I handed Clerk Bo-uk over to Palgap and immediately went to see Father.
I had to report my return and also discuss the letter I received earlier.
“Father, I’ve returned from Beijing.”
“Good. You’ve worked hard.”
“On the way back, I brought someone to work at the Virtuous Wind Department. I’ve agreed to pay him eight silver taels per month.”
“That’s quite a generous salary.”
“He’s more than worth it. He’ll more than repay that.”
“If you say so, then I trust your judgment. The Virtuous Wind Department is your responsibility. Do well.”
After reporting on my audience with the Emperor, I let out a small breath.
“Father. Regarding the academy in Beijing… Did the Eunwol Council approve?”
“As I wrote in the letter, the response was quite positive. You can consider it approved. You’ll hear the details in tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Yes, Father.”
I stepped out from Father’s office and headed toward the Virtuous Wind Department.
Bo-uk couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
While investigating Eun Seo-ho, he’d heard the Eunhae Merchant Group was a major merchant group.
But seeing it with his own eyes… It was far grander than anything he’d imagined.
Palgap guided him around the compound.
“This is the Trade Pavilion. Every business begins and ends here.”
“I see.”
“This is the Finance Pavilion. It’s where the most important figures in the merchant group reside. The Virtuous Wind Department is also here.”
“It’s incredibly grand.”
“That over there is the Eunpoong Division. They’re the ones who protect our merchant group. There’s also a martial arts training ground.”
“Wow! That’s impressive!”
As Palgap showed him around, excitement started to well up inside him.
It felt like coming to work at the Eunhae Merchant Group was truly the right decision.
And the salary… eight silver taels per month.
That was enough not just for him, but also for his mother and his brother’s family to live comfortably.
After touring the merchant group, they stopped in front of a large building.
A sign hung at the entrance, reading Plum Blossom Lodge (梅花宿舍).
“This is where you’ll be staying, Clerk Bo-uk.”
Palgap then bowed toward the middle-aged man sitting at a desk inside.
“Greetings.”
“Oh! Palgap!”
The man stood up with a bright smile.
Everyone in the merchant group knew Palgap, the personal attendant of Eun Seo-ho.
“This is Clerk Bo-uk, who’ll be working at the Virtuous Wind Department. Please show him to his room.”
“Understood.”
The middle-aged man smiled warmly.
“Welcome. I’m Song Min, the manager of this lodge. You can refer to me and the other managers here as Lodge Clerk.”
“I’m Bo-uk. I look forward to working with you, Lodge Clerk Song.”
“There’s also a Deputy here. I’ll introduce you later. Please, follow me.”
Palgap nodded to Bo-uk, then left the lodge.
Song Min led Bo-uk up to the third floor.
The interior looked much like an inn.
“This will be your room, Clerk Bo-uk.”
From the outside, it looked small, but inside… it was surprisingly spacious.
Far larger than the inn he’d been staying at.
And it wasn’t just a single room. There were two.
The room came fully furnished with a bed, desk, tea table, and all the necessities.
Bo-uk couldn’t help but be amazed.
“This is… an incredible room.”
“The lodge system is one of the benefits our merchant group is proud of. There are four lodges in total—Plum Blossom, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo. They’re strictly divided by gender.”
“I see. So… do all employees stay here?”
“Not necessarily. If they prefer, they can live outside and commute. But the rule is one person per room. Unless someone marries, there’s hardly anyone who chooses to leave.”
“I see.”
“That’s why there’s fierce competition to get a room in the lodge. But those working in the Virtuous Wind Department are granted rooms without having to compete.”
“What?”
If that was true… then he had received this room purely because he worked in the Virtuous Wind Department.
‘I didn’t take Department Chief Eun Seo-ho for someone like that… Giving out special privileges to his own department members.’
From the perspective of someone like Lodge Clerk Song Min… this should’ve been annoying.
Yet… Song Min didn’t show even a hint of displeasure.
“Is… this really okay?”
At Bo-uk’s question, Song Min answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Yes. It’s perfectly fine.”
“Why…?”
“That’s…”
But he trailed off without giving a clear answer.
“That’s not what’s important. Let me explain the lodge rules to you.”
Song Min proceeded to explain everything about how the lodge operated.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Bo-uk tilted his head.
Something felt odd… but he decided not to dwell on it.
‘Still… It feels a bit wrong to be staying in such a nice place thanks to a special privilege.’
That evening.
He made his way to the shared dining hall.
Meals here were incredibly affordable.
When he checked… it was about one-third of the regular price.
Tonight’s menu was meat dumplings with a steaming bowl of noodles.
After grabbing his food, he found an open seat and sat down to eat.
Just then, a group of people sat around him.
“Mind if we join you?”
“Oh, no. Please.”
The people sitting near him glanced over and asked,
“This is the first time we’ve seen you. Are you new?”
“Yes. I started working at the Eunhae Merchant Group today.”
“I see. Welcome. Which department are you in?”
“The Virtuous Wind Department.”
“What?”
“Wait… The Virtuous Wind Department?”
Their reactions were… strange.
“Are you… alright?”
“Pardon?”
He tilted his head, confused by the sudden question.
“Is there… something I shouldn’t be alright about?”
“…”
One of them asked cautiously,
“Have you started working yet?”
“My first day is tomorrow.”
“I knew it. That explains it.”
“…?”
“Are you… married?”
“Not yet. I’m single.”
“Then you’re staying in the lodge.”
“Yes. I’m staying in the Plum Blossom Lodge.”
“So am I.”
At that, Bo-uk hesitated before speaking.
“Um… I’m sorry.”
“Huh? Why’re you apologizing all of a sudden?”
