I left the Hidden Vault first.
There were simply too many treasures of too many different kinds, so I needed paper to properly catalog everything.
When I stepped out, however, Lady Seohyang was inside the guest room.
“Ah, it looks like you just came out of the Hidden Vault.”
“Hahaha, yes.”
I scratched behind my ear and nodded.
“There are a few things in there I need to sort out.”
Since she possessed the Ice Crystal Eyes, she could see things hidden from ordinary sight, which meant she could also see the Hidden Vault's door.
“Still, this really is fascinating.”
As she spoke, she lightly tapped the Hidden Vault's door.
Huh?
My eyes widened at the sight.
She could touch the Hidden Vault's door?
Even if I told other people there was a door here, not only could they not see it, but their hands would pass straight through it as though the door were nothing but smoke.
“Deputy Gwak, can you open the Hidden Vault's door as well?”
“I'll try.”
She reached out, grabbed the handle, and pulled.
Sliiide.
“Yes. It opens just fine.”
“…!”
If she could open the door, that meant she could enter the Hidden Vault as well.
At that moment, I saw a ray of hope.
I'd resigned myself to sorting through that entire mountain of treasure alone.
“Deputy Gwak. Please help me.”
“Pardon?”
“For now, just bring some writing supplies and come into the Hidden Vault.”
And so, I entered the Hidden Vault again with Lady Seohyang.
“Oh my! So this is what it looks like inside.”
Her face filled with curiosity as she looked around in every direction.
“It really is a warehouse. A surprisingly large one, too.”
“That's right.”
She looked toward the mountain of treasure piled high in the middle of the warehouse and asked,
“Don't tell me… all of that is what you need to organize?”
“Yes.”
“…Now I understand why you asked for my help.”
She rolled up her sleeves.
“If we're going to do it anyway, let's get it over with!”
I quietly smiled as I watched her burn with enthusiasm.
I trusted her to keep the Hidden Vault a secret.
For one thing, I held the key to her survival, so betraying me wasn't something she could easily do.
On top of that, the Ice Crystal Eyes she possessed naturally influenced her toward living an upright life.
But even setting all of that aside, the biggest reason was simply that I wanted to trust her.
Looking back on my previous life, trust had caused me no small amount of anguish.
No matter how sincerely I placed my faith in someone, there had been plenty of people who chose to betray that faith.
Every time it happened, I was hurt, and I always ended up wondering what I had done wrong.
But now I know better.
The problem wasn't with me. It was with the person who chose to betray me.
No matter how much effort I make or how carefully I treat someone, a person who intends to betray me will eventually do so.
Yet the pain of those betrayals consumed so much of my attention that I failed to properly appreciate the people who had remained loyal to me until the very end.
This life would be different.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, what are you doing?”
“Ah! I was thinking about the best way to organize everything. I've figured it out now, so let's get started.”
And so, we began sorting through the contents of the vault.
We started with the various Artifacts. I would tell her each item's name, and she would write it down on paper along with the number of the shelf where we'd placed it.
Once we'd finished cataloging the Artifacts, we moved on to the valuables, and lastly, we sorted through the gold and money.
We weighed every gold ingot individually.
It would've been convenient if every ingot weighed exactly what it was supposed to, but unfortunately, that often wasn't the case.
There were plenty of unscrupulous people who would shave a little gold off an ingot before passing it on, after all.
The 塊 in 金塊 (gold ingot) means a lump or solid mass.
That comes from the ingot's rounded shape.
Which is why they're commonly called Gold Taels.
A standard Gold Tael is usually cast to a weight of ten taels. Even that much gold is enormously valuable.
But there were piles upon piles of fifty-tael Gold Taels in this place.
Which meant these Gold Taels were meant less for actual spending and more for storing wealth.
In other words, even if I quietly swallowed up a few of these Gold Taels, there wouldn't be any trouble.
“You look rather pleased.”
At Lady Seohyang's remark, I nodded.
“Of course I am. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't like gold?”
I picked up three Gold Taels, stacked them into a triangular arrangement, and asked,
“What character does this look like to you?”
“Three pieces of gold stacked together… That would be 鑫, the character representing prosperity and joy.”
I looked into her eyes.
There was no way she failed to understand the immense value of the mountain of treasure before her, yet I couldn't see even a trace of greed in her gaze.
“Deputy Gwak, you don't seem tempted by anything in here.”
“Why would I covet something that isn't mine?”
“My word! A wise answer to a foolish question.”
Pop.
Just then, Geumryeong poked its head out from the pile of gold and silver taels.
It looked positively blissful.
Apparently, swimming through a mountain of valuables was its idea of paradise.
