At those words, I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
What? Less than half the price?
Are they insane?
I asked the server again.
“Is that really true? Less than half…?”
“I get why you’d doubt it. There’s no merchant group in the world that sells herbs at a price like that. But it’s true.”
The server spoke with absolute confidence.
“That’s why people are literally lining up to trade with them.”
“Alright, let’s say the price is true. But isn’t the herb quality terrible?”
“I’ve spoken with merchants returning from deals with the Namho Merchant Group. They say the herb quality is excellent.”
“I see.”
I nodded and shifted the topic.
“Now that I think about it… I heard the Migwa Merchant Group was the most reputable for herb trade around here.”
“That’s all in the past now.”
“What?”
“Well… sigh. No good comes from exposing another merchant group’s flaws, so I’ll leave it at that.”
I pulled some coins from my pouch and subtly handed it over.
“Still, for outsiders like us… information is everything. Could you share a bit more about how things stand around here?”
The server glanced around, quickly pocketed the coins, and then nodded.
“Well, since you put it that way… sure.”
Then the server started talking about the Migwa Merchant Group.
“Maybe it started about a year or two ago. Rumors began spreading that the quality of herbs from the Migwa Merchant Group had dropped. Plenty of merchants actually went there to complain.”
“How did the Migwa Merchant Group respond?”
“They flat-out denied it. Even kicked people out at the door. I heard they even treated the complainers like scammers.”
“…”
“And now, they’re pretty much on the brink of collapse. How could they survive when the competition is offering better herbs at much cheaper prices?”
“Well… you’ve got a point.”
“In the end, the Migwa Merchant Group started lowering their prices too… but the Namho Merchant Group just lowered them even further.”
I was starting to understand why the Namho Merchant Group was selling herbs at less than half the usual price.
When the Namho Merchant Group lowered their prices, the Migwa Merchant Group dropped theirs even further, then the Namho Merchant Group slashed it again.
That much was understandable.
Price wars are hardly uncommon.
And the winner of any price war is obvious—the one with deeper pockets.
But the part that didn’t sit right with me… was the claim that the Migwa Merchant Group’s herb quality had dropped.
Not once had the quality of herbs from them been bad.
Never.
The Migwa Merchant Group always provided top-quality herbs.
Uncle isn’t someone who would ever sell inferior herbs.
The person who taught him how to run a merchant group was my great-uncle, who himself learned from the Eunhae Merchant Group and followed its exact principles.
So even though the Eunhae and Migwa Merchant Groups are technically separate… their founding spirit is the same.
Trust.
And Uncle… has pride.
Not just any pride. A pride stronger than bamboo forged from ten-thousand-year-old iron.
Knowing that… I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
I know the Namho Merchant Group used underhanded, nasty tricks and threw themselves into a suicidal price war… but I never figured out exactly what those tricks were.
Back then, I was too busy… and honestly, it wasn’t the kind of thing I could ask around about.
And as time passed… bringing it up felt like picking at an old scar.
But now… I think I get it.
The price war wasn’t enough. They also started spreading bad rumors.
There’s an old saying: if three people gather, even a non-existent tiger can be conjured up.
Rumors are terrifying.
There was even a time when the Dan Merchant Group spread vicious rumors, which caused the Self-Dancing Doll not to sell at all.
Sometimes a careless comment snowballs into a disaster.
And this… wasn’t even accidental.
The Namho Merchant Group deliberately spread those rumors.
It probably didn’t take long for the rumors to be accepted as truth.
But… there should still be plenty of merchants who built trust with the Migwa Merchant Group over the years.
It’s strange that all of them would abandon it just because the price is cheaper…
I thought back to what the server said earlier.
— And plenty of merchants actually went there to complain.
I called the server over.
“About what you said earlier… the merchants who complained about the poor herb quality.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know exactly which merchant groups they were?”
“Of course I do!”
“What?”
“I heard it was the Geum Merchant Group, right here in town.”
The Geum Merchant Group… I’ll have to check them out.
.
.
.
Night.
I was walking in the inn’s backyard.
My head was a mess. I needed some air to organize my thoughts.
What the server said about the Geum Merchant Group filing a complaint about the Migwa Merchant Group’s bad herbs… was true.
I just sent someone to confirm it.
There really were instances where the herb quality had dropped, and that led to merchants cutting ties.
If it were just rumors, this would’ve been easy to fix. Just drown it out with more rumors like before.
But when there are actual cases… solving this becomes truly difficult.
What in the world happened?
There’s no way Uncle would’ve done this…
“What’re you doing?”
A familiar voice called out from behind me. It was Jin-ho.
I turned to see Jin-ho standing there, holding the spear I’d gifted him—Azure Dragon Dance.
“What about you? What’re you doing out here this late?”
“Skipping training for a few days made my body stiff, so I was loosening up.”
Yeah… Jin-ho really is a warrior through and through.
Now that I think about it… it’s about time I get back to training too.
Master always knows somehow when I skip, and I never get away with it.
“But… you don’t look so good. Is this about Uncle?”
I nodded and started venting to Jin-ho.
After hearing me out, Jin-ho tapped the ground with the tip of his spear.
“Well… I don’t know if Uncle really did it or not. But here’s what my gut says.”
“…?”
“Uncle’s innocent.”
“I feel the same.”
“That’s why I wanna check for myself whether it’s true or not. But… do you think they’ll even let us visit? Feels like they’d just stall if we requested a meeting.”
At that question, I grinned.
“Jin-ho, connections exist for moments exactly like this.”
.
.
.
