Chapter 799: Meeting the King

He was entering the Great Yuán Royal Palace for the first time.

A year ago, when passing through Shíhuán City, only He Chúnhuá of the He family had been fortunate enough to be summoned by the King of Yuán. He Língchuān had never even visited the capital.

The Yuán Royal Palace was impressive, with thick, robust buildings featuring black tiles and gray walls. When arranged in rows, their varying heights created a formidable presence.

It was a relic of the previous dynasty, which the founding monarch of Great Yuán had renovated for over ten years after taking over. Consequently, its architectural style was quite different from that of Shíhuán, the auxiliary city.

The palace layout was axially symmetrical. Walking along the central thoroughfare, He Língchuān felt a sense of solemnity and grandeur.

He sighed inwardly, reflecting that the Yuán Kingdom must have had good times in the past.

The King of Yuán met him in Wénxuān Pavilion.

This was a small hall where the King of Yuán met with his subjects, typically used for small meetings with four or five people.

Outside, the weather was fair and sunny, but inside the hall, only two windows were open, and ambergris was burning, making it somewhat dim.

The monarch of the Yuán Kingdom sat behind a long table made of golden nanmu wood. When He Língchuān bowed to introduce himself, the king repeatedly waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities, rise!" Then, he turned to an attendant nearby and added, "Come, grant him a seat."

He Língchuān looked up and saw that the young monarch was under thirty years old and slightly overweight. Even in that light, He Língchuān could see that his face was a bit pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, and a deep vertical furrow between his brows, the result of prolonged frowning.

He Língchuān thanked him and sat upright, formally.

Basic etiquette was still necessary.

The King of Yuán, with a pleasant expression, said, "I hear you are not only the envoy from Róngshān but also General He's eldest son?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As expected, the news of the He family's eldest son becoming the Róngshān envoy had already spread throughout the Yuán capital.

"How did this come about?" the King of Yuán asked, full of curiosity. "Tell me about it?"

He Língchuān then summarized the version of events he had previously told his family.

It was blatant deception of the monarch.

The King of Yuán, however, clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "He is truly a lucky general, just as my esteemed He said."

He Língchuān knew that the king was not actually concerned with his experience but only with his identity.

The King of Yuán continued, "You have performed meritorious service in persuading Róngshān. Once this matter is settled, I shall confer upon you the title of Training Officer."

He Língchuān could only express his gratitude, knowing the topic was about to shift.

The title of Training Officer sounded impressive but was merely an honorary position with no real power. He knew the King of Yuán dared not grant further authority; otherwise, the He father and son would gain too much power and be difficult to control.

Even though he wasn't covetous of official positions in the Yuán Kingdom, he was still somewhat disappointed by the King of Yuán's method of bestowing rewards.

There was a clear lack of boldness.

But the King of Yuán immediately began to cough, coughing repeatedly several times. A palace attendant nearby quickly brought water.

The King of Yuán took two sips to ease his throat. He Língchuān opportunely inquired about his health, and the king waved his hand, saying, "Just an occasional cold, nothing serious."

"Your Majesty, please take care."

This small incident made He Língchuān realize that the Yuán Kingdom's decline was more severe than he had imagined. A monarch, nourished by vital energy, should ideally be robust and immune to minor illnesses and ailments.

A monarch falling ill is either due to the physical decline of old age—a natural law that vital energy can only delay but not prevent—or it means the national fortune is weak, to the extent that even the monarch cannot enjoy abundant vital energy. Other reasons are rare.

The Yuán Kingdom was undoubtedly the latter.

"Great Yuán has been unfortunate in recent years, with constant internal and external conflicts," the King of Yuán sighed. "Dōng Hàomíng in the northwest, Nián Zànlǐ in the north, and the rebellions in the south—we can't suppress them all. At least the military troubles in the north are temporarily resolved, so we can now fully concentrate on Dōng Hàomíng."

As soon as he said this, He Língchuān understood: In the King of Yuán's eyes, the Grand Marshal was the primary concern, with the southern rebellion being far less significant.

For now, this prioritization was correct.

Over the past decade or so, the Yuán Kingdom had experienced no fewer than twenty rebellions, large and small. The largest and most severe was the great southern uprising led by Hóng Xiàngqián, but it was also eventually suppressed.

Why should this time be an exception?

What qualified as a major concern for the King of Yuán was a separatist regime like the Grand Marshal's, one that had troops and provisions, was well-organized, and strictly disciplined.

Understanding this, He Língchuān realized why the King of Yuán had been urging He Chúnhuá to deploy troops.

Quickly suppressing the southern rebellion would allow the Yuán Kingdom to concentrate all its forces against the Grand Marshal.

This was not only a matter of priority but also of feasibility.

As expected, the King of Yuán immediately followed up. "However, suppressing the southern rebellion is a prerequisite, and time is not on our side. He Língchuān, you must assist your father in quelling the rebellion as quickly as possible and achieve further great merits!"

He Língchuān immediately responded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

His identity at this moment was delicate: He was both a person from Yuán, the son of a general, and the special envoy from Róngshān.

The King of Yuán, however, consistently addressed him in his primary capacity, urging him to expedite the funds.

He had already stood up, so he continued, "Your Majesty, the envoys from Róngshān have been working overtime these past two days to assist with the calculations. However, there is a discrepancy in the assessed value of the mine, with an error of at least eight hundred thousand taels."

In simple terms, the collateral was insufficient.

The King of Yuán was astonished, "How could there be such a large difference?"

An official nearby promptly responded, "The accounting records for the mine and its dock were submitted last year; this year's have not yet been presented, which might account for a small discrepancy."

Eight hundred thousand taels was hardly a "small discrepancy." Moreover, the verified mine reserves would not change so significantly within a year.

He Língchuān understood this explanation was merely a cover-up. Borrowing money for war was the Yuán Kingdom's top priority; how could their accounting records be incomplete?

It was evident that the Yuán Kingdom had inflated the figures in their documents, which was hardly surprising. Even when taking out a loan, a borrower would try to make their collateral appear more valuable.

He Língchuān then continued, "Before the Róngshān people and I entered the Yuán capital, we had already inspected the Tàihe Mine. There are two ore veins, one large and one small. One of the three mine shafts had a water seepage and collapsed, and it has been completely sealed off. Now the shaft is a deep water pit; we hired demons to dive and survey, and the water is at least four or five *zhang* deep, impossible to pump out. It's a great pity, as the ore quality from this site was originally very good."

"Ah, this?" The King of Yuán was stunned.

He Língchuān was subtly implying that the Tàihe Mine was unsuitable.

The King of Yuán had personally overseen this loan and collateral. But when he personally designated the Tàihe Mine, no one mentioned this problem to him! Officials only reported on reserves, output, ore quality, and shaft depth.

Upon hearing this, the King of Yuán had thought, "Perfect, this is the one."

Little did he know, this mine could not withstand an actual on-site inspection!

This was quite a significant loophole. With the Yuán Kingdom's current methods, if a mine shaft pierced a water-bearing layer, the pit would have to be abandoned.

They dared to use an abandoned pit as collateral for Róngshān? Why not just give Róngshān a plaque that reads "Sucker"?

Thinking this, the King of Yuán pressed on the table until his fingertips turned white. He composed himself, then turned and ordered in a deep voice, "Go investigate what happened!"

The official nearby immediately assented.

"The appraised value of the Tàihe Mine is insufficient. I will do my best to negotiate with Róngshān," He Língchuān stated. "However, I'm afraid additional collateral will be required." In other words, the Yuán Kingdom would need to provide an additional eight hundred thousand taels in collateral to cover the deficit.