Frost for a Thousand Years

The Crown Prince lowered his posture to an alarming degree, which made Song Shi'an feel that the wisdom and forbearance he displayed in adversity were beyond what ordinary people could endure, and it was truly admirable.

This person will surely be able to turn the tide in times of adversity.

But don't ask where the headwinds came from.

Song Shi'an feigned surprise, staring blankly for several seconds. After taking full advantage of the Crown Prince, he quickly realized his mistake and bowed to him, saying, "Your Highness, please don't say that."

The two men bowed to each other, one as ruler and the other as subject.

The more accurate description of "feeling restless" is actually "being unable to talk about it".

Therefore, we need this heart-to-heart gesture to make those words less offensive.

"Shi'an, you know about what happened in Huai County, right?" the Crown Prince asked after standing up.

Song Shi'an also stood up, then nodded and calmly said, "My father told me this this morning."

"When you found out, Shi'an, you shouldn't have been surprised, right?" the Crown Prince asked with a slightly teasing tone.

After a moment of silence, Song Shi'an said, "Your Highness, I am very surprised."

"I, I didn't mean that."

The Crown Prince had intended to lighten the mood, but he inadvertently said, "It was all within your expectations." If the two were close, that would be fine. But now, Song Shi'an couldn't confide in him, so he apologized again, "I meant that under your leadership, the military farms have already exhausted all their resources and there's no way they could build a palace. I made a very foolish mistake based on my assumptions."

He rounded it very well.

Or perhaps that's what he meant to express, but given their current relationship, anything he says seems to have a hidden meaning, so they can only walk on thin ice.

"Your Highness's reputation is beyond my ability to match," Song Shi'an said, maintaining a respectful distance.

At this moment, the crown prince smiled, a smile that was both disappointed and bittersweet.

“You’re right. It’s not that I’m stupid. I just did what all the previous rulers of the Wei family had done.” The Crown Prince exclaimed, striking straight to the soul. “My abilities are not as good as my father’s, and I have no achievements, but I am no different from them. Every generation of the Great Yu is Wei Yiyun.”

These words were so heavy that even several heads dared not discuss such a topic, so Song Shi'an once again showed unease.

"However, the Great Yu Dynasty never had a Song Shi'an."

The Crown Prince's eyes were completely clear, and his tone was entirely sincere as he earnestly said, "Da Yu is not worthy of Song Shi'an."

"Your Highness!" Since the Crown Prince had opened his heart to this extent, Song Shi'an could no longer be evasive, so he said excitedly, "Are you truly afraid of me, or do you disagree with me?"

Song Shi'an revealed his true feelings.

But this one sentence led to the Crown Prince's elaborate schemes.

Because people with nothing to hide don't need to hesitate when answering this kind of question.

Only those with a guilty conscience will feel uneasy.

Then, after an extremely brief pause, almost imperceptible as to what he was thinking, the Crown Prince said, "Shi An, I am truly not afraid of you, and I have never considered you to be a threat to the Great Yu. The initial construction of the Huai County Palace was indeed intended to please the Emperor, and there is absolutely no falsehood in this!"

The Crown Prince made the right choice.

When you're having a heart-to-heart talk, you really should tell the truth.

However, the experiences between people are not a single point.

We cannot be sincere only in the present moment.

If the Crown Prince had truly said at that moment that he was asked to build the palace so that he could blend in with the world, he would have indeed been honest in that instant.

But if he truly feared him, then why did he allow him and Wei Wusheng to establish military power through land reclamation?
You are afraid of me.

But then he handed the army over to me.

Could that be interpreted as, "After you do this, you'll get rid of me?"

Therefore, we must never admit to this suspicion, not even under duress!
The crown prince's imperial aura is becoming increasingly profound.

This kid is looking more and more like his dad.

Song Shi'an remained sincere, his eyes shining as he gazed at the Crown Prince.

“I know you don’t believe me, and not many people would believe this.” The Crown Prince bit his lip, shook his head painfully, and then suddenly said with reddened eyes, “Shi’an, my father is not like your father, and we brothers are not like you brothers. My eldest brother was the Crown Prince for half his life, without any faults, and he was not weak or incompetent. Even at the very end, after killing my younger brother, he did not choose to stage a coup but simply committed suicide. Could he be a rebellious son with ulterior motives?”

At this point, the prince choked up.

There was no deliberate attempt to keep a straight face.

It was a completely genuine expression of my feelings.

