Father’s words made me blurt out a question before I could stop myself.
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“Do you really intend to make this father stand by and watch his own son suffer something like that? You unfilial brat…”
No, I mean, I’m a Profound-level martial artist.
So it’s not like things absolutely have to turn out that way…
Come to think of it, how many older brothers did Young Lady Seohyang have again?
All of a sudden, the situation felt painfully real.
And I absolutely couldn’t ignore the consequences this could have for the Eunhae Merchant Group either.
But then again, all of this had happened because of me in the first place.
“I’ll just deal with it, I guess.”
“You’re willing to endure all that?”
“Yes.”
“Tsk, tsk. If I were you, I’d set the wedding date the moment everyone started pushing me toward it. What in the world are you so worried about?”
“Well… I’m still not entirely sure how Deputy Gwak feels about me…”
“Then why do you think Deputy Gwak keeps wearing that hair ornament?”
“…”
“Tsk, tsk. How can someone so sharp when it comes to business be this hopelessly dense about everything else?”
.
.
.
After Father left my annex, I wandered around nearby, lost in thought.
By the time I finally came to my senses, I found myself standing outside Young Lady Seohyang’s quarters.
“Huh?”
Just then, Young Lady Seohyang stepped out of the annex and tilted her head when she saw me.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
“Ah, I couldn’t sleep, so I was taking a walk.”
“It’ll be dawn before much longer, you know?”
I raised my head and looked up at the sky.
Then the sound of a drum echoed through the air.
It was already between five and seven in the morning. I’d stayed up the entire night.
“That expression…”
“Yes?”
“I saw it last night. So this is what it was about.”
“…”
“You have something you want to say to me, don’t you?”
Right. I couldn’t keep avoiding this any longer.
Giving Young Lady Seohyang that pearl hair ornament hadn’t been meant as a marriage proposal, but somehow, it had become one anyway.
Regardless of that misunderstanding, this was something I needed to settle properly.
“Yes. I do.”
I swallowed against my dry throat and carefully asked her.
“Deputy Gwak, what do you think of me?”
“What?”
She tilted her head before answering.
“Well, of course I think you’re a good person.”
“My apologies. I asked that poorly. Please set aside your current circumstances, including the fact that you need to remain with me to stay alive, and forget every other complication surrounding us. I want you to think only about the two of us, Deputy Gwak and me.”
I continued.
“How would you feel about marrying me?”
At those words, her face flushed bright red.
She toyed with the pearl hair ornament for a moment before finally speaking.
“Do you remember when we visited my parents not long ago? I went to see them wearing this in my hair, and neither of them said a word about it. That means they approved of our relationship. If they hadn’t, they would’ve torn this hair ornament out and thrown it on the ground.”
So Father was right.
“I love you.”
Young Lady Seohyang was telling me plainly.
She loved me.
Those words struck me with a weight I hadn’t expected.
“To tell you the truth, I may have loved you from the very first time we met, Deputy Merchant Lord. Ever since you wrote my name in the snow you brought all the way from the distant north.”
I let out a long breath.
“My father told me about the customs of Deputy Gwak’s homeland. Apparently, a man who rejects a marriage proposal there can expect to suffer quite a bit.”
“Yes. That’s true.”
“To be completely honest, I’m prepared to endure that.”
“What?”
Tears began to gather in her eyes.
“So you don’t have feelings for me, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“That’s not it!”
“Then I understand even less! Why?”
“It’s… I don’t know how this will sound, but I don’t have the courage to ask the woman I love to walk the road I’ve chosen and suffer alongside me.”
I can’t believe I’m actually saying this to Young Lady Seohyang! Damn it!
My chest hurts… like someone’s clawing at my heart.
But I still have to answer her.
If I don’t, she’ll never understand.
“This isn’t some flimsy excuse. I truly mean it.”
I’d honestly rather be hung upside down from a roof beam and beaten for three straight days.
After saying that much, I drew in a deep breath.
My lips had gone completely dry.
Right. I think I finally understood what I’d been feeling all this time.
This was what it meant to love someone.
I loved Young Lady Seohyang.
I should have realized it much sooner.
Instead, I’d unconsciously kept trying to look away from those feelings.
Because some part of me thought I couldn’t afford to admit them.
“My goal is to make the Eunhae Merchant Group the greatest merchant group under heaven, but I have another goal that’s far more dangerous and difficult. I intend to take revenge on the Murim Alliance. And that is something I may have to stake my life on.”
I raised my head and looked at Young Lady Seohyang.
“How could I possibly drag the woman I love into something like that? That road is one I have to walk alone. So… I’m sorry.”
I clenched my fists and lowered my head.
“Deputy Merchant Lord. Are you an idiot?”
“…What?”
Then her voice reached my ears.
“Why are you only looking at one side of this? I don’t know why you hate the Murim Alliance enough to seek revenge against them. But have you forgotten? I hate the Murim Alliance too.”
