Frost for a Thousand Years

"My lords, please stop fighting! Please stop fighting!"

The brawl between civil and military officials in front of the palace gates had gotten out of control. If no one intervened, it would escalate into a farce with casualties, which would be even more uncontrollable. Therefore, the palace eunuchs quickly led a large group of eunuchs out to break up the fight.

But what kind of bastards are they?
They didn't even have a hook.

Naturally, they were not taken seriously.

The struggle between civil and military officials continued. Although the military generals had donned armor, apart from the four nobles, none of them were truly arrogant and dared not make a move. Only a few senior nobles dared to act more ruthlessly, but they were few in number and old, and soon found themselves at a disadvantage.

"Kill this old piece of trash!" Sun Situ also lost his temper and began to give orders to Zhao Lun, who was surrounded.

They wouldn't have been so bold originally, but with someone backing them up, they stopped acting altogether.

Among them, Sun Situ's son, Sun Heng, was a high-ranking official in the Court of Judicial Review. He was strong and powerful, and he kicked Zhao Lun in the knee, knocking him to the ground.

"You brat, how dare you—"

Zhao Lun fell to the ground, nearly killed after being kicked several times. In his desperate struggle, he drew his sword and swung it wildly at the person in front of him, yelling, "Get out of here! Get the hell out of here!"

Swords are merciless, but truth is revealed, and the courtiers immediately scattered.

"Dad, hurry, that old man has gone mad."

Sun Heng quickly led Sun Situ to retreat to one side.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lun, whose hair was already disheveled, blushed with shame and drew his sword to chase after Sun Situ, shouting, "You old scoundrel, where do you think you're going!"

Just moments ago, Sun Situ was smug. When he saw him charging towards him with a sword, his eyes widened in shock. In an instant, he felt the threat of death and was filled with fear.

Just then, four palace guards with halberds rushed in from all sides and surrounded Zhao Lun.

"My lords! His Highness is willing to see you! Stop!"

The eunuch practically scrambled to the middle and, with the intervention of the guards, managed to bring the situation under control.

"Get out of the way! I'm going to kill this old bastard!" Zhao Lun's forehead veins bulged as he gripped his sword tightly, pushing against the guards as he charged outwards. "They're even bullying us Qinzhou people! They're asking for death!"

"Do you think I, a man from Yangzhou, am someone to be trifled with?" Now that he was safe, Sun Situ shouted, while urgently ordering his guards, "Stop him! Stop him! Don't let him out..."

"Alright!" Zhao Lie knew that continuing this commotion would be detrimental to everyone, so he shouted loudly, "The Empress has already said she wants to see us, can we all rest for a bit? We'll talk after we go inside!"

This calmed everyone down a bit.

After all, their goal was to see that woman.

Arguing here won't get you anywhere.

You'll just waste time and miss the timing.

"Lord Xun, shall we go inside and talk?"

Zhao Lie knew Zhao Lun was furious because he had been unable to hold his head high in court ever since Zhao Xiang's affair. Today, being arrogantly told "Who do you think you are to speak to me?" by Sun Situ was something no one could tolerate. Adding to that, his retort with "Old bastard" was completely ignored, which only fueled his anger.

Zhao Lun gritted his teeth, his hatred undiminished.

Faced with this situation, he could only sheath his sword and secretly vow – Sun Yan, you old scoundrel, I swear to kill you!
I am Cell!
Sun Situ tugged at his sleeve, ceasing his verbal sparring.

"Right Chancellor Cui, Right Chancellor Cui, are you alright?"

Cui Ting, who had started the fight, was initially taken aside because he kept groaning in pain, which even brought the imperial physician. However, now that the conflict was over, the eunuch went to inquire about his condition with great concern.

However, he continued to make painful "ah ah" sounds, looking particularly uncomfortable.

Helpless, the eunuch could only say, "Right Minister, it's alright now."

"Huh? It's all done?"

Cui Ting looked around and found that they had stopped making a fuss. So he stopped shouting and raised his hand to have someone help him up.

"They really did it." Ran Mu, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but complain.

Han Qi could only whisper in agreement, "What can't those civil officials do?"

When a scholar meets a soldier, it's essentially a difference in mindset.

What each person perceives as humiliation is different.

