Frost for a Thousand Years

Song Shi'an wouldn't have come if he hadn't made preparations.

This preparation was not for self-preservation.

If he were afraid, he wouldn't have come in alone.

"Song Shi'an, what do you want to do!"

Prince Wei Xin of Jinyang immediately became anxious, his face turning furious. He pointed at the audacious Song Shi'an, his teeth itching with hatred.

However, the other kings did not react in the same way.

The Prince of Nanyang and the Prince of Jinyang initially rose up in anger as well, but they quickly showed signs of fear and became less resolute.

This is the source of Song Shi'an's confidence.

The weakness of the privileged class.

The basic system of Dayu was not a system of parallel prefectures and kingdoms.

These so-called kings had very limited power.

Unlike the feudal lords of the Han Dynasty, they were not the leaders of independent states.

There was also a significant difference between them and the princes of the Ming Dynasty. Although those princes did not have nominal fiefdoms, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented a system of dynastic rule and enslaved the people by distributing military power to all his sons and relatives. Therefore, there was the term "taking up a fiefdom." The princes of the Ming Dynasty were more like border generals similar to "chief administrators."

The kings of Dayu were closer to those of the Qing Dynasty because the system of "no land granted to princes" was implemented. The princes only received titles (such as prince or duke) but had no actual fief or local governance rights. They were all forced to live in the capital.

However, the Qing Dynasty had a long history and a large number of imperial relatives. If all the princes could enjoy the privilege of being supported by the state and not engaging in production, even the strongest financial foundation could not withstand such turmoil. Therefore, except for the princes with hereditary titles, the power and treatment of the princes would be weakened through succession.

The king of Dayu is very similar to the piglet in this kind of pig farming policy.

However, since it was a Han Chinese court with an agricultural tradition, and the court encouraged farming and weaving, these princes had large amounts of land and tenant farmers who depended on the farmland, and thus formed private armies.

To say they are useless is an emotional statement.

If we say they are useful, we should look at it dialectically.

In short, it can't compare to the legitimate original shareholding elites.

So, what are they most afraid of?
In short, it all boils down to two words—cutting off the supply.

"Song Shi'an." Prince Qi glared angrily at this incompetent young man and asked, word by word, "Are you planning a rebellion?"

"Prince Qi, what do you mean by that?"

Song Shi'an remained calmly leaning back in his chair, just like the mastermind behind the scenes, and asked in return.

“According to the laws of the Great Yu, no one can search the Prince’s residence without His Majesty’s personal edict.” Prince Qi quoted the laws of the Great Yu again and said quite rationally, “The Great Yu has never had a retired emperor, so to enter Prince Qi’s residence, what is needed is His Majesty’s order.”

To prevent Song Shi'an from claiming it was an imperial edict from the retired emperor, Prince Qi had preemptively blocked his escape route.

"Moreover, let alone these petty officials, even the Court of Judicial Review cannot touch us vassal kings," Prince Wei Jiong kindly reminded Song Shi'an.

You just made us kneel down, so at least you followed the rules.

We have heard the Emperor Emeritus's edict.

If you're going to take action against us now, and it's illegal, then that's not respectable.

The remaining two kings still had some concerns.

Because Song Shi'an is no ordinary person.

Moreover, the power he wields now is too outrageous; if he were to overturn the table, all they could do was condemn him.

The imperial family is quite different from aristocratic families and meritorious nobles.

Although his title was supreme and his honorary status was ridiculously high, the heads of noble families and clan leaders looked down on them.

In their view, they were at least the leaders of a certain clan.

The only one comparable to them should be the head of the Wei family.

These powerful families are indeed very greedy and domineering, and they can form alliances to protect each other. But deep down, they all think of the sect leader as a vampire.

Across the entire land, apart from the ever-growing, unruly royal family, which is a drag on the country with no benefit whatsoever, the nobles and aristocratic families have all contributed positively to the overall national strength of the Great Yu.

Ancient nobles had a taxpayer mentality.

"Don't get excited."

Song Shi'an downplayed these reactions from Hakiwei.

Am I excited?

Prince Qi almost strained his chest as he questioned him.

