Frost for a Thousand Years

It was Xin Yue who protected Song Shi'an and intercepted the carriage of Guangling King Wei Zhuo, and lifted the curtain, so she had already made a lot of mental preparations and could roughly guess what Song Shi'an was going to do.

It's nothing more than scaring this guy out of his wits, humiliating him severely in front of these soldiers and officers, and letting this arrogant prince know what a ruthless manipulator is.

From then on, he never dared to be disrespectful again.

The three punches that Song Shi'an suddenly threw made her tense up and straighten her back.

The two soldiers who had just dragged the king down were also terrified, their eyes wide open, almost popping out of their sockets.

What the hell is this?
This is a king, should we fight?
And, damn it, you did it yourself!
When Wei Zhuo was dragged out, he was genuinely terrified and even began to struggle, wanting to roar, "I want to see the emperor! I want to see the emperor!" The reason he didn't shout wasn't because he chickened out; it was simply because Song Shi'an's first punch landed on his mouth, rendering him unable to make a sound.

Song Shi'an had been enduring it all along.

Today, when he was at Prince Qi's residence, he seemed very arrogant, but given his personality and such an advantage, he could not possibly forgive these stray dogs for being so rampant. He would have to ransack their house.

His humility, politeness, and even a touch of humor didn't earn him understanding or support for the hardships of grassroots work; instead, he was met with arrogant and overbearing behavior.

Especially this Wei Zhuo, who dared to say that His Majesty's grace is a grace given to us, and that Song Shi'an, you are not allowed to say such nonsense.

So Song Shi'an's punch, with his clenched palm, veins slightly bulging, his teeth clenched, his face compensating, was delivered with precision.

Even the shape of his oral cavity bones was reflected in his finger joints.

To be honest, it hurts a little.

But this guy in front of me is clearly in more pain.

Blood spurted from the corner of his mouth.

Song Shi'an knew he couldn't kill this guy, but that exhilarating punch really ignited his fighting spirit, triggering the Condensation Blade and unleashing two more punches in quick succession, one to the side of his face and the other to the back of his head.

"puff--"

A mouthful of blood splattered out.

Wei Zhuo was like a spinning top, forced to spin twice by inertia. Even before he fell, he was held up by the hands and forced to stand there stiffly. After this ordeal, his brain felt like it had been shaken to its core, and the pain was excruciating.

The officials and soldiers behind Song Shi'an collectively gasped in astonishment.

When have they ever seen such a top-notch spectacle as the King of Fighters' Three Punches?

If it weren't for Lord Song, who else could have shown us this?

Honestly, none of them should have come here.

This is the Prince Qi's residence. Even high-ranking officials who are allowed to enter the imperial court must pay their respects here. How dare these officials loiter at the gate, let alone enter the residence to search for people?
According to that classic line, given their rank, they had no right to go to the Prince's mansion.

"Lord Song is very angry."

"Yes, yes, how did the Prince of Guangling offend him?"

"He's been beaten like this, he won't die, will he...?"

The minor officials whispered amongst themselves in the back, looking very nervous.

"..." With blood flowing from the corner of his mouth and excruciating pain in his face, mouth, and head, Wei Zhuo was in a state of shock and dizziness. His vision was blurred, and if it weren't for the people supporting him on both sides, he would have already collapsed and passed out.

Song Shi'an shook his hand, still feeling the effects of his anger.

"What are you doing?"

Xin Yue, standing beside him, was a little angry. She grabbed his bloodied hand and said with considerable dissatisfaction, "If you had told me you were going to hit someone, I would have wrapped your arms around your neck twice!"

The soldiers and officers: "..."

Is this the key point?
“Indeed, I acted impulsively.” Song Shi’an really felt a bit of pain; the effects of force are indeed mutual. “Prince Zhuo, it hurts me as much as I hurt you.”

"Song..." Wei Zhuo had barely opened his mouth when blood began to trickle from both corners of his mouth, like a leaky vent. He was in excruciating pain, yet he still glared at the other man, grimacing, "Song Shi'an... how dare you do such a thing... how dare you do this to me..."

