Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 93 This city is mine!

"Lord Song, please come in."

Soldiers came out of the hall and spoke to Song Shi'an.

Nodding slightly and holding the imperial staff, Song Shi'an prepared to ascend the steps. At this moment, a soldier stepped forward and said, "Lord Song, the prince requests a body search."

Upon hearing this, even though his attitude had remained polite, Song Shi'an, as a seventh-rank official of the imperial court, couldn't remain completely unperturbed; that would be too much of a coward. So, he raised his hands in displeasure and said, "Search."

The soldier then searched him from head to toe and shook his head.

Next, they searched Xinyue's body.

“How dare you! This is a tribute to the princes!” Song Shi’an rebuked.

The man immediately withdrew his hand, no longer daring to act rashly.

Indeed, no one can touch a prince's woman first.

At least, as a subordinate of the lord of Wulei City.

Besides, she's just a pretty woman.

And so, Song Shi'an and Xin Yue entered the hall together.

Wang Shen sat high above, his gaze fixed on Song Shi'an. But his eyes, fixed on the woman beside him, revealed a lewd smile.

It is indeed extremely beautiful.

She had never had a woman like that before.

Wei Wusheng is quite sincere.

"Prince".

Holding the imperial staff, Song Shi'an gave the fat man a fawning smile: "I have long admired your name. It is an honor to meet you today. You are indeed noble and distinguished, like a god."

Seeing him like this, the steward and the prince standing to the side exchanged a very satisfied look.

He did not come to coerce anyone.

Instead, one must rely on oneself.

This way, you don't have to worry about the other side suddenly turning against you and launching a forced siege.

Presumably, Wei Wusheng doesn't have the energy for that now.

"Lord Song is as handsome as the legends say," the prince smiled, then extended his hand, "Please sit down."

So Song Shi'an sat down in a seat on the side.

Xin Yue stood rather reservedly beside him, her hands on her flat stomach, her head bowed. Although she looked a bit cold, her quiet demeanor created a contrasting image of docility.

You can have a cold face, but your heart doesn't deserve to be cold.

That's what makes it fun.

From his seat, Song Shi'an could see the soldiers outside the door.

His shadow was also clearly visible.

"What brings Lord Song here today?" the prince asked.

There were four guards with swords inside the hall, and two more outside. His dog son was also standing guard outside. In addition, there was a steward present. So, Song Shi'an said with some difficulty, "Your Highness wishes to have a very private conversation with the Prince... May we speak in private for a moment?"

Seeing his reaction, Wang Shen immediately became wary.

But the steward beside him quickly said, "They are all absolutely trustworthy confidants, Lord Song has no need to worry."

Don't get agitated, Your Highness. This is normal; it's normal in negotiations.

While it's normal, we certainly can't create opportunities for him to meet privately.

What if the boss gets kidnapped?
"That's good." Song Shi'an said, seemingly unconcerned.

This attitude further convinced the manager that he wasn't planning on doing anything gruesome or bloody.

The prince was now even more reassured.

Currently, there are nine adult men on our side, including six soldiers. Unless Song Shi'an is a war god, he would not be able to capture him in this situation with his bare hands.

He didn't even close the door, which made things more convenient for Song Shi'an.

Although the sunlight streams in through the window and casts shadows, the time can be determined directly by the shadow of the guard outside the door, without having to glance around randomly.

"Has the person I sent to the Sixth Prince arrived yet?" the prince suddenly asked, adding, "Just now, His Highness asked us, the powerful clans of Wulei, to come up with a suitable candidate for a gathering at the mountain villa outside Shuofeng."

He didn't send anyone out at all.

But that's what he said.

“This? I don’t know,” Song Shi’an said. “I don’t think I saw it when I was in Shuofeng City. But I set off yesterday, so I might have arrived today. Qi County is a bit far, isn’t it?”

"That's good." Wang Shen nodded and joked, "I even sent my own nephew over."

"The prince values ​​this so highly; he is truly loyal and devoted," Song Shi'an replied perfunctorily.

"So, does His Highness have any orders for us to receive when he summons us here?" the prince asked.

Song Shi'an hesitated for a moment, but after thinking it over, he still spoke up: "To be honest, Your Highness, the situation in Shuofeng is quite dire. Your Highness is determined to resist Ji Yuan, but unfortunately, there is a shortage of food and supplies. Therefore, I would like to ask the powerful clans and wealthy families to raise some military funds for the court."

