I asked carefully.
“Is that really what you were looking for, Palace Lord?”
“Yes. I found it thanks to you. I’m grateful.”
“That ring seems incredibly precious to you.”
“Of course. It’s a keepsake my mother left me.”
Ah…
Does that make me trash for assuming it was a ring from some man she loved? Damn.
When did I start losing whatever purity I had?
I let out a bitter little laugh.
You can’t stay pure forever if you want to survive in this brutal world of merchants and get revenge.
Still, why was the Snow Wind Palace Lord the one holding onto that?
As if answering my unspoken question, the Palace Lord spoke.
“Long ago, cold Qi invaded my bone marrow. Back then, I ruthlessly got rid of anything that interfered with my cultivation.”
“…”
“If the Snow Wind Palace Lord hadn’t taken this with them, it would have disappeared too. That person knew I’d regret it later. The Snow Wind Palace Lord… was truly a dear friend.”
So this is what real friendship looks like, I thought.
The Palace Lord rose and walked over to us.
Then the Palace Lord cupped their fist toward Lady Seohyang.
“Thank you, truly.”
“I’m just happy I could help.”
“It’s a little disappointing that you won’t become a disciple of the Ice Palace… but since you’ve chosen to stay by the Deputy Merchant Lord’s side, I can’t really argue.”
I spoke to the Palace Lord.
“As I said before, we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.”
“I won’t be seeing you off in person. Travel safely.”
“Yes.”
We left the Palace Lord’s residence.
“That was a first.”
“What do you mean?”
At Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin’s words, Lady Seohyang and I looked at her.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen the Palace Lord make a face like that.”
Well, even to me, it was obvious how happy they were to have found that ring.
“In any case, thank you very much for everything this time.”
The next day came.
We got ready to depart early in the morning.
“Then we’ll be taking our leave.”
“Go carefully.”
“Yes. Grandmother, please take care of your health too.”
Brother Jin-ho exchanged farewells with our elder relatives and the other disciples.
Then we passed through the Gate of Mist and returned to the Ice Palace Inn.
Everyone at the inn had already finished preparing to leave.
“All right, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
And just like that, we headed south again.
Beijing.
The unprecedented great famine had the ministers debating over and over again.
What they were arguing about was whether to purchase grain from foreign countries.
It might seem simple on the surface, but for the empire, it was anything but.
The financial burden was an issue, of course, but the empire’s dignity was the bigger one.
If they handled it poorly, it could end up looking, bluntly put, like the great empire was begging for food.
“Then how about going through another country…”
“Can you even trust another country to handle that?”
“We don’t have any brilliant alternatives, so…”
“Then let’s do this instead. We’ll hire the empire’s merchants and have them take care of it.”
“How can we trust lowly merchants with affairs of the state…”
“In that case, why don’t you personally lead the envoys, bow your head, and go beg for grain yourself?”
“Ahem, yes, let’s hire the merchants.”
After that long debate, they finally reached a conclusion.
It was exactly as Eun Seo-ho and Yong Eung–wan had predicted.
Another round of discussions followed, and a concrete plan was put together.
The Emperor reviewed it and gave his immediate approval.
“Carry it out as written.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“By the way, that brat’s been quiet lately. What is he up to these days?”
The head eunuch quickly figured out exactly who the Emperor meant by ‘that brat’ and answered.
“We received a report that he headed for the North Sea a short while ago.”
“To the North Sea?”
“Yes. From what we heard, he was moving a large amount of grain by cart, so it seemed to be business for his merchant group.”
“Impressive. Even in this famine, he’s moving quite vigorously.”
“It seems he’ll be back in the capital soon. Shall I summon him when he arrives?”
At the eunuch’s words, the Emperor waved his hand.
“No, there’s no need. If we summon him to the palace right after posting a notice about recruiting trade merchants, it’ll cause pointless suspicion.”
“It would be nice if he understood Your Majesty’s intentions, though.”
“Whether he understands or not doesn’t matter. As long as he does his job well.”
We arrived in Beijing.
“We’re finally in Beijing!”
At my words, Brother Jin-ho laughed and said,
“Just getting to Beijing already feels warm!”
Well, even in Liaoning it had already been the Fourth Month and it was still pretty cold.
