I asked Merchant Lord Go for his understanding, then hurried straight to the Beijing Branch.
“Seo-ho!”
Brother Jin-ho brightened the moment he saw me.
“What happened? I heard one of our brewing houses ran into trouble?”
“Well… haah.”
Brother Jin-ho sighed, then continued.
“One of the brewers from the brewing houses disappeared.”
“Disappeared? What does that mean? No, that’s not the important part. Who disappeared?”
“Master Yeong Gu-jin.”
Master Yeong Gu-jin… He was Warrior Dong Hyeok-su’s childhood friend. Warrior Dong was Lady Seohyang’s eldest brother.
I had met him not long ago during the inspection, together with Warrior Dong Hyeok-su.
“Did you ask Warrior Dong? He’s his friend.”
“Of course I went there first. But he said he didn’t know either. He’s out searching for Master Yeong’s whereabouts right now with the guards.”
It was possible he had simply given up on entering the Tasting Competition, but the man I knew wasn’t the type to vanish without a word.
If he meant to give up, he would have said so openly and without shame.
Just like the clean, refreshing White Heron Wine he brewed, with no unpleasant aftertaste.
“According to Warrior Dong, Master Yeong Gu-jin was apparently a rather skilled martial artist. He served as a military official for quite some time.”
“Really?”
“If a man like that suddenly vanished, then something must have happened.”
I agreed.
The problem was that Master Yeong Gu-jin’s entry day was tomorrow.
He had worked hard preparing for this Tasting Competition. If all of that effort went to waste, he would be devastated.
At that moment, Warrior Dong Hyeok-su entered the Beijing Branch.
“Did you find him?”
He shook his head at my question.
“Not yet. That bastard, honestly! Where in the world did he go…? Haah.”
“At least we realized he was missing quickly. I’m sure we’ll find him soon.”
While Brother Jin-ho comforted Warrior Dong, I asked Palgap,
“Palgap. Where was Master Yeong staying?”
At my question, Brother Jin-ho realized what I meant and said,
“Ah! Geum–”
Thwack!
– Keep quiet!
I quickly sent Brother Jin-ho a Voice Transmission and lightly kicked him in the leg.
It really was just a light kick… but I guess it still hurt.
“Urgh!”
That much was obvious from the way my brother, a Peak martial artist in his own right, cried out and collapsed on the spot.
“What’s wrong, Brother?”
“Why did you suddenly do that?”
“Ah… nothing. I think my leg cramped.”
“Oh dear…”
I rubbed Brother Jin-ho’s leg for him, and he grumbled at me through Voice Transmission.
– Ow, damn it. That hurt.
– Sorry. But Brother, I told you before. We need to keep Geumryeong’s existence secret as much as possible.
– Sure, Geumryeong is amazing and all, but do we really have to go that far? To everyone else, it just looks like a cute little piglet.
– Geumryeong is a little shy.
After reminding him once more, I stood up and held out my hand.
“Feeling a little better?”
“Yeah…”
Brother Jin-ho took my hand and got back to his feet.
“That’s why I keep telling you not to overdo it with your training… If it hurts again, go see a Physician.”
“…Right.”
I headed to Master Yeong’s quarters.
Ah, I forgot to tell him not to mention to my sister-in-law that I kicked his leg.
Well, I’m sure she’ll understand.
Before long, I arrived at Master Yeong’s quarters. A worried-looking boy who had been making wine with him was there.
He probably wanted to search for Master Yeong too, but since someone had to protect the wine and the ingredients, he couldn’t leave his post.
I heard the boy was the grandson of the old man who had taught Master Yeong how to make wine. After the old man died, he had continued living with Master Yeong and brewing wine beside him.
Was his name Maeng Hyeon?
“Ah! Deputy Merchant Lord. Did you find Uncle Gu-jin?”
“Not yet.”
“I see.”
His face fell, so I comforted him.
“He’ll come back soon, so don’t worry too much.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Would it be all right if I took a look inside Master Yeong’s quarters for a moment?”
“Uncle’s quarters?”
My main purpose was to get one of his belongings so Geumryeong could track him.
But I obviously couldn’t say that.
“Yes. When you’re searching for someone, you have to start with clues.”
“Ah! I see.”
I asked Escort Guard Myeong Jong and Escort Guard Chang Un to guard the wine and ingredients for a moment, then entered the quarters with Maeng Hyeon.
The room looked mostly the same as the others.
Two beds and a tea table that could be used for various purposes.
And one small wardrobe.
As I looked around the room, I asked Maeng Hyeon,
“Does anything come to mind? Anything at all?”
“Anything come to mind?”
“Yes. Even something small is fine.”
He thought for a moment, then answered.
“Now that I think about it, a letter came for Uncle Gu-jin.”
