The Pact
"So there are ways to contribute to the family other than a loveless betrothal…"
Jegal Eun-ryeo asked, her expression openly intrigued.
"What might those be?"
"I am, at heart, a man who believes that only a healthy relationship—one in which each side benefits the other—has any real staying power."
"I agree with that completely, but…?"
Her look said she wondered why he was taking so long to get to the point. Dang Hui-yeom smiled.
"The Jegal Clan and the Wudang Sect have been long-standing rivals, have they not?"
She frowned at the sudden, seemingly random mention of Wudang, yet she nodded readily enough. Coming from someone of Hui-yeom’s caliber, the remark surely had purpose.
"It is hard for two hegemons rooted in the same province to remain on good terms. The Dang Family and the Emei Sect are the rare exception; you yourselves have clashed more than once with the Qingcheng Sect, have you not?"
"That is true."
Both the Jegal Clan and the Wudang Sect made their home in Hubei Province. No matter how much they wrapped themselves in the rhetoric of being fellow Orthodox sects, of upholding justice and engaging only in friendly competition…
When their territories of operation overlapped, how could their relations ever be truly amicable?
A hundred years of smiling to one another’s faces while clawing for every scrap of profit behind the scenes had long since turned them into enemies in all but name. They simply lacked a sufficient pretext for open war, and so they endured.
"Even so, their relationship does not seem entirely poisonous."
"Each side cares about its public face… and the fact that our primary spheres of influence do not completely overlap also makes coexistence easier."
"Court and Jianghu. The secular and the transcendent."
"Precisely."
From the beginning the Jegal Clan, weaker in pure martial force, had judged it impossible to dominate Wudang by the sword forever. They had therefore chosen to keep their identity as a martial sect to a bare minimum while expanding their influence in the political world. Wudang, for its part, had chosen the path of a Taoist martial order that severed all worldly ties and sought greatness that way.
As a result the two never competed for disciples. Those who entered the Jegal Clan as students were almost always scholars aiming for the imperial examinations and a career in government; those who sought discipleship at Wudang were either aspiring martial artists or people who wanted Wudang’s martial might at their backs for some other ambition.
Their sources of revenue diverged just as sharply. The more worldly Jegal Clan ran everything from small enterprises—brothels, tea houses, restaurants, bookshops—to the great trading houses that controlled logistics and production across Hubei. Wudang, obliged to maintain the public reputation of a Taoist order that had renounced the dust of the world, lived on the traditional landlord’s income of rents from tenant farmers and the donations of the faithful who made pilgrimage to the mountain.
"But what if, within that very structure, there existed a way for the Jegal Clan to seize a clear advantage? A method that would steadily erode Wudang’s strength without ever handing them a pretext for attack? If our family could deliver that method to you, what would you say?"
"Is that true?"
"Do I look like a fool who would make a lie that will be exposed almost immediately?"
"No."
Jegal Eun-ryeo and Hui-yeom both smiled with pure, open cheer.
"Shall we talk business?"
"Gladly."
"It is simple. When we expand Caffe the One into Hubei Province, our family will not operate the business ourselves. We will entrust it entirely to the Jegal Clan—a kind of licensed store… or, if you prefer, an independent branch."
"An independent branch meaning… you leave the day-to-day operation completely free, yet still supply the same goods Caffe the One sells—is that it?"
As always, Jegal Eun-ryeo grasped the point at once.
"Exactly. They will hang the same Caffe the One signboard. From the outside no one will be able to tell whether the shop belongs to the Jegal Clan or the Sichuan Dang Family—unless they tear open the books."
"And the profit split?"
"Ten to zero. Every last copper stays with the Hubei stores. You will, of course, pay us for the raw goods we supply, and you will also pay the Hubei provincial authorities their taxes separately."
"Is there a discount on the raw goods?"
"Naturally. You would be a subsidiary in all but name."
"Interesting."
