When I stepped out of the exhibition hall, I saw four noblewomen approaching together.
“It’s an honor to welcome such distinguished ladies.”
Jeong-ho and I greeted them with a respectful bow.
“My daughter has been singing your praises so much that I simply had to come and see for myself.”
Jeong-ho smiled at the elderly noblewoman’s words.
“Thank you. I hope the pieces from Floral Splendor will be to your liking as well, my lady. Did you happen to bring your invitation?”
At that, the noblewoman I had met a few days ago handed over her invitation. After checking it, we escorted the four of them inside.
Anyone with an invitation could enter immediately without waiting in line.
Noblewomen continued to arrive at the exhibition one after another, and every last one of them bought at least one piece of jewelry.
The pieces were quite expensive, yet watching them make their purchases without the slightest hesitation convinced me that holding this exhibition had been the right decision.
“Oh my, this is absolutely beautiful.”
“This really is the only one of its kind in the entire world, isn’t it?”
“I suppose I’ll have to become a regular here.”
I watched them with a satisfied smile.
Once word began spreading through women like them, the name Floral Splendor would become famous in no time.
.
.
.
The three-day exhibition finally came to an end.
The Supervisor in charge of the Floral Splendor business came forward to report the final accounts.
“…which brings the net profit from this exhibition to…”
Every one of us could only stare at him with our mouths hanging open.
We had expected a handsome profit, but none of us had imagined it would be this enormous.
“It seems the jewelry made from that so-called cursed gemstone drew far more attention than we anticipated.”
“I have no idea who started that rumor, but I imagine they’re sick to their stomach right about now.”
Whoever had spread the rumor had covered their tracks rather thoroughly, so we had yet to uncover any hard evidence.
Even so, we had a fairly good idea who was behind it.
Jeong-ho nodded at the Supervisors’ remarks.
“I imagine so. But didn’t they bring this upon themselves?”
“Indeed.”
“If the profits are this substantial, perhaps we should hold another exhibition next time?”
That was far too shortsighted.
I was about to object, but Jeong-ho beat me to it.
“I don’t think that would be wise. We’ve already accomplished what we needed to with the exhibition – attracting attention and promoting the store. People become accustomed to new things surprisingly quickly. If we keep doing the same thing, they may grow bored of it. Worse, it could make Floral Splendor seem less exclusive.”
As expected of Jeong-ho.
He understood exactly what made the exhibition effective.
Something like this worked precisely because it was a one-time event. It wasn’t the sort of thing we could repeat on a regular basis.
“Still, I appreciate all of you offering your thoughts for Floral Splendor’s sake.”
And then there was his ability to acknowledge everyone’s opinions without dismissing them.
Whenever I saw that side of him, I became even more convinced that Jeong-ho was the one truly suited to being Merchant Lord.
Someone with a personality as unpleasant as mine would have a hard time managing that.
– Kui?
Was I still sulking over what Palgap said before?
No… not particularly.
It was true that I had a bad personality, and it was equally true that having one occasionally worked to my advantage.
His words had simply hit a little too close to home.
Then again, Palgap only spoke to me that bluntly because he was Palgap. Who else would dare say something like that straight to my face?
In any case, Floral Splendor had gotten off to a successful start, so I wouldn’t need to concern myself with it much from here on.
Jeong-ho would undoubtedly lead it well, just as he had in my previous life.
The Third Month was nearly upon us, and the weather would soon begin to warm.
Around this time, hadn’t something major happened…?
After finishing the meeting and returning to my office, I found Lady Seohyang pacing restlessly.
“Ah! Deputy Merchant Lord!”
“What happened?”
At my question, Lady Seohyang glanced toward Deputy Gal.
Understanding what she meant, I suggested that we take a short walk.
“Shall we go for a walk?”
“Yes.”
We headed into the rear garden together, and once we reached a secluded area with no one nearby, I asked her again.
“What happened?”
“There’s going to be a massive earthquake in Sichuan Province.”
“…!”
The instant I heard those words, I finally remembered what I had been trying to recall.
There had been an incident that shook the entire empire just as the famine was coming to an end.
A devastating earthquake had struck Sichuan Province.
Sichuan had always experienced frequent earthquakes, but this one had been on an entirely different scale.
The reason I hadn’t immediately remembered it was simple – the Eunhae Merchant Group had suffered almost no damage.
The earthquake had struck western Sichuan, while the eastern regions, including Chengdu, escaped relatively lightly.
Among the martial factions, the Qingcheng Sect had suffered the greatest losses.