“I heard that the reason I was able to stay in the Plum Blossom Lodge… is purely because I work in the Virtuous Wind Department. Normally, people compete fiercely for a spot here…”
At those words, the group around him let out awkward chuckles.
Then one of them said,
“We honestly don’t mind that you got in thanks to a special privilege. Our merchant group only grants favors when the person truly deserves it.”
One of the others nodded and continued.
“No matter how outstanding Department Chief Eun is, there are still other members of the Eunwol Council. If it were an unjust privilege, they would’ve stepped in to stop it.”
Now that he heard it… it made sense.
But Bo-uk’s doubts remained unresolved.
“Then why exactly do people working in the Virtuous Wind Department get that kind of privilege?”
Someone else replied.
“I heard it’s to keep them from passing out on the street on the way home…”
“I heard it’s to stop talents from running away.”
Bo-uk had no idea what any of it meant.
“Anyway, forget about apologizing or feeling bad. In about four days, you won’t be thinking like that anymore.”
“That’s right. So tonight, stop thinking about it and just get some good sleep! Really… you’re gonna want to sleep as much as possible.”
“Why?”
“Because… work at the Virtuous Wind Department… is brutally exhausting.”
At that time, he thought, How hard could it be?
But it didn’t take long before he realized.
There was a very real reason why they assigned lodging without competition.
Morning.
I woke up early, washed with Palgap’s help, and stepped out into the courtyard.
The Escort Guards were already awake, warming up their bodies.
Such an energetic morning.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Young Master.”
After exchanging greetings, I sat down to circulate my Qi.
As the cold winter Qi filled my Dantian, the drowsiness lifted from my mind.
Today was a day for personal training.
My master was away on an escort mission.
An escort mission… in winter… it must be rough.
.
.
.
After breakfast, I headed to the Eunwol Council for a meeting.
By the time I arrived, Pavilion Lord Jeok Byeong-cheol from the Operations Pavilion and Pavilion Lord Yeon Dami from the Trade Pavilion were already there.
I greeted them politely.
“I heard you just returned from Beijing yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“You even tossed us a huge bombshell from Beijing! Hahaha, never saw it coming.”
“My apologies.”
I scratched my head at Pavilion Lord Jeok’s comment.
Pavilion Lord Yeon laughed and said,
“Oh my, Pavilion Lord Jeok, you’re not being honest. At the last meeting, all you did was praise Deputy Merchant Lord Eun.”
“Hmph!”
Pavilion Lord Jeok let out an awkward cough.
Seeing how embarrassed he looked, it was clear Pavilion Lord Yeon’s words were true.
Then others started arriving, and the meeting soon began.
Various agenda items were handled.
“For the final item, let’s discuss the proposal from Seo-ho. Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“This was your proposal. You must have a plan for it.”
“Of course.”
For any proposal to not end up as just empty talk, thorough research was critical.
That’s why I had to keep working not just in Beijing but even during the return trip.
I placed the presentation board I had prepared in front of me.
“If you look here… the academy in Beijing…”
While planting someone inside the palace was one objective, the academy itself was undeniably a legitimate business venture.
At first, people would praise it, thinking the merchant group wasn’t just lining its own pockets but contributing to the nation through education.
But deep down, everyone knew.
A merchant… is still a merchant.
They never run a business that doesn’t turn a profit.
If this educational venture only bled money, everyone would start suspecting something shady.
And when that happened… would people really just sit back and watch?
Even if it was a superficial gesture, it still had to appear legitimate.
That’s why a thorough market analysis was essential.
“That’s why I believe starting with a small academy that holds about a hundred students is ideal.”
“That sounds just right.”
“For the location… this area here, a little removed from the book district…”
“If anyone has any suggestions, please speak freely.”
At that, everyone voiced their thoughts, and I responded and made adjustments accordingly.
Some pointed out things I hadn’t considered.
It really proved the saying: Old ginger is spicier.
That wisdom… came from their accumulated experience.
Even now, I regretted not having absorbed more of their knowledge before Father and the other elders retired.
But not this time.
“Brrr, it’s getting cold all of a sudden.”
“It really is.”
“Let’s throw on some more charcoal.”
“The most important thing… is the name of the academy.”
At that, I turned to Father.
“I believe… the name should be given by you, Father.”
“I agree.”
“Yes, Merchant Lord, please name it.”
Father thought for a moment, then said,
“A name just came to mind. Apricot Blossom Academy (杏花學堂). How’s that?”
Apricot Blossom.
It meant apricot flowers.
“In the past, apricot blossoms bloomed whenever the provincial exams were held, so passing the exam was often called plucking the apricot flower.”
“So it means… wishing success in scholarly pursuits.”
“That’s one meaning. But also, apricots have long been used as a universal medicine. It symbolizes that the knowledge gained from the academy won’t be dead knowledge, but something like a cure-all, applicable in real life.”
“That… actually sounds even better.”
You just thought of that, huh?
Father, really.
Clearly, he’d been thinking about it ever since I first sent him the letter about the academy.
If I hadn’t asked him to name it, he might’ve been disappointed.
And so, the academy the Eunhae Merchant Group would build was officially named Apricot Blossom Academy.
The more I thought about it, the better the name sounded.
“Well then… I’ll need to head back to Beijing.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Once I wrap things up here, I’ll return to Beijing to begin setting up the academy.”
After the meeting, when I returned to the Virtuous Wind Department, Clerk Bo-uk had already started work.
I introduced him to everyone.
“This is Clerk Bo-uk. Starting today, he’ll be working with us at the Virtuous Wind Department.”
“Finally! We finally got more manpower!”
“Long live!”
Not just Deputy Yeo Chang-ui, but the other members of the Virtuous Wind Department cheered as well.
Though… the reason for their excitement felt a little different.
But hey… it’s fine either way.
–TL Notes–
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