“A letter?”
Receiving a letter wasn’t particularly unusual. But under these circumstances, it could be.
This wasn’t Hubei. It was Beijing.
Someone in Beijing had a reason to send him a letter? Who could it be?
Maeng Hyeon said,
“Yes. But Uncle’s expression looked strange after he read it.”
“Really? Then do you happen to know where that letter is now?”
Maeng Hyeon shook his head.
“It’s gone. Uncle burned it.”
“So it was something important.”
Burning the letter meant he had wanted to leave no trace of it behind.
The quarters were truly spotless.
So clean I could hardly believe two men had been staying there.
Palgap was moved by the sight.
“Wow! This place is really clean, sir.”
Maeng Hyeon sighed at that.
“He’s practically a neat freak. Of course, that was why my grandfather took Uncle in as his disciple in the first place. He was that good at cleaning and organizing.”
Just then, Warrior Dong’s voice came from behind us.
“So he still has that habit.”
“Pardon?”
“In the military, they train you to develop the habit of keeping things clean and orderly. But Gu-jin was already good at it from the beginning. I heard later that he had lived that way ever since he was a child.”
“What kind of household…”
“Ah… I suppose you wouldn’t know.”
He continued.
“Gu-jin is the third son of the Seonju Yeong Family. His father is the Assistant Provincial Commander of Guizhou, and he oversees training.”
An Assistant Provincial Commander was a high-ranking military official of the Senior Third Rank.
“I heard that even as a child, he had to clean his own room. If things weren’t properly organized, his father would scold him terribly.”
“I see.”
“And his brothers should currently be in Beijing.”
This smelled suspicious…
For some reason, I had a feeling Master Yeong Gu-jin was at that estate.
Still, I needed Geumryeong’s help just in case.
I slipped one of Master Yeong Gu-jin’s belongings into my sleeve and sent Geumryeong a Voice Transmission.
– Remember this scent.
– Kui!
Since telling Geumryeong to remember a scent meant Geumryeong would be earning money soon, it answered without hesitation.
“I’ve seen enough.”
As I stepped outside, I sent Geumryeong another Voice Transmission.
– Find the owner of that scent I just told you about.
– Kui!
Geumryeong promptly shot out from inside my sleeve.
A certain estate in Beijing.
In one room inside, Yeong Gu-jin was tied to a chair, letting out a long sigh.
“Haah, this is really driving me insane.”
Just then, the door opened, and a familiar face appeared.
“You don’t look like you’ve given up.”
The man who walked in and said that without warning was his second elder brother, Yeong Gu-sang.
Yeong Gu-jin furrowed his brow and demanded,
“What the hell is this? Your letter said you only wanted to see my face for a moment, so I came… and you drugged my tea!”
“How else was I supposed to keep you here if I didn’t drug you? If you promise not to run, I’ll untie you.”
“Brother, I’m your younger brother. Do you really think I don’t know you? You haven’t even told me why you don’t want me to run, so why would I obediently promise anything?”
“I’m your brother. I knew you’d say exactly that, which is why I tied you up like this.”
At those words, Yeong Gu-jin let out a deep sigh.
“So? What is this about? When I said I was going to make wine, you acted like you were ready to cut ties with me…”
“That’s right. Your declaration really was shocking. You had served faithfully in the military all that time, then suddenly submitted your resignation.”
“Do Father and Eldest Brother know you’re doing this?”
At that question, he dragged over a chair, sat in front of Yeong Gu-jin, and said,
“Of course they don’t. They’re soldiers down to their very bones, aren’t they? Naturally, there’s no way they would tolerate something like this.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
At that question, Yeong Gu-sang abruptly said,
“You’re getting married.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that out of nowhere?”
“Were you planning to grow old and die alone?”
“Don’t change the subject! Get to the point! What exactly is your reason for trying to make me marry?”
Seeing Yeong Gu-jin raise his voice, Yeong Gu-sang answered calmly.
“The Vice Minister of War has a daughter. But there’s a slight problem.”
“…What problem?”
“She suffers from madness.”
“…What?”
“She’s of marriageable age, but there’s nowhere suitable to send her, so he’s been terribly worried about it. If you marry her, you ease his worries, and I build a connection with him. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”
Yeong Gu-jin stared at him in utter disbelief.
In other words, his brother had detained him in order to sell him off as the Vice Minister of War’s son-in-law.
“Brother!”
“Don’t get so angry. Honestly speaking, becoming the Vice Minister of War’s son-in-law is good for you too.”
Yeong Gu-sang coaxed him gently.
“Once you marry her, no one will care much whether you make wine or tea or whatever else. So just close your eyes and help me this once.”
“…”
Grinding his teeth, Yeong Gu-jin said,
“So that is why you deliberately detained me now? Right when my entry is tomorrow?”
