The Son-in-Law's Stubbornness
Gwon Ram had tried every argument he could muster to talk Nam I down, but the young man would not be moved.
"Father-in-law. I must go."
"Hmm!"
There was nothing more Gwon Ram could do. Gentle persuasion, he realized, was getting him nowhere.
"Absolutely not. I cannot give you my permission."
He said it flatly, casting a sidelong glance at Nam I. He could well imagine how a child refused a coveted toy might behave, and he pictured Nam I throwing a tantrum.
"I see."
Astonishingly, Nam I was perfectly calm. It was Gwon Ram, in fact, who found himself thrown off balance.
When Nam I rose to leave, Gwon Ram scrambled hastily to his feet.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"If you forbid it, sir, then I shall find my own way into the Byeolchogapsa. I'll comb through my connections—something is bound to turn up."
"What?"
Now Gwon Ram was simply incredulous.
"You there! Are you casting my words to the wind?"
"I already made my decision in my heart long ago. Once a man has resolved upon a course, what power can sway him from it?"
Had circumstances been different, Gwon Ram would have clapped him on the shoulder in admiration. Instead, he was left speechless, nostrils flaring with exasperation.
"Wait—just hold on a moment."
At his entreaty, Nam I sat back down. What on earth was he to do with this pigheaded iron obstinacy? Gwon Ram's head throbbed outright.
Well, if it has come to this, better to arrange for this boy to join the Byeolchogapsa properly, and ask Ja-jun to send him back in exchange for a suitable position.
Gwon Ram resolved to make a request of Han Myeong-hoe. Nam I would be placed in the Byeolchogapsa—but on the strict condition that he never be sent anywhere dangerous.
"Very well. You shall have your way."
"Thank you, Father-in-law!"
Nam I lit up like a little boy. Gwon Ram regarded him with mingled feelings.
Acting the child like this... well, he is a child, I suppose.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
"Just don't do anything reckless. If not for your own sake, then for my daughter's—Soyul's."
"I understand."
Nam I's answer was crisp and clean.
"It's late. Go on home now, and give my regards to my daughter."
"I will."
The moment Nam I departed, Gwon Ram's head began to ache all over again.
And how am I supposed to break this to my wife...?
Just as he had predicted, the moment Lady Yi heard the whole story, all hell broke loose in the household.
While Hong-wi busied himself in Hwangseongpyeong clearing the backlog of matters large and small, a full month slipped by before he knew it. With winter fast approaching, the thought struck him to pay a visit to Tung Jugang's mountain fortress.
He summoned Cha Gyeong-yeon and Ho-in and told them of his plan.
"The caravan trade has settled into a steady rhythm now, so I'm thinking of returning to Anchuunbugu to see Tung Jugang and the others. He extended his invitation some time ago, and I've yet to take him up on it."
"If Your Highness goes, then of course I shall follow."
Hong-in answered at once, and Cha Gyeong-yeon nodded as well.
"In that case, by all means. Ho-in going along will delight them over there, I'd wager."
"What? Why?"
Hong-wi tilted his head, and Ho-in too looked plainly curious. Cha Gyeong-yeon broke into a broad grin.
"Iharachi just got back from a selling trip to Anchuunbugu, and do you know what those people asked him? Not about the goods at all—they wanted to know whether there was any way to send Ho-in over to them."
"Why... what for?"
"Did you happen to teach some of the people there your cooking methods before you left?"
"Well... they asked, so I showed them a few things... Did something go wrong?"
Ho-in's eyes wavered, wondering if somehow he had blundered. Cha Gyeong-yeon let out a hearty laugh.
"Oh, come now—even if something were wrong, they'd hardly make such a fuss over it. They said no matter how they tried, they simply couldn't reproduce that taste of yours, so could they please have Ho-in sent over? It seems they've fallen head over heels for your cooking."
"It's nothing... really, it's nothing so remarkable..."
Ho-in was at a loss for a reply, yet deep down he could not help feeling pleased. Hong-wi chuckled.
"Well then, perhaps I ought to leave Ho-in behind at Anchuunbugu for good."
