We followed Geumryeong to where Escort Guard Jin Yu was waiting.
– My lord. You're here?
– What's the situation?
– That physician is fleeing.
– Just as we expected.
I explained the Rabbit-Dung Root Herb to him.
– I see.
It seemed Escort Guard Jin Yu hadn't known about the Rabbit-Dung Root Herb either.
– So that's why he hurriedly packed his things and said it was time to leave once someone bought a second jar from him.
Then the evidence was conclusive.
I sent Voice Transmissions to Escort Guards Seo Wu and Yeo Eung-am.
– Bring that so-called physician to me.
– Yes!
– As you command.
* * *
Hwang Jeon cheerfully made his way along the mountain path.
The reassuring weight of all the silver taels in his pack put him in an excellent mood.
“Kekekeke! Just how much money is all this!”
He knew perfectly well that the main ingredient in the medicine he sold, Rabbit-Dung Root Herb, was poisonous.
In truth, Hwang Jeon had originally made his living as a tale peddler, selling stories wherever he went.
Then one day, while traveling through the mountains, he got caught in the rain and wandered around looking for shelter until he happened upon a cave.
Inside, he found an old skeleton along with a weathered journal that appeared to have been written by the dead man while he was still alive.
Curious, Hwang Jeon read it and discovered that the journal contained research on cosmetics made from Rabbit-Dung Root Herb.
Mixed in with the research were the dead man's bitter complaints about his miserable lot in life.
That was how Hwang Jeon learned his story.
The man had once made and sold cosmetics using Rabbit-Dung Root Herb, only to flee after the herb's poison caused serious problems, eventually hiding in this very cave.
Even then, however, it seemed he had been unable to let go of his obsession and had continued his research.
As Hwang Jeon read through the journal, one particular passage caught his attention.
[I discovered that Rabbit-Dung Root Herb is effective against boils. Unfortunately, its poison is so potent that the side effects make it impossible to use as medicine. What a bitter shame.]
The instant he read that, an excellent idea came to him.
Boils, after all, were a chronic affliction that tormented people from every walk of life, highborn and lowborn alike.
If he sold the herb not as a cosmetic but as medicine for boils, there was good money to be made.
Using the journal as his guide, he made a salve right there in the cave.
The journal said that an extremely small amount could produce some effect while delaying the appearance of side effects, so he packed the salve into tiny jars no bigger than a thumb.
However, he couldn't sell it anywhere south of the Yangtze River, where people knew about Rabbit-Dung Root Herb, so he traveled north of the river instead.
And just as he expected, his salve sold extremely well.
Half a silver tael for a single jar was outrageously expensive, but once he started trading on the Emperor's name, people were willing to buy it.
He had been a tale peddler to begin with, so he knew exactly how to capture people's attention.
Then, once the first customers actually saw their boils improve, the salve began selling at a furious pace.
A few days later, he would leave the village.
By the time someone started using a second jar, the side effects would begin appearing, so he always left before his furious customers could come looking for him.
He had to keep moving from village to village, but the Empire was vast, and he still managed to earn a considerable fortune.
He had even made enough money to hire an Escort Guard.
“Where are we going now?”
“I'm thinking of heading to the next village. There should be people suffering from boils there too.”
Because Hwang Jeon always left each village well in advance, even his Escort Guard still had no idea that the medicine caused side effects.
Then, without warning, the Escort Guard stopped walking and placed a hand on his sword hilt.
“What is it?”
“That man up ahead appears to have business with us.”
Just as he said, a man was standing in the road ahead, blocking their path.
“Who the hell are you?”
At Hwang Jeon's question, the man grinned.
“My lord wishes to see you. Come with me for a moment.”
“Not interested. Tell your lord to come here himself.”
The next instant.
Whoosh!
The moment Hwang Jeon thought the man's figure had vanished, a burst of pain exploded through his stomach.
“Ghk!”
He immediately crumpled and smashed face-first into the ground.
The Escort Guard tensed.
The man had only made a single move, but that was enough for the Escort Guard to realize he was facing an expert vastly stronger than himself.
‘Damn it! So today's the day I die!’
Then a voice came from beside him.
“You there.”
The Escort Guard flinched.
He hadn't sensed the other man approaching him at all.
“Leave that man behind and be on your way.”
“I can't do that! I've accepted a contract to protect him, so…”
“That bastard isn't worth risking your life for. I'm telling you to walk away.”
“What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how many people Physician Hwang's medicine has cured of boils?”
“Have you ever heard of Rabbit-Dung Root Herb?”
“…”
The Escort Guard's expression instantly froze.
“So you have.”