Her words struck me like a bolt of lightning.
Because somehow, I hadn’t thought of that at all.
Young Lady Seohyang had also been forced to hide her identity because of the Murim Alliance.
She’d even been torn away from her family with no idea when she would ever see them again.
There was no reason her desire for revenge against the Murim Alliance would be any weaker than mine.
How did I not think of that?
I really am an idiot. She’s right.
“If we’re both walking this road with the same hatred for the Murim Alliance and the same thirst for revenge, I don’t think it makes much difference whether we walk it alone or together.”
Then she looked directly at me.
“So I’ll walk that road with you.”
At that moment, was it just my imagination, or did Young Lady Seohyang look like a celestial maiden reaching out a hand to me from within a halo of light?
I had never told anyone about my goal of taking revenge on the Murim Alliance.
Young Lady Seohyang was the first person I had ever revealed it to.
Admitting it aloud had made me incredibly nervous, but that was also proof of just how much of myself I had laid bare before her.
And in response, Young Lady Seohyang told me that we should walk that road together.
Maybe the reason she seemed to shine was simply the relief of realizing I wouldn’t have to walk that thorn-covered road alone anymore.
A quiet laugh escaped me.
“Well, I suppose I won’t be bored.”
“By the way, that was a marriage proposal, right?”
I hesitated at her question before barely managing to answer.
“I, well… technically, yes. It was a marriage proposal.”
“What kind of proposal was that?! You do realize you have absolutely no sense of romance, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make up for it by giving you a magnificent wedding.”
– Kui!
What, you think I’m just muddling my way through this and hoping it somehow works out?
Hah. It’s not like I wanted it to happen this way either.
But what was I supposed to do when things had already turned out like this?
While we spoke, the darkness around us slowly began to recede.
“The sun’s coming up.”
At her words, I turned east and saw the sun rising over the horizon.
Watching the dawn break together like this…
“Hmm…”
Why did this suddenly feel so awkward?
“Um… would you like to train together?”
“Yes.”
.
.
.
That morning.
After finishing my training with Young Lady Seohyang, I washed up and headed to the dining hall for breakfast.
Everyone in the family was gathered there except for the children who hadn’t yet come of age.
“So, you’re leaving for Beijing again today?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
I respectfully answered Grandfather’s question.
Come to think of it, Grandfather was already nearing eighty.
If events followed the course of my previous life, I didn’t have many years left with him.
Perhaps that was why simply looking at Grandfather suddenly filled me with a sense of melancholy.
“The weather is cold. Take care on the road.”
“Yes.”
Just then, the maidservants came in carrying bowls of porridge.
Chicken porridge today.
After enjoying the chicken porridge, tea was brought out.
Whenever the whole family gathered for tea after breakfast like this, it often turned into an informal tasting competition for whatever new tea had recently arrived.
“This is Meitan Cuiya Tea brought in from Guizhou.”
“Oh! The sweetness and clean, delicate finish are wonderfully balanced. This is certainly top grade!”
“Yes. Thanks to the Provincial Administration Commissioner, we were able to acquire some of the finest leaves.”
Hmm. I suppose it’s about time I got to the real point.
“Um… I’ve decided to get married.”
“I see.”
Mother answered as calmly as if I’d just commented on the weather.
The rest of the family looked equally unsurprised, as though they’d known this was coming all along.
“Um… why isn’t anyone surprised?”
Brother Jeong-ho answered my question.
“We already expected it. Why would we be surprised?”
“You expected it?”
“Of course.”
My eldest sister-in-law added an explanation.
“You’ve always treated women like they were no more interesting than roadside stones, yet every time you looked at Deputy Gwak, your eyes changed. How could we possibly not notice?”
Without realizing it, I reached up and scratched the back of my neck.
So I was the only one who hadn’t known.
“Hmm, then I suppose we should contact Escort Chief Gwak.”
My second sister-in-law spoke up.
“Since Deputy Gwak’s parents aren’t with us, her closest relative living nearby will need to represent her family for the wedding.”
At present, Young Lady Seohyang was publicly known as a distant relative of Master’s from Guizhou.
We had also told everyone that her parents had passed away during an epidemic.
Aside from Father and Mother, the rest of my family believed that story as well.
We would have preferred to conceal even her homeland, but there was only so much we could do about things like the accent she had grown up with.
“Your second sister-in-law is right. That would be the proper thing to do.”
.
.
.
After breakfast, I followed Father to his office.
Once we were seated across from each other, Father went straight to the point.
“This time, I intend to go to Guizhou personally.”
“What?”
“Circumstances may be unusual, but how can we proceed with a marriage without the parents of both families ever meeting one another?”
“That’s true. But as you already know, Father, the circumstances are a little…”
“Don’t worry. Thanks to you, there’s a perfectly good excuse for me to go.”
“What?”
