The following day at dawn, Song Yanqing and his Shadow Guards successfully arrived in the Great Yu Kingdom.

"Whoa~"

A dozen or so people rode tall horses and stopped about three hundred meters away from the city gate of the Dayu Kingdom.

Beneath the majestic city walls, the city gates were wide open, and a large number of pedestrians were coming and going. Many caravans were pulling their horse-drawn carriages in a queue, waiting for the soldiers of the Dayu Kingdom to inspect them before driving into the city gates of the Dayu Kingdom.

The Great Yu Kingdom has always traded with other countries, selling grain and iron ore to foreign countries year-round. Tens of thousands of soldiers are stationed in Yanyu City, so it is not afraid of other small countries coveting its territory.

The Great Jin Dynasty had more territory and population than the Great Yu Kingdom by half, but it could not withstand two consecutive years of natural and man-made disasters.

There were also Tatars in the border town, who were eyeing the Great Jin Dynasty covetously.

If it weren't for being forced into this situation, Song Yanqing would never have accepted the favor of the eldest son of the Emperor of Dayu Kingdom.

Seeing yet another caravan line up, Song Yan calmly ordered, "Enter the city!"

The group tightened their reins and continued onward until they reached the gates of Yanyu City, where the Shadow Guards finally saw a familiar face.

It was Deputy General Lu.

Standing next to Deputy General Lu was a man dressed in the crimson robes of the Great Yu Kingdom.

The man seemed to have seen them, so he turned his head and spoke to Deputy General Lu, as if confirming something.

Before long, the two men came to greet them.

Upon seeing Lu Da and an unfamiliar face, Song Yanqing dismounted and handed the reins to the Shadow Guard.

Lu Da walked ahead of the officials, a smile he couldn't hide on his face, and strode towards Song Yanqing.

After he stopped, he bowed to Song Yanqing and said, "Your subordinate greets you, young master."

This is the land of the Great Yu Kingdom. Only by not using our true identities can we conceal our status as the crown prince of another country.

Song Yanqing said, "No need for formalities. You've had a hard time on this trip."

Lu Da quickly replied, "Young master, you flatter me. This is my duty, and there's no need to mention the hardship."

Song Yanqing admired Lu Da's character, acknowledging that he was indeed someone who had served under the First Prince. He said calmly, "Whether it's a reward or a punishment, I will naturally keep a close eye on it."

After a brief conversation, the official, who was much slower than Lu Da, quickened his pace and finally came over.

Lu Da introduced Song Yanqing, "Young master, this is Lord Cha, the chief envoy, who was specially sent to welcome you into the city."

After the introductions, Chief Envoy Cha bowed to Song Yanqing and said, "Greetings, Young Master Song."

Song Yanqing nodded in return.

After the two finished their introductions, Envoy Cha immediately welcomed everyone into Yanyu City.

This meeting did not involve relations between the two countries. The fact that the eldest prince was able to travel thousands of miles from the capital to Yanyu City was a testament to his sincerity.

Cha Changshi arranged for Song Yanqing and his party to stay at the best inn in Yanyu City.

Considering their day and night journey, after making proper arrangements for their food and lodging, he said, "Please trouble the Crown Prince to rest here for now. The eldest prince will arrive in Yanyu City tomorrow."

"I reside in room five of the west wing of the inn. If the young master requires anything, simply summon me."

Chief Envoy Cha was the eldest son's man, and his every word and action represented the eldest son. Although he was humble and polite, he was neither servile nor arrogant in his speech.

After he finished speaking, Song Yanqing nodded slightly.

After the chief envoy left, the Shadow Guards had already prepared a pot of tea for the young master and brought it to the side room.

At that time, Song Yanqing was sitting by the window. With the window open, he could see the pedestrians walking on the street. Chief Envoy Cha had specially arranged this room so that he could see the strength of the Great Yu Kingdom.

Lu Da returned only after seeing the person off.

"Your Highness."

Seeing that Lu Da had returned, Song Yanqing extended his hand to indicate, "Sit down."

