Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 88 Ji Yuan
I submerged my hands in the water in the wooden tub and vigorously scrubbed them back and forth.

I raised my hands, looking at my palms. The transparent water droplets, after a dazzling moment in the sunlight, gradually turned crimson...

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead and dripped into the water, creating ripples.

Continue, Song Shi'an washed his hands vigorously, faster and faster.

Suddenly, a hand reached out in front of him.

"I'm super!"

Song Shi'an was startled and instinctively jabbed out with his elbow.

It bumped directly into Xinyue's face, elbowing her a few steps away.

Covering her mouth and nose with one hand, Xinyue was in pain, though she didn't utter a word.

"You startled me." Song Shi'an exclaimed in surprise, "Are you alright?"

"..." Xin Yue, covering her mouth and nose, shook her head without saying a word, and then handed him the burlap in her other hand.

"Thank you." Song Shi'an took the burlap and wiped the water off his hands.

There was no color on the towel.

But he could always smell the blood on his own hands.

That Zhang Ting guy, really is something else.

Couldn't there be less bleeding?
“This is how it is the first time,” Xin Yue said to Song Shi’an after she had adjusted herself.

"I am okay."

Song Shi'an shook his head and said firmly, "Blood will definitely be shed. When Ji Yuan arrives, even more people will die. I must adapt quickly and not let any wavering emotions affect my judgment and actions."

This world is certainly not a gentle place.

Everyone is capable of dying.

Moreover, they were almost all unnatural deaths.

War, plague, famine, and floods are all things that cannot be avoided by humankind.

He must abandon these useless hesitations as soon as possible.

At any time, in any circumstance, Song Shi'an is always the most stubborn one.

So that sword strike was to ensure that he and everyone else could start on a level playing field.

Furthermore, ordering someone to kill someone and having someone else kill someone are different.

Xiao Wei also needs to go through this step in order to grow.

Right now, he's just getting a little too comfortable.

Both light and shadow should be explored.

"Was your first murder like this?" Song Shi'an asked Xin Yue.

Xin Yue looked at the curious man and said, "I forgot."

Forget it, my foot.

You just don't want to talk about it.

If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it.

No, I'll just ask anyway.

"Since His Highness has been in the palace the whole time, and you are so experienced, could it be that His Highness also instructed you to do some murder and robbery?" Song Shi'an asked with a naive and curious expression.

Then, Xinyue did not answer.

"Forget it, I won't ask anymore."

Song Shi'an avoided looking at her, maintaining a distance.

"Your Highness has never ordered me to kill anyone."

After Song Shi'an stopped insisting, Xin Yue spoke up instead, saying, "I was fifteen years old when I started following Your Highness."

"It only started last year?" Song Shi'an asked in surprise.

"I don't know how you guessed, but it's been four years already."

Xinyue seemed completely unconcerned about revealing her age.

Of course, Song Shi'an's playful remark praising her youth had no effect whatsoever.

However, it's not that women in ancient times didn't care about such things; it's just that they didn't care.

"Before I was fifteen, I always worked as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) with a group of people." Not too bothered by it, Xinyue brought up her past.

"Oh my, it's a镖人 (bodyguard/escort)."

No wonder Song Shi'an sensed a bit of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) vibe in her.

“The Northern Liang region produces a lot of animal hides, but they sell for a higher price in the Dayu region, so merchants often travel across the border. Our job is to safeguard the goods for these people.”

When asked about this incident, Xin Yue casually recounted, "Once, we encountered some ruthless bandits on the road. All of our men were killed, leaving only me. So, I delivered the goods to Sheng'an by myself and handed them over to the owner. On the street, I met the Sixth Prince and followed him."

"Your life is truly fascinating." Song Shi'an felt that the woman's mysterious aura had intensified.

You're like a cowboy from a Western movie.

"You are still more amazing."

Xin Yue looked at Song Shi'an and said.

