Monopolizing Fortunes (61)
Monopolizing Fortunes (61)
Just then, Wang Chil came up to the second floor. Namgung Seol-rin greeted Wang Chil warmly.
"Society Leader!"
"Our Namgung Protector gets prettier by the day. But who is that gentleman over there...?"
Before anyone could make introductions, Won Dae-yeon bowed politely.
"My name is Won Dae-yeon."
"Ah, yes. But who...?"
Namgung Seol-rin spoke.
"You know Won Dae-yeon, the man who was treated by the physician in black."
"Ah! That opium addi—no, I mean..."
"It's true that I was an opium addict."
"Then why are you here...?"
"I came to join the Red Tiger Society."
"What? Whaaat—?"
Startled, Wang Chil looked back and forth between Do Tong-dal and Namgung Seol-rin.
"Didn't you say that gentleman over there is a tremendous master?"
Namgung Seol-rin nodded.
"That's right."
"I think you said he was a greater master than you."
"That's also right."
"Then why would someone like that come to a place like the Red Tiger Society..."
Do Tong-dal scolded him.
"How can you look down on the Red Tiger Society when You're its Society Leader, Brother?"
"No, common sense says otherwise. We already have two tremendous masters, and now a master even more tremendous, tremendous, tremendous than them is joining—does that make any sense? As the Society Leader, I feel so insignificant that I'm just going to... going to shrivel up like this."
Won Dae-yeon spoke respectfully.
"I will do my best not to be a burden."
"Goodness, what burden."
"Society Leader, isn't it good to have many masters? This is exactly a case of the more, the better."
"The more, the... whatever, you're right, but..."
Wang Chil glanced at Do Tong-dal.
"What do you think?"
"You're the Society Leader, Brother."
"You punk, I'm Society Leader in name only! Do I really have to say that with my own mouth?"
As Namgung Seol-rin said, the more masters, the better. It was a group with no worry of friction, and no one knew what might happen in the future.
Do Tong-dal asked Won Dae-yeon.
"Do you really intend to become a gangster?"
"I do."
"Don't look down on the Underworld. You can enter whenever you please, but if you try to leave, you have to pay a price for it. The Underworld is a place with stricter top-down discipline than the martial arts sects."
"I'm prepared to serve every gangster in the Underworld as my master. I'll start from the very bottom."
"Have you truly cast aside the chivalrous hero? The night Underworld is a place where a chivalrous hero can never survive."
"Hmm... you seem to be doing quite well, though?"
"What kind of chivalrous hero am I?"
"In all my life, I've never seen anyone as rich in chivalrous spirit as you."
"Ah, enough! Anyway, I'm done playing the chivalrous hero!"
"I promise."
"Fine. Then for now, start at the bottom of the Fixer Office..."
Wang Chil cut in immediately.
"Protector would be suitable."
"What? Brother!"
"Why? Are you disregarding me because I'm Society Leader in name only?"
"When did I ever disregard you..."
"Then you understand that personnel decisions for the Red Tiger Society are my authority?"
"We already have three Protectors..."
"That's all... whatever it is. Whether I appoint ten or a hundred is the Society Leader's call. Won Dae-yeon is a Protector of the Red Tiger Society from today."
Wang Chil pointed at Do Tong-dal and said to Won Dae-yeon.
"This guy is the Coordinator, and he's below Protector, so you can speak comfortably with him."
Won Dae-yeon bowed toward Wang Chil.
"Thank you. I will devote myself body and soul in loyalty."
"Bo... body and... well, it must be something good. Tong-dal, what did they call you to the government office for?"
"The magistrate is going to Beijing."
"What? That man is finally getting promoted?"
"It seems so."
"Ah, a reliable shield is disappearing."
"He said he'd have a firm word with the next magistrate, so don't worry about the government office."
"Then that's a relief. And since a new Protector has joined, we should have a company dinner today, right?"
* * *
Yang Su-pan looked around his office once more. He had barely filled a single bag, and there was nothing left to take.
"They say life is empty-handed in, empty-handed out..."
He was sorry enough to leave that such muttering escaped him.
"Should I give up on advancement and just spend my whole life as magistrate of Hangzhou?"
