Eun Gil-sang bowed with a martial salute and spoke.
“The one you received before through Lord Song’s hands was, regrettably, hastily prepared due to the urgency of the situation. I, Eun Gil-sang, humbly ask for your forgiveness.”
“No need! Thanks to that, I was able to save face with my wife. How could I blame you for that?”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Eun Gil-sang bowed deeply once more, then continued.
“This is a self-dancing puppet crafted to the highest standard. You already know how it works.”
At his words, the Commissioner immediately turned the handle to wind the wheel.
Once he let go, the puppet began to move.
“Oh! Oh-ho!”
Perhaps because of its outfit, the sleeves fluttered as it danced, making it even more beautiful.
After a moment, the puppet came to a stop.
Eun Gil-sang respectfully added,
“We’ve also prepared ten more of slightly lower grade, but visually identical to this one. I hope they’ll be of use to you.”
There was a clear reason for this arrangement: one top-tier puppet, and ten of a slightly lower tier but indistinguishable in appearance.
Humans are driven by desire.
Naturally, people want to have the best. That’s why they gave the finest puppet to the Commissioner.
But if it’s discovered that he kept the best one for himself while the others were meant as gifts, it could reflect poorly on him—and that resentment could easily be directed at the Eunhae Merchant Group.
This approach was meant to prevent that from happening.
“You’re quite the thoughtful man! Hahaha!”
“I’m honored.”
Eun Gil-sang bowed again with a martial salute, then raised his head and said,
“If I may add, our group has produced exactly one thousand of these self-dancing puppets. To be precise, one thousand and eleven. Each puppet has a small number engraved on its back.”
“Exactly that many?”
“Yes. The puppets are not easy to make, so we decided to limit the production.”
“Fair enough.”
“And this will not be the only type of self-dancing puppet we produce. Each series will feature a different story. We’ll present each one to you when the time comes.”
At Eun Gil-sang’s explanation, the Commissioner broke into a pleased laugh.
“Then I’ll be able to own all of the self-dancing puppets and their stories.”
“Your joy is ours as well.”
“And how much are you planning to sell these for?”
“Ten silver taels.”
The Commissioner nodded.
It was expensive for a single puppet, but for someone of his status, it was not a significant amount.
“A fair price.”
Eun Gil-sang pulled out a palm-sized sheet made of thick paper from the box.
“What’s that?”
“This is what we call a certificate of authenticity. It guarantees that this self-dancing puppet was properly made and properly sold by our Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“So, it proves the item is genuine.”
“Yes. And if you bring this certificate to our store, we’ll repair the puppet for free at any time.”
“If it broke somehow, I’d feel sick to my stomach… That’s good to know.”
A faint smile lingered on the Commissioner’s lips as Eun Gil-sang and Yeon Dami conversed with him a while longer before taking their leave.
Inside the carriage returning to the branch office of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Yeon Dami chuckled.
“Did you see his expression earlier? He looked utterly captivated.”
“I was surprised at first myself, so I can’t blame him.”
“Still, it’s a relief he liked it. I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
“So do I.”
Suddenly, Eun Gil-sang’s gaze sharpened.
“What about surveillance on the other merchant groups?”
“It’s ongoing.”
“Good.”
When one merchant group releases a new product, the biggest obstacle is always rival groups.
If they start sabotage tactics, nothing’s more troublesome.
“They’re still watching quietly for now.”
“Of course. They haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Still, thanks to our connection with the Commissioner, I don’t think we’ll face much pressure from the government.”
“Let’s stay vigilant regardless.”
“Of course.”
Eun Gil-sang looked toward the streets where the other merchant groups were based, his eyes glinting darkly.
He was kind-hearted and gentle—but he was also a merchant.
And more importantly, a father.
In other words, Eun Gil-sang was not someone to take lightly.
‘If anyone tries to ruin the success my youngest son worked so hard for… I won’t sit idly by.’
