I headed to an inn near the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Headquarters to meet with the people from the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.
We had already finished discussing the pepper trade, but I wanted to see Young Lord Seong Yu-jin.
The Myeongmyeong Merchant Group had come all the way to Hubei to finalize the pepper deal, and Father had told them that Young Lord Seong Yu-jin wanted to see me.
The moment I stepped inside the inn, someone came rushing over.
“Great Hero!”
“Ah! Young Lord Yu-jin.”
It was Young Lord Seong Yu-jin.
It felt like it had been about a year since I last saw him. He’d grown quite a bit.
“Have you been doing well?”
“Yes, Great Hero.”
I scratched my head.
“Didn’t I tell you that you don’t have to call me Great Hero?”
“Uncle Jeong-ho was bragging like crazy that his younger brother is the Handsome Young Hero, though?”
Haa, Brother Jeong-ho…
Well, if Brother went around saying that, there was nothing I could do about it.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Ah! Deputy Merchant Lord.”
Seong Cheong-min, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group and Young Lord Seong Yu-jin’s father.
“I heard about what happened through your letter. They say the Eunhae Merchant Group provided a great deal of aid to those who suffered in the disaster in Sichuan.”
“You’re embarrassing me.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“We didn’t do nearly enough to deserve that much praise.”
“I don’t think this is something you need to be modest about. How many lives were saved because of what you did? How many people were given the chance to rebuild their lives?”
“Hahaha.”
Deputy Merchant Lord Seong Cheong-min continued.
“More importantly, I never imagined I’d run into you here in Hubei. I naturally assumed you would head straight to Beijing.”
“As you said, I was originally supposed to go directly to Beijing, but His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to see how things were in Sunyang County, so I was fortunate enough to stop by the Headquarters.”
“I see. Perhaps this is another twist of fate.”
He smiled before continuing.
“We’re planning to head to Beijing once our business here is finished as well.”
“You’re not returning to Sichuan?”
“No. My son said that for his birthday present, he wanted to meet Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Jeong-ho. I thought it would also be a good opportunity for him to broaden his horizons, so I decided we would go to Beijing.”
“I see.”
That made me feel a little guilty. Brother Jeong-ho was in Beijing in the first place because of my suggestion.
Still, visiting Beijing certainly wasn’t a bad thing.
It was the imperial capital and the greatest, most prosperous city in the empire.
Young Lord Seong Yu-jin would eventually inherit his family business as well. Someone destined to stand in a position like that couldn’t afford to spend his whole life trapped at the bottom of a narrow well.
“Then it seems we’ll meet again in Beijing. I’d like to travel together while we have the chance, but as you know, I’m not exactly in a position to come and go as I please.”
“I know. You’re accompanying His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness Prince Seongbo, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It wasn’t exactly a secret.
“That’s unfortunate. Since we can’t travel with you, I suppose I’ll have to hire an escort bureau separately.”
“Weren’t there people from an escort bureau who traveled here with you?”
“Ah, they returned to Sichuan ahead of us. Apparently their escort bureau suffered considerable damage in the earthquake. They said they couldn’t accompany us all the way to Beijing, so we mutually agreed to terminate the contract.”
Even the aftereffects of the earthquake were reaching places like this.
With circumstances like that, of course they had to be allowed to return.
“I see. In that case, I can recommend an escort bureau. It’s called the Changin Escort Bureau, and they frequently take contracts from the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
I continued.
“They’ve made the trip to Beijing many times before, so you can trust them when it comes to safety.”
“As a matter of fact, your father already recommended them to me. If you’re going so far as to recommend them this strongly as well, then I’ll give them the commission.”
“Thank you.”
Whew, that was another job secured.
Escorting the Deputy Merchant Lord of the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group would be a fairly substantial commission.
Something of this scale should help the Changin Escort Bureau quite a bit.
As the Young Palace Lord of Snow Wind Palace, I had a duty to help the Changin Escort Bureau prosper.
I wonder if the members of Snow Wind Palace know.
Do they realize I’m even out here drumming up business for them?
– Kui!
You know? Yeah. Thanks.
.
.
.
Another two days passed, and the day finally came for us to resume our journey to Beijing.
We had stayed for nearly five days, which meant the Crown Prince had gone considerably out of his way to accommodate me.
He hadn’t merely allowed us to stop by on the way. He’d even given me plenty of time to take care of everything.
Before departing for Beijing, I met with my family and said my farewells.
Seeing Grandfather looking healthier and stronger than before, in particular, put my mind at ease.
On the road to Beijing.
I expressed my gratitude to the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness, allow me to thank you once again. Thanks to your consideration, I was able to take care of all the urgent matters I had in Hubei.”
