The one who entered was Pavilion Lord Jeok Byeong-cheol of the Operations Pavilion.
“Pavilion Lord Jeok, welcome.”
“So the Young Master arrived first. What about Chief Administrator Yu?”
“Oh, he had something urgent to take care of and told me to go ahead. He should be here soon.”
“I see.”
Eunwol Pavilion was the meeting hall where the merchant group discussed all sorts of matters, big and small.
Technically, I didn’t yet have the authority to attend these meetings since I hadn’t officially been appointed as Young Pavilion Lord.
But today, I had every right to be here.
Today’s topic was the commercialization of the self-dancing puppet, and I was the employer of Gong Mil, the artisan who could make it.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I sat down, and silence filled the room.
The awkward silence was broken when Pavilion Lord Jeok suddenly spoke to me.
“Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“There’s something I didn’t get to ask before. May I ask you now?”
I nodded.
“Of course. Please go ahead.”
“I understand you signed a personal contract with the artisan who made the puppet. Why did you do that?”
I’d tried to gloss over the matter, but Pavilion Lord Jeok was clearly still curious.
“Was I not supposed to?”
“It’s not that… I was just curious. Usually, we sign contracts in the name of the merchant group. Why did you choose to do it personally?”
I met Pavilion Lord Jeok’s gaze.
He had silently handled his duties for decades, a pillar of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
And from my point of view, he was also the scariest one of them all.
His insight was among the sharpest in the group.
So excuses like ‘I did it first so no one else would snatch him up’ wouldn’t fly.
He was a man who’d dedicated his life to the Eunhae Merchant Group.
That’s why I decided to speak from the heart.
“Pavilion Lord Jeok, let me ask you something. Whose money is the Eunhae Merchant Group’s wealth?”
“Well…”
He started to answer, then hesitated.
Understandably so.
The question of whose money it really was wasn’t easy to answer.
The Merchant Lord was my father, and our family had led the group for generations, but that didn’t mean the wealth of the merchant group belonged solely to him.
I continued.
“But there is one thing I know for certain. And that is—I don’t have any money of my own.”
“Well now, I didn’t expect that. You’re quite the ambitious Young Master.”
He understood my meaning.
“So you plan to keep doing this going forward?”
In other words, would I continue pursuing personal profit?
“Yes. That’s right.”
“I see. But why go that far? It’s not like you lack funds, Young Master…”
He was right.
I received a generous allowance every month.
“It’s for the sake of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
I grinned.
“I intend to make it the greatest merchant group under the heavens.”
At that, Pavilion Lord Jeok paused, then burst out laughing.
“Well now, that’s quite the grand ambition.”
“I know I still have a long way to go. Does that answer your question?”
“More than enough.”
He continued.
“In return for answering this old man’s difficult question, I’ll answer one question of yours sometime in the future.”
“…!”
I was startled.
That offer was no small thing.
He was the head of all the employees within the Eunhae Merchant Group.
For someone like him to offer to answer a question of mine was no trivial matter.
Understanding its weight, I quickly bowed with a martial salute.
“Thank you. I gratefully accept.”
He nodded.
Soon after, Father and the other key figures entered the pavilion, and the meeting began.
Father had just returned from the provincial capital in Hubei.
He’d met with the Commissioner of Land Affairs.
Thanks to the self-dancing puppet, the commissioner’s wife had become the star of her social gathering.
The commissioner was able to maintain face with his wife.
And Lord Song, having presented the puppet, won back the commissioner’s favor.
Of course, the the issue with the land taxes still had to be settled again.
But at least he wouldn’t fall into ruin like before and become the lord of a mere shell of an estate.
We, in turn, secured a better rice deal with Lord Song.
And we stood to earn a massive profit from selling the puppets.
Everyone was happy.
Except for the Jinkyeon Merchant Group.
The Commissioner of Land Affairs expressed a desire to meet Father, so he’d gone to the provincial capital and had just returned.
Judging by his expression, things had gone well.
“First of all, my visit to the capital was fruitful. The Commissioner of Land Affairs has agreed to support our merchant group.”
That meant we’d secured him as a powerful backer, and everyone’s faces brightened.
“He asked if we could deliver ten self-dancing puppets as gifts. Can it be done by the end of the month?”
Father asked, and I nodded.
“Yes, it’s possible. I assume he wants them as Lunar New Year gifts?”
“Exactly. And we plan to start presenting the puppets to the market in about two months. That should give time for word to spread. Will that be doable?”
That much was easily manageable.
Of course, I had no intention of overworking Gong Mil. The reason it was possible was that I planned to apply methods I’d devised in my previous life.
I nodded to Father’s question.
“As long as certain conditions are met, yes.”
“Conditions?”
“I don’t intend to have Gong Mil handle the entire production alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“To be honest, when it comes to pure craftsmanship, there are many artisans who surpass Gong Mil.”
Everyone nodded at that.
There were artisans who could create lifelike, exquisite puppets, and others who had an exceptional sense for tailoring beautiful outfits.
“Getting help from those artisans is the most effective way to produce beautiful puppets quickly.”
Pavilion Lord Yeon nodded.
“That does make sense.”
