"Neither Lingshan nor the Mou Emperor intends to investigate the missing tribute case any further, so of course I must respect my clients' wishes. Besides, Mou was already secretly colluding with the rebels all along; perhaps the Shadow Tooth Guard was even..." He Lingchuan put on a solemn face. "It's just that Consort Mei didn't know. Furthermore, I only wanted to extract clues from her. Whether she lives or dies from here on—what does that have to do with me?"
Every land nurtures its own kind, and the Shanjin Plain had bred someone like Consort Mei. She could hardly be a lone exception, so killing or capturing her would achieve nothing.
"Don't think sparing her life once or twice will earn her lasting gratitude," He Lingchuan said lazily. "She has the temperament of a fox and a wolf; she sees through this world far more clearly than you do. If we ever cross paths with her again, we'll need to be twice as cautious."
Dong Rui sighed softly, his enthusiasm waning.
Some people and affairs across the Shanjin Plain were like drifting clouds gathering and dispersing—once parted, each went their separate ways.
The words Consort Mei had spoken echoed in He Lingchuan's mind as well:
*The Heavenly Dao is unjust, so I can only fight for what is mine!*
At least she had succeeded.
On the Shanjin Plain, and across this vast, turbid world, the wails of the weak ground beneath the millstones of fate rarely reached anyone's ears.
This chaotic, hopeless continent had thirsted for a shred of justice, a glimmer of hope, for far too long.
He Lingchuan had often wondered where the root of their misery truly lay.
Was it truly because the Heavenly Dao was unjust?
Dong Rui asked, "Where to now?"
"Into the palace." He Lingchuan already had a plan in mind. "We're going to see You Enguang."
They were on the outskirts of Xun City, so heading to the Peng royal palace was right on the way.
Only a few days had passed since the fall of the Bo Kingdom and the enthronement of the new sovereign. Peng was still in a period of transition, and internal strife had only just ceased.
When the two walked back into the capital, they saw no signs that public order had improved; the places that ought to be chaotic were still an utter mess.
Presumably, the new royal court had not yet found the time to deal with such minor details.
Upon arriving in Xun City, He Lingchuan entered the palace to pay his respects to the new ruler.
Having already dealt with You Enguang back at the Xiaoyao Sect, and with the Mou envoy tally in hand, he was granted smooth passage all the way through, quickly gaining an audience with the new king.
This time, He Lingchuan entered the palace to negotiate business with You Enguang in his capacity as Lord of Yangshan.
In truth, it would have been wiser to wait a few months and observe how things developed, but since he happened to be passing through, he might as well get it done while he was here.
Though the former Bo Kingdom had a poor foundation, Julu Port enjoyed an exceptionally advantageous location, making it the finest port in the entire central and western Shanjin Plain. Any realm from the west wishing to trade with the plain would almost certainly have to disembark here.
The Yangshan Archipelago was no exception.
He Lingchuan's dual identity was rather delicate: he was both a Mou envoy and the Lord of the Yangshan Archipelago. With both buffs stacked together, he became You Enguang's most welcome guest.
Following amicable negotiations, Yangshan caravans would see their customs duties at Julu Port slashed by half, while also enjoying numerous privileges in customs clearance, warehousing, and freight logistics. Furthermore, Yangshan merchants would receive preferential commercial tax rates across the entirety of Peng.
You Enguang had just inherited the King of Bo's disastrous mess—describing the state of affairs as "a thousand neglected tasks waiting to be revived" would not be an exaggeration. His mind was entirely consumed with how to raise money, so He Lingchuan's arrival to discuss cooperation played right into his hands. They hit it off immediately.
Among the clauses, there was another provision:
People of Yangshan were permitted to establish guards and escort agencies within Peng, accept private hire, and escort trade caravans.
In other words, the Yangshan Archipelago could legally station an armed presence in Peng. You Enguang had initially been reluctant to grant this. However, not only did the other terms He Lingchuan offered prove enticing, but You Enguang was also well aware of the state of Peng's trade routes—brigands ran rampant, and Peng's own army struggled to suppress them.
If you couldn't protect foreign merchants doing business in your land, it only stood to reason that they would raise their own forces to safeguard their caravans.
After all, who could blame them when the newborn Peng Kingdom was small and weak?
At such a delicate juncture, this disparity in status and national strength was precisely the opportunity and leverage He Lingchuan needed to secure the most favorable terms, and he seized it.
In the end, both sides made concessions regarding the guards' troop numbers, scale, and deployment locations, finally reaching an agreement.
Everyone was satisfied.
He Lingchuan wore a bright smile.
As long as an opening was made in policy to grant Yangshan forces "legal entry," any subsequent restrictions on scale, troop size, or locations could easily be bypassed.
After all, what human heart could resist the lure of gold?
An ant burrow that collapses a dyke wasn't dug in a single day, was it?
The mirror exclaimed, "The Shanjin Plain is a hard bone that nobody else can bite through—do you think your teeth are that good?"
"Bones make delicious broth when stewed." He Lingchuan never complained about sparse meat being tough to chew.
He had plenty of self-awareness. How long had Beijia and Mou been infiltrating the Shanjin Plain? How could the choice cuts of meat ever fall to him?
The Yangshan Archipelago needed the resources of the Shanjin Plain, especially its ores, but the security of the trade routes had always been a longstanding problem that no one could easily solve. Having Yangshan's own armed forces personally protect them was by far the best solution.
Not to mention, the ore veins across the Shanjin Plain were all held by mining tyrants or local factions. Terms agreed upon with them today might be repudiated tomorrow, or a few days later, a new gang might take power and disavow past debts.
How could doing business ever be simple? He Lingchuan had long grown accustomed to every sort of sordid mess.
On the Shanjin Plain in particular, doing business by the book was practically impossible. Yet if your fists were hard enough, people would start treating you with courtesy.
How did the saying go? *Trouble is like a spring: press hard, and it gives way; yield, and it pushes back.*
Only by stationing military force could a steady, low-cost supply of ore be guaranteed. He Lingchuan intended to keep this supply line firmly in his own hands to the greatest extent possible.
More importantly, You Enguang's permission to introduce armed force into Peng meant that the Yangshan Archipelago had openly extended its reach into the Shanjin Plain!
From this moment on, the Yangshan Archipelago could use this place as a base of operations, using Yangshan caravans circulating far and wide to drive its influence piece by piece into the plain.
He Lingchuan harbored ambitions for the Shanjin Plain, just as he did for Bailie.
On the surface, he had come on a mission for Mou; in truth, the agreement struck between Yangshan and Peng was his greatest gain from the Bright Lantern Cup affair!
To put it bluntly, his trip to the Shanjin Plain had been about casing the joint and laying the groundwork ahead of time.
The soul-snatching mirror basically grasped his intention and let out an "oho": "Let's hope this Peng Kingdom manages to stabilize. Otherwise, all these amorous glances of yours will have been cast at a blind man."
"Isn't that the truth?" If Peng were to collapse again, its agreement with He Lingchuan would likely become void.
If you wanted to do business in an unstable region, that was the political risk the Yangshan Archipelago had to shoulder.
"Let's hope Peng can hold out for a while longer." Such matters lay far beyond his control.
As the first golden leaf drifted down from the parasol trees of the Chipa Plateau, He Lingchuan returned to Panlong City.
Crossing the vast ocean to retrieve the Bright Lantern Cup had not been an arduous ordeal, but the journey was immense; the round trip alone had consumed six whole months.
Chapter 1139