Late spring is a month that warriors, who move their bodies, always welcome.
It’s because when training outdoors, there’s no suffering from heat or cold.
But for people like me, who sit at a desk working, it’s honestly a brutal time.
The reason is the uninvited guest of late spring—spring fatigue. (TL Note: Spring Fatigue just means that it makes you lethargic)
But that has nothing to do with me.
Since I practice Ice Arts, I might suffer from insomnia, but spring fatigue doesn’t affect me.
I lifted my head and glanced around.
Before I knew it, it was the hour of the goat (未時: 1 PM to 3 PM).
Seeing everyone nodding off like sick chickens while still holding their brushes made me feel a little sorry for them.
“Deputy Yeo, your ink’s dripping.”
“Gah! I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
I stood up and clapped my hands.
Clap, clap.
“Let’s have a cup of tea before we continue. Stretch your bodies too.”
The staff of the Virtuous Wind Department stood and stretched their arms and legs.
That’s when someone came looking for me.
It was Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong, one of Father’s deputies.
“Oh, Deputy Jo.”
“The Merchant Lord is calling for you. Please head to the Eunwol Council.”
“Ah, understood.”
For a sudden meeting to be held at the Eunwol Council… it meant something unexpected had happened.
And in most cases like this, it was rarely good news.
.
.
.
A little later.
I arrived at the Eunwol Council.
Eun Jin-ho, who had arrived before me, raised his right hand slightly.
“You got here fast.”
“Says the guy who came first.”
With Jin-ho now officially promoted to Deputy Merchant Lord, he was granted access to the Eunwol Council.
Normally, as a child of the Merchant Lord, he should be managing a store to build experience. But not Jin-ho.
— What does the External Chief Administrator think about assigning Jin-ho one of the stores?
— The Second Deputy Merchant Lord is my successor.
— Even so, shouldn’t he try running a store at least once? I was thinking of handing one over to him…
— Do you have silver rotting away somewhere? (TL Note: Basically that it’s a massive waste of money)
Thanks to the External Chief Administrator’s firm stance, Jin-ho became one of the squad leaders in the Eunpoong Division.
Honestly, Jin-ho fit right in with the Eunpoong Division.
I sat down and asked,
“So, what’s this sudden meeting about?”
“No idea. I was at the training ground when they came to get me.”
Soon, one by one, people arrived, and the meeting began.
The mood inside the Eunwol Council was heavy.
Naturally so.
The reason Merchant Lord Eun Gil-sang had called this meeting wasn’t good news.
“Today, a letter arrived from Merchant Lord Eun Jo-san in Guizhou. The situation there isn’t good.”
Guizhou has always been known for its thriving forestry.
Not only cedarwood but also many medicinal herbs grow there. It’s an important place for the Eunhae Merchant Group, which grew its business through the herb trade.
There’s an intermediary merchant group in Guizhou that supplies herbs to us.
It’s called the Migwa Merchant Group (美果商團), led by Merchant Lord Eun Jo-san.
As you can guess from the surname, they’re related to the Eunhae Merchant Group by blood.
When Eun Gil-sang’s uncle lost the competition for Merchant Lord, rather than being demoted to branch manager, he received funding to establish a new merchant group in Guizhou.
With the Eunhae Merchant Group as his main customer, he ran an herb intermediary business, eventually paying back every bit of the initial support.
By the time Eun Jo-san, Eun Gil-sang’s cousin, became Merchant Lord of the Migwa Merchant Group, their finances were completely independent.
So now, while the Eunhae and Migwa Merchant Groups are close and friendly, they are technically separate entities.
“And now he’s asking to borrow some money.”
“A loan request?”
At Chief Administrator Yu’s words, Merchant Lord Eun Gil-sang nodded.
“For someone as prideful as Merchant Lord Eun Jo-san to send a letter like this… things must be really bad.”
Both Chief Administrators and both Pavilion Lords nodded in agreement.
They’d known Eun Jo-san since their youth and were well aware of his character.
Then Eun Jeong-ho asked,
“Father, did Merchant Lord Eun Jo-san explain why things are difficult in his letter?”
“No, there weren’t many details. He only wrote that competition with other merchant groups has become fierce, making the situation tough.”
Merchant Lord Eun Gil-sang continued.
“So… how much should we lend him?”
“Did he not specify the amount?”
At Yu So-ak’s question, Merchant Lord Eun Gil-sang nodded.
“Exactly.”
“Then… how about lending him one thousand silver taels? Lending more than that might hurt Merchant Lord Eun Jo-san’s pride.”
At that moment, they all realized something.
Eun Seo-ho was strangely quiet today.
I was deep in thought, recalling something from my previous life.
Merchant Lord Eun Jo-san… my uncle who committed suicide.
Back then, I didn’t know he had sent a letter asking for a loan.
I wasn’t a Deputy Merchant Lord yet.
About a year from now… my uncle committed suicide.
The line in his letter about business getting tougher due to competition was something he barely managed to write because of his pride.
The reality… was far worse.
I later heard that a new intermediary jumped into the herb business, ready to engage in a price war.
Almost all the clients that used to trade with the Migwa Merchant Group switched over.
In the end, only the Eunhae Merchant Group remained as a client. But due to his pride, Uncle hid this fact.
The reason he didn’t specify how much money he needed… was because the losses were enormous.
One thousand silver taels?
That wouldn’t even come close.
In my previous life… they probably decided to lend him that amount.
And yet… Uncle still committed suicide.
I remember how devastating that news was for our family.
Especially Grandfather.
He grieved deeply.
After all, he lost not only his younger brother but also his nephew far too early.
And for the merchant group… it was a major blow.
We lost a stable intermediary who had been supplying herbs reliably.
Of course, trying to trade with another intermediary in Guizhou felt impossible.
That was the group that drove Uncle to his death.
In the end, we had to spend an enormous amount of money and time to establish a new branch in Guizhou and source herbs from elsewhere to barely recover.
“Seo-ho.”
At Father’s call, I raised my head.
“Yes.”
“You’re unusually quiet today. Normally, you’d be bursting with opinions, eyes sparkling. Are you feeling unwell?”
I shook my head.
“No. I was just deep in thought.”
Then I turned to Pavilion Lord Yeon Dami.
“Pavilion Lord Yeon.”
“Yes, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Have you heard anything about the Migwa Merchant Group recently?”
“Well…”
“I’d like to hear directly from the Clerks who recently returned from Guizhou. It’s always best to ask those who’ve seen it with their own eyes.”
At my words, Father nodded.
“Something’s bothering you, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Father told Pavilion Lord Yeon to summon the Clerks who had gone to Guizhou.
Soon after, one senior Clerk and four regular Clerks entered the Eunwol Council.
“You called for us?”
As they arrived, Father glanced at me and nodded.
It meant he was delegating this matter to me.
“I’ve called you here because I have a few questions. I understand you’ve recently visited the Migwa Merchant Group in Guizhou.”
“That’s correct.”
“Did you notice anything different compared to before, or anything that felt off?”
“…”
“Even something very small is fine.”
The senior Clerk hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.
“Now that you mention it… the number of staff at the Migwa Merchant Group has noticeably decreased. Quite a few Clerks were nowhere to be seen.”
As expected… they’ve started cutting personnel.
Reducing labor costs is always the first thing to do when facing financial pressure.
Starting with the senior Clerk’s words, the others began sharing what they had noticed.
“The roof that was damaged last time… still hasn’t been fixed.”
“When I met with the Merchant Lord, I couldn’t help noticing his belt ornament. He used to change it often, but lately, he’s been wearing the same one every time.”
The mood in the room grew heavier and heavier.
These testimonies clearly showed that the Migwa Merchant Group’s situation was far worse than we’d thought.
After the Clerks left, Father let out a deep sigh.
“So they’ve really been pushed to the brink. But why try to hide it?”
At that, Pavilion Lord Jeok spoke.
“It’s probably his pride. I’m worried this will turn into something worse.”
