutely right." Zhao Yi lowered his head in great shame, appearing exceptionally honest.

"The world today is not what it used to be," said the Duke of Li. "To conquer cities is inferior; to conquer hearts is superior. The strategy for ruling the world is the same as for conquering it. If you control the most elite army, the dynasty can last for ten thousand generations."

Qin Shi Huang collected all the weapons in the land and cast twelve bronze statues.

The Qin elite soldiers under his command were the most elite and powerful soldiers in the world.

But it still only lasted two generations before it died out. After streaking across the sky like a shooting star, the Han dynasty inherited the Qin system, essentially making a wedding dress for others for four hundred years.
The strength of the Duke of Li lies in the fact that he is not merely a senior figure.

Instead, it means embracing new ideas while maintaining seniority.

He's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to politics.

“If they establish Prince Jin as the new emperor, I’m afraid the first thing they’ll do will be…” Hua Zheng, having already switched allegiance to the Crown Prince and with Prince Jin’s faction practically nonexistent after the power grab, firmly aligned himself with the Crown Prince and sincerely worried, “Should they issue an edict to Sheng’an?”

“Sheng’an has Changqing; we can ask him for help,” the Crown Prince said, thinking of his good friend.

“Your Highness, Ye Changqing is the magistrate of Sheng’an. He can’t mobilize troops,” Hua Zheng reminded him. “The few hundred or nearly a thousand officials under his command can only maintain stability in the city.”

It can also monitor the officials and keep them under control.

“Then we should ask the Imperial Guard for help and ask them to send troops,” the Crown Prince said. “There are so many nobles in the city. If they can bring out 20,000 Imperial Guards, they can extinguish this flame of rebellion.”

"Your Highness." The Duke of Li was amused by the child, but still said seriously, "Besides His Majesty and you, no one else in the army can be mobilized."

If there were any taboo situations where the emperor was not present, those nobles could simply mobilize their troops, wouldn't the emperor then be nothing more than a figurehead?

Moreover, over the years, with the establishment of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Embroidered Uniform Guard by the emperor, the political system of Dayu has become very stable. It is no longer a makeshift organization. If the proper procedures are not followed, not only will the troops not be mobilized, but the government will also be overthrown on the spot for a deliberate rebellion.

"Very well, I will issue a decree to the Crown Prince to send the army over," the Crown Prince said hastily.

"Yes, Your Highness, please write this down quickly," said the Duke of Li. "It's not just the Crown Prince's order to mobilize troops, but also a secret letter to Ye Changqing, instructing him and the other nobles to go find the Empress."

"it is good."

Without a second thought, the Crown Prince returned to his desk with great enthusiasm and quickly began drafting both imperial edicts. He then summoned messengers on the 800-li express route and had the two edicts delivered to Sheng'an without delay.

His heart found peace.

"As long as the army arrives, and as long as Changqing keeps Sheng'an in check, even if he controls Jia Guihao's army, he won't be able to cause much trouble..."

The Crown Prince's expression relaxed more and more, but seeing that the Duke of Li still had that stern expression, showing no optimism whatsoever, he asked in bewilderment, "What is the Duke worried about?"

“Your Highness,” the Duke of Li said bluntly, “no matter how fast we go, we can’t possibly reach Sheng’an before Song Shi’an’s imperial edict does.”

"impossible."

In response, the Crown Prince stated with great certainty, "We have set up checkpoints, roadblocks, and military patrols at every point along the route. We have also issued strict orders that no one may pass without a Crown Prince's decree bearing my seal. This Commandant Bingbai was able to come because he is one of my men, and he was escorted by soldiers all the way here. If his men wanted to get through, they could only go around through the mountains and forests, but that would definitely not be as fast as us."

"What if we leave openly and honestly?" Duke Li asked again.

“Going openly and honestly may indeed be faster than us,” the Crown Prince said with unwavering certainty, “but going openly and honestly will prevent us from getting there.”

Just as he was making his vow, Hua Zheng whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"..."

Upon hearing this word, the crown prince frowned, covered his forehead with his hand, and immediately revealed a mask of pain.

The authority of the Embroidered Uniform Guard surpasses that of all others, even exceeding that of the princes.

This was a terrifying product of the emperor's pursuit of centralized power.

