After entering Gaegyeong, O Geolmae was lodged at Suncheon Hall.
Suncheon Hall was one of the principal state guesthouses used to receive foreign envoys. High-ranking delegations, such as those sent by the Song dynasty, were often accommodated there.
By precedent, a Jurchen envoy would more likely have been placed in Yeongseon Hall or Yeongeun Hall. Khitan envoys were received at Yeongeun Hall and Ineun Hall, while Jurchen envoys had separate guesthouses assigned to them.
This mission, however, could not be handled according to ordinary precedent.
O Geolmae was the younger brother of the Great Khan of Jin, and he had come as a senior envoy to discuss a formal covenant between the rulers of Jin and Goryeo.
The Goryeo court therefore elevated the status of the mission and placed him in Suncheon Hall.
Park Geun-su personally led the way.
It was unusual for a commander of the Jungbang to escort an envoy all the way to his quarters.
From that small departure from custom, O Geolmae understood that the Goryeo court did not regard this mission lightly.
Suncheon Hall stood a short distance away from the crowded streets of Gaegyeong.
Its main gate was tall and orderly, and lamps welcoming travelers from distant lands hung low beneath the eaves.
Soldiers stood before the gate with their spears upright. Their disciplined movements reflected the strict bearing expected of guards protecting a state guesthouse near the royal palace.
Park Geun-su dismounted first and handed over his reins. The clerks of the hall bowed and opened the way.
"You have endured a long journey. Please rest here today and recover from the road."
Park Geun-su's words were generous.
He spoke with the plainness of a military man, yet his sincerity as a host was unmistakable.
O Geolmae nodded and entered through the gate.
The inner courtyard was broad and square.
Its packed-earth ground had been swept clean. On either side stood separate quarters for the attendants and rooms where their baggage could be unpacked.
Dry fodder and water troughs had already been prepared near the stables, while quiet steam rose from the kitchens.
Everything had been arranged so that those who had completed a long journey could finally catch their breath.
Suncheon Hall possessed a restrained dignity.
Its grandeur was revealed not through excessive ornament, but through the spacing of its pillars, the breadth of its courtyard, and the long covered corridors leading to the guest rooms.
It had housed Song envoys in the past, and the building seemed accustomed to receiving men who carried the dignity of distant nations.
A room was not merely being lent to a guest.
A foreign envoy was being received within the formal order of Goryeo's rites.
Park Geun-su walked slowly along the corridor.
His pace was unhurried, perhaps deliberately so, allowing O Geolmae time to examine the paths and structure of the compound.
The envoy's residence lay to the left, while the rooms for his attendants stood to the right. Farther inside were a small chamber for handling documents and a space reserved for interpreters.
Park Geun-su pointed out each place as they passed.
"Your attendants will stay over there. Your horses and baggage have already been entrusted to the staff. Tea and hot water have been prepared in the inner chamber. We will also see that the meals suit your taste."
O Geolmae quietly surveyed his surroundings.
The lamps were bright enough to guide the way without being harsh. Reed blinds hung wherever the wind passed through.
Mats had been laid inside the rooms, and a low table held tea utensils, a water bowl, and clean towels.
The preparations had been made with the fatigue of a long-distance traveler in mind.
At the end of the corridor, they came upon a small garden.
An old pine stood in the middle, and beneath it rested a stone basin filled with water.
As the night breeze passed through the branches, the reflection of the lamps trembled across the surface.
The noise of Gaegyeong faded beyond the walls, and the careful stillness peculiar to a state guesthouse settled over the courtyard.
Park Geun-su stopped before the garden.
"You have come as the younger brother of the Great Khan, and the court has therefore raised the level of courtesy shown to this mission. Suncheon Hall has traditionally received envoys of the highest rank. Your presence here in itself reflects the importance of the proposed covenant."
O Geolmae sensed consideration rather than exaggeration in Park Geun-su's words.
He was honoring his guest while preserving the dignity of Goryeo.
O Geolmae approved of the manner in which he did so.
