Regardless, facing an elder brother who was now reasonable and mindful of the bigger picture, He Yue felt he could speak his mind without reservation.
Even Sect Master Xue of Mount Rong Sect trusted his brother, so how could he do any less?
He Lingchuan thought nothing of it. "How long has the He family even been back in the capital? His Majesty is being far too impatient."
"It would be stranger if His Majesty weren't anxious. Over the past three or four months, the rebel factions in the south have grown from one to four. The more they try to suppress them, the worse the chaos gets. Meanwhile, the grain, funds, and supplies for the northwestern front can't be reduced by a single grain, and His Majesty has already fallen ill twice from the strain."
He Lingchuan asked his younger brother, "In your opinion, when does the old man actually intend to march south?"
*Heh. No wonder Father acted so righteously just now, urging him to conduct official business by the book and inspect everything impartially.*
He Yue pondered for a moment. "It's hard to say. Even if the funds and supplies arrive, the army hasn't finished reorganizing. Our core consists of the Auxiliary Army brought over from Blackwater City. After nearly a year of training in Xiazhou, they still number only fifteen hundred men. Such a force is nowhere near enough to quell a rebellion, but Father looks down on the regional garrison troops and the men of the Garrison Commands, insisting on drilling them himself."
"He's right to drill them personally." He Lingchuan still remembered their journey from Blackwater City to Xiazhou last year. Along the way, he had seen plenty of governmental incompetence and military slackness. When local officials couldn't even draw their stipends and the soldiers went unpaid, who would fight with any vigor or diligence?
Besides, the deep-seated rot of the Yuan Kingdom had not formed overnight. He Chunhua had served as a prefect for so many years; he understood the state of the country intimately. Even when the funds and grain from Mount Rong Sect arrived, He Lingchuan wagered his father would not deploy rashly.
*A gentleman may refrain from battle, but when he fights, he must win.*
He Chunhua treasured his past military record and cared for the troops under his command; He Lingchuan saw nothing wrong with that. As for whether he could withstand the pressure from the Yuan court, that would depend on He Chunhua's own political finesse.
He Lingchuan pondered a moment, then added, "The old man must have made quite a few new friends at court by now, hasn't he?"
"How did you know?"
"It only makes sense. Otherwise, why would our family have been recalled from the northern front so quickly?"
"Indeed. The very afternoon after Father arrived in the capital, he paid a visit to the Minister of Agriculture." *Old bro truly catches the drift immediately; his mind has become remarkably sharp.*
He Yue wondered whether his brother had always been like this, or if his time wandering abroad had brought about a sudden awakening.
"Furthermore, National Preceptor Yan is on very close terms with Father."
"National Preceptor Yan?" While in Beijia, He Lingchuan had heard Li Qingge mention that the Yuan Kingdom had chosen a new National Preceptor to fill the vacancy left by Sun Fuping. His name was... "Yan Lixin?"
This man had founded his own Daoist order in his early twenties and become the head of the Southeastern Daoist Alliance at thirty-one—a remarkable talent indeed. He was only thirty-eight this year, yet he had already risen to become Great Yuan's National Preceptor.
He was also the youngest National Preceptor in the history of the Yuan Kingdom.
Curiously, He Chunhua and Yan Lixin were close in age. When He Chunhua had been banished to Blackwater City, Yan Lixin had been a mere boy of thirteen or fourteen. They shouldn't have had any deep interaction, so how had they become "on very close terms" now?
He Yue explained further: "Father knew him in their youth. Later, while serving as Governor-General of Xiazhou, Father frequently exchanged letters with Dunyu, keeping in closest contact with National Preceptor Yan. A couple of days ago, Mother even sent me to the Yan residence to deliver a few boxes of pastries."
Looking at it this way, given He Chunhua's style of handling affairs, he had very likely lent covert support during Yan Lixin's bid for the position of National Preceptor.
Political investments carried staggering risks—a high-stakes game beyond the reach of ordinary people. But once the bet paid off, the returns were equally immense.
