After safely resolving the counterfeit-draft case, my companions and I returned to the Beijing Branch.
Of course, I'd released the Novel Disguise Art and returned to my original appearance.
Had Gang Il's reunion with his family gone well?
Well, the Money House Lord would have made sure they were properly looked after.
People welcomed me back.
“Did your business trip go well?”
“Yes. Thank you for all your hard work while I was away.”
“Young Master!”
Palgap came running from far off, his feet pattering rapidly.
“You left me behind! Do you know how much I missed you, Young Master?”
“I missed you a lot too. Let's go inside.”
After washing thoroughly, I entered the office with my body and mind refreshed.
“Welcome back.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Lady Seohyang tapped the writing desk in the office as she spoke.
“Come and sit down.”
“All right.”
And with that, I plunged into an ocean of work.
Still, my experience at the money house hadn't been wasted. I could view the documents from a somewhat different perspective than before.
This must have been why experience mattered.
Even so, work was work.
There was no such thing as a job that wasn't tiring.
Only that night did I finally manage to escape the ocean of work.
“Whew…”
“You've worked hard.”
“Being away for the past fifteen days or so has had quite an effect.”
“Normally, it wouldn't be this bad. But summer is almost here.”
True. Summer was the season for Windcraft Fans.
“Speaking of which, I'm worried about this summer. There's going to be quite a lot of rain.”
“Summer rain is all right, though. It's autumn rain that's the problem, isn't it?”
When rain fell frequently in autumn, when the grain needed to ripen, the lack of sunshine affected the crops.
Fortunately, there wouldn't be much rain this autumn. Summer, however, would be fairly wet.
“That gave me an idea. What if we put our merchant group's name on umbrellas and handed them out to our employees? Wouldn't that help advertise us?”
Oh?
Come to think of it, that was quite a good idea.
“And if simply having one of those umbrellas could become something to be proud of… Well, it would give them a sense of belonging.”
“That's an excellent idea.”
With a pleased smile, I asked her a question.
“Most people would think of painting a pretty picture on an umbrella. What made you think of that?”
“I wanted the Eunhae Merchant Group to be known everywhere. Then the idea just came to me.”
“I see. Thank you for caring so much about the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“We're in this together now. If I don't care about the Eunhae Merchant Group, who will?”
I laughed softly at her words.
For some reason, the plum scent drifting from her seemed especially lovely that day.
I would have to put Lady Seohyang's proposal into action right away.
The next day, I got up early and trained on the training grounds.
As always, Lady Seohyang was practicing martial arts with me.
Then Palgap approached.
“Young Master! A Messenger has just arrived.”
“A Messenger?”
“Yes. He brought word that the people who left Jinan will arrive around lunchtime today.”
Ah! The handover at the Jinan quarry was finally complete.
That meant the people from the Eunhae Merchant Group's Headquarters had arrived at the quarry in Jinan and were getting on with the work.
That was welcome news.
“Ah! And they say the Merchant Lord is traveling with them.”
“What? Father?”
How wonderful to have a chance to see Father!
Still, being happy to see him was one thing. I needed to move quickly first.
It would be troublesome to get caught in a surprise inspection.
“Palgap. Bring Brother Jeong-ho and the Branch Manager here right away.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
A little after lunchtime that day, the people who had been sent to the quarry in Jinan, Shandong, returned to the Beijing Branch.
And there was a face I was delighted to see, stepping down from one of the carriages.
Brother Jeong-ho and I cupped our fists to pay our respects to Father.
“Your son Eun Jeong-ho pays his respects, Father.”
“Your son Eun Seo-ho pays his respects, Father.”
Brother Jeong-ho's family and Lady Seohyang came out to pay their respects to Father too.
Father gently acknowledged their greetings, then exchanged greetings with the Branch Manager.
“My respects, Merchant Lord.”
“Thank you for your constant hard work. I look forward to your continued efforts.”
“I will always give my utmost in your service.”
We went inside, and the family gathered in the Reception Room to talk.
“Is everyone in the family well?”
Father nodded at Brother Jeong-ho's question.
“Yes. Everyone is well.”
“I'm glad.”
“I hadn't expected you to come in person, Father.”
Father laughed at my words.
“Ho ho. Our Eunhae Merchant Group has acquired such a large quarry. Of course I had to go and see it.”
