Frost for a Thousand Years

"His Highness has not accepted the decree and has said that he will never accept being dismissed."

During the ceremony of the settlement and reclamation, in a not-too-crowded stone house, Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng were grilling meat, with Xin Yue standing to the side, when Song Gan arrived and said something to them.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression became quite subtle.

"The exact words, could they really be that gentle?" Xin Yue was skeptical.

"Don't ask such cruel questions," Song Shi'an complained. "The truth is definitely hurtful."

“But we should also listen to the truth, so we can know how he feels right now,” Wei Wusheng said.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid that if the Prince of Wu becomes too extreme, he might say something very unpleasant that makes you uncomfortable..."

“It’s alright.” Wei Wusheng raised his hand and said to Song Gan with great composure, “Chief Song, don’t miss a single word. Just repeat what the King of Wu said.”

"Yes."

Song Gan nodded, then, using the excellent memory he had developed over many years as a servant, he repeated Wei Yiyun's words, adding the serious and murderous tone he had used at the time: "Tell your lord that I will wage war against him. If he loses, not a single member of the Song family in the entire world will be spared."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions froze for a moment.

Song Shi'an frowned, his eyes even appearing slightly uneven: "That's all you said?"

"His Highness told this old servant to go back, and that was all he said," Song Gan said.

"What about His Highness the Prince of Qin's part?" Song Shi'an asked, puzzled.

“No,” Song Gan said. “I only mentioned you.”

"Pfft." Xin Yue couldn't help but laugh, then quickly brushed aside her earlier lapse in composure and regained her calm, saying, "Now someone should be feeling uncomfortable."

"No, did I do this all by myself again?"

Lord Song spread his hands, and LeBron was speechless.

"Hahaha..." Wei Wusheng couldn't hold back his laughter this time, and said to Song Shi'an in a comforting tone, "Isn't that him affirming your abilities?"

"The ability to rebel, huh?" Song Shi'an scoffed. "If the army really fails, they won't just take my head, will they?"

“How could that be?” Xin Yue said.

"You're so much better..."

"His Highness the King of Wu said that those are the heads of all the Song family members in the world."

"That's enough." Song Shi'an clicked his tongue, then ignored Xin Yue and Wei Wusheng, and said to Song Gan, "Then we don't need to worry about the Prince of Wu. Go to the Song family's old residence. All the officials are about your age, so our family should send someone to properly entertain them."

"Yes." Song Gan nodded, but before leaving, he said, "Then their safety must be well guaranteed, right?"

"Of course, in wartime, every adult must be well protected."

Song Shi'an looked at Song Gan and granted him this authority.

Now that war is about to break out, although Song Shi'an has elite troops and abundant food, the disparity in troop strength is still quite large, and he may not be without disadvantages throughout the entire campaign.

Having a disadvantage does not mean you will definitely lose.

But if there's a traitor among your own side when you're at a disadvantage, then it's not going to be easy to win.

The only option is to appease these adults with delicious food, drinks, and fun toys while strictly monitoring them to prevent them from having any opportunity to participate in political speculation.

"Yes."

Song Gan then withdrew from the place.

The three of them began to seriously consider the war situation again.

“This time, although it is nominally a factional struggle between Jin and Wu, it is actually a struggle between us and the Duke of Li.” Thinking of this person, Wei Wusheng said very seriously, “I have always been quite afraid of this person. When I was young, I heard a lot about him. Among the Dukes of Li throughout history, he can be considered a man who has reached the pinnacle of power and ability.”

And Xin Yue couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

The Ji Kingdom, which had ruled for three generations, was utterly powerless against that man's iron cavalry.

With a flick of the finger, it turned into ruins.

Only then did the 'new city' of Liangzhou come into being today.

Because of the fact that only one in ten of the original inhabitants of Ji State (the capital city) remain.

He was now all alone in the entire royal family...

Clenching her fists, Xin Yue felt no fear whatsoever in the face of this great battle.

Wei Wusheng, of course, noticed it.

Even before he met Song Shi'an, he sensed that Xin Yue harbored some hatred towards the Duke of Li.

