Frost for a Thousand Years

Cui Ting had just felt the urge to berate Ouyang Ke, but Sun Situ stopped him.

It wasn't because he had foreseen that the other party would pull such a move; no one could be so wise and powerful as to be able to guess what others were going to say.

It was simply because Sun Situ knew that Ouyang Ke was a true politician.

Just like Gongsun Xing's position in Northern Yan, Ouyang Ke also held considerable weight in the political arena.

However, during the period of the Great Yu's vigorous reforms, he withdrew from public life, making others think that he was avoiding the world. But as soon as he returned to public life, he was still able to live up to his divine prestige as the head of all officials.

It's like saying: You stray dogs are quite a handful when I'm not around.
Upon hearing this, Cui Ting was first taken aback, then a knowing smile appeared on his face.

Brother, you're really ruthless.

This stab has pierced their very lifeblood, hasn't it?
hateful!

Zhao Lie frowned, a bad feeling creeping over him.

This Ouyang Ke, his backside is really crooked.

He appears impartial and pragmatic, like a qualified Minister of State, but this is simply shifting the conflict between civil and military officials, and is not the right attitude to get things done at all.

If His Majesty were here, would he dare to say such a thing?
“Lord Ouyang,” Zhao Lun knew what this man was thinking, so he spoke directly, “Since ancient times, military generals have conquered the world, while civil officials have governed it. We are all willing to risk our lives for our country, and the soldiers of the three armies are all loyal and courageous. But shouldn’t the obligation to raise food and military pay lie with you gentlemen?”

“The general is absolutely right.” Ouyang Ke did not shy away from his duties at all. On the contrary, he said with a great sense of responsibility, “Fighting a war certainly depends on you all. The procurement of food supplies depends on you officials. But the officials of Dayu each have their own duties. However, I cannot delegate the logistics to others. It is the work of my Ministry of Personnel, so I shall be in charge.”

Why would Ouyang Ke want to shoulder this responsibility alone?
No, he's still trying to shift the blame.

"Then how will the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat take responsibility?" the Empress asked proactively.

"Your Majesty the Empress," Ouyang Ke turned to face the person behind the dragon throne and said, "All matters concerning the Great Yu must be discussed and resolved in the court before being handed over to my Ministry of Personnel. Therefore, I hereby request a method from the Empress and all the officials. Once a method is found, I will do my utmost to implement it."

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

I respect the Queen's opinion and agree to war, but I have a problem to raise that needs to be solved.

Ouyang Ke appears to be someone who is trying to get things done and wants to send troops, but in reality, he cannot solve this problem at all.

At least the Empress herself was not capable of handling this project.

“Lord Ouyang, we are all military officers, what methods could we possibly have?” Zhao Lun immediately exposed him, saying, “If you want to come up with a solution, these civil officials are already unwilling. If they don’t want to fight, aren’t you just making it clear that you don’t want us to fight?”

"What do you mean we civil officials are unwilling?" Minister Sun rebuked. "As long as Her Majesty the Empress has said she will fight, we will each perform our duties and do what we are supposed to do. What, are you the only loyal and virtuous ministers?!"

Sun Situ's excitement was perfectly timed, allowing him to reclaim the moral high ground once again.

What's particularly ingenious is that he has now returned to using the title 'Empress'.

In other words, he agreed to Ouyang Ke's suggestion to temporarily suspend the validity of the imperial edict until the emperor returned.

Legally, the regime has achieved a unified consensus.

The whole problem now lies in this thing that we want to solve but can't solve at all.

"I didn't say that, Minister Sun, don't judge others by your own standards." Zhao Lun snorted, turned his head to the side, and ignored him.

Even the Empress behind the dragon throne could sense the powerlessness of the people of Qinzhou in the face of these pens in the imperial court.

With the Duke of Li absent, the Emperor absent, and the Crown Prince who previously served as regent absent, they were simply unable to control the powerful families of the Central Plains and Jiangnan.

"Why can't the grain in the national treasury be used?" asked Marquis Changling, Han Qi, the father of Han Yuan who died in the Battle of Wuwei.