"Both were wonderful, both were wonderful."

Song Shi'an clenched his fist and bowed.

"What are you talking about? It's so wonderful!"

Just then, His Highness came over with a smile.

"Let's talk about some experiences in killing." Song Shi'an smiled and bowed to him.

"I had Zheng Tong do it. He announced that Zhang Ting was executed for treason and that the evidence was filed. As for Zhang Gong and the others, I ordered them to be imprisoned," Wei Wusheng said.

These were things that Song Shi'an should have been doing.

But having just gone through such a difficult time, Wei Wusheng gave him some time to recover.

“Your Highness,” Song Shi’an suggested, “anyone who wants to offer condolences or visit Lord Zhang should be allowed to go. However, we must prevent them from having any conversations or for their letters to circulate.”

"Are you going to spread the news that Zhang Gong is not dead, to shut those people up?" Wei Wusheng asked.

“That’s right.” Song Shi’an nodded. “We… I killed Zhang Ting, and the outside world will definitely spread rumors that we also killed Zhang Gong. Since that’s the case, let him show his face more often to show that order is still there.”

Using the charge of "colluding with the enemy" to kill Zhang Ting was already far-fetched; we shouldn't amplify this sense of panic.

In fact, there is only one golden standard to determine whether a person has been brutally murdered under the power of the strong—whether the other party allows him to appear.

If someone insists he's not dead, but refuses to show himself no matter what, then he's almost certainly dead.

After all, no one wants to be at a disadvantage in terms of public opinion.

"Your Highness!" Just then, a newly promoted officer rushed over, seemingly with something important to report.

But seeing that there were quite a few people, he hesitated.

“Say it, we’re all on the same side,” Wei Wusheng said nonchalantly.

So he reported: "A small boat sailed down the Chishui River and landed on the shore under General Luo's banner. The person who came was a centurion, but he was unwilling to enter the city. After I met with him alone, he said that General Luo asked Your Highness to release the navy back to Langya."

"How is it?" Wei Wusheng asked Song Shi'an.

After thinking for a moment, Song Shi'an said, "We don't have a general who can make good use of the navy, and Shuofeng doesn't have a water fortress for defense. It's one thing if we can't use it well, but if Ji Yuan takes it over, then we'll really be in a desperate situation."

"Then put it back."

Without hesitation, Wei Wusheng decided, "Then let's also take back the soldiers who were crippled in the previous battle, about a thousand of them."

"Excellent, excellent."

Song Shi'an agreed with the suggestion and genuinely felt that Xiao Wei had grown up.

In ancient wars… no, in all wars, the statistics for wounded and dead were combined.

While casualties may seem serious, in actual military operations, injuries are more detrimental to combat effectiveness than deaths.

If a soldier is wounded, at least one or two soldiers are needed to care for him, so the loss of two or three combatants is immediate. But even if combatants are lost, food still needs to be consumed.

Why not just abandon the wounded?

No regular army in the world does this.

If a soldier is to be abandoned and left to die after being wounded while serving a general, then there are only two paths to survival for him.

First, avoid fighting to prevent injury.

Second, I'll sell your life.

“General Luo wants to take our navy, so our wounded soldiers have no reason to refuse,” Wei Wusheng joked.

Seeing that Xiao Wei was also getting mischievous, Song Shi'an couldn't hold back any longer: "When did it really become ours?"

Both of them couldn't help laughing.

The slightly oppressive atmosphere from before has also improved considerably.

Looking at Song Shi'an, a man who had driven himself to the point of being somewhat morbid, Wei Wusheng said, "Shi'an, don't take all of Zhang Gong's words to heart."

"Ok?"

Song Shi'an was puzzled.

"What emperor? The Wei family will discard you once they've used you."

Wei Wusheng looked into his eyes and solemnly promised, "As long as I live, I will protect you forever."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Song Shi'an nodded and smiled slightly. "I believe you."