However, he didn't interfere with her at all, allowing her absolute freedom and independence.

That's how the relationship between the two people is.

However, it seems that Song Shi'an and she are very close.

“The Duke of Li is indeed a troublesome fellow,” Song Shi’an said. “He met me when he was in Sheng’an, and he is quite adept at political maneuvering. But what I fear more is his prestige in the army.”

“Yes, that’s the most terrifying thing,” Wei Wusheng said. “The Jianxing camp had almost rebelled, but when he appeared with the Crown Prince, he completely took control of the area. They didn’t even have the Tiger Tally.”

“I just don’t understand what he’s thinking,” Song Shi’an said. “Does he want to honor the King of Wu as emperor, or does he want us to compromise?”

"Make us compromise?" Xin Yue didn't quite understand what this meant. "How can we compromise?"

Song Shi'an explained, "The emperor has already abdicated, the edict has been issued, and all the officials have acknowledged it. Moreover, the letter will soon be sent to Sheng'an to announce it to the world. At this point, would it be more convenient for him to establish a new emperor, or for us to hand over the current emperor?"

This is the principle of law.

Just like the different attitudes of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao towards Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, this demonstrates the vast difference in their political wisdom.

At that time, Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao of Han, Liu Bian, and then installed the young Emperor Liu Xie. Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others fled to Luoyang and raised troops in various prefectures and counties.

Yuan Shao refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of Emperor Xian of Han because he was installed by Dong Zhuo, and wanted to install Liu Yu as emperor, thus creating two Han dynasties.

Cao Cao's position was to recognize Emperor Xian of Han and then define Dong Zhuo as the "side official" in the "cleansing the emperor's inner circle".

"Indeed, to establish two emperors in such a short time is a sign of national ruin." The King of Qin agreed with this assessment.

Having two Da Yu states is definitely not feasible.

Because if two Great Yu are established, ten Great Yu will appear.

Similarly, after the Duke of Li led his army to a great victory and annihilated the An Sheng army, as long as the Emperor Jin was not dead, it would be difficult for him to reinstate the Prince of Wu as emperor.

"Then, wouldn't the King of Wu be worthless?" Xin Yue realized this problem.

Song Shi'an nodded: "He's of no use now, but if the Duke of Li is defeated, we must capture him."

“Otherwise, the former crown prince would also be a huge hidden danger,” Wei Wusheng said.

Just like Kang Yi.

He's not very useful normally, but if something really happens to the Great Yu, using him to disgust people would be quite unpleasant.

Unless someone poisons him at the airport.

“The most difficult thing now is not the enemy in front of us.” Song Shi’an stood up, walked to the map hanging up, looked at Qinzhou which was right above Huai County, and said with a solemn expression, “Qinzhou’s fierce army is no less capable than the Imperial Guard. Even if we have elite gunners and armor, we cannot have the advantage in numbers.”

Song Shi'an was not afraid of the 40,000 garrison troops outside.

Because it was Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng who personally trained them, they couldn't possibly be unaware of how terrible they were.

The 50,000 men were mostly weak state and county soldiers, including many old and weak men, and even some disabled soldiers missing fingers. After all, it would be a waste of talent to use good seedlings for land reclamation.

That year was mostly spent on infrastructure construction and farming, leaving little energy for systematic training. While they weren't lacking in equipment, Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng had invested in land reclamation at a loss this year, and the returns weren't yet in sight, so they couldn't equip them with weapons.

The 10,000-strong Jia Guihao tribe that Song Shi'an took over was the most extreme example of this.

But the private soldiers in Qinzhou were different.

They were all from Qinzhou, and they were an army they had raised themselves.

With so many people, each only needs to shoulder the military burden of several thousand to nearly ten thousand people to build a highly professional team.

Especially the Duke of Li, who was the backbone of the nobility, and his influence was so great that almost everyone in Qinzhou responded to his call.

“If this battle really goes on, the outcome is still uncertain.” Wei Wusheng also stood up and walked to Song Shi’an’s side, saying, “We had already scouted in the north that they were deploying their troops southward. At first, we did think they wanted to cut off the grain trade routes, but now it seems that it’s more than that.”

