Father hesitated for a moment, then asked me.
“Why are you suddenly asking me that?”
“Because of Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong.”
“…”
From Father’s expression, it seemed he already knew about Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong’s feelings.
“As far as I know, it’s already been over five years since Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong started harboring feelings for Internal Chief Administrator Yu. And I’ve heard Deputy Jo keeps turning down all the blind dates the family sets up.”
I went on.
“Even if Internal Chief Administrator Yu has already missed the usual age for marriage, I’m worried that at this rate Deputy Jo will miss it too. I know I’m meddling in other people’s business… but Deputy Jo’s family has served our merchant group for generations, haven’t they? They might end up resenting us over this.”
“That’s true.”
“So I think it’s time we reached a conclusion. It’d be best if those two could become husband and wife, but if that’s impossible, then we need to help Deputy Jo put those feelings to rest.”
At my words, Father asked,
“So you asked why Internal Chief Administrator Yu refuses to marry because you plan to tell Deputy Jo that reason?”
“Why would I tell?”
“Hm?”
“It’s not like I’ve lived a long life, but…”
In truth, I’d already lived nearly forty years before.
“To someone in love, any reason just looks like another trial to overcome. Why else would people say even a lover’s fart smells sweet?”
“That’s true.”
“If the reason is really sound, I’ll find a way to make Deputy Jo give up.”
Father thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Truth is, every time I saw Deputy Jo, I felt bad.”
“…”
“This was back when I was young. I’d just become Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group and had gone to Beijing for a gathering of the Hundred Great Merchant Groups Under the Heaven. The meeting that year was held in Beijing.”
I focused on Father’s story.
“After the gathering ended, I was taking a look around the city since I was already in Beijing, when I came across a huge commotion. At the time, Internal Chief Administrator Yu was being framed for killing his bride.”
“…”
Yu So-ak stepped away from the desk in his office and walked over to the window.
When he opened it, the cold winter wind rushed in.
Right then, a guard’s voice came from outside the door.
“Internal Chief Administrator, Deputy Jo brought you some snacks.”
The door opened and the guard came in, setting a plate down on the low table.
“Today it’s pine nut sweets. Please enjoy.”
After the guard left, Yu So-ak quietly looked at the sweets.
They were prettily decorated with pine nuts pressed on top, and Yu So-ak bit his lip.
For the past five or six years, Jo Yeong-yeong had steadily been bringing him late-night snacks whenever he stayed behind to work overtime.
He knew now.
That it wasn’t simple kindness, but a sign that Deputy Jo had feelings for him.
He couldn’t accept the fate that had come knocking. He still couldn’t let go of those memories from back then.
So he needed to firmly reject Jo Yeong-yeong’s feelings. In fact, he’d tried to bring it up several times already.
But…
Whenever he saw Jo Yeong-yeong’s big, clear eyes, the words just wouldn’t come out.
He was afraid those big eyes would fill with tears.
Come to think of it, back then it had also been a snowy winter like this.
Through a superior’s matchmaking, Yu So-ak had met a woman and ended up marrying her.
As usual with such things, it was a marriage to a woman he barely knew, but he’d thought that if they lived side by side, affection would grow in time.
And so the wedding day arrived.
There was noisy celebration, endless toasts, and he spent the day busy greeting guests.
At last, he entered the bridal chamber.
They were both embarrassed, but after a drink or two, courage began to well up.
So he offered the bride a ring he had treasured.
“This is my mother’s ring. She told me to give it to my partner when I found one. Will you accept it?”
“Yes.”
Blushing, the bride held out a hand, and he slipped the ring onto her finger.
Then the two of them spent the night together.
The next morning, when Yu So-ak woke up…
“Gah!”
He found that the bride had already become a cold corpse, her throat stabbed by a blade, blood splattered everywhere in a gruesome scene.
Since Yu So-ak was also covered in blood, of course he was named the culprit.
He was dragged to the magistrate’s office and subjected to every form of torture as they tried to force a confession.
He truly was innocent.
But as the interrogations went on and on, he gradually started doubting himself.
His body and mind were both worn down.
