I rose from my seat and stepped outside.
Then I headed for the Reception Room where Warrior Jin Yeong was waiting.
“This humble merchant greets you, Warrior Jin Yeong.”
“Ah! Sorry to call on you so late.”
“Not at all. You wouldn’t have come at this hour unless you had a reason.”
“Thank you for understanding. Then come with me to the Imperial Palace. His Majesty is summoning you.”
“Yes.”
A short while later.
I was kneeling prostrate before the Emperor.
“Raise your head.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”
“Go to Yunnan.”
The Emperor wasted no time getting to the point.
“Pardon?”
I had expected him to order me to Yunnan, but I hadn’t expected him to spring it on me so abruptly, and the question slipped out before I could stop myself.
“I said, go to Yunnan. I’ve assembled a group to investigate the Sword Tomb in Springview Fortress. I’m sending you with them, so go.”
“You mean… me, Your Majesty?”
I tilted my head, pretending I had no idea what he was talking about.
It would be way too obvious if I went, “Oh! Thank you so much!”
The Emperor clicked his tongue at me.
“Tsk, tsk. You think I don’t know you? You’re practically choking on how badly you want to go.”
Damn. Nothing got past the Emperor.
“Ahem, it was merely a bit of curiosity.”
“Right. Curiosity…”
The way he smiled as he said that made my stomach tighten for no good reason.
“Your role will be to handle supplies. You’re a merchant, so I thought that would be the most natural arrangement.”
“Of course. Then I assume we’ll negotiate the various procurement costs separately?”
“Well… yes.”
The Emperor’s expression suddenly soured.
“There’s no need to worry, Your Majesty. I know where to draw the line. I’ll only take a reasonable margin.”
“So you have no intention of letting this opportunity go to waste.”
“This humble merchant is still a merchant. How am I supposed to make money if I turn away from an opportunity?”
“You cheeky bastard.”
The Emperor muttered with a faint chuckle.
It was the sort of coarse language one would expect to hear in a private household rather than an imperial audience, but there was a smile on his lips.
“And if you find anything expensive and worthwhile, sweep it all up before anyone else gets their hands on it.”
“Understood.”
“There will also be uninvited guests while you’re investigating the Sword Tomb. There’s a good chance some of them will be connected to whoever was plotting to seize Springview Fortress. Find out what you can about them.”
“I shall obey Your Majesty’s command.”
“Haa… Fine. Jin Yeong can tell you the rest.”
The Emperor waved a hand in dismissal, and I withdrew from the imperial audience chamber.
Then Warrior Jin Yeong spoke.
“It’s already late, so head back for tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the Beijing Branch with the man who’ll be commanding the expedition.”
“Understood.”
I returned to the Beijing Branch.
But there was no time to rest. I immediately summoned the Beijing Branch Manager.
Then we organized the supplies needed for the expedition and checked the current market prices.
If I wanted to make a tidy profit, I couldn’t go into this unprepared.
If the market price was three silver taels and I quoted them two, I’d be taking a loss.
I also had to determine whether we could prepare the quantities the buyer wanted, whether we could meet their deadline, and everything else that went into a proper transaction.
Those were things I had to check carefully even in an ordinary deal. This was a transaction with the Imperial Family, so I needed to keep my head on straight.
The Emperor had put me in charge of supplying the expedition partly because it was the most natural role for me, but it was also his way of thanking me for bringing him that scroll.
It was almost like he’d handed me a blank check.
He was telling me to take what I could within the limits of my own ability. That was probably why he hadn’t named a specific reward.
Of course, if I got too greedy, I’d probably end up with nothing.
.
.
.
Dawn broke.
I was waiting with everything fully prepared when Palgap came to inform me that Warrior Jin Yeong and his party had arrived.
I brought the Beijing Branch Manager and Lady Seohyang with me and headed to the Reception Room.
“This humble merchant, Eun Seo-ho, greets you, Great Heroes. This is the Beijing Branch Manager, and this is my deputy.”
“It’s good to see you again.”
“Yes. It’s good to see you as well.”
Among those who had come with Warrior Jin Yeong was a face I recognized.
Warrior Gwon Jik, whom I had met while investigating Blood Staff Star Monk’s Sword Tomb in Gansu.
He had said he was from the Guizhou Gwon Clan, but I later found out that he was actually an Embroidered Guard.
He was also one of the people who had accompanied me to Springview Fortress.
Considering he had already been to Springview Fortress and had experience investigating a Sword Tomb, the Emperor’s choice was obvious enough.
“Have you been well?”
“Of course.”
“I hear everyone’s been talking about that grand proposal you made at a restaurant not long ago.”
“You’re embarrassing me.”
I answered with a mild smile.
“Then are you the one commanding the expedition this time, Warrior Gwon?”
“That’s right.”
He nodded, then gestured toward the person beside him.
“This is Seo Im. Seo Im is one of the people who handles the Embroidered Guard’s finances.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Seo Im was a handsome young man with delicate, refined features and hardly looked like an Embroidered Guard, but I knew better than to judge anyone by appearance alone.
Still, there was something strangely familiar about that face. Where had I seen him before?
The thought bothered me, but I set it aside for the moment and returned the greeting.
“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”
“Let’s sit.”
At Warrior Jin Yeong’s words, everyone took their seats. Warrior Gwon Jik then began explaining the details.
“First, we’re planning to depart in three days.”
“I see.”
“Here. These are the things we’ll need.”
Warrior Seo Im handed me a document, and I unfolded it.
Let’s see…
First were the large quantities of food and daily necessities needed for roughly a hundred people traveling all the way to Yunnan.
There was almost nothing here that differed from what I’d expected.
As I went over each item one by one, Warrior Gwon spoke.
“I’d like all of that prepared by the time we leave in three days.”
“Understood. For the food, however, I’ll only prepare three days’ worth.”
“You’re planning to procure the rest as we travel?”
“Yes. Isn’t that why I’m coming along? I’ll make sure we can replenish our supplies naturally along the way.”
“That is true.”
“If we plan the route so we pass near branches of the Eunhae Merchant Group, I can contact each branch ahead of time and have them prepare food and other supplies before we arrive.”
“Do that.”
“And considering the weather right now, we’ll need fur clothing when we set out, but once we reach Yunnan, it’ll probably become unnecessary baggage.”
“I’ve actually been worried about that myself.”
Since he had already worked with me when we dealt with the situation in Springview Fortress, it was easy for us to understand each other.
“Then how about going through Hubei? Our Headquarters is there. We can resupply, leave the fur clothing behind, and then take a boat upriver.”
“That sounds like a good approach.”
Good.
I could use that as an excuse to stop by home for a little while.
“Since the Eunhae Merchant Group will be providing the fur clothing, we’ll store it for you free of charge.”
I quickly continued.
“There are also a few things missing from this list. Add lime powder.”
“Lime powder?”
“Yes. After relieving ourselves, it would be best to sprinkle lime powder over the spot so it’s clearly marked. It can also be used in place of Golden Wound Medicine if our supply runs out.”
They nodded at my explanation.
“Then we’ll add that as well. Anything else?”
“Nothing for now, though I may think of something later.”
“Then how much will the supplies listed so far cost?”
“About six hundred silver taels.”
“What?! That much?”
Warrior Gwon looked startled by my answer.
“Food prices are still high, aren’t they? Surely you don’t think I’d gouge the Imperial Palace.”
That was when Warrior Seo Im joined the conversation.
“That’s more expensive than I expected.”
“We are moving a fairly large group, after all.”
There was a reason people said large-scale wars could bleed a nation dry.
Mobilizing only a hundred people already cost this much. How much would an expedition involving tens or even hundreds of thousands cost?
That was also why the wisest rulers did everything they could to avoid unnecessary wars.
Starting a war was, in itself, an enormous expense.
“And we aren’t simply traveling. This is a special expedition to investigate a Sword Tomb. That means we need considerably more preparation than usual.”
“Even so, it’s too much.”
Warrior Jin Yeong nodded at Warrior Gwon Jik’s words.
“Considering how much more we’ll have to spend later, this initial expense is somewhat concerning.”
“Understood. Then we’ll reduce our profit margin.”
I thought for a moment before speaking again.
“We’ll make it five hundred and fifty silver taels. Would that be manageable, Branch Manager?”
“Yes, that should be fine.”
Warrior Gwon Jik then turned to Warrior Seo Im.
“What do you think? Is that reasonable?”
“Yes. I believe so as well.”
“Then we’ll settle on that.”
At that moment, Warrior Gwon Jik asked me another question.
“By the way, will your deputy be accompanying you to Springview Fortress?”
“Yes. This will be a long expedition, so I’ll need my deputy with me.”
“I see.”
For some reason, he looked relieved.
Why?
“Then while we’re traveling, would you mind having Warrior Seo Im stay with your deputy? Seo Im isn’t accustomed to combat.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
“Thank you. Then we’ll take our leave.”
“I’ll see you again once the preparations are complete.”
I escorted them all the way to the entrance.
Once they had moved some distance away, Lady Seohyang cautiously called out to me.
“Um, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Yes?”
“There are women in the Embroidered Guard too, aren’t there?”
“Yes. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Why do you ask?”
“I just found it a little surprising that the person handling their finances was a woman.”
“…What? A woman?”
She nodded.
“Yes. She was a woman.”
“I had no idea.”
So that was why the features were so delicate.
Wait. Hold on, hooold on…
It wasn’t as though there were no female warriors in the Embroidered Guard.
Merchant groups and Escort Bureaus had female Supervisors and Escorts too. There was nothing remotely strange about it.
So there was no reason to hide the fact that she was a woman. Why had she gone to the trouble of disguising herself as a man?
Now that I thought about it… Warrior Gwon Jik had asked whether Lady Seohyang was accompanying me, and he had looked relieved when I said yes.
A thought suddenly struck me, and I carefully studied the Embroidered Guard party walking away in the distance.
Warrior Gwon Jik was walking in a way that seemed subtly considerate of Warrior Seo Im.
And Warrior Seo Im’s movements were different from those of ordinary warriors. Every gesture had the polished refinement of someone who had undergone years of careful instruction.
Just like Lady Seohyang.
If that was the case… there was only one answer.
She wasn’t some female warrior from the Embroidered Guard. She was a Princess.
Once I realized her true identity, I finally remembered why she had looked so familiar.
She had been one of the Princesses who came to judge the Imperial Silk Competition.
But figuring out who she was only gave rise to another question.
What exactly was she after?
Come to think of it, the Emperor had taken some time before summoning me. Perhaps that delay had something to do with this Princess.
.
.
.
The Branch Manager and I worked ourselves hard, and we managed to prepare everything the expedition had requested within three days.
And today was finally the day we would depart for Springview Fortress to investigate the Sword Tomb.
I was going over the supplies one last time to make sure nothing had been forgotten.
“Are you the man called Eun Seo-ho?”
Several men approached me.
Judging by their Qi, they were Embroidered Guards who would be joining us on this expedition.
“Yes, I am. This humble merchant greets you, Great Heroes.”
“At least you know your place.”
“I figured His Majesty’s favor and all the praise you’ve been getting would’ve made you too proud to lower your head.”
“…”
I had a pretty good idea what kind of men these were.
They were the ones who didn’t like me.
Most of the Embroidered Guard viewed me favorably because I had helped them several times, but there were still some who seemed to resent me for that very reason.
That was exactly why I was always so careful.
I had no way of knowing which Embroidered Guards disliked me or which ones might be looking for an excuse to ruin me.
That was why, the last time the Emperor offered me a reward, I had asked him to believe my word absolutely just once.
If one of them ever filed a false report against me, I wanted enough time to prove that the accusation was a lie.
Instead, the Emperor had granted me something even better: limited immunity.
Neither the Embroidered Guard nor the Eastern Depot could take coercive action against me without the Emperor’s direct command.
A very reassuring privilege indeed.
Still, the more I thought about it, the more irritating this was.
How many times had I helped the Embroidered Guard? I had even saved their people before. Yet instead of being grateful, these bastards disliked me.
Then again, I had already learned well enough that being an Embroidered Guard didn’t automatically make someone loyal to the Emperor or an upright person.
“Did you need something from this humble merchant?”
“We came to inspect the goods you prepared. You’re a merchant. For all we know, greed might’ve gotten the better of you and you filled the shipment with inferior goods.”
“That’s how merchants are. No matter how famous a merchant gets, a peddler is still a peddler.”
Wow…
It had been a long time since anyone treated me like this.
I could feel my guards struggling to contain their anger, so I answered with a mild smile.
“Why say something so harsh, Great Heroes? I’m carrying out His Majesty’s orders. If I tried something like that, I’d lose my head.”
“You certainly have a slick tongue.”
At that moment, one of the Embroidered Guards with them leaned his face toward Lady Seohyang beside me.
“Hah! But this woman is quite a beauty, isn’t she? Even that veil can’t hide a face like hers.”
Lady Seohyang looked startled and stepped back, so I moved her behind me before speaking.
“She is my deputy, but she is also my fiancée. I’d appreciate it if you refrained from treating her so disrespectfully.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Then why don’t you get on your knees in front of us?”
“Why wouldn’t he? They say merchants have no pride to begin with. Seems all that imperial favor gave him some pride he never used to have.”
These bastards were far weaker than me…
If I had my way, I would’ve beaten them senseless, but there were too many eyes on us.
They were far enough away that they couldn’t hear what we were saying.
But they would certainly see me if I used martial force.
Worse, none of the Embroidered Guards who would vouch for my side were nearby.
But I wasn’t the kind of person who would simply swallow this and move on.
Especially not after they had harassed Lady Seohyang.
How should I screw these bastards over…
Ah!
A good idea suddenly came to me.
–TL Notes–
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