Either way, it’s already happened, and it’s my responsibility to handle it.
I gave Palgap a wry smile and said.
“Take that to my office.”
“Understood.”
At my words, Palgap carried it to my office in the annex and set it down.
A little later.
When I returned to my office, I let out a sigh at the sight of the opinion letters piled high.
After hearing my explanation, Lady Seohyang asked with a fed-up look.
“So you’re saying we have to review all of these?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Seeing them in person, it’s even more overwhelming. We’d better start reviewing as soon as possible. If we don’t, there won’t even be room to stand in your office.”
Which meant even more opinion letters were going to keep pouring in…
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
“Palgap, can you call the other Escort Guards over?”
I needed all the help I could get, but at least my guards all knew how to read.
A short while later, six Escort Guards all filed into my office.
“From now on, you’ll read these and sort them. Put the opposing opinions on the left, the ones in favor on the right. And if anything has suggestions written on it, put it in the middle.”
And so the review work began.
My Escort Guards’ hands turned out to be tiger paws, not cat paws.
People who live by the sword are generally thought to be uneducated.
But that’s a mistaken idea.
A martial artist has to memorize and understand not only countless martial formulas, but also numerous acupoints and attack patterns.
They just haven’t studied the classics, but you still need a good head to become an outstanding warrior.
I was reminded of that truth once again.
Because my Escort Guards were quickly reading and sorting the opinion letters.
And that went double for Lady Seohyang.
There wasn’t a single opposing opinion.
Every one of them agreed, and quite a few even included ideas on how the place should be run.
They’d wanted this that badly.
It was my mistake for not realizing it sooner.
When everyone wanted it this much, there was no reason not to do it.
After spending three days gathering opinions, we finally started moving in earnest.
First, we had to secure a building.
For the children’s safety and their parents’ convenience, it would be best if the building was inside the merchant group’s grounds.
Normally that would be difficult, but the Eunhae Merchant Group had no such problem.
Maybe our ancestors had prepared for something like this in advance, because the merchant group’s estate was quite spacious.
.
.
.
A few days later in the morning.
I headed to the dining hall.
In our family, you have to be at least twelve years old to join the morning meal.
We consider children under twelve still too young to properly tell right from wrong.
Even if it’s a relaxed family breakfast, with the Merchant Lord and the Deputy Merchant Lords at the table, trade secrets about the merchant group might come up.
If a child carelessly mentioned that kind of talk outside, it would cause serious trouble.
And you can’t exactly hold a small child responsible for something they said without understanding.
Even if you tried to, how would you?
That’s why children aren’t allowed to attend the morning meal in the first place.
“Good morning!”
“Grandfather, how’s your cough?”
The first person to come in was Grandfather.
I’m twenty-two now, which means it’s already been seven years since I came back.
And in that time, Grandfather had grown a lot older.
In my previous life, Grandfather passed away eight years later, when I turned thirty.
Not long after that, even Father died from illness, and the merchant group fell into chaos.
“Right, your twenty-second birthday was just recently, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“It must have been a shame not to hold a birthday banquet, especially when it was a double-number birthday.”
“It’s fine. I know everyone’s busy.”
Among birthdays, the so-called double-number ones – like eleven, twenty-two, and thirty-three, where the same digit repeats – are considered special, so they hold a bigger banquet than for other birthdays.
“And besides, given how things are right now.”
Grandfather nodded with a pleased smile.
“You think deeply. Still, I couldn’t just let it pass, so I prepared a gift for you.”
A gift?
But it’s already been more than five days since I returned to the main branch in Hubei. So why is he bringing it up only now?
“I asked a nearby blacksmith to make it, but it took longer to finish than I expected.”
Hearing him say that only made me more curious.
“It just arrived last night. So come by my quarters later.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Just then, the other family members came into the dining hall, and once everyone was seated, the maids began bringing out the food.
For breakfast today we had ginseng chicken porridge.
We blew on the hot porridge and ate, and before long it was time for tea.
Then Brother Jin-ho spoke up.
“I hear you’re working on something again these days?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
“I’m setting up a place that will look after and educate the children of the people in our merchant group.”
At my words, my eldest sister-in-law brightened immediately.
“That’s a really good idea. It’s really not easy to work while raising children.”