He didn’t even feel it would be unfair to die like this.
But he felt guilty about bringing disgrace to his family because of himself, and he was sorry to his bride that the real killer hadn’t been caught.
Behind those feelings, there was only despair.
No one believed him. No—people pounced on this as an opportunity and poured out all sorts of blame and criticism on him.
That hurt Yu So-ak even more.
He had no idea how much time passed like that.
“Hey, you. Pull yourself together!”
“…?”
He forced his hazy mind to focus and opened his eyes. A constable was grinning down at him.
“Your innocence has been proven.”
“What?”
“They caught the real culprit!”
He couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or awake.
When he blinked a few times and finally managed to stand in the courtyard of the magistrate’s office, a man walked up to him.
His name was Eun Gil-sang.
He was the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group and the benefactor who had cleared his false charges.
“So that’s what happened.”
Father nodded with a complicated expression.
“But at the time, even after seeing that mess, I just thought it was unfortunate and headed to a jewelry shop. And it must’ve been fate that in the very shop I went into, I saw a man trying to sell a ring.”
Father continued.
“The shopkeeper seemed to be having trouble appraising the ring, so I offered to help. I knew the owner fairly well.”
After all, even if it isn’t our main product, our merchant group handles jewelry like that in fairly large volume.
“So I started appraising the ring and noticed something strange. There was a bloodstain that hadn’t been wiped clean. The setting was quite intricate, so the dried blood couldn’t be completely scrubbed out. And it wasn’t an old stain—it was fresh. Instinctively feeling something was wrong, I dug up the man’s personal details.”
That’s how I learned that the recent murder nearby was the very case where Internal Chief Administrator Yu had been named the killer.
“So I showed the ring to Internal Chief Administrator Yu’s family and confirmed that it was his mother’s keepsake.”
“So that’s how you uncovered the truth of the case.”
At my words, Father nodded.
“The culprit was a man who’d been seeing the bride. When she abandoned him and agreed to marry the man her family had chosen, that man sneaked into the bridal chamber and tried to persuade her to run away with him…”
“And she refused.”
“Right. Compared to some good-for-nothing, a man who’d passed the civil service exam and was rising quickly in the world was much better. She made the practical choice. Enraged, the other man left the room, then came back with a kitchen knife and killed her.”
“…”
“In the middle of all that, the ring on her finger caught his eye.”
Father was the one who saved Internal Chief Administrator Yu, but he also owed a debt to Internal Chief Administrator Yu’s mother.
If not for that ring, it would’ve been hard to find any evidence.
“After he was released, Internal Chief Administrator Yu was worrying about his future, so I offhandedly suggested he try working for our merchant group…”
“And a big fish bit the hook.”
“A big fish, huh… Yes, if you think about it, that’s true. Anyway, it’s not like Internal Chief Administrator Yu hasn’t met women since then. He’s met with several women for marriage talks, but he kept backing out. I imagine every time, the image of his dead bride rose up and made it too hard.”
I felt like I finally understood why Internal Chief Administrator Yu was so reluctant to go to Beijing.
If he went there, he’d be forced to face those memories.
And I also understood why he buried himself in work like a madman: it was to escape those memories.
Good grief, so our Internal Chief Administrator Yu had such a story behind him.
A pang of pity rose in my chest.
“That’s why Internal Chief Administrator Yu still hasn’t remarried. No… strictly speaking, he hasn’t been able to marry again. Even if it was only for one night, he was married once.”
“But does Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong know that Internal Chief Administrator Yu was once married?”
“I imagine so. That child is more capable than you think.”
If so, there was something I needed to think about.
Was Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong’s attachment to Internal Chief Administrator Yu So-ak just sympathy for that tragic story, or genuine affection for Yu So-ak as a person?
People sometimes mistake pity for love.
“By the way, Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you still have no intention of getting married?”
“…”
A few days after that conversation with Father, proclamations were posted all over the empire.
The Prohibition Decree had been issued.
With the poor harvests, people were wandering the streets, begging just to eat, so for the emperor it was an obvious measure.
I headed to Eunwol Pavilion and sat in my seat when Pavilion Lord Jeok of the Operations Pavilion came in.