These civil officials treated Han Qi differently than Zhao Lun did.

Although their sons were both losers in that battle, Han Yuan was tricked and died for his country. Therefore, they still had some respect for Han Qi, the old marquis, and would not launch a personal attack.

In fact, specifically targeting those who insulted Zhao Lun is also a form of political art.

In a debate, the worst thing you can do is provoke public outrage. Expanding the attack from a single point to the whole is just blind attacking. Only by specifically targeting one person and gradually increasing your advantage can you achieve a verbal annihilation.

"But I remember that the military farms used a lot of grain, didn't they?" Sun Situ asked.

“These matters have always been handled by Minister Song, but he has also discussed some with me.” Ouyang Ke said, taking out a list from his sleeve and preparing to read out the national treasury’s grain and salary. “Gentlemen, these are all secrets of the Great Yu. If they are used against us by those with ulterior motives, it may damage the dignity of the country. Therefore, please keep them confidential.”

He began by making a statement, and then said:

“Excluding the imperial treasury, the national treasury has a total of 320,000 shi of grain, 11,000 jin of gold, 180,000 jin of silver, and 90 million jin of cash,” Ouyang Ke said.

“Isn’t this enough?” Zhao Lun said. “It’s just 120,000 shi of grain and 8,000 jin, right? Even if we take it all out, there will still be some left over.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Cui Ting mocked, "Nobles, nobles, but all you have is the title of 'noble.' You're used to being extravagant and dissolute, and you don't know the value of firewood, rice, oil, and salt."

“If you have something to say, just say it. How does it have anything to do with us being nobles?” Zhao Lun retorted. “Besides, which law of the Great Yu states that there is such a thing as a noble family?”

Do the Celestial Dragons exist?

There's no law that says the Celestial Dragons exist.

"Very well, may I ask?" Cui Ting questioned, "These 30,000 Imperial Guards have gone out to fight. What about the tens of thousands of troops and over 10,000 officials remaining in the city? Do they need to eat, do they need to be paid, and do they need to receive their salaries?"

“General, yes, we must.” Ouyang Ke continued, picking up where Cui Ting left off. “All the grain and money we have this year will barely be enough to keep Sheng’an stable for the rest of the year. If we spend all that grain and money, Sheng’an will have to endure some hardship, but more importantly, it can’t withstand any risks.”

This is a very important food red line.

“There will be no risk,” Han Qi said. “As long as the army goes out to war, the problem can be solved without fighting. Moreover, Huai County still has food. Even if we don’t, we can return to the city quickly and ensure the safety of Sheng’an.”

"No!" Cui Ting objected vehemently. "How do you know there won't be a war? How do you know how long it will last? And how do you know that a war won't trigger a popular uprising? If everyone rushes to Sheng'an, what will the army eat? What will the people eat? If there's no food in the city, can Sheng'an be defended?"

Even nobles could not refute this statement.

Because no one can guarantee that this matter can be resolved in one month, two months, or three months.

Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the external crisis will not escalate.

"No."

Even the Empress, that old woman, realized what was happening and immediately denied the claim.

She may lack common sense, but she's not stupid.

Everyone knows that if this matter drags on, and Sheng'an cannot be saved, then the Great Yu Dynasty will perish.

As long as there is grain and the Imperial Guards of Sheng'an, even if the city is besieged, the people can still be supplied, and the Great Yu will not perish.

Therefore, the money cannot come from the national treasury.

"As for the imperial treasury, could we perhaps use some of it?" Zhao Lun looked up at the Empress and asked in a low voice.

This really infuriated them.

They actually dared to plot against the royal family!

It's not that the imperial treasury can't be used, but once it's used, it's very difficult to replenish it.

As the emperor's private property, it was rarely possible to misappropriate it.

The tens of thousands of people kept in the palace were all supplied by this money.

The wealth of the royal family stemmed from their separate finances.

The British Royal Family and the Japanese Imperial Family are examples of this.

Parliament can discuss reducing royal spending the following year, but rarely does anything happen that requires the emperor to spend money on things.

More importantly, even the royal family can't afford it!

