Chapter 800: Father and Son Consultation

He Lingchuan then opportunely added, "The good news is, the first batch of military supplies has already reached the border. If this shortfall is covered soon, I can discuss it with Assistant Manager Hu and finalize the mortgage for the Taihe Mine first. This way, Yuan can immediately receive supplies worth 3.7 million taels, including cash!"

His words implied that the value of the collateral would be assessed by Rongshan, not unilaterally by him, He Lingchuan. Therefore, any pressure from King Yuan was useless.

A sweet promise followed immediately.

King Yuan's face had been so grim it looked as if it would drip water, but upon hearing this, he slightly brightened. "Rongshan Sect's sincerity is evident. Very good, very good. I will convene another council to discuss the supplementary collateral."

The 3.7 million taels in military funds would resolve the immediate crisis.

After a few more pleasantries, He Lingchuan bowed out.

As soon as he left, King Yuan suddenly grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it to pieces on the floor with a clatter.

The attendant officials beside him knelt down in unison, startled. King Yuan ignored them, his cheeks flushed with anger.

"This is outrageous!"

As soon as He Lingchuan left the palace, he muttered, "It's over."

The Soul-Capturing Mirror was startled. "What's over?"

Palace servants were entering and exiting nearby, so He Lingchuan didn't reply, simply thinking to himself:

The state of Yuan is finished.

Although he had been mentally prepared, his conversation with King Yuan today still left him with mixed feelings.

He had the will but lacked the power; he had aspirations but was incompetent.

In times of peace, the current King Yuan might have been able to serve as a preserving ruler, safeguarding the kingdom for generations. However, given Yuan's current situation, a mediocre monarch would likely struggle to govern effectively.

He inexplicably recalled Du Shan's words: "Why burden the common people with one's own shortcomings?"

While perhaps a bit arbitrary, still...

Before he could finish his thought, He Lingchuan saw his father approaching, looking hurried.

His father looked up, surprised to see He Lingchuan. "Chuan'er, did the King summon you?"

"Yes, I've just finished meeting him."

With many eyes and ears around, He Chunhua grabbed his arm and said, "I'm going to the palace this afternoon, but there's still time now. Come with me."

He led He Lingchuan to a teahouse a hundred zhang away, settled into a private room on the second floor, and then told He Lingchuan, "The King summoned you because he was impatient."

He then asked his eldest son for a full account of his audience with the King.

The private room had excellent soundproofing; almost no noise could be heard from outside. He Lingchuan didn't hide anything, recounting the events truthfully while cracking melon seeds.

He Chunhua's brows furrowed and relaxed alternately, but he didn't interrupt. Finally, he said, "Your responses were barely adequate. Before your next audience with the King, you'll need to rehearse with me again."

He Lingchuan took a sip of tea. "Was something amiss?"

"Once the 3.7 million taels in military funds arrive, the King will be pleased for a while. However, when he later recalls that you asked him to provide additional collateral, he will certainly resent it," He Chunhua said, shaking his head. "He believes that since you are ultimately a citizen of Yuan, how can you seek profit for an outside sect?"

He Lingchuan retorted, "The power of assessment isn't in my hands! The valuations of those mines, pastures, and docks are all determined by Rongshan personnel. What does that have to do with me?"

Seek profit? If it weren't for him pulling strings, the Rongshan Sect wouldn't even want to lend money to Yuan!

"Do you think the King doesn't understand these simple truths?" He Chunhua sighed. "I'm afraid he gets angry just by looking at you. Especially since the allocation of funds also requires your approval. Alas, when the King first heard that, he immediately called it outrageous and was displeased for a long time."

Yet, this fund was secured by He Lingchuan himself.

*Crack*. He Lingchuan cracked another melon seed. "Oh?"

King Yuan was furious? He certainly didn't show it just now. It seems this monarch isn't as transparent as outsiders claim.

However, Yuan ultimately accepted the terms, much more readily than he had expected.

It was clear the King was well aware of the Yuan court's maladies and simply used the Rongshan envoy's auditing authority to dismiss many proposals that caused him headaches.

Otherwise, countless people at court discussions would have prattled on about how the loan should be used.

"Over the past year, my interactions with the Yuan palace scribe have been infinitely more frequent than before. In the last half-month since arriving in the capital, I've entered the palace six times. Being by the King's side, I've learned a great deal," he said, patting He Lingchuan's shoulder gravely. "You are too young to understand the vagaries of human nature."

"Father is right." The vagaries of human nature? Heh, heh.

He Lingchuan picked up a plum-flavored soft candy to eat. The tea at this teahouse was unremarkable, but the snacks were quite impressive.

He thought he might take some back for the squirrel.

"Are you still planning to delay for a while longer before marching south with the army?"

He Chunhua shook his head. "No need to delay. The royal army suffered a major defeat, and the rebel army achieved a great victory. I believe the time for marching south is essentially ripe."

He Lingchuan glanced sideways, a little surprised.

Why had He Chunhua suddenly changed his mind, going from constantly making excuses to actively preparing for the southern advance?

What had happened in the interim?

Was it merely because the situation on the southern battlefield had changed, and he saw an opportunity?

He Chunhua then asked, "The Taihe Mine collateral is insufficient. As long as the royal court doesn't make up the difference, Rongshan won't release the military funds, correct?"

"I think the King is quite proactive." Yuan was so desperate to borrow money for the war that they were practically scratching at the walls. The amount of collateral was, after all, just a matter of principal and interest. With so many mines and pastures already mortgaged, would one more really matter?

With 3.7 million taels dangling as bait, he believed the Yuan court should make up its mind quickly.

"After all, any supplementary collateral would need to be assessed on the spot, which would take a lot of time back and forth," He Lingchuan deliberately added. "Unless the asset to be added is nearby and we can go there immediately, or if it's already recognized as high-quality, then I can't guarantee anything to the Rongshan people."

"Already recognized as high-quality?" He Chunhua pondered. "The specialty of eastern Xiazhou is brown sugar. Sales have rebounded in the last two years and it's selling very well. What if we use the exclusive rights to sugar production as collateral?"

Once his attitude shifted, he immediately began actively planning the collateral. This proactive approach was very characteristic of He Chunhua.

He was pragmatic, sometimes even willing to compromise his own dignity.

He Lingchuan smiled. "Things that grow from the earth are unstable; their quality depends on the weather and seasons. I'm afraid Old Hu would reject that immediately."

Instability makes accurate forecasting difficult.

Isn't expectation what matters most when assessing assets? Past performance is merely a reference.

He said, seemingly casually, "It would be best if these Rongshan assistant managers could see the assets for themselves on location, and the past accounts must be clear—definitely not a mess like these few mines, which are time-consuming and laborious to audit."

This was the second indirect rejection.

Clear and simple, verifiable on-site, for faster allocation of funds? He Chunhua pondered for a few breaths, then his eyes suddenly lit up. There really was such a good place!

"Oh, by the way, how about the Red Cliff Trade Route?"

"The Red Cliff Trade Route in the Coiling Dragon Desert?" He Lingchuan seemed surprised. "Father, are you suggesting using the trade route taxes as supplementary collateral?"

He had been waiting and waiting, and this was the very sentence he was expecting. He Chunhua had finally said it himself!