“You came early.”
“Yes. Pavilion Lord Jeok, you’re here.”
He nodded at my greeting. He was getting on in years and was apparently starting to think about stepping down…
From my point of view, I’d prefer Pavilion Lord Jeok to stay in his position for a long time.
In my previous life, he retired when I turned twenty-five.
“Third Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“This old man has a favor to ask.”
Huh? Pavilion Lord Jeok asking me for a favor?
It had never happened before, so I wondered what on earth it was about.
“I heard the Eunhae Merchant Group plans to recruit the people who brew liquor this time.”
“That’s right.”
Strictly speaking, it’s not just a plan; it’s already in motion.
“Among them, there’s a place north of Sunyang County that makes something called White Heron Wine.”
Pavilion Lord Jeok continued.
“Please include them among the places to be investigated.”
“Excuse me?”
Honestly, I’d expected him to ask me to list them as a recruitment target. But he wanted them added to the investigation list.
“Is that really enough for you?”
“Yes.”
Pavilion Lord Jeok nodded.
“To be honest, that place is personally special to me. It’s the distillery of someone I became close friends with by chance. But I can’t let my private feelings decide the outcome, can I?”
“…”
“Of course, the liquor there is truly excellent. The name White Heron Wine wasn’t given for nothing.”
“So you’re confident in it.”
“Naturally. I like to think I have a bit of depth when it comes to liquor. Hahahaha.”
I laughed as well, but not because I thought he was joking.
Pavilion Lord Jeok truly knew a great deal about alcohol.
“It’s just that the place is tucked away deep in the mountains, so most people don’t know about it. That’s why… I’m worried it might be left off the list, so I’m asking like this.”
“Then of course we should include it in the investigation.”
I readily nodded and looked at Pavilion Lord Jeok.
He’d been with our merchant group since Grandfather was Merchant Lord.
That meant he knew a lot and had been through even more.
He’d once told me he’d answer any one question I had, but I was reluctant to use that up just yet.
So I had to seize this chance instead.
“It might be too much to call it an exchange, but I have a favor to ask as well.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“You know Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong has feelings for Internal Chief Administrator Yu So-ak, right?”
“…”
Pavilion Lord Jeok’s gentle smile.
That meant he knew.
“I think it’s time those two either get married or sort out their feelings once and for all.”
“That’s true. Squad Leader Jo is already tearing hair out over Deputy Jo.”
“That’s why. I’d like your help.”
The next day,
Yu So-ak headed to the carriage yard.
He’d been put in charge of visiting the distilleries and inspecting them.
He had a mountain of backlogged paperwork and would have preferred not to leave his office.
But Pavilion Lord Jeok Byeong-cheol had strongly insisted, “Wouldn’t it be better to see and judge such things in person?”, and thanks to that, Yu So-ak ended up having to go himself.
Pavilion Lord Jeok Byeong-cheol had devoted himself to the merchant group for a long time, so his words carried weight.
That was why the decision had been made.
Still, the saving grace was that he was only in charge of Hubei. The other regions were even colder, making travel difficult.
“Ah! You’re already here?”
At that moment, Eun Seo-ho walked over.
This time, Eun Seo-ho was scheduled to travel with him.
“I just arrived.”
“Ah, then shall we go?”
With that, they climbed into the carriage and began visiting the distilleries listed on the roster.
Although they had stopped producing liquor because of the Prohibition Decree, the distillers didn’t look particularly gloomy.
They believed the ban on alcohol would be lifted before long.
But Eun Seo-ho flatly disagreed with that view.
“No, this Prohibition Decree is going to last quite a while.”
He’d always shown unusual insight, so once again the Eunhae Merchant Group was moving according to his judgment.
Internal Chief Administrator Yu unconsciously rubbed his knee.
It ached, whether from the cold or because it was the same season as back then.
“Your knee seems to be hurting.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Let me take a look.”
Before he could say anything, Eun Seo-ho rolled up Yu So-ak’s clothes and examined his leg, then asked in surprise,
“These are… the marks left by torture, aren’t they?”
–TL Notes–
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