“Of course I have. It's an infamous poisonous herb where I come from.”
“That salve was made from Rabbit-Dung Root Herb.”
“Is that true?”
“A Martial Artist from the Sichuan Tang Clan confirmed it.”
“…!”
The revelation was so completely unexpected that Hwang Jeon's Escort Guard stood there in shock.
His hands began trembling, and then he stormed over to Hwang Jeon, who was sprawled on the ground, and started kicking him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even after kicking him several times, his fury showed no sign of subsiding.
To think he'd been protecting a man like this just because he'd accepted a contract!
He had grown up hearing the elders in his hometown talk about how many people had died because of that poisonous herb.
At that moment, the man who had appeared beside him stopped his kicking and searched Hwang Jeon's clothes.
Then he pulled out the pouch filled with silver taels and handed it to Hwang Jeon's Escort Guard.
“Use this money to refund everyone who bought the salve. Keep whatever remains as compensation for yourself.”
“…”
“Then we'll be going.”
The men disappeared with Hwang Jeon in tow, while the Escort Guard turned around and headed back toward the village they had left.
.
.
.
“Ugh…”
Hwang Jeon opened his eyes and realized he was somewhere in the forest.
A campfire burned a short distance away.
“My lord! He's awake!”
At that shout, the men sitting by the campfire got to their feet and approached him. One was a handsome young man, while the other was a middle-aged man whose mere appearance sent a chill down Hwang Jeon's spine.
“Nice to meet you.”
“What is the meaning of this? Untie me at once! Do you have any idea who I am?!”
“And who are you?”
“I was His Majesty the Emperor's Imperial Physician! His Majesty still hasn't forgotten me! Lay a hand on me, and the Embroidered Guard will come running to cut you to pieces!”
The middle-aged man gave a dry chuckle.
“Is that so? Then why don't we see what happens if I lay a hand on you?”
The middle-aged man promptly slapped Hwang Jeon across the face.
Smack–!
“Nothing seems to be happening.”
“It's not too late! Untie me right now!”
Smack! Smack!
After being slapped several times in a row, Hwang Jeon's vision spun.
The middle-aged man pulled something from inside his clothes and held it up for Hwang Jeon to see.
“Know what this is?”
“…”
“What? You don't even recognize this? If you really worked in the Imperial Palace, you should've gone pale the moment you saw it.”
“W-What… is that?”
“What else? An Embroidered Guard identification plaque.”
At the sight of the man's cold smile, Hwang Jeon realized he was utterly screwed.
“His Majesty the Emperor ordered us to bring you in, you bastard.”
* * *
I looked at the fake physician tied to the tree.
He'd seemed unable to grasp the situation at first, but after Warrior Hwangbo Seon-yu slapped him around a few times and revealed that he was with the Embroidered Guard, Hwang Jeon's face had gone deathly pale.
Looks like he's finally come to his senses.
“What's your name?”
“H-Hwang Jeon.”
“That salve you made. Its main ingredient was Rabbit-Dung Root Herb.”
“W-What's that? I've never heard of a poisonous herb by that name.”
“How did you know it was poisonous? I never said it was.”
“…”
He bit his lip.
Warrior Hwangbo Seon-yu spoke.
“Seems you still don't understand the situation you're in.”
He walked over to the campfire and returned carrying something.
In his hand was an iron poker glowing bright red from the heat.
So that's why he'd gone to get it.
The moment he brought the poker close to Hwang Jeon's body, Hwang Jeon nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Agh! I-I'm sorry! I'll tell you everything!”
“I'll give you one more chance. Hesitate before answering, and I'll let you find out exactly how hot this poker is.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Warrior Hwangbo Seon-yu's interrogation began.
He questioned the man about his identity and everything he'd done, while I wrote down Hwang Jeon's testimony word for word.
“Where's all the money you've made so far?”
“I-I don't have any.”
“By your own confession, you must've made at least a thousand silver taels. And you're telling me there's no money left?”
“I-I really don't have any! I already spent it all at a pleasure house!”
“Which pleasure house?”
“I-I gambled it all away at the Golden Coin Pleasure House in Guangdong!”
I coldly pressed him the moment he said it.
“So you were gambling illegally too. By His Majesty's decree, gambling is permitted only at licensed gambling houses.”
“I was wrong about that. But I really don't have any money left. That's part of why I worked so hard to sell more salve.”
“When was that?”
He answered my question.
“Three months ago.”
“Are you certain?”
“Absolutely.”
“That's strange.”
I smiled pleasantly.
“I was in Guangdong in the Tenth Month last year, and the Golden Coin Pleasure House had already gone out of business by then.”
