The two men arrived at Hoegyeong Hall.
O Geolmae first saw Hoegyeong Hall from the foot of a long flight of stairs.
They had already passed through several layers of palace gates, but the character of the road changed when they reached that place.
The level path ended there, and a high staircase rose toward the hall.
O Geolmae's gaze was naturally drawn upward.
Park Geun-su stopped one step ahead of him.
"That is Hoegyeong Hall. It is the principal audience hall where His Majesty receives the great court assembly and foreign envoys."
O Geolmae raised his head.
Hoegyeong Hall stood upon an elevated platform.
The foundation itself pressed upon the eye before the building came fully into view, and a long staircase climbed above it.
At the top stood a separate gate leading into the hall precinct, beyond which the layered roofs of the main building revealed themselves one after another.
It was a structure made to look down upon those approaching from below.
Red-painted railings ran along both sides of the stairs, and copper-flower ornaments had been set into them.
Whenever the slanting sunlight touched them, the red lacquer and metal decorations flashed in turn.
It was unlike the order of rough northern camps, with their timber fences and hide tents.
The authority of this place was not displayed through raised blades.
It controlled a man's pace through height, spacing, and color.
Beyond the inner gate lay a broad courtyard paved with bricks.
Each step produced a low sound beneath his feet.
It seemed as though the hall itself knew the measure of every person who entered.
Without realizing it, O Geolmae shortened his stride.
Hoegyeong Hall spread majestically across the far end of the courtyard.
The long line of bays across its front and the covered buildings extending to either side made the hall appear even wider.
Its eaves rose high and deep, while rows of pillars stood at regular intervals, supporting the dim interior beyond.
Other buildings in the palace were splendid as well, but this place seemed to gather the dignity of all of them into one hall.
Standing before Hoegyeong Hall, an envoy could not help but feel that he had come not as a single guest, but as the bearer of an entire nation's name.
Park Geun-su did not hurry him.
He waited for a moment at the foot of the stairs, allowing O Geolmae to take in the hall.
"His Majesty has separate private quarters. Hoegyeong Hall opens only for the great rites of the realm. Court assemblies are held here, royal edicts are issued and received here, and foreign envoys encounter the formal dignity of Goryeo here."
O Geolmae nodded.
Perhaps that was why every part of the place seemed steeped in ritual order.
Walls, covered corridors, stairs, courtyard, red railings, and high eaves followed one another in measured harmony.
O Geolmae straightened his collar.
The moment he entered this place, he was no longer merely a man sent on a mission.
He carried the name of Jin upon his shoulders.
For a moment, he thought of Aguda.
He remembered the Great Khan gathering tribal commanders on horseback and lining up troops across snow-covered fields.
Aguda's authority came from wind, horses, and spear points.
The king of Goryeo's authority had been built in an entirely different fashion.
Stone raised the ground above ordinary men.
Stairs slowed their breathing.
Red railings and a brick-paved courtyard calmed the heart before they ever reached the throne.
This, too, was the strength of a nation.
Park Geun-su spoke quietly.
"Let us go up."
O Geolmae adjusted his robes once more.
When he placed his foot upon the first step, even the attendants behind him lowered their presence.
The stone beneath his feet was cold and hard.
As he climbed, the noise of Gaegyeong receded, while the eaves of Hoegyeong Hall grew larger above him.
He was going to meet the king of Goryeo.
He came as the younger brother of the Great Khan, as an envoy of Jin, and as a man carrying the words of a covenant that might soon determine the fate of Liaodong.
At the high threshold of Hoegyeong Hall, O Geolmae paused once more to steady his breathing.
This was not merely a house in which a king sat.
It was the place where the state of Goryeo had expressed how it wished to be seen, shaping that will in stone, timber, and red-painted railings.
Guided by the palace attendants, O Geolmae entered and stood at the center before the doors of Hoegyeong Hall.
The civil officials who had accompanied him from Jin took their places behind him in order.
They lowered their sleeves neatly, while the interpreter stepped back and bowed his head.
The sound of feet upon the brick floor echoed softly.
Because of that low resonance, O Geolmae became conscious even of the width of his own steps.
The king of Goryeo sat within the hall.
Senior officials from the Secretariat-Chancellery and the Department of State Affairs occupied their places to either side, while officers of the Privy Council stood slightly farther back.
No one raised his voice.
Only the faint brushing of robes and the small sounds of officials adjusting their court tablets spread through the hall.
A palace attendant spoke in a low voice.
"Envoy of Jin, offer your respects."
O Geolmae brought both hands together before his chest.
For a brief moment, the military courtesy of the Jurchens and the guest ritual of the Goryeo court met within his body.
He first lowered his head, then shifted his weight back and descended into a deep bow at the appointed place.
The Jin officials behind him bowed as one.
Their sleeves settled over the brick floor, and the jade pendants at their belts gave a faint chime.
O Geolmae spoke in a clear voice.
"I, O Geolmae, younger brother of the Great Khan of Jin, pay my respects to His Majesty the King of Goryeo. May Your Majesty's virtue stand high in the East, and may the friendship between our two realms endure for generations."
When the interpreter rendered his words into the language of Goryeo, every gaze in the hall gathered upon him.
Even after raising his head, O Geolmae did not immediately look directly at the king.
As befitted a man who had completed the proper rite, he kept his eyes lowered and waited for the king's answer.
The king raised one hand, signaling him to approach.
"You have endured a long journey. Is the Great Khan of Jin in good health?"
O Geolmae bowed once more.
"The Great Khan asks after Your Majesty's well-being and hopes that our two realms may discuss matters of great importance together."
The atmosphere within Hoegyeong Hall shifted slightly as those words fell.
The first formal courtesies had ended.
Now two states would sit face to face and speak.
O Geolmae bent deeply at the waist.
"Since Your Majesty returned the Nine Fortresses, which Goryeo had won through such hardship, we have continued to receive your favor without yet repaying it. We have always believed that one day we must return that grace, yet today we have come once more with a difficult request."
He continued in a grave voice.
"Our very survival depends upon this matter. Though ashamed, I have come to speak. I beg Your Majesty not to dismiss our request lightly."
The king nodded quietly.
"How difficult these years must have been for you. Long ago, when our realm fought that arrogant Liao, we also suffered terrible losses. Countless people were carried away, and loyal and courageous soldiers fell and became dust upon the battlefield."
The king's voice softened.
"We wish to lend what strength we can. Yet our own realm also faces many difficulties, and I fear the aid we provide may fall short of what you need."
The king's words gave O Geolmae courage.
He lowered himself deeply once again.
"We have already received more help than we can repay. Even if Your Majesty could offer nothing further, Jin would feel neither disappointment nor resentment."
He spoke with quiet sincerity.
"Rather, we are like an unworthy younger brother who has come shamelessly to ask for help yet again. That Your Majesty has received us so willingly is already a grace beyond measure."
The king released a long breath.
Who had called these people cunning as foxes and savage as wolves?
Urgency came before calculation in O Geolmae's words.
He did not look down upon others, nor did he treat their help as something owed to him.
Within that bearing, the king saw both the rough breath of a nation newly rising and the human decency that still remained within it.