Assessment Approved

He Lingchuan set his lingering doubts aside and went outside to welcome the visitor. Lord Wang, the Director of Reception, had come to see him to deliver a royal decree. The Yuan royal court proposed offering thirty years of tax revenues from the Red Cliff Trade Route as supplementary collateral for the loan. In other words, if the court failed to repay the debt, all tariff revenues from the Red Cliff Trade Route for the next thirty years would belong to Mount Rong. Furthermore, to secure its interests, Mount Rong would be permitted to dispatch personnel directly to the region to oversee and collect the levies on the spot. In He Lingchuan's view, this was essentially granting permission to station troops. If you wanted people to part with their money willingly, you had to maintain a complete apparatus of violence locally. Under ordinary circumstances, no sovereign state would tolerate a foreign power garrisoning troops on its own soil. Yet the Red Cliff Road possessed two unique aspects: First, it lay along the western border of the Yuan Kingdom rather than in its heartland, posing no threat to the central or southern regions; it was also far removed from Mount Rong itself, unable to receive real-time support and reinforcements from the Mount Rong Sect. Second was the subtle calculation harbored by the monarch of Yuan—one that He Lingchuan might never have noticed had he not known the Red Cliff Road so intimately: The Panlong Desert had been a prime culprit behind the poverty of western Yuan, yet it had also served as the region's protective umbrella. With the disappearance of the wild sand season and the normalization of the Panlong Desert, the greatest barrier preventing foreigners from entering western Yuan had also vanished. If external forces began to stir—Blackwater City, after all, had originally been wrested back from foreign hands by He Chunhua—a Yuan Kingdom exhausted by civil strife would hardly have the strength to repel foreign aggression. Once the Mount Rong Sect took control of the Red Cliff Trade Route, it would naturally have to defend it. In other words, the Mount Rong Sect would end up guarding the western gate on the Yuan Kingdom's behalf. This was the very duty He Chunhua had previously shouldered as Prefect of Qiansong Commandery. Evidently, following He Chunhua's departure from Blackwater City, his successor had not fared particularly well. In any case, the King of Yuan's willingness to agree to He Chunhua's proposal also proved that He Chunhua's influence over the court was growing by the day. This was precisely what father and son had discussed, so He Lingchuan raised no objections. He merely nodded to the Director of Reception and said, "I will still need to consult with our people from Mount Rong for an assessment, but from where I stand, this approach should be viable." He sighed faintly in his heart. If the Yuan Kingdom had possessed any other alternative, it would never have put up such high-quality assets as collateral. The Yuan capital remained blind to its true worth, but He Lingchuan knew. All he could do was fight for a fair valuation for the Red Cliff Trade Route. *** The following day, with everyone tacitly working in concert, the evaluation of the Red Cliff Trade Route passed without a hitch. The He father and son, together with the Minister of Agriculture, arrived at Fenglong Money House. He Lingchuan presented his files, special envoy medallion, and formal paperwork, authorizing the release of the first tranche of the Mount Rong Sect's aid to the Yuan Kingdom. The Minister of Agriculture took direct delivery of 1.9 million taels in silver bullion, while the remaining 1.8 million taels consisted of military provisions and materiel. Thanks to the secret messages He Lingchuan had dispatched earlier, a portion had already been entrusted to government-authorized merchants for shipment across the border, allowing the Yuan Kingdom to receive these crucial supplies ahead of schedule. Upon learning of this, the monarch of Yuan summoned He Lingchuan to the palace once more, lavishing him with praise and bestowing a round of rewards. With military aid now imminent, the entire capital breathed a collective sigh of relief. Visiting cards and invitations fluttered into the He Manor like a snowstorm, addressed either to He Chunhua or to He Lingchuan. Indeed, the "Mount Rong Special Envoy" had firmly entered the sight of officials great and small across the Yuan capital. He not only held the power to sign off on funds, but was also tasked with overseeing how the loan was spent. In the Yuan Kingdom, at this delicate juncture, even the royal court had to watch He Lingchuan's cues and wait for his nod to release the silver. How could the officials fail to court such a figure with fervent enthusiasm? He Chunhua simply dragged He Lingchuan along with him, either