He truly wanted to, and he had actually agonized over it quite a bit. But since he could become Hangzhou magistrate whenever he set his mind to it, he decided to try a new path.
When he went out to the main hall, the new magistrate was waiting. Seeing that he had risen to the post of magistrate in his mid-twenties, he must have spent a fair amount of money.
If he had done well on the civil service exam or secured good connections, he would have been placed in the central government rather than coming out as a local magistrate.
"Thank you for all your hard work."
"Please take good care of things from now on. And there's that person I asked you about, right?"
"You mean Do Tong-dal."
"Yes. Please look after that friend well. He's from the Underworld, but if you get to know him, he'll be a great help."
"I'll keep it in mind."
The new magistrate, Gong Myeong-un, saw Yang Su-pan off to where his carriage was waiting. He was a courteous fellow.
The heads of the Six Bureaus genuinely regretted parting with Yang Su-pan. A superior who was both competent and not lacking in goodwill was hard to come by.
As the carriage carrying Yang Su-pan departed, the smile that habitually hung on Gong Myeong-un's lips vanished.
"The one who's leaving has left, so everyone return to your posts and attend to your duties!"
The Six Bureaus dispersed, and a moment later someone took that spot. The old man draped in a splendid outer robe was Gong So-yang.
"I greet you, Uncle."
"The magistrate's robes suit you well."
"They're robes I wear thanks to you, Uncle."
The money spent to make Gong Myeong-un a magistrate had reached three hundred nyang. They hadn't known he would come to Hangzhou, but with Yang Su-pan stepping down at just the right moment, he had taken the post with exquisite timing.
"Heaven helped me. Indeed! Heaven is always on my side. Heh heh heh..."
* * *
The Chief Clerk came running out, grabbed Do Tong-dal by the arm, and led him to a secluded spot outside the government office.
"The magistrate says he won't meet with you."
"What? Why?"
"He got angry, asking why the magistrate should meet with an Underworld gangster."
"The former magistrate said he would put in a good word before leaving..."
"I also heard Magistrate Yang personally ask the new magistrate to look after you. At the time, he said he would, but I don't know why his attitude suddenly changed."
Do Tong-dal felt both displeased and uneasy.
"If anything seems likely to happen, please contact me."
Do Tong-dal slipped him one nyang of silver and returned to headquarters. He already controlled the nights of Hangzhou, so he had no need for the magistrate's power.
He could just grease the right palms and maintain a relationship of neither too close nor too distant.
"You look displeased. Did something happen with the new magistrate?"
At Wang Chil's question, Do Tong-dal flopped into a chair and spoke.
"I couldn't even meet him."
"Why? Was he not there?"
"No. He says he doesn't want to meet with Underworld gangsters."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"We've gone back to the usual relationship between the Underworld and a magistrate. A magistrate associating with the Underworld was the unusual case."
"That's true, but since Magistrate Yang said he'd have a firm word, I thought the good relationship would continue on and on."
"It's fine. It's good not to have to entertain him. But where did everyone go?"
Wang Chil pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.
"There."
"All three together?"
"As always."
"Honestly, they're people obsessed with martial arts."
At Namgung Seol-rin's strong request, Do Tong-dal had bought the house behind the headquarters. The stated reason was that Won Dae-yeon needed a place to stay, but the real purpose of that house was a sparring ground.
As proof, of the three buildings, they had torn down the two intact ones and paved the site with marble.
It would have been nice if they had done it with their own money, but naturally most of that money came out of Do Tong-dal's pocket.
Still, he couldn't exactly claim credit for it, because Do Tong-dal himself joined those sparring matches quite often.
"You don't seem to be in a position to say that?"
"Can't we get rid of the Protector position?"
"Why?"
"The Protectors do nothing but practice martial arts all day."
"Do you want to disband the army just because there's no war?"
"The upkeep costs too much just to prepare for emergencies."
"That's also not something you should be saying. Who do you think those three joined the Red Tiger Society because of?"
If not for Do Tong-dal, they were people whose shadows would never have appeared here.
"This won't do. I need to find a use for those people."
"Are you going to pick a fight somewhere?"