"Is there any way to handle the impeachment?"

This was the most unpleasant thing for Wei Wusheng.

“The Song and Cui families won’t be detained and imprisoned in the Dali Temple just like that. But they will probably be suspended from their duties for a while, especially the Song family,” Song Shi’an said.

"As long as nothing serious happens, everything will be resolved when we get back." After saying that, Wei Wusheng asked, "How can we cover up your role in the power grab by having the joint impeachment made known to His Majesty?"

"Your Highness, it doesn't matter anymore. Let it be."

Song Shi'an has come to terms with it.

If it's an open game, then it's an open game.

The downside is that they won't even act anymore.

But there are also advantages.

Your Majesty, look! The immense credit for defeating Ji Yuan belongs entirely to me.

…………

Black clouds are threatening to destroy the city.

Under the command of General Han Yuan, who defended the north for more than ten years, the city walls of this formidable fortress in the north were raised by two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) and thickened by six chi (approximately 1.3 meters) inside and out. The moat was so deep that it could be filled with water and large ships could sail through it.

Nearly 100,000 Qi troops surrounded the city from all sides, making it impenetrable.

Arrows were plentiful and poured down like raindrops.

The catapults, lined up in formation, rained down meteors upon the city.

The soldiers on the city wall had no time to rest, fighting desperately to defend themselves against the enemy.

If an opening is breached, the enemy will surge forth like a river bursting its banks, destroying everything in its path.

The shouts and cries of battle were deafening.

The blood of the Qi people and the Yu people flowed endlessly, staining the earth red.

It complements the sunset glow on the horizon.

On the hillside, a man clad in scale armor sat alone, his hands resting on his knees, calmly gazing at the fierce battle raging in Wuwei.

At this moment, Chen Xing, a military advisor dressed in official robes, struggled up the slope, panting slightly: "Your Majesty."

Upon seeing him, Ji Yuan smiled faintly and said, "Lord Chen, sit here; it's windy."

Chen Xing sat down next to Ji Yuan, and after catching his breath, said, "The reinforcements from the pseudo-Yu have arrived and are already at Shuofeng. Just as Your Majesty guessed, they really are unwilling to give up Beiliang, and have even replaced Zhao Xiang with a new general."

"Who is leading this?" Ji Yuan asked.

Chen Xingdao: "Wei Wusheng."

"Wei?" Upon hearing this surname, Ji Yuan pondered, "A member of the royal family?"

"He is a prince of the false Yu dynasty."

"He has this son?" Ji Yuan had no recollection of it. "Isn't his son named Wei Yixuan and Wei Yiyun? One is the Prince of Jin, and the other is the Prince of Wu."

“Wei Wusheng is his sixth son. He was born backwards, which caused the death of his mother. Wei Ye disliked him greatly and never granted him a title. So, this is his first time leading troops, and he seems to be only twenty-one years old,” Chen Xing explained.

"That's to reassure the people."

Ji Yuan succinctly revealed the essence of the matter.

“That was originally the plan, and he even only brought a thousand Imperial Guards.” Looking at Ji Yuan, Chen Xing said seriously, “But according to reports from the scouts at the front, Wei Wusheng seized the military power and supplies of Langya and took them to Shuofeng.”

Hearing this, Ji Yuan was also taken aback. Then, a hint of surprise appeared on his face: "He has such a courageous son?"

“Besides him, there was another child of about the same age named Song Shi’an, a son of a noble family who passed the provincial examination with top honors. I heard he came here on his own initiative,” Chen Xing guessed. “He was probably the one who initiated the coup in Langya.”

Ji Yuan fell into thought.

Chen Xing said with delight, "Two inexperienced children have taken power and even seized control of their own territories. They will surely face pressure from the rear. Your Majesty, may Heaven bless the Great Qi!"

"Do not."

Ji Yuan slowly shook his head and judged, "On the contrary, the nature has completely changed."

(End of this chapter)