If it were a small amount of money, the Empress could have easily covered it up, but since she was in charge of the accounts, she knew that this was an unbearable burden.

"His Majesty has always been frugal, owning only a few sets of everyday clothes throughout the year, and extravagance is strictly forbidden in the palace," Cui Ting said, feeling aggrieved on behalf of the Empress. "Given all this, to even consider diverting funds from the imperial treasury at a time like this—is that any respect for the duties of a subject?"

As he spoke, Cui Ting was on the verge of tears.

The empress did not object, accepted his concern, and tacitly indicated her unwillingness to pay.

You fucking old bastard!
The nobles were truly disgusted by that old bastard Cui Ting; they had never seen such a disgusting person before.

How did your Cui family end up with someone like you, so persistent and shameless? You've completely disgraced your family!
"Then, Lord Ouyang, what are your thoughts?" Ran Mu asked.

“What you all just said is the sore spot of our Great Yu, but no matter what, we must prioritize the affairs of the nation.” Ouyang said very solemnly, “As for food and military pay, we can allocate some from the surrounding counties, or borrow some from merchants, but we must raise the bulk of the funds ourselves.”

“Then let’s settle this in the imperial court,” Zhao Lie said, taking the lead. “According to rank, all officials of the fourth rank and above, from every household, should contribute a portion. I’ll go first, offering five hundred taels of gold and eight thousand shi of grain.”

This is already a very generous investment.

When Song Shi'an was spending money recklessly before, five hundred gold coins seemed like a small amount, but in reality, it was all hard-earned money, and it had to be distributed among others.

Eight thousand shi is equivalent to forty-eight hundred thousand jin of grain.

Therefore, the Empress was very satisfied with Zhao Lie's sense of responsibility.

Zhao Lun gritted his teeth and followed suit: "Me too."

"Me too."

Although Han Qi and Ran Mu were very unwilling, they had no choice but to join the group at this point.

And just like that, 32,000 shi of grain and 2,000 jin were taken out so easily.

But after the four men finished speaking, the court fell silent.

Zhao Lie turned around and looked at the military officers, somewhat incredulous.

"I offer three hundred bushels of grain and fifty gold coins..."

It took a long time before someone finally raised their hand and gave a small amount.

Then came the scattered donations, all of which, when added together, didn't amount to as much as Zhao Lie alone gave.

"Aren't you going to come out?" Zhao Lun glared at the civil officials and questioned them excitedly, "Aren't you subjects of the Great Yu?"

“We are definitely subjects of the Great Yu, there is no doubt about that.” Cui Ting stroked his beard, looked at them, and said with great shame, “But there is no money to be made in our positions, we are all honest officials, unlike you nobles who are so… ah, rich.”

"Yeah yeah……"

The other civil officials nodded in agreement.

Those who contributed money to the country were directly labeled as corrupt officials, while those who refused to contribute became noble and honest officials.

The imperial court was not at all like Zhao Lie had imagined, where as long as someone took the lead, everyone else would be forced to contribute money due to pressure.

These people are far less shameful than he thought!

"Your Majesty, they—"

Zhao Lun also got anxious and went to the Empress with a wronged look on his face, as if to say, "Look at him, look at him."

"My lords, at this difficult time, I implore you all to join forces," the Empress said. "The imperial treasury can also contribute a portion, but at this moment, we still need to rely on you all."

Even the Empress has lost face.

But the civil officials remained silent, bowing their heads, none of them willing to step forward.

Previously, on the issue of food, officials even expressed their willingness to donate money for river management and land reclamation, and the money spent then would not have been less than it is now.

But when it comes to this kind of thing, no one is willing to open their own wallet.

The reason is simple: at that time, there was a common enemy, against the military-agricultural colonies and against Song Shi'an.

But now, this battle was originally requested by the nobles.

Zhao Lie finally understood.

Either the nobles would bear all the food and provisions, or they would not fight.

There are absolutely no other options.

Ouyang Ke, you old fox—

"In that case, let's raise the money slowly." Ouyang Ke said, coughing a few times, and said hypocritically, "I'll see if I can scrape together enough."

