Overwhelming the Red Horse Gang (2)
“Hahahaha!”
Gui Jong-ak, the chief of the Red Horse Gang, was laughing uproariously at the lunch banquet held after the morning auction.
With his broad, sturdy build, he had every reason to laugh until his mouth split wide open: at the morning auction, he had completely crushed the Seokga Manor party, who had arrived full of ambition with the priceless Blood-Red Horse.
“Did you see the looks on those pale faces?”
Gui Jong-ak replayed Seok Geum-ryong’s dumbfounded expression and delighted in it all over again.
“They were still just boys.”
“Most of them had little understanding of auctions or trade.”
“If we sweet-talk them a bit more, they might even hand over the Blood-Red Horse themselves.”
The Red Horse Gang members piled on the flattery while Gui Jong-ak was in a good mood.
“Heh heh heh, exactly. What can they do even if they shift it to the afternoon auction? Most of the people there are practically brothers to me.”
Gui Jong-ak had another reason for being so confident.
The afternoon auction was not for merchant caravans or escort bureaus, but for private bidders. Usually, it was attended by high officials or wealthy private magnates.
As the man who dominated the horse market in Xi'an, Gui Jong-ak was extremely well connected with officials and magnates who had an interest in horses. If he used that golden network well, he could win even more easily than he had in the morning auction.
“Just wait and see. Seokga Manor and Seok Geum-ryong will end up offering the Blood-Red Horse with their own hands.”
“They’ll be lucky to get anything better than the price of an ordinary wild horse.”
“They might not even get the price of a dog.”
“Hahahahah!”
On top of that, the sharp wit of his subordinates, so eager to please him, only made Gui Jong-ak laugh harder and harder.
Compared with the giddy, festive lunch table of the Red Horse Gang.
“...”
In another building, where Seok Geum-ryong’s group was eating a modest meal, the atmosphere was dismally cold.
“Young master. What do you plan to do?”
“If we refuse the bid again after refusing it in the morning auction as well... there will be consequences.”
Scholar in Blue Gong Sang-pil voiced his concern, and even Jang Sam, the servant who knew the Xi'an horse market well, was worried to no end.
As he said, refusing the winning bid twice in a row would bring disadvantages. They would likely be barred from entering the Xi'an horse market for a time, and it was only a matter of time before they were branded among horse merchants as people who rejected bids.
“For now, Butler Gong and Warrior Shin Dan-woo will need to do a bit of legwork.”
When everyone else expected a complete defeat at this market, only one person did not despair.
Far from being crushed, Seok Geum-ryong called Gong Sang-pil and Shin Dan-woo aside.
Then he quietly explained his plan and gave them orders.
“What? That distinguished person?”
Shin Dan-woo was startled.
“I roughly understand what you’re planning... but can we really make the time?”
Gong Sang-pil, with his sharp mind, grasped the idea, but he was not sure physical time would allow it.
Still, it was the only way left.
“There’s no other method. We have to do it somehow...”
Seok Geum-ryong swallowed his anger as he listened to Gui Jong-ak’s booming laughter, loud enough to carry even outside the building.
“Because the Red Horse Gang needs to be taught a lesson.”
Seok Geum-ryong, who had unexpectedly been dumped on by the Red Horse Gang on his first visit to the horse market, would not accept becoming a laughingstock after such a proper coming-of-age humiliation.
“If we follow this plan, we have a real chance.”
Seok Geum-ryong clenched both fists and encouraged Gong Sang-pil and Shin Dan-woo once more.
I’ll turn the table. I will.
And so, the silent war between merchants began, one fought without weapons or martial arts.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time flew by, and at last the Xi'an horse market was busy making preparations for the afternoon auction.
“Hmm~ then shall I jump into the Blood-Red Horse discount auction?”
Gui Jong-ak, the Red