“Yes, it’s close by. If we make the necessary preparations, we can get here in five days.” Song Shi’an fell into thought.

They had certainly considered this possibility.

But at that time, there was no time to make any other arrangements.

After all, even surviving under the emperor's rule wasn't entirely certain.

"It's alright." However, Song Shi'an quickly regained his composure and said confidently, "In the battle of the Grand Ceremony of Colonization, whoever loses is a traitor. However, Duke Li may not be able to afford to lose."

“Yes,” Wei Wusheng said, “the nobles of Qinzhou are indeed a united front, and they will fight together in critical moments. But if there are disagreements among them, they will have a hard time moving forward.”

The truth is so simple.

The Duke of Li could represent the interests of the noble families.

However, not all nobles have the courage to take such a desperate gamble.

Even among the nobility, there are those who surrender.

To be precise, they are doves.

They wouldn't be unwilling to send troops, but they would prefer to use troop deployment to achieve the goal of avoiding war.

In fact, this is the opinion of the majority of them.

War was a last resort, as it could shake the foundations of their rule and lead to the extermination of their entire clan. However, if negotiations were possible, and Song Shi'an was willing to compromise and allow both parties to govern and jointly manipulate the new emperor, they would certainly accept it.

Of course, they won't give us much time.

"It can be delayed, but not for too long," Wei Wusheng cautioned.

"It's alright, let the arrows fly a little longer."

The chain reaction caused by Song Shi'an's last card is slowly unfolding.

It won't be too late.

.........

Sheng'an, the Imperial Guards rode swiftly into the city.

They encountered no obstacles along the way and headed towards the imperial city.

Generally, they would go directly to the palace after a mission.

But now, the emperor is not in the palace.

The orders they received were not to go to the palace.

There were four people in total, three of whom were holding letters from the officials.

There was another person holding the emperor's edict.

"Go quickly to the residences of these officials and deliver the letter to their eldest sons, or the sons of those still living in the household who are in charge of the family," the head of the Imperial Guards said.

"it is good!"

The remaining three entered the imperial city and then dispersed.

The Imperial Guard did not enter the city, but remained in the relatively noisy and simple outer city.

This is where ordinary people live.

There are approximately 400,000 citizens of Dayu.

He went directly to the West Market, then to a compact government office. Sitting on his horse, he said to the clerk at the entrance, "Call your market clerk out."

The Si Shi was an official in charge of the market, with one in each of the East and West Markets, equivalent to the director of the Bureau of Commerce and Industry in the capital. In Dayu, there were also officials of the sixth rank, which was not a minor official position.

However, in front of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he is definitely no match for Gou Ba.

If you caught someone dressed in that flying fish robe, you could fill a warehouse if they were a sixth-rank official.

"…Yes!"

The minor official had never seen a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard before, so he hurriedly went to invite them. Then, upon learning that it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard who wanted to see his clerk, he came out trembling with fear.

My legs went weak the moment I saw it.

And my mind went completely blank.

Do you think someone as small as me is worth Zhong Jiwei's attention?
"This sir is looking for me..."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is handling the case."

As he spoke, he took out his waist token.

"Yes! I will cooperate fully... I dare not be complacent in the slightest... no, I dare not be lazy." Si Shi hurriedly pledged his loyalty.

"Now I order you to have all the market officials cease business operations and gather them in front of the market office," the Imperial Guard said.

"What does Your Excellency want?" He was puzzled, because it was very strange.

What kind of cases should be presented to these merchants?

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard handles cases without needing any explanation!"

With just a glance from him, the official dared not utter a sound and hurriedly said to the officials beside him, "Hurry up and do as this official says!"

As he spoke, he also raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!"

These people quickly went to the West Market, banging gongs and drums to force the shops to cease operations and to gather the merchants in front of the government office.

However, after obeying the orders of the Chief Justice and leaving the sight of the Imperial Guard, the Assistant Magistrate said to a minor official, "Quickly go and report the matter of the West Market to Lord Ye!"

"Yes!"