Lady Seohyang looked at Geumryeong and said,
“Come to think of it, you and Geumryeong do have something in common, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Pardon?”
“You both love money.”
At that, I looked at Geumryeong, and Geumryeong stared back at me.
“…”
“Kui?”
Thanks to Lady Seohyang, I finished organizing the Hidden Vault much sooner than I'd expected.
By the time we came back out, it was already around midnight.
“You worked hard today.”
“It was nothing.”
“Then let's get some sleep. We're meeting the Provincial Administration Commissioner tomorrow, and if you show up looking exhausted, I'll be the one who gets scolded.”
At my words, Geumryeong, now back inside my sleeve, sent me a Voice Transmission.
– Kui? Kui?
You're asking why I worked her so hard when I knew that?
Ahem. No need to strike where it hurts.
– The only ones who can enter the Hidden Vault are me, Lady Seohyang, and you. So would you rather have done all that organizing yourself?
– Kui?
– You wouldn't have been allowed to eat any of that delicious money, either. You'd have to spend the whole time just organizing it… Are you sure you'd be all right with that?
I could feel Geumryeong's tail trembling.
Suddenly, Geumryeong crawled out of my sleeve and respectfully held out the silver tael it had been carrying in its mouth to Lady Seohyang with both paws.
“K-Kui…”
“Hmm? What is this supposed to mean?”
She tilted her head, completely baffled, and I chuckled as I explained on Geumryeong's behalf.
“It's asking you to take good care of us from now on.”
“Pardon?”
Still, did what I said really shock it that badly?
Geumryeong actually gave Lady Seohyang a silver tael!
It had never given me so much as a single coin!
.
.
.
Morning came.
I spent the day on Breathing Meditation, training, and handling my work, and before I knew it, evening had arrived.
I had arranged to meet the Provincial Administration Commissioner and his wife at Yuhwa Inn tonight, so it was about time we headed out.
I couldn't very well keep the two of them waiting.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
The rims of her eyes were already red. She must have already imagined herself reunited with her parents.
“Let's go.”
My party and I headed toward Yuhwa Inn.
Yuhwa Inn was one of the better-known establishments in Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou.
Guizhou was a humid region with many rivers, and one particularly beautiful river flowed directly through Guiyang.
In spring, the blossoms were reflected across its surface, and in autumn, the red and golden leaves painted the water with their colors. To the locals, it looked as though flowers themselves were drifting down the river, so they called it the Yuhwa River.
The inn we were heading to stood beside that very river, which was how it had come to be called Yuhwa Inn.
More importantly, the Yuhwa River plunged sharply downward like a waterfall right beside the building, and the thunderous rush of water made it difficult for anyone to eavesdrop on conversations inside.
That also made it an ideal place for discussing secrets.
“Welcome.”
One of the inn's attendants greeted us.
“We reserved the sixth floor.”
Palgap spoke as he handed over our reservation token, and after checking it, the attendant led us inside.
“This way, please.”
We climbed to the sixth floor.
Climbing six floors by stairs wasn't exactly pleasant, but the view waiting at the top was worth every bit of the effort.
“Here we are.”
The sight of the river and waterfall from the sixth floor was truly spectacular.
That view was one of the reasons I'd chosen this place.
Even now, I could still vividly remember the scenery I'd seen here in my previous life.
It was currently the 12th Month.
In most regions, the autumn leaves would've fallen long ago, but here in Guizhou, plenty of them still remained.
The scenery was beautiful enough to leave a person standing there in a daze.
My Escort Guards, however, paid no attention to the view and immediately began thoroughly inspecting the surroundings.
They really were well trained.
“Shall we serve the meal according to the order you placed beforehand?”
I nodded at the attendant's question.
“Yes. And…”
I handed him some extra money and added,
“I'd appreciate it if you kept everything that happens here tonight confidential.”
However, he didn't accept the money.
“That won't be necessary. Our inn prides itself on absolute discretion.”
I like that.
“However, I would appreciate it if you could tell me what we should say in the event someone asks.”
“If anyone asks about me, tell them it seemed to be a meeting to discuss business in Guizhou. You can also say you happened to overhear something about expanding the Guizhou Branch.”
“Understood.”
I pressed the money into his hand.
“And use this to buy everyone working at the inn a cup of tea.”
Once I put it that way, he no longer refused.
“Thank you.”
What I'd said about expanding the Guizhou Branch wasn't actually a lie.
The Eunhae Merchant Group already had a branch in Guizhou.
The local environment was excellent for growing medicinal herbs, and a tea known as Meitan Cuiya was also quite famous.
On top of that, the Eunhae Merchant Group sponsored several breweries that produced Moutai Liquor, one of Guizhou's most famous specialties.