"We absolutely cannot allow that."
At those words, Cha Gyeong-yeon shook his head firmly.
"Why not?"
At Hong-wi's challenge, Cha Gyeong-yeon smirked.
"Because then poor Yeon-bi, old Master Cheon's daughter, would be drowning in tears every single night."
"H-hey, Master Cha!"
Ho-in squawked in mortified protest at the joke, his face going scarlet.
"What? The moment you arrived in Hwangseongpyeong, you went straight to the old man's house and set up residence there, didn't you?"
Cha Gyeong-yeon's teasing was not idle banter. In truth, the moment Ho-in returned to Hwangseongpyeong, he had set aside every pressing duty and gone directly to old Cheon's house. Thanks be to heaven, the old man's health had much improved—and Ho-in had called on him faithfully, day after day.
"That was only because I wanted to make sure the old man had something to eat at every meal, that's all..."
"Ha! You'll be the most beloved son-in-law in history, I tell you. And from what I could see, Yeon-bi's got no small soft spot for you either."
"Why would you say such a thing..."
Ho-in's face had by now turned redder than a boil of red peppers. And yet, he did not look entirely displeased. He asked in a very small voice,
"...You're not joking, are you?"
"Hm? Look at this fellow—when have I ever told you a lie?"
Cha Gyeong-yeon laughed heartily.
"Go win her, man. To that girl, you're not merely a good man—you're the savior of her father. Add to that a suitable age, good looks, ability, and a fine hand in the kitchen... is there a single thing missing from the list?"
"...Do stop teasing me."
"Oh, come now. I genuinely think the two of you make a fine match."
Hong-wi joined in with a smile of his own.
"Think of it from her side, too—a girl who has tended her ailing father all these years in this rough northern frontier. She's tough and she's kind. A woman like that is not one to let slip away."
"...Yes, Your Highness."
Ho-in's reply was barely audible. Hong-wi regarded him with a gentle smile.
"If you can't come along, then I'll simply go and return on my own."
"No—no, Your Highness!"
Ho-in flailed his hands in alarm.
"How could I possibly absent myself when Your Highness himself is traveling?"
"Ho-in speaks rightly."
Cha Gyeong-yeon concurred—though even now he could not resist needling the man a little further.
"Things are different from the Cheonnyeonbi girl's day, you see. Our Highness has now drawn the attention of the powers that be. There will be those who envy him, and those with ill intent besides. You must see that he travels with a solid escort. That said..."
The next moment, his expression turned somewhat troubled.
"There isn't a single idle hand among the caravans under my command at present. I'll check with Iharachi and see if he has any capable guards to spare."
"Do that. Though if I go, I can't say how long I'll be staying this time. It will certainly be more than a month."
"If the task is to befriend men who will prove useful to us in the days ahead, what matter if it takes one month, or two? Your Highness—forgive your unworthy servant, but leave all that follows to me, your Buhaengsu. Devote yourself, I beg you, to winning over the great men of the north."
Cha Gyeong-yeon's face could not have been more earnest. Hong-wi nodded.
"Then I leave it in your hands."
"Have no fear."
Cha Gyeong-yeon flashed a grin, then called for an errand boy and had him fetch Iharachi. When Iharachi arrived, Cha Gyeong-yeon explained that Hong-wi and Ho-in meant to make a short pleasure journey and asked whether he had any trustworthy men to serve as escort.
"All me men're out an' about right now, y'see... So what's left is two of Utai's boys—Giahuchuyi an' Baduri."
"Can they be trusted? Just the two of them...?"
Hong-wi asked. After all, those two had once been feeding at Bushuku's trough, had they not?
"Fer fightin', there ain't a thing t' fault 'em on. Long as they're paid, they'll earn every coin. An' in times like these, it's better t' travel quiet anyway."
"That's good enough for me."
Hong-wi nodded.
"I'll pay them handsomely, and besides, the moment we reach Anchuunbugu we're safe—Tung Jugang's fortress lies within Anchuunbugu's borders."
"True 'nuff. 'Less some mad fool comes marchin' in with a whole army, nobody's gonna stir up trouble inside Anchuunbugu."