"We can't be slow..." Zhao Lun was about to retort when Zhao Lie raised his hand, telling him to stop talking.

That old bastard is playing them for fools.

If this continues, they'll only make us a laughingstock.

And so, everything was settled.

As expected, Ouyang Ke controlled the outcome.

There was even a slight surprise.

Before the fall of the Chongzhen Emperor, he was in a great hurry to raise a few thousand taels of silver for military expenses.

The fact that they can still raise so much money and grain shows that the Great Yu Dynasty is not as lifeless as it was in its later stages.

"Then let the court adjourn." The Empress had no other choice but to issue this order.

"We, your humble servants, take our leave."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sun Situ interrupted her, eager to end the conversation.

"We take our leave."

The other civil officials followed suit.

No matter how unhappy these nobles were, there was nothing they could do but accept their fate.

"Lord Ouyang, please stay for a moment."

As everyone was leaving the hall, the Empress suddenly spoke.

"Yes."

Ouyang Ke remained in the Taiyuan Hall.

Zhao Lie and the others could only glare at him unhappily before leaving one by one.

After everyone had left, the Empress had the eunuch beside her lift the curtain and looked anxiously at the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat: "Lord Ouyang, how long will it take to raise the funds, and when can we send out the troops?"

"Forgive my words," Ouyang Ke said, "but it will take at least half a month, and we can only raise 30% of it initially."

"It also……"

The empress shook her head with great distress, her heart heavy.

Ouyang Ke remained silent, for his task was already complete.

Very appropriately, he stabilized the political situation.

On the surface, at least it is impartial.

But if the Duke of Li really wins, he will inevitably be purged and forced to withdraw from the front line.

This can be considered a huge gamble.

Of course, it wasn't about betting on wealth or fortune.

There's simply no way he can advance any further from this position.

He was betting on the foundation of the ruling families of the Central Plains.

"Lord Ouyang, can you confide in me?"

But the empress could only extend an olive branch to him.

Because after this meeting, she realized that those nobles were simply incapable of assisting the country.

Now, she needs the help of capable people.

"Your Highness, please speak," Ouyang Ke said calmly.

"Who do you want to win?" the Queen asked bluntly.

"Your Highness, I cannot answer this question."

"So you think Song Shi'an will win, right?" The Empress wanted to know his stance, but with her abilities, she couldn't compete with Ouyang Ke.

They're not even in the same league.

She just wanted a clear answer.

Is there anyone who can protect this Great Yu?

“Your Highness,” Ouyang Ke slowly raised his head and said, “There is someone who can explain this to you very clearly. The prerequisite is that you must trust him.”

"His political skills and abilities, can they compare to those of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat?" The Empress wanted Ouyang Ke to speak, just to have a clear conscience.

"Your Highness." Ouyang Ke couldn't respond to her enthusiasm, but he was still relatively frank. "In your heart, the Marquis of Huai, the Duke of Li, and Minister Sun can be divided into two factions: the aristocratic families and the meritorious nobles. According to kinship, you certainly trust the meritorious nobles more."

"Lord Ouyang, I am willing to trust you..."

"That's not what I meant."

Ouyang Ke immediately interrupted, then added, "But I must tell you, the four of us are not necessarily from two factions."

These words stunned the Empress.

Ouyang Ke did not offer any further explanation, leaving it to the other party to understand.

Many people like to see things in black and white, right and wrong.

It's like there are two social systems in the world, and all countries with the 'capitalist system' are in the same camp.

This kind of thinking is called a diode.

"Neither the Marquis of Huai nor the Duke of Li?"

With this kind of diode-like thinking, the Empress asked, not quite understanding.

"Your Highness wants to know the details."

Ouyang Ke remained silent, saying instead, "Please summon Ye Changqing."

.........

The next day, the Crown Prince's letter reached Ye Changqing's hands.

Knowing what had happened there, having a complete understanding of the situation, and even knowing that Li Guogong's expression was extremely grim after he transferred troops to Qinzhou.

"Reply to His Highness." After thinking for a long time, Ye Changqing said, "I have no control over Sheng'an City. All I can do is stabilize the situation temporarily and I can't provide any support... Never mind, I'll write it myself."