“Why thank me over something so small? We’re the ones who’ve received tremendous help from you. If we couldn’t even grant you this much consideration after all that, what kind of men would we be?”
The Crown Prince laughed heartily.
“Besides, everyone had built up quite a bit of fatigue after working so hard on the relief efforts in Sichuan. A few days of proper rest did them all good. They’ve been telling me they feel lighter on their feet now. Hahaha.”
“I’m grateful that Your Highness sees it that way.”
The Crown Prince lowered his voice.
“And… truthfully, there’s someone living in Sunyang County with very deep ties to the Imperial Family. You know him too, don’t you? Elder Hwangbo.”
“Ah, yes. I do.”
I nodded.
“We became acquainted when he helped tremendously in capturing the assassin who barged into my eldest brother’s Deputy Merchant Lord appointment ceremony. That was when I learned that he was the man once known as the Ghost-faced Constable.”
The Crown Prince nodded.
“He truly is an extraordinary man. I’d been worried because he seemed to be growing weaker with each passing year, but when I saw him a few days ago, he looked almost rejuvenated. It was quite a weight off my mind.”
As expected, the Longevity Herb I gave him must have worked wonderfully.
Even a single cup was said to extend one’s lifespan by several years, and the old man had drunk an entire bowl of it.
“I heard you found some restorative medicine for him?”
“Did Elder Hwangbo tell you about that too?”
At my question, the Crown Prince nodded.
“He also told me that if anything ever happened, I should seek your counsel.”
Ah…
So that was what he meant when he talked about making me an advisor.
“I’ll be counting on you.”
“Then I hope Your Highness will take good care of me as well.”
Our journey continued without incident.
Then again, that was only natural.
This was the procession of the Crown Prince and Prince Seongbo.
Who would have the nerve to interfere with it?
Before long, we arrived in Beijing.
The Crown Prince and Prince Seongbo headed for the Imperial Palace, while I made my way to the Beijing Branch.
They were going to report the relief efforts in Sichuan to His Majesty in front of the imperial officials.
That honor belonged entirely to the Crown Prince and Prince Seongbo.
If I went there, I’d only end up inviting more trouble for myself.
I had already gained more than enough from this trip.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, you’ve returned?”
When I arrived at the Beijing Branch, the branch staff and the members of the Virtuous Wind Department greeted me warmly.
“Where’s Brother Jeong-ho?”
“He’s currently out, sir. The Deputy Merchant Lord of the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group invited him to meet, so he went to a restaurant.”
“I see. They left before we did, so I suppose they’ve already arrived.”
And since they hadn’t been traveling in such a large procession, they would naturally have moved a little faster than us.
“In that case, I shouldn’t interrupt them. I’ll go get some work done.”
I washed myself with warm water and headed to the Virtuous Wind Department. There was a mountain of work waiting for me after being gone so long.
But why are tears coming out again?
“Young Master, are you… crying right now?”
“No. I got pollen in my eyes.”
.
.
.
That night.
Warrior Jin Yeong came to see me.
I stopped what I was doing and went to meet him.
“This humble merchant greets you.”
“You’ve worked hard in Sichuan.”
“It was a matter involving our merchant group as well. I haven’t done anything worth thanking me for.”
“If you hadn’t warned us ahead of time, the chaos and damage in Sichuan would have been far worse. Your contribution was considerable.”
That was undeniably true, so I could only smile awkwardly.
“Get ready and come with me immediately. His Majesty is summoning you.”
A short while later.
I prostrated myself before His Majesty and offered the highest degree of respect.
“Raise your head.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”
“I heard what happened in Sichuan from the Crown Prince and Prince Seongbo. You did quite a lot there this time.”
If anyone else had said that, I would have responded with the proper modesty, but not here.
If I acted humble in front of His Majesty, he’d probably ask, ‘Since when did someone like you learn modesty?’
“I couldn’t simply stand there and watch while people were dying right in front of me.”
“And that is why I like you, you little bastard.”
“Pardon?”
“There are plenty of people in this world who can stand by and do nothing even while others die before their eyes. There are even more who see such a tragedy and start wondering how they can profit from it.”
I wasn’t quite sure how I was supposed to respond to that, so I lowered my head again.
“Anyway, I heard something from the Crown Prince. Apparently you treated my old friend to some restorative medicine?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I answered honestly.
“I happened to find a Longevity Herb, so I brewed it and gave it to Elder Hwangbo.”
“A Longevity Herb?”
Spirit herbs were the sort of thing that an ignorant person wouldn’t recognize even if you placed one directly in their hands. Being the Emperor didn’t mean he knew every single one either.
And given how rare the Longevity Herb was, it wasn’t particularly famous.
“Bring me the Spirit Herb Catalogue.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I could have explained it myself, but doing so would have sounded as though I were boasting about what I’d done, so I kept my mouth shut.