"Stagnant water is bound to rot. We can't settle down in Hangzhou either."
Wang Chil quickly sat down in front of Do Tong-dal.
"Are you aiming at another Underworld group?"
"Among the cities close to Hangzhou, which ones have any real size?"
"To the north there's Yuhang, to the south Shaoxing. If you're not thinking of going out to sea, the east is out, and to the west, Fuyang is about the only place worth taking."
"Which one appeals to you?"
"Hangzhou."
"What?"
"I'm very, very satisfied here. If you want to take somewhere else, don't ask me—just take it. But don't tell me to go be Society Leader somewhere else. I was born in Hangzhou and I intend to die in Hangzhou."
"Got it. First I'll send some of the boys to get a feel for those places. Where's the map..."
Do Tong-dal found the map and drew circles around the three regions. He was racking his brain for a while when the three who had finished sparring returned.
Namgung Seol-rin, the first to enter, asked Wang Chil.
"What's Tong-dal doing?"
She asked because he was staring intently at the map.
"He can't stand watching the Protectors idle about, so he's looking for work to give them."
Won Dae-yeon, appearing right behind, spoke.
"That's good. I felt bad for just freeloading."
Jang Yu-seom added a word as well.
"I'm ready too."
Do Tong-dal spoke.
"You don't even know what the work is."
"You're thinking of taking over another region's Underworld, right?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
"You're looking at a map."
"I see. Then pick one of the circled places that appeals to you."
"Wouldn't that be discourteous to that region's Underworld?"
Do Tong-dal grinned.
"Gangsters don't have that kind of courtesy to begin with."
From the first floor came a gangster's shout.
"The physician in black is coming up!"
Do Tong-dal asked the physician in black as they came up to the second floor.
"What brings you all the way here?"
"The Chief Clerk's wife came in as a patient earlier and said something strange, so I came to tell you."
The physician in black had already gained a reputation as a renowned physician who was excellent at treating all kinds of women's ailments.
"What did she say?"
"The new magistrate is going to..."
Just then, a crash and clatter came from the first floor, followed by a shout.
"Nobody move! Submit to arrest!"
"What is the meaning of this! What did we do wrong... ugh!"
"Punish any who resist without mercy!"
Do Tong-dal sprang to his feet as the sound of several footsteps climbing to the second floor reached him. And the ones who appeared were government officials.
The physician in black backed away hesitantly and spoke.
"This is what I was trying to tell you. The new magistrate is going to arrest you."
Among them were several head constables and constables he recognized.
"The Underworld Society Leader and the leadership, kneel at once!"
The one who shouted was Chief Constable Seong Jin-tae. He was someone Do Tong-dal had slipped small change to now and then for drinking money.
"Chief Constable Seong, what is this?"
At Wang Chil's question, Seong Jin-tae's fierce expression turned to one of discomfort.
"It's the magistrate's order, so there's nothing I can do. If you're innocent, you'll be released, so let's go quietly to the office."
Seong Jin-tae knew well that if a fight broke out, the officials who had come now would be no match.
"This is a bad start with the new magistrate."
Wang Chil looked at Do Tong-dal. He was Society Leader in name only, after all. Do Tong-dal's deliberation ran deep.
The magistrate had clearly set his mind on targeting the Red Tiger Society. They say everyone has some dirt on them, and the Red Tiger Society was practically made of it.
If they wanted to pin charges on him, they could pile up more crimes than the 108 earthly desires. But beating down officials and fleeing carried its own great danger.
If an arrest warrant went out and he became a fugitive, it would become far too difficult to return to his old place in life.
"Let's go."
He had no good solution right now, but he decided to let himself be taken. He could leave the government-office jail whenever he wanted, so he could come up with a better plan from inside.
"We'll go quietly, so leave one person alone."
The physician in black stepped forward.
"That's right. I'm not part of the Underworld—I'm a physician..."
"Don't arrest Protector Namgung."
"Huh? H... hey, I'm..."
"Very well."
But Namgung Seol-rin flared up.
"I'm a Protector of the Red Tiger Society too, so why am I the only one left out? I'm getting arrested too!"
* * *