Of course, it’s not that I was cold, just everyone else.
“You were fine?”
At Brother Jin-ho’s question, I nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Man, maybe I should’ve learned some ice arts too.”
“Your constitution’s suited for yang–type martial arts from the start.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
I spoke to Escort Chief Ha Cheol.
“Let’s stop by the Beijing Branch and rest for a bit before moving on. I have some things I need to take care of too.”
I had to deal with everything that had piled up while I was gone.
If you don’t want to suffer later, you handle your work before it piles up. That’s just common sense.
On our way to the Beijing Branch, I noticed a crowd gathered by a wall.
Huh? What’s going on?
I told Palgap to go check it out, and he rushed over and quickly came back.
“Over there, the imperial palace posted an announcement.”
“From the palace?”
“Yes. They’re recruiting merchant groups to take part in trade with foreign countries.”
.
.
.
A little later.
When we arrived at the Beijing Branch, people were already waiting to greet us.
“Welcome back. You must’ve had a hard journey.”
I exchanged a brief greeting with the branch chief, then got straight to the point.
“On the way here, I saw the notice.”
“Ah, yes. You mean the announcement about foreign trade.”
“When was that notice posted?”
“Two days ago.”
Two days ago meant we weren’t too late. Still, to think the notice was already up!
Things were moving faster than in my previous life.
Back then, the announcement didn’t come out until after the Fifth Month.
That was part of why I’d felt safe going all the way to the North Sea Ice Palace.
It was probably because of my advice…
But even with my advice, nothing would have moved this fast unless someone in the palace had gone crazy with drive…
I sighed as far as that thought took me.
Come to think of it, there was someone in the palace with that kind of drive. And thanks to me, unlike my previous life, there were capable people working hard there now.
“Is something the matter?”
At the branch chief’s worried question, I shook my head.
“It’s nothing. Anyway, how are things moving?”
“Several merchant groups are already preparing to apply. But as you know, only those who own ships can qualify…”
“So there won’t be that many applicants.”
I told the others to rest, then, with Palgap’s help, washed up, changed clothes, and headed straight for my office.
Then I wrote a letter to Father.
I needed to know the exact situation.
I sent the completed letter to him through Geumryeong.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, it’s me, Deputy Gwak.”
“Come in.”
The door opened and Lady Seohyang stepped in.
“You don’t even get to rest when you’re here, do you?”
“Sigh, it can’t be helped. This is my job.”
“I came to see if there was anything I could help with.”
“You can rest. I don’t have that much piled up anyway.”
At my words, Lady Seohyang pointed at the stack of documents beside me.
“Aren’t those supposed to be handled today?”
“…”
Ah, I’d forgotten about those.
“Please… help me.”
.
.
.
The next morning.
After I woke up and finished circulating my Qi, Geumryeong came back carrying a letter.
[I’m glad you returned safely, and both the family and the merchant group are well. Two large merchant ships have been built, and the trial runs are complete. Now I see why you told me to hurry. When I said I’d pay the workers in grain instead of money, laborers flocked to us without end, and we finished construction quickly.]
This was the news I’d been waiting for.
Still, paying wages in grain was a really clever idea.
Well, right now, even if you have money, grain is the hardest thing to buy.
With ships of our own, the Eunhae Merchant Group qualified as well.
I immediately spread out paper, filled out an application, and called for Palgap.
“You called, Young Master?”
“Submit this to the imperial palace.”
“Understood.”
Palgap tilted his head as he looked at Geumryeong licking a silver tael on my desk.
“By the way, that little thing eats so much money, but how come its size never changes?”
“That’s why it’s a spirit creature.”
Just then, Geumryeong and Palgap made eye contact, and an intense staring contest suddenly broke out between them.
“Ahem, Palgap.”
“Gah! That thing! It’s terrifying! It dragged me into a staring contest without me even realizing!”
“…Just go already.”
“Yes, sir.”
After Palgap left my office, I picked up the silver tael Geumryeong was clutching.
Geumryeong didn’t let go and dangled from it stubbornly.
Geumryeong’s attachment to its silver is incredibly strong.
That staring contest just now probably meant, “Don’t even think about touching my silver.”
And Palgap took it as, “So you’re challenging me.”
