The next day.
I headed to Yangyang Martial Hall.
The hall’s students were busy with nothing but moving preparations. Maybe because they were moving to a much better place, their faces were full of excitement.
“Have you arrived?”
Just then, maybe because someone had run to tell him I was here, Hall Master Yeom came out to greet me.
“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re busy.”
“Not at all. What brings you here?”
“Are the moving preparations going smoothly?”
At my question, he nodded.
“Yes, everything’s proceeding without any problems.”
From his expression alone, I could tell things really were going smoothly.
“That’s good to hear. Then when’s the official move–in?”
“We’re aiming for the day after tomorrow. And… I have a favor to ask, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“You mean from me?”
At my question, he nodded again.
“The plaque we’ve been using until now is too small to hang on the new building. So we’re planning to make a new plaque, and we’d like you to write the calligraphy for it.”
Honestly, even I had thought the current plaque was a bit too small for an eight–story building.
For an eight–story building, you usually hang the plaque around the third floor’s height, and if it’s too small, you can’t even read what’s written on it from below.
But that wasn’t what I was wondering about. What I really didn’t get was why he was asking me to write the plaque.
Normally, you ask someone famous for their brushwork, or someone with special meaning to the place, to write a plaque for a building like this.
But I wasn’t some renowned calligrapher, and I didn’t exactly have any special symbolic meaning either.
“Me? Why me? Shouldn’t you be asking my Master, or maybe someone else entirely?”
“To ask the Palace Lord, we’d have to invite him here first. Who knows how long it’d take before he actually came and wrote the plaque?”
Hall Master Yeom continued.
“And Young Palace Lord is a great benefactor to our Yangyang Martial Hall. That’s why we’d like to ask this of you.”
“What have I done to be such a great benefactor?”
At my words, he sighed, then straightened his face and spoke seriously.
“Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Yes?”
“Put your hand on your heart and really think about it. Think about what you’ve done for Yangyang Martial Hall.”
“…”
I scratched the back of my neck.
“Won’t Master be upset about this?”
“The Palace Lord – no, Myeong-hyeon – would agree with me.”
“All right. Where do I write it?”
“I’m glad you’ve decided. Should’ve agreed from the start. Hahaha.”
Hall Master Yeom quickly brought over the paper he’d prepared beside him.
You might ask why we were writing on paper if it was a plaque, but this was for writing the characters that would be carved into the wood.
You could write directly on the plaque itself, but the writing wouldn’t last long that way.
If you wanted it to endure, you had to write on paper and have a wood–carving artisan chisel those characters into the plaque.
I shrugged off my over–robe and handed it to Palgap, then picked up the brush.
After calmly steadying my breathing, I dipped the brush in ink and began to write.
These characters would be the model the carver used to engrave the plaque.
Of course, when it was actually carved onto the plaque, they’d enlarge it a lot more.
“Is it done?”
At my question, Hall Master Yeom nodded in satisfaction, then added one more line,
“Shouldn’t you also leave your name and seal beside it, Deputy Merchant Lord?”
“Mm… do I really have to…”
“Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Yes.”
I moved the brush again and wrote my name beside the characters, then stamped my seal.
Of course, it wasn’t my business–use seal.
Once I finished with the plaque writing, I finally brought up the main reason I’d come.
“I’m planning to leave soon.”
“So soon?”
“I’d like to stay longer too, but my closest friend is getting married. If I don’t go, he’ll be really hurt.”
“That can’t be helped, then. When are you thinking of departing?”
“I’m planning to leave in three or four days.”
“That’s a relief. Then you’ll at least be able to see Yangyang Martial Hall move.”
Hall Master Yeom thought for a moment, then asked,
“By the way, what do you plan to do with this place?”
“What do you mean, do with it?”
“This location isn’t that bad, is it? So once we move out, this place…”
I cut him off and asked,
“Wait, why are you asking me that?”
“Well, this place is somewhere you reclaimed for us, Deputy Merchant Lord…”
“The ownership of this place isn’t mine. It belongs to you, Hall Master, and to Yangyang Martial Hall. Handle it however you see fit. You don’t have to ask for my opinion.”
I smiled as I spoke.
“Then I’ll take my leave now.”
