Where Immortals Once Walked

With Yuan’s wars now so urgent, even if the Rongshan Sect had demanded around thirty or forty percent in compound interest instead of a bit over twenty percent in simple interest, the court would still have had to hold its nose and accept the loan.

“The Rongshan Sect sent me here to inspect the operating conditions of these mines, pastures, and ports.” Put plainly, He Lingchuan and Hu Qin were responsible for determining whether the collateral was truly worth what Yuan claimed. “In addition to this seven-million-tael loan, the collateral pledged against the previous loans must also be reviewed.”

“Ah...” Lord Wang took a moment to collect himself. “Yes, yes. That is only proper.”

“There is one more very important point. The Rongshan Sect must examine and approve every proposed use of this seven million taels!” He Lingchuan said solemnly. “Any expenditure that fails to pass review will not receive funding.”

Lord Wang stared at him. “Well, that wasn’t included in the original agreement, was it?”

“The Rongshan Sect made almost no changes to the agreement proposed by Yuan. This is the only clause we are adding. Sect Leader Xue stated that if Yuan refuses to agree to this, then the agreement will be canceled immediately, and Yuan must repay all its existing debts in full!”

Sweat instantly beaded across Lord Wang’s forehead.

How is anyone supposed to respond to a sudden addition like that?

There is no precedent for this.

He immediately said, “Allow me to report this upward. Allow me to report it. For now, let us begin by reviewing the collateral. I will convey your demand to my superiors at once.”

“Yes, but do note that it is not my demand,” He Lingchuan corrected him. “It is a special declaration made by Sect Leader Xue of the Rongshan Sect!”

“Yes, yes. Let us first examine the collateral for this installment.”

At Lord Wang’s instruction, junior clerks carried over the ledgers and records.

He Lingchuan waited for a while, but no further books arrived. Only a dozen or so volumes lay stacked on the table.

He frowned. “Is this all?”

“Yes. This is everything.”

“Mr. Hu, please.” He Lingchuan gestured toward Hu Qin.

Hu Qin immediately began leafing through the records with the two Rongshan disciples.

“This is Deputy Envoy Hu Qin. He was specifically assigned to help me conduct these reviews.” As He Lingchuan introduced him, he also expressed his dissatisfaction. “This is far too few. The agreement states five separate pieces of collateral, yet you have provided only this much information?”

“They are all high-quality assets. Their operations have remained orderly every year, and their yields are extremely stable.”

Hu Qin casually opened one ledger and glanced over two pages before saying, “Hm, the Mount Yong Mine may produce spirit-surging ore, but it has already been mined for more than forty years. Are the remaining reserves truly sufficient to sustain another thirty years of extraction?”

“There should be no problem. The Mount Yong Mine’s output has risen steadily over the last several years, and the ore remains high in quality. Judging from geological observations, the reserves should still be abundant. You can see that in the records.”

Hu Qin gave a faint, mocking smile. “Yet the special envoy and I visited the Mount Yong Mine in person on our way here. Veteran miners there told us that all the easily accessible ore has already been exhausted. What remains must be extracted through inclined shafts. The ore quality is also merely average and will require extensive refining afterward. That means more miners and more smelting facilities.”

“How could that be?” Lord Wang sounded surprised. “The word of one or two individuals cannot be treated as reliable evidence.”

At that moment, one of the Rongshan disciples beside them handed a ledger to He Lingchuan. “Special Envoy, this contains last year’s revenue, but the records for the final two months are missing.”

Lord Wang promptly explained, “Those records haven’t arrived yet. They can be supplied within the next few days.”

“Then let us discuss Wusong Harbor.” Hu Qin opened another book. “The State of Baling has recently begun constructing new canals and embankments that will force the river to change course. If vessels take the new channel, the journey along this section of the Xunyang River will be shortened by two days. Passenger traffic and cargo volume at Wusong Harbor will then both decline significantly...”

