At the Mu Merchant Group.
“And that's how we finalized the contract.”
The Merchant Lord nodded at Senior Supervisor Wang Seok's report.
“Do whatever you think is best, Senior Supervisor.”
His expression made it clear he had no interest whatsoever in running the Mu Merchant Group.
Then again, he was nothing more than a figurehead. Every shred of real authority within the Mu Merchant Group rested in the Senior Supervisor's hands.
As if the contract itself meant nothing to him, the Merchant Lord held out his hand.
“Oh, and give me some spending money. I'm going drinking with some friends.”
The Prohibition Decree still hadn't been lifted, which meant he intended to go drink bootleg liquor.
“I've told you time and again, don't let anyone catch you. If it looks like you might be caught…”
“Sell those bastards out? I know.”
“Good. Now, sign these two documents here and here…”
The Merchant Lord signed wherever the Senior Supervisor told him to, accepted a pouch of money, and left with a foolish grin on his face.
The Senior Supervisor watched him go without the slightest change in expression.
He held no affection whatsoever for the Merchant Lord.
The only thing that mattered was how much money he could wring out of the Mu Merchant Group.
He turned to his guard.
“Prepare the carriage. I'm going there.”
“Yes.”
A short while later, the Senior Supervisor arrived at the Magistrate's Office.
However, he didn't enter the Magistrate's Office itself. Instead, he headed to a building behind it.
It was a building owned by the Mu Merchant Group.
Once inside, he had one of the servants announce his arrival.
He waited in one of the rooms for a short while before the bookcase against the wall quietly slid aside.
The Senior Supervisor rose from his seat to greet the man who emerged.
“I pay my respects to the County Magistrate.”
“Sit. So, what brings you here?”
“As you ordered, I'm preparing to wind down the Mu Merchant Group.”
“Didn't you say that would be difficult to do right away?”
“Yes. There are costs involved in shutting everything down, and I thought there was still more profit to squeeze out of it, so I'd originally planned to close it down in about a year. But I landed a major deal this time, so I've decided to wrap everything up immediately.”
“A major deal?”
“We made a deal with the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
He proceeded to explain the details of the transaction to the County Magistrate.
“You mean Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho. Didn't I tell you there's a strong possibility he's an inspector sent by the Emperor? And yet you struck a deal with him?”
“After hearing your warning, County Magistrate, we also sent people out and investigated him from several different angles. From what we could determine, he merely came to Hainan Island on personal business. It doesn't appear that he's acting under the Emperor's orders.”
“And what led you to that conclusion?”
“What kind of imperial inspector travels around so openly indulging himself in every pleasure he can find? And I mean it when I say that man knows how to have fun.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And if he really were an inspector, would he do business with us? If he knows what we truly are and still makes a deal with us, then he'd be openly defying the Emperor's orders. If he doesn't know, then he's an imperial servant who should be putting the Emperor's command above everything else, yet he's fooling around with unrelated business instead. Do you really think the Emperor would overlook that? And before it ever reached the Emperor, the Embroidered Guard would make an issue of it themselves.”
“Fair point. There is some sense in what you're saying.”
“We told them we'd hand over the grain in two weeks. I intend to have everything wrapped up before then. Please inform our superiors accordingly.”
“Understood. Then we'll meet at the agreed location.”
“Yes.”
After returning to the Mu Merchant Group, the Senior Supervisor headed straight for his office.
“You're back, sir.”
Two of his most trusted subordinates bowed respectfully.
“Yes. Did you exchange the bank drafts for silver taels?”
“Yes. They're right here.”
They pointed toward several chests, each packed full of silver taels.
“Good. Then both of you get out.”
“Yes.”
Once his subordinates had left, he opened the vault inside his office.
Creeeeak.
Night Pearls were embedded in the vault's ceiling, illuminating the interior with brilliant light.
Countless treasures of gold, silver, and precious gems glittered so brightly that they dazzled the eye.
He carried the chests filled with silver taels into the vault.
They were quite heavy, but he somehow managed to move them inside one by one.
Now all he had to do was hand everything over when they arrived, and his task would finally be finished.
However, there was something he knew very well.
All the wealth he had gathered here wasn't even close to everything his superiors had amassed.
Part of him couldn't help wondering what in the world they intended to do with such an absurd amount of money.
There was already enough wealth for every single person involved in this affair to spend the rest of their lives doing nothing but eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves, with plenty still left over.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
As far as he was concerned, everything ended the moment he received the share he'd been promised.
Creeeeak. Bang!
He shut the vault door and allowed a deeply satisfied smile to spread across his face.
* * *
That night.
I quietly slipped out of the inn.
I dressed in black night clothes, put a smiling mask over my face, then wrapped a black face covering over that.
I'd hidden myself thoroughly enough that even if someone spotted me, there was no chance they'd be able to recognize who I was.
