Chapter 777: Your Son Has Returned

Thus, no matter how urgently the King of Yuan pressed him, He Chunhua refused to move his troops. His entire strategy could be summed up as remaining steady.

Her husband was effectively defying the royal command through inaction, and Madame Ying could not help but worry. “Will His Majesty punish you?”

“The army is inadequately trained, the supply of grain and fodder is insufficient, and we can’t even gather enough horses. His Majesty is well aware of all this. Besides, I’ve already made my position clear. If he insists that I march out recklessly, I will resign my seal of office and ask him to find someone more capable.”

Madame Ying’s expression changed drastically.

He Yue hurried to reassure her. “Mother, don’t be afraid. His Majesty will never allow Father to leave.” His expression dimmed slightly as he added, “The Yuan court doesn’t have many capable people left.”

“These mugwort-shoot dumplings are quite good today.” He Chunhua ate with obvious enjoyment, showing none of the worry or bitterness one might have expected. Mugwort shoots would never appear on the dining tables of Shihuan City’s great families. Still, the He Family had come from Heishui City and had always enjoyed this particular wild vegetable.

“Don’t worry. Crisis and opportunity are two sides of the same coin.” He Chunhua smiled at her. “Had the state not been in such dire straits, why would His Majesty ever have made up his mind to recall me to the capital? In my view, he originally intended to keep me pinned down in Xia Province for at least another seven or eight years.”

Becoming the head of a province was the lifelong ambition of countless officials, but it was far from He Chunhua’s ultimate dream.

Provincial governors and governors-general often remained in office for more than a decade.

There was a faint edge of mockery in He Chunhua’s words. Madame Ying heard it and glanced outside several times. Only after confirming that none of the servants were nearby did she relax.

The He Family had once been almost completely exterminated, leaving He Chunhua as its sole surviving heir. The former king had banished him to the western frontier and later promoted him to Commandery Administrator of Qiansong Commandery precisely to leave him for his son to use.

Once the new ruler inherited the throne, he could establish his authority by executing a corrupt official and win his ministers’ hearts by promoting a loyal, talented man.

After all, it had been the previous king who destroyed He Chunhua’s family.

What did that have to do with the new ruler?

No matter how much resentment He Chunhua carried in his heart, could he hate the state itself? Could he hate his sovereign?

A person could not hate Heaven, and a subject could not hate his ruler.

Unfortunately, the present king had not followed the script left by his predecessor. He had kept He Chunhua available but refused to use him. Had the traitorous State Preceptor Sun Fuping not gone west and practically delivered his own head, He Chunhua might never have found an opportunity to rise.

He Chunhua understood perfectly well that because of the previous king’s moment of catastrophic folly, the current ruler had never truly trusted him.

He shoveled down two more mouthfuls of rice, then asked He Yue, “Yue’er, have you heard anything on your side?”

He had secured his younger son a minor position under the Minister of Finance. The Ministry of Finance managed the state’s grain and goods. Although He Yue held little authority, the position allowed him to pick up a great deal of important information.

“There is one matter Father should know about,” He Yue said seriously. “The Rongshan Sect has finally agreed to lend us money.”

He Chunhua’s chopsticks stopped in midair, and delight stirred in his heart. “How much?”

“Seven million taels!”

“They’re actually willing to lend seven million taels?” Even He Chunhua was shocked by the figure. “I thought half that amount would already be fortunate.”

“I heard that the royal court previously sent envoys three times to request a loan, and the Rongshan Sect rejected them every time.” He Yue smiled. “This time, not only did the Rongshan Sect agree, but they’re also selling us 15 million kilograms of grain at a reduced price!”

He Chunhua looked astonished. “Why has the Rongshan Sect suddenly become so generous?”

He had raised supplies for armies before. In the past, 1.5 million kilograms of grain had been enough to feed Zhao Pan’s army of 50,000 men for a month. 15 million kilograms sold at a fair price was extraordinarily generous.

Yuan had constantly been importing grain from abroad. With demand so high, prices had naturally continued rising.

For Yuan in its present condition, grain was even more practical than silver. It could solve an immediate, life-threatening problem.

“I’ve heard there are conditions attached.”