Then Chief Administrator Yu raised an objection.
“But if we do that, won’t there be a risk of the puppet’s production method leaking?”
The others nodded at his concern.
“You said before that the puppet couldn’t be replicated. But applying this method seems no different than sharing its production techniques.”
“That’s one way to look at it. But I can still say with confidence that replication is impossible.”
I continued.
“Because the key to the self-dancing puppet lies in how the gears are moved, and only Gong Mil knows how to craft the part that enables that. Even I couldn’t figure it out, no matter how closely I looked.”
That was the very reason the puppet couldn’t be copied.
“So I believe it’s fine to have other artisans work on the puppet’s external design while Gong Mil handles only the core mechanism.”
At my words, Father nodded.
“If you, as Gong Mil’s employer, say so, I’ll take your word for it. Then what do you need me to provide?”
“A workshop, and materials for puppet production.”
“Understood.”
In my past life, the biggest reason Gong Mil died from overwork was because he handled every part of puppet production alone.
He’s only ten now.
He’s talented, but still a child. I didn’t want to burden him with excessive labor.
He should be playing and running around more.
That’s how it should be at his age.
“Now, let’s move on to discuss where to sell the puppets. Where do you think would be a good location?”
“How about a trinket shop? Women are the main customers for dolls, and they tend to visit trinket shops.”
“Places that sell crafts could work too.”
“Maybe a fabric store would be good as well.”
Several ideas were offered, but not the one I was waiting for.
“Father, may I offer a suggestion as well?”
“You may.”
With Father’s permission, I organized my thoughts and spoke.
“Father, and Pavilion Lords, I believe you’re all overlooking one thing. That is—this puppet isn’t the only item of its kind.”
“What do you mean, not the only one?”
“You’re saying… there’s more?”
I grinned.
“I can’t reveal what else I’ll release, but yes. That’s why I request permission to open a separate store.”
Father paused in thought for a moment before nodding.
“If there’s more than just the puppet, it makes sense to open a dedicated store. But setting up a store isn’t cheap.”
“I understand that. But this is also for the good of the group. The Commissioner of Land Affairs is backing the puppet—don’t you think he’d take offense if it were sold alongside random trinkets in some other shop?”
“Ah!”
At that, everyone’s expressions lit up in realization.
“Indeed! We’d have made a mistake if not for the Young Master.”
For those in official positions, honor and power were important—but so was face.
The Commissioner of Land Affairs governed an entire prefecture.
If we wanted to avoid any future trouble, we couldn’t afford to damage his pride.
And powerful people often fixated on petty slights more than anyone else.
Not always, but it never hurt to be cautious.
“In that case, we should open a separate store, even if it’s small.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare to set up the shop.”
“And how many of the puppets are you planning to release this time?”
“The more, the better, don’t you think?”
To that, I replied firmly.
“No, Father. We should only produce one thousand.”
“What? Only a thousand?”
“Yes.”
“You brat! How do you expect to turn a profit selling only a thousand?”
“Please hear me out.”
My calm tone helped Father rein in his temper.
“Alright, go ahead.”
“Father, why are pearls and jade so expensive? They’re just part of a shell or a green rock, aren’t they?”
“Because many want them, yet they’re rare… Ah!”
Father’s eyes widened.
So did everyone else’s in Eunwol Pavilion as they grasped what I meant.
“Yes, exactly. Scarcity.”
I smiled.
“I want to add scarcity value to the self-dancing puppet by limiting its sale. There are many wealthy people who want to express themselves through rare items.”
But in my previous life, the Jinkyeon Merchant Group never considered that.
They mass-produced the puppet to sell as much as possible.
At the time, the puppet sold for half a silver tael.
Which meant people could easily get one.
Even commoners could save up for a month or two and buy one.
As a result, the trend died quickly.
People got tired of it fast.
Which meant Gong Mil was constantly pushed to create something new without rest.
I felt sorry watching him.
It hurt to see him exploited, and it hurt just as much to see such a wonderful item used up and discarded like a passing trend.
If it had been me, I’d have found ways to diversify the puppet and earn far more.
Pavilion Lord Yeon Dami chuckled at my words.
“You’re right. There are so many people in this world who have more money than they know what to do with. Then, how much should we sell the puppet for?”
To that, Father and I answered at the same time.
“Ten silver taels.”
“…!”
We looked at each other and smiled.
“When it comes to flaunting wealth, there’s nothing better than a high price tag.”
“Exactly.”
Then External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong said,
“Still, it’s a shame. It’s such a well-made puppet, but we’re going to end it after one season?”
At that, I gave a faint smile, and Father, noticing it, narrowed his eyes.
“You rascal, you’ve got something else planned!”
“I do.”
“What is it? Out with it.”
Pressed by Father, I explained my next plan.
“It ties into what I mentioned earlier about releasing other products. I intend to give these puppets stories.”
“Stories?”
“Yes. For example, a puppet set based on the story of Heo Seon and the white fox demon Baek So-jeong, or one featuring Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.”
“Oh…”
“So then, would someone who buys a puppet of Heo Seon and Baek So-jeong be satisfied with just that one?”
–TL Notes–
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