"The courtesy of Goryeo runs deep."
Park Geun-su smiled.
"The deeper the courtesy, the more numerous the procedures. Should anything cause you discomfort, please tell us immediately. Whatever can be corrected will be corrected at once."
O Geolmae looked around the guesthouse once more.
There were separate halls ordinarily used to receive Jurchen envoys, yet he had been brought here instead.
The meaning was clear.
Goryeo was no longer treating Jin as merely another new power on the frontier.
For this night, at least, it was treating Jin as a counterpart with whom the future order of the realm might be discussed.
The lamps of Suncheon Hall swayed quietly beneath the eaves.
The dust of the long road still clung to O Geolmae's clothes, but only then did he truly feel that he had arrived in Gaegyeong.
"There is also a separate conference chamber here," Park Geun-su said. "When the relevant officials arrive, you may conduct your working discussions there."
O Geolmae inclined his head.
"Thank you. When might I be granted an audience with His Majesty?"
Park Geun-su blinked once, considering the schedule.
"I intend to enter the palace now and report your arrival. After that, the date will be fixed according to His Majesty's wishes. I ask your understanding that I cannot confirm it immediately."
"I understand."
Park Geun-su proceeded directly to the palace and reported the arrival of the Jin envoy.
Because advance notice had already reached the court, senior officials from the Secretariat-Chancellery and the Department of State Affairs had assembled in the side hall.
The Secretariat-Chancellery was where the great affairs of state were debated, while the Department of State Affairs supervised the Six Ministries and translated those decisions into actual administration.
Since the Jin envoy's requests concerned military deployment and a covenant between rulers, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War could not remain absent.
Members of the Privy Council were also present.
The Privy Council handled military secrets and the transmission of royal commands. Within it were officials responsible for confidential military affairs and others who received and conveyed the king's orders.
Its judgment was indispensable when deciding the timing of a campaign, the scale of the force to be dispatched, and the chain through which royal commands would be issued.
Park Geun-su stopped at the entrance and offered the proper salute.
"May Your Majesty live a thousand years, a thousand years, and ten thousand thousand years."
The king waved his hand.
"We see one another every day, and you still offer a thousand years? Sit down at once. We were already discussing the Jin envoy."
Before taking his seat, Park Geun-su reported,
"I have confirmed the matter and have just returned from escorting the envoy to Suncheon Hall."
The king raised his eyebrows.
"Suncheon Hall?"
"Precedent would have favored Yeongseon Hall or Yeongeun Hall. However, O Geolmae is the younger brother of the Great Khan. Put another way, he is a man who might be regarded as the next ruler."
The king gave a brief nod.
"Ah. You did well."
Once the king praised the decision, the officials of the Ministry of Rites could raise no objection.
The king asked,
"I am very curious to hear why he has come."
Park Geun-su replied,
"It is as Your Majesty already knows. He has come to request a declaration of war and the dispatch of troops. He also wishes to examine the procedures for a covenant between the Great Khan and Your Majesty."
He continued,
"He has not come merely to observe formalities. He appears prepared to negotiate the substance as well. He has been entrusted with full authority."
The king exhaled quietly.
"Ahem. They must be in great haste."
"They are. The war appears extremely urgent. Liao has begun gathering the strength of the entire realm. Jin expects their numbers to exceed several hundred thousand."
"They stand at the edge of a hundred-foot pole."
"Indeed. Yet as Your Majesty already knows, Jin is preparing with remarkable calm. They have sent envoys to Song and are also carrying out covert operations intended to encourage rebellion within Liao."
Park Geun-su paused to choose his next words before continuing.
"We must settle the matter of military deployment and hasten the decision on its timing. We must also discuss the world that will follow the war."
He lowered his voice.
"This matter will require Your Majesty to travel in person. Discussions of the greatest importance are likely to take place. I believe the most senior figures of both states must attend."
The king smiled faintly.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
He had already discussed the matter several times with Yi Yeong-u and Park Geun-su.
Events were unfolding exactly as they had expected.