Before now, the Crown Prince had never been that sharp or calculating.
If I had to put it into words, he had always carried himself with the easy confidence of someone who already had everything and did not need to scheme for more…
Had he picked that up from me along the way?
Anyway, nationwide…
Unlike the Liquor Tasting Competition, where the contestants were brewers, the Poetry and Prose Competition would draw an absurd number of participants.
Which meant the workload would be that much more brutal.
Whew. I wasn’t going to have a moment to breathe.
After withdrawing from the Emperor’s presence, we moved straight into serious discussions.
First, we had to post notices across the entire empire.
But that did not mean we could put off selecting and inviting the judges.
.
.
.
A few days later.
I was sprawled across the writing desk in my office like a corpse.
“Um… are you all right?”
Young Lady Seohyang asked, her face full of concern.
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
“It looks like you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“At least I’m sleeping when I’m supposed to.”
If I even cut into my sleep, the Escort Guards would probably go and bring Master back again.
That was why I was sleeping at least four hours a night.
“I’m glad to hear that. By the way, is my father coming to Beijing this time?”
Ah, she must have seen the future.
Deputy Gal Hyeon had gone out on an errand, so only Young Lady Seohyang and I were in the office.
That seemed to be why she had brought it up.
“Yes. After all, there is no one in Guizhou with a deeper understanding of liquor than him.”
I said, pushing myself upright.
“So I just sent him an invitation to serve as one of the judges for the Liquor Tasting Competition.”
“I see.”
She answered like that, her face brightening with anticipation.
She had probably seen the moment she reunited with her father, so there was no need to explain any further.
Guizhou’s Provincial Administration Commissioner Dong Hwi arrived in Beijing and headed for his residence.
This time, he had come after receiving the Emperor’s Imperial Decree ordering him to evaluate liquor at the Liquor Tasting Competition.
It was an imperial summons, but he welcomed this particular order with all his heart.
First of all, it was a chance to drink and appraise a wide variety of liquor, something he loved dearly.
Because of the Prohibition Decree, it had already been three years since he had last been able to touch a drop.
Naturally, he was brimming with anticipation at the thought of tasting so many different kinds.
Second, he would be able to see his daughter.
His daughter, who was officially dead, was currently under Eun Seo-ho’s protection.
He was not entirely pleased that she worked as Seo-ho’s deputy, since it made it seem as though his daughter was suffering through hardship, but she had insisted it was what she wanted and that it was the best way to avoid the world’s eyes, so he had allowed it.
He smiled.
Truth be told, he was far more excited about seeing his daughter than tasting liquor.
But there was one problem.
“Father.”
At the voice calling him from behind, he turned.
It was his eldest son, Dong Hyeok-su.
An unexpected companion had come along.
He was currently a Military Official, serving as the Deputy Thousand-Household Commander of the Jungcheon Thousand-Household Office in Guizhou.
It was a Junior Fifth Rank post.
Considering his age, it was a fairly high position.
Unlike Dong Hwi, however, he had taken leave and come to Beijing on his own.
“I’ll go visit my friend later this afternoon.”
“Hah, you really are something.”
“He isn’t just a friend. We grew up together. He’s going to stand before His Majesty the Emperor. Of course I should be there to support him.”
His eldest son, Dong Hyeok-su, had a childhood friend. That man had also entered the court as a Military Official, but perhaps the work had not suited him, because he had suddenly resigned and returned home.
The path he chose afterward was brewing.
He seemed to have quite a gift for it. The liquor Dong Hyeok-su had brought back after visiting his friend’s home was not inferior to any famous wine Dong Hwi had ever tasted.
This time, with help from the merchant group sponsoring him, that friend had entered the Liquor Tasting Competition.
That was why Dong Hyeok-su had gone so far as to take leave and come all the way to Beijing to cheer him on.
‘Surely that merchant group isn’t the Eunhae Merchant Group, is it?’
For some reason, he felt uneasy.
His daughter had not truly died, but after her supposed death, his eldest son’s fiery temper had cooled somewhat. Still, a nature like that did not simply disappear.
Dong Hwi knew that better than anyone.
Of all the children who took after him, his eldest son resembled him the most.
“Just please don’t cause any trouble.”
“Don’t worry.”
It was a few days before the Liquor Tasting Competition.
The brewers sponsored by the Eunhae Merchant Group arrived in Beijing.
We gave them an entire building at the Beijing Branch to stay in.
We had built the place ridiculously large from the start, so there was still plenty of room.
The ones who arrived today were from Hubei.
And the people who had escorted them here were Brother Jin-ho and the Changin Escort Bureau.
“Brother, you’re here?”
“Yeah. But what’s with that reaction? Aren’t you going to look a little happier to see me?”
