I quickly got ready to depart for Hunan.
But even in the midst of all the busyness, I took a moment to read the letters the children had given me.
[I’m so happy to have you, Senior Brother. I overheard the Hall Master talking. He said it’s thanks to you that we were able to move to such a wonderful place. Thank you.]
[Because of you, Senior Brother, I had a really joyful time. Actually, I tried candied tiger nuts for the first time. I was so happy.]
Each one was written with such care that I found my eyes tearing up before I realized it.
Because I could feel the children’s hearts so clearly.
The ones who couldn’t write had drawn pictures to express their gratitude.
They’d drawn scenes of themselves happily eating candied tiger nuts or playing with me.
I’m glad they had fun.
And the letter from the child who asked me to buy painting supplies included a high-quality drawing.
It was a landscape of West Lake.
It used only black ink to express light and shadow (濃淡), but it was still incredibly beautiful.
I should make this into a scroll and hang it in my detached residence.
With that thought, I opened another letter.
[When I grow up, I’m going to marry you, Big Brother. I really, really like you. So please wait ten years for me.]
“Cough! Cough-cough!”
I coughed before I could stop myself.
“Are you alright, Young Master?”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”
“How did that happen…”
Palgeop must’ve seen the letter in my hand. He frowned.
“What did you do to that innocent little girl, Young Master?”
“Saying it like that makes me sound like trash.”
“But in ten years, that means…”
“Palgeop.”
“Yes?”
“Get out.”
.
.
.
Two days later.
Palgeop and I, along with the four Escort Guards, left the Eunhae Merchant Group together.
Because I needed the help of martial artists for this matter, I submitted a request for personnel dispatch to External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong of the Eunpoong Division.
However, we didn’t travel together.
It would’ve been problematic to draw attention before I could assess the situation myself.
Of course, it wasn’t that I suspected Han Jae-ik was lying, but I needed to assess the situation objectively and decide what to do.
The road to Hunan wasn’t as rough as I expected.
Although we had to cross Mount Bokryong, there was still a main road.
“Good grief, it seems like we are going everywhere these days.”
At Palgeop’s comment, Escort Guard Seo Wu replied.
“But it’s only natural that the Young Master moves around. Isn’t Han Jae-ik said to be in danger right now?”
“Well, that’s true…”
We’d all met Han Jae-ik, so hearing about his situation pained us.
“Still, what a truly vile bastard. That bastard, Lord Ma.”
“Yeah. He’s really a terrible person.”
Last time, Han Jae-ik had come to the North Sea to stop his younger sister from becoming Lord Ma’s ninth wife.
Thanks to that, he managed to prevent her tragic future, but he couldn’t stop Lord Ma’s retaliation.
Han Jae-ik’s family had lived for generations as small-time martial artists.
Not big, but a decently run martial hall.
However, Lord Ma, the local landowner and power-holder, threatened those attending the Han Family Martial Hall and schemed in various ways. Eventually, the disciples left one by one.
Even though everyone knew who was behind it, they were too afraid of retaliation to help the Han Family Martial Hall.
Eventually, unable to endure it anymore, Han Jae-ik’s family tried to leave the village, but they were ambushed and prevented from escaping.
Han Jae-ik was injured too, and his father was severely wounded while protecting his mother and is now barely able to move.
The attackers even left behind a threat: “If you try to run again, you will die.”
On top of that, every physician in the village feared Lord Ma and refused to treat Han Jae-ik and his father, so his father’s wounds were worsening.
In such a situation, Han Jae-ik sent me a letter, grasping at straws, asking for help.
It was delivered by someone from the Pungju Escort Bureau, so it seems they at least have a decent relationship with them.
Either way, how could I ignore such a desperate call for help?
Han Jae-ik leaned against the wall and let out a heavy sigh.
‘Did the letter get delivered properly?’
That letter he sent to Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho, whom he met in the North Sea, was the best he could do.
Just then, his mother called him.
“Jae-ik.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Your father’s calling for you. Go to him.”
He entered his father’s room.
His father was lying on the bed, groaning in pain as he tried to endure it.
Next to him was a basin with bloodied bandages, likely just changed.
But all they could do now was gather herbs as vaguely described by a sympathetic physician who had passed by.
“Father, I’m here.”
His father barely opened his eyes and spoke with difficulty.
“Jae-ik.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I’m sorry. We should’ve left this place earlier, just like you said. I was stubborn for no reason…”
“Don’t say that. You had your reasons, Father.”
At first, Han Jae-ik had urged his father to leave quickly. But his father had refused to abandon the land their ancestors had lived on for generations.
But they should’ve left back then.
Now, even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t. It was already too late.
Now, Lord Ma was slowly choking the life out of Han Jae-ik’s family.
As punishment for disobeying him.
Because in this village, Lord Ma’s word was law.
And his intention was clear.
If you don’t want to die a slow death, bring back the hidden sister.
He clearly didn’t believe that she’d entered the North Sea Ice Palace.
Han Jae-ik had hired another escort bureau to take her there and parted ways near the village, so there were no witnesses to prove it.
But even if that weren’t the case, Han Jae-ik had no intention of sending his sister to Lord Ma.
Because the women who had become Lord Ma’s wives in the past hadn’t even lasted a year before dying suddenly.
Everyone whispered about it because of Lord Ma’s power, but those who knew, knew.
They knew how horrifyingly those women had died.
Amidst all this, the news he’d happened to hear—that the gates of the North Sea Ice Palace had opened—was like a ray of hope.
So he made his decision.
“Hoo…”
He stepped out of his father’s room and let out a sigh deep enough to crack the ground.
When he looked up, he saw the pitch-black night sky.
Just like their future.
But soon, he clenched his fists tightly.