He looked to be in an excellent mood.
“In fact, the Baekcheon Merchant Group's monopoly on whetstone production had been giving me a headache. Then you announced—ta-da!—that you'd bought a source of whetstones.”
“So that's why you're so pleased.”
“It felt like drinking cool water in the middle of summer.”
“I'm glad I could help the merchant group.”
“But I heard members of the Namgoong Clan led Mercenaries in an attack on that quarry.”
“That's right. Fortunately, we were able to repel them with help from the Embroidered Guard and the Hwangbo Clan.”
Father nodded at my answer.
“So I heard. I went to the Hwangbo Clan myself to thank them. Of course, that doesn't mean I lowered the price of the whetstones.”
That was Father for you.
I laughed quietly and added an explanation.
“We're also preparing to supply the Imperial Household with whetstones from that quarry. Then the Namgoong Clan won't be able to interfere with it so easily.”
“A good idea.”
“And we should strengthen its defenses, just in case.”
In a few years, the quarry the Baekcheon Merchant Group had acquired this time would no longer produce whetstones.
The stone would run out.
There was no telling what they would do then.
Better to be prepared than sorry. I was taking precautions well in advance.
“As it happens, I need to see His Majesty, so I'll handle that.”
“Very well. Go ahead.”
Father took out some documents he'd brought and handed them to me.
“These are the results of our technicians' investigation of the quarry. Use them as a reference when preparing to supply the Imperial Palace.”
“Thank you.”
Father smiled and changed the subject.
“And I didn't come here myself only because of the quarry. I also came because of your marriage.”
Ah, true. There were only a few months left before my wedding.
It was already the Sixth Month.
“We have only about four months left.”
“Yes, that's right.”
Father took out another envelope and handed it to me.
“This lists everything we've prepared so far. If anything is missing, add it and give it back to me.”
“Understood.”
That evening, I asked Escort Guard Lee Pil to deliver a letter to Warrior Jin Yeong.
There was nothing to gain from delaying the matter of supplying whetstones to the Imperial Palace.
Warrior Jin Yeong came to the Beijing Branch after receiving my message.
“This humble merchant pays his respects, Warrior Jin Yeong.”
“Yes. I hear you took a trip recently. Did it go well?”
As expected, he knew I'd been out of town.
“His Majesty's grace is always with me, so wherever I go, I can only be at ease.”
“Ha ha ha. I see. Then let's go.”
“Yes.”
I entered the Imperial Palace with Warrior Jin Yeong.
A little later, I was able to see His Majesty.
I paid my respects with the utmost formality, and the emperor nodded as he spoke.
“Lift your head.”
“Your Majesty's grace is boundless.”
I raised my head and looked at the emperor.
“I left you alone so you could have a little rest… Where on earth have you been running about so busily?”
“Well, there was an urgent matter.”
I explained the whole situation to the emperor.
“I couldn't simply leave people making counterfeit drafts to their own devices.”
“So you went yourself?”
“I did. And in the course of it… I found something to report.”
I explained that the people who'd introduced a man named Gang Il's father to the work had been from the Namgoong Clan.
“That certainly… is suspicious.”
“It is. We have no physical evidence, but there are quite strong grounds for suspicion.”
“Understood. I'll take that into account as well.”
The emperor looked at me and clicked his tongue.
“Do you go looking for work, or does work come looking for you?”
“If I knew that, would I be this busy?”
“You certainly are blessed with an abundance of work.”
“It's my unavoidable lot in life, so I've resigned myself to it.”
As expected, there was a smile at the corner of the emperor's mouth.
Oh, please stop teasing me.
I was irritated enough already.
“What else can I do? If I'm going to have this much work, I should at least make plenty of money from it.”
I continued.
“With that in mind, isn't there anything for me this time?”
“Hm? Anything like what?”
“I went to quite a bit of trouble myself when we caught the swindler selling medicine made from Rabbit-Dung Root Herb.”
I continued.
“Surely you aren't planning to leave me without any reward just because my name isn't on the official documents…”
At my words, the emperor replied with a benevolent expression.
“Of course not. How could I think such a thing?”
That benevolent expression only made me more suspicious…
The emperor took a pouch from his writing desk and handed it to the Grand Eunuch, who brought it to me.
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
I opened the pouch and saw the gold inside.