Before he could even utter the word "this king," Song Shi'an stretched out his hand. Xin Yue, who had just pulled out the bandage, then wrapped it around his fist.

"Wait!"

Wei Zhuo immediately reacted and loudly stopped Song Shi'an, telling him not to make the first move.

Speak first.

Communication is the prerequisite for solving all problems. Is it okay to communicate verbally?

“You made me very unhappy today at the Prince Qi’s residence,” Song Shi’an said, staring at him. “All the other princes were honest, yet you still contradicted me like this. I am very unhappy.”

Song Shi'an patiently spoke to him.

Wei Zhuo could hardly believe that there was a subject in the world who would dare to speak to a prince of the imperial family in such a way.

However, what the other party said was indeed somewhat frightening and chilling.

It's as if it's saying: I'm unhappy, and the consequences will be severe.

The soldiers and officers around and behind Song Shi'an all went silent, not daring to make a sound in the somewhat cold atmosphere, lest they spoil Lord Song's mood.

But deep down they weren't afraid.

They all knew this person's personality.

A very typical example of being arrogant to superiors but not bullying inferiors.

No soldier or civilian has ever died because of offending Song Shi'an.

He loved the people and his soldiers.

Therefore, his imposing presence at that moment inspired awe in everyone.

At the same time, a different kind of admiration arose—Lord Song, you are truly domineering!
"But...but we've already compromised..." Wei Zhuo still felt wronged and said, "You...you want something, and we've agreed to everything. Can't we make some requests of our own?"

"Let me correct you," Song Shi'an said. "You didn't agree to my request; I informed you of my request."

For members of the imperial clan, this is not a bonus, but a necessity.

If this cannot be accomplished, then these lower-ranking princes will truly be in trouble.

"..." Since the other party had already gone this far, what else could Wei Zhuo do? He could only swallow his pride and lower his head, responding in a very humiliating manner, "Lord Song, I don't know your thoughts... I was truly offended. But please forgive me for the sake of these few punches I received today."

"What the hell are you? Are you a candle?" Song Shi'an retorted angrily. "Your head's been opened and moved to your ass. Damn it, you're spouting nonsense. Are these three punches too much for me?"

Song Shi'an's angry outburst was very forceful.

Although I don't understand what these words mean.

But it was really fun.

"..." Wei Zhuo frowned, not daring to make a sound, for fear that the other party would be displeased and beat him up again.

At his age, he really can't take much more.

If this young man continues to act like this, he will really die.

Being a prince of our Great Yu, all he does is eat and sleep, living a carefree life, so naturally he can't help but feel nostalgic for this world.

"Speak!" Song Shi'an shouted again.

“No…” Even after being beaten like this, Wei Zhuo could only answer, “It’s not much, these three punches are not much.”

Song Shi'an knew that this time he had truly been defeated.

Therefore, the members of the royal family are the least of our worries.

Their status was indeed high, and their wealth was extravagant, but their weakness meant that this transformation could be easily accomplished without even resorting to bloodshed.

"Send the king to his carriage."

Staring at him, Song Shi'an said casually.

Then, the two men on either side helped Guangling King Wei Zhuo into the carriage, leaving him limp like a dead dog, barely able to support his body.

Wei Zhuo knew that what he meant was not just admitting his mistake.

He needs to pay a price to atone for his previous insults.

"Lord Song..." Wei Zhuo completely abandoned his airs and said to Song Shi'an, trembling, "I will definitely come to your door in person another day to invite you..."

"Send one thousand taels of gold to the Song residence before tonight."

After Song Shi'an finished speaking, Xin Yue, who was standing next to him, cooperated perfectly by pulling down the curtain. Before the other party could show any surprise, the carriage was driven away and returned to the mansion.

"This prince is truly amazing," Song Shi'an joked. "He loses hundreds of gold coins with just one punch. He loses hundreds of gold coins with just one punch!"

As soon as he said this, accompanied by a suggestive laugh, the soldiers and officers burst into laughter.

Lord Song is so humorous, I love it!

"You've all worked hard." Song Shi'an immediately decided, "All the brothers who went on duty today will receive a government allowance of two hundred coins each. Go back to the yamen and collect your money."

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered and rejoiced at Lord Song's generosity.

Two hundred coins is indeed not much; considering the price of goods, it's roughly equivalent to a thousand yuan.

But what do you all think when your boss calls you out to work overtime, you don't do anything, you just wander around for a bit, and you get a 1,000 yuan bonus?
We'd go through fire and water for you, leader!
"Let's go home." After the enjoyable time, Song Shi'an took Xin Yue's hand, ending today's troublemaking.

.........

The Ouyang family has been closely monitoring this matter.

Ouyang Ke, who was sitting in his study, was very concerned about this matter.

He had already been keeping an eye on things since the officials in the capital were mobilized on a large scale and moved toward the Prince Qi's residence.

The news gradually reached his ears.

After Song Shi'an left safely and the officials in the capital gradually withdrew, he seemed to relax and his whole body became relaxed.

"Dad, this Song Shi'an is really amazing."

Speaking of this matter, Ouyang Qin said with great admiration, "My son knew he would take action against these members of the imperial clan sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly, and so fiercely."

"Why do you think we'll have to take action against the imperial family sooner or later?" Ouyang Ke asked.

"In my humble opinion," Ouyang Qin said, "Song Shi'an is by no means a man who compromises easily. Our Great Yu simply does not have the conditions for a northern expedition. If the current situation continues, he will want to cultivate land and raise military funds, which means he will have to bleed these people dry. No, he should make them bleed. The most troublesome nobles have been dealt with. If these princes, who are only in name, continue to live off the resources of our Great Yu, I'm afraid they will not be able to win the support of the people."

Hearing his son say this, Ouyang Ke nodded with considerable satisfaction: "It's already very good that you can see clearly what Song Shi'an is going to do. Even if you weren't my son, you could still protect yourself at this time."

Once you understand the country's policies, you'll know where the red lines are.

Knowing where the red line is will prevent you from unwittingly stepping into danger.

Song Shi'an clearly intended to concentrate all available resources and forcibly transform his personal will of 'unification' into the will of the entire nation.

So, where does the money come from?
Where does the field come from?
Before this, nobles were the most troublesome group.

Because they were essentially like small feudal lords, possessing both military power and authority, making them the toughest nuts to crack.

Now that the Duke of Li is dead, everyone else is kneeling.

That means establishing unified standards.

Smart people know that even members of the royal family have to obey.

The members of the imperial clan themselves knew that Song Shi'an wanted them to submit.

It's just that in the fog, it's hard to see yourself clearly.

Just like the Duke of Li on that day.

They always felt they could maneuver, that for the past century, no one had dared to challenge the dignity of the imperial clan in the Great Yu Dynasty, and that their good days should not be affected, even though the outside world was already in turmoil.

“Alright.” Ouyang Ke smiled and said, “Song Jing wants to share power with me and hand over all of Dayu’s finances to me. But I can’t just conjure money out of thin air.”

Ouyang Ke does indeed try to check Song Shi'an in some ways, but that's based on national security.

They have disagreements, but they also share a great deal of consensus.

Everything was for the betterment of the country, and for the greater safety and prominence of their families.

The Ministry of Revenue was placed under the jurisdiction of Ouyang Ke, the Left Chancellor, which meant that Ouyang Ke would be in charge of managing and raising funds from then on.

Song Shi'an's ability to get rid of these leeches clinging to the Dayu Dynasty saved Ouyang Ke money.

If, on this basis, these people could be persuaded to part with some money, that would be even more profitable for Ouyang Ke.

“Father, this Song Shi’an might really be different,” Ouyang Qin said with a smile. “There is no such person in the State of Qi.”

“Qi State?” Ouyang Ke laughed. “In this world, there is no one so reckless as to leave no way out, who would do it today and die tomorrow.”

too crazy.

They mobilized a thousand men to surround the Prince's residence of the Imperial Clan. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was the emperor.

Just as the two were chatting, a servant rushed in, saying with a smile, "My lord, young master, Song Shi'an has beaten the Prince of Guangling!"

"?"