"You say they're worth their pay—but what if the money tempts them into something treacherous?"
Ho-in worried. Hadn't it always been said that loyalty cannot be bought with coin? Iharachi roared with laughter.
"Now that's rich, comin' from you, milord! Speakin' plain—where in all o' Jianzhou is there anyone payin' better than our Temusi-i? Even them scalawags ain't fool enough t' bite the hand that feeds 'em gold."
"Put that way, I suppose you're right."
Hong-wi laughed, and Ho-in had no real argument left to make.
Before long, Giahuchuyi and Baduri arrived. Hong-wi laid out the situation and entrusted them with guarding the journey to Anchuunbugu and back. The two men spoke as one:
"How could we slack for even a moment, with milord himself upon the road?"
"That's good to hear. I'll see you're rewarded well."
At those words, both men's faces brightened. They thanked him with visible delight and withdrew.
Ho-in, for his part, still looked vaguely uneasy. Cha Gyeong-yeon said with a smile,
"Don't fret so. By now, betraying His Highness would hardly be easy for the likes of them."
"I suppose so."
Still, Ho-in could not shake his worry, and he resolved that at the very least, he himself would keep his wits sharpened at all times.
"Come to think of it—I've managed to get hold of those radish seeds you asked for, and various other vegetable seeds as well."
"Truly? Excellent."
Ho-in's face lit up. As with anyone who took his cooking seriously, Ho-in took pride in his craft and lavished care on his ingredients. Since they would be traveling to Anchuunbugu anyway, he intended to take the opportunity to have vegetables grown there as well.
Next year, I must make it so they can make kimchi at Anchuunbugu too. Radishes will be ready in two months or so—perhaps we can even have dongchimi, a watery radish kimchi, this very winter. Boiled meat with dongchimi! Even the northerners won't be able to say no to that.
A few days later, Hong-wi and his party of four slipped quietly out of Hwangseongpyeong. Giahuchuyi and Baduri proved, just as Iharachi had vouched, excellent guides. Ho-in, whose concern for Hong-wi's safety ran deeper than anyone's, had all but set aside his suspicions of the two men by the time they reached the borders of Anchuunbugu.
The moment they arrived, Hong-wi went looking for Tung Jugang. He was away from the village; Keshine was there in his stead.
"Ah, Lord Temusi-i!"
Keshine greeted Hong-wi with a warm smile—but a faint shadow seemed to have settled over his face.
"Was your journey free of trouble?"
"Perfectly uneventful."
"Thank goodness for that."
At Hong-wi's answer, Keshine's expression brightened considerably. What could have been troubling him? Before Hong-wi could ask, Keshine posed a question of his own.
"So—how did business fare in Hwangseongpyeong?"
"Beyond all expectation. Thanks to Elder Daejujang, trade has flourished wonderfully."
Hong-wi smiled as well.
"In fact, I find myself with leisure on my hands for a while—my subordinates have taken over the work."
"Ah, is that so?"
Hong-wi glanced back at Ho-in and continued.
"Cha Gyeong-yeon will oversee operations for the time being, so Ho-in and I are setting the caravan business aside for a spell. We've come to enjoy ourselves a little."
"Together with Ho-in? Then Ho-in will be staying with us a while, surely?"
"That's the plan."
"Oh, splendid!"
Keshine's face lit up unmistakably.
"We've been longing for Ho-in's cooking. We've tried to copy his methods here—making meju bean paste and this and that—but somehow it never comes out with that taste."
Keshine grinned.
"For my part, there is no one I could be more glad to see than Ho-in."
"Well said indeed—I heard it all. What fortunate timing, then. This fellow has gone and procured all manner of ingredients from Hwangseongpyeong."
"Then let's waste no time! Jugang will be overjoyed to see Ho-in too... er, well, he'll be glad to see you as well, Lord Temusi-i. Heh heh heh."
Even the ever-composed Keshine managed a rare joke. Hong-wi asked,
"That reminds me—where has Jugang gone?"
At those words, Keshine's face clouded over.