"I see." Wang Shen nodded and looked at the manager.

The steward understood his meaning and said, "It is our duty to fight the enemy for the court. As for provisions, we will do our best to procure them. In a few days, we will personally send someone to deliver them to the north wind."

“In that case…” Song Shi’an was quite embarrassed, then asked, “When I leave today, could I take some with me?”

Although Song Shi'an's mind wasn't on such trivial matters, he needed to make the other party feel that he genuinely had ulterior motives. Only in this way could his intentions appear more sincere.

Sure enough, when it came to negotiations involving real money, Wang Shen became serious: "But we'll need food to defend Wulei and resist Ji Yuan."

“Ji Yuan’s focus should be on Shuofeng, so the Prince should not be under as much pressure.” As he spoke, Song Shi’an looked at Xin Yue again, “His Highness still hopes that the Prince can share his burdens.”

Upon hearing this, the prince also looked at the beautiful woman.

Exquisitely beautiful, absolutely exquisitely beautiful.

The Sixth Prince is trying to trade beautiful women for food.

Given such a generous gift, it would be a bit too stingy to refuse anything in return.

At the same time, it also offended Wei Wusheng.

If a woman wants something but isn't given the food, isn't that asking for a beating?

“Defending our territory and resisting the enemy is also our duty.” Wang Shen gritted his teeth and said, “Lord Song, when you leave, please take a thousand shi of grain with you.”

He would give away a thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) at a time.

During the war, this gang of bandits was wealthier than the powerful families in the city.

Xinyue is worth so much.

Lord Wang really likes her.

Song Shi'an really didn't expect the effect to be so good. He only knew that Xin Yue was beautiful and had the qualities of an assassin. But who would have thought that she wouldn't even need to dress up, just change into girls' clothes and let her hair down, and she would be stunningly beautiful.

It's no exaggeration to say that Jimei has a good foundation.

"Could you have a little more?" Song Shi'an pleaded earnestly.

"I've emptied my pockets to scrape together this much grain." After a moment of hesitation, Wang Shen looked up and said, "I'll give you a few more cartloads of hay. In wartime, it's an important military supply."

"Alright," Song Shi'an said with difficulty, making the decision.

By this time, the shadow outside the door had shrunk to the size of a miniature figurine.

But the shortest distance is still just a little bit short.

Of course, that's about right.

Slowly, Song Shi'an got up.

"Lord Song, is there nothing else?" Wang Shen asked curiously.

"Your Highness, there was actually no secret discussion here." With a smile, Song Shi'an said helplessly, "It's just that His Highness is really short of food and asked me to go around and collect it. I got a thousand shi from Your Highness, and I still need to ask for another thousand shi."

"Hahaha." Wang Shen laughed, saying sarcastically, "I can understand. He's just doing his master's bidding. The Sixth Prince really has it tough."

Wang Shen was quite satisfied with Song Shi'an's apparent predicament.

I felt extremely happy.

The arrogant scholar who cursed Situ in Sheng'an was nothing more than someone who had read so much that he had lost all sense of reason.

When you arrive at the frontier and war breaks out, even if there's no food, you still have to obediently beg for food with a bowl in hand.
Qian Ne is the courage of a hero.

In wartime, food is the courage of heroes!
The steward, while tentatively believing Song Shi'an, still wondered if someone who could criticize Situ could be so flexible and adaptable.
Then, he suddenly asked, "Lord Song, have you heard any rumors lately?"

These words calmed Song Shi down a bit.

Wang Shen also became serious.

"What rumors?" Song Shi'an asked.

"For example, Ji Yuan wants to win over our prince and even promises him the position of prefect," the steward asked calmly.

Wang Shen's gaze was fixed entirely on Song Shi'an's face.

This was a test that was planned from the beginning.

The purpose was to find out about that letter.

In fact, they all knew that Wei Wusheng already knew about that letter.

However, you cannot use this as leverage.

If you dare to say such things and use them as leverage, Wang Shen will immediately turn hostile.

Now, we can detain Song Shi'an!
"No." With a slight smile, Song Shi'an answered decisively to the prince.

"Are there people spreading rumors?" Wang Shen asked.

“There isn’t one at the moment, but if there is, Your Highness will certainly have it escorted here by the Prince, so that he may deal with it as he sees fit,” Song Shi’an said.

"If such a person is sent over, I will raise another thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) for the Sixth Prince and send it over as well," Wang Shen promised.

Open cards.

Now that you know, I'm sorry.