Because of it, the emperor's power was supreme.

But if he is controlled by someone else, that person's power will be supreme.

Damn, this is really shooting themselves in the foot!

"Your Highness."

After letting the Crown Prince know how critical the situation was, the Duke of Li also consulted him, saying in a very democratic way, "There are still troops available, Your Highness, would you be willing?"

"Please tell me, Duke, where else are there troops?!" The Crown Prince looked at him with surprise and anticipation.

Then, the Duke of Li calmly said, "Qinzhou."

.........

In the main hall of his ancestral home, Song Shi'an faced the altar, clasped his hands together with incense sticks, closed his eyes, and slowly bowed before inserting the incense sticks into the burner.

Song Shi'an was going to fight the Crown Prince, but he had no time to take care of so many high-ranking officials, so he moved all the officials in the capital except the emperor to his own home, and left 500 imperial guards to protect them.

This also improved his reputation among the officials.

After all, he ensured that these esteemed Celestial Dragons could live comfortably even as war was imminent.

Of course, their goodwill stemmed more from the fact that they hadn't been held hostage and used to blackmail the Crown Prince when they were exchanging blows.

What Song Shi'an wants to do has never been a one-off deal.

One-off deals only leave behind short-term profits.

"Peace of mind."

Just then, Xinyue walked in. Seeing that she was offering incense, she took a few, lit them, bowed once, and placed them in the incense burner. She then said, "All the letters written by those officials were taken out by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. And according to the scouts, the passage through the pass was very smooth."

"His Majesty's Embroidered Uniform Guard is truly useful."

Song Shi'an smiled, looking quite pleased.

Originally, the Crown Prince would have definitely imposed a complete blockade immediately. If they tried to travel by road or water, his orders would never be able to leave this place and reach Sheng'an.

But when the Embroidered Uniform Guards get things done, they are completely unhindered, and the other party cannot even ask for the reason.

The fall of the Ming Dynasty was caused by a variety of factors, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) was one of them.

Because the further you go, the less restraint you become, the more lawless and cruel you become.

“But I’m a little worried about those people,” Xin Yue said. “Will your subordinates suffer persecution from the Crown Prince? Or have they already suffered?”

“My men?” Song Shi’an said calmly, “Have you forgotten? After Lian Song, because of the Crown Prince’s mistakes, I replaced everyone with my men long ago.”

“That’s true.” Xin Yue nodded, agreeing with him. “The staff has already been replaced, so the Crown Prince wouldn’t dare to clean up the place so casually.”

If things were like before, the Shi'an Party wouldn't be many people, and if the Crown Prince wanted to reshuffle the party, he could simply replace those people.

But now, almost all the civil officials in charge of the military farms have been re-promoted by Song Shi'an.

What would happen if you replaced them all in a situation like this?
If a huge company replaces its entire management team all at once, it will be in turmoil.

First of all, things are not done well.

Then, it will cause panic.

Finally, at this critical juncture, after a new emperor was established, the former crown prince purged the old officials.

What do the long-term employees think?
I understand now, the crown prince is the illegitimate regime!
It's not that I was recognized because I became Hokage, but rather that I was recognized before I could become Hokage.

If the crown prince continues to push those people to his side at this point, he will only be courting his own destruction.

"It's almost time."

Song Shi'an laid out a chessboard in his mind. After he was almost ready, he slowly turned around and said to Xin Yue, "The villagers who were farming last night should have seen the fire. And most of the grain from Jia Guihao's place has been moved here. So, let's put in a little more effort."

"How can we step up our efforts?" Xin Yue asked.

"Mobilize the people, that vast, ocean-like power."

Song Shi'an's eyes were resolute as he ordered, "Spread the news throughout Huai County that the Grand Ceremony of Settling Farms was attacked by rebels, the granaries were burned to the ground, and there was not a single grain left."

.........

"The imperial edict arrives——"

At the Jianxing camp, the Crown Prince gradually gathered a lot of information and was fairly certain of what had happened there. He swallowed the news of Prince Jin becoming emperor as if he were eating a fly.

He is now waiting for Song Shi'an's attitude.

Sure enough, as quickly as possible, a member of the Imperial Guard arrived with an imperial edict.

They also brought along an old man dressed in plain clothes.

