We arrived at the Hebei Peng Family estate.
The Peng Family estate was in utter chaos.
Well, of course it was. The clan’s Young Clan Lord had grabbed a weapon and attacked a whole group of Embroidered Guard who were in the middle of a banquet.
An incident like that was unheard of, so the whole clan was wound tight with tension.
Because of that, the only one who came out to greet Young Hero Peng on his return was his father.
“Father, your son has come back.”
“Thank heavens you came back safely. I was worried sick, but you really came back at the perfect time.”
His name was Peng Mok.
He was the current Clan Lord’s fourth child and also his third son.
The Clan Lord’s eldest daughter was right above him in the birth order.
Of course, she was already married and no longer lived in the Peng Family estate.
He, too, had inherited the Peng Family’s blood: he was tall and broad-shouldered, yet somehow looked a bit lanky.
Anyway, judging by what he had just said to Young Hero Peng, he also seemed to know that his own older brother, the Young Clan Lord, was aiming for Young Hero Peng’s life.
“And the one beside you?”
“Ah, this is the person who helped me return to the clan safely.”
I cupped my fists politely and bowed my head.
“I am Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“I am Peng Mok, Gang-un’s father.”
“It is an honor to meet one of the great pillars of the Peng Family like this.”
“I’m nothing so grand. You’re the one they call that famously talked-about Handsome Young Hero, aren’t you?”
So he really did know who I was.
With an apologetic look, he continued.
“I ought to hold a banquet to welcome you properly, but circumstances in the clan are poor right now, so I hope you’ll understand that I cannot.”
“Please don’t worry about it.”
I was the one who caused this whole uproar, after all.
I did feel a little sorry, but if he ended up as the Clan Lord’s father thanks to me, it would be good for both of us.
Just then, Young Hero Peng asked,
“Mother is…”
“Right now my mother has summoned all the wives, so she’ll be there. Go pay your respects later.”
“Yes.”
It seemed the Peng Family’s matriarch had basically gone, “Everyone under me, gather up.”
With the household turned upside down, the wives’ conduct was important too, so she was probably calling them together to give them a stern reminder.
Young Hero Peng’s father looked at me.
“Stay as long as you like. As for your lodging…”
“He’ll be staying with me in my annex.”
“Then do that.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for allowing us to stay.”
With that, we wrapped up the brief greetings and headed to Young Hero Peng’s annex.
“I’m grateful you’re willing to stay in my annex, but honestly, the place isn’t in very good shape.”
“It doesn’t matter. By the way, you don’t keep a personal guard?”
At my question, he nodded.
“Yes. After almost getting killed when my own bodyguard turned on me, I haven’t really felt like having one…”
“I see. But you still need guards. Unless you’re a Transcendent realm master, there’s no way you can stop every threat on your own.”
“Sigh, Deputy Merchant Lord, you’re right.”
“On top of that, Young Hero Peng, you need to build your own faction. Even if the Clan Lord and the senior members support you becoming the Young Clan Lord, if you don’t have a power base, that decision can be overturned anytime.”
“But… isn’t it already too late?”
At those words, I nodded.
“Honestly, you’re right, it is late. But I still have a way.”
I called Palgap, who had been quietly standing at my side.
“Palgap.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Starting today, look for people within this Peng Family estate who fit some conditions.”
“Got it. So what are the conditions?”
“People who are loyal, but desperately short on money.”
At my words, Palgap grinned.
“I know exactly what you mean.”
The Hebei Peng Family was a clan made up of people with the Peng surname. But you couldn’t fill every position in a clan with just people named Peng.
Not only the servants and maids who handled the menial work, but more than half of the warriors didn’t have the Peng surname.
Some of them came from vassal families that existed for the Hebei Peng Family, and some had entrusted themselves here simply to make a living, regardless of bloodline.
They were our first targets.
And among the people with the Peng surname, there would also be those strapped for money.
According to Young Hero Peng, once they reached adulthood, the allowance they received from the clan was cut in half.
And once they were past thirty, most of the clan’s support disappeared.
This plan had come to me the moment I heard that.
Those Pengs who were hurting for money would be our second targets.
.
.
.
Palgap carried out my orders faithfully.
“Here’s the list.”
I looked over the list Palgap handed me. As expected of Palgap.
It had only been two days, but there were already quite a lot of names written down.
List in hand, I went to see Young Hero Peng.
During that time, there had been no threats against him.
Which made sense, since Young Clan Lord Peng Mun and the warriors under him were still being held in the imperial palace.
Young Clan Lord Peng Mun’s faction couldn’t move carelessly, and everyone else was too busy worrying about their own safety.
“I’ll come in.”
“Yes.”
I went inside and sat down across from him.
“Here’s the list of people you need to make into your own power base.”
I handed it to him.
“From here on is what really matters.”
When I glanced to the side, giving the signal, Escort Guards Lee Pil and Yeo Eung-am opened the chest they had carried in together.
“…!”
Young Hero Peng and his attendant’s eyes widened, their jaws dropping when they saw what was inside.
Of course they did—because the chest was filled to the brim with silver taels.
It was so heavy it had taken two first-rate warriors to carry it.
“With this, you can buy the hearts of the people on that list.”
At my words, he closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
There was a clear, bright light in his eyes.
“Thank you for the advice, but I’m a bit worried. If I buy people’s hearts with money, doesn’t that mean they’ll betray me the moment someone else offers more?”
As expected, he was a straight arrow.
“You’re right, Young Hero Peng. People should look at each other’s hearts, not each other’s money. But when you first meet someone, how are you supposed to know their heart?”
“…”
“People’s hearts are drawn to what they can see.”
I lightly nudged the chest of money with my foot.
Clink.
“You use this money to buy their goodwill first. And as for building your faction, this is as far as I help.”
“And I’m the one responsible for what comes after that?”
“Yes. Turning that money-bought goodwill into genuine trust is your job, Young Hero Peng.”
Even if the relationship started because of money, with Young Hero Peng’s upright heart, he should be able to turn them into truly his people.
Young Hero Peng nodded.
“Understood. I’ll make sure of it.”
It was about time for me to leave this place. Before that, there was something I still had to do for him.
“And, I’d like to meet the Peng Family’s Clan Lord.”
.
.
.
Two days after I asked Young Hero Peng to arrange a meeting with the Clan Lord,
Young Hero Peng was doing far better than I had expected. He had already met with and won over a third of the people on the list.
“I got them to promise me their support.”
“Well done.”
“And I just received a message from Grandfather. He told me to come to Jade Star Hall after dinner tonight.”
Jade Star Hall was where the Clan Lord lived.
That evening.
On my way to the meeting place, I pictured the Hebei Peng Family’s Clan Lord.
During the recent Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering, when I had unintentionally ended up as the hero of the day, I had shared a brief conversation with him over a meal.
He had a massive frame and fierce features, like looking at a tiger.
Clack-!
The warriors standing in front of Jade Star Hall crossed their spears.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group. I’ve come to pay my respects to the Clan Lord.”
“Please wait a moment.”
One of the guards in the back went inside, then came back out and spoke.
“The Clan Lord will see you.”
Clack-!
The warriors set their spears upright again and bowed to me.
“Forgive the discourtesy.”
The sharp edge in their aura told me their training was solid.
As I stepped inside, someone who looked like an attendant approached me.
“Please follow me.”
To be honest, Jade Star Hall was big enough that it really should have been called a palace rather than just a hall.
But this was Beijing, with the Emperor practically next door.
They had to be careful not to fall out of favor, so they kept the name modest and called it Jade Star Hall instead of Jade Star Palace.
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
The door opened and I stepped inside. I could see Clan Lord Peng sitting up ahead.
When I was about ten steps away, I cupped my fists and bowed.
“Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group greets the master of the Peng Family.”
“…You’ve pulled a pretty audacious stunt.”
Ah, so he knew what I had done.
Well, if he couldn’t at least figure out that much, he wouldn’t be qualified to lead a great power like this.
I lifted my head and spoke.
“I’m not quite sure what you mean.”
“Don’t play dumb! Weren’t you the one who deliberately called over the Embroidered Guard for a banquet? That was your scheme, wasn’t it?”
“Ah… you’re talking about that?”
I answered the Clan Lord with a question of my own.
“Clan Lord, if the Young Clan Lord hadn’t shown up there and disrupted the banquet, do you really think any scheme of mine could’ve succeeded?”
“…”
“And I had no choice if I wanted to protect my precious guest. When an uncle charges in trying to kill his own nephew, am I supposed to just stand there, take the blade, and die for him?”
At my brazen attitude, the Clan Lord silently stared at me.
“Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Then he suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
What’s with this old man all of a sudden?
“Of course! Exactly! That’s how it should be!”
It was a strange reaction for someone who had just heard his own son tried to kill his grandson.
Which meant, of course, that he already knew.
Would a father really not know what his own son is like?
Especially when the man in front of me was the one leading the Peng Family.
When he promised the Young Clan Lord’s seat to his grandson, he must have fully expected his son to move against the boy.
Maybe I should prod him a little.
“By the way, shouldn’t you be protecting your grandson when he’s barely escaping death?”
The Clan Lord answered with a faint smile.
“If he can’t even overcome something like this, how is he supposed to push aside his uncle and become the Young Clan Lord?”
My guess had been right on the mark.
The Clan Lord had made that declaration on purpose to ignite the Young Clan Lord’s competitive spirit.
And he wanted to see Young Hero Peng overcome that trial and seize the Young Clan Lord’s seat by his own strength.
But, Clan Lord.
If I hadn’t been there, Young Hero Peng would already be dead. And the Peng Family would be on the path to decline.
It seemed the Clan Lord had underestimated Young Clan Lord Peng Mun’s vile schemes and his obsession with that position.
By the way, I wondered what had gone through the Clan Lord’s mind in my previous life when Young Hero Peng died.
Did he just click his tongue and say the boy wasn’t Clan Lord material, or did he blame himself and drown in regret?
“So, what did you decide to take in return for helping that brat?”
“What do you mean?”
“You may be called the Handsome Young Hero, but I know what you really are. You’re a merchant, and merchants never do anything that leaves them at a loss.”
He went on.
“So I want to know what kind of deal you made.”
At that, I cupped my fists and spoke.
“I’m sorry, Clan Lord, but aren’t deals supposed to be kept secret from anyone who isn’t directly involved?”
“So you’re saying you can’t tell me?”
Of course I couldn’t.
I was the one who had gone on about trust; blabbing first would go against a merchant’s principles.
“Yes. I can’t tell you.”
“Is that so?”
In that instant, his aura surged out.
It pressed down on me like a massive boulder. Because I was at the Peak realm, I could feel it all the more clearly.
Drip, drop.
Even though winter was setting in and the air was cold, sweat streamed down my forehead and fell to the floor.
A huge oppressive force that felt like it would swallow me whole.
But there was no way I could bow my head. This was the Clan Lord’s test.
If I couldn’t pass this test, every tael I had spent up to now would vanish into thin air.
I grit my teeth.
Right then,
“…!”
Something stirred from deep within me. I could feel it clearly.
It was Geumryeong’s Qi.
Geumryeong opened its mouth and devoured all the pressure bearing down on me.
Thanks to that, I was able to face the Clan Lord with a calm expression.
It seemed I left quite an impression.
“Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Seeing him burst into laughter again made that clear.
Soon, the pressure bearing down on me vanished.
“Gang-un has found himself quite the capable ally. As expected of the one I’ve marked as future Clan Lord material.”
His eyes shone as he looked at me.
“And you’re the sort someone like His Majesty the Emperor would keep an eye on.”
“…”
He soon let out a sigh.
“So then, what exactly do you want me to do? No—what do I have to do for you to help pull that bastard out of there?”
He had stopped calling me “you brat” and switched to the more respectful “you.” That meant I had passed his test.
I cupped my fists and said to the Clan Lord.
–TL Notes–
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