The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of gold.
And in the distance, at last, the main office of the Eunhae Merchant Group came into view.
“Finally home!”
At my words, Palgap asked,
“You’re that happy, Young Master?”
“Of course I am. It’s home.”
My rear was still numb from riding. Felt like I’d grown a second layer of callus.
And the road from Sichuan to Hubei? Don’t even get me started.
Back in my previous life, this route made it into my top five least favorite business routes.
“The heat is just as bad here too.”
Palgap grumbled.
“It’s still more bearable than Sichuan.”
Said Yeo Eung-am.
To which Lee Pil added,
“This doesn’t even count as heat. I once went to Yunnan in southern Sichuan—it was something else entirely.”
Yeah, Yunnan…
Also one of my most hated routes.
“That does make sense.”
As we talked, we drew closer to the main office—just as someone came galloping toward us from the distance.
Someone very familiar…
“Huh?”
It was Father.
I quickly dismounted, and Palgap and the two guards followed suit.
“Father, I’ve returned from—”
Before I could even finish my greeting, he cut me off.
“What on earth happened?!”
“What do you mean?”
“The salt! Salt, I tell you! Someone from the imperial palace came this morning. Said we’ve been chosen as the designated salt retailer for Hubei Province and that I must leave for Beijing at once!”
I grinned.
“Ah, that’s good news then.”
“This isn’t the time for casual remarks! What happened in Sichuan?! What could’ve happened for Merchant Lord Jin U-rim to send a letter saying I raised a fine son—”
Oh dear, my father might have a heart attack.
“Calm down, Father.”
“How do you expect me to calm—”
“Sure, it’s hard to calm down, but isn’t this great news for the merchant group?”
“It is! Of course it is! It’s huge!”
“But wouldn’t it be a shame if you dropped dead before enjoying it?”
“…Don’t jinx me, you brat.”
“Exactly my point. So take a breath.”
I chuckled and took him by the hand.
“Let’s go inside, Father.”
A little while later,
I washed off the dust and headed to the dining hall, refreshed.
Word had gotten out that I was home, and my family had prepared a welcome meal.
When I entered, I saw them gathered around the table, chatting warmly.
As every eye turned to me, I offered a fist salute and bowed.
“I, your humble son, grandson, and little brother, have returned safely from Sichuan.”
Everyone welcomed me warmly, and only then did it truly feel like I was home.
After a warm dinner and a cup of tea, Father, First Brother, and I headed to Eunwol Pavilion.
The Pavilion Lords were gathered there.
To discuss recent events.
It had been a while. Almost two months since I’d last seen them?
I flinched when I saw Chief Administrator Yu.
He’d looked alright before I left, but now his face was sunken with exhaustion again.
Somehow, it made me feel guilty.
But I had an excuse.
Father told me to go, and Chief Administrator Yu had approved it too.
Everyone greeted me warmly.
“Welcome back, Young Master.”
“Yes, I’ve returned safely.”
After exchanging greetings, we took our seats. Father looked around and spoke.
“As you all know, the Salt Distribution Act was recently declared.”
The room nodded in unison.
“Because of it, each province has designated a merchant group to oversee retail salt sales. We’ve been chosen as the exclusive distributor for Hubei Province.”
“Congratulations!”
“Don’t thank me. This is thanks to all of you.”
Then he looked at me and said,
“Now then, what on earth happened in Sichuan? Tell us everything in detail.”
They hadn’t heard the full story, so all eyes turned to me.
“To think that’s what happened in Sichuan! Merchant Lord Jin’s letter makes sense now.”
“You even saved the life of the Salt Balance Merchant Group’s Merchant Lord!”
“I had no idea he was their new head.”
“The Emperor must’ve kept it quiet. Not surprising we didn’t know.”
“I had several conversations with him, but I didn’t expect him to name us the salt distributor.”
I deflected with a sheepish laugh.
No way I could say I knew in advance.