These military generals, if they were insulted, would want to kill the other party.

But it's different for civil officials. If you scold me first, it means you're getting agitated.

If you made the first move, then you were wrong.

If I fall to the ground at that moment, you'll be helpless.

Therefore, from the very beginning of this verbal battle, the military general was destined to lose.

Under what circumstances will you win?
Take them out of Sheng'an and find some deserted wilderness.

That military general was able to wipe them all out, scattering their ashes.

As long as they stay within the framework of the rules, they cannot disrupt the balance.

Those swords were never going to be drawn. It was even less likely that they would be allowed to become weapons to intimidate these seasoned officials.

They brought it out simply to express the emperor's favor towards us.

We people of Qinzhou are so noble.

But clearly, they overlooked the biggest problem...

The current emperor has lost face.

To be precise, it is the emperor named Wei Ye who has already passed away.

"Your Excellency, the Empress wishes to see us. When can we go to court?" Zhao Lie asked, leading the way.

"My lords, even during the morning court session, there are rules. Is it appropriate to just rush in like this?" To maintain the dignity of the imperial authority, the eunuch reminded him firmly after his emotions had calmed down.

Zhao Lie turned around and glanced at the military officers.

They had naturally separated from the civil officials, forming two separate camps.

Slowly, Zhao Lie unfastened the sword from his waist and said, "Since we are here to attend court, we must remove our armor. However, we are not wearing official robes, so we can only hand over our swords."

The remaining three nobles also drew their swords.

"Then these swords will be temporarily kept by me." The eunuch beckoned to several other eunuchs to take away the four swords.

On the military side, four nobles led the way, followed by their generals.

The civil officials also gradually lined up.

Led by the two old men, Minister Sun and Right Chancellor Cui, the remaining officials stood obediently behind, adjusting their official robes.

The fight just now was too chaotic.

Now that people are naturally separating, they no longer care about order or rules.

The Great Yu Dynasty revered the left.

The civil official, however, stood on the left.

The four hereditary marquises were unwittingly assigned to the right side.

This confrontation can be considered a victory for the civil officials.

But all I can say is that they won the argument and the verbal battle.

The fact that the empress initially summoned military officers and even allowed them to sneak in from the side demonstrates the judge's bias.

Even the strongest person can't fight five against eight.

Zhao Lie was still very confident that he could get the Empress to listen to them and pass the ball to the people of Qinzhou.

Now, all we can do is wait.

Everyone, wait for the Queen to announce the 'opening of court'.

Just then, a horse-drawn carriage drove up.

They stopped a short distance away.

Everyone looked over.

A person I knew quite well, but who had become somewhat of a stranger because I hadn't seen him in so long.

Ouyang Ke.

"He actually came..." Zhao Lie felt a slight headache when he saw him.

Although his power was limited, he did not have as many followers or leaders as Sun Situ and the Duke of Li.

But his official position was too prestigious.

Shangshu Ling (Minister of the Imperial Secretariat)

He is the true prime minister.

If he were to take sides at this time, it would significantly disrupt the balance.

"Minister Ke has arrived."

But Minister Sun was also nervous about his arrival, even though they were both civil officials and from prestigious families.

Because this guy is too meticulous.

In such a complex situation as Dayu, and in such a crucial position, to have worked for so many years without being purged or persecuted is truly remarkable.

He relied entirely on his strong work ability and his independence from factions to satisfy both the emperor and the officials.

But here's the problem.

To satisfy both the emperor and his officials is essentially to satisfy the emperor.

It was precisely because of his exquisite balance that the emperor used him.

But what if he really is the emperor's loyal dog?

That's not a good situation.

"My lords, it's been a long time."

Supported by a servant, a somewhat 'weak' Ouyang Ke walked over and greeted him with a smile.

"Minister of the Imperial Secretariat"

The civil and military officials all gave him a very respectful bow, not wanting to offend him.

He returned the greeting.

"How is your health, sir?" Sun Situ asked with concern.

“As people get older, they are riddled with ailments.” Ouyang Ke waved his hand, his face showing a friendly, “I won’t say anything more” expression.

“If you’re saying you’re getting old, then I’m probably going to be buried!” Sun Situ joked.

“Situ Longma is full of energy and vigor, showing no signs of old age at all.” Ouyang Ke said, then began to cough. “As for me, I am really quite ill.”