It looked like about ten taels.
“Will that suffice?”
“Your Majesty's grace is boundless.”
The emperor looked ready to dismiss me, so I quickly continued.
“Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Our Eunhae Merchant Group would like to supply whetstones to the Imperial Palace.”
“Whetstones?”
“Yes. We recently discovered a quarry, and its stone has been judged to be of very high quality.”
“Is that so?”
The emperor looked at the Grand Eunuch. Understanding his intention, the Grand Eunuch bowed and answered.
“I'll summon the official responsible.”
After a short wait, an official came in.
“Your servant, the Minister of Works, pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long may Your Majesty reign!”
Wow…
He'd summoned the head of the entire Ministry of Works.
“Rise and lift your head.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The Eunhae Merchant Group here wishes to supply whetstones to the Imperial Palace.”
“As it happens, our previous whetstone suppliers have changed, and we are in negotiations.”
After answering, the Minister of Works turned to ask me a question.
“Would you be buying from the Baekcheon Merchant Group and reselling to us?”
“No. A source of whetstones was discovered on a mountain our Eunhae Merchant Group purchased recently. The whetstones quarried there are of excellent quality, so we'd like to supply the Imperial Palace.”
“I see!”
Looking relieved, he asked another question.
“May I first ask what price you have in mind?”
“Half a silver tael for roughly fifty-three pounds of whetstones.”
“…!”
He looked startled at my words.
“That cheaply?”
Then he spoke to the emperor.
“Your Majesty, this is a most satisfactory proposal in terms of price as well. The people with whom we're negotiating are asking for higher prices.”
“How much higher?”
“Nearly twice the previous price. But they've monopolized whetstone production, so I couldn't simply refuse. It has been troubling me.”
That explained why he'd asked about price first.
Still, one silver tael for roughly fifty-three pounds of whetstones?
The Baekcheon Merchant Group. Those thieving bastards!
The emperor frowned, as though he shared my thoughts.
“We would have had to sign a contract at a fairly high price even after making concessions in return. With a proposal like this, there's no reason to refuse.”
He continued.
“However, the quality of the whetstones supplied to the Imperial Palace is extremely important. We'll need to verify it.”
“He was confident about their quality.”
At the emperor's words, I added an explanation.
“We've already signed supply contracts with the Hwangbo Clan and the Baekyeom Merchant Group. The whetstones are of such high quality that both praised them lavishly. We also have various grades of coarseness, so you can choose which ones to receive.”
Whetstones were used for different purposes depending on their coarseness.
“If the Baekyeom Merchant Group praised them that highly, there's no need to look any further.”
“Then go and discuss the details outside.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“This humble merchant takes his leave.”
We withdrew from the emperor's presence.
“Eun Seo-ho, was it?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“You came with an offer to supply us at exactly the right moment! Thank you very much.”
I gave an awkward laugh and asked him a question.
“You didn't want to sign a supply contract with the Baekcheon Merchant Group, I take it.”
With a tired face, he shook his head.
“Whew. Of course I didn't. I have to run the Imperial Palace's household on a limited budget. Our expenses can't suddenly rise like that.”
I admired the Minister of Works's attitude.
That money came from taxes paid by the people of the empire, money they'd earned with their blood and sweat.
I could feel how unwilling he was to waste even a single coin of those taxes.
“Spending so much as a single copper coin without thinking it through is what His Majesty hates most. If you're caught doing it, you're sent to do farm work for three days.”
“Ah…”
True. Experiencing something yourself brought it home far better than simply hearing about it.
We went to the Ministry of Works, where I discussed the supply arrangement with the Minister of Works and the officials, then left the Imperial Palace.
.
.
.
The next day, I performed Breathing Meditation as soon as I woke early in the morning.
Since I'd risen a little earlier than usual, I decided to do something I'd been putting off.
I would take a look at Rejoicing in the First Snow, Snow Wind Palace's basic martial arts manual.
My master would be coming to Beijing soon.
I needed to study Rejoicing in the First Snow before he arrived.
With that thought, I began reading it.
This was my tenth reading. To be honest, there were quite a few parts I didn't understand.
Reading something several times was one way to deal with that.
Then, as I turned the final page…
“Huh?”
Something that hadn't been visible before appeared clearly on the inside of the back cover.
What… was this?
–TL Notes–
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