The Crown Prince and the Duke of Li, among others, received the imperial decree.

However, no one knelt down.

The Crown Prince stared intently at the Imperial Guard, his face extremely pale.

He could only tremble as he proclaimed the imperial decree:

"Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the imperial edict said:

I, having inherited the weighty responsibility of the seven ancestral temples and ruled for fifty years, have always feared that my virtue was insufficient to defile the sacred vessel. However, since Crown Prince Yiyun assumed regency, the imperial seal has been mistakenly placed in the hands of wolves, and the jade tablet has nearly fallen victim to the schemes of petty villains. Their crimes are threefold:
"The eunuch Lian Song caused chaos in Huai County's administration..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Crown Prince snatched the imperial edict, read it himself, clenched it tightly in his hand, and cursed, "Despicable villain, shameless scoundrel! This Song Shi'an has finally revealed his wolfish ambitions!"

The crown prince was furious and wanted to tear the Imperial Guard to pieces.

He knew it was useless.

So I turned my attention to the old man.

He had seen this man when he went to Song Shi'an's residence; he seemed to be their household steward.

"Your Highness, my lord has asked me to convey some words to you," Song Gan said politely, bowing his head.

But this immediately turned the Crown Prince into a hot topic.

"How dare you! This is the Crown Prince!" Zhao Yi immediately roared. "Do you want to die?"

What does "Your Highness the King of Wu" mean?

The steward of the Song family is quite arrogant!
"General," Song Gan said humbly, still keeping his head down, "this old servant has come on the orders of my master. Please explain your purpose to Your Highness first."

"Your master? He's nothing but a rebellious rat." Zhao Yi was furious at the thought of this bastard and shouted excitedly, "I'll capture him alive sooner or later!"

Song Gan ignored his boasting and remained silent.

"Bring him here."

The crown prince angrily waved his sleeve, then turned and headed towards the main camp.

Song Gan followed him inside.

Facing the Crown Prince sitting in front of him, he whispered, "Your Highness, is the person outside the barracks Your Highness?"

"The people here are all mine," the Crown Prince said.

“Everyone here must be His Highness,” Song Gan said. “Just like my master is His Majesty.”

"Shut up." The Crown Prince clicked his tongue in annoyance, then said something to the Imperial Guard beside him. The number of guards outside was reduced to one, and there was no one around the entire barracks.

The Crown Prince had already realized the truth.

When the Duke of Li brought me here, he suppressed everything, so his words carried more weight than mine.

But I can tolerate all of this.

He is young, while the Duke is old; I will always be able to outlive him.

The imperial strategies he taught me can help me grow into someone like my father.

It's just a matter of patience!
"Your Highness." After the area was cleared, Song Gan spoke frankly, "My lord said that all the officials have accepted the imperial decree, and everyone has accepted Prince Jin as the new emperor."

"Did I accept it?" The Crown Prince roared, pointing at himself and then at the outside. "Did the Duke of Li accept it? Did those tens of thousands of troops accept it? Does Song Shi'an really think that such an absurd imperial edict can make me surrender?"

“Your Highness, we are not surrendering,” Song Gan said. “You will remain free and will continue to live in the Wu Prince’s Mansion. Your heir and princes will also enjoy eternal wealth and honor.”

"The wealth and status of the Wei family do not need to be bestowed by Song Shi'an," the Crown Prince said coldly.

"Your Highness," Song Gan looked up at him and said, "Do you know who made the decision to make the Prince of Jin the new emperor?"

“I know that Song Shi’an wants to say it’s an imperial edict.” The Crown Prince was not fooled at all and said with a sneer, “But wasn’t that imperial edict written after he coerced His Majesty and used threats and inducements? In fact, the handwriting is Xi Shan’s. His Majesty may never have seen the imperial edict and knows nothing about it.”

“Your Highness,” Song Gan looked at him and said, “As you know, His Majesty has thousands of Imperial Guards, while my Marquis only has seventy-two elite soldiers. How can he possibly coerce or bribe him?”

"..." The crown prince was momentarily speechless.

“My lord had planted men in the granary beforehand, threatening to burn it down to force His Majesty to appoint Prince Jin as the new emperor,” Song Gan continued. “But the decision was made by His Majesty. The specific contents of the imperial edict were all spoken by His Majesty.”

