70. Tying Up Loose Ends (1)
With Jin Mu-byeok carted off to the imperial palace, nothing could stand in the way of the Hwi-yeong Merchant Group anymore.
The group decided to reorganize from the inside out. The Bandit Clan's Twelve Forms had sold out anyway, leaving nothing left to peddle. They let go of the temporary hires from the Dongho Merchant Company. Of course, they handed out generous severance, so there were no hard feelings.
Next up was remodeling the company as per Jo Chung-heon's plan. Before recruiting new blood, they needed to sort out the space issue. They'd been using empty rooms from the Dongho Merchant Company as offices, but that wasn't sustainable forever.
He'd scout out a new building for the company step by step. With no goods to sell and no staff to manage right now, there was plenty of time to shop around leisurely.
More pressing was Wang Song's farewell banquet that very evening. He'd be heading back to Beijing alongside the Inspectorate General escorting Jin Mu-byeok.
I entered the port inspection office. Spotting the runner who'd acted all chummy with me last time, I waved in greeting.
"Long time no see."
"Ah, uh. Yes. Good to see you."
"You were using casual speech last time."
"Ha, haha, hahaha. I must've been out of my mind back then. Just head straight down this hall, and you'll reach the head inspector's office."
The runner seemed eager to get rid of me. He still firmly believed I was some goblin who commanded freakish strength and divine power.
I gave a vague acknowledgment and headed to the head inspector's office. This year-end gathering had been Kang Se-min's idea. It made sense—Wang Song's report back in Beijing would shape the head inspector's future standing.
Word was, Kang Se-min had originally planned it as just the two of them, but Wang Song had insisted on including the Hojo Chamui and me. It felt a bit unnecessary. Kinda burdensome, even. Still, no reason to refuse.
The head inspector's office was decked out lavishly. Kang Se-min had claimed it was modestly arranged so as not to overwhelm Wang Song, but that was clearly just hot air. An ordinary person might've gaped in awe, but I'd attended enough fancy banquets to feel unimpressed.
"Oh. You've arrived."
Wang Song greeted me right away. I promptly handed over the parting gift I'd prepared: a small pottery piece from Gyeongdeokjin.
"What's this?"
"A farewell gift."
"Heh heh. Even this."
"You've done so much for me."
"Nonsense. The Hojo Chamui's acting as vice minister at the Ministry of Revenue right now, swamped with work. The Inspectorate turned everything upside down, so he's got a mountain to sort through. He'll be late."
"I see."
"He said just to start without him. That'll do."
Wang Song must've waited for my arrival. I exchanged greetings with Kang Se-min, who was waiting in the back.
"Greetings, Head Port Inspector."
"Uh, uh. Yes. You've come."
Like the runner, Kang Se-min seemed uncomfortable around me. The runner was just spooked by rumors, but Kang Se-min knew the truth, so it was a different flavor of unease.
With me there, the banquet kicked off. The hall was spacious, but without servants, it felt eerily empty. They'd dismissed all the help to allow for sensitive talk.
Food and drink were already laid out. Musicians played from behind an eight-panel screen, their ears plugged with cotton so they couldn't eavesdrop.
"Nice setup. Cleaner than having a bunch of servants or courtesans milling about."
"Is that so."
Kang Se-min looked uneasy without attendants, like he'd just gone along because Wang Song suggested it.
"Let's have a round first."
Kang Se-min lifted the wine bottle and poured for me and Wang Song. Wang Song filled Kang Se-min's cup.
"To everyone's hard work."
We downed our drinks at Kang Se-min's toast. At first, it was all polite formalities. Safe travels to Beijing, come back to Wuhan anytime, keep rising through the ranks, that sort of thing.
As expected of high officials, both Kang Se-min and Wang Song held their liquor well. I wasn't too shabby myself.
"Ah. But no using your internal energy to sober up, even if your martial arts are profound."
Wang Song's face flushed slightly as he raised his voice.
"Is that what you mean? Then why drink at all?"
"Haha. I like your straightforwardness."
Wang Song clapped my shoulder. From his perspective, everything had wrapped up neatly, so he had every reason to be in high spirits. Nabbing a corrupt official boosted his record, and he'd effectively curbed the Eastern Depot's expansion.
The Eastern Depot's Hubei branch was crippled without its leader, the Commander of the Eastern Depot. With even his death unconfirmed—just missing—they couldn't replace him anytime soon. It was a vegetable now.
"The Eastern Depot won't come after me later, will they?"
Kang Se-min probed Wang Song delicately. And so it began—the true value of a booze-fueled wrap-up session.
"I've reported everything up the chain. Said the Hojo Chamui and head port inspector tipped us off, with plenty of inside help."
"Appreciated. But you're not stealing all the credit from the Hojo Chamui, are you?"