At this moment, following Zhao Lie's eye signal, a general took the initiative to help him over.

"Thank you." Ouyang Ke nodded with a smile and walked inside, then asked with considerable curiosity, "What brings you all here?"

“Lord Ouyang,” Zhao Lie spoke first, “we are waiting for Her Majesty the Empress to summon us.”

"We arrived long ago to pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager," said Minister Sun, not daring to show weakness.

"Ah..." Ouyang Ke nodded, feigning ignorance, without responding to anyone, and continued, "I was originally recuperating at home when I heard from my servants that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had delivered an imperial edict to the West Market, so I rushed here. Gentlemen, is this really true?"

“Yes, there are.” Sun Situ said with a smile.

“We have all come for this reason,” Zhao Lie said.

The two people stared straight at him.

"In that case, I'll wait with you all..."

Ouyang Ke acted as if he knew nothing, asking no questions and starting to find his place to stand. He originally wanted to go to Sun Situ's side.

"Lord Ouyang, is this your seat?" Zhao Lie extended his hand, gesturing for him to proceed.

“Civil officials in one row, military officials in another,” said Sun Situ. “Since everyone is standing in the wrong place, then Lord Ouyang, you might as well ‘go with the flow’.”

Both of them were here recruiting people.

Everyone wanted to sway this crucial factor to their own side. But Ouyang Ke was incredibly clever.

"Ah..." Suddenly, he rubbed his forehead and said, "I'm still recovering from my cold, and this autumn wind is making me feel a bit chilly."

"Lord Ouyang," the eunuch hurriedly approached him and said, "His Highness has not yet given his word. Why don't you go to the carriage to rest for a while and avoid the wind?"

"Gentlemen, you are all standing outside. Is it inappropriate for me to do this?"

"Lord Ouyang, your health is of utmost importance." Zhao Lie expressed his understanding and agreed with concern.

"Boil some ephedra soup, it will be helpful," Sun Situ suggested quietly with a smile.

"Thank you very much."

And so, Ouyang Ke very tactfully declined the option of taking sides and returned to the carriage.

.........

At this time, at the Sheng'an Magistrate's residence.

"Ouyang Ke has left, and he's headed straight for the palace," the clerk said.

Sitting at his desk, Ye Changqing began to ponder the matter.

Upon returning to his office, the first thing he did was to send all the officials out to patrol various places.

It's mainly in the imperial city.

Arrange them in a dot matrix pattern.

Monitor all key personnel and report back to you promptly.

That's the advantage of his position.

The military is indeed very important; whoever controls the military controls the situation.

But in this state of utter confusion, no one dared to act rashly.

Therefore, the advantages of the 'police' become apparent at this time.

“Ouyang Ke, Ouyang Ke…” Ye Changqing tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his expression very solemn. “This is a bit troublesome.”

"Your Excellency," the chief clerk said, puzzled, "this man has always been adept at self-preservation and has never clearly taken sides since taking office. Even if there is a conflict between the civil and military officials today, he might not actually side with the civil officials, would he?"

"What do you think constitutes taking sides?" Ye Changqing asked.

“That inevitably means aligning with one side and then countering the other,” he said.

"Then what about Ouyang Ke?"

"Him..." After a moment's thought, the chief clerk said, "In my opinion, he seems like someone who can mediate disputes and reconcile conflicts; he is a capable minister who can stabilize the overall situation."

"That's the problem," Ye Changqing said, raising a finger. "Those who mediate disputes are usually the most fair and honest. But he's been hiding in this mansion for over a year, and he couldn't come out to mediate so many disputes, so why did he choose to mediate this one?"

"Taking sides?" The chief clerk instantly understood. "But the civil and military officials are evenly matched. Wouldn't it be too obvious for him to take sides?"

"They are not evenly matched."

Having just returned from the Empress's residence and already feeling disappointed, Ye Changqing shook his head and said, "Right now, the fate of Sheng'an rests entirely in that woman's hands. And she is clearly loyal to the nobles."

This is the terrible teammate who caused Ye Changqing so much pain.

But this is not a coincidence.

He even felt that this was something Song Shi'an had planned.

His imperial edicts would have such an effect.