“That’s right.”
He had intentionally put Yeong Gu-jin in a desperate situation so he wouldn’t be able to think clearly.
‘He’s always been a clever bastard.’
Yeong Gu-jin had suffered so much at his hands that he didn’t even want to call him Brother.
“And I’ll add one more thing.”
Yeong Gu-sang spoke with a cold expression.
“If you don’t decide by 5 tomorrow morning, I’ll destroy two things you treasure.”
“…!”
“The brewery and the boy named Maeng Hyeon.”
At those words, Yeong Gu-jin clenched his teeth and said,
“Just how low are you planning to sink?”
“I wasn’t like this from the beginning, you know. But once I became an official in the imperial court, I realized that if I wanted to survive, I had no choice but to get mud on my hands too.”
“…”
“Think it over carefully, then.”
Yeong Gu-sang rose from the chair and left the room. Then Yeong Gu-jin kicked the chair his brother had been sitting in.
“You son of a bitch!”
Crash!
And at the small window of that room, a little pig peeked its head in and watched the scene unfold.
I was heading back to the Tasting Competition venue. I couldn’t stay away for too long.
Then I felt something wriggle inside my sleeve.
Huh? Geumryeong was already back?
When I slipped my hand into my sleeve, I felt the little creature inside.
That meant Master Yeong Gu-jin was nearby.
“Lead the way.”
“Kui!”
Following Geumryeong’s guidance brought me to an estate.
The words written on the estate’s signboard were [Seonju Yeong Family].
So my guess had been right.
I said to Escort Guard Jin Yu,
“Follow me discreetly.”
“Understood.”
I used the No-Trace Step to quietly enter the estate, and with Geumryeong’s help, I arrived at the place where Master Yeong Gu-jin was being kept.
When I looked inside through a small window, I saw Master Yeong Gu-jin.
He was tied to the back of a chair and detained there.
Hah…
The Seonju Yeong Family was considered a prestigious martial family.
And yet they were pulling this kind of garbage.
I examined the surroundings.
The place was tucked quite far into a corner, and I couldn’t see any servants or maidservants nearby.
I only sensed the Qi of people who seemed to be guards in the area.
I had a rough idea of what was going on…
Not only the Assistant Provincial Commander of Guizhou, but most of the family likely knew nothing about this.
That meant there would be problems if I simply barged in and demanded they hand over Master Yeong.
There was also the matter of proving he was here…
Should I bring the Crown Prince?
No. That would make this far too big.
After thinking for a moment, one person came to mind.
There happened to be someone with a fiery temper who could storm this place without turning it into a major incident.
And that person also cared about Master Yeong Gu-jin more than anyone else.
I immediately left the estate and headed back to the Beijing Branch.
“Huh? You said you were going to the Tasting Competition venue. Why are you back?”
Brother Jin-ho asked when he saw me, and I urgently said,
“I just found out where Master Yeong Gu-jin is.”
Upon hearing me, Warrior Dong Hyeok-su rushed over and asked,
“So where is he? Where is that bastard?”
“I remembered you mentioned earlier that the Seonju Yeong Family had an estate in Beijing, so I focused my search there. And I found out he entered that estate this morning.”
“Then let’s go right now!”
Just as I had expected, he bolted off at once, and we followed behind him.
Before long, we arrived at the Seonju Yeong Family’s estate.
“Who are you?”
“I am Dong Hyeok-su, Young Lord Yeong Gu-jin’s friend. I came to see my friend.”
“Do you have a prior appointment?”
“Yes. We agreed to meet today.”
He said it with perfect confidence. And judging from the gatekeeper’s reaction, Master Yeong Gu-jin was definitely here.
If he weren’t, the gatekeeper would have said, “The Young Lord is not here.”
“Please enter. I will send word inside.”
Also, the gatekeeper clearly didn’t know he was being detained.
That was why he said he would send word inside.
We entered the estate, but we didn’t wait for a guide. We went straight toward the place where Master Yeong Gu-jin was being held.
There, the two guards whose Qi I had sensed earlier were guarding the door.
“Stop!”
“We’re here to see Young Lord Yeong Gu-jin.”
“Why would you be looking for him here?”
“Young Lord Yeong Gu-jin told us to come here. So step aside.”
“That is impossible. Second Young Lord gave orders that no one was to be allowed inside.”
At those words, Warrior Dong rolled up his sleeves and said,
“I never liked that brother of his.”
Then he suddenly pointed off to the side with a shocked expression and shouted,
“Whoa! What the hell is that?”
The moment the guards looked that way, Warrior Dong pulled something from his waist and threw it at the door.
Boom!
D-Did he just throw an axe?
–TL Notes–
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