"You, what do you want to say?"

The crown prince stared at him, his gaze terrifying.

But he was still just a cat borrowing the tiger's power, possessing only an air of authority but no real ability to kill.

"Your Highness and the Duke of Li must have had brief contact, but based on that contact, he probably isn't any better than me."

After Song Gan finished speaking, he added, "This is what my lord said."

"But the Duke of Keli is a loyal minister," the Crown Prince stubbornly retorted.

“No, he isn’t,” Song Gan said. “The Duke of Qin of Northern Yan’s backer in Dayu is the Duke of Li, and it was he who ordered the assassination of the Yu envoy.”

"..." The Crown Prince actually knew about this because his father had told him about it.

In order to manage his subordinates in the future, he must know how to keep these nobles in check.

Give both grace and power.

But Song Shi'an also knew that this made him feel somewhat scared.

"Has Your Highness considered why Ji Yuan was so certain of launching a military campaign at the same time as the land reclamation ceremony?" Song Gan continued, "In this entire world, how many people know that His Majesty will target my Marquis during the land reclamation ceremony?"

I was somewhat surprised just now, but now it's absolutely terrifying to think about.

Yes, is Ji Yuan a god?

What gave him the confidence to so decisively lead his troops south at this time?

It just so happened that it caught me in the midst of the turmoil of the Great Yu Dynasty.

"Do you think I would believe such a despicable frame-up?" The Crown Prince laughed, showing utter disdain.

Whether this is a frame-up or not is another matter.

Song Gan was not at all like a servant, but rather an outstanding diplomat. He calmly and methodically explained: "The one who hinders the rise of the Great Yu is the Duke of Li, the one who hinders the unification of the Great Yu is also the Duke of Li, and the one who wants to sever ties with the Northern Liang to support his own interests is also the Duke of Li. In the future, the one who will confront Ji Yuan will only be the Duke of Li."

"Shut up," the crown prince interrupted with obvious disgust.

"After the Duke of Li dies, his son will be the next Duke of Li, and so on, generation after generation, endlessly..."

"Go back."

The Crown Prince interrupted Song Gan, his anger reaching its peak, and said coldly, "Tell your lord that I will wage war against him. If he loses, not a single person with the surname Song in the entire world will be spared."

The Crown Prince immediately silenced him, and Song Gan knew that there was no point in continuing.

He had no choice but to lower his head and say, "Then Song Gan, you may leave."

He himself clearly stated that he would not spare a single person with the surname Song in the world.

This mere servant actually dared to deliberately emphasize that his surname was Song in front of me!

A profound sense of emptiness washed over him, and the prince felt an unprecedented sense of frustration.

Surprisingly, no one was afraid of him...

"Father, did you also suffer like this back then?"

The crown prince wanted to know if his father's situation at the time was like this.

After experiencing it myself, will I be able to be as great as him?

However, not long after, the Duke of Li walked in.

The crown prince was stunned for a moment.

He came in without my permission...

"Duke, you've come at the perfect time."

The crown prince raised his head, instantly sweeping away the dejection on his face, including the surprise he had just felt from being suddenly interrupted.

"Your Highness, this old minister does not know what Song Shi'an said," said the Duke of Li, "but at this moment, only perseverance can overcome all difficulties. You must not waver."

"Oh, I'm fine," the Crown Prince said. "It's just that he used the Emperor as a threat just now, which made me a little angry. At the same time, I'm also very worried about Father."

“Your Highness, I deeply sympathize with your remembrance of His Majesty,” said the Duke of Li.

"Thank you, country..."

The Crown Prince stopped mid-sentence. Looking at the Duke of Li, he stammered, "Mian... Mianhuai?"

"Ah."

The Duke of Li nodded.

"His Majesty?" The Crown Prince frowned, incredulous.

"Wait until the Qinzhou army is mobilized."

With no expression on his face, the Duke of Li said to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, before the pre-battle oath, please mobilize the three armies to annihilate the traitor who murdered the emperor."

The prince was afraid.

The Duke of Li found the strongest justification for his actions.

That is, the emperor was killed by a traitor.

But if the suppression of the rebels is successful, then even if the emperor lives...

My father has been killed! (End of Chapter)