They stirred up trouble, plunging the entire Sheng'an into chaos. In such times of chaos, maintaining order was already a struggle; how could they possibly spare troops to join the battle?
"Wouldn't that be a bad thing?" The registrar's face hardened. He couldn't imagine how the nobility would fight if another civil official like Ouyang Ke were added to the list.

"Not really."

But Ye Changqing didn't panic at all; instead, he became even more rational: "After all, I have never been in cahoots with those nobles."

…………

The Empress sat behind a curtain in the Taiyuan Hall, flanked by two palace maids. Below her stood a eunuch.

Below them were all the officials who had come to 'force the emperor' to resign.

The court assembly, which was originally reserved for officials of the fourth rank and above, has now become a hodgepodge.

There was no other way; Song Shi'an had eliminated officials of the fourth rank and above, and they were able to represent the interests of the powerful families.

Looking at the officials on her left, she was absolutely furious.

I already said to go through the side gate, let's come in first and talk later, why do you have to argue with these civil officials?

You even lost the argument!

This is a disgrace to the people of Qinzhou.

But she had no choice but to trust these people.

If my relatives don't believe me, should I believe Ye Changqing instead?

She didn't doubt that Ye Changqing had a good relationship with the Crown Prince, but after all, he came from a prestigious family, and it was impossible for him not to have selfish motives to seize power at this time.

As for the claim that the crown prince is no longer of value and that the nobles will not let him go, that is simply alarmist talk.

As long as I am alive, the Prince of Jin will be the emperor, and the Prince of Wu will be a vassal king.

For their mother's sake, the two brothers would never turn against each other.

"My beloved ministers, please speak," the Empress said.

As soon as she finished speaking, Minister Sun said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has issued an imperial edict to pass the throne to the Prince of Jin. Such an important matter should not only be read aloud in the marketplace, but should also be announced in the imperial court."

"Empress Dowager?" Zhao Lie directly and seamlessly nitpicked, "Now that this imperial edict has so many suspicious points, is Lord Situ simply admitting it?"

"What's suspicious?" Sun Situ asked. "Is there an imperial edict? Is there the imperial seal? Did the Embroidered Uniform Guard personally read it aloud?"

“Yes, yes, yes,” Zhao Lie said.

"In that case, does General Zhao not recognize the imperial edict, the imperial seal, or the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Sun Situ asked, putting on his hat.

"Then you say this," Zhao Lie said, "that Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing's family members were captured by the Dali Temple, and Song Jing was also imprisoned. Wasn't that on His Majesty's orders? And why doesn't Minister Sun acknowledge His Majesty's authority?"

"Stop spouting nonsense!" Cui Ting immediately rebuked his son-in-law, "Do you have any evidence that Song Jing is imprisoned? Is there an imperial edict?"

That one question stumped him.

Cui Ting then asked the Empress, "Empress Dowager, is Song Jing imprisoned?"

"There is no such thing as imprisonment." The Empress knew she couldn't say this carelessly, but she still stated her position. "However, the Northern Liang Army is indeed suspected of disobeying orders, and Minister Song needs to cooperate with the investigation, so it is inconvenient for him to appear."

"The Empress is absolutely right!" Zhao Lie echoed the group, speaking quite vehemently, "The Northern Liang army is suspected of disobeying orders, and the evidence is conclusive, because His Majesty would never arrest people without grounds. Yet this time, at the Huai County military camp, His Majesty hastily abdicated in favor of the Prince of Jin, and even ordered all officials to write letters to Sheng An. Isn't this Song Shi'an, who is colluding with Northern Liang, holding His Majesty and the officials hostage, and deliberately causing chaos?!"

"Do you dare to take out the letter?" Zhao Lun also joined the pursuit.

This really scared the younger generation.

But Minister Sun remained calm and said, "Since there is a letter from home, how can I not believe it? Why can't it be true that the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Qin joined forces to quell the rebellion?"

"How can something so suspicious be true?" Zhao Lie retorted. "In this chaotic political situation, whoever benefits the most is the traitor. What's there to doubt?"

“Very well, whoever benefits the most is the traitor,” said Sun Situ. “The Emperor Emeritus abdicated, and the Prince of Jin became Emperor. Tell me, who benefits the most?”

This single strike completely stunned the nobles.