He hurriedly had the clerk beside him grind ink and get him paper.

While writing, the registrar said with great confusion, "The nobles are raising money everywhere. As long as they have enough, the army can go on an expedition."

"Hmph." Ye Changqing snorted disdainfully and said, "If they really want to raise these grains, the nobles can do it themselves, along with the Duke of Li."

Even without considering the assets in Qinzhou, it's still possible for the nobles to launch this war if they empty the capital's coffers.

"They clearly wanted to fight, and they're the ones who got the benefits, but they're unwilling to pay for it," the registrar complained. "These nobles are truly corrupt."

"It's better if we don't fight. The less these scheming officials get involved, the safer the crown prince will be," he said.

"Is His Highness the Crown Prince really in danger?" the registrar asked anxiously.

“Sending Zhao Lie with 30,000 Imperial Guards means we must wipe out Song Shi’an,” Ye Changqing said. “But Song Shi’an must not be wiped out.”

"Zhao Lie's son is General Zhao Yi," the registrar asked. "If Zhao Lie were to truly eliminate Song Shi'an, wouldn't the Crown Prince's throne be even more secure?"

"Let me ask you," Ye Changqing began, "Do you think there's a difference between the Duke of Li and Zhao Lie?"

"They are all nobles, and they all want to eliminate Song Shi'an. There should be no difference, right? The only difference is that the Duke of Li definitely wants the Prince of Jin to become emperor, while Zhao Lie may want to support the crown prince."

"That's the biggest difference."

Ye Changqing raised his finger and said, "The Duke of Li doesn't care who the emperor is; he only wants a stable Great Yu under his control. As for Zhao Lie, he is a pure martial artist. His selfish desire is for the emperor to be under his control and for the army to be in his hands. The great floods of Great Yu have nothing to do with him."

"I see……"

The registrar understood completely, nodded, and sighed, "This time, the chaos in Huai County will inevitably lead to war, and war will be an opportunity for these people."

"Lord Ye, the Empress summons you."

Just then, a eunuch rushed over to report.

Ye Changqing knew he was coming.

After running into several obstacles, the woman was at her wit's end.

"Okay, I'll go."

Ye Changqing handed the letter to the registrar.

Then, they took a carriage to the palace.

After entering the palace gate, he walked all the way to Yining Palace.

"Lord Ye requests an audience—"

“Summon him in.”

The Empress hurriedly said.

Then, Ye Changqing came in.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

Kneel and bow.

"Rise," the Empress said.

Ye Changqing stood up without saying a word.

Looking at him, the Empress remained silent for a long, long time before finally choking back tears and saying, "I've thought about it for a whole day and night, and I've truly figured it out. That Ouyang Ke, that Duke of Li, that Zhao Lie, that Minister Sun—who among them didn't harbor ulterior motives?"

The Empress actually cited these four people as examples.

Is her political acumen really that high?

"Only you, Changqing, truly value my son's life," the Empress said, her voice choked with emotion. "You didn't have to do this. No matter who won or lost, you would have been here. Yet, you were still willing to devote yourself to him, working tirelessly and selflessly."

"Her Royal Highness the Queen."

Since he had already said this much, Ye Changqing became frank and sincerely said, "The Crown Prince can no longer become emperor. The most important thing now is to extricate ourselves from this conflict."

"That's all I want, that's all I wish for, that he's safe." The Empress quickly stood up and asked anxiously, "Then how do we tell Song Shi'an? Most importantly, how do we find Song Shi'an?"

"Your Highness, you shouldn't be thinking about going to find Song Shi'an."

Ye Changqing's expression turned solemn as he said, "What you should be thinking about is what to do after Song Shi'an returns."

…………

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Clan Court.

This is the confinement room for members of the royal family.

However, the people who have been here these days are not from the Wei family.

Song Jing sat in a chair, his face expressionless, with his eyes closed as if resting.

At that moment, a 'tap-tap' sound came from outside the hall.

Even after the Empress walked up behind him, Song Jing did not open his eyes. (End of Chapter)