I remembered the Emei Sect being affected as well, but not nearly as severely.
In that case, there was no need to go out of my way to evacuate Sister Hyang-ok.
I needed to think this through calmly.
If I remembered correctly, the true devastation from the Sichuan earthquake had come not from the initial tremors, but from everything that followed.
The earthquake had struck without warning, and landslides had cut off entire regions, leaving countless communities isolated and delaying rescue efforts.
Worse, Sichuan’s geography made it extremely difficult to receive aid from elsewhere.
The very terrain that made the province a natural fortress had turned into its greatest liability.
Sichuan’s officials had done everything they could to handle the disaster, but the situation had only begun to stabilize after the emperor dispatched a massive relief force.
If that was the case, then what I needed to do was obvious.
I had to send aid into Sichuan before the earthquake ever struck.
I couldn’t stop the earthquake itself, but I could at least make sure we were ready to deal with the aftermath.
“Deputy Gwak. I’m going to Sichuan. I think it would be better for you to remain somewhere safe like this.”
She immediately shook her head.
“I’ve already promised to marry you, Deputy Merchant Lord. They say husband and wife are of one heart and body. How could I refuse to go wherever my future husband goes?”
“It’s going to be a dangerous and difficult journey.”
“Is it because you think I’ll hold you back?”
“Of course not.”
I hurriedly waved my hands.
“You’ve been an enormous help to me. Why would you even say something like that?”
“Then I’m coming with you. I’m certain there will be places where my abilities are needed.”
After she put it that way, there was no longer much I could say to dissuade her.
“Besides, we’ve already traveled to the North Sea Ice Palace and Yunnan together. Is Sichuan really going to be more dangerous than either of those?”
“…”
I had no answer to that.
“All right. We’ll go together.”
Now I needed to find Jeong-ho.
I would be away for quite a while, so I needed his understanding. There were also a few things I wanted to ask of him.
I headed straight for Jeong-ho’s office.
“What brings you here?”
Despite the tremendous success of the exhibition, Jeong-ho wasn’t smiling nearly as much as I had expected.
“I thought you’d be happier about this.”
“Ah…”
Jeong-ho let out a sigh.
“The real work starts now. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make sure a store like Floral Splendor holds on to its reputation?”
He continued.
“You know as well as I do how many stores burst onto the scene with tremendous momentum, only to vanish just as quickly.”
“Well, that’s true.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Plenty of stores make a spectacular debut, only to fade from everyone’s memory so completely that no one even notices when they shut down.”
“Exactly. The most important thing is making sure people don’t forget us. Of course, we need to keep producing excellent products, but public perception matters just as much…”
“We need to keep people talking about us without making ourselves look cheap or desperate for attention… That’s a difficult balance.”
If Jeong-ho was already worrying about that, then the timing couldn’t have been better.
“Actually, that works out perfectly. Brother, give me twenty percent of what we earned from this exhibition.”
“Hm? What for?”
“You know Geumryeong, the little creature I keep?”
“Of course. That fist-sized Spirit Beast that looks like a pig.”
“Huh? How did you know Geumryeong was a Spirit Beast?”
“When I got separated from everyone, Geumryeong threatened a raccoon into telling me where to find the Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom that saved my life. At that point, wouldn’t it be stranger if Geumryeong wasn’t a Spirit Beast?”
“Well… when you put it that way. Come to think of it, I wonder how Young Lord Seong Yu-jin is doing.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about him.”
“Hm?”
“I received a letter before coming here. Apparently, his martial arts have already reached the level of a First-rate warrior.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Jeong-ho’s own martial arts had also reached the First-rate level.
It was thanks to the Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom he had eaten.
But that was a secret we had never revealed publicly.
That way, if anyone ever attacked him, his true strength could become the advantage that kept him alive.
“So why did you bring up Geumryeong?”
“I sent Geumryeong on an errand. I wanted to know whether that Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom was still growing well. But according to Geumryeong, there’s going to be a massive earthquake in Sichuan Province.”
“What?”
Jeong-ho shot to his feet.
“A massive earthquake?”
“Yeah. An enormous one. Fortunately, the area around Chengdu should be relatively safe, but the northwest will be hit hard. That’s why I’m planning to go to Sichuan myself.”
“Ah, so you want to use part of the exhibition profits to help Sichuan.”
I nodded.
There was a reason I intended to travel all the way to Sichuan even though the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Sichuan Branch would suffer almost no damage.