The empress tensed up, filled with fear.

Following this logic, the Prince of Jin would be considered a traitor.

“Of course, the Prince of Jin cannot be the biggest beneficiary,” Han Qi said. “Because he has been held hostage by Song Shi’an and has been coerced and bribed, this imperial edict is invalid.”

"You say it can't stand, but all the officials of Huai County have written home acknowledging it as valid, and not a single one of them objected," said Minister Sun. "Are you saying that it's obvious that a traitor is holding power, yet not a single official present objected, and they all succumbed to Song Shi'an's tyranny—they're all traitors?"

What a clever move to sink together.

"Whether they're traitors or not, I don't know." Zhao Lie, also getting impatient, retorted sarcastically, "But isn't it normal for some people to lack backbone?"

"What do you mean?"

"My father was a veteran of several dynasties; how dare you humiliate him like this!"

"You guys have guts now, running all over Beiliang after being beaten by Ji Yuan!"

After these words were spoken, all the civil officials became agitated and began to protest.

As soon as Ji Yuan's name was mentioned, Zhao Lun became anxious.

"Alright, everyone, alright, everyone." The Empress could only try to maintain order, then said to Ouyang Ke, "Let's hear what the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat has to say."

He was a peacemaker; the Empress hoped he could deflate the arrogance of the civil officials.

Because civil officials are clearly stronger in terms of eloquence.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellencies."

But Ouyang Ke's words surprised the Empress.

This choice of words also surprised the civil officials and delighted the military generals.

This guy's from over there!

“I think,” Ouyang Ke said calmly, “that the imperial edict being issued in the West Market is against propriety.”

Upon hearing this, Cui Ting was about to speak when Sun Situ reached out his hand, signaling him with his eyes to calm down.

Let him speak.

If you really want to talk nonsense, you can say it first and then argue back.

But the nobles were impatient.

Zhao Lun immediately echoed, "What the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat said is absolutely right; these are the words of a loyal minister."

Ouyang Ke smiled slightly and said, "I think the most important thing right now is to stabilize the situation and completely take control of it. What is the situation in Huai County? What is His Majesty's situation? What is His Highness the Crown Prince's situation?"

“That is certainly correct,” Zhao Lie said. “But if it is truly a rebellion by rebels and His Highness the Crown Prince is in danger, the court should send troops to his aid. After all, the Crown Prince is the official heir apparent.”

"Then who can send troops?" Sun Situ asked.

"Our Great Yu has so many generals and loyal ministers, we are not short of people," the Empress said. "I think Marquis Huai can lead an army of 30,000 to clarify the situation."

“The Marquis of Huai is so certain that the imperial edict is fake, how can we be fair?” asked Minister Sun.

"If Lord Situ doesn't believe me, why don't you join me in the campaign?" Zhao Lie said immediately, seeing the Empress's support.

"How old is Lord Situ? How can he go on a campaign?" Sun Heng asked.

"With so many people here, let's choose one from among you," Zhao Lie said, his face practically contorted with rage.

Now, everyone hesitated.

Who would dare to actually go on the expedition?
What if you get killed by nobles on the way?
This is really bad news.

The civil officials lost their powerful verbal weapon because of Ouyang Ke's bias.

Twenty-five boys!
"What does Your Majesty think?" Ouyang Ke asked.

"Since everyone has no objections," the Empress Dowager said, "how about we send out 30,000 troops for now? We might not actually have to fight."

"Since the Empress says so, then I think it is acceptable."

Ouyang Ke nodded, expressing his opinion.

The civil officials clenched their fists, extremely angry.

The military officers were overjoyed, feeling that with power in their hands, their situation was truly secure.

It wasn't until Ouyang Ke suddenly spoke up that he said, "These officials have been recuperating at home, but that doesn't mean they've done nothing. Minister Song has discussed all the matters concerning the Secretariat with me."

Hearing this, everyone became a little nervous.

What is this guy up to?

"The military farms have used up almost all the grain, as well as most of the national treasury. If we're sending out an army of 30,000, I've roughly calculated..."

Ouyang Ke slowly turned to face the assembled military officers and explained, "We still need 120,000 shi of grain, 6,000 jin, and a shortage of nearly 100,000 civilians." (End of Chapter)