The Seong Family Manor lay just a short distance from West Lake’s gentle shores.
In the previous generation, it had grown rapidly, building enough wealth to gain a solid reputation among the local powers.
But Seong Jun, the son who inherited it all, refused to rest on that success; he craved even greater fortune, unwilling to settle for less.
The family already held a good deal of land, yet among the region’s wealthy families, they sat squarely in the middle of the pack.
The richest folks near West Lake were mostly those running taverns and pleasure houses, pulling in steady streams of silver from visitors who never seemed to tire of spending.
So Manor Lord Seong Jun decided to open his own tavern, dreaming it would lift him to the top spot among them all.
And conveniently, a fitting plot of land waited not far away.
It was a bit removed from the lake itself, but building tall enough would make that distance irrelevant.
Until now, the Seong Family had avoided such businesses, sticking closely to the path laid out by the late lord.
He had even put it clearly in his final instructions to his son.
“Jun-ah, if you want our Seong line to last for generations, stay away from the pleasure trade—no taverns, nothing like that.”
“Why not, Father?”
“Our family doesn’t have the strength to handle something like that without trouble.”
But the son wanted nothing more than to tell his departed father he was wrong.
He aimed to prove that the Seong Family could manage such ventures just fine—and that they should have started long ago.
It wasn’t too late yet.
Succeeding in the tavern trade would let him stand as a proud son at last.
And along the way, he’d gather enough wealth to become Hangzhou’s greatest magnate.
Just five years after taking over the manor, Seong Jun made up his mind to dive into the tavern business.
Sure, the site already hosted a martial hall that had stayed there for over ten years, thanks to his father’s permission.
But that didn’t matter.
After all, wasn’t the landowner’s right to tell them to leave?
The winter cold might make moving tough, but that was their problem—not his to worry over.
“Besides, I gave them a full three months’ warning—that’s plenty merciful on my part. Of course!”
Around that time, the chief administrator came to him with a report.
“Manor Lord, I talked it over with the builders, and they say tearing down the buildings on that plot will cost about thirty silver taels.”
“Is that right?”
He paused for a moment and realized there was no reason for him to pay that.
Those who built it should handle the cleanup— that was only fair.
The lease had no other terms; it just said they’d pay five silver taels a year for the land.
And since they could afford to buy the place outright, they didn’t seem short on funds.
The Yangyang Martial Hall’s master complained loudly, but Seong Jun brushed it aside without a care.
What could they do about it, anyway? The land was still his to command.
For a brief second, his father’s old words flickered in his mind.
“Always treat the Yangyang Martial Hall with full respect. They saved my life and protected our family…”
But he shook his head and pushed the memory away.
“They helped a father who’s long gone; it has nothing to do with me now. Oh, and I heard some guests showed up there?”
Wary of any trouble, he had them watched closely, but the reports turned up nothing unusual.
Just some outsider playing games with the children.
“Must be here to help with their packing.”
Figuring the visitors posed no threat, he decided to stop thinking about them altogether.
- * *
A few days went by, and the feeling of prying eyes finally faded.
It was time to start moving.
I left the hall with my bodyguards in tow.
I pulled out the map and compared it to my memories, heading toward the spot that dot on the seal seemed to point to.
In my past life, I’d spent months roaming this whole area, even drawing up my own maps, so the lay of the land felt second nature to me.
But since this was supposed to be my first time here, I made sure to carry the map openly.
“My lord, you navigate the local paths like someone who’s wandered them a hundred times.”
“Looking at these maps so much has made it all feel straightforward.”
“Still, it’s impressive how you find your way even faster than we do.”
I gave Escort Guard Seo Wu a light chuckle at that.
Bringing the map had been a smart choice.
I had a good sense of direction and memory, but speeding along without checking it once might have looked too suspicious.
“Come visit our White Plum Tavern!”
“You handsome young sirs~ We’ll take such good care of you.”
As the courtesans called out with lively energy from the crowds, Palgap quickly stuck close to my side.
“What’s with the sudden bodyguard act?”