“Are you a guest, Brother?”
Brother Jin-ho flinched at my question.
“N… no, not exactly…”
“Then why are you acting hurt?”
“Tch. When you put it like that, what does that make me?”
I let out a small laugh at Brother Jin-ho.
Then I walked over to greet the Escort Chief and porters from the Changin Escort Bureau.
Since they had to bring liquor, various tools, ingredients, and other supplies for the Liquor Tasting Competition, we had also needed to hire porters.
The Escort Chief was Escort Chief Mak Chung, whom I had met before.
“You’ve worked hard getting here.”
“You honor us too much.”
“The road here wasn’t all that difficult.”
“I’m glad nothing happened. I’ll be counting on you for their protection in Beijing and on the road back as well.”
“Of course.”
The commission placed by the Eunhae Merchant Group covered the escort to the Beijing Branch, protection during their stay, and the escort on the return trip.
The reason we requested protection even within Beijing was simple: the interests riding on the Liquor Tasting Competition were far too large.
There was no telling when someone might try to interfere with the brewers themselves.
Lastly, I went over to the brewers.
“You all worked hard coming all this way.”
“Not at all. Thanks to you, the journey was comfortable.”
“Then please recover from the trip and do your best at the Tasting Competition.”
“Yes.”
“And please take special care when storing the liquor, ingredients, and anything else you brought. If something goes wrong with them, all your hard work will be for nothing, won’t it?”
“Understood.”
“In particular, wherever the liquor and ingredients are kept, at least one person must always be standing guard. Put up a boundary rope as well, and do not let anyone in, no matter how familiar their face may be.”
I continued.
“You must be wondering why I’m being so strict about security.”
“…”
They did not answer, but it was written all over their faces.
Why is he making such a fuss?
I wiped every trace of a smile from my face and spoke.
“When vast interests are at stake, the things people are willing to do go far beyond anything you can imagine. If someone took one of your family members hostage and ordered you to ruin the liquor, could you refuse?”
Gulp.
I heard someone swallow nervously.
Only now did they seem to realize I was not joking.
“And what if someone offered you hundreds or thousands of silver taels? Could you refuse that?”
“…”
“Of course, our merchant group will handle external security, but we cannot control what happens inside. I’ve said this much, so I trust you will take care of the rest properly.”
“We’ll keep it in mind.”
“Then please go and rest. The servants and maidservants will show you where to go.”
They dispersed.
I turned to Brother Jin-ho and said,
“You should get some rest too, Brother.”
“Y… yeah.”
Brother Jin-ho nodded. For some reason, he looked tense.
“What’s with you all of a sudden? Are you nervous because it’s been so long since you came to Beijing?”
“N… no, that’s not it…”
“Then what is it?”
“You scared me.”
“What are you talking about? Me, scary?”
At my baffled reply, Brother Jin-ho let out a deep sigh and said,
“You’re usually all smiles, but when you suddenly wiped the smile off your face like that… it was genuinely terrifying.”
“What, you got scared?”
I laughed lightly and smacked Brother Jin-ho on the back.
“Ugh! Hey, that hurt!”
“What’s the matter? You think your adorable little brother is going to eat you alive?”
At that, Brother Jin-ho snorted.
“Well, I guess not. I’ll go rest, then.”
“Yeah.”
After making sure Brother Jin-ho had gone far enough away, I asked Palgap,
“Was I really that scary just now?”
“Have you been letting everything I’ve said all this time go in one ear and out the other?”
“Still, they wouldn’t have taken it seriously unless I said it like that.”
Ordinary people had to have things seared into them like this, or they would never stay aware of the danger.
They forgot quickly and let their guard down.
Without thinking, I slipped a hand into my sleeve and stroked Geumryeong.
But then I felt it trembling.
Hey, if even you react like that, you’re going to hurt my feelings.
The breweries sponsored by the Eunhae Merchant Group were not limited to Hubei.
They were spread across the entire empire.
And excluding Hubei, the place with the greatest number of those breweries was, of course, Hangzhou.
The escort bureau we had commissioned there brought them safely as well.
“It’s been a long time.”
“It has.”
Among the people who arrived, quite a few faces were familiar. That made sense, since a fair number of the wine pavilions I had acquired brewed their own liquor.
Among them were those who brewed Moon Wine.
“The Pavilion Owner came in person?”
Hong Mae, the Pavilion Owner of Moon Wine Pavilion, smiled beautifully at me and said,
“Of course. This is the historic day when Moon Wine Pavilion presents our Moon Wine to His Majesty the Emperor. How could I not come myself?”
“Then I’m the one who should be grateful.”
I gave them the same warning I had given the brewers from Hubei.