I made my way to the Mu Merchant Group, quietly vaulted over the wall, and extended my senses through the surrounding grounds.
There were quite a few Warriors standing guard.
And every last one of them carried the bloody reek of Unorthodox Qi.
A while back, that would've been enough to make tonight's dinner come right back up… but not anymore.
First, I needed to investigate this Senior Supervisor.
There was obviously something wrong with him.
A contract of that scale would normally be handled under the Merchant Lord's direct supervision.
Yet the Merchant Lord hadn't even been present, and the Senior Supervisor had gone so far as to use the Merchant Lord's official seal himself.
The answer was obvious.
The Merchant Lord was nothing more than a puppet they put forward for appearances, while the Senior Supervisor handled all the actual business.
In my previous life, the Mu Merchant Group's Merchant Lord had been found hanging from a roof beam.
I'd heard that they'd wasted precious time investigating whether he'd committed suicide or been murdered, along with why he'd died in the first place, and that confusion had allowed the culprits who fled to slip away.
Avoiding the guards, I made my way toward the Senior Supervisor's office.
Once I confirmed there was no one inside, I slipped into the office and called for Geumryeong.
– Geumryeong.
– Kui!
– Can you smell money in here?
– Kui! Kui!
Well, judging by how excited Geumryeong was, there had to be something in here far more valuable than a few silver taels.
Geumryeong scampered over to a bookshelf and began tapping at it.
So this must be the secret vault.
I'd seen so many secret vaults by now that figuring out how to open this one barely took any time at all.
Creeeeak.
The moment I opened the vault and stepped inside, I couldn't help getting furious.
There were literal mountains of gold, silver, and precious treasures piled inside.
Those goddamn bastards!
I barely managed to stop my killing intent from bursting out before I could restrain myself.
– Kui… Kui…
Geumryeong was practically drooling, but I quickly scooped it up, tucked it into my sleeve, and said,
– Sorry, but not today. I'll give you a silver tael later.
– Kui…
I hadn't broken into this place tonight to rob them.
Recovering all of this wealth was certainly the ultimate goal, but emptying the vault right now would only tip them off.
Someone else would clean this place out for me.
There was a reason I'd chosen today, of all days, to sneak inside, right after they'd exchanged the bank drafts I gave them for silver at the money house.
I needed somewhere to hide the items I was carrying.
Anything I slipped among the silver taels that had arrived today would simply be taken as part of the new haul. They wouldn't notice a thing.
I took the items out of my Hidden Vault and carefully buried them deep inside the chests filled with silver taels.
Time to get out of here.
I slipped back out, closed the vault as though nothing had happened, and returned to the inn.
“You're back?”
“You're still awake?”
But Young Lady Seohyang hadn't gone to sleep. She was still awake, waiting for me.
“I thought you'd sleep on the floor again if I went to bed first.”
“Hahaha.”
I gave an awkward laugh.
That suddenly reminded me of our first night at this inn.
Since we'd decided to pose as husband and wife, taking separate rooms would've drawn attention, so we'd ended up sharing the same room.
But there was no way we could sleep in the same bed, so I'd given the bed to her and intended to sleep on the floor.
That was when she stopped me.
“Isn't the floor too cold?”
“It's fine. This doesn't even count as cold.”
“Even so, it's awfully hard.”
“Compared to sleeping out in the open, this is practically silk bedding.”
“If you're doing this because of me, then I'll sleep on the floor.”
“Absolutely not! If the Provincial Administration Commissioner ever finds out, I'm dead.”
Besides, it wasn't as though I were looking after her for free. I was being paid regularly and generously to keep her safe.
“I understand what you're trying to do, Deputy Merchant Lord, but it makes me uncomfortable. We'll put a blanket between us as a boundary, so please sleep on the bed.”
“I'm fine…”
“What if someone happens to see us and thinks I'm some terrible wife? We can't have that, can we?”
“…”
And so, in the end, I wound up sleeping in the same bed as her.
Of course, just as she'd suggested, we laid a blanket down the middle as a divider and each used separate bedding.
I had trouble falling asleep that first night, but by now…
Once I stopped worrying about it, it was surprisingly comfortable.
Besides, it also meant she trusted me that much, and I was grateful for that.
Still, I'd planned to sleep on the floor if she fell asleep before I returned, but apparently she'd seen right through me.
Or maybe she'd literally seen that future.
“Oh, there's one more thing I need to tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
“The man acting as the Embroidered Guard's liaison will visit tomorrow.”
Young Lady Seohyang only went out of her way to mention something she'd seen in the future when there was a good reason for it.
“Is there something wrong with him?”
“Yes.”
She nodded, her expression turning grave.
“He can't be allowed to learn about your plan, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“…”
Now I finally had a good idea who the traitor was.
The people operating here had to remain in place, which meant someone needed to carry news and written orders back and forth from Beijing.
Apparently, the Embroidered Guard wasn't the only party that liaison had been passing information to.
