Frost for a Thousand Years

“Father, the confirmed news is that Huai County is in complete chaos. That Eunuch Lian claims to be seriously ill and doesn't even dare to show his face. Ji Zhi is in charge of the overall situation, but there is still a tendency for it to collapse…”

Wu Qiong showed no joy, but calmly reported to his father, Li Guogong.

"What do you think?" Duke Li was also very calm, looking at his son beside him, and asked peacefully.

“Son…” Wu Qiong had previously guessed that even if Song Shi’an was not there, the land reclamation would not be in chaos and would still be completed smoothly. But now that this had happened, he remained silent for a while before saying, “Son thinks that the eunuchs are too incompetent.”

"Ye Changqing is the son of the Minister of Agriculture. What is he like?" the Duke of Li asked.

“One of the leading scholars, a newly powerful and influential figure,” Wu Qiong replied. “In terms of wisdom and methods, he is among the best of the young officials in the capital.”

After he finished speaking, he raised his head and looked at his father: "You mean, no one can accomplish this?"

"Of course not," the Duke of Li asked. "But do you think you are more capable than Ye Changqing?"

Wu Qiong knew what his father meant.

If sending a capable official could change the current outcome of failure, why not send Ye Changqing instead?

"My son thinks Ye Changqing's refusal is partly due to the difficulty of the matter, but more likely... he doesn't want to take the risk."

"What's the risk?"

“Let’s call the policies previously issued by Song Shi’an the ‘Song system’. If Ye Changqing comes to power, he will definitely follow the ‘Song system’. If the court breaks any promises, the responsibility will fall on him,” Wu Qiong said earnestly.

“Look, you are very clever,” said the Duke of Li. “Just as clever as the Crown Prince.”

This compliment made Wu Qiong feel very subtle.

Why do you call me so smart, as smart as a prince?

Isn't that unintelligent?
If the Crown Prince were wise, would he have put himself in such a predicament?
"People have to suffer a loss before they can truly understand themselves," the Duke of Li said with a detached sigh.

For example, even though his youngest son, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has reached this point, he still believes that the biggest problem with the Crown Prince is that he didn't play well.

Furthermore, he put himself in the role of the acting prefect, devised many plans, and ultimately deduced a victorious outcome.

In situations like this, lecturing alone is useless.

Of course, maintaining this mindset also has its benefits.

A sense of self-confidence that suggests one is invincible is essential for a renowned minister.

Wu Qiong listened to the instructions with her head down, but she still believed in her heart that it was definitely a problem with the operation.

If I were the prefect and held great power, I would never allow the accounts of the imperial palace to be inaccurate.

We will absolutely not allow the situation to descend into chaos or for the masses to go on strike.

"Father, what should we do next?" Wu Qiong asked.

"From now on, it all depends on the Crown Prince," the Duke of Li replied. "Whichever side the Crown Prince wants to take, he will take."

“Besides Song Shi’an, it must be us,” Wu Qiong said. “According to His Majesty’s thinking, he definitely wants the Crown Prince to side with us. Moreover, the Crown Prince has suffered such a great humiliation, and if he were to go back to beg Song Shi’an at this time, he would absolutely find it unbearable.”

"You are very smart."

This is the second time today that the Duke of Li has used this word to describe his son.

The first "smart" clearly means he is superficial and only sees the surface of things.

But where is the surface level?

Wasn't it because of his stubbornness that the Crown Prince broke up with Song Shi'an?

Now that he's made a mistake, he's eagerly going back to ask him for help. This kind of humiliation would be unbearable for an ordinary person. He is the Crown Prince, who is almost the emperor. Even after all this, he's unwilling to ask his old noble friends in Qinzhou for a helping hand?

"Go and have a talk with Ye Changqing," the Duke of Li suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, Wu Qiong's face immediately lit up, and he said, "Father, I will definitely discuss with him and come up with a result that satisfies you."

"Well, do it well."

The Duke of Li gently stroked the armrest, offering words of encouragement in a calm manner.

.........

That night, a man came to Ye Changqing's residence to request an audience.

After learning that it was Wu Qiong, he pondered for a while before sending someone to lead him into the mansion.

The two met amicably in the lobby.

"Is the Minister of Agriculture already asleep?" Wu Qiong asked.

“My father is quite old, unlike young people. He was already asleep an hour before Young Master Wu arrived,” Ye Changqing joked.

"Indeed, our arrival was somewhat abrupt." After taking a sip of tea, Wu Qiong looked at Ye Changqing and asked with great concern, "Has something happened in Huai County?"