At that, Pavilion Owner Hong Mae smiled and said,
“I understand exactly what you mean. But don’t worry. Since I’ve spent my life in the pleasure district, I’ve dealt with more than enough filthy, petty, infuriating tricks. The same goes for the people who came with me.”
“True enough.”
In that case, there was no need to worry much about the group from Hangzhou.
They would handle themselves well enough.
If anything, the problem might be that they would go too far while stopping someone, but they would probably know how to control themselves.
While they recovered from the journey, I remained just as busy.
Decorating the tasting venue and arranging the seats were both duties that fell to me and the Cheongsu Merchant Group.
In the middle of all that, there was something I absolutely had to do.
“Deputy Gwak. Are you ready?”
At my question, Young Lady Seohyang nodded.
She was dressed even more neatly and properly than usual.
Because today was the day she would meet her father.
The location was a pavilion on the outskirts of Beijing, a good place for a discreet meeting.
It was also a place Guizhou’s Provincial Administration Commissioner had once recommended to me.
We headed there immediately.
Guards had been stationed around the area, and a middle-aged man was standing in the pavilion.
As I approached, the Guard Commander recognized me and bowed.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes.”
“Please go up to the pavilion. He is waiting for you.”
“Thank you.”
The Guard Commander’s gaze shifted to Young Lady Seohyang, who stood behind me. Seeing the wistful look in his eyes, I was certain he had recognized her.
The reason he said nothing was probably because he understood there had to be circumstances behind this.
I left Palgap and the guards behind, taking only Young Lady Seohyang up to the pavilion.
“This humble merchant, Eun Seo-ho, greets you, my lord.”
“It has been a while.”
“You look as hale as ever.”
“I should. These days, I’ve been paying special attention to my health.”
After we exchanged greetings, he looked at Young Lady Seohyang standing behind me.
She smiled at her father.
For a while, the two of them simply looked at each other without saying a word.
In the end, the Provincial Administration Commissioner spoke first.
“You look… very healthy.”
“Yes.”
Then again, Young Lady Seohyang had been learning martial arts lately so she could perfectly play the role of Deputy Gwak.
Her martial talent was better than I had expected.
She had probably inherited some measure of her father’s talent.
Thanks to that, she was no longer the frail girl she had once been. She looked remarkably healthy and full of life.
That seemed to move the Commissioner more deeply than he could express.
“Your mother would be overjoyed to see how healthy you’ve become. But are you still working as a deputy these days?”
“Yes.”
“Is it not difficult?”
“Every day is enjoyable.”
“If you’re happy, then that’s enough.”
The Provincial Administration Commissioner smiled warmly, then glanced at me.
That look was a warning not to overwork her.
Mm… For some reason, I felt called out.
Whew. It was about time to leave.
We could not spend too much time here.
It would be troublesome if anyone started getting suspicious.
On top of that, while I was in charge of running this Tasting Competition, the brewers sponsored by the Eunhae Merchant Group were also entering.
And the Provincial Administration Commissioner was an invited guest.
That meant people might question the fairness of the competition.
I had considered waiting until after the Tasting Competition was over, but since there was no knowing what might happen, we had decided to meet beforehand.
“Then we should take our leave.”
“We’ll meet again.”
“Yes.”
“Ah! Actually, my eldest son came with me this time.”
His eldest son?
Young Lady Seohyang’s eyes widened.
“Brother Hyeok-su?”
“Yes. Apparently, he came to cheer on that childhood friend of his… so please… be careful.”
“Yes.”
After parting with the Provincial Administration Commissioner, we returned to the Beijing Branch.
Then we headed to where the brewers were gathered.
Since it was the day before the Liquor Tasting Competition, I had to conduct a preliminary inspection as their sponsor.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, you’re here?”
“Yes. Are the preparations going smoothly?”
“Of course.”
I was exchanging greetings with them and checking the situation when it happened.
A group of people approached from up ahead.
“Ah…”
Beside me, Young Lady Seohyang’s face stiffened, and she quickly hid behind me.
“What is it?”
“It’s my eldest brother.”
As the distance closed, I realized the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s eldest son was with that group.
“Ah! Deputy Merchant Lord!”
Beside him was one of the brewers sponsored by the Eunhae Merchant Group.
He was the brewer we had found through Pavilion Lord Jeok Byeong-cheol’s recommendation, a man who brewed White Heron Wine in the mountains north of Sunyang County.
But why were those two together?
“There’s someone I would like to introduce to you.”
He smiled brightly and approached me with Young Lady Seohyang’s eldest brother in tow.
With the situation unfolding so suddenly, I could not help breaking out in a cold sweat.
Uh, excuse me… Wait a moment.
–TL Notes–
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