"You all seem to have misunderstood another problem," Song Shi'an said. "These officials from the capital are indeed not allowed to enter the Prince's residence to conduct searches. But did they?"

This question caused the five kings' faces to collectively darken.

At this moment, no officials came to block the gates of Prince Qi's mansion, let alone search the residence.

However, almost all the roads and alleys in the surrounding area were blocked off.

All roads are routinely inspected.

No one is allowed to approach.

No one is allowed to leave.

Imagine you are a very important person, and you are having a meeting at home with several other important people.

But around your manor villa, there are more than a thousand police officers gathered.

How can you not be afraid?

But what can you do?
They didn't come to search your door, or even ask you any questions, yet they still conducted such high-intensity patrols.

This is something that can drive a person crazy!
Meanwhile, Xin Yue and her men were on guard near the nearest gate of the Prince's mansion.

Beside her stood a hundred soldiers, swords at their waists, armor beneath their official robes, disguised as officials of the capital, ready for battle.

As soon as it got dark, if Song Shi'an hadn't come out yet, they would barge in.

If there is any resistance, kill without mercy.

If Song Shi'an were in even the slightest danger, all five princes would be executed along with him.

The eunuchs of Prince Qi's mansion, under the guise of cleaning outside the mansion, secretly glanced over there while sweeping the floor.

Noticing his gaze, Xin Yue slowly placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

The others did the same thing.

After a perfunctory sweep, the eunuch immediately returned to his residence.

He hurried to the main hall, and in this tense moment, he approached Prince Qi and whispered, covering his mouth, "Your Highness, there are quite a few soldiers mixed in among those officials in the capital."

Upon hearing this, his piercing gaze swept over the man.

He remained calm and composed.

Why?

To reiterate, the weakness of the privileged class.

Prince Qi is certainly very classy. Although Prince Dai, Wei Jiong, and Prince Guangling, Wei Zhuo, are still very tough on the surface, they are clearly panicked inside. As for the other two, they have long been terrified by their sudden attack.

Their demands are no longer aligned.

This is similar to when Song Shi'an was fighting against the nobles, there were also many who surrendered and did not confront the court head-on.

This isn't Song Shi'an taking a risk, relying on luck to guess, and then just happened to win.

As long as it is a group, weakness is inevitable.

Even if the working class unites, there will still be scabs within it.

Of course, the great working class, being proletarian, is more likely to launch class-based revolutions.

But the feudal landlord class would not.

"How about we all sit down and have a calm and peaceful discussion?"

"Let's give them a way out," Song Shi'an asked with a smile.

Sure enough, after the tone became so gentle, some people started to feel weak in the knees.

After a brief standoff, Prince Wei Yu of Nanyang spoke with feigned force: "Gentlemen, let's hear what they have to say first."

These good-for-nothings are really easy to manipulate.

If you tell them that the royal family must bow their heads when they see me, Song Shi'an, they won't agree. But if you say that you're going to take all my assets, they'll start to consider how much they should bow their heads.

“Yes,” Song Shi’an said, “I support the Prince of Qin and His Majesty. You all think the same way, and your feelings for the Wei family are even deeper than mine. So I think we should be able to find common ground while reserving differences today, right?”

After the Prince of Nanyang spoke, the group slowly sat down.

Prince Qi then continued, "Song Shi'an, you just said that the Prince of Qin you support is His Majesty. So I would like to ask, is it the Prince of Qin or His Majesty?"

“The King of Qin and His Majesty are brothers, inseparable. My support for the King of Qin is also my support for His Majesty. And my support for His Majesty is also my support for the King of Qin,” Song Shi’an explained.

“The Great Yu Dynasty only has one emperor,” Wei Zhuo grumbled unhappily. “Both can be respected, so who is more respected? Does that mean we have to kneel before both emperors?”

"Then, can we clarify something?" Song Shi'an said. "Both of them are Venerable, and both are Venerable above all others."

This angle was unexpected by none of them.

Originally, he wanted to support a single emperor as a member of the royal family.

But now, Song Shi'an has proposed another idea. You don't need to think about which king to honor; you should honor whoever you are.