Faced with this probing question, Ye Changqing nodded and said, "Yes, there are some problems."

For the powerful and wealthy, such news is not considered military intelligence. After all, Huai County is not too far from Sheng'an, and there is no need to be hypocritical and pretend not to know about such matters.

Seeing him at this time is not for feigned politeness.

"Alas, I never imagined that Huai County would encounter such a huge problem without Lord Song," Wu Qiong sighed. "It's a pity that Lord Song is unwell and unable to stabilize the situation."

"I was indeed unwell before, but I don't know how I've gotten recently," Ye Changqing said, keeping his mouth shut.

He was trying to trick himself into revealing information.

The official explanation given for Song Shi'an's resignation was to recuperate from illness.

Therefore, logically speaking, even if Huai County is in chaos, a patient should not be allowed to return to the mountains.

However, Ye Changqing could only say that he was indeed unable to go before due to illness, and it was unclear whether he had recovered or was able to go again.

However, everyone knows that Song Shi'an's intelligent injury diagnosis system can't produce a real injury report.

“Many of those grain merchants from Huai County came from Qinzhou. They wanted to profit from the national crisis, and now they’re fleeing to Qinzhou again,” Wu Qiong said indignantly. “Although my father was unaware of this beforehand, he is also very ashamed that such a bunch of scoundrels came from Qinzhou at this critical juncture.”

A classic example of starting soft and then hard.

Isn't it true that you, the Crown Prince, can't bring yourself to ask for favors?

Then we, the people of Qinzhou, should admit our mistake first.

They also bear responsibility for not controlling what happened below.

Therefore, they have an obligation to resolve this matter.

"This has nothing to do with the Duke, there's no need to blame yourself," Ye Changqing said. "Besides, they're not all from Qinzhou, there are quite a few from Sizhou and Fujun as well."

That's right, Sun Qian got involved too.

So the Sun family was kicked out.

You nobles certainly have a responsibility.

“Lord Ye,” Wu Qiong looked at him earnestly and said, “You are the Crown Prince’s trusted minister, his right-hand man. Now that this has happened, we hope you can convey some of our thoughts to the Crown Prince.”

"Please speak, young master." Ye Changqing raised his hand.

"The matter of military farming is a matter of national importance. It was only because Lord Song laid the foundation that we were able to have this opportunity to enrich the national treasury. Although the gentry of Qinzhou were unable to help Your Highness in previous matters," Wu Qiong moved his arm slightly forward, leaned closer, and said sincerely, "Now that such a major event has occurred, we very much hope to help Your Highness. Whether it's providing manpower, labor, money, or grain, isn't it all our duty?"

He had already been so blunt, Ye Changqing could no longer pretend to be ignorant. However, he still feigned deep thought, holding a cup of tea and slowly sipping it.

.........

"Your Highness, Lord Ye requests an audience."

Just as the crown prince was still suffering from insomnia in his palace, a eunuch came to report.

Upon hearing this, he immediately sat up, instantly becoming alert.

Ye Changqing had vaguely advised himself several times before to invite Song Shi'an back and not to replace him.

Even if he didn't say it directly, the fault lies with me, and there's no reason to blame him.

"Zisheng." The Crown Princess also sat up and said to him, "Ye Changqing's arrival now, so urgently, must be for something important."

“I know,” the Crown Prince said. “After all, it’s not long until dawn.”

"What will you say when he arrives?" The Crown Princess was still somewhat worried.

"Are you afraid that he rejected my appointment before, and now that something has happened, he comes to me first, and I'll think he's here to mock me?" the Crown Prince asked with a smile.

"..." After being caught off guard, the Crown Princess hesitated for a moment before asking, "What are you thinking?"

“At this moment, I was wrong, and I am in the most awkward situation,” the Crown Prince said. “He rejected me before, so how could he not be afraid that I would blame him now? Even so, the fact that he still came in the middle of the night shows his loyalty and goodwill.”

The Crown Princess was especially surprised that he could say such a thing.

Because these past few days, he has nearly collapsed and has been furious on several occasions.

This composure made the Crown Princess realize that the Prince of Wu had once been the one who, despite being at a disadvantage in the power struggle between the two princes, had won repeatedly.

But there was one thing she didn't understand.

Does triggering his status as a wise ruler necessarily require adversity?
“Father is right. No matter who was in charge at that time, they would have failed. He was right to refuse me.” After reflecting on his actions, the Crown Prince said to the eunuch, “Let him go to the Taiyuan Hall. I will wait for him there.”