“Shi’an, if our elder brother were still alive, we brothers would definitely be convinced and would have no intention of disloyalty.” The Crown Prince said, “Then is it the Prince of Ning’s fault? My younger brother was not even fourteen years old when he died, what did he know!”

The Imperial Guards outside the door were already trembling.

Song Shi'an, who was inside the door, listened with great enjoyment.

The crown prince said that in the case of the former crown prince's coup, neither the crown prince nor the Prince of Ning was wrong.

So who is at fault?

“Shi An, you should know that His Majesty originally intended to make Prince Jin the Crown Prince,” the Crown Prince continued. “But you don’t know that even after I was made Crown Prince, he felt that I was not as filial as Prince Jin.”

What the hell kind of logic is this?
Prince Jin acted subserviently in everything, leaving all decisions to his father, Emperor. Wasn't that just because he wanted to be 'filial'?

At that time, you thought the King of Jin was stupid.

Now, you've chosen me.

Then, he blames me for not being as filial as him?

Wei Ye, what exactly do you want? Tell me! Tell me what you want your sons to do!
"Your Majesty is wise beyond compare, and Your Majesty has the entire nation at heart." Song Shi'an wasn't afraid to speak, but with several Imperial Guards outside, how could he possibly fall for the Crown Prince's trick? Therefore, he had to make a serious statement, at least on this matter.

“It’s alright, just listen to me,” the Crown Prince said. “The reason we built the palace was to please the Emperor at this moment, so that I could secure my position as Crown Prince. I know that this was wrong. But as I said before, this is my first time being Crown Prince, and I didn’t know it would have such a bad impact.”

As for me, the Crown Prince, I wasn't born to be the Crown Prince. This is my first time being the Crown Prince, so please be understanding, Shi An.

"Your Highness, how could there possibly be any spare resources to build a new palace?" Song Shi'an asked with great distress.

“When you told me, I already had a sense of how difficult it would be. So after sending the eunuch to Huai County, I did my best to gather food and money for him.” The Crown Prince admitted with great shame, “At that time, I was really deceived and really thought that such a thing was not so wasteful of manpower and resources.”

"Your Highness," Song Shi'an looked at him, and after holding back for a long time, he couldn't help but speak, "That day when I resigned from my post, it must have provoked you, right?"

The prince, tears streaming down his face, tensed up. After a while, he closed his eyes and slowly nodded a few times.

These are solutions for couples arguing; you can learn from them.

Unless it's a matter of principle, if one party apologizes to this extent, and you want to accept it, instead of saying "I forgive you," you can give the other person a way out by saying "I wasn't in a good mood at the time." Rather than simply forgiving, this also expresses an attitude—"Baby, I know you were in the heat of the moment when you said those things (did those things), and you didn't really mean it that way."

“However, this should not be an excuse.” The Crown Prince raised his hand and said, “The weight of the world rests in my hands. I cannot abandon these millions of people because of a momentary impulse. It was a mistake to want to build a temporary palace in the first place. The failure of the military agricultural settlements this time is all my fault.”

“Your Highness, I greatly admire your thinking,” Song Shi’an said. “But Your Highness, you are unclear about many things in Sheng’an, and the real mistakes lie with those…”

At this point, Song Shi'an abruptly stopped, then changed his words, saying, "You're not the only one who's wrong."

“Shi An, I know you are disappointed,” the Crown Prince said. “But I really hope you can come and help me. The military settlements have gone so wrong that even noble families are trying to take advantage of the situation and share the profits. Only you can take charge of the situation again. Even if it’s not for me, please consider the 500,000 soldiers and civilians.”

Song Shi'an remained hesitant, his brow furrowed.

The crown prince immediately bowed again.

"Your Highness, you flatter me!" Song Shi'an immediately stopped him, and continued, "Shi'an not only wants to seek development for those 500,000 soldiers and civilians, but also wants to be loyal to Your Highness's country and its people!"

"Shi An, thank you, thank you."

The crown prince choked up again, looking at Song Shi'an with deep gratitude.

"Your Highness, it was all within Shi An's duty."

“Then what will happen?” The Crown Prince’s expression turned serious, and he said urgently, “You really have to go and put out the fire in Huai County. Please finish what you were about to say earlier.”

“Since Your Highness has asked, then I will speak frankly,” Song Shi’an said. “The officials in charge of the agricultural settlements know more about the situation in Huai County than Your Highness does. Yet, knowing this, they are all flattering and fawning upon you.”

“I understand,” the Crown Prince said. “All officials shall be dismissed and sent back to Sheng’an. Those officials who went to Sheng’an to curry favor during their tenure shall be severely punished and shall not be promoted or given important positions again.”