They were indeed required to obey the orders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard without question and could not resist. However, at the same time, they were all Ye Changqing's direct subordinates, taking orders from this lord.

Such a strange thing has happened, we definitely need to inform others.

So while the merchants gathered, messengers also rode tirelessly toward the prefectural government office.

A considerable number of people gradually gathered in front of the market administration office.

This includes the owners of Yuewen Pavilion and Xuezi Inn, as well as many other powerful merchants.

They had never seen such a sight before.

There was a question mark next to everyone's head.

"Those are the Embroidered Uniform Guards, right?"

"This is the first time I've seen it in a place like this. Usually, I'm only lucky enough to witness it when they're on horseback relaying messages through the streets."

"That's strange. Why would they want to see us at a time like this?"

"Could it be that some spy or informant has infiltrated the market?"

"That's quite possible."

More and more people arrived, crowding the area in front of the government office.

Because in addition to the merchants, some ordinary people who wanted to watch the spectacle also squeezed through.

The Imperial Guards were rarer than tigers, so it was truly unusual for them to be allowed into ordinary people's homes like this.

As the scene grew increasingly grand, there was no empty space left around the Imperial Guards.

Upon hearing the news, Ye Changqing arrived on horseback without delay, only to be blocked dozens of meters away.

Seeing this, his expression turned serious, and he asked the clerk beside him, "You know nothing?"

"Not only me, but even Lord Sishi is unaware that once that lord arrives, he will do as he is told, and no one dares to disobey," the clerk said.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guards, they came from outside the city..."

Ye Changqing didn't blame him much, because he had no reason to criticize someone who lacked even basic decency for daring to speak ill of the Imperial Guards. However, the current situation made him very uneasy.

until,

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:!"

After a loud reading from the imperial guards on horseback, all the merchants and common people, upon realizing what was happening, knelt down and prostrated themselves on the ground.

Even the official next to Ye Changqing, who hadn't dismounted yet, quickly jumped off his horse and knelt down to receive the imperial decree.

Only Ye Changqing remained seated on his horse, glaring at the Imperial Guard.

It was extremely heavy.

"I have inherited the weighty responsibility of the seven ancestral temples and ruled for fifty years, always fearing that my virtue is 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 almost fallen into the hands of petty villains..."

Heaven's warning has pierced my heart:
He immediately deposed Wei Yiyun from his position as crown prince, transferred him to the fiefdom of King of Wu, and reduced his fiefdom by nine-tenths, leaving only one-tenth.

Prince Yixuan of Jin, having stopped the flow of the river with a dagger, quelled the rebellion and brought peace to the country, displaying the vigor of my prime. Therefore, I hereby appoint him as the successor to the throne and change the era name to Anshun.

"I am too old and frail to bear the weight of the letter carried by the red sparrow, therefore I abdicate at this auspicious time and become the Retired Emperor!"

When this imperial edict was issued, all the merchants and common people were dumbfounded.

How could it be such a big deal?
Moreover, why should we, the common people, hear such explosive firsthand information?
That's not a fourth-rank official, but something only high-ranking nobles can hear.

Ye Changqing was a court official who had heard of this.

He didn't even kneel.

Because after the imperial edict was read aloud, he had already guessed everything.

It's over, the emperor has lost.

Song Shi'an and the Sixth Prince have won!
Furthermore, they achieved the most perfect outcome—supporting a Prince of Jin who could be accepted by everyone to ascend the throne.

How could this happen? How could this happen...?

Where is the prince?
Is the Crown Prince alright?

Zhao Yi, I ordered you to protect His Highness, what exactly did you do?

Looking into the eyes of countless ordinary people, Ye Changqing felt an even stronger sense of panic.

Everyone's mouth speaks louder than gold.

Moreover, this is in the West City, which has the highest mobility and the most dense population. In no time, the entire Sheng'an will know.

The Prince of Jin becoming emperor will soon become a reality.

"Crown Prince, does this mean you're no longer the Crown Prince?"

"Moreover, the Prince of Zhongping rebelled and colluded with that Xishan."

"The Prince of Jin has become the emperor, but His Majesty has become the retired emperor. What happened to His Majesty...?"