Then Pavilion Lord Yeon Dami of the Trade Pavilion asked Father,
“According to the imperial decree delivered today, we must arrive in Beijing by the end of the month. If I may ask, when do you plan to depart?”
“Considering the journey, we should leave within five days.”
“Then we’ll prepare accordingly.”
At her words, Pavilion Lord Jeok of the Operations Pavilion and External Chief Administrator Go nodded as well.
“Understood.”
“We’ll proceed as planned.”
Then Father called to me.
“And Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father?”
“You’ll be coming as well.”
“…Me too?”
I blinked, and he nodded.
“But I just got back today. I haven’t even recovered from the journey. Plus, I’ve duties as Assistant Administrator to Chief Administrator Yu.”
Less than a day after returning, I had to leave for Beijing within five days?
I was exhausted.
Assisting Chief Administrator Yu wasn’t easy, but at least meals and rest were scheduled and predictable.
Getting to Beijing in five days? That meant no real rest.
Even without me, Father and Pavilion Lords like Yeon Dami could handle this just fine.
They were capable people.
But then, Chief Administrator Yu let out a sigh.
What was that?
Shouldn’t he be jumping in to agree with me and drag me back to his office?
While I stared, confused, Father spoke again, more seriously.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father?”
“You have no choice. This is the Emperor’s command.”
Ah…
So I had to go.
Damn it.
This wasn’t what I expected. I thought only Father and maybe Eldest Brother would go.
“And one more thing.”
He pulled something from his sleeve and handed it to me.
“Take this.”
A white jade identity plaque with silver inlaid characters.
[Eunhae Merchant Group Deputy Merchant Lord, Eun Seo-ho]
There was no way I wouldn’t recognize it.
It was the same plaque I received when I officially became Deputy Merchant Lord after completing five years of practical training.
The Eunhae Merchant Group didn’t limit the Deputy Merchant Lord position to the eldest son only.
All of the Clan Lord’s children became Deputy Merchant Lords after completing their practical training, and from that point on, they entered a formal competition to become Merchant Lord.
Father too became Merchant Lord by winning that competition.
Those who didn’t make it found other paths that suited them or pioneered their own trade routes and became branch lords.
In my previous life, there was no such competition among my brothers.
My eldest brother offered to yield the Merchant Lord position to me, but I turned him down.
That role wasn’t the right fit for me.
So naturally, Jeong-ho became Merchant Lord, and Jin-ho became the Chief of the Eunpoong Division.
The position I held was Pavilion Lord of the Strategy Pavilion.
It was the division responsible for advising the Merchant Lord.
Anyway, none of that’s happened yet…
What matters now is why Father is giving me this.
“Father, this is…?”
“Do I need to explain?”
“Of course you do! It hasn’t even been a year since I began my practical training.”
“I’m giving it to you because you deserve it.”
“But the other Pavilion Lords…”
“They’ve already given their approval, which is why I’m handing this to you now.”
Which meant the Pavilion Lords of Finance, Operations, and Trade had acknowledged my competency in practical matters.
“But… I haven’t even started training under the Trade and Operations Pavilions yet.”
At my protest, Pavilion Lord Yeon Dami smiled.
“Young Master, we’ve always been observing you. And you were quite the whirlwind, weren’t you?”
“Ah…”
Now that I think about it, I did stir up quite a bit.
“We judged that having you go through the Trade Pavilion’s training would’ve just been a waste of time. And that wasn’t just my opinion, but the consensus of the pavilion’s senior staff.”
“…”
“You acted with such seasoned confidence it felt like you’d already worked in merchant affairs for over ten years. Teaching you anything would only end with us embarrassing ourselves. Hohoho.”
Her laughter was met with a nod from Pavilion Lord Jeok.
“I feel the same way.”
Finally, Chief Administrator Yu spoke up.
“I wanted to work you—no, keep you with me for a few more years, but like Pavilion Lord Yeon said, keeping you longer would be a waste of time.”
Pretty sure he just said he wanted to work me like a mule…
Anyway, if even Chief Administrator Yu’s saying that—
“But if I become Deputy Merchant Lord first, it’ll upset Jin-ho.”
“Jin-ho agreed to this.”
“What? Jin-ho did?”
“He said he’s not interested in the Merchant Lord position anyway and that he’s proud our family produced the youngest Deputy Merchant Lord in its history.”
“Ah…”
Yeah, that sounds like Jin-ho.
“And there’s a reason I’m giving this to you now. Since you’ll be coming to Beijing with me, the title of Deputy Merchant Lord will give you the standing you need to represent yourself properly.”
In other words, Father wanted me to carry myself more confidently in Beijing.
“It’s not that I’m ashamed of your trainee status. You’re already a son I’m proud of, and a true talent of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“I understand your heart, Father.”
He nodded with a pleased smile.
“We’ll have to postpone your public announcement as Deputy Merchant Lord until we return from Beijing, since we depart in five days.”
“I don’t mind.”
Before the ceremony, a Deputy Merchant Lord can’t exercise their authority, even with the title.
That didn’t bother me.
“So it’ll be me, you, and Jeong-ho heading to Beijing? Honestly, this is a great opportunity.”
To my question, Father replied,
“You’re right, it’s a great opportunity. But Jeong-ho said he won’t go.”
“What?”
I turned to Jeong-ho.
“Why not? This is a rare chance!”
“You expect both Father and the Deputy Merchant Lord to be gone at the same time? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“But still…”
“Since Father and you will be gone, someone has to hold down the fort.”
That night.
I headed to the annex where Gong Mil stayed.
“Young Master!”
Gong Lae, who was sitting on a bench in the yard munching snacks, came running over.
“I heard you went to Sichuan!”
“I got back today. Where’s your brother?”
“In the workshop.”
With the Self-Dancing Doll production now divided up by stage, Gong Mil had some free time.
Thanks to that, he’d been able to start researching other clever contraptions.
When I entered his private workshop with Gong Lae, I saw Gong Mil hunched over his workbench, peering at something.
The moment he looked up and saw me, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh! Young Master!”
“Hard at it again, I see.”
He welcomed me cheerfully.
“I heard you’d gone to Sichuan, but when did you return?”
“Today.”
“You must be exhausted…”
“I’m fine, really. More importantly, how’s the thing I asked about coming along?”
“Ah! That one?”
Gong Mil brought over the device from the side of the room.
It was a circular frame with three wooden blades. A long, rectangular box was attached behind the blades.
He’d adjusted the design based on my suggestions, and it looked pretty good.
With a grin, he reached into the box and wound up a wheel inside.
Whrrk, whrrk, whrrk.
After about ten winds, he let go, and the blades began spinning rapidly.
I felt the breeze brushing past.
Technically, I couldn’t feel heat thanks to my body constitution and martial arts, but I could still enjoy the comfort of airflow.
In hot summers, this device had once brought joy to many—a Windcraft Fan.
But calling it a “Windcraft Fan” felt too plain.
“I just thought of a name for this thing.”
“What do you want to call it?”
“It creates wind, right? So, I figured we name it after our family names—how about ‘Eun-Gong Windcraft Fan’ (銀孔風風機)? Pretty cool, right?”
Gong Mil gave a very awkward laugh.
Hmm. What’s with that reaction?
Then Gong Lae said,
“Lame…”
“Huh?”
“The name’s lame.”
“Ah…”
Right. Naming’s never been my strong suit.
.
.
.
After some back-and-forth, we ended up calling it simply “Windcraft Fan.”
The consensus was that the straightforwardness of the name—something that makes wind—was part of its appeal.
I plan to take this with me to Beijing.
And I plan to present it to the Emperor.
Because I know what the Emperor really wants right now.
By offering this, I can get something I want in return.
–TL Notes–
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