“I would be shocked if there weren’t.” He Chunhua clicked his tongue. “Even your elder brother knows that pies don’t simply fall out of the sky.”

The sudden mention of his eldest son plunged the dining table into silence.

After a brief pause, He Yue continued, “The Rongshan Sect’s envoys have already arrived in the capital. This afternoon, Grand Herald Wang of the Court of State Ceremonial met with them. I heard the discussions went very well, and he even held a banquet in their honor.”

“Money is easy to borrow but hard to repay.” He Chunhua rubbed the space between his brows. “For the Rongshan Sect to be this generous, there must be a reason.”

When a person failed to repay a debt, they were beaten.

When a state failed to repay a debt, it had to carve away a piece of itself.

Madame Ying suddenly asked, “If the money and grain arrive, will you march out?”

The reason He Chunhua had given for refusing to move was the lack of supplies. What if the Rongshan Sect’s support filled that gap?

With money, he could purchase provisions and find some way to obtain enough horses.

“It still isn’t time.” He Chunhua’s expression darkened. “It still isn’t time.”

* * *

The following day dawned clear, with radiant clouds stretching across the morning sky.

After He Chunhua rose and finished washing, he noticed Madame Ying repeatedly rubbing one eyelid. “Did sand get into your eye?”

Madame Ying muttered, “My left eyelid has been twitching since last night. I have no idea why.”

The two of them were just about to go to breakfast when Steward Wu suddenly charged in from outside, shouting as he ran, “Master! Wonderful news! The greatest news imaginable!”

His voice cracked and shot several pitches higher.

The steward had always been composed and dependable. He Chunhua could scarcely remember ever seeing him lose control like this.

“What happened?”

Before the final word had even left his mouth, Steward Wu blurted out, “The eldest young master has returned!”

He Chunhua and his wife both froze, unable to understand the words for a moment.

What?

Madame Ying stared blankly. “What did you say?”

Steward Wu pointed outside, slightly out of breath. “The eldest young master is alive! The eldest young master has returned!”

He Yue happened to be approaching the dining hall just then. The instant he heard those words, he broke into a run toward the main gate.

He had not even reached the entrance when a figure stepped around the flower corridor.

Before He Yue could see the person clearly, his vision blurred and someone seized his arm.

“Little Two, where are you running off to?”

Handsome features, an imposing bearing, and a broad smile revealing a full set of gleaming white teeth.

Who else could it be but He Lingchuan?

“Your handsome and dashing big brother has returned!”

Overcome with joy, He Yue threw his arms around him and shouted, “Finally! Finally! You’re finally back!”

He Lingchuan patted the top of his head. “Oh? You’ve grown taller?”

In only half a year, He Yue had shot up by nearly a head. His facial features had also become more defined. Some of his delicate youthfulness had faded, replaced by a hint of masculine vigor. He now looked even more like He Chunhua.

“Hm? Why are you crying?” He Lingchuan saw that his younger brother’s eyes had turned red. “What are you, a woman?”

“Brother, you’ve...” gotten stronger.

When He Yue had rushed forward to embrace him, it had felt as though he had slammed face-first into a wall. His nose had struck first, and now a wave of sour, stinging pain was shooting straight into the top of his skull.

It hurts!

It hurt so much that he had nearly burst into tears.

How did big brother’s body become so absurdly hard?

By then, He Chunhua and Madame Ying had hurried over as well. The sight of He Lingchuan left them staring in disbelief.

“Chuan’er...” Madame Ying choked out. One hand pressed against her chest, and her eyes reddened.

He Chunhua strode forward and placed both hands firmly on his eldest son’s shoulders, looking him up and down again and again. “Good. Good! I knew you weren’t dead!”

His eyes shone with astonishing brightness.

He Lingchuan gazed at him as the smile at the corners of his mouth grew wider and wider.

“Your son has returned...”

He stood amid a garden filled with blooming flowers, his back to the rising sun.

Perhaps the sunlight was simply too direct, but in that instant, He Chunhua found the sight almost painfully bright. Even his eldest son’s smile seemed slightly blurred.

He turned his head a fraction and heard He Lingchuan’s voice, long and calm.

“Father.”