It tied directly into the very problem Jeong-ho had just been thinking about.
Part of it was because I couldn’t simply stand by while people suffered from a natural disaster, but it was also an opportunity to raise the Eunhae Merchant Group’s reputation.
“Exactly. If we do this, just like you said, public perception of us will improve considerably.”
“That’s a good idea. But are you sure about going personally? You’ll be heading directly into an earthquake-stricken region. That alone will be dangerous, and the recovery efforts afterward won’t be easy either.”
I smiled at Jeong-ho’s concern.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Once I had Jeong-ho’s permission, I immediately ordered everyone to begin preparing for our departure to Sichuan. Then I sent Escort Guard Lee Pil to deliver a letter to Warrior Jin Yeong.
.
.
.
That evening.
Warrior Jin Yeong came to see me.
“It’s an honor to see you, Warrior Jin Yeong.”
“You certainly put on quite a spectacle this time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Was it the cursed gemstone? I’m talking about the exhibition.”
“Ah! You mean Soul of the Sea.”
“So, was that story actually true?”
He was a member of the Embroidered Guard.
I had no idea why he was asking when he almost certainly knew the answer already, but there was no reason for me to lie.
“The gemstone itself is genuine, but I doubt the rumor was. One of our rival merchant groups spread it, and we simply turned the rumor to our advantage.”
“Hahaha! I knew it.”
Warrior Jin Yeong burst into hearty laughter.
“The Hwang Merchant Group must be furious.”
So it really had been the Hwang Merchant Group, just as I suspected.
He had deliberately brought up the matter to let me know without saying it outright.
“Actually, my wife attended your exhibition as well. She came home with a hairpin.”
“I see. When did she visit? If I’d known she was there, I would have given it to her as a gift.”
“Tsk! You can’t do that.”
Warrior Jin Yeong waved a hand dismissively.
“I can afford a hairpin. Besides, with His Majesty watching over us, accepting gifts like that could land me in serious trouble.”
He had a point. With the emperor keeping such a close eye on things, an Embroidered Guard accepting jewelry like that could very well lose his head over it.
Considering what had happened to Embroidered Guards who accepted bribes and harmed the empire in the past, refusing such gifts and simply doing their duty was far wiser.
“My apologies. I failed to consider your circumstances and nearly put you in an awkward position.”
“There’s no need to go that far. I appreciate the thought.”
“Still, I apologize.”
“So, why did you call me here?”
Now we were getting to the real reason.
I spoke to Warrior Jin Yeong.
“I’m going to Sichuan Province, and I wanted to inform you beforehand.”
“Sichuan Province? Is this related to the merchant group?”
“In a sense, but to be precise, I’m going there to conduct relief efforts.”
“Relief efforts? Has something happened in Sichuan Province?”
Warrior Jin Yeong’s expression immediately turned grave.
And understandably so. He shouldn’t have received any reports of trouble from Sichuan, so if some major disaster had already occurred without the Embroidered Guard knowing, that would be an extremely serious matter.
“Not yet.”
“Not yet? What exactly is that supposed to mean? Explain it properly so I can understand.”
“Yes. As you already know, Warrior Jin Yeong, I occasionally have prophetic dreams.”
It had been a while since I pulled out that particular excuse.
But if I wanted to explain how I knew about the coming earthquake in Sichuan Province, this was the best option.
I couldn’t reveal Lady Seohyang’s secret to an outsider, and I certainly couldn’t reveal Geumryeong’s abilities either.
“Prophetic dreams?”
Warrior Jin Yeong stroked his chin, his expression serious.
Prophetic dreams sounded absurd when you really thought about them, but I had already established a precedent.
My prophetic dream had allowed us to prepare for the famine in advance.
That was why Warrior Jin Yeong couldn’t simply dismiss what I was saying.
“Countless people will die because they can’t receive treatment in time. Those trapped in isolated areas will starve, and bands of thieves will run rampant, plunging the province into even greater chaos.”
I paused briefly to catch my breath before continuing.
“The Eunhae Merchant Group has a branch in Sichuan Province, and I have relatives there as well. How could I simply stand by while the people there suffer?”
“So you intend to send aid to Sichuan on behalf of the merchant group?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded.
“We earned a considerable profit from the exhibition we held to celebrate Floral Splendor’s opening. I believe we should use at least part of that profit for the well-being of the empire.”
“I see.”
Warrior Jin Yeong rose from his seat with a grave expression.
“Understood. Then I should be going. I need to see His Majesty.”
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won't get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt