Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 30 Please take a seat, young master.

"The Prince of Zhongping has arrived?"

Sun Yan, who was in the main hall, stood up upon hearing this, somewhat surprised.

Sun Qian immediately tensed up and quickly moved closer, lowering his voice to ask, "Father, is this His Majesty's will?"

"Don't rush."

Sun Yan raised his hand, fell into deep thought, and then analyzed, "His Majesty would not do such a thing. The Prince of Zhongping coming... perhaps it is the Prince of Jin's intention."

Given the emperor's temperament, he would not go to such lengths.

Trying to control the whole world with one hand.

Moreover, with His Majesty's wisdom, he will consider five steps ahead for every one step he takes.

Everything is actually predictable.

However, being able to foresee something does not mean that it will not be done.

On the contrary, we should do even more.

Just do it.

“The Prince of Zhongping is a member of the Prince of Jin’s faction…” Sun Qian lowered his voice so that only Sun Situ could hear him, and then offered his guess, “The Prince of Jin is presiding over the imperial examination this time, and he sent the Prince of Zhongping. Who is he?”

Is the visitor benevolent or malevolent?

Sun Yan was also thinking about it.

After thinking it over, he shook his head: "Let's see."

Although it's easy to guess that this was the Prince of Jin's intention, not the Emperor's.

But aren't the emperor and the Prince of Jin the same person?

"Should we continue targeting Song Shi'an?"

Sun Qian was starting to lose his composure.

Who would dare to openly challenge the dignity of the royal family?
"Enough talk, let's go pick them up."

Sun Yan didn't speak, but she already had a definite idea in her mind.

He will not waver in this position.

As he was leaving, Sun Qian instructed the person beside him, "Set up seats in the main hall."

“…Yes, set up a seat.” Sun Yan also realized what was happening and said.

Sun Qian's "acting on his own initiative" did not anger the "narrow-minded and domineering" Sun Yan; on the contrary, he was quite satisfied.

He and the emperor were both old.

From now on, it will be a competition between their respective sons.

The father and son helped each other to the gate of the mansion.

At this moment, a man dressed in a brocade python robe and wearing a golden crown got out of the carriage.

Prince Zhongping was slender with a graceful and elegant appearance. His face was as beautiful as jade, and although he was handsome and delicate, he also possessed the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix, exuding nobility.

Upon seeing this, everyone was astonished and quickly bowed, saying in unison, "Greetings, Prince Zhongping!"

At this moment, Minister Sun also stepped out from the crowd, walked to the front, and bowed with a joyful expression: "This old minister pays his respects to Prince Zhongping."

Before he could even bend down, Prince Zhongping stepped forward to help him up, saying, "No need for formalities. Today is an auspicious day. I wish Master Sun a long and prosperous life."

"Thank you for coming in person, Your Highness. I am deeply grateful." Minister Sun still had a smile on his face.

Prince Zhongping smiled and asked again, "Where is Young Master Sun Qian?"

"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, pay my respects."

Sun Qian stepped forward and quickly bowed.

Looking at him, Prince Zhongping smiled with admiration, took Sun Yan's hand, and couldn't help but say, "Young master, you are truly handsome and elegant. At such a young age, you have already shone brightly in the imperial examinations. In the future, you will surely be able to lead the young scholars of the capital to serve the court and help our Great Yu become even stronger, just like Minister Sun did."

After saying this, Sun Qian didn't know how to control his expression and could only try his best to swear his loyalty: "Your Highness, I will certainly live up to your high praise and do my best to fulfill my duties and be loyal."

But Sun Situ grasped other key points from these words.

Leading young scholars in Kyoto.

Prince Zhongping has already described him as the 'leader of young scholars in Kyoto'.

The top scholar is right here.

Moreover, there are still some young scholars who have passed the imperial examinations in Kyoto.

"Since you are not hosting a banquet or accepting gifts today, will my visit be an intrusion?"

"I asked jokingly," the Prince of Zhongping asked.

"Your Highness is too kind to this old man. Please."

Sun Yan extended his hand, extending a warm invitation.

Prince Zhongping then took his hand, and the two walked together toward the main hall, with Sun Qian accompanying them closest to him.