In the rapid exchange of words the entire business model took shape inside Jegal Eun-ryeo’s mind. Hui-yeom had simply lifted the multinational operating system of modern Starbucks. Starbucks stores fell into two broad categories: company-owned and licensed. The former were run by headquarters itself; the latter were franchises in which another company was granted the license and left to operate as it saw fit. In short, Hui-yeom was offering: I will take no trademark royalties whatsoever; in exchange I will grant you exclusive operating rights for Hubei Province as shops that simply buy and sell our goods.
If one could foresee the brand value Caffe the One already possessed—and the far greater value it would soon possess—the offer was decidedly tempting.
And it has the added virtue of never putting us in direct conflict with Wudang.
Outwardly it would look as though the Sichuan Dang Family had entered Hubei, not as though the Jegal Clan was colliding with Wudang.
"It is not a bad proposal… yet compared with your claim that this will shrink Wudang’s footing in Hubei and elevate the Jegal Clan’s, it still feels rather modest."
"Among Wudang’s principal sources of income, what accounts for a large share of the revenue from their farmland produce?"
Jegal Eun-ryeo tilted her head at the abrupt question—then her eyes flew wide.
"Green tea… you can’t mean—"
"Exactly."
Hui-yeom smiled.
"Just as with Shaolin, tea plantations form no small part of Wudang’s revenue."
The image of tea was lofty and pure, perfectly suited to a cultivator—clean, clear, a symbol of incorruptibility. Thus no one thought ill of a Taoist or monk who might shun every other luxury yet still kept company with tea. Riding that image, and the fact that tea was a high-priced cash crop, Wudang had long encouraged the tenant farmers on its lands to plant large quantities of green tea and had enjoyed a tidy profit from the sales. The “Flowing-Cloud Green Tea” sold by the Flowing-Cloud Trading House—run by Wudang’s secular disciples—had once even been supplied to the imperial palace itself.
"But if Caffe the One advances into Hubei and swallows the tea market whole? That will deal Wudang a considerable blow. And if every bit of that blow is converted into profit for the Jegal Clan, need I say more?"
If the tea industry—roughly two-tenths of Wudang’s income—stagnated, Wudang’s finances would inevitably worsen, if only a little. And if the Jegal Clan pocketed that same amount of money?
Politics required money. The Jegal Clan would put every copper to excellent use.
From Wudang’s side, however, lodging a protest with the Jegal Clan would be extremely awkward. The shops themselves belonged to the Sichuan Dang Family; no one had stormed into a Wudang establishment or obstructed its business—they had simply brought in delicious Caffa and sold it. There was no pretext for complaint. Resentment toward the Dang Family would of course grow…
Jegal Eun-ryeo raised the point.
"Are you certain you are willing? I hesitate to say this as a member of the Jegal Clan, but if Shaolin is the Mount Tai of the martial world, then Wudang is its Northern Dipper. You know it is best to keep relations as smooth as possible."
Her real meaning was clear: You have no geographic reason to quarrel with them and no prior grudge—yet you would go this far for us? Hui-yeom only smiled.
"In any case, the moment the Namgung Clan joins hands with Wudang, Wudang becomes our enemy. No—once we ourselves joined hands with Shaolin, our relations with Wudang could never have been good."
"Ah… true enough."
Shaolin and Wudang had always contended for the number-one seat; friction was inevitable.
"And if taking on a grudge with Wudang is the price of drawing the Jegal Clan to our side, I consider it a profitable trade. I happen to believe the Jegal Clan’s brush is far mightier than Wudang’s sword."
Who would not feel pleased to hear their own family openly praised—especially when the speaker was Dang Hui-yeom, the Sichuan Sleeping Dragon, one of the most famous strategists in the present martial world, a man she herself inwardly acknowledged? A smile rose unbidden to her lips.
"I shall have to work hard to live up to that expectation. Still… it is Wudang. Are you truly all right with this?"