“I just feel like I need to keep you safe, Young Master.”
“I’m alright. You think I’d get swept up in something like that and lose everything?”
“Well, when you say it that way… you’re right.”
The streets buzzed with laughter from courtesans and guests, mixed with the wild shouts of drunken gamblers letting loose, all blending into the upbeat strum of nearby music.
The scents of floral perfumes, sharp liquor, and fresh snacks from side stalls filled the air, even reaching out to the walkways.
We passed through the tight cluster of taverns and soon caught sight of West Lake, where more than a hundred red lanterns hung around the edges, lighting up the night with a soft, inviting glow.
Those were from the vendors selling bits of food and treats; with the chill already setting in early, they looked like they were having a rough go of it.
Boats with their own lanterns drifted across the still-unfrozen water, cutting quiet paths through the dark.
Folks around here had a quiet nickname for West Lake, one that wasn’t official but said it all.
The place without night.
It meant crowds filled the spot day and night, people always buzzing around and ready to spend.
Manor Lord Seong must have been after that same stream of silver when he planned his tavern.
The Yangyang plot was a little ways from the lake, true, but with a tall building and prices that drew folks in, it could still turn a decent profit.
Pulling back the investment money would take a long while, though, and it wouldn’t rake in riches as fast as he hoped.
On top of that, the big issue was the prohibition order coming down just a short time after any new tavern opened its doors.
For the moment, I wasn’t planning to grab one of the famous breweries or houses here right away.
If I walked up and demanded it now, they’d just look at me like I was crazy and ignore me completely.
The time I had in mind was about two years from now.
No matter how much I prepared ahead or advised the Emperor, I couldn’t stop the famine itself from hitting.
Any uprisings would stay small, and deaths from starvation wouldn’t skyrocket, but the ban on alcohol would almost certainly come.
That was how bad the great famine would get.
While lost in those thoughts, I stole a glance at my Escort Guards.
A bit of color rose in their faces from the courtesans’ direct looks, but they kept their eyes straight ahead, not giving an inch.
I’d picked my guards well, no doubt about it.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, we reached an old, weathered pavilion.
“Is this the spot?”
“Yeah, it should be.”
I said that and took a closer look at the building.
It was on the smaller side, but it served as a shrine for two immortals from West Lake legends: the Jade Dragon and the Golden Peak.
The tale went that long ago, these two sages found pure white jade in the immortals’ realm by the Milky Way, then spent decades shaping it into magical silk.
That silk had a mysterious power—anywhere its light touched, plants grew thick and green.
The Western Queen Mother saw the glow and took the silk for herself.
The Jade Dragon and Golden Peak fought her over it, and in the struggle, the silk fell to the human world, turning into West Lake.
This was the exact place the dot on the seal pointed to.
Something had to be hidden here…
I wasn’t completely sure yet, but my gut said the real contract was waiting.
I almost started searching right then, but something made me hold back.
It was just a legend, but these two had created the lake in the story—paying respects felt right.
No need to bow fully, but burning some incense would show proper courtesy.
I told Palgap to go buy some, and he came back quick.
I lit the sticks and placed them in the censer.
Smoke rose from the incense, drifting lazily upward…
Hm?
Something about the way it moved didn’t feel normal. Usually, it just went straight up, but this time, it bent slightly in a way that caught my eye.
The smoke trailed toward the left wall of the pavilion.
I turned to look that way and suddenly stood up without thinking.
“My lord?”
“Hold on a second.”
I walked over to the wall and spotted a thin thread slipping out from a small gap.
No way?
Unlike simple wood walls, this one was made of carefully stacked bricks.
Which meant…
I gently pushed one brick upward from the top.
Creak, click.
The brick slid up, and I saw signs of packed dirt inside.
That thread I’d noticed was buried in the soil.
This was it!
Thud! Thud!
I used my dagger to dig out the dirt, and a slim black box appeared. The thread connected right to it.
“Whew…”
I took a steady breath and pulled the box out carefully.
Inside was a rolled-up scroll, which I unrolled to take a look.