A few days later.
Jin-ho and I headed to the Geum Merchant Group.
“Thank you for making time for us despite your busy schedule.”
At our greeting, the Merchant Lord of the Geum Merchant Group chuckled and waved his hand.
“If Merchant Lord Daeseong asks, how could I possibly refuse?”
The Daeseong Merchant Group.
They’re the salt retailers of Guizhou.
And also the merchant group authorized by the Emperor to sell Windcraft Fans.
I’d asked them for a favor—to arrange a quick meeting with the Merchant Lord of the Geum Merchant Group.
It seemed Merchant Lord Daeseong agreed because he didn’t want to get on the bad side of someone who held inspection authority over Windcraft Fan sales.
Either way, thanks to that, I was able to meet the Geum Merchant Lord so quickly.
I’ll have to thank him properly later.
“So, what’s the urgent matter that brought you here?”
I went straight to the point.
“I heard there was an unpleasant incident when you traded with the Migwa Merchant Group.”
“Ah, yes, there was. But why do you ask?”
“We’re here to investigate that incident. As you may know, we’re also one of the trading partners of the Migwa Merchant Group.”
“Ah…”
The Geum Merchant Lord nodded.
“Then it makes sense. I suppose you’re considering whether it’s time to change partners.”
“Exactly.”
I nodded firmly.
“That’s why we asked to visit—to hear the details firsthand.”
“I thought the Eunhae Merchant Group and the Migwa Merchant Group were exceptionally close?”
“We are. Which is why it’s even more important to investigate thoroughly. Being close also means… if things go wrong, they can hurt the most.”
“…”
“Besides, trust built over years isn’t something that breaks easily.”
The Geum Merchant Lord pondered for a moment, then spoke.
“I’ll let you investigate however you like. I’ll summon the senior Clerk in charge of our dealings with the Migwa Merchant Group so he can fully assist you.”
I wondered why he was suddenly being so cooperative.
But his next words answered that.
“I don’t wish to see the trust we’ve built with the Migwa Merchant Group over the years crumble like this.”
.
.
.
A little later, we met with a senior Clerk.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Senior Clerk Man Gyeong of the Geum Merchant Group.”
“I’m Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Jin-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“I’m Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho.”
We exchanged greetings.
I immediately got to the point.
“I’d like you to explain what happened during your last trade with the Migwa Merchant Group.”
Senior Clerk Man Gyeong nodded and began explaining in detail.
The transaction itself was an ordinary one—nothing special.
“But while we were sorting the herbs after arrival… something unpleasant came up. Underneath the herbs… were lower-quality herbs hidden.”
“That’s… a typical scam tactic in trades, isn’t it?”
It’s what’s called ‘bottom stuffing.’
That’s why people often flip the crates to check the herbs at the very bottom before buying.
“Exactly. But… the Migwa Merchant Group was always trustworthy.”
So they didn’t check thoroughly. They just brought it back as usual, trusting them.
“And when we went to complain…”
“You were turned away at the door?”
“Yes. They even yelled at us, accusing us of slandering them.”
“Was that the Merchant Lord of the Migwa Merchant Group himself?”
“Yes. It was.”
I nodded and shifted the subject.
“I see. What a shame. If the herbs from that trade were still around, we could’ve investigated more thoroughly.”
“Oh, they’re still here.”
“…What?”
Senior Clerk Man Gyeong continued.
“I kept one batch aside, just in case.”
For a moment, it felt like his face was shining.
We followed him to where the herb storage was.
Among the various storerooms, he led us into a small one.
There sat the batch of herbs in question.
It was dried gastrodia.
Gastrodia is used widely to treat headaches, dizziness, high blood pressure, and even paralysis.
Guizhou produces a lot of gastrodia, and the Eunhae Merchant Group sources more than half of its total gastrodia from the Migwa Merchant Group.
I walked up to inspect it closely.
Sure enough… at the bottom, there were clearly inferior gastrodia.
The way this was packed… was the work of someone experienced in handling herbs.
Herbs each require different packing methods depending on their properties. It’s a more meticulous process than most realize.
And judging by the wrapping… it had been sealed so tightly that no one could’ve tampered with it from the outside.
Which meant… the Migwa Merchant Group packed it like this before delivering it.
That made it even more baffling.
If it were expensive herbs, doing this would squeeze out extra profit.
But this… was gastrodia.
Gastrodia isn’t even an expensive herb.
Doing this wouldn’t make even half a silver tael of profit for ten batches.
In fact, the labor it took to deceptively package this probably cost more than the profit.
Then it hit me.
I think I now understand the sneaky, despicable tactic the Namho Merchant Group used.
Looks like… I’ll have to visit them myself.
A few days later.
I stood in front of the Namho Merchant Group.
Not only Jin-ho and I but also Clerk Jong Gil-dae and the rest of our party were in disguise.
We had to hide the fact that we were from the Eunhae Merchant Group.
There was already a long line of merchants in front of the Namho Merchant Group, all hoping to buy herbs at dirt-cheap prices.
After waiting two full hours, we were finally allowed inside.
When I gave a fake merchant group name, the staff asked,
“What herbs are you looking for?”
“Gastrodia…”
I listed a few more herb names, then asked,
“Could we see some samples?”
“Of course.”
They led us to where the samples were displayed.
That’s when Clerk Jong Gil-dae leaned in and whispered,
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“…?”
“Those Clerks and those employees over there… I’ve seen them before at the Migwa Merchant Group.”
“What?”
“They were the ones who used to handle packing there.”
–TL Notes–
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