"They should be grateful. Claiming you soloed the Hojo Chamui and Depot Commander would've ruffled feathers. Especially when you enter the capital later."
Kang Se-min waved him off in horror at Wang Song's hearty laugh.
"No interest in the capital. No promotions either. Time to quit this bureaucracy."
"Heh heh. You've climbed to rank 2 junior. Rank 1 senior's within reach."
"No, no. Too old for those power struggles again."
Kang Se-min genuinely loathed central politics, not just humblebragging. Wang Song nodded in understanding.
"My dream's to retire quietly from this post without a hitch. No lingering attachments."
"I understand completely."
"You're in a key role, so you can aim higher."
"Haha. If fortune favors, you rise; otherwise, you drift away."
The head port inspector in Hubei was rank 2 junior, while the Inspectorate's deputy right inspector was rank 3 senior—a single grade apart. But Wang Song had prime minister potential. Positions and achievements mattered more than rank. To rise, you needed the emperor's eye, which meant central politics.
"So when you climb, don't hype me up too much. Spotlight the Hojo Chamui."
"Got it. No need to worry."
"The Hojo Chamui's heading central, right? Leaving a whistleblower in the same agency feels off."
"That's for the Ministry of Personnel secretary to decide."
Wang Song backed off gracefully. It felt like I'd glimpsed how the Hojo Chamui became prime minister.
My involvement might've accelerated things, but he'd exposed official corruption regardless. That upright integrity would've caught central eyes. As Kang Se-min said, he'd end up in the capital.
"The Hojo Chamui has arrived."
Speak of the tiger—the shout came from outside. Soon, the Hojo Chamui hurried in, sweating profusely.
"Sorry I'm late. Work piled up."
"No matter. Duty first. This is just a casual drink."
"Thank you for understanding."
"We were just talking about you."
The Hojo Chamui flinched as he took his wine cup at Wang Song's words.
"What about?"
"Any interest in central politics?"
The Hojo Chamui pondered gravely at Wang Song's question. Before he could reply, Wang Song continued.
"You've got righteousness, can't stand injustice. You know state affairs serve the people. The center wants people like you."
"...That's true."
"Just ideals, of course. Your concern for the folk might hinder you sometimes. But those who reach the top walk the straight path."
I deeply agreed. Merchants made fortunes through scams and tricks, but they never became great magnates.
True magnates sweat sourcing goods, footwork market research, then sell fairly—that's the principle.
"Central politics is more tangled, filthy, and ugly than you imagine. You might sicken of it and retire early. Or worse—get targeted, lose your wealth, exiled for nothing. Especially with your upright nature."
"That's my worry too."
"But if you truly want to change this country, don't stay a local official forever. Life's short. Charge with all you've got; only then will walls crumble."
"And if I can't break it, I die."
"You've made up your mind, haven't you?"
Wang Song smirked at the Hojo Chamui, who smiled tensely in return.
"You're the type who imagines beyond the wall. You know despair at its face. Many see walls as shields, never curious what's past. Those who do must inevitably crash into them."
"If given the chance, I'd like to rise to the center."
"I'm no Ministry of Personnel man, but I'll put in a good word. See you in Beijing."
"Thank you."
The Hojo Chamui's posting was settled.
Now Wang Song turned to me. But he couldn't dictate my path. I wasn't a bureaucrat, and the Inspectorate offered merchants no perks.
I figured it'd just be a perfunctory goodbye.
"And you?"
"Pardon?"
"No desire to change this country?"
What was this? Wang Song's eyes burned with strange fervor.
"You're exceptional. People like you in politics would make the empire better. Too wasteful as a mere merchant."
"Haha."
I couldn't help laughing. Politics. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it might suit me. But I shook my head.
"No. I'm content as a merchant."
"Odd for me to say this before the company head, but merchants are the lowest of the low. Fine for you to take that treatment?"
"Lotuses symbolize purity blooming unsullied from mud, don't they?"
Wang Song smacked his lips. He really wanted me in politics.
"Pity. Felt like you'd stir a storm in the center."
"Wouldn't that tire out the Inspectorate?"
"But the skies after a storm are clearest."
Wang Song chuckled heartily and pulled a small box from his robe, handing it to me. A plain wooden one.
"What's this?"
"Farewell gift. Like the one you gave me."
"You didn't have to. But thank you."
"Open it now."
Wang Song grinned oddly. Uneasy, I pried open the wooden box. Inside lay a plaque carved from agate.
A shabby box holding precious agate was surprising enough, but the inscription shocked me more.
◈ Official seal of authority
◈ Agate plaque — bearer investigates corruption
......What did this mean? I stared blankly at the inspector plaque, then at Wang Song. He looked amused at my fluster, lips twitching.