"I would be lying if I said I felt no regret, but we already have Shaolin on this side. And…"
Hui-yeom smiled again.
"The people of Wudang will weigh the scales for themselves—whether allying with our family or with the Namgung Clan is more advantageous to them. Once they understand which side benefits them more, they may well stretch out a hand and propose we stop."
"My, then would you betray our Jegal Clan at that moment?"
"Is there any need? We need only carve away the Namgung Clan’s interests and hand them to Wudang."
"Whoa…"
"Holy…"
Both women—Jegal Eun-ryeo and Sama Yun—stared at Hui-yeom with expressions of mild horror at his final remark.
"? Why are you both looking at me like that?"
"Well… the sheer nerve of talking as if the Namgung Clan’s interests are already sitting on your palm waiting to be crushed is rather startling…"
"And of course you plan to charm Wudang the same way and then smash the Namgung Clan with them. Young Master, you truly are a master of killing with a borrowed knife…"
"…Could you perhaps rephrase that as ‘outstanding political negotiation skills’?"
Hui-yeom cleared his throat. Jegal Eun-ryeo grinned and changed the atmosphere.
"Very well. Then our Jegal Clan will show good faith first."
"You mean you will stop the interference campaigns?"
"Stopping them is the least of it—we will actively support you. If the Sama Clan and our family join forces, even the Eight Great Clans of the Empire will find us difficult to check."
"Hmph. An alliance with the Jegal Clan… I can’t say I feel entirely comfortable."
"Oh my, I am delighted. I have never disliked Young Lady Sama."
"Would you mind keeping your distance? Someone who has been eyeing another woman’s man and waiting for a chance to snatch him has no business acting friendly."
"After watching you get thoroughly rejected to your face just now, do you feel not even a shred of sisterly sympathy?"
"It merely reminded me of the phrase ‘reaping what one sows.’"
"You two are bloodthirsty…"
"Young Lady Jegal, have you been putting on an act all this time? You never used to be this lively."
"Would Young Lady Sama like to try spending ten years stuck beside a good-for-nothing she never wanted and then finally being set free? The world suddenly looks so beautiful."
Watching the women’s conversation, Hui-yeom scratched the back of his head inwardly. He could not tell whether they were close or at each other’s throats.
Well, it hardly matters.
The “Left Zhuge Liang, Right Zhongda” formation he had once carelessly mentioned at the wedding—only to be thoroughly scolded by Sama Yun—had become reality. If he could secure the Jegal Clan’s cooperation, and if the Jegal and Sama clans stopped wasting a portion of their formidable talents on mutual checks and instead united those talents toward a common goal, the resulting synergy would need no further explanation.
"Still, if things go that way we will have to worry about how the Namgung Clan reacts right away."
Sama Yun spoke carefully.
"The Namgung Clan is not a family one can ever take lightly. The title ‘Foremost Martial Clan Under Heaven’ does not come from nowhere."
"In your eyes, Yun-mae, how do we compare? If the Namgung Clan and the Sichuan Dang Family fought head-on?"
"…"
After a moment’s thought Sama Yun answered.
"If we borrow the power of the new weapons, the Sichuan Dang Family wins by a landslide. But if we compete with martial arts and martial artists alone, we lose without question. Especially the Namgung Clan Head… he is a master of the Realm of Transformation who is said to split mountains with his sword…"
"Martial force that can split a mountain…"
Hui-yeom muttered to himself as he pondered.
"Do I really need to invent white phosphorus bombs or cluster munitions…?"
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Forget I said anything."
And so, unexpectedly, the Sichuan Dang Family gained the Jegal Clan as a partner, set itself on a course of complete hostility with the Namgung Clan, and turned the Wudang Sect into a provisional enemy as well.
Not long afterward—
"One of our collateral bloodlines has been attacked."
A Sichuan Dang Family shop that had opened in Anhui Province burned to the ground.