A eunuch soon brought over a book, and the Emperor began flipping through its pages.
Before long, his hand stopped. After reading the entry, he stared at me in disbelief.
“Does that fellow know what you gave him?”
“Yes. I told him.”
“And what did he say?”
“He called me a lunatic.”
“That sounds exactly like him. Though I’m sure he still drank every last drop and scraped the bowl clean afterward.”
“You know him well.”
“Of course I do. We’ve known each other since we were young.”
The Emperor closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
“Thank you.”
“…Pardon?”
The gratitude came so suddenly that I questioned him before I even realized what I was doing.
For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard him.
Apparently, I hadn’t.
“Truthfully, watching that man grow weaker with each passing day had been weighing heavily on my mind. Thank you for giving him a little more time to remain by my side.”
“Forgive me for saying this, Your Majesty, but I did it for myself as well.”
I smiled.
“Elder Ghost-faced Constable is someone precious to me too.”
“Then I hope you will continue to treasure him in the future. That bastard is my one and only friend.”
“…”
“When I think about it, I was truly fortunate to have him. Thanks to him, I’ve been able to rule this empire without losing my mind.”
They really were far closer than ordinary friends.
“The Crown Prince will be leaving for Nanjing soon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Take this.”
The Grand Eunuch accepted something from the Emperor and brought it to me.
I took it and tilted my head.
What the Emperor had bestowed upon me was a necklace. Set into it was a red gemstone engraved with the character 許, meaning permission.
Permission for what?
“Normally, whenever the Crown Prince stays in Nanjing, a record is kept of everyone he meets and delivered to me.”
That made sense. No matter how much he was the Crown Prince, from an Emperor’s perspective, he wasn’t someone who could simply be trusted without oversight.
Though His Majesty didn’t seem like the sort of man who would doubt his own son without reason… Perhaps this was meant to evaluate the Crown Prince’s performance?
“As you know, not just anyone can meet with the Crown Prince. But if you show them that necklace, you’ll be able to see him whenever you wish.”
“Pardon?”
I couldn’t help but be startled.
If that was true, then this necklace was exceedingly valuable.
“My old friend asked you to serve as an advisor to the Crown Prince, didn’t he?”
“Ah… yes. I’m lacking in many ways, but I accepted his request.”
“I am asking the same thing of you. Serve as the Crown Prince’s advisor.”
The Emperor continued.
“In all my life, I’ve never seen anyone as capable as you who is also so damned shrewd at taking a profit while avoiding every loss that comes your way. And it seems that overly gentle Crown Prince of mine has been learning quite a bit from watching you.”
“Wasn’t that already Your Majesty’s intention when you sent the Crown Prince to me in the first place?”
At my words, the Emperor clicked his tongue and grumbled.
“…Sharp little bastard.”
I politely lowered my head.
“They say a tiger never fathers a dog. His Highness the Crown Prince is the son of Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Do you think I don’t know my own son? The more I look at him, the more I think he skipped a generation and took after my father.”
The Emperor continued.
“My father was far too gentle a man. So when his own younger brother bared his fangs at him, he stepped down from the throne in exchange for a promise that his sons would be allowed to retain their princely titles.”
“…”
That was true.
The previous Emperor had been the current Emperor’s uncle.
“That was how I survived and was allowed to become a ruler. My fief may have been on the distant frontier, but at the time, I had no choice but to be grateful simply for being allowed to live.”
The Emperor ground his teeth.
“I refuse to let my son suffer that same humiliation.”
“How could someone like me possibly understand the full weight of Your Majesty’s feelings? My only concern is that I am merely a lowly merchant.”
“Hmph!”
The Emperor snorted.
“Hearing you call yourself a lowly merchant sounds utterly ridiculous.”
“…”
“To survive in this Imperial Palace, one must become a merchant. I consider politics a kind of trade. A ruler who insists on forcing through only his own will becomes nothing more than a tyrant. And we know what happens to those.”
The Emperor continued.
“If I want to gain something, I have to give something in return. Sometimes I must coax someone, placate them, or persuade them. And even when it appears that I’m taking a loss in the process, I must ensure that I never truly lose.”
Now that he put it that way… he wasn’t wrong.
“That is why I’m placing you beside the Crown Prince. As far as I’m concerned, you possess the greatest talent for commerce under heaven.”
Your Majesty.
If you put it like that, how am I supposed to do anything but give this everything I have?
.
.
.
The next day.
There was still plenty of work I hadn’t finished, so I headed for my office as soon as I finished breakfast.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, the matters you urgently need to handle today are…”
As I walked along listening to Young Lady Seohyang beside me, one of the gatekeepers came running toward me.
“Third Deputy Merchant Lord! You have a guest!”
–TL Notes–
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