I was at Beautiful Lake Pavilion.
As promised, Manor Lord Seong had cleared out Beautiful Lake Pavilion within three days.
I came here to check on what we needed.
While I was doing that, Hall Master Yeom arrived.
“Have you arrived?”
“Forgive me for being late. Manor Lord Seong came to see me, and I was delayed talking with him for a bit.”
“Manor Lord Seong?”
At my question, he nodded and showed me a box.
“Yes. He personally came and handed me this.”
“…?”
I tilted my head, and Hall Master Yeom opened the box for me to see.
“Thirty silver taels. He said he was sorry once again and gave me this. It’s the amount he once took as demolition costs for our Yangyang Martial Hall.”
“He came in person just to give this back… He really has changed a lot.”
“Yes, he’s definitely changed quite a bit.”
Hall Master Yeom nodded and continued.
“But with how tight his funds must be, I can’t imagine how he managed to scrape this money together…”
“Right.”
I pretended not to know, but I had a pretty good guess.
He must have found the former Manor Lord’s hidden inheritance.
And how do I know that?
I do feel sorry toward the late Manor Lord Seong Ji-myeong, but just in case he had left any final words for Yangyang Martial Hall, I read the letter he left behind.
And in the final lines, there was the former Manor Lord’s arrangement.
The turtle statue in the pond in the rear garden of the Seong family manor.
So I secretly slipped into the Seong manor and checked the pond.
I clearly remembered Geumryeong drooling all over that statue back then.
Once I saw that, I was sure.
There were valuable things hidden inside.
Most likely gold and silver treasures, maybe even gold taels.
Honestly, he was someone who could foresee how his son would act and went as far as hiding the real contract.
He must have known his son wouldn’t follow his will, that he’d eventually get into the entertainment business and run into trouble.
“By the way, just how many steps ahead was the former Manor Lord Seong looking?”
“Why do you think so?”
“I don’t know, I just keep feeling like this eight–story building is the former Merchant Lord’s gift to Yangyang Martial Hall.”
At my words, Hall Master Yeom scratched the back of his neck.
“I suppose you could see it that way. But even this only ended up in Yangyang Martial Hall’s hands because you, Deputy Merchant Lord, were here, didn’t it?”
He wasn’t wrong.
I don’t know exactly how Yangyang Martial Hall fared in my previous life, but judging from various hints, they must have had it really rough.
Even so, why do I keep feeling like this is the former Manor Lord’s gift?
I soon let out a small laugh and pushed the idle thoughts away.
“I was organizing everything we need before you came.”
Then I took the slate from Lady Seohyang and handed it to Hall Master Yeom.
After checking the list on the board, Hall Master Yeom blinked and asked,
“Why did you write down beds?”
At Yangyang Martial Hall, they just stacked bricks and laid planks over them to use as beds.
Obviously, you couldn’t exactly call that comfortable or pleasant.
“Why are you so surprised? Don’t tell me you have some theory that if the body is too comfortable, people get lazy with their training?”
Hall Master Yeom frantically waved his hands at my words.
“No, not at all! Of course I’d be happy if the kids can live more comfortably. It’s just that something like this would be too much of a burden…”
“This much is not a burden for me.”
“Excuse me?”
“And I think you’re misunderstanding something. Everything written there are items I’m going to buy myself and place here.”
“E–excuse me?”
Hall Master Yeom was startled.
But then he straightened his expression and asked me seriously,
“Why… is that?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“I mean, why are you bestowing such grace on our Yangyang Martial Hall?”
Well, honestly, even I had to admit I’d gone a bit overboard.
His eyes were full of wariness.
“To be blunt, Deputy Merchant Lord, you’re only the Palace Lord’s representative. I doubt the Palace Lord told you to do all this. And yet, why…”
From how he had treated me so far and what he’d just said, it seemed Master hadn’t told him about my identity.
He must have meant for me to reveal it myself.
It was about time I did.
That would make things easier on me too.
“I’m late in introducing myself.”
“Sorry?”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Young Palace Lord of Snow Wind Palace, greeting Hall Master Yeom.”
“…”
At my words, Hall Master Yeom went blank for a moment, then his eyes flew wide open.
“Y–Young Palace Lord?!”
“As Young Palace Lord, I don’t think it’s wrong to pursue the comfort and convenience of the palace’s future disciples. And I have more than enough wealth to do so.”