The two of them stared wide-eyed at the same time, not quite able to react.

Then, they looked at each other and, from the other's bewildered eyes, confirmed that they hadn't misheard.

"What?" Ouyang Qin said, "Tell me in detail."

“That’s how it is,” the servant said. “I wasn’t there, but it’s already spread. All the officials in the capital are talking about it. I caught one of them and asked him. They said that after Lord Song left the Prince’s residence, he didn’t leave. Instead, he blocked the Prince of Guangling’s way back. He directly intercepted the carriage, then sent men to drag the Prince of Guangling out and punched him three times in the face, making the prince vomit blood. He was almost beaten to death.”

"Nonsense!" Even the usually composed Ouyang Qin became agitated. "What is the point of fabricating such a lie?"

Historically, this is a historical material that was once suspected of being unofficial history because it was so outrageous.

Ouyang Ke raised his hand, gesturing for the servant to continue, while maintaining a high degree of skepticism.

Then the servant recounted the whole story.

Including the very classic line, "Wang, Wang, Wang, you good-for-nothing Wang."

But it still sounds like it was generated by AI.

Ouyang Qin couldn't understand why Song Shi'an would do such a thing.

“If this is true…” Ouyang Ke frowned, his expression somewhat complicated, “then Song Shi’an is too hasty.”

It's not that we can't fight, but we must fight slowly, rhythmically, and with preparation.

The way he's punching me like that is clearly an attempt to establish his authority.

They just didn't want to get entangled with the royal family on this kind of issue.

“Even if it really is for money, to reduce the preferential treatment these members of the imperial family receive,” Ouyang Qin said, “they are, after all, His Majesty’s uncles and elders. Wouldn’t it be a bit disrespectful to do this?”

"Of course it doesn't look good, it's really ugly."

Ouyang Ke did not oppose weakening these vassal kings, but he did not approve of throwing a few punches in the street.

Again, it comes down to the same fundamental issue of interests and disagreements.

The current emperor also wants to reduce the power of the regional military governors and collect money from them.

If Song Shi'an had actually done it, the emperor would have supported him.

However, by beating up the emperor's uncle, you have offended the emperor, which is clearly an insult to the Wei family.

This is absolutely not in the emperor's interest.

"He's acting recklessly, this kid is really acting recklessly."

Ouyang Ke was getting anxious and prepared to get up and go find Song Jing directly.

We need to bring this kid back.

But after taking a few steps, he stopped and shook his head.

"Father, what are your thoughts?" Ouyang Qin asked.

"I just realized that this is not a good idea, and it's not conducive to stability."

After realizing what was happening, Ouyang Ke immediately retorted, "But what does this have to do with me?"

.........

"Beast! That brat Song is a beast!"

The Prince of Guangling, lying on his bed, couldn't help but curse loudly.

But this scolding reopened the scab on his lips, causing them to bleed profusely.

"Your Highness, please don't be angry anymore, please rest for a while..." the eunuch beside him quickly comforted.

"This Song Shi'an, he's gone too far, gone too far!" Thinking of this, the Prince of Guangling's eyes welled up with tears of grievance. "That brat, he hit me in front of so many people. I'm already this old, how could he do this? Does he even respect His Majesty?"

Even on his deathbed, the King of Guangling could not close his eyes when he thought of those three punches.

He lived a life of glory and honor, never even a harsh word was spoken to him by the emperor, and yet he got beaten up by some brat, damn it...

"His Majesty will be back tomorrow, and I want to see him," said the Prince of Guangling, clearly displeased.

"The money for tonight..." the eunuch reminded him, as it was getting dark.

If we don't give them a thousand taels of gold soon, the warning period given by Song Shi'an will be over.

"Give it to me? I won't give it to him!" The Prince of Guangling was furious; how could he possibly part with a thousand taels of gold? "If he's really that arrogant, he'll come to me in front of His Majesty..."

"Your Highness, you should give it to him."

The eunuch interrupted with tears in his eyes. Just as the Prince of Guangling was about to lose his temper, the eunuch uttered a truth that the Prince could not refute:

Even His Majesty is afraid of him. (End of Chapter)