The reason Son Mun was so startled was because there was a medicinal herb inside the sack.
Of course, he wouldn't have reacted that way if it had been some ordinary herb. But the herb inside was anything but ordinary.
It was the Poison-Suppressing Herb, something his son desperately needed.
The herb was effective at suppressing poison within the body, but it was relatively rare and extremely expensive.
His son needed such an expensive herb because of a condition he'd been born with.
Working with raw gemstones sometimes required the use of toxic chemicals, and Son Mun's wife had mistakenly drunk one of those chemicals.
Her condition had been so dire that no one would have been surprised if she'd died on the spot, yet she stubbornly clung to life for the sake of giving birth to their child.
She ultimately managed to deliver the baby, but the poison had affected the child as well.
“The poison that entered the mother's body remains inside the child. It'll continue eating away at him.”
“Then what am I supposed to do! How can I save my Yun-seok?”
“There is a way. He'll need an herb called the Poison-Suppressing Herb, but it's quite expensive.”
“Do you think money matters right now? He's my only son. The only son my dead wife left me!”
“All right. Then I'll do everything I can. Fortunately, it doesn't seem as though he'll need the herb for the rest of his life. If he can make it to adulthood, he should be fine.”
And so Son Mun had poured every coin he earned into securing Poison-Suppressing Herb, but even that hadn't been enough.
He had managed to hold on by slowly eating into the savings he'd put aside over the years, but those savings were nearly exhausted.
Signing a contract with the Eunhae Merchant Group had put out the immediate fire, but now there was nowhere else for him to get more money.
That was why he had found himself wavering over the offers made by those trying to buy him off.
‘Why in the world is this here?’
With that question in mind, he searched through the sack and discovered a small note.
He carefully took it out and unfolded it.
[Thank you for signing a contract with the Eunhae Merchant Group. I heard that you need this Poison-Suppressing Herb for your son's treatment. The Eunhae Merchant Group will provide you with the Poison-Suppressing Herb, so I hope you will devote your talents to the Eunhae Merchant Group's jewelry business. – Eun Seo-ho.]
“…”
Cold sweat ran down Son Mun's back as he read it.
“Brother Son! What are you still doing?”
“Aren't you leaving?”
“Ah, there's just something I need to finish up. You all go on ahead.”
He forced himself to keep his expression under control and sent the other artisans away first, then read the note again.
Only now, the words seemed to say something entirely different.
[Do not underestimate the Eunhae Merchant Group. We already know everything about you and everything you're doing. Remain loyal to the Eunhae Merchant Group, and we'll save your son's life. Betray us, and neither you nor your son will live. So choose wisely.]
Son Mun bit his lip and burned the note.
* * *
I sat alone in my office, handling paperwork while I waited for my visitor.
Artisan Son Mun, one of the artisans responsible for making jewelry.
His craftsmanship was exceptional.
He could create items so extraordinary that even I couldn't help but admire them – pieces so beautiful that calling them mere products almost felt insulting. They deserved to be called works of art.
If he hadn't betrayed the Eunhae Merchant Group, the jewelry business would've grown at an astonishing pace.
And if that had happened, the Eunhae Merchant Group probably would've climbed even higher even faster.
That was just how painful Artisan Son Mun's betrayal had been.
After discovering that information about the jewelry business had been leaked, the Eunhae Merchant Group's Intelligence Unit eventually identified the culprit and learned why he'd done it.
It had been because of his sick son.
His circumstances were tragic, and his talent was far too valuable to throw away, so we'd intended to forgive him and keep working with him. But we never got the chance.
The people who had bought him off murdered him.
And when they murdered his son as well, even I hadn't been able to hide my grief.
The Eunhae Merchant Group specialized in medicinal herbs.
If only he'd simply told us the truth and asked for help…
But I suppose that hadn't been easy for him.
Maybe desperation had narrowed his vision. Maybe he'd thought he had no right to ask us for that kind of favor.
So this time, I reached out to him first.
At the same time, though, it was also a warning.
A warning that I knew exactly what situation he was in, and that he had better make the smart choice.
There was a simple reason I'd gone out of my way to move ahead of time under the excuse of inspecting the operation.
I knew why Brother Jeong-ho had thrown himself into this jewelry business.
He wanted to firmly establish his position as the next Merchant Lord.
Brother Jin-ho and I had already made it clear that neither of us intended to become the Merchant Lord, so Brother Jeong-ho becoming the next Merchant Lord was practically a foregone conclusion.
But Brother Jeong-ho himself didn't want to take the position based solely on the accomplishments he'd already accumulated.
