I called Deputy Yeo Chang-ui.
“Deputy Yeo, as I mentioned yesterday, please teach Clerk Bo-uk how the work is done.”
“Understood.”
Deputy Yeo guided Clerk Bo-uk to his desk and began explaining the tasks.
It didn’t take long before Bo-uk’s true skills started showing.
“So, I just need to organize this and copy it over?”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
Clerk Bo-uk sat at his desk and began working as instructed by Deputy Yeo.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Everyone’s eyes widened as they watched him write with clean, precise handwriting at an astonishing speed.
Once he finished, Clerk Bo-uk spoke to Deputy Yeo.
“It’s done.”
“Then move on to the next task.”
“Where’s the next one?”
“Everything on that shelf behind you.”
“…”
Clerk Bo-uk turned around, his pupils trembling.
Then he turned back and looked straight at me.
I avoided his gaze.
.
.
.
The meetings went on for several days.
The academy we were building wouldn’t consist only of poor students.
The main goal was to find talents among the less fortunate, but there were also outstanding individuals from wealthier backgrounds.
What I wanted… was to send those people into the palace and maintain connections with them.
The academy would charge tuition, but poor students would receive financial support to continue their studies.
Pavilion Lord Yeon asked during the meeting,
“But… what if the poor students are hurt by being discriminated against by the wealthy ones?”
She chuckled awkwardly.
“It happened to me. That’s why I dropped out of the academy and went into the merchant business.”
I had already thought about that.
“That’s why all students will live in the dormitory, and all supplies will be provided by the academy.”
“But even so, the difference always shows…”
“That’s a matter of education.”
No one should discriminate against someone for being poor, and no one should suffer discrimination for it.
Being poor is simply the environment you were born into.
Kids don’t even recognize those things. They’re just happy being together and having fun.
It’s the adults’ fault if they learn to discriminate based on wealth.
In the end, it’s a matter of education.
The future is unpredictable.
Someone who was looked down on for being poor could become a wealthy merchant who dominates the market or a high-ranking official trusted by the Emperor.
On the other hand, someone flaunting their wealth could lose everything overnight.
“Still, I never imagined Pavilion Lord Yeon had gone through something like that.”
At Father’s words, Pavilion Lord Yeon grinned.
“That’s why I’m actually grateful to those girls. Thanks to them, I worked twice as hard and climbed my way up.”
She continued.
“And after I became Pavilion Lord of the Trade Pavilion, I got a little revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“I gave them a slight nudge… and both their in-laws’ and their own families went completely bankrupt. Watching them grab onto the hem of my skirt, begging me to save them, was so satisfying. Hohoho!”
“…”
“But I did help them back on their feet. I didn’t want to become someone like them. Now, those ladies tiptoe around me, watching every word.”
People really should live kindly.
A few days later, I headed back to Beijing.
I secured land for the academy and began construction.
It was exhausting traveling back and forth to Beijing so often, but it was all an investment in the future.
.
.
.
What’s the most important thing when building an academy?
Money.
Without money, you can’t even secure land.
But opening the academy isn’t the end. It has to be managed well to survive long-term.
For that, we needed a competent Chief Administrator and wise teachers.
Appointing a Chief Administrator was easy. The Eunhae Merchant Group had plenty of capable people for that.
But the real problem… was finding good teachers.
Without excellent teachers, neither the guardians nor the students would find the academy appealing.
As I said before, the academy was also a business.
So I invited several reputable scholars.
And then… a problem arose.
“What? They refused?”
“That’s right.”
I had sent letters along with envoys to five scholars, asking them to teach at the academy.
“All but one declined.”
“Why? Is this… some kind of pride battle?”
“To be blunt… Yes. It’s a matter of scholarly pride.”
I wanted excellent teachers. While not on the level of grand scholars, they were still highly reputable.
Since I had my own objectives for the academy, I aimed to avoid drawing too much attention.
But now they were rejecting me… because of pride?
My eyes landed on a document slightly sticking out from under Father’s desk.
It seemed he’d tried to hide it but hadn’t tucked it away fully.
[…a merchant who only knows money…]
When I read that, my eyes narrowed.
Seriously?
Did Father try to hide this from me on purpose?
I pointed at the document.
“Father, is that letter from one of the scholars?”
“Ahem, ahem.”
Father’s awkward cough confirmed my guess.
“The truth is… some of them rejected it outright because they couldn’t stand the idea of teaching at an academy founded by merchants.”
“Let me read it.”
“…”
Unable to withstand my gaze, Father reluctantly handed it over.
I read through the letters one by one.
They actually wrote… that it would damage their dignity to teach at a school built by mere merchants.
Unbelievable.
It had been a while since I felt this kind of rage.
I originally wanted to avoid attracting too much attention… but I changed my mind.
“Father. Is it really such a disgrace for merchants to open an academy?”
“Of course not.”
“Even Cousin Seon-il supported this idea.”
“That may be, but… that’s how the world sees it.”
It was laughable.
People couldn’t survive without money, yet they sneer at merchants for caring about it.
Is there anyone in this world who doesn’t like money?
“Father.”
“Why are you calling me with that scary tone?”
“Let’s scale up the Apricot Blossom Academy.”
“Scale up… What are you talking about?”
“Let’s hire grand scholar-level teachers for the Apricot Blossom Academy.”
“Even regular scholars reacted like that. Don’t you think grand scholars would be worse?”
Father was clearly concerned.
“If those scholars say it’s beneath them despite the Emperor’s endorsement… then I’ll admit defeat.”
“Surely not?”
“I’ll go to the palace. I’ll get the imperial decree from His Majesty.”
“But wouldn’t securing an audience with His Majesty over something other than inspecting merchants who sell the Windcraft Fan be impossible?”
“It’s possible. I have someone who’ll help me.”
“Even if that person helps and you meet His Majesty… once he learns our real intent, he might get angry.”
“Don’t worry. The justification is on our side.”
Those scholars had just handed us that justification on a silver platter.
I planned to use it to bring grand scholars into Apricot Blossom Academy.
“Ah, by the way, there was one scholar who accepted. He said he’s grateful to be invited to educate the nation’s talents.”
“We’ll give him the highest treatment.”
.
.
.
That afternoon.
I headed to the market with Palgap, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am, and Escort Guard Seo Wu.
Our destination was a general store near the book district.
The old man of the store, once called the Ghost-faced Constable, was sitting at the entrance sipping tea despite the winter chill.
“Aren’t you cold?”
The old man chuckled at my question.
“If you treat the cold as a friend, it’s not cold.”
“A wise answer indeed.”
“Isn’t it usually the opposite?”
“Cold is just cold.”
At my reply, the old man smirked.
“You, feeling cold… as if…”
So you already know I practice ice-based martial arts.
“Anyway, what brings you here?”
I sat in front of him.
“Elder, what do you think about merchants establishing an academy?”
“An academy?”
“If someone asked you to teach children at an academy founded by merchants, would you refuse, saying it’s beneath your dignity?”
The Ghost-faced Constable chuckled.
“Who’s the fool spewing that nonsense?”
I didn’t answer.
If he wanted to know, he could find out anytime.
“It pissed me off. That’s why I thought… why not show them that even an academy founded by merchants can become a prestigious institution? So I figured… how about bringing grand scholars to teach?”
At my words, the old man clicked his tongue.
“Poor bastards. They’ve poked the wrong beehive.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. So… what’s the real goal of this academy?”
“Obviously, to nurture young talents who’ll become the pillars of this nation.”
The old man chuckled.
“The you I know never does anything that loses money. Even if it looks like a loss, it never actually is.”
He knows me too well.
“So, if you’ve come to me… it’s to ask me to speak to His Majesty, right?”
“Don’t they say even ghosts call you big brother?” (TL Note: He’s saying that the old man is scarier than ghosts)
“Brat! Watch your mouth.”
“Hahaha.”
His tone turned serious.
“The seedlings grown with the Eunhae Merchant Group’s money… no matter how properly they’re raised, His Majesty knows they’ll lean toward the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“But if they’re touched by His Majesty’s grace, those seedlings will grow straight.”
“You’ve got a silver tongue, don’t you?”
“And if we, the Eunhae Merchant Group, back down because of some ridiculous remarks from those scholars… would any merchant ever bother contributing to education again?”
The old man stared at me for a moment, then clicked his tongue.
“Foolish bastards… why hand over the perfect excuse…”
A grin spread across my lips.
“Then… I leave it to you, Elder.”
A few days later.
I set off for Beijing again.
Since we were scaling up, I decided the academy should grow larger too.
After a busy day preparing, I returned to the Yeonjun Merchant Group, where my aunt greeted me with news.
“Seo-ho. Someone from the palace came by today.”
“From the palace?”
“They summoned you to enter the palace tomorrow morning.”
The old man really moved faster than I expected.
.
.
.
The next morning.
I headed to the palace with Cousin Seon-il.
He was going there anyway, so we went together.
“How’s the academy coming along?”
“Quite well.”
“Nothing causing trouble?”
I smiled and replied.
“When is anything ever easy? But solving problems is half the fun, so it’s fine.”
“You really are… something else.”
Soon, we arrived at the palace.
Cousin Seon-il headed toward the Hanlin Academy.
I submitted the entry slip, and shortly after, a eunuch came out to greet me.
“Please follow me.”
“Yes.”
When the Salt Distribution Act was first implemented, His Majesty and the officials clashed fiercely.
But in the end, the Emperor won.
It was inevitable.
The justification was perfect—they had to regulate the price of salt, for it was a daily necessity.
Not only that, but tax revenue increased significantly.
That extra revenue… went straight into the Emperor’s pocket.
Additionally, using the incident where salt retailers refused to pay warehouse taxes as a pretext, the Emperor purged some of the greedy eunuchs.
As a result, His Majesty now held overwhelming power.
That was exactly why I was aiming for an imperial decree.
The place I was guided to was a garden, but not the one I had visited with Cousin Seon-il.
It was my first time here.
A breathtaking garden, filled with the full atmosphere of winter.
But unlike its beauty… I could feel subtle, hidden presences all around.
And their skills… were formidable.
I could guess where this was.
A garden meant only for the Emperor.
The moment I realized it… an overwhelming presence swept over me from behind.
“Do you like this garden?”
“Ah!”
I immediately dropped to my knees on the snow-covered ground.
“This lowly merchant pays respects to His Majesty, sovereign of this nation. Ten thousand years!”
The Emperor spoke.
“Rise.”
“I am unworthy of Your Majesty’s grace.”
I stood up.
The Emperor ordered a eunuch,
“Dust the snow off the young lord’s clothes.”
The eunuch stepped forward and brushed the snow off my clothes.
This was… truly humbling.
“I heard from my dear friend. There are apparently some fools who handed you a perfect justification.”
“This foolish one is not worthy, but… yes, that’s correct.”
“Spare me the false humility.”
“Forgive me.”
“The fact that the Eunhae Merchant Group wishes to establish an academy is admirable. But the purpose is the problem. And knowing you… I doubt you’re doing it just to plant a few people in the palace.”
The Emperor looked directly at me.
“Is it because of the Murim Alliance?”
–TL Notes–
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