Chapter 804: Evaluation Passed

He suppressed this doubt and went out to greet the guest.

Minister Wang, the Grand Herald, came to He Lingchuan to convey the King's decree. The Raven Royal Court proposed adding the taxes from the Red Cliff Trade Route for the next thirty years as additional collateral for the loan. This meant that if the Raven Royal Court could not repay the loan, all customs revenue from the Red Cliff Trade Route for the next thirty years would belong to Rongshan. Furthermore, to protect its interests, Rongshan could send personnel to the area to directly manage and collect the revenues.

In He Lingchuan's understanding, this was tantamount to permitting military stationing. To make people willingly pay, one would need a complete set of enforcement agencies in the area. Generally speaking, no sovereign nation would tolerate other forces stationing troops on its territory, but the Red Cliff Route had two unique aspects:

First, it was located on the western border of the Raven Kingdom, not in its heartland, thus posing no threat to the central and southern regions of the Raven Kingdom. It was also far from Rongshan's home territory, meaning it could not receive immediate support and replenishment from the Rongshan Sect.

Second, it involved the Raven King's subtle intentions, which He Lingchuan might not have discovered had he not been particularly familiar with the Red Cliff Route: The Coiling Dragon Desert was both one of the main causes of poverty in Western Raven and its protector. With the disappearance of the Great Sand Season and the normalization of the Coiling Dragon Desert, the greatest threat to foreigners entering and leaving Western Raven had also vanished. If external forces became restless—Blackwater City had originally been recaptured by He Chunhua from outside forces—the Raven Kingdom, exhausted by civil war, would likely be unable to resist foreign aggression. Once the Rongshan Sect took control of the Red Cliff Trade Route, it would naturally also have to provide protection. In other words, the Rongshan Sect would, in fact, be guarding the Raven Kingdom's western gate. This was similar to He Chunhua's previous duty as Governor of Qiansong Prefecture. It seemed that after He Chunhua left Blackwater City, his successor had not performed very well.

Nevertheless, the Raven King's agreement to He Chunhua's plan also indicated He Chunhua's growing influence within the Raven Royal Court. This was already something the He father and son had discussed, so He Lingchuan had no objection. He merely nodded to the Grand Herald and said: "I still need to get an estimate from the Rongshan people, but in my opinion, this approach should be feasible."

He sighed inwardly, thinking that if the Raven Kingdom had any other options, it wouldn't have to mortgage such a valuable asset. The Raven Capital did not know its true value, but He Lingchuan did. All he could do was negotiate a fair price for the Red Cliff Trade Route.

The next day, with everyone's tacit understanding, the assessment of the Red Cliff Trade Route was successfully approved. He Lingchuan, his father He Chunhua, and the Grand Minister of Agriculture all convened at Fenglong Bank. He Lingchuan presented the documents, the envoy's token, and other papers to finalize the first installment of the Rongshan Sect's aid to the Raven Kingdom from there. The Grand Minister of Agriculture directly received 1.9 million taels of silver; the remaining 1.8 million taels were in military supplies. He Lingchuan had previously sent secret dispatches, so a portion had already been entrusted to official merchants for import, ensuring the Raven Kingdom would receive these important supplies in advance.

Upon learning this, the Raven King summoned He Lingchuan to the palace again, praised him lavishly, and bestowed some rewards. With military aid arriving soon, the entire capital breathed a sigh of relief.

A flurry of visiting cards and invitations poured into the He mansion, addressed either to He Chunhua or He Lingchuan. Indeed, the "Rongshan Special Envoy" had officially entered the view of officials, both high and low, in the Raven Capital. Not only did he have the authority to finalize payments, but he also had to supervise the use of the loan. In the Raven Kingdom, at this delicate moment, even the Raven Royal Court had to gauge He Lingchuan's mood and wait for his nod to release funds. How could officials not enthusiastically pay their respects to such a figure?

He Chunhua simply brought He Lingchuan along, either hosting grand banquets for guests at restaurants or inviting official friends to their mansion to enjoy opera and stroll in the garden, as if indulging in frivolous entertainment and extravagant living. He even neglected military and political affairs; once, when attending a military council, he reeked of alcohol. He Chunhua's uncharacteristic behavior sparked widespread discussion throughout the Raven Capital.

These matters kept Lady Ying extremely busy. At dinner, in front of her two sons, she complained that money was flowing like water in the household recently. He Lingchuan was home today. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, popping large red strawberries into his mouth. "The money spent on favors and courtesies, no matter how much," he said, "will come back later, and even bring you extra as interest. Mother, you're not seeing this clearly."

Lady Ying glared at him fiercely. "Who are you calling 'not seeing clearly'?" she retorted. "Put your legs down and sit properly! What kind of behavior is that!"

He Yue also took a strawberry. "The military supplies from the Eastern Border are arriving soon," he said. "Father is seizing the moment."

The Rongshan people had begun evaluating other collateral, and He Lingchuan had enjoyed a rare two days of leisure. "How have things been in court these past two days?" he asked. The high-ranking officials and nobles in the Raven Capital were incredibly enthusiastic towards him. Beautiful young maidens either twisted their ankles near him or fell into the water in front of him. Many noblewomen and young ladies also tried to curry favor with Zhu Xiuer, hoping to glean information about him. Even He Yue, who was already engaged, encountered young maidens casting flirtatious glances his way. Everyone could see that the old He family was about to rise to prominence.

He Lingchuan found it all quite vexing. After attending only two banquets, he retreated home. When Lady Ying asked why, he merely said that swinging a saber to kill was far easier than dealing with women.

"The court debates over the use of military supplies have become quite heated," He Yue said, his intelligence quite well-informed. "The King wants to dispatch most of the supplies to the Northwest front, as it has been short on clothing and food for a long time. However, a faction of veteran officials insists that the rebellion in the south must be quelled with overwhelming force. Only by ending it quickly can the nation's full strength be directed against Dong Haoming; therefore, the logistical supplies for the southern front must be sufficient. The war on the Northwest front cannot be finished in a day or two anyway, and besides, this first installment of over three million taels is just that—there's still another over three million coming later, so General Ke won't be short of anything."

He Lingchuan was a little surprised. "Are all these veteran officials siding with our father?" he asked. He Chunhua had only recently been transferred to the capital; how did he already have supporters? He probably started planning and building connections when he was still in Xiazhou. His father had foresight and unusual ambition. He had a long-standing goal.

"Not entirely," He Yue replied. "But Grand Mentor Yan supports Father."

He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh." That's right, his father's relationship with Grand Mentor Yan Lixin was unusual; this must be the result of mutual support. No one could fight alone in officialdom.

"There are also quite a few ministers who strongly support General Ke and demand that the Northwest front be prioritized for supplies," He Yue said, shaking his head. "Others say that the central granaries in various prefectures have been depleted for a long time, and government offices at all levels cannot issue salaries. Officials also need to eat; it would be best if some funds could be distributed first."

The central granaries were primarily used to provide official stipends, which meant paying salaries to officials at all levels. This included, but was not limited to, silver, silk fabrics, and fuel. Hearing this, He Lingchuan looked at the luscious, bright red strawberries on the table. Even in the Raven Capital, such a thing was not affordable for the families of low-ranking officials.

In fact, it was only after He Lingchuan arrived in the Raven Capital as the Rongshan Special Envoy and dealt with officials at various levels that he truly realized how dire the country's situation was. At this moment, the Raven Kingdom was like a dried-up sponge, from which no water could be squeezed.