.
.
.
Once I set my departure date, I started moving quickly.
Managing the businesses I’d taken over required more attention than I’d expected.
What I focused on most was the treatment of the courtesans.
I’d been genuinely shocked that physicians refused to treat them.
I’d been trying to figure out how to change those physicians’ views, but in the end, I dropped that idea.
There was no need for me to personally go around changing their minds.
I went to find Physician Jami.
“Are you busy?”
“Oh! Deputy Merchant Lord, you’re here. What brings you?”
“I came because there’s something I want to discuss.”
At my words, she put down what was in her hands and said,
“I don’t really have time to serve tea right now… I hope you understand.”
“If I couldn’t understand something like that, that’d be a problem.”
“Thank you. So, what is it?”
“I’m planning to leave Hangzhou in a few days.”
“Ah, I see. I knew you’d have to leave eventually, but it’s still a bit sad that it’s this soon.”
I laughed at her words.
“I’ve been worried about the courtesans working in the businesses I took over. I’d be grateful if you’d continue treating the courtesans in my establishments for free. I’ll cover the cost separately.”
“All right.”
Physician Jami agreed without hesitation.
“Do you use a money house?”
“Yes. I use Geumsan Money House.”
I grinned.
“In that case, I’ll send you ten gold taels every year through Geumsan Money House.”
“What? Th–that much?”
She was so surprised she even started stuttering.
It made sense – gold taels were an amount most people couldn’t even hope to see once in their entire lives.
Last time I’d given her gold taels, she’d pretended to be calm, but her hands had trembled ever so slightly.
“There’s a reason I’m giving you more than you expected. I’d like to ask you to start making regular rounds.”
I’d already given Physician Jami a gold tael and asked her to treat courtesans for free, and word of that had spread.
Even so, fewer courtesans had come for treatment than I’d expected, and there was a reason for that.
If rumors spread that a courtesan was sick, customers stopped visiting her.
So even back when money was still flowing and they weren’t as poor, most of them only came to a physician when their illness had already gotten really bad.
But now that I owned those businesses, I couldn’t just ignore it.
Once I knew about it, I had to find the best way I could.
“Please visit the businesses I’ve taken over regularly and check on the courtesans there.”
“That’s a good idea. There’s nothing sadder than discovering an illness late when it could’ve been cured if we’d caught it early.”
“Thank you.”
I smiled and continued,
“And you should take on disciples.”
“Disciples?”
She thought for a moment at my words, then nodded.
“I won’t be able to handle it alone, so that’s a good idea. But… you said the courtesans in your businesses will be treated for free. What about the other courtesans? Until now, I’ve treated all of them for free.”
“That’s right. Strictly speaking, they don’t work for my businesses, so I don’t have to extend that benefit to them. But they have their own circumstances too, so if they come to you, please treat them for free as well.”
“But they have employers of their own…”
“If those employers had really cared about their well–being, do you think things would be like this now?”
“Well, when you put it that way, that’s true.”
I wasn’t giving free treatment to Hangzhou’s courtesans purely out of pity.
Right now, Hangzhou was dried up financially, and the courtesans were poor as well, but once the prohibition on alcohol was lifted and Hangzhou began to flourish again, my investment would really start to show its worth.
“Then I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“I’ll do my very best.”
.
.
.
A few days passed like that, and before we knew it, moving day for Yangyang Martial Hall arrived.
In truth, most of the big stuff had already been moved, so “moving day” mainly meant hanging the plaque and holding the ritual.
Because of the famine, Hangzhou was one of the hardest–hit places.
In this situation, holding a grand feast would be a pointless waste and might even earn us insults.
On top of that, the benefit compared to the money spent would be minimal.
Some say that when you move or hold a big event, you gather people to drive away ghosts, because ghosts supposedly hate noise and crowds.
But to me, it felt more like a way of saying, “Please take care of us from now on.”
So after some discussion, we decided to distribute a reasonable amount of food to those who came.
I headed to the new Yangyang Martial Hall.
As soon as I arrived, the disciples came out to greet me.
“Welcome.”
“Hall Master is currently speaking with some other guests.”
“Ah, I guess he’s chatting with the local gentry.”