It was just a pointless staring match born from two completely different assumptions.
Still, Palgap was impressive.
When they locked eyes, Geumryeong had released enough pressure to make most martial masters turn tail and run, yet Palgap didn’t seem affected at all.
I tucked Geumryeong into my sleeve and stood up.
Time to go see Brother Jin-ho.
I headed for the training grounds.
At this hour, there was only one place he’d be.
Just as I’d thought, Brother Jin-ho was in the training grounds, vigorously swinging his spear.
“Haah! Hah!”
Whoom–! Whoom!
The shaft of the spear cut through the air with a thrilling sound, and Escort Guard Seo Wu, standing behind me as my guard, spoke.
“His movements have gotten a lot sharper compared to before.”
“I think so too. What’s his record against you so far, Escort Guard Seo Wu?”
“Probably two wins and twenty–three losses out of twenty–five bouts.”
That was from Brother Jin-ho’s perspective, of course.
“Still, he managed to win twice?”
“The first time he beat me, he deliberately wore down my stamina.”
I already knew about that from reading the battle review report.
“But I don’t fall for the same trick twice.”
I walked over to Brother Jin-ho with a smile.
“Brother!”
When I called out to him, he put his spear away and greeted me warmly.
“Good timing! Let’s have a match! I won’t lose as pathetically as last time.”
“I haven’t even warmed up yet. I came straight here after waking up. Besides, it’s almost time for breakfast.”
I spoke to him.
“I came because there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Me?”
I nodded.
“This time, my group and I probably won’t be heading back to Hubei with you.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
At his surprised question, I kindly explained.
“You know this already. The imperial palace is recruiting merchant groups for foreign trade. The Eunhae Merchant Group applied too. So we need someone to stay here in Beijing, oversee the situation, and handle things.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
Brother Jin-ho scratched the back of his neck as he answered.
“That’s a shame.”
“But I believe you’ll lead everyone back to the main branch safely. That’s what all the training so far has been for.”
I went on.
“And you don’t have to turn in those battle review reports to me anymore.”
“Huh? Seriously?”
“Yeah. Really.”
“Hehehe! I’m finally free!”
Hey, isn’t he a little too happy about that?
For no good reason, I felt a bit sulky.
But I just laughed it off. I’m the good little brother, after all.
A few days later,
Escort Chief Ha Cheol, the people of the Changin Escort Bureau, and Brother Jin-ho’s group departed from the Beijing Branch.
I made one request of Escort Chief Ha.
I asked him to tell my master that if he happened to come to Beijing anytime soon, he should stop by the Beijing Branch.
I wanted to quickly give him what his father had left behind, but I didn’t think I’d be able to return to Hubei for a while.
And as for me, staying behind in Beijing…
What else would I do? Work, of course.
With summer slowly approaching, I had to check everything about the Windcraft Fan again.
And review new products as well.
Ah…
I recalled the contents of Father’s letter. Near the end, he’d written this.
[Your aunt’s birthday is coming up soon. I’d like you to convey my congratulations in my stead.]
Guess I’ll have to buy a present.
I turned my head and spoke to Lady Seohyang, who was working through documents beside me.
“Could I ask you for a little help?”
“Huh?”
“It’s my aunt’s birthday. I need to pick out a gift, so I’d like your help choosing something.”
A little later, I went out to the marketplace with Lady Seohyang.
“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.”
“You’ll definitely pick something better than I would. You’re a woman too, after all.”
“What kind of gift did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking of a hairpin or some other accessory.”
We headed to a shop that sold women’s accessories and carefully looked through the pieces there.
Since Seon-mi is away with her husband right now and couldn’t come, I figured I’d bring Lady Seohyang along at least for some company.
Cousin Seon-il wasn’t exactly the warm, chatty type.
Still, it was a relief that he wasn’t as bleak and cynical as in my previous life.
His heart was still kind.
That’s why he’d asked me for help back when Seon-mi got married.
Just then, I spotted someone who made me doubt my own eyes.
That tall, handsome young man choosing accessories in the very same shop…
It was definitely Cousin Seon-il.
I was about to assume he’d also come to buy a gift for Aunt when I hesitated.
Why in the world was he buying two necklaces?
–TL Notes–
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