The circumstances made it obvious there was a traitor, yet strangely enough, I hadn't sensed any Unorthodox Qi from anyone here.
If one of them had been the traitor, they'd have been in regular contact with those people, which meant traces of Unorthodox Qi should've rubbed off on them.
But if the liaison himself was the traitor, that explained everything.
“Does he know who I really am too?”
That could be a serious problem.
“I'm not sure about that either. But I think you should be careful.”
“Understood. Thank you for warning me.”
I immediately called Palgap and had Warrior Jang Won summoned. Before long, he quietly entered my room.
“You called for me?”
“I'm sorry to summon you at such a late hour.”
“It's fine. I'd be getting up soon anyway.”
That's right.
Without realizing it, I'd stayed awake the entire night.
Wait. Didn't that mean Young Lady Seohyang had stayed up all night too?
Now I really felt bad.
“What did you need me for?”
“I wanted to ask, when does the liaison who brings messages here usually arrive?”
“Agent A came last time, so Agent B is due next. He'll probably arrive sometime today.”
Agent A? Agent B?
“There are two of them?”
“Three. The journey from Beijing to here is long, so the three of them take turns carrying news and orders.”
Which meant the traitor hadn't told them my identity yet.
But that certainly didn't mean I was safe.
As one of their liaisons, there was a very good chance he knew who I was.
Which meant I had to make sure he never got the chance to meet with them.
“Warrior Jang Won, there's something I need your help with.”
“Tell me what you need.”
* * *
Agent B arrived in Xuwen County.
Inside his clothes was a written order meant for the Sea Song Inn in Xuwen County.
He had a real name, but while carrying out this assignment, he was known only as Agent B.
After being recruited into the Embroidered Guard, his remarkable speed had earned him an assignment as one of their liaisons.
But he held no loyalty whatsoever toward the Emperor.
The only reason he'd become an Embroidered Guard in the first place was the authority he could wield because of that position.
Even that power had gradually begun to bore him.
Then, one day, a mysterious figure approached him and made an offer in exchange for a considerable fortune.
Of course, refusing wasn't really an option. He'd almost certainly be killed.
Die loyal to the Emperor as an Embroidered Guard?
Or take the money and sell information?
The choice was obvious.
In the end, he'd betrayed his comrades, and several of them had died because of the information he leaked.
Yet he felt little guilt over it.
‘They're the idiots for trusting me.’
And this time, he'd learned something extremely important: the Emperor had sent Eun Seo-ho to Hainan Island to resolve the situation there.
Considering the timing, Eun Seo-ho should've already crossed over to Hainan Island by now.
He needed to move quickly.
Eun Seo-ho was far too capable. There was a very real possibility that he would uncover everything they'd been doing.
If that happened, Agent B was finished.
He knew perfectly well that he wouldn't be granted an easy death.
But before anything else, he needed to stop by the Sea Song Inn and get his hands on the letter they intended to send to Beijing.
Only after reading it could he pass even more information along to the people paying him.
That was why he'd come to the Sea Song Inn first.
“Jang! We've got a guest!”
At the shout, Jang Won approached the newcomer.
“You'll be staying with us, right?”
“Yes.”
“I'll show you to your room.”
Jang Won led him to one of the rooms, where Agent B handed him a letter.
“A letter from headquarters.”
“Thanks for bringing it.”
“I'm only following orders.”
Agent B watched as Jang Won accepted the letter from him.
Jang Won held a fairly high position within the Embroidered Guard, which meant they couldn't simply dispose of him without consequences.
Instead, they'd chosen to make use of both Jang Won and the Sea Song Inn.
Jang Won read the letter, thought for a moment, then looked at him.
“I have something I need you to relay to Beijing. But it's highly classified, so I can't discuss it here… Come with me for a moment.”
“Understood.”
Agent B immediately realized he'd hooked something valuable. In other words, this was information worth money.
The people buying information from him paid according to how valuable and important each piece was.
The two left the inn and entered a nearby forest.
After walking deep enough into the woods, Jang Won finally stopped.
“This should be far enough. No one comes through here, so we shouldn't have to worry about anyone overhearing us.”
“Agreed. So what could possibly be important enough for all this?”
“Listen… Normally, this should be written up and submitted in a report, but there's always the possibility someone could intercept the letter. That's why I have no choice but to tell you in person. So don't be too shocked by what you're about to hear.”
“Understood.”
“The thing is…”
Just as Agent B leaned in to listen, a sudden impact slammed into the back of his neck.
Thwack!
Thump.
He lost consciousness and pitched forward onto the ground. The man who stepped out from behind him was Escort Guard Seo Wu.
He had silently approached from behind and knocked Agent B unconscious with a single blow to the back of his neck.
Then Eun Seo-ho stepped out beside him.
“Good work. Now then, shall we take our time and squeeze every last secret out of him, one by one?”
–TL Notes–
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