The Council of Merchants
Pushan Hadaru convened a meeting of the merchant assembly.
As always, the topics were the recent state of affairs in Jianzhou, trends in local specialties, and the safety of the trade routes.
On any other day, the merchants would have exchanged information while enjoying the fine dishes prepared by Pushan Hadaru's chef.
The merchants' banter was, in a sense, not so different from the elegant yet hollow diplomacy of court officials—the pleasantries glossing over blades hidden beneath.
The food Pushan Hadaru served reflected his master's gourmet tastes and was, above all, lavish, so the merchants would fill their bellies and talk in a leisurely atmosphere.
Today's gathering looked much the same on the surface.
But the conversation did not.
The affairs of Jianzhou, which had rolled along relatively stably under the Jianzhou Three Guards system, were growing uneasy as the infighting within the Tung clan of the Odoli tribe gradually came into the open.
Not long ago, word had even arrived that the Ban clan village of Sahalcha had been wiped out.
Bandits were running more rampant than ever through Jianzhou.
None of it boded well for business.
"I hear Lee Man-ju is raising the taxes again—doubling them."
"They say the same in the Left and Right Guards. Looks like they're preparing for war."
The merchants traded intelligence in low voices as they savored the banquet.
"The moment Fancha dies, war could break out between the Left and Right Guards any day. And if that happens..."
"No need to wait for that. Bandits are already swarming the roads—and on top of it all, the Watangka crew is hiking their caravan escort fees again. Business is hard enough as it is."
"There's always the Eomeochi band, I suppose."
"I'd sooner pay extra and rely on those Watangka devils than entrust anything to the Eomeochi lot."
Pushan Hadaru listened to all this and devoted himself silently to his meal.
One merchant called out to him.
"Say there, Pushan Hadaru."
"What is it, Donoi?"
Pushan Hadaru replied absently.
The man called Donoi spoke up.
"I heard you had an audience with Kunaha recently. Anything to share?"
At those words, the merchants paused their meals and turned their eyes toward him.
Pushan Hadaru swallowed the food in his mouth and wiped his lips.
"I did indeed have words with Lord Kunaha on this occasion."
"From Lord Kunaha himself?"
"Yes. And what did he say, you ask?"
"He said that if you value your life, you'd best think twice about going to Anchuunbugu. The Kunuma brothers are blocking the roads, he says."
"What? The Kunuma brothers?"
The merchants murmured at that.
The notoriety of the Kunuma brothers was well known to all. Of the two—the elder Kunuma and the younger Bushuku—the elder's infamy ran deeper; they were lawless fiends who roamed Jianzhou dealing in murder and plunder.
But with Lee Man-ju of Jianzhou behind them, no one dared raise a protest.
The merchant called Donoi grumbled.
"If word gets out that Kunuma's got him beaten, even the Watangka lot will refuse escort work."
"All of Jianzhou already knows how Lee Man-ju feels about the Onyan clan."
"As for us... we're just sitting back watching the show while eating our fill."
The merchants each muttered their own complaints.
"Did Lord Kunaha say anything else? The tribute the Jianzhou Guard demands these days feels rather excessive."
"True enough. At this rate, where are we supposed to do business and even put food on the table?"
At that, Pushan Hadaru frowned.
"Listen here, all of you. Do you think I put up with this because I like it? Push any further and we'll all end up like Sahalcha."
The merchants lowered their eyes.
Pushan Hadaru turned his gaze back to his food.
Igonahap had instructed him to keep the merchants of Hwangseongpyeong well soothed.
He knew perfectly well that if he kept bowing to the Jianzhou Guard's demands one by one, nothing would be left—but he could hardly afford to get on their bad side either.
"On another matter, Lord Pushan. I've been hearing a bit of gossip lately."
"What is it, Donoi?"
Donoi drained his cup of mayuju in one go and continued.
"Have you heard about this fellow called Temusi-i?"
"Ah... of course I have."
"Word is he's made quite a killing in Sahalcha?"
The merchants nodded.
Hong-wi's exploits in Sahalcha were the talk of every fireside.
"I can't imagine how that Joseon fellow ever won over the Sahalcha villagers."
"To think a Joseon man is strutting about even in Hwangseongpyeong."
They made no effort to hide their scorn.
Ugunai watched them in silence.