He also wanted to prove his abilities to the merchant group's retainers and employees.
Brother Jeong-ho had thrown himself into this with so much determination. As his younger brother, how could I not do everything I could to help him?
“My Lord. Artisan Son Mun has arrived.”
Escort Guard Seo Wu's voice came from outside.
Good. He hadn't come too late.
I spoke toward the door.
“Send him in.”
The door opened, and Artisan Son Mun entered. The moment he saw me, he dropped flat to the floor in a deep bow.
“This lowly man greets the Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Lowly? I've seen how many beautiful things those hands of yours can create. Why would you call yourself lowly?”
I personally helped him up.
“Please, get up.”
“No! I've committed a grave offense.”
Unable to raise his head, he continued.
“I dared contemplate betraying the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“And did you actually hand over any information belonging to the Eunhae Merchant Group?”
“No, but…”
“Then you haven't committed any offense. Why are you acting like you have?”
I lightly tapped my temple with my index finger.
“Who's going to condemn a man for something that never left his head? It only becomes a problem once he actually acts on it, doesn't it?”
Even then, Artisan Son Mun couldn't bring himself to raise his head.
“I'd rather not have a conversation with the top of your head. So please, get up now.”
He hesitated for a moment before finally lifting his head.
I helped him to his feet and seated him in a chair beside the tea table.
“My eldest brother knows about this as well. He's an incredibly gentle and virtuous man, but at heart, he's still a merchant. And when he needs to be frightening, he can be truly frightening.”
“…”
“Like I just said, however, he's a virtuous man, so he gives people one chance. This is that chance, and I'm giving it to you under my eldest brother's orders.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Brother Jeong-ho knew absolutely nothing about any of this.
That was why he'd been so devastated in my previous life.
“I'm glad you've made the wise choice.”
At my words, Artisan Son Mun placed the Poison-Suppressing Herb on the table with trembling hands.
“You've given me something so precious. How could I possibly…”
I looked at the herb and spoke.
“I heard your son is ill.”
“He is.”
With a sigh, he began to explain.
I already knew the story, but I listened attentively as though I were hearing it for the first time.
In the process, I even learned a few things I hadn't known before.
One of them was that once his son reached adulthood, he would no longer need to take the Poison-Suppressing Herb.
If I remembered correctly, when Son Mun and his son died in my previous life, the boy had only been a few years short of adulthood.
Damn…
They'd only needed to hold on a little longer.
I spoke to him.
“The Eunhae Merchant Group specializes in medicinal herbs. If you needed medicinal herbs, why didn't you simply tell us? We sell them to our employees at a special discounted price.”
“…There's a benefit like that?”
“There should've been a booklet explaining the benefits provided by the merchant group… Didn't you read it?”
Artisan Son Mun scratched his head.
“We can't personally make sure every employee takes advantage of every benefit available to them. If you don't claim what's available, you're the one losing out.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
“Anyway, my eldest brother and I both place great value on you, Artisan Son Mun. That's why we'll provide your son with the Poison-Suppressing Herb until he reaches adulthood.”
Artisan Son Mun's eyes widened at my words.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“But it won't be free.”
“I never expected it to be. How could I possibly have the nerve to ask for something that expensive for free?”
“That's the right attitude.”
I grinned and slid a contract across the table.
It was a lifetime contract.
There was no chance I was going to let someone this talented reach the end of his contract and then sign with someone else.
The Poison-Suppressing Herb was bait – bait meant to tie Artisan Son Mun to the Eunhae Merchant Group for the rest of his life.
“What do you think?”
“There's nothing to think about. I'll sign it immediately.”
Artisan Son Mun couldn't possibly refuse the bait I'd dangled in front of him.
After Artisan Son Mun left, I carefully stored away the contract he'd signed.
With this, at least no one would be able to complain that the jewelry from Brother Jeong-ho's business wasn't beautiful enough.
Which meant it was time to deal with the person who had approached Artisan Son Mun.
Artisan Son Mun had confessed that someone had sent him a letter in an attempt to entice him.
But he claimed he didn't know who they were.
Naturally. They weren't idiots. They wouldn't expose their identities that carelessly.
Artisan Son Mun said the letter had instructed him to appear at a designated location at an appointed time if he was willing to accept their offer.
But I already knew who the culprit was.
“Palgap!”
“Yes! Did you call for me?”
“Could you get Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am for me?”
* * *
It was the middle of the night, the surroundings swallowed in darkness.
A man licked his lips while staring straight ahead.
His eyes were fixed on the Eunhae Merchant Group's gate.
Before long, the gate opened and someone emerged.
‘That's Son Mun.’
The man's eyes gleamed.