Pavilion Lord Jeok had watched over the Eunhae Merchant Group and its people for a long time. His words were sharp and accurate.
And he was right… it would indeed become something worse.
I knew exactly what was happening thanks to my memories from my previous life.
But I couldn’t exactly say that, which was why I went through the process of confirming it this way.
The one crushing the Migwa Merchant Group right now was the Namho Merchant Group.
And they were using underhanded, despicable tactics to do it.
But this time… it’ll be different.
I won’t let it happen.
“Father. I believe I should go to Guizhou myself.”
“To Guizhou?”
“Yes. I need to figure out exactly what’s going on. If the Migwa Merchant Group collapses… the damage to our merchant group would be enormous.”
I continued.
“Our merchant group supplies herbs to a great number of clients. Even the Eight-Person Pharmacy sources herbs from us. If something happens to our supply chain, it would cause serious problems.”
“That’s true.”
“And everyone else is busy right now, so it’s best if I go.”
The Virtuous Wind Department was created precisely to handle sudden incidents like this.
As I expected, Father nodded.
“Very well. Go.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Since you’re going… take Jin-ho with you.”
“What? M-me too?”
I hadn’t expected that I’d be traveling with Jin-ho.
.
.
.
Two days later, early morning.
I headed to the vehicle station.
“You’re here.”
Jin-ho had arrived even earlier than me.
“You’re early.”
“Might as well get moving quickly if we’re going.”
Jin-ho was the squad leader of the Sixth Squad in the Eunpoong Division. He was taking his entire squad with him for this mission.
It seemed Father had decided to send him partly to give him squad training, ensuring the leader and members could work together smoothly.
“I apologize for being late.”
At that moment, someone entered the station.
I recognized him.
He was one of the Clerks who regularly handled herb deliveries between our group and the Migwa Merchant Group.
His name… was Jong Gil-dae, wasn’t it?
“Clerk Jong Gil-dae, right?”
“Yes. My rank is Jeong (丁級).”
That meant he was one rank below senior Clerk, whose rank is Byeong.
It seemed Father had been considerate enough to assign us an experienced guide.
We finished our preparations and set out quickly.
Since Guizhou has no major rivers, we had to take the overland route.
Along the way, we had to cross Mount Hyeongmun and deal with the Forest bandits stationed there.
But…
“The Eunhae Merchant Group? Is that the one with the Handsome Young Hero… Gasp! I-it’s the Handsome Young Hero!”
“What? Did you say the Handsome Young Hero?”
“To think we’d meet the Handsome Young Hero in person! What an honor.”
“About the toll fee…”
“Oh, come on! Don’t say such hurtful things!”
“The Eunhae Merchant Group saved our lives.”
“Sure, we’re bandits running a mountain stronghold… but even we know how to repay a favor.”
“Please, pass freely.”
“What are you all doing? Clear the way!”
We passed through without paying a single coin.
Back when the plague broke out in Yichang, the Eunhae Merchant Group had run a relief effort here.
It seemed the goodwill from that time was still very much alive.
Not fleeing the plague and instead working hard in Hubei had definitely paid off.
Thanks to that, our journey was smooth, and we finally arrived in Guizhou.
Given that the Migwa Merchant Group was run by my uncle, it would’ve made sense to stay there.
But we didn’t.
Their situation was already difficult, and adding to their burden would be inconsiderate.
Besides, we weren’t here for trade.
We were here to investigate what was going on with the Migwa Merchant Group.
So we checked into an inn located far from their merchant house.
“Will you be having dinner now?”
At Palgap’s question, I nodded.
“Let’s go down.”
We went downstairs to the dining hall and had our meal.
Then I called over a server and casually asked,
“We’re here looking to trade herbs. Where’s the best place in town?”
The server glanced over our attire and replied,
“Looks like you’re from a pretty large merchant group. In that case, I recommend visiting the Namho Merchant Group.”
“The Namho Merchant Group…?”
“Yes. I’ll let you in on a little secret, sir. Right now, the Namho Merchant Group is selling herbs at less than half the usual price.”
–TL Notes–
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