hosting lavish banquets at prominent restaurants or inviting official friends to the manor to enjoy theatrical performances and stroll through the gardens, acting as though entirely lost in merrymaking, indulgence, and luxury. He even disregarded major military and political affairs; when attending one military conference, he had reeked strongly of alcohol. He Chunhua's uncharacteristic behavior set tongues wagging throughout the Yuan capital. All of this ran Madam Ying ragged. Over dinner, right in front of her two sons, she complained that the household had been spending money like water lately. Today, He Lingchuan was dining at home. Lounging with one leg crossed over the other, he popped plump, bright red strawberries into his mouth one after another. "Whatever money is spent currying favor and exchanging gifts will all find its way back later, with a handsome bonus on top as interest. Mother, you're not seeing the big picture." Madam Ying glared at him fiercely. "Who are you calling shortsighted? Put your leg down and sit properly! Where are your manners?!" He Yue picked up a strawberry as well. "The military supplies from the eastern border are arriving soon. Father is seizing the window of opportunity." With the Mount Rong party now assessing the other collateral, He Lingchuan enjoyed a rare couple of days of leisure. "How have things been in court these past two days?" The dignitaries and aristocrats of the Yuan capital treated him with boundless zeal. Pretty maiden girls in the bloom of their youth seemed prone to spraining an ankle right beside him or tumbling into the water before his very eyes. Quite a few noble ladies and young misses also fawned over Zhu Xiu'er, hoping to fish for news about him. Even He Yue, who was already betrothed, found himself receiving bashful, coquettish glances from passing maidens on the road. Everyone could see that the He clan was poised to ride the wind to dizzying heights. Irked beyond endurance, He Lingchuan had retreated behind his manor doors after attending only two feasts. When Madam Ying asked him why, he merely remarked that swinging a blade to kill a man was vastly simpler than dealing with women. "The court assembly has devolved into an uproar over how to allocate the military supplies." He Yue's intelligence network had grown sharp. "His Majesty wants to dispatch the bulk of the supplies to the northwest front, since the northwest has suffered severe shortages of food and clothing for a long time. However, a faction of veteran ministers insists that quelling the southern rebellion demands swift, thunderous force—finishing the campaign early so the entire realm can focus its might against Dong Haoming. Consequently, logistical support for the southern front must be fully provided. Besides, the conflict on the northwest front cannot possibly wrap up in a day or two, and this sum of over three million taels is merely the initial tranche. There are another three million-odd taels to follow, so General Ke will not be left short." He Lingchuan was slightly surprised. "These veteran officials—are they all siding with our old man?" How long had He Chunhua even been stationed in the capital? How had he already gathered supporters? Likely he had begun laying the groundwork back when he was still in Xiazhou. His father possessed remarkable foresight and extraordinary ambition. He had fixed his sights on this objective long ago. "Not all of them. But National Preceptor Yan supports Father." He Lingchuan let out a long "oh." Of course. His father and National Preceptor Yan Lixin shared an extraordinary relationship; this had to be the fruit of mutual backing. No one could fight alone in officialdom. "There are also plenty of ministers throwing their weight behind General Ke and demanding that the northwest front receive priority," He Yue said, shaking his head. "Others argue that the regular granaries across various prefectures have run dry for a long time, leaving government offices at all levels unable to disburse salaries. Officials need to eat too, so they insist a portion ought to be handed out first." The regular granaries were primarily used to provide official stipends—that is, paying the salaries of civil servants at every rank. This included, but was not limited to, silver coin, bolts of cloth and silk, and firewood and charcoal. Hearing this, He Lingchuan glanced at the luscious, dripping-red strawberries on the table. Even here in the Yuan capital, such treats were far beyond the means of minor official households. Indeed, only after arriving in the Yuan capital as the Mount Rong special envoy and rubbing shoulders with officials across all levels did He Lingchuan truly realize how impoverished this kingdom had become. At this moment, the Yuan Kingdom was like a parched sponge—incapable of yielding another drop of water no matter how hard it was squeezed.