"Yes."

.........

Ye Changqing entered the palace late at night, led by a eunuch, and walked along the alley leading to the main hall.

As far as he knew, the Crown Prince learned of the great turmoil in Huai County the day before yesterday.

At that time, in his most angry and panicked state, he did not summon him.

That means I shouldn't have gone at that time.

If you go, you'll definitely be blamed.

After all, people lose their rationality when they are angry.

Now, it's almost time to have a proper conversation.

And so, he was led to the main hall by the eunuchs.

Standing at the bottom of the steps was the Crown Prince, who looked visibly haggard and pale, gazing at him with great sorrow.

"Your Highness, Changqing has come to apologize."

Ye Changqing immediately knelt down and kowtowed, admitting his mistake without hesitation.

"Changqing, let's not talk about this anymore." The Crown Prince stepped forward to help her up, then shook his head and criticized himself bitterly, "I was completely wrong. I should have agreed to Song Shi'an's request in the first place. The land reclamation project was his achievement from beginning to end. I couldn't take credit for it, nor did I have the ability to do so."

"Your Highness is too kind," Ye Changqing quickly said. "This land reclamation project has been achieved precisely because Your Highness has shouldered so much pressure."

“That’s right. I was wise before, as a decision-maker.” The Crown Prince knew very well, “but when it comes to governing counties and developing agricultural settlements to enrich the people, I am no match for those who actually do the work. Similarly, those eunuchs are eunuchs, not real officials.”

After suffering such a huge loss, the Crown Prince concluded that he had been taking things for granted.

Even though the emperor saw him making such a mistake, he didn't point it out because he wanted him to understand this principle—an emperor cannot take things for granted.

"Your Highness is wise."

Knowing that the Crown Prince was now ready to resolve the issue, Ye Changqing relaxed a bit and joked with him, "I came here suddenly tonight because I knew Your Highness couldn't sleep."

"How can I possibly sleep at a time like this?" the Crown Prince said with a self-deprecating laugh. "That's the grain from nearly five million acres of land."

"But the grain is still there," Ye Changqing said reassuringly.

"Indeed." The Crown Prince nodded, then asked curiously, "So, did you come to see me tonight because it's urgent?"

"Your Highness, Wu Qiong has come to see me," Ye Changqing said.

"The son of the Duke of Li?" The Crown Prince frowned and asked, "What did he say?"

Then, Ye Changqing recounted Wu Qiong's visit and conversation with him with almost perfect accuracy.

"They provided manpower, money, and even provisions," the Crown Prince murmured. "They truly offered help in a time of need."

"Yes, this is a very good time."

“But if we let them do the work, wouldn’t that be going against our original intention?” the crown prince said.

"Your Highness, I have something to say," Ye Changqing said.

"Changqing, please speak," the Crown Prince said hastily.

"The purpose of this land reclamation project is not just to harvest all the grain," Ye Changqing reminded him. "This year's land reclamation project will continue next year and the year after."

“Furthermore, we must expand the scale,” the Crown Prince said.

"Yes," Ye Changqing replied.

"I understand." The Crown Prince looked ahead and said seriously, "The success of this land reclamation project is due to three factors: first, the cooperation of aristocratic families by sacrificing their own interests; second, the efforts of Song Shi'an to win over grain merchants; and third, the belief among the people that land reclamation is a better change than being tenant farmers."

If powerful families, especially noble families, were to get involved, all three of these points would be uncertain.

Why should other aristocratic families lose money to cooperate when noble families are making money?

Grain merchants suffered a heavy loss at the hands of the government, so why should they trust the government again?
If the nobility got involved in the land reclamation project, why should the common people still get 30% of the grain?
This does not conform to the law of conservation of food.

There are certainly advantages to letting nobles get involved.

That means this land reclamation project has been completed, and these five million mu of imperial land will continue to serve as the granary of the Great Yu Kingdom, solving the food shortage problem of Great Yu for a long period of time.

Of course, in the long run, this will eventually lead to redundant officials and excessive spending.

"Moreover," the Crown Prince said, "after ceding the military farms to the nobles, what I truly betrayed was not my original intention, but Song Shi'an's grand ambition."

Song Shi'an was single-mindedly working with the Crown Prince to resist the privileged class, but when he turned around, he saw the Crown Prince with his arms around the privileged class.

"Changqing is willing to visit Song Shi'an."

Ye Changqing, mindful of the Crown Prince's feelings, said...

"No."

The Crown Prince refused outright, then said solemnly, "I will handle this myself." (End of Chapter)