Party A's Representative

He Chunhua cut in, "Did the Mount Rong Sect send you back to renegotiate the terms of the loan?" If this boy had returned on behalf of his sect to negotiate with his own homeland, it would simply be outrageous. "No renegotiating terms, none at all!" He Lingchuan waved a dismissive hand. "Sect Master Xue said Great Yuan's terms were quite reasonable and Mount Rong doesn't plan on raising the stakes, but the collateral already agreed upon must be properly delivered. In other words, Sect Master Xue sent me back to inspect the price the Yuan court offered and oversee where the funds go. Only if everything matches the agreement, in good faith and without deceit, will the money be released." He Chunhua and He Yue exchanged a glance, both wearing expressions of astonishment. In just a few short sentences, the more one mulled over the implications, the richer—and the more outrageous—they became. Madam Ying voiced what they were thinking: "You wretched boy, do you hold that much power now?" He Lingchuan beamed with smug satisfaction. "In short, if I don't nod my head, this money won't leave the door!" After all, who made him Party A's representative? The one holding the purse strings was boss! Madam Ying chided with a teasing glare, "Such big talk. Take care someone doesn't tie you up and steal your medallion to withdraw the silver." "To withdraw the silver, there are several procedures left to go through. What use would a mere medallion be if I don't show up in person?" He Lingchuan burst into hearty laughter. "Besides, the seven million taels won't be disbursed all at once. At most, I'll approve a little over three million for now. Only after the people I brought finish auditing all the collateral accounts and take them back for Sect Leader Xue's review will the remaining three million-plus taels enter the Yuan court's treasury." In other words, the money would be given in at least two installments. If he did not agree, the Yuan court would not receive the full seven million taels. He Lingchuan seemed to be carried away by arrogance as he spoke, but out of the corner of his eye, he kept careful track of He Chunhua's reaction. The speaker had dropped hints intentionally; had the listener caught them? He saw his father listening with exceptional focus, yet with no oddity visible on his face. "Chuan'er, how do you intend to handle this?" He Chunhua asked him. "Will you conduct an impartial inspection, or will you devote your heart to Yuan?" He Lingchuan countered, "What does Father think?" "You were only entrusted with this task because Sect Master Xue places deep trust in you. If you don't inspect things thoroughly, it will work against you in the future." He Lingchuan grew solemn. "Your son understands." Since this was talk behind closed doors among family, He Chunhua naturally considered his eldest son's best interests. "Furthermore, if you approve the funds carelessly, it may look as though your heart is entirely with Great Yuan. But if Mount Rong tallies the accounts later and finds discrepancies, bilateral relations will inevitably suffer. Yuan will lose an ally and gain a resentful neighbor, doing more harm than good," He Chunhua said softly. "My boy, when conducting bilateral affairs, integrity and mutual benefit are paramount." These words were genuinely sound. He Lingchuan nodded. "That is my calculation as well." He Chunhua gave him a profound look. In the past, whenever he said such things, his eldest son would only reply, "Your son understands, I'll attend to it right away," rather than claiming that great minds think alike. He Lingchuan immediately added, "However, the court officials will soon discover that the special envoy from Mount Rong is your son. If the monarch presses you, what should we do?" Madam Ying reproached him, "You should have considered that before accepting the task of special envoy." The monarch of Yuan was already deeply displeased with He Chunhua delaying his southern expedition. If He Chunhua's son were to hold up this emergency fund as well, wouldn't the sovereign fly into a rage? He Chunhua, however, waved his hand. "Had Chuan'er not pleaded on our behalf, the Mount Rong Sect had no intention of lending the money at all. As far as this matter is concerned, he has merit, not fault; the monarch cannot possibly reprimand him. Madam, you must understand that the Mount Rong Sect is not doing charity either. For our country to receive this money, we must pay a corresponding price. And that price—" He paused. "If Chuan'er doesn't verify everything properly for them, their loss won't be a few million taels, but close to thirty million!" Madam Ying was startled, instinctively pressing a hand to her chest. "How could it be thirty million taels?!" He Lingchuan smiled without answering. In truth, in the eyes of higher-ups like Sect Master Xue, since Fang Canran had assessed He Lingchuan as someone to "win over at all costs," spending thirty million taels to buy his goodwill was not expensive in the least. Between thirty million taels and He Lingchuan, Sect Master Xue had unhesitatingly chosen the latter. Which meant that in the eyes of the Mount Rong Sect—and in the eyes of Lingshan—He Lingchuan was worth far more than thirty million taels. He Yue explained, "Our country has borrowed from the Mount Rong Sect multiple times in the past, totaling nearly twenty million taels in earlier loans. The collateral Mount Rong demands must be worth at least twenty-seven million taels." "Exactly!" He Lingchuan nodded. "I brought two people from Mount Rong Sect who are adept at actuarial accounting. But we're still short on hands. Father must know people skilled in this area." He Chunhua immediately agreed. "I'll find people for you. Leave it to me." He Lingchuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Father is the most dependable after all!" "When we moved to Shihuan, your courtyard was preserved as well. It's at the far east end, and new furnishings were just added yesterday. You must be exhausted after traveling so far, so go settle in first," Madam Ying said with a smile. "By the way, didn't you bring back some fellow disciples? We have plenty of guest rooms in the manor, so invite them to stay as well." "Mother is always the most thoughtful." He Lingchuan stood up and stretched lazily. "Having eaten and drunk my fill, I shall take my leave!" He Yue also rose. "I must head to the Minister of Agriculture's office." The two brothers took their leave of their parents and walked out together. He Lingchuan could feel his father's gaze following him all the way until he turned the corner. The moment they stepped out of each other's sight, both father and son dropped their smiles at the exact same instant. Only after leaving the small garden outside the dining hall did He Yue speak to his elder brother: "Brother, now that you're finally back, it still feels like a dream!" With his brother's miraculous return, even after finishing their meal, he still felt this happiness had come so abruptly that it hardly felt real. He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "You had to comfort Father and Mother and stay by their side throughout these past eight months. It must have been hard on you, too." He Yue sighed with emotion. "When the terrible news arrived, Mother wept for days on end, yet Father remained convinced all along that you weren't dead!" He Lingchuan's gaze flickered slightly. "Father believed that?" "Yes. He wouldn't give a reason, and no amount of persuasion would sway him. Even after more than half a year, he clung to his view. None of us knew where he got that confidence." He Yue shook his head in self-mockery. "Looking back, Father was right all along." He Lingchuan let out a soft breath. "Indeed. It seems heaven had it ordained all along." He Yue naturally could not detect the deeper meaning behind those words. He only felt that the sunlight was bright and his spirits were soaring. He Lingchuan then asked about Great Yuan's current situation. Mount Rong's elders might have heard rumors, but none would understand the situation as clearly as He Yue. He Yue summarized briefly, then lowered his voice: "From what I can tell, Father does not wish to go south to suppress the rebellion right now." Having not seen him for half a year, his elder brother seemed like a changed man. Though his speech and mannerisms appeared no different from before, that was merely on the surface. The untamed ease and confidence radiating from his very bones could no longer be concealed. No, in fact, hints of it had begun to show last year, only not nearly as distinctly as now. Was it from experiencing war firsthand, or had the wandering and hardships of the past year caused his elder brother to mature so rapidly?