“Even if we end up dying like this, I can’t send Jae-in to him. At least you must be happy…”
As he thought that, he noticed the stars in the night sky.
They sparkled so insensitively, he thought.
‘Still… there’s not much food left now…’
Not just food, but even firewood was scarce. They were barely managing to keep his parents’ room warm.
How much longer could they hold out like this…
It was hopeless.
Thunk—!
Just then, he heard something fall in the yard and approached it.
There was a large bundle lying there.
“What… is this?”
Han Jae-ik cautiously opened the bundle.
“Hm?”
Inside the bundle were rice, meat, daily necessities, charcoal, and even items like Golden Elixir Pills, all packed with care.
And an enclosed letter.
[Your letter was received safely. I haven’t forgotten our encounter in the North Sea or my promise. Please wait just a little longer.]
“Ah…”
He could guess who sent it.
Tears welled up in his eyes without him realizing it.
Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho hadn’t forgotten him.
He composed himself and looked up at the sky again.
The silver moon, which had been hidden behind clouds earlier, now smiled down on him. (TL Note: Eun means Silver)
Hanan got its name because it lies south of the Yellow River.
Thanks to the Yellow River, the land was extremely fertile, making it excellent for farming, and because it had long been at the center of the Central Plains, commerce had also developed.
The Ma Clan Manor, Lord Ma’s family, had lived in this village for generations and was one of its most prominent households.
They cultivated cotton to accumulate wealth, and then invested in commerce, finding great success.
Currently, the head of the Ma Clan Manor was Ma Jeong.
He was the wealthiest man in Taegyeong County, and even within the province it belonged to, he ranked among the top ten.
In Taegyeong County, his word was as good as law.
Even the county magistrate couldn’t oppose him.
That was because if Ma Jeong turned on you, even the magistrate could die a dog’s death.
With his immense wealth, Ma Jeong maintained a private army of considerable size.
The law allowed for a certain number of private guards to protect one’s property and life.
The problem was that under Ma Jeong’s name, they were running rampant and abusing their power—but that wasn’t Ma Jeong’s concern.
As long as he was entertained, that was all that mattered.
But there was one thorn in his side: the Han Family Martial Hall.
“You dare defy my order and hide that girl?”
By chance, he’d laid eyes on a girl named Han Jae-in and instantly took a liking to her.
So he marked her as his ninth wife, but outrageously, they hid her away.
“I said I’d treat her well.”
Her father claimed his daughter had entered the North Sea Ice Palace.
But he didn’t believe it.
He’d heard that even if ten tried, only five would survive and actually be admitted.
And they sent her there?
‘At least lie properly!’
So he began slowly starving them out. Sooner or later, they’d offer her up to avoid death.
So far, everything in his life had gone exactly the way he wanted. Nothing had ever stood in his way.
Just then, an attendant spoke to him.
“Master, someone from the Murim Alliance has arrived.”
“Oh, really? Escort them to the guest hall.”
“Yes, my lord.”
But he wasn’t content with just this small Taegyeong County.
He wanted to expand his influence through the Murim Alliance and eventually dominate the entire Central Plains.
The Murim Alliance was a key business partner toward that goal.
I was staying not in Taegyeong County, but in the neighboring one.
Taegyeong wasn’t very large, and Ma Jeong’s influence there was overwhelming.
If we stayed within that county, word of our presence would certainly reach that Lord Ma.
Even though I was staying here, it wasn’t hard to gather information on Lord Ma.
He was a well-known figure, though not in a good way.
Palgeop gave me a report on the information he’d gathered, fuming with anger.
“That Lord Ma bastard is truly rotten. He beat a ten-year-old child so badly the kid can’t use his legs now—all because he didn’t greet him.”
“…Seriously?”
“It’s true. Several people saw it. And apparently, he even cut off someone’s wrist for not coming to wish him a happy birthday.”
“…”
He was even worse than I imagined.
At this point, even the magistrate should’ve intervened…
“He’s said to have over a hundred private soldiers, with at least twenty First-rate warriors among them.”
I couldn’t help but nod at Palgeop’s words.
The magistrate probably had his hands full just keeping himself alive.
As the saying goes, the law is far, and fists are near.
Lord Ma reigned as king over that small Taegyeong County.
And it wasn’t even as large as the county we were currently in.
So why wasn’t the provincial governor interfering?
Well, that much was obvious. He’d probably been paid off handsomely.
This area was right on the border between Anhui Province and Henan Province.
As long as no major problems arose, the officials would’ve looked the other way.
My goal here was to rescue Han Jae-ik and his parents.
But my father told me that while I was at it, I should clean things up properly.
Even if I only extracted Han Jae-ik’s family, Lord Ma wouldn’t take it lying down.
Men like him are easy to predict without even meeting them.
Needlessly prideful, and unable to tolerate anything that doesn’t go their way.
In other words, there’s a high chance he’ll retaliate against the Eunhae Merchant Group.
We wouldn’t suffer any serious losses from that, but it would become troublesome.
So what’s the solution?
I’ll make him accept it by force.
But something about the name Ma Jeong was tugging at my memory.
Where had I heard it?
That’s when Escort Guard Jin Yu knocked on the door.
I’d asked him to keep watch on the Ma Clan Manor, so something must’ve come up.
“Come in.”
“My lord, I have something to report.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Someone I recognize just entered the Ma Clan Manor.”
“Yes?”
“They’re from the Murim Alliance.”
That statement triggered the memory of where I’d heard Ma Jeong’s name before.
I remember now—thanks to that bastard, the Baekcheon Merchant Group was able to obtain cotton at a low price and flood the market.
His name had come up in a report I received in my previous life about the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
In other words, he was an ally of the Murim Alliance.
Truly, hateful people always do hateful things. All the more reason I can’t let him be.
–TL Notes–
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