Morning.
I woke up earlier than usual.
I’d had another nightmare last night.
It was lasting much longer than I’d expected, but I was still grateful for one thing.
It kept my determination to become the greatest merchant under the heavens from fading.
Spring had already arrived.
It’d been a month and a half since the Spring Festival.
Now that I thought about it, yesterday was the grand opening of the store in Hubei’s capital and the first official release of the self-dancing puppet.
According to Father, interest from the upper class in the puppet was explosive.
Still, it’d probably take about fifteen days for all of them to sell out.
After finishing my morning training, I headed to the dining hall for breakfast.
Everyone in the family was in high spirits again today, and that calmed my restless heart.
.
.
.
Afternoon came after lunch.
In Chief Administrator Yu’s office, only the sound of pages turning and brush strokes filled the air.
By now, Chief Administrator Yu seemed to have mastered the art of working me to the bone until the moment I had to leave.
Thump-thump-thump!
Suddenly, footsteps came running.
“Internal Chief Administrator! The Merchant Lord is calling for you!”
The door burst open and Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong shouted with a flushed face.
“The puppets—all of them—the self-dancing puppets are completely sold out!”
“…!”
What?
They only went on sale yesterday—and they’re already sold out?
Looks like this turned out to be an even bigger hit than I’d imagined.
Capital city of Hubei Province.
The red curtain that had been covering the shop, located just off the central district, was taken down.
Revealed behind it, the store’s sign was inscribed in bold golden characters.
[Hongha Luxury Goods]
It clearly wasn’t just an ordinary store.
First, martial escorts stood guard around the perimeter, armed and vigilant.
The shop was adorned in rich red and gold decorations throughout.
And there were no goods displayed out front.
A signboard stood at the shop entrance, bearing only a single message: [Self-Dancing Puppet Sales Begin].
Even so, a line of people had already formed outside, waiting for the store to open.
“Where’re you from, brother?”
“I’m from Zhejiang Province. How about you?”
“I’m from Anhui.”
“Looks like you were sent here by your master?”
“That’s right. You too, I suppose?”
“Indeed.”
“Oh? Same here…”
At that moment, a man with a sword at his waist spoke.
“I’d wager everyone standing in this line was ordered to come purchase a self-dancing puppet.”
“Well, of course. Anyone who can afford to pay ten silver taels isn’t going to stand in line themselves and lose face.”
“Still, ten silver taels for a puppet? That’s outrageous.”
“Even if it dances after a while, still…”
“Even if it’s expensive, it must be worth it—that’s why they’ve sent us to get it, isn’t it?”
Starting about a month ago, an unusual current began to stir, centered around Beijing and Kaifeng.
It was said that any true member of the upper class must own a self-dancing puppet.
That’s the reason why people were queuing up early in the morning outside a store that hadn’t even opened yet.
One martial escort glanced behind him, then widened his eyes in surprise.
“The line’s gotten really long already.”
“Well, there’s only a thousand available.”
“And they’re only selling one per household…”
As they spoke, they pointed toward a public notice posted in front of the shop.
So many people had inquired that they’d simply posted a notice out front.
At that moment, several men and women dressed in long red robes emerged from inside the store.
One man, whose robe was embroidered with three silver wave patterns, stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
“Thank you for waiting. I am Seo Ji-pyeong, manager of Hongha Luxury Goods, the Eunhae Merchant Group’s new boutique for only the finest products!”
After his polite greeting and bow, those standing behind him bowed as well.
“Starting now, we will open the store. However, to ensure a pleasant shopping experience, we’ll admit five people at a time.”
Thus, the sale of the self-dancing puppets began—and within a single day, the entire stock was gone.
It only took that long because entry was limited to five at a time. Without that restriction, they would’ve sold out within one shichen.
News of the event reached the Eunhae Merchant Group’s headquarters immediately, and Eun Gil-sang called for a meeting.
I’m currently in Eunwol Pavilion.
Father summoned Chief Administrator Yu and me after hearing through a courier that every last self-dancing puppet had been sold.
Everyone present in the pavilion wore expressions of excitement.
And of course they would.
It was a venture we’d only hoped would succeed—no one had been truly confident.
But to have everything sell out on opening day?
“First, let me say this success was only possible because of everyone’s efforts. I thank you all.”
At Father’s words, everyone gave a slight bow.
Yu So-ak spoke.
“The revenue earned from this batch of self-dancing puppets is seven thousand silver taels. That’s after deducting the cost of acquiring the store, materials, labor, and so on.”
“That’s quite impressive.”
“After subtracting the 40% share owed to the employer of Artisan Gong, as agreed in the contract…”
“That’s four thousand two hundred taels.”
“Huh…”
At Pavilion Lord Yeon’s words, everyone blinked.
We’d sold only a thousand puppets, and yet the profit was enormous.
Chief Administrator Yu looked at me in admiration.
“Young Master, that means you earned two thousand eight hundred silver taels.”
“Not all of that is mine.”
I smiled and said,
“Forty percent of that belongs to Artisan Gong.”
“Then the rest…?”
“That’s a private matter.”
At that, Chief Administrator Yu asked casually,
“Have you thought about investing in the Eunhae Merchant Group?”
Oh?
Now that’s a good idea.
But right now, I’m saving up for something important.
So I just smiled and let it pass.
Then External Chief Administrator Go spoke.
“If it brings in this much profit, we should’ve made ten thousand and sold them all.”
“That would work too, but we’re not planning to sell the self-dancing puppet just once, are we?”
“True enough.”
“We’d just end up creating fatigue.”
Father turned to me.
“So then, when are you planning to release the puppet with the story you mentioned? You said you wanted the wealthy to collect them, but once the novelty wears off, it won’t have the same effect.”
Everyone looked at me curiously at his question.
I grinned and answered.
“You’re right, Father. That’s why I plan to release the next one during the Dragon Boat Festival. By then, interest shouldn’t have waned.”
“About four months, huh… That sounds reasonable.”
Father nodded.
“Let’s leave the matter of the self-dancing puppet for the next meeting. Seo-ho…”
He paused and looked at me before continuing.
“Well, you being here isn’t really a problem either. Ahem. As you all know, next month is my eldest son’s twentieth birthday.”
Now that I think about it, next month is when Elder Brother Jeong-ho officially becomes the Deputy Merchant Lord.
Wait a second…
As something began to stir in my thoughts, Father continued.
“I’m planning to formally appoint Jeong-ho as Deputy Merchant Lord. What do you all think?”
Pavilion Lord Yeon spoke.
“Young Master Jeong-ho completed all his practical training with excellent results. It’s only right.”
External Chief Administrator Go let out a booming laugh.
“Our Young Master Jeong-ho is becoming the official Deputy Merchant Lord! That’s reassuring. Hahaha.”
“Indeed, very reassuring.”
At the end of last year, Pavilion Lord Yeon had declared Jeong-ho’s completion of training, meaning he was fully qualified.
In short, his upcoming birthday would be his formal induction as Deputy Merchant Lord.
Father and the Pavilion Lords were happily discussing the announcement ceremony, their faces lit with joy.
But I couldn’t smile.
Because I remembered that on that very day, a major incident took place within the Eunhae Merchant Group—and it was the biggest regret of Elder Brother Jeong-ho’s life.
So deep was his regret that whenever he drank, he’d bring up “what happened that day.”
With my own rise in ability, he could’ve easily become jealous or resentful—but he never once did.
In fact, he even offered to give up the Merchant Lord position for me.
I didn’t want to see him crushed with regret again.
Under the table, I clenched my fist tightly and made a silent vow.
I’ll never let anything happen that Elder Brother Jeong-ho will regret.
–TL Notes–
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