"His Majesty is more adept at civil administration than military strategy. When the late Emperor entrusted his son to me, he said that I should take it upon myself to unify the world," Song Shi'an said. "If the army of the world is in the hands of noble families, it will be like the story of Wu Qing, who openly held the King of Wu hostage and disrupted the government. If the army of the world is in the hands of powerful families, it will only defend the territory. So why not let the Wei family hold it? The Prince of Qin is the Grand Marshal of the army of the world. Isn't this a solution to the dilemma?"

Song Shi'an's words were very convincing.

“But isn’t the King of Qin a little too young?” asked Wei Xin, the King of Dai.

“He is young, but in Shuofeng, in Qi territory, and in Huai County, hasn’t he proven himself?” Song Shi’an said with a smile. “You are worried about the King of Qin only because you have had little contact with him. In other words, you kings are not very close to him. But if you met him more often, you would know how capable and powerful he is.”

Xiao Wei is amazing.

"The Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm is still the King of Qin. After unifying the world, can the merits and contributions of a mere prince's title be enough to satisfy him?" King Qi asked.

“It’s obviously impossible,” Wei Zhuo said. “Throughout history, who could have done that? Was the King of Qin any more virtuous?”

“Your Highness speaks well.” Song Shi’an extended his hand in agreement and then said, “Therefore, His Majesty, Prince Qin, and I have already discussed this matter.”

"What did they say?" Prince Qi asked, sounding very concerned.

“Your Majesty is virtuous, and the imperial power of the Wei family will be passed down through his lineage,” Song Shi’an said. “If Your Majesty has committed any wrongdoing, then the throne shall be abdicated to the Prince of Qin. However, the title of Prince of Jin shall still be retained, and he shall enjoy eternal wealth and honor.”

"If Your Majesty is virtuous, what about the King of Qin's insatiable desires?" King Qi asked.

"So it is said that His Majesty is truly virtuous," Song Shi'an said. "His Majesty has promised that, no matter what, after his death, he will pass the throne to the Prince of Qin, or rather, to the Prince of Qin's lineage. Whether or not to accept it is entirely up to the Prince of Qin."

After hearing this, they were truly speechless.

That's so thoughtful.

I've considered all the possible scenarios.

Especially the last one, which basically fills in all the bugs.

The King of Qin's true status was no different from that of the Emperor.

If he wanted the title of emperor, the Prince of Jin was so much older than him that he could easily seize it after his death.

Even if I can't work for long myself, I can let his son do it.

"Does Your Majesty really agree?" Prince Qi asked.

“I can testify for you, Prince Qi, and Your Majesty, that the three of you should jointly verify this,” Song Shi’an said.

Ultimately, what the kings wanted was an explanation, and now that they have one, they have a way out.

Moreover, Song Shi'an was actually quite sincere.

The fact that the royal family was able to make such a promise and reveal such a secret shows a lot of face.

It's tantamount to expressing an attitude—the current emperor is stable.

I, Song Shi'an, am not someone you can easily change.

“Very well, when the late emperor’s funeral is held, Your Majesty, you, and I will all swear an oath before the late emperor’s coffin.” Prince Qi extended his hand.

“Okay.” Song Shi’an nodded slightly.

Isn't that good enough?

They insisted I make it so exaggerated, mobilizing thousands of people at once.

“However,” said Guangling Prince Wei Zhuo, “the grace His Majesty bestowed upon us is also the grace of Emperor Gaozu, and this must not be touched. Our Wei clan recognizes you, Song Shi’an, and you must also share our fate with our Wei clan.”

His words also reflected the sentiments of the other kings.

That vast land, that mountain of wealth, that endless servants, that inexhaustible array of beauties—as long as these things remain untouched, everything is fine.

Black Song Shi'an or White Song Shi'an, as long as she can be a good housekeeper for us, she is a good Song Shi'an.

Sure enough, the conversation eventually turned to money.

Song Shi'an looked at him, frowned, and maintained his smile, saying, "Guang...King of Guangling?"

He didn't actually know these kings, but he did his homework before coming and knew what kind of personality and status each king had.

Therefore, the match was quickly made up.

"It is I, the King," Wei Zhuo said, head held high and chest puffed out.

"Gentlemen." Song Shi'an did not follow up with that sentence, but stood up, raised his hands, and took the initiative to bow. "Shi'an, farewell."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Only these five kings remain.