Hm, this special envoy’s assistant has clearly come well prepared. Lord Wang was unfamiliar with the details and glanced toward the official standing beside him. The official immediately responded, “The State of Baling does indeed intend to construct new canals and embankments, but work has not yet begun. The local hydrological conditions are complex. Completing the project will take at least five to seven years. Sediment accumulation is also severe, and no one yet knows whether vessels will be able to navigate the channel throughout the year. By comparison, routing cargo through Wusong Harbor remains the safest and most reliable option...” ℯℯ𝘭.

The two sides argued back and forth, scrutinizing each entry and calculating every detail.

Before anyone realized it, six hours had passed. Lord Wang had slipped away long ago.

Hu Qin remained full of energy, but He Lingchuan rose and stretched before asking someone to summon Lord Wang. Once Lord Wang returned, He Lingchuan said, “Lord Wang, shall we stop here for today and continue tomorrow?”

He needed to preserve some strength. The true main event awaited him at home.

* * *

By the time He Lingchuan returned to the He Residence, dusk was approaching, but He Chunhua had not yet come home.

He had only just entered his own courtyard when someone followed behind him and called out, “Eldest Young Master!”

The voice sounded very familiar. He Lingchuan turned around and saw Shan Youjun. He could not help but chuckle. “You came.”

He had once taken two men from Dunyu’s Li Family into his service, one of whom was Shan Youjun. Later, He Lingchuan had used Shan Youjun and Jiao Tai as the foundation for building his own personal guard unit. Its combat strength had far surpassed that of He Chunhua’s Coordinating Army.

Unfortunately, when He Lingchuan fell into the Han River, he had been unable to take that force with him.

Shan Youjun’s face was also filled with delight. “My uncle told me you’ve returned, so I came over immediately.”

Ding Zuodong was Shan Youjun’s maternal uncle. Both had originally served He Lingchuan. After he fell into the Han River, He Chunhua had absorbed them into his own household.

Qiu Hu stood behind He Lingchuan, his expression cold and indifferent.

Shan Youjun instinctively glanced at him several times.

In the past, he had been the one standing behind the eldest young master.

He Lingchuan said “good” several times before asking, “I heard you got married?”

“Ah, yes.” Shan Youjun looked embarrassed. “I met a young woman in Dunyu and married her four months ago.”

While they were still speaking, a servant arrived to summon He Lingchuan.

He Chunhua had returned.

There was still some time before dinner, so he called He Lingchuan into the study.

Qiu Hu stopped outside and stood guard at the door.

He Chunhua shut the door securely. His first question was, “How did the review of the agreement go?”

“The documentation is incomplete. On the surface, nothing seems particularly wrong, but there are plenty of omissions and concealed problems.” He Lingchuan scratched the back of his head. “We’ll have to identify them one by one and discuss them carefully. By the way, Father, when will the people you promised to find for me arrive?”

“By the day after tomorrow at the latest.” He Chunhua was at least dependable when handling business. He paced twice before getting straight to the point, “Why did you stop me from going inside today? How can a young man with so little experience possibly understand such specialized matters?”

This concerned the fate of the state, yet the Rongshan Sect had assigned it to a disciple who had joined less than half a year ago.

Were they truly treating such an enormous sum of money so casually?

The arrangement was utterly baffling to him.

At that thought, a trace of unease entered He Chunhua’s heart.

Sect Leader Xue of the Rongshan Sect is hardly senile. Does this arrangement contain some deeper intention or hidden circumstance?

What did Chuan’er do to earn such profound trust?

He Lingchuan smiled and said, “You don’t possess the status of a special envoy. If you had followed me inside and argued fiercely with officials of your own state, His Majesty might have become even angrier with you. I was thinking of your interests.”

He had gone there specifically to pick apart the agreement.

Could his father openly participate in that?

He Chunhua had only raised the matter in passing. How could he fail to understand the risks involved? However, he disliked being kept in the dark even more, and he especially hated watching events escape his control. It made his heart race and left him unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Still, he ultimately abandoned the subject and sat down. “Not long after you entered the Court of State Ceremonial, His Majesty summoned me.”

He Lingchuan pulled over a chair and sat without waiting to be invited. “Was His Majesty especially pleasant and gracious toward you?”