But what can you do?
Return the letter and the person, and I will give you another thousand bushels of grain.

Then everyone can live peacefully and with dignity.

“Alright, I will go and speak with His Highness.”

Nodding to Wang Shen, Song Shi'an turned to face the door, preparing to leave.

Xin Yue slowly walked towards the prince, her back to Song Shi'an.

Upon seeing this beauty arrive, Wang Shen's eyes gleamed like a greedy wolf. He licked his lips, stood up, and said, "Come here."

"I would like to give the prince something."

Xin Yue looked at her and said.

His emotions were immediately stirred by the charming female voice, and the prince asked with a smile, "What is it?"

Slowly, Xinyue lifted the hem of her skirt with one hand.

Her fair calves were gradually revealed.

The prince's eyes widened further, and his smile grew increasingly slick.

The other soldiers couldn't help but look over as well.

Until it reached the knees, there was a blackened bamboo strip, tightly bound to the leg with a cloth strip.

"It's a knife."

In an instant, Xin Yue drew the small bamboo knife that was tied behind her back, and slashed it horizontally across the neck of the man in front of her, so fast that only a blur remained.

Instantly, blood erupted.

The soldiers and officers who had just been smiling and preparing to inspect the goods were now dumbfounded.

The next moment, everyone drew their knives and surrounded them.

With a thud, the prince fell to the ground.

"father!"

Young Master Wang also rushed in with his guards.

"Wang Shen is dead!!"

Holding up the imperial staff in one hand and half a letter in the other, he said, "This is half a letter from Wang Shen to Ji Yuan, proving his treason! You must surrender immediately, or the royal army outside the city will invade and leave no one alive after the city falls!"

This warning froze everyone in place.

Song Shi'an wasn't just making assumptions.

The bandit leader is dead, and now there is no one to give orders.

This is why we say, "To catch the thief, first catch the king."

Because an army without a commander is prone to mutiny when facing a formidable enemy.

Moreover, this is a motley crew.

"My father is dead, and now I am the city lord. Arrest this man!" Young Master Wang held a knife in his hand, ready to rush towards Song Shi'an.

But the next moment, Xin Yue flashed in front of Song Shi'an.

Blood bloomed on half of his face. Holding a bamboo knife horizontally, his eyes were icy cold, glaring at Young Master Wang like a vengeful ghost, completely protecting Song Shi'an behind him.

Young Master Wang immediately cowered, took a step back, and then roared, "Go! Grab these two! No, kill them!"

"Treason is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family! Do you want to come with me?!" Song Shi'an roared. "I am a confidant of the Sixth Prince! Are you here to kill me?!"

Killing them both would be very easy.

But they would never dare to kill without authorization.

You only get a few bushels of rice a month, why are you risking your life?
As long as Xinyue can beat this fat guy, there won't be any problems.

Clearly, that decisive strike just now revealed her killer nature.

A fatal blow to the throat, in an instant.

After killing someone, there's no need to finish them off; that's how confident I am.

"Still under the Sixth Prince? The Holy Emperor of Qi is coming, and this whole place belongs to Qi. At that time, I will be the Prefect of Shuojun, and you will all be officials appointed by the court!" The young master roared, his voice hoarse.

The six guards gripped their knives more firmly and began to look at each other.

To this, Song Shi'an smiled dismissively: "Look behind you."

"I do not watch!"

Holding the knife, Young Master Wang wouldn't fall for any tricks.

But soon, a soldier on horseback charged over, shouting before he could dismount: "There are a large number of cavalrymen and hundreds of Wei-character flags in front of the two city gates outside the city. The sky is full of dust. We are surrounded!"

These words chilled the young master Wang to the bone. The soldiers were terrified.

"The Great Qi Emperor is unable to come, but the royal army has arrived."

Facing the crowd, Song Shi'an roared, "I swear by Chishui that, apart from the Wang traitor's family, everyone else is innocent and will not suffer any retribution. Seize this traitor!"

"Seize these two thieves!" Young Master Wang roared. "As long as we hold the city, the Qi King's reinforcements will arrive soon. You are all under the orders of the court..."

Before he could finish speaking, the young master was kicked to the ground by a soldier behind him.

He turned around in astonishment and saw the stern-faced manager standing to the side. He cried out, "Help me!"

Without hesitation, the steward sat on him, grabbed his neck, and shouted to Song Shi'an, "Master! I've caught the ringleader!!"

(End of this chapter)