“…”
“In fact, it closed three years ago.”
Who the hell did he think he was trying to fool?!
Hwang Jeon's eyes began trembling, and Warrior Hwangbo Seon-yu went back to the fire and retrieved the iron poker he'd left heating inside it.
“I warned you… and you still lied to me?”
Sssssss!
“Aaaaaaagh!”
Hwang Jeon's scream echoed throughout the mountains.
Then why did he have to go and lie…?
The red-hot poker burned several places across Hwang Jeon's body. It was a rather gruesome sight, but I didn't feel sorry for him.
According to his own testimony, he'd sold more than two thousand jars of that salve.
Anyone who had bought two or more jars was probably still suffering right now without even knowing why.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
Warrior Hwangbo Seon-yu coldly looked down at the man groaning in pain.
“Shall we start again from the beginning?”
Thanks to that, I got a firsthand look at how the Embroidered Guard conducted interrogations.
He repeatedly questioned Hwang Jeon while mixing in questions he'd already asked before, and if any answer differed from the previous one, he inflicted more pain and asked the question again.
It was every bit as vicious as I'd heard.
Tap.
Warrior Hwangbo Seon-yu straightened the interrogation records I'd written and spoke.
“Good work. Our mission ends here.”
“Then what do we do with him?”
I pointed at Hwang Jeon, who was still tied to the tree, and Warrior Hwangbo Seon-yu answered as if it were nothing worth worrying about.
“The County Magistrate around here is a capable man. We can hand him over to him.”
“Understood.”
“Still, working with you is surprisingly easy. I can see why His Majesty favors you.”
He continued.
“His Majesty favors people who get things done.”
“Hahaha. You flatter me.”
I cupped my hands and inwardly sighed.
I'd gone through plenty of trouble handling this mess, so I was definitely going to squeeze a proper reward out of His Majesty.
– Kui?
Hm? What's that? What exactly had been so difficult about this?
Now that Geumryeong had asked, I suddenly found myself at a loss for an answer.
It wasn't like I'd actually done all that much.
Tsk! Geumryeong, some things are better left unsaid.
The important thing isn't whether I suffered or not. What matters is whether I did the work.
If I did the work, then obviously I deserve to be rewarded for it.
Huh? Wait…
Come to think of it, the whole thing had felt so natural that I hadn't noticed, but when Geumryeong responded just now, I'd only been thinking those words.
And yet Geumryeong had reacted to my thoughts.
Which meant… Geumryeong could hear what I was thinking?
– Kui? Kui?
You're asking if I only just figured that out?
Was it because of all the money I'd been feeding Geumryeong this whole time?
– Kui! Kui!
You haven't eaten that much?
No, Geumryeong. You've eaten a lot. An absurd amount.
– Kui…
.
.
.
The next day.
We went to the Magistrate's Office in the county where Hwang Jeon had been staying until just recently and handed him over to the County Magistrate.
We also made a copy of the interrogation records and gave those to him.
“I'll present the original to His Majesty later. Make sure you handle the rest properly.”
“Of course! You have my word!”
The County Magistrate bowed so deeply that his nose nearly touched the ground, and with that, we left the county and headed for Jinan.
“We should reach the Hwangbo Clan by this evening.”
“I see. To tell you the truth, I've never visited the Hwangbo Clan before, so I'm a little nervous.”
“Hahaha. Is that so? Then is this your first time in Jinan as well?”
“No. I've been to Jinan before for the Hundred Great Merchant Groups Under the Heaven gathering. Back then, the Baekyeom Merchant Group was considered the greatest merchant group under heaven.”
“I see. The Baekyeom Merchant Group certainly deserved to be called the greatest merchant group under heaven.”
We continued traveling while chatting about one thing or another, and before long, we reached Jinan.
We headed for the Hwangbo Clan, located right in the heart of the city.
True to its reputation, the Hwangbo Clan estate was both magnificent and imposing.
At the entrance hung a plaque with golden lettering written across a crimson background.
[Hwangbo Clan]
“That plaque was bestowed by the Emperor two reigns ago.”
“I see. No wonder.”
The gatekeepers welcomed us warmly as we entered.
“Uncle, you've returned.”
“Yes. Have you been well?”
After accepting the greeting, Warrior Hwangbo Seon-yu introduced us.
“Say hello. This is my nephew. And this is Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho, better known as the Handsome Young Hero.”
We exchanged greetings.
“It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord for the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“I'm Hwangbo Uk from the Hwangbo Clan.”
For some reason, though, his expression was far from cheerful.
What happened?
–TL Notes–
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