This was the true lease agreement between Seong Ji-myeong of the Seong Family in Hangzhou and Baek Wol-ji of the Yangyang Martial Hall for five hundred pyeong of land at the XX location.
I, Seong Ji-myeong, repay the debt of saving my life by promising the Yangyang Martial Hall perpetual use of this land for just five taels of silver each year.
If this promise is ever broken and my descendants order them out, the land’s ownership passes to the Yangyang Martial Hall right then, and no more rent is due.
A few more details were written below.
The back page was a letter meant for his son, the current lord.
.
.
.
As I read through it, a laugh bubbled up before I could stop it.
“Hahaha.”
“What’s so funny, Young Master?”
“The late Seong Manor Lord… he was something else entirely.”
The previous hall master must have known about this too.
But then he passed away suddenly, probably before he could share it.
So why hide it in a place like this?
Because Seong Ji-myeong knew his son’s true nature better than anyone.
The terms were so heavily stacked in the hall’s favor that they’d crush any heir who tried to fight them.
If the son had known about this document, he’d have done everything to destroy it.
Just like how the Lotus Pavilion master in my past life set a fire to wipe out a Eunhae contract.
Of course, in this life, I stopped it before it did real damage.
This also acted as a test for his son—the letter on the back proved that.
And to protect against his son evicting them without knowing, the lord left that mark on his seal, a clue for the future.
Thinking about it, did overlooking this count as missing the big picture for a small gain?
But the Yangyang Hall saved the previous lord’s life and helped the whole clan? And the current one didn’t know?
If he did know and still acted this coldly, he’d be a real bad sort.
In that case, even if I went a little hard on him, the late lord would get it.
Because if I hadn’t found this, the hall would have been driven out.
Just like in my previous life.
Though with me here now, things wouldn’t have gone that far downhill.
Holding the real contract in my hands, I mulled over what to do next when a solid idea hit me.
I had that special status from the Emperor—one he wouldn’t mind me using here.
But first, I needed to check if the current lord really knew about the hall’s role in saving his father and the family.
I’d ask Chun-il to look into it.
.
.
.
Two days later.
I stood by the water’s edge, where West Lake spread out clear and inviting.
A pretty courtesan approached me then, her steps light and graceful.
Palgap jumped a bit at the sight and moved to block her, but I stopped him with a hand.
“She’s my guest.”
“Huh?”
“Chun-il.”
“…!”
Palgap’s eyes went wide in surprise at my words, and the Escort Guards around me had the same shocked reaction.
That was how flawless Chun-il’s disguises could be.
“You saw right through it, didn’t you? Hohoho.”
“Last time a serving boy, now a courtesan?”
“All for the picky client’s request.”
“So, did you find out?”
He nodded at my question.
“Yeah, not too hard for me. On your inquiry—he knows. About the Yangyang Hall saving his father’s life and protecting the clan.”
“…”
He really was a scum of a man.
The next day, I headed to the county office.
I needed certification that the seal on the real contract matched the late lord’s.
Only with official proof that this was genuine could I move things forward smoothly.
But the magistrate refused to verify the seal.
No, he tried to paint me as the criminal instead.
“Isn’t this fake?”
“Pardon?”
“Forged, obviously. You think you can come in here with some phony paper and trick this official?”
I let out a quiet sigh inside.
People really didn’t change, did they?
Given the time and place, this magistrate was probably one of those from my past life who took bribes to ignore illegal liquor sales, only to get executed later.
I’d heard several officials met that end back then.
A guy like him must have already pocketed a good sum from the current lord, with more coming.
“Guards! Grab this bold troublemaker now!”
“Yes!”
The bailiffs charged at me right then.
I pulled out the censorate inspector’s badge from my robe and said.
“Are you attacking an imperial emissary sent by His Majesty the Emperor?”
“E-emissary?”
The magistrate hurried over with a panicked look, checked the badge, and recoiled in horror, falling flat on his back.
“Eek!”
“So, how much did he pay you?”
–TL Notes–
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