As a military officer, Lu Da was not like a civil official who would have to decline. Upon hearing this, he sat down opposite Song Yanqing.

Previously, Lu Da sent a messenger with a letter saying that the eldest prince was willing to raise grain to relieve the food crisis in the border cities of the Great Jin Dynasty.

The only condition is that he hopes Song Yanqing will lend him a hand in his future endeavors.

The eldest prince's intentions were clear: at this point, he had no other purpose than to borrow troops to seize the throne and recover the territories of the vassal kings.

Both sides understood what the other wanted, and then they met to negotiate.

Lu Da said, "Your Highness, I have been in Dayu for several months and have heard that the Emperor of Dayu intends to establish a Crown Prince, among whom the Fifth Prince, born to the Empress, is the most popular choice."

Establish a prince?

The emperor of the Dayu Kingdom is in his prime. If a crown prince is established at this time, the struggle between the princes can be avoided.

Of course, there must be many people vying for the position of crown prince; it's just a matter of open and covert competition.

Song Yanqing said, "The eldest son of the Emperor of Dayu Kingdom is the eldest son of the late Empress. In terms of both lineage and seniority, the Fifth Prince is far inferior to the eldest son, and his status is incomparable to that of the sons born to the Empress.

The implication is that, as long as the two are equally qualified, the eldest prince's chances of winning are no lower than those of the fifth prince.

Thinking of this, Song Yanqing added, "Two years of drought have also made life difficult for the Tatars in the border areas."

The reason they amassed wealth in the border town was to purchase grain from the Great Yu Kingdom.

Can you ascertain who is providing food supplies to the Tatars?

The fact that the Great Yu Kingdom would not openly supply food to the Tatars would anger the people of the Great Jin Kingdom, thus provoking war.

The northern part of the Great Jin Dynasty is not far from Yanyu City. A war between the two countries would only result in mutual destruction, which allowed the Tatars, who have never been known for their martial ethics, to take advantage of the situation.

It would be better to secretly sell grain from both countries and reap the benefits.

After two months and numerous inquiries by Lu Da, it was not difficult to find out the truth.

Lu Da's expression was solemn as he said in a low voice, "After investigating for many days, I have found out that the Tatars' grain was the work of the Regent of the Great Yu Kingdom."

The Regent of the Great Yu Kingdom is the emperor's uncle, wielding great power. He is also a regional vassal king and a figure who could threaten the royal family at any time.

If he was secretly supporting the Tatars, then it would explain why the Tatars dared to be so arrogant.

Song Yanqing then asked, "In that case, could you find out whether the grain the Crown Prince is negotiating tomorrow can actually be delivered?"

Lu Da said, “Yes! The Li family, the maternal clan of the eldest prince, has a high reputation in the Great Yu Kingdom.”

There were two empresses in the family, and the land and estates under their control were countless. Their nephews were all outstanding individuals who achieved great success in various places.

With such a powerful maternal clan, the grain promised by the eldest prince would certainly not be insufficient.

I have also discovered that there is a granary inside the late Empress's mausoleum.

It is said that this was the late empress's dying wish: if the eldest son of the emperor were to be made crown prince in the future, this granary would be used for military pay.

If the eldest son of the emperor is granted the title of prince and goes to his fiefdom, the granary will arrive with him.

Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.

Even on her deathbed, the late empress did not forget to leave a way out for the eldest prince, which shows how deep her thoughts were.

Having confirmed that the food supply was sufficient, Song Yanqing had a clear direction for tomorrow's negotiations.

He said, "We still have to negotiate with the eldest prince tomorrow, so Vice General Lu should rest early today."

Lu Da noticed a dark mark under the prince's eye and knew the hardships of traveling through the night. He stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "This humble general takes his leave."

He said that, and then turned and left the room.

Song Yanqing had not been cleansed for several days, and he must not be impolite when he met the eldest prince tomorrow.

This concerns the face of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, he ordered the Shadow Guards to instruct the innkeeper to boil water for bathing.