“I’m talking about the expansion of the Guizhou Branch.”
“Ah!”
“I can simply visit them as the Merchant Lord, bringing gifts to express my gratitude. Who would find that suspicious?”
Father looked thoroughly amused.
“For someone who agonized over this for so long, you certainly did an excellent job of laying all the groundwork without realizing it.”
“I suppose I did.”
After finishing that private discussion with Father, I stopped by my annex before heading to the Carriage Yard.
Seeing Young Lady Seohyang standing beside the River-Crossing Horse made me feel strangely self-conscious… but there was nothing I could do about that.
I mounted my horse, and the others followed suit.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
“Travel safely.”
After saying goodbye to Father and the rest of the family, we departed for Beijing.
.
.
.
Only a few days after leaving Hubei, we arrived in Beijing.
That was how fast the River-Crossing Horses could run.
Their speed had been exhausting at first, but everyone seemed to have adapted by now and was handling the journey just fine.
Even Young Lady Seohyang, whose martial arts were comparatively weaker than the others, looked perfectly all right.
As for Palgap, well, he was a bear.
“Welcome back!”
The people at the Beijing Branch greeted us warmly.
“Escort Guard Lee Pil, I’m sorry to ask this of you the moment we arrive.”
“You would like me to visit Warrior Jin Yeong’s residence, correct?”
“Yes. Exactly. This is the report. Please deliver it for me.”
After that, the rest of the group and I went to our respective quarters, washed thoroughly, and changed into clean clothes.
The River-Crossing Horses certainly got us places quickly, but there was no avoiding the filth that came with riding at those speeds.
“Young Master. Are you really that happy?”
“Hm?”
“You’ve been grinning from ear to ear ever since we left Hubei.”
“Was it that obvious?”
At my question, Palgap nodded.
“I’m curious what kind of feeling could make you look like that.”
“I wonder? How am I supposed to explain it?”
After thinking for a moment, I continued.
“There is one thing I know for certain. It makes me feel like I need to work even harder from now on.”
“Gah! How can you possibly work harder than you already do? If you keep that up and drop dead, Deputy Gwak will become a widow!”
“Ah…”
I looked at Palgap.
“I should probably start taking some Elixirs for my health from today onward.”
That evening.
Warrior Jin Yeong came to the Beijing Branch.
I could have gone to the Imperial Palace myself, but it was much better to enter through Warrior Jin Yeong.
That way, I could see the Emperor immediately.
If I entered the Imperial Palace by myself, I’d have to wait until the Emperor decided to summon me.
That wasn’t merely inefficient. It was a complete waste of time.
“Greetings, Warrior Jin Yeong.”
“Yes. I’ve already heard the broad details. You accomplished something truly significant this time.”
“You give me too much credit. I could never have done it without Warrior Jang Won and the many members of the Embroidered Guard who assisted me.”
Warrior Jin Yeong smiled, apparently pleased by the credit I gave them.
“Let’s go see His Majesty.”
“Yes.”
We headed straight to the Imperial Palace and were soon granted an audience with the Emperor.
In the Emperor’s hand was the report I had submitted through Escort Guard Lee Pil.
“I read the report you sent me. This is exactly why I like you, you rascal.”
That was praise, right, Your Majesty?
“You used your position as an actual merchant to lower their guard and approach them… You really are an interesting bastard. I suppose that was only possible because you truly are a merchant.”
“That is correct.”
Even if the Embroidered Guard or the Eastern Depot disguised themselves as merchants, they would inevitably notice different things than a true merchant would.
Even when two people looked at the exact same thing, what they actually saw depended on the position they stood in.
“And that is precisely why I have no choice but to leave you as a merchant.”
That might have been disappointing from the Emperor’s perspective, but it was more than enough to make me breathe a sigh of relief.
“According to this report, you spent quite a considerable sum during this operation.”
“Yes.”
I had included all the expenses incurred traveling from Beijing to Hainan Island.
Still, my conscience had at least stopped me from including the money I’d spent on my own birthday banquet.
“I won’t be asking for reimbursement. And of the assets confiscated from the Mu Merchant Group listed there, I won’t ask for the 100,000 silver taels to be returned either.”
“You would never give up that much money without a reason. What are your conditions?”
“Please make sure the official records concerning the Hainan Island construction project state that the Eunhae Merchant Group also contributed to its success. And while constructing the naval base on Hainan Island, I want at least half of all goods and supplies used for the project to be purchased from the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“So you still intend to make a profit from this.”
Come on, Your Majesty. You already knew that.
“Very well. You did good work again. Since this operation was undertaken as payment for what you previously asked of me, I assume you won’t be expecting any additional reward?”
“That is correct.”
But I suspect you’ll change your mind once you see what I have to show you.
I carefully made one more request of the Emperor.
“And, Your Majesty. There is something I need to tell you in private. Please clear the room.”
–TL Notes–
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