Because of all that, the head of the Guizhou Branch had requested permission to expand its operations.
So I had some business matters I needed to discuss with the Provincial Administration Commissioner as well.
After all, mediating the conflicts that could arise from such an expansion was also part of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's responsibilities.
“Please have all the food brought out beforehand.”
“Would that be all right? Some of the dishes may get cold.”
“That's fine.”
“Understood. We'll bring everything out at once.”
The attendant went downstairs, and before long, several others came up carrying trays.
The table before us was soon covered with all sorts of dishes, including fried fish, one of Guizhou's local specialties.
Food spoiled quickly in this humid region, so fried dishes were particularly common.
While they were setting everything out, Lady Seohyang stood admiring the scenery outside Yuhwa Inn.
“So Guizhou had a place like this…”
Her expression was filled with fresh wonder.
“I've never been anywhere like this before.”
Seeing how much she liked it left me strangely satisfied.
“I'm glad you like it.”
Yuhwa Inn was quite expensive.
And there was no point even mentioning how much the sixth and highest floor cost.
Before she came of age, her brothers probably couldn't have afforded to bring her somewhere like this no matter how diligently they saved their spending money.
After she reached adulthood, her brothers entered government service and began earning money, but by then, she had fallen ill and could barely leave the house.
Thinking about it made my chest ache a little.
Just then, I sensed a familiar presence approaching.
“Deputy Gwak.”
“Yes?”
“They're here.”
Even without me saying who, she immediately understood and quickly turned her head.
In an instant, tears welled up in her eyes.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner's wife reacted no differently when she saw her.
“Ah!”
She rushed forward and pulled Lady Seohyang into her arms.
“Sniff…”
The two clung tightly to one another, sobbing.
Even the Provincial Administration Commissioner's eyes turned red as he watched them.
“Sniff!”
Palgap must have felt his nose stinging as well, because he kept sniffling before turning to me.
“Young Master, does seeing something like this not move you at all?”
“I don't know…”
“Your heart has gone dry, Young Master.”
I gave a bitter smile at Palgap's words.
What I felt right now wasn't so much emotion as anger.
Anger over the fact that this family had been forced to live apart like this in the first place.
If I hadn't intervened, wouldn't they have gone the rest of their lives without ever seeing each other again?
My Escort Guards quickly read the situation and moved toward the stairs, preventing anyone else from coming up.
That was exactly why I'd ordered all the food brought out in advance.
I'd also erected a Qi barrier around the area, so no sound from here could carry elsewhere.
For quite some time, mother and daughter simply held each other, touching one another's faces as they tried to make up for all those lost years.
“You look so much healthier.”
“Yes, Mother. But what about you? Have you been well? Are you healthy?”
“Of course. Don't worry about me.”
I spoke to them.
“Please, have a seat. The food won't taste nearly as good once it gets cold.”
“Yes, let's do that.”
“All right.”
We gathered around the table and began our meal.
As expected of such an expensive place, the food was still delicious even after cooling down a little.
While mother and daughter ate across from each other, the Provincial Administration Commissioner turned to me.
“I heard there was quite a commotion in Guangdong and on Hainan Island. And apparently, you played a rather significant role in resolving it?”
As expected of Guizhou's Provincial Administration Commissioner.
He already knew about it.
Then again, His Highness the Crown Prince had personally gone there. There was no chance someone in the Provincial Administration Commissioner's position wouldn't have heard about the incident.
Not only did a small amount of imperial blood flow through his veins, but he also held a fairly high government position.
“Yes, that's correct. But I only made a small contribution.”
I couldn't exactly go around telling people that I was a Censorate Inspector.
As for the Prefect of Hainan Island and the Merchant Lord of the Mu Merchant Group, well…
They weren't long for this world anyway, and anything they said would amount to nothing more than empty cries.
“I only went to Guangdong because I wanted to trade for some good rice, and I visited Hainan Island to arrange a pearl trade. I simply happened to help resolve an incident while I was there, so I'm rather pleased with how things turned out.”
The Provincial Administration Commissioner nodded.
“I'd already been worried because the rumors coming from that region were so grim. I'm glad everything was resolved.”
“I feel the same way.”
“However, I also heard that during your travels, you were accompanied by a beautiful wife you'd apparently been keeping hidden all this time…”
Cough!
The moment I saw the Provincial Administration Commissioner's eyes demanding an explanation, my body involuntarily stiffened.
W-Well, you see, that's…
I was just about to desperately come up with some excuse when the Provincial Administration Commissioner's eyes suddenly curved into crescents.
Huh? Why is he suddenly smiling like that?
–TL Notes–
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