"Your Highness is wise." Song Shi'an bowed.

“But there are some who need to be given important positions.” With that, the Crown Prince took out two memorials and handed them to Song Shi’an. “These are your fellow Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).”

After reviewing the document, Song Shi'an nodded in approval and said, "They have indeed done their duty faithfully; that's the case in Huai County."

I'm trying to undermine your efforts, and you're trying to twist the facts.

Still protecting the princelings here, what a disgrace to the princelings.

"Furthermore, Wang Shuishan, the magistrate of Jing County, was also a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of your time. During the period of land reclamation, he resettled the people and relocated aristocratic families. Even when such a major event occurred, he remained calm in the face of danger and managed to stop the locust plague. He is definitely a good official who is dedicated to the country and the people and has outstanding abilities." The Crown Prince said, "Officials like this should definitely be highly commended. I suggest that he be directly appointed as the acting fifth-rank prefectural inspector, and then formally appointed afterward."

J, an official from a prefecture-level city.

"Your Highness is wise." Song Shi'an was very satisfied, but remained calm.

"The other officials who have been dismissed should also be replaced," the Crown Prince said. "You draft a list, and I'll have the Ministry of Personnel approve it as soon as possible."

“Your Highness, please appoint someone directly. Anyone who is capable will do.” Song Shi’an immediately refused.

"Don't refuse anymore. What kind of people are those officials I sent?" the Crown Prince said. "Shi'an, I'm really begging you. Please don't let these incompetent fools wreak havoc on Huai County."

"Your Highness, this..."

"Shi'an, please do it with confidence. Huai County is already in a bit of chaos," the Crown Prince pleaded. "All I want now is for the land reclamation to be completed. I'm entrusting this to you."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Song Shi'an reluctantly agreed to a major purge of officials in Huai County.

Song Chen didn't have that many; it's impossible for him to use all of his father's connections.

But the recommendation of those officials is his own doing, and the favor those people owe him is also his own.

"And another thing," the Crown Prince suddenly said solemnly, "Eunuch Lian must die."

Song Shi'an remained silent.

"The fault lies with me," the Crown Prince said helplessly, "but he is the one who must explain these mistakes. After all, he has indeed made many wrong decisions."

"Everything is up to Your Highness to decide." After saying that, Song Shi'an added, "Ji Zhi is also guilty. Putting aside the matter of the imperial palace, he should have been in charge of the land reclamation, but he showed no responsibility whatsoever."

“Shi An, I know you don’t want to protect your father’s old subordinates,” the Crown Prince said. “But there’s an eunuch there, and he’s even leading the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Ji Zhi wasn’t originally the Prefect, so what can he do? If I were to push the responsibility onto him, I would be too foolish.”

Thinking about it this way, my dad was truly amazing.

This move allowed Ji Zhi to continue serving as a Song official in a natural and unforced manner.

The head was precisely chopped off onto the eunuch.

“Then Your Highness, I must go to Huai County now,” Song Shi’an said.

"Right now?" the prince asked. "Isn't it a bit too hasty?"

"Your Highness, we cannot delay for even a moment."

Song Shi'an cherished the Tuntian (military settlements) as if they were his own children.

"Peace of mind."

The Crown Prince looked at Song Shi'an with deep emotion and extended his hand: "It is a great blessing for Great Yu to have you."

"Your Highness."

Song Shi'an also extended his hand and shook hands with the other party, completing the seal of reconciliation.

.........

That night, at Xuanyu Palace.

"Did the Crown Prince really say that?"

Upon learning of the content of their conversation, the emperor roared like a tiger, his imperial engine revving.

The Imperial Guards dared not speak, keeping their heads down, and merely nodded nervously.

Immediately, the emperor flew into a rage and roared:
"He ordered the palace to be built himself, what business is it of mine?!"

"If being the crown prince is so unfair, then I won't do it!"

"I killed the former crown prince and Prince Ning? Since I am so cruel, what's wrong with killing another crown prince!"

After shouting, the Imperial Guards immediately knelt on the ground, their faces prostrate.

However, after his initial fury, tears welled up in the emperor's eyes. He leaned back on his dragon throne, choking back tears, and cried out in anguish, "It's all my fault, all my fault..."

“What the Crown Prince said is absolutely right.”

With a sorrowful expression, the emperor raised his head and looked at the Imperial Guards, trembling as he said, "The Crown Prince need not report any of his words or actions to me anymore." (End of Chapter)