“I realized that when I gathered everyone’s opinions this time. A lot of people are welcoming this, even though it’s really something for the sake of our own merchant group.”
I looked at Grandfather as I spoke.
“So about that, we still haven’t decided on a name for this institution. I’d like you to name it, Grandfather.”
At that, Grandfather asked back.
“You want me to?”
“Yes.”
Then Father chimed in.
“Of course you should be the one to decide, Father. You’re the greatest elder in our merchant group.”
“Hmm, I’ll give it some thought.”
.
.
.
After finishing breakfast, I headed to Grandfather’s quarters.
He had told me to come by today.
I soon arrived at his quarters and announced myself from outside.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
When I stepped inside, Grandfather gestured for me to sit.
I sat down in front of the low table.
Grandfather picked up a box that had been sitting on the desk and set it in front of me.
“Go on, open it.”
It was a modestly sized box, not too big and not too small.
I opened it with a bit of anticipation.
“…!”
Inside was a single dagger.
But its shape was a little different from other daggers. It was extremely thin yet sharp, closer to a hidden throwing weapon.
“I heard from your father that there’s hardly a place you don’t travel to.”
“Yes, things just ended up that way…”
“In that case, there will be times when you need a weapon but can’t carry one. So I commissioned Elder Yeom the smith to make this.”
No wonder the craftsmanship wasn’t ordinary.
Elder Yeom was the skilled craftsman I’d once asked to forge Brother Jin-ho’s spear.
He always crafted items that matched the fee he was paid.
For something of this quality, Grandfather must have spent quite a sum on the commission.
“It’s made so you can hide it anywhere on your body without anyone noticing.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
I thanked him from the bottom of my heart.
Because I could feel how much he wanted me to be safe wherever I went.
“Ah, and about what we talked about this morning. I’ve thought it over. How about calling it the Flourishing Peace Garden (榮寧園)?”
“The Flourishing Peace Garden?”
“Yes. It means flowers blooming safely and leaves growing thick and lush.”
“That’s a good name.”
“And I think it would be efficient to divide it into three facilities – one that cares for infants, one that provides both care and education, and one that focuses on education only.”
Grandfather’s words made perfect sense.
“We’ll call all of them together the Flourishing Peace Garden, and divide them into the Nursery Hall, the Children’s Hall, and the Youth Hall.”
With that, the name Flourishing Peace Garden was born, and the project I was pushing finally began to take on a clear identity.
Carrying the box with the dagger Grandfather had given me, I headed back to my own quarters.
“Young Master, so now we just need to hire nannies and instructors?”
“That’s right. And we’ll hold open interviews.”
“Interviews?”
“Yeah. We need to see what kind of people they are. We can’t have someone taking out a bad mood on the children.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
The next day, the Eunhae Merchant Group put out an announcement.
It was a notice recruiting nannies and instructors.
Since construction on the building was still underway, we set a generous application period.
Before I knew it, it had been almost fifteen days since I’d returned to the main branch.
Outside, the weather was slipping into winter.
“Beijing must be really cold.”
At Palgap’s words, I nodded.
“Most likely.”
We were chatting about this and that as we walked when I spotted a welcome face.
“Ah! Hero!”
The one greeting me with a bright smile was Gwak Hyeong-jin, my master’s eldest son.
When I first met him, he’d been a twelve-year-old boy, but before I knew it he had become a nineteen-year-old young man.
Seeing how tall and well-built he’d grown, I felt a vague sense of pride.
“Long time no see. But ‘Hero’? Just call me Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“But doesn’t ‘Hero’ sound better?”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying no. It’s too grand a title for me.”
At my words, Gwak Hyeong-jin let out a small laugh and said.
“Then I’ll call you Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“All right.”
Once some time passes and Brother Jeong-ho officially becomes Merchant Lord, people will stop calling me Deputy Merchant Lord and start calling me the Virtuous Wind Department Chief.
Right now they use both titles interchangeably, but it doesn’t really matter.
They’re all just ways of referring to me anyway.
“Anyway, have you been well?”
At my question, he nodded.
“Yes, I’ve been doing well.”
“Looks like you’re getting off work.”
“Yes.”
Gwak Hyeong-jin worked in the Eunpoong Division and was practically considered its second-in-command.
Most matters were reported to the Eunpoong Division Commander through him.
Thanks to Gwak Hyeong-jin, the Eunpoong Division’s warriors no longer put off their paperwork, and the clerks who handled documents with them, like those in the Finance Pavilion, grew even more fond of him.
“Ah! Father should be back within a few days. I got a letter saying he’d finished the escort mission and was on his way home.”
“Really?”
I’d planned to visit Master as soon as I returned to Hubei, but since he was away on an escort mission, I hadn’t been able to meet him.
If it had been an escort mission for the Eunhae Merchant Group, I would have known when he’d be back, but since it was a job for another group, I had no idea when he would return.
In that situation, the news about Master that Gwak Hyeong-jin brought was something I was very grateful for.
At that moment, I suddenly remembered that Gwak Hyeong-jin was considered a genius on par with Seok Il-song.
“Hyeong-jin.”
“Yes?”
“Did you see the notice we put out? The one recruiting instructors for the Flourishing Peace Garden.”
“Ah, yes. I saw that.”
“Not interested? I think you’d be more than qualified.”
At my question, Gwak Hyeong-jin shook his head and replied.
“But I’m part of the Eunpoong Division. I want to stay devoted to my work there.”
If that’s how he felt, there was nothing I could say.
And I wanted to give him high marks for that sense of responsibility.
“I see. That’s admirable.”
“Huh?”
“I mean that attitude of not wanting to neglect the work you’ve already been given. If the Eunpoong Division Commander heard you say that, he’d praise you to no end.”
Commander Go Il-pyeong really liked that kind of responsible mindset.
“Hehe. Really?”
My words made Gwak Hyeong-jin look a little embarrassed. Then he glanced up at the sun and said.
“I’m sorry, but may I leave first? Il-song is waiting for me.”
It seemed he had plans with Seok Il-song.
“Ah, I must have held you up too long. Go on.”
“Then I’ll be going ahead. Take care.”
Gwak Hyeong-jin cupped his fists to me in salute, then left.
Hmm… should I try roping Seok Il-song into one of the instructor positions?
I considered it for a moment before shaking my head. If I tried to pull Seok Il-song away, Chief Administrator Yu would definitely fight it with everything he had.
.
.
.
Two days later at dawn, I opened my eyes.
Master had finally returned, and I’d received word that we would resume training starting today.
After getting ready for training and stepping out into the courtyard, the Escort Guards cupped their fists and greeted me.
“Good morning.”
Lady Seohyang was already there as well.
She had been training together with me these days.
But I still hadn’t started formally teaching her martial arts.
The martial art I intended to teach her was the Heavenly Flow Ice Sword, Extreme Heaven Sword Gwak Hun’s technique.
But since I hadn’t yet gotten Master’s permission for that, Lady Seohyang’s routine for now was simply running around the courtyard to build up her stamina.
This wasn’t just killing time – it was absolutely necessary. Learning martial arts takes a lot of physical strength.
“All right, then start running. I’ll be meditating to circulate my Qi.”
“Yes.”
Lady Seohyang began running laps around the wide courtyard of the annex, and I began circulating my Qi and regulating my breathing.
After I finished my breathing exercise and rose to my feet, Master walked into the annex.
“Master, it’s good to see you. Have you been well?”
“Of course. I’m glad to see you’ve been well too.”
“Yes. And there’s someone I’d like to introduce to you, Master.”
I called Lady Seohyang over, and she came to stand beside me.
“This is Lady Seohyang, the one I mentioned before.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Hero Gwak.”
“It’s our first time meeting. I’m Gwak Myeong-hyeon.”
After they exchanged greetings, Master turned to me and spoke.
“I’ll speak with the young lady later. For now, I need to talk with you, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Yes. Then, my lady, please continue your training.”
At my words, Lady Seohyang started running around the training ground again.
Master carefully asked.
“Deputy Merchant Lord… don’t tell me your current realm is Profound?”
So he had sensed my realm, as expected.
“Yes, that’s right.”
When I nodded, Master let out a sigh.
“In that case, it’s time for you to make a decision.”
“Huh? A decision?”
What kind of decision could it be for him to be speaking with such a serious expression?
–TL Notes–
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