“Yes.”
Then should I just wait a bit?
I was thinking that when one of the disciples said,
“Please go on in. He’s waiting for you.”
I tilted my head, and another disciple laughed as he spoke.
“Hall Master told us to bring you in.”
“I don’t really have a reason to be there, do I?”
“Why wouldn’t you? You own half the businesses around West Lake.”
Ah…
I hadn’t really thought about it, but I was one of the local figures too.
And with quite a bit of influence at that.
I went into the reception room.
“Sorry. I’m a bit late.”
“Not at all. You’re a busy man, we have to be understanding. Hahaha.”
Many of the people gathered inside were those who’d sold their businesses to me.
In other words, there were a lot of familiar faces.
We chatted in a warm, friendly atmosphere like that.
After a while.
We left the reception room and sat down on the chairs that had been set up in front of the platform.
“We’ll now begin the hanging of Yangyang Martial Hall’s plaque.”
Hall Master Yeom came forward first and carried out the ritual.
“Now we’ll hang Yangyang Martial Hall’s new plaque.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge plaque, tied with ropes, began to rise.
It seemed disciples on the fourth floor were pulling the plaque up using the ropes.
And on the third floor, the artisans who’d be fixing it in place were waiting.
“Heave–ho! Heave–ho!”
Seeing how many disciples it took to pull on the ropes, you could guess how heavy the plaque was.
That was when it happened.
Rustle.
Someone tugged on my sleeve, and when I turned my head, it was Lady Seohyang.
“What is it?”
“I just saw it. The rope’s going to snap, and that plaque… it’ll fall and hurt a lot of people.”
“…!”
I was startled for a moment, but I immediately sent a Voice Transmission to Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu.
Snap.
Fortunately, right after the two Escort Guards moved, it happened.
The rope pulling the plaque, whether from the weight or from friction, finally snapped.
And of all times, it happened just as it reached the third floor.
“Argh!”
“G–get out of the way!”
Panic broke out among the people below the plaque.
But I wasn’t worried.
Tap!
Dash!
Because the two Escort Guards had already moved in advance.
As if to prove all the years they’d spent fighting side by side hadn’t been for nothing, they matched each other perfectly, caught the plaque, and balanced its weight.
Then they leaped up toward the third–floor pavilion and braced themselves there.
“Now, secure this plaque.”
“We’ll hold it.”
“Ah, y–yes, yes!”
The artisans, who’d been stunned out of their wits, hurriedly came to their senses and started fixing the plaque in place.
“We–we’re alive!”
People cheered wildly at the two Escort Guards’ performance.
Listening to the cheers, I spoke to Lady Seohyang.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“It’s such a relief.”
Soon the plaque was safely fixed, and the two Escort Guards returned to my side.
“Good work.”
“Not at all. You don’t need to praise us like that.”
“As your lord, I couldn’t accept people getting hurt because the plaque I wrote crashed to the ground.”
“Exactly. We couldn’t possibly let that happen either.”
Saying that, I turned my gaze toward the plaque.
Seeing my writing carved onto that plaque made my heart pound without me realizing it.
Once all the ceremonies were over, those who’d come to offer congratulations were satisfied with the gifts they received.
A few people tried to be sneaky and get an extra share, but once Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu stepped up, they quickly tucked their tails and disappeared.
Well, after watching what those two had just done, they probably knew causing trouble would end badly.
As the day slowly drew to a close, the once–crowded Yangyang Martial Hall grew quiet.
I slowly walked around and took it all in.
“I never imagined this.”
A voice came from behind me.
When I turned my head, Hall Master Yeom was walking over.
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“I feel full even without eating.”
I laughed at that.
“Really, I never imagined any of this. Not only did we reclaim this land, but we now have an eight–story building standing here.”
Hall Master Yeom cupped his fists to me as he spoke.
“I’m only now properly thanking you. Truly, thank you. We’ll never forget the grace you’ve shown Yangyang Martial Hall.”
“No. I only did what I felt I ought to do.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
We looked at each other and shared a bright smile.
Then we turned our eyes together to Yangyang Martial Hall’s plaque.
From now on, this was Yangyang Martial Hall’s new beginning.
–TL Notes–
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