“There’s nothing we can do. He was at his most impetuous and ambitious when he was in this position. You can’t expect him to back down,” said Wei Yu, the Prince of Nanyang.

“But if he were to arbitrarily alter these ancestral laws that have stood for so many years, and it were to destroy the Wei family’s empire, could he bear that responsibility?” said Wei Zhuo, the Prince of Guangling.

"Foolish!" Prince Qi scolded. "Whom he spares and whom he pleases depends entirely on his mood. What's the use of threatening him now?"

Wei Zhuo, feeling wronged by this rebuke, said, "When have we, the princes of the Wei clan, ever suffered such an injustice?"

"At this point, the fact that he can give so much already shows that he is a 'veteran minister' who is strategizing for the country," said King Qi. "What we need is not to prove anything or to say how great we are. We are simply afraid that Song Shi'an will cause trouble and cut off the life of our Great Yu."

“Yes, since the current emperor is stable and Song Shi’an has the means, let him do it,” said the Prince of Nanyang. “We have less contact with the Prince of Qin, but he is also a member of our Wei clan. Song Shi’an is right about one thing: it is because we are not very close that there is so much uncertainty.”

Why were the King of Wu and the King of Jin so well-received?

Because they were raised under the watchful eyes of these uncles and elders, they have a close relationship with them.

As for Wei Wusheng, he's like a stone that just popped out of nowhere. Even the emperor himself doesn't like him, and he's barely met any of his other uncles and elders. How could there possibly be any emotional connection between them?

They were just afraid that if Wei Wusheng came to power, he would make things difficult for these elders in the clan.

But now, it's only a matter of time before Wei Wusheng transforms into a dragon.

Instead of continuing to resist Wei Wusheng, we should get closer to him and become a true family.

Wei Zhuo didn't know what to say, so he could only lower his head.

Just then, a eunuch came to report: "Your Highnesses, all the officials in the vicinity have been evacuated."

Hearing this, several of them breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that things didn't escalate to a complete breakdown.

"The news of Song Shi'an's siege of the Prince's Mansion will soon spread throughout Sheng'an. His domineering nature will eventually turn into arrogance and overbearing behavior," said Prince Qi. "It is precisely at times like these that we should remain calm and composed."

Wait for the backlash.

"Then shall we?" the Prince of Nanyang asked.

"Please return to your residences first. Apart from the late emperor's funeral, there is nothing else going on recently, so please stay put for now."

Prince Qi gave these guys some instructions.

They each rose, bowed to each other, and then left.

When Guangling King Wei Zhuo sat in the carriage, he was still very sullen.

"That good-for-nothing Prince of Nanyang is a disgrace. Prince of Jinyang is the same; he was so arrogant at first and was the first to speak, but when his palace was surrounded, he fell silent."

"Hmph, how can the Wei family possibly prosper if they're with these scoundrels?"

"They're talking so nicely today, but I'm afraid they'll do something obsequious just to curry favor later."

Wei Zhuo no longer had any hope for his clansmen.

At the same time, he did not compromise on his bottom line in the slightest.

They won't give you even a single acre of land.

My great-great-grandfather had it so hard to conquer the world. As his descendant, what's wrong with me enjoying a little bit of comfort? (Sobbing)
They won't give it to anyone.

People are money, and they are the foundation of this world.

As for the rest, that's none of my business.

Thinking of this, he laughed mockingly.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped abruptly, causing him to lurch forward.

"what happened?"

He questioned her, clearly annoyed.

The next moment, the carriage curtain was suddenly flung open.

Before me stood a remarkably beautiful woman.

Beside him, a man slowly entered the frame.

It is Song Shi'an.

Wei Zhuo was startled.

"Pull it out," Song Shi'an said coldly.

Immediately, the two soldiers took action.

"What are you going to do to me?!"

Wei Zhuo immediately shouted.

But as soon as he was dragged out, Song Shi'an slapped him across the face several times in front of hundreds of people, yelling, "Wang Wang Wang, you worthless bastard Wang!"

Yu Shi: Song Shi'an was furious and punched Wang three times in the street. (End of this chapter)