There was one reason he was willing to resort to such underhanded methods.
His family's business.
He was Hwang Gon, the Hwang Merchant Group's Merchant Lord's second son, and recently, the Hwang Merchant Group had gained a new problem.
The rapidly growing Eunhae Merchant Group had entered Beijing's jewelry business.
If the Eunhae Merchant Group established itself there, the Hwang Merchant Group's position would shrink and its profits would plummet.
That was why they had to interfere with the Eunhae Merchant Group's jewelry business by any means necessary.
And that was why Hwang Gon had stepped forward.
“Father! Leave it to me!”
After making that bold declaration, he investigated the Eunhae Merchant Group's jewelry business and discovered that the artisans they'd recently recruited were the heart of the entire operation.
He also identified which one of those artisans had a sick son, then used that son as leverage in an attempt to buy the artisan over.
That artisan was Son Mun.
Even after seeing his target emerge, Hwang Gon didn't approach immediately. Instead, he carefully checked behind him.
He was an extremely cautious man by nature.
He spent a long time studying the surroundings, but there was no one following Son Mun.
‘Good. Time to head to the meeting place.’
Their meeting place was beneath a nearby tree.
He had deliberately marked the location by tying three strips of white cloth around its branches.
Artisan Son Mun stood beneath the tree with an anxious expression.
Hwang Gon soon approached with his Escort Guard. He ordered the man to wait some distance away, then walked toward Artisan Son Mun alone.
“You came, just as promised.”
“…”
“Are you the one who sent me that letter?”
“I am.”
“If I cooperate with you, what do I get in return?”
Hwang Gon grinned.
“Money. Enough that you'll have no trouble buying the medicine you need.”
“…”
“Well?”
“Then what exactly do you want me to do for you?”
“I heard the Eunhae Merchant Group is getting into the jewelry business. Those fucking bastards should've stuck to what they were already doing. Why the hell do they have to barge into someone else's trade?”
“…”
“Anyway, all you have to do is tell me everything you know about the Eunhae Merchant Group's jewelry business.”
“Is that really all?”
“Of course.”
“…”
“Why are you hesitating?”
“It's just… this would mean betraying the people who hired me…”
“Isn't your son's life worth far more than a little guilty conscience? You really think those bastards at the Eunhae Merchant Group give a damn whether your son lives or dies?”
“…”
“This is your advance.”
Hwang Gon handed him a pouch, and Son Mun accepted it.
“Now start talking. Tell me what you know.”
“All right.”
He nodded.
“First, the Eunhae Merchant Group's jewelry business is going to be a tremendous success.”
“I know that already! That's why I'm furious!”
“If you don't want to fall behind, shouldn't you simply work to make jewelry as good as the Eunhae Merchant Group's? If you spend the money that should go toward finding skilled artisans and developing new jewelry designs on drinking and entertainment instead, is it really the Eunhae Merchant Group's fault when you go under? You'd be ruined because you didn't put in the effort yourselves.”
“T-That's…”
Hwang Gon found himself at a loss for words.
It was true that the Hwang Merchant Group had made a huge profit after stumbling into unexpected success, then squandered that money on entertainment and pleasure until indulgence consumed them and they stopped putting any real effort into the business.
But then… something suddenly felt wrong.
He realized Son Mun wasn't giving him information at all.
The bastard was lecturing him.
Hwang Gon exploded in anger.
“Did I say I wanted to hear that crap? Give me the information! The information! You're not thinking of taking my money and screwing me over, are you? You think I'll leave your son alone if you…”
He never managed to finish.
Someone had just jumped down from the tree above them.
Tap.
“Y-You!”
An exceptionally handsome man stood before them.
There wasn't anyone in Beijing who didn't recognize that face.
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho! W-What are you doing here?”
“What exactly are you discussing out here with someone employed by the Eunhae Merchant Group?”
“Perfect timing!”
Hwang Gon immediately concocted a story. There was no evidence against him anyway.
“This Artisan Son Mun stole one of the Hwang Merchant Group's techniques. I threatened him over it, and now he's trying to hush me up by giving me this money… You don't honestly think I'm going to let that slide, do you?”
“Is that so? What technique did he steal, exactly?”
“T-That…”
“That's strange. The only sort of technique this man could possibly steal from you would be a martial art. Does the Hwang Merchant Group possess martial arts impressive enough to be worth stealing?”
“What kind of word game is that! I'm talking about an artisan's techniques for working raw gemstones!”
“An artisan? Oh dear. Is your eyesight failing you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Take a closer look. Does this man still look like Artisan Son Mun to you?”
–TL Notes–
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