"Emperor Anshun? His reign title was Anshun."

Just then, a dozen or so officials from the capital who had come with Ye Changqing, carrying heavy sticks, went inside and forcibly parted the crowd.

Ye Changqing rode in and stood before the Imperial Guard, saying, "I am Ye Changqing."

"I pay my respects to Lord Ye."

He was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and a minor officer at that, but he still had to show respect to a high-ranking official of the third rank.

"Could we speak in private?" Ye Changqing asked.

"Reporting to Your Excellency," the Imperial Guard said with a smile, "I still have matters to attend to as instructed by His Majesty, and the Imperial Guard is not allowed to have private dealings with court officials. Please forgive me."

"Where are you going?"

Ye Changqing was no pushover either. His lord, the Crown Prince, had been deposed. How could he do nothing and let Song Shi'an's puppets cause chaos in the city?

This Imperial Guard knew that the other party was serious.

Even these powerful officials from the capital, wielding heavy sticks, could stop him.

Moreover, the emperor is not here, so no one can protect him.

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn’t need to explain their actions to anyone. But since Lord Ye has asked, I will speak up. I hope you will take responsibility for the breach of confidentiality,” he said.

Ye Changqing stared at him, showing no fear.

"I have been ordered by His Majesty to enter the palace to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager!" he immediately announced loudly.

Ye Changqing was put in a very passive position by this general.

His soldiers were clearly intimidated.

Of course, it's impossible not to be scared.

The Imperial Guard said they were ordered by the Emperor to pay homage to the Empress Dowager.

The two most ruthless people in the Great Yu Dynasty, and their most loyal dog—how the hell would they dare to defy such a combination? How many heads does this guy have to do something like this?
Ye Changqing gripped the reins tightly, reluctantly but had no choice but to move the horse aside and let him pass.

The Imperial Guards seized the opportunity to turn their horses around and leave.

Ye Changqing clicked his tongue in annoyance and then turned his horse around, leaving the West Market government office.

"Why is Lord Ye now at odds with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"Isn't it obvious? Lord Ye is also one of the Crown Prince's men. Now that the Crown Prince has been stripped of his title and Prince Jin has been appointed instead, he certainly won't be happy about it."

"So what's going on?"

"How did the Prince of Jin suddenly become emperor, and why is His Majesty in such a hurry to abdicate?"

"Could he have been kidnapped?"

"Don't speak carelessly, or you'll lose your head."

"But speaking of heads, is Xishan definitely dead?"

"Good riddance! This guy led his men to arrest and kill people everywhere. A dog of a eunuch like him deserves to die!"

Ye Changqing's horse followed closely behind the Imperial Guards, like a race car.

His scarlet official robe billowed in the wind.

On the main avenue of the imperial city, the high-ranking officials and nobles on both sides were astonished by all this magical scene.

"Why are there horse races in the imperial city?"

"Lord Ye, what refined taste you have!"

"Isn't that a damn pursuit of the Imperial Guards' horses?"

"You didn't tell me earlier!"

Ye Changqing ran while thinking about it in his mind.

The crown prince is definitely not dead.

If the Crown Prince dies, Song Shi'an will be safe. Why bother fighting a propaganda war with himself at this time?

But the emperor definitely lost.

Therefore, Sheng'an became of paramount importance!

As they watched, the Imperial Guards picked up their waist tokens and slipped into the palace.

When the two guards with halberds saw him coming, they immediately crossed their halberds to block him.

Ye Changqing immediately reined in his horse, stopping it just in front of them, and said, "I want to see the Empress."

"..." The guard holding the halberd paused for a moment, then said, "His Majesty is not here, and no minister in the court has been summoned. They may not take the initiative to come to see him."

This is definitely against the rules.

Is it appropriate for you to visit someone's wife when the emperor is not around?

"The Crown Prince is now acting as regent. This office hereby issues a secret order!"

Pacing back and forth on his horse, Ye Changqing, anxious because the Imperial Guards had already gone inside, angrily shouted, "I want to see the Empress!" (End of Chapter)