Their criticism was, in one sense, mere bluster. If anything, it was an understatement to say that Temusi-i had earned more in a single outing than they had made over the past six months.
On his very first venture, no less.
Were they really in any position to sneer?
Would it not be wiser to coolly examine how Temusi-i had managed such a advance?
"And that's not all. The rumors flying around are no small matter. Would you believe he stood up to Lord Kunaha himself this time?"
"Impossible!"
Pushan Hadaru recounted the whole story.
When he finished, the merchants snorted.
"That young whelp's gotten too big for his breeches. He'll ruin himself at this rate."
"Ruin himself or not, his opponent is Lord Kunaha. What will you do, Lord Pushan? Leave him be, and who knows what sparks might fly onto the rest of us?"
Pushan Hadaru felt a flicker of discomfort.
In exchange for taking Hong-wi in, he had concluded a secret pact with Hwang Ga to receive smuggled goods at reduced prices—and that was a secret from the other merchants as well.
"What would you have me do?"
"What do you mean, what? Drive him out, of course. Were you planning to let that young Joseon pup run wild?"
"Hmmm..."
Pushan Hadaru fell into thought.
Then again, there was sense in it. He had felt his blood run cold watching Hong-wi dare to defy Igonahap.
There was no reason to keep cradling a menace in his arms.
"Expelling him does seem best. Where should we send him?"
"Simply casting him out doesn't strike me as wise."
Ugunai, who had kept his mouth shut all this while, finally spoke.
Pushan Hadaru frowned at him.
"Ugunai, I didn't ask for your opinion."
Ugunai did not back down.
In his eyes, Temusi-i was a far too dangerous man. A tiger cub beyond any doubt—and if so, it was not enough to chase him elsewhere. The root had to be cut.
"Look at what he accomplished in Sahalcha. Simply driving him out would be a mistake."
"Then what do you propose? Hire an assassin?"
Pushan Hadaru asked in a caustic tone.
"That would work too. But hiring assassins means word could leak out needlessly."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"What if we send him to Anchuunbugu? If Kunuma has truly gone there—"
"Of that, there's no doubt."
Pushan Hadaru declared flatly.
He frowned and sank into thought.
"But Anchuunbugu, you say. Send Temusi-i to Anchuunbugu... send Temusi-i to Anchuunbugu..."
"If the Kunuma brothers are coiled there waiting, it's certain enough."
The people nodded in agreement.
"But would he actually go?"
"He will. He's raised the matter himself before."
"Hm!"
Ugunai felt no guilt about sending Hong-wi to his death.
Looked at a certain way, sending him to Sahalcha in the first place had been sending him to his death already.
Temusi-i was, in his eyes, dangerously dangerous—and he had to be finished off for good.
"And furthermore, I believe we must extend Temusi-i no cooperation whatsoever on behalf of this assembly."
Ugunai proposed forcefully.
Pushan Hadaru spoke.
"You mean expulsion from the guild?"
"Yes."
To be expelled from the assembly meant losing not only the protection it provided, but also the personal favors fellow merchants might otherwise have extended to one another.
Above all, one was cut off from the information that circulated within the assembly—and that was quietly the heaviest blow of all.
The intelligence merchants shared among themselves was very, very important to doing business. Which region lacked which goods, which region had a glut of what, which chieftain was desperately seeking what, which pass was crawling with bandits and best avoided—such information could not simply be bought with money.
It was the merchants' trade secrets, shared strictly only among members of their own networks.
To be cut off from it therefore meant a staggering loss.
"Come to think of it, that fellow has only paid his entry fee into the assembly. He's an outsider, isn't he?"
"Fair point."
There was no opposition to Ugunai's proposal this time either. Perhaps some shared his view of Hong-wi's potential as a threat, but most—including Pushan Hadaru—felt a visceral revulsion at the idea of a Joseon man making Hwangseongpyeong his stage and plunging into the Jianzhou trade.
"Then I shall summon him."
Pushan Hadaru declared.
***
Meanwhile, Hong-wi received a visitor.
Hwang Ga.
The man immediately pressed drink on him.
"Have a cup, Temusi-i."
Hong-wi answered nothing, gazing quietly at the bottle.
"Soju. It's been a while for you, hasn't it?"
That much was true.