After they had gone far away, the scholars behind them slowly stood up.

Because of this, they began to whisper nervously.

"Even His Highness Prince Zhongping has arrived?"

"So this is Minister Sun."

"Today's birthday... has shown me things I'll never see again in my life." Everyone felt a sense of unease, more or less.

Only Song Shi'an straightened up and walked forward as if he were unaffected.

This person caught Fan Wuji's attention completely.

Gao Yunyi walked directly to his side and greeted him, "Brother Song."

Song Shi'an stopped and looked at him, politely asking, "And who are you, sir?"

"Gao Yunyi".

"Brother Yunyi, I've long admired you."

After the introductions, Gao Yunyi immediately smiled and said, "Brother Shi'an's poem is truly concise and profound. I have read it many times and I am always amazed by it."

"Brother Yunyi's poems are also absolutely brilliant, I have to admit it," Song Shi'an replied sincerely.

"My model scrolls are not yet available for sale in Kyoto. Where did you see them, brother?"

“…” Song Shi’an was stunned for a moment. “I heard it from someone else.”

"I haven't told anyone."

"...Then you must have remembered it wrong."

Song Shi'an said awkwardly.

If this guy can be a good official, I'll eat him!

As the two talked, they arrived inside the lobby.

In the hall, there are two main seats.

Normally, when a prince visits a minister's home, he is seated alone.

But this is Minister Sun, the current prime minister, and today he is also celebrating his birthday.

After exchanging pleasantries and courtesies, the two took their seats in the superior positions.

One left and one right.

Below the steps were five seats, one on the left and one on the right, all of which were luxurious mahogany long tables with exquisite embroidered cushions in front of them.

In the front row, on the left and right, sat Sun Situ's two sons, Sun Qian and Sun Heng.

It's normal for the owner to be sitting there.

If the family background and social status are similar, the guest will be seated in the place of honor.

But if a top-tier wealthy family like the Sun family of Yangzhou were to offer you the front seat, an ordinary person would not dare to sit there and would definitely refuse in every possible way.

Song Shi'an, a native of Shandong, couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

Ever since he passed the exam to become a selected graduate for a government-sponsored program in Guizhou, he has been eating New Year's Eve dinner with his great-grandfather in the countryside.

Human Relationships and Social Skills

Next, we'll assign seats.

"Young Master Fan, please have a seat."

A steward directed Fan Wuji to sit next to Sun Heng. Although he declined, he still took the seat.

The eldest son of a military family, he was highly respected by the people and ranked third in the imperial examination.

Sitting here, no one thinks there's anything wrong with it.

It could even be said that it was what everyone hoped for.

"Young Master Hu, please have a seat."

The son of the Sizhou Zhizhong, who held the rank of fourth-grade official and was ranked ninth in the imperial examinations, was also the eldest son of the legitimate wife and was assigned to sit next to Sun Qian.

At this moment, everyone suddenly became somewhat sensitive.

What about the top scholar (解元)?
There's no problem with having Fan Wuji there; it makes sense no matter how you look at it.

Hu Yu's father was not as high-ranking as Song Shi'an's father, and he did not perform as well in the exam. Was it simply because he was the eldest son of the legitimate wife?
Could this be...?
Gradually, the positions were assigned one by one.

All the students, except for Song Shi'an, sat on both sides.

At this point, everyone realized that this was no longer a matter of allocation.

There are ten students in total.

There are ten locations in total.

But there is also Sun Heng, the eldest son of Sun Situ.

In other words, there are eleven people, but only ten seats.

Finally, upon discovering there was a vacancy, Sun Heng angrily stood up and yelled at the butler, "You scoundrel! What kind of work is this?"

"This old servant deserves to die! I miscounted the number of people... Please forgive me, young master!"

The butler hurriedly stepped forward in a panic and knelt down to admit his mistake.

"Hurry up and make room for Young Master Song!" Sun Heng was already red with anger.

Upon seeing this, the butler quickly withdrew.

Everyone stared at Song Shi'an, who was standing in the middle, filled with tension.

Until a servant brought in a small wooden table and a cloth mat, and placed it in the corner.

(End of this chapter)