I smiled as I spoke.
“So, what I’m saying is, would it be a problem if I supplied all these things?”
“N–no, not at all! Not at all!”
Only then did Hall Master Yeom seem to come to his senses and wave his hands.
“If Young Palace Lord wishes to do so, how could I possibly refuse? It’s just that… I’m so grateful…”
His eyes grew wet with tears.
“If you don’t mind, please use this money too.”
He offered me the box with thirty silver taels that he said he’d received from Manor Lord Seong, but I gently refused.
“No. Use that to buy the kids something tasty. The famine isn’t over yet.”
“…Understood.”
“And while I am the Young Palace Lord, it’s not a situation where I can reveal it publicly yet, so please just keep calling me Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“I’ll do so. Still, to think you were the Young Palace Lord… To be honest, I did suspect it. Yangyang Martial Hall is not somewhere you can just show to outsiders, is it? And for the Palace Lord to entrust this place to you means he trusts you that much.”
Hall Master Yeom continued.
“You chose a difficult path, but I can only be grateful.”
.
.
.
After finishing my talk with Hall Master Yeom, I headed for Clear Wave Pavilion.
Since this morning, I’d been busy calling carpenters, ordering furniture, and pointing out places that needed repairs.
I wasn’t even tired. Was the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art really that amazing? Or was it Master’s training, which always pushed me to my limits?
“For lunch today, should we just go with something simple like dumplings?”
“We’re fine with that.”
We were chatting like that as we walked into Clear Wave Pavilion when a man was waiting for me.
“Deputy Merchant Lord!”
He was the artisan who made tea.
“Oh, is the tea finished?”
At my question, the artisan prostrated himself flat in front of me.
“Forgive me! I was unable to carry out your order, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“It’s just that…”
“Is it a problem with the ingredients? Or with the person who actually made the tea?”
He looked up at me, shocked at my words.
So my guess had been right.
“I already knew you weren’t the one who made Moon Tea.”
The Moon Tea I’d drunk had a rather unique fragrance.
And making tea takes longer than most people think. Tea artisans never wear perfumes or incense, because the scent could seep into the leaves.
So artisans who work with tea always carry a faint tea fragrance on their bodies.
If the man in front of me had been the one who made Moon Tea, his body should have been steeped in that scent.
But he barely smelled of Moon Tea at all.
On top of that, the fact that I’d never heard of this Moon Tea in my previous life meant it had never spread widely.
Because of those suspicious points, I hadn’t made a separate contract with him, unlike with the people who made Moon Wine.
He bit his lip, then banged his forehead on the floor.
“I–I’ve committed a crime worthy of death! I dared to deceive you, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“So, what exactly is the problem?”
He begged desperately, voice trembling.
“M–my son… please save my son.”
“Explain it from the beginning, step by step. I can’t understand anything from that alone.”
“F–forgive me.”
He wiped his tears and slowly began explaining.
He had a son who was seventeen this year.
One day, that son went to visit the place where they made Moon Wine. After watching something closely, he mixed something into the tea leaves and asked his father to taste it.
That was the Moon Tea.
“But when he went up the mountain to gather the ingredient for that Moon Tea, he got bitten by a snake… and he just won’t get better.”
Ah…
So something really had happened to the artisan who made Moon Tea.
I spoke to him.
“Where is he now? Take me to him.”
“Y–yes!”
He shot to his feet, and we followed him.
Sigh, I just wanted to quietly eat some dumplings for lunch…
Looks like work found me again today.
After a short walk, we arrived at a building.
I’d been here once before.
It was Physician Jami’s house, where I’d treated one of Clear Wave Pavilion’s courtesans.
Since he was Clear Wave Pavilion’s all–around craftsman, of course this would be his regular physician.
“Oh my! What brings you here?”
At her question, I pointed at the man beside me.
“We’re here because of this man’s son.”
“So you came because of Hui-rok.”
So the son’s name is Hui-rok.
“How is he right now?”
She shook her head with a dark expression.
“Not very good. I’ve been giving him medicine nonstop, but his fever just won’t go down. I should be using much more expensive medicine…”
Ah, so that’s why he clung to me.
“That’s serious. May I take a look at him?”
“Yes, of course.”
Guided by her, I went into one of the rooms.
A young man lay on the bed, breathing hard, as if the fever made even breathing difficult.