In this regard, He Chunhua's eye for choosing allies and picking sides was undeniably far superior to Hong Chenglüe's. He Lingchuan asked, puzzled, "Why did Mother have you deliver pastries to the Yan residence?"
Pastries alone were far too trivial a gift. Yan Lixin was the newly appointed National Preceptor; people showered him with gifts of every precious variety. Madam Ying was hardly so ignorant of social courtesies.
Moreover, why had it been Madam Ying ordering the gift?
"The eldest daughter of the Yan family is just like you, Brother—she loves the hawthorn cakes made by our cook." He Yue could not help rubbing his neck. "While you were away... Eldest Miss Yan became my betrothed."
"Ha?!" He Lingchuan halted in his tracks. "You already have a fiancée?! How old is she?"
Delivering pastries was indeed no grand gift, but it signaled intimacy.
He Yue blushed. "She will be fourteen after the New Year. National Preceptor Yan dotes on his daughter and wants her to wait until fifteen before marrying."
*This kid is still having growth spurts, yet he's already got a fiancée!* He Lingchuan couldn't help marveling. He had only been away for half a year. "Mother must be grinning ear to ear. She's always wanted to find you a lady from a prominent clan in the capital. By the way, what is Miss Yan like?"
"Very pretty, and raised in a fine household." He Yue's face was as red as a monkey's rump. "She's... very good to me, too."
Marriage alliances were one of the most common ways to consolidate power and status. If the young couple could foster genuine affection on top of that, it was the best of both worlds. As an elder brother, He Lingchuan was naturally pleased to see it.
"When will you arrange for me to meet her?"
He Yue stammered a few evasive noises before changing the subject: "The times are turbulent. Who can foresee what lies ahead?"
He Lingchuan clapped him on the shoulder. "Be optimistic. At least the troubles on the northern front are temporarily resolved; Nian Zanli won't be coming back. That's one less of the three major headaches."
Without Nian Zanli coordinating with him, the Grand Marshal in the northwest would face far greater resistance in marching back toward the capital.
"Ah, Nian Zanli's capture was truly wonderful news. Father was so happy he couldn't sleep for days, constantly murmuring that heaven was on our side." Speaking of this, He Yue visibly brightened. "The moment you came back, I felt our family's fortunes had taken a turn for the better."
He Lingchuan murmured softly, "Father has already been ennobled as a marquis and serves as a general holding military authority. His achievements have already surpassed all of the He family's ancestors."
Yet he knew He Chunhua would not stop there. With his current experience, it wasn't hard to see that his father harbored even greater ambitions.
In an age of grand contention, Nian Zanli and Dong Haoming were hardly the only ones yearning to carve out an empire.
Just seeing how He Chunhua had placed his second son under the Minister of Agriculture and secured the new National Preceptor as He Yue's future father-in-law showed that his plans were unfolding step by step, orderly and deliberate.
He Lingchuan had no idea how many more maneuvers his father was conducting in the shadows. Some people were born for political scheming and backroom machinations.
As long as He Chunhua won another couple of battles, his prestige would reach its zenith, and he would have influential voices speaking on his behalf at court.
That was why He Chunhua was being exceedingly cautious about marching south to quell the rebels: he refused to squander the advantages and renown he had worked so hard to build.
Great Yuan placed immense hopes on him, so the final outcome of the campaign had to live up to those expectations.
Otherwise, this splendid position he had painstakingly built could completely unravel.
He Yue sighed again. "By the way, have you heard that a massive upheaval occurred in Lingxu City? I never imagined that even a realm as mighty as Beijia could have its very nest raided. You've been gone for almost a year, Brother—the world outside has truly seen dramatic changes."
It had been several months since He Lingchuan had wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace. Heavy news like that traveled fast on wind and whisper. For Lingxu City, bad news spread thousands of li, and even the common folk of the Yuan Kingdom were buzzing with relish over the tale.
Chapter 773