Soju is made by distilling cheongju, itself strained from takju, a cloudy rice wine. It naturally requires a great deal of rice, making it a luxury even in Joseon, where produce is relatively abundant—and in the barbarian lands, it was a treasure beyond price.
Hong-wi accepted the cup without a word.
"I heard the story from Hui-sun. You made quite a name for yourself in Sahalcha."
"I was merely fortunate."
"Modest to the last. Good."
Hwang Ga smiled.
"Humility and prudence are vital virtues. From time immemorial, men who swagger about their profits have rarely succeeded. Why do you suppose merchants are forever groaning about how hard it is to survive?"
He pondered a moment before continuing.
"...Which is exactly why, Temusi-i, this success of yours is surely a pleasant thing—but at the same time, you must be careful."
Hong-wi regarded Hwang Ga steadily.
"Pushan Hadaru and the rest of these frontier men already despise us Joseon folk, deeply and thoroughly. And now you've walked away with a fat profit. This world is small, and word travels fast. You can imagine how they'll move."
"I can."
"Tiresome matters will come at you one after another from here on. And one more thing."
Hwang Ga opened his fan.
"I hear you crossed Igonahap. Heard it from Jang Hui-sun, naturally. You saved an old man and his daughter?"
"Yes, that's so."
Hwang Ga wrinkled the bridge of his nose.
"I'm not the sort to nitpick what's already done... but why did you do it?"
"There was no reason. I simply could not stand by and watch."
"Chivalry, then."
Hwang Ga gave a dry laugh, but his eyes did not laugh.
"Chivalry, chivalry—very fine. But we are merchants, and I'll speak plainly. I talk of loyalty and honor too, yes—but only because doing so profits me. Betrayal happens in this world as routinely as eating rice, which is precisely why men like me must keep harping on loyalty."
Hong-wi did not answer.
"I can only hope that woman was worth provoking Igonahap's temper."
"I did not think of it in those terms."
"Then start thinking. If you mean to become a great merchant, not a single small act can be wasted. I'm telling you not to act without thought. Weigh everything."
Hwang Ga tapped his temple.
"Fail to do that, and ruin is all but certain. I hear you spent considerable wealth saving that woman."
"...That's so."
"Hm. Well, I never expected to recover the goods I lent you so easily anyway. Consider it tuition. Such things can happen plenty on a first venture. Have you thought about where you'll go next?"
"Have you ever heard of a place called Anchuunbugu?"
"Anchuunbugu."
Hwang Ga went silent.
His brow furrowed slightly.
"Back when I lived in the frontier lands... hm, I have heard of it. A land where the Onyan clan dwells, they say. A clan the frontier tribes revere deeply, and one kept jealously hidden from the world. Why do you ask?"
"I am thinking of going there."
"To Anchuunbugu... Do you expect there's profit in it?"
Hong-wi shook his head.
He had heard nothing to suggest Anchuunbugu held any specialty good that could yield a trade windfall the way Sahalcha's leather had.
"Then why go? Simply because you wish to?"
Hwang Ga's stiff face creased with lines.
"I believe I must."
Hong-wi fell into thought for a moment.
"I have heard that Onyan Isiha commands great respect among the frontier chieftains. As you said, my lord, if an outsider like me is to succeed here, I must win their hearts. And to do that, I believe I must first win the regard of a man like Onyan Isiha."
"Hoh."
Hwang Ga snapped his fan shut.
A look of deep satisfaction spread across his face.
"Excellent. If that's your reason, it holds... Look here, Temusi-i. You are truly an extraordinary man. No need for modesty. Frankly, I still cannot be certain of your origins, but no matter—that's not the question. What matters is that we are now in the same boat, no?"
Hong-wi gazed at him intently.
Hwang Ga smiled thinly.
"Yes, I said 'we.' Of everyone I have known, you are nearly the only one capable of understanding my ambitions. Mak-gae? Jang Hui-sun? They are loyal and capable right hands, every one. But the eye that sees the world in its full breadth—that is not an eye just anyone possesses."
"Do you believe I possess such an eye? I am not yet even twenty."
"What has age to do with anything! Look at yourself—you've already discerned the importance of the Onyan clan and planned to court their favor. You are a man who sees the large picture. I doubted you at first, but I doubt you no longer. You could take this whole Jianzhou in your hand."
Hong-wi did not answer.