Mixed with the smell of medicine was a fragrant scent I recognized for sure – it was Moon Tea.
So this young man was definitely the artisan who made Moon Tea.
In the meantime, Palgap stepped forward and touched the young man’s forehead first.
“Ugh! He’s burning up, Young Master.”
“We should bring the fever down first.”
He was clearly suffering from a very high fever, but luckily, I had just the method for that.
I placed my hand on his forehead and gently channeled cold Qi into him.
Soon, the heat gradually calmed, and his breathing became easier.
But I didn’t stop there.
My Qi had found the trace of snake venom inside his body.
And the Qi of the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art was exceptionally effective at purifying poison.
Ssshhhh.
The snake venom resisted, but it was useless. The snake’s poison faded away just like that.
Physician Jami noticed what I’d done and stared at me in amazement.
Mm, that’s a bit embarrassing.
I withdrew my hand and said,
“He just needs to recover his strength now. Once he’s feeling a little better, please have him come find me.”
Then I went back to Clear Wave Pavilion.
“Palgap, I’m hungry.”
“Yes, I’ll bring dumplings right away, Young Master.”
I thought about the young man named Hee-rok I’d just treated.
In my previous life, he had definitely died from that snake bite. That’s why the method for making Moon Tea had been lost and never spread.
Several days passed.
During that time, Beautiful Lake Pavilion shed its look as a tavern and completely transformed into a martial hall.
Now we just had to move in.
At that moment, Palgap walked into my room.
“Young Master, you have guests.”
“Guests?”
“Yes. That young man who almost died from the snake bite, and his father.”
“Oh! So he’s fully recovered. I’ll go down to the first floor.”
When I went down to the first floor, the father and son bowed their heads as soon as they saw me.
“We greet you, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Please, have a seat.”
At my words, they cautiously sat down.
“What’s your name?”
I knew it already, but I wanted to hear him introduce himself to me properly.
“My name is Sun Hui-rok.”
“I’m Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. It’s good to finally meet you like this.”
“I’ve heard everything. That you saved my life.”
I nodded.
“I don’t know how I could ever repay this grace. Ah, I also heard from my father that you wanted to take some Moon Tea with you when you left this time. So I made this tea and brought it.”
“Thank you.”
I opened the box he held out. Inside was tea wrapped in paper.
“May I try this tea now?”
“Of course.”
I asked the server to prepare tea, and soon he came over with a tea set.
I personally brewed the tea and took a sip.
Mm… this cool, refreshing feeling – this was definitely the Moon Tea I’d tasted before.
“Did you come up with this Moon Tea yourself?”
“Yes, I did.”
“How much does it cost to produce this tea?”
“Honestly, not very much. The truth is, that Dragon Well tea had been sitting around so long without selling that it had lost a bit of its fragrance.”
West Lake is famous for Dragon Well tea.
Maybe because of that, plain Dragon Well felt too bland to them. So they often mixed it with other things before drinking.
The most famous one was Osmanthus Dragon Well, a specialty of West Lake made by blending osmanthus flowers with Dragon Well tea.
“I was worrying over what to do with tea whose scent had faded, and then I saw them making Moon Wine, so I tried making this after that.”
“So it uses similar ingredients to Moon Wine?”
“Yes. I blended several of the same ingredients into the tea.”
In other words, this Moon Tea wasn’t a pure Dragon Well, but a blended tea like Osmanthus Dragon Well.
To get this kind of depth and fragrance out of a blended tea!
“You said earlier you wanted to repay your life–saving debt, right?”
“Y–yes! That’s right.”
“Then sign a contract with me.”
“Excuse me?”
I spoke gently.
“How could I possibly let a tea artisan who can make something this good slip away?”
I immediately laid out my terms to him.
“What do you say?”
“To be honest, your grace is such that I should work even if you told me you couldn’t pay me at all. But with such generous conditions, how could I refuse?”
Perfect.
Under the table, I clenched my fist.
Sun Hui-rok in front of me was a talent I absolutely didn’t want to lose – enough that I’d talk about a life–saving debt.
I called Lady Seohyang and had a contract drawn up with Sun Hui-rok on the spot.
– Kui!
Judging from how Geumryeong happily cried out “Kui,” it must have smelled profit in the air.
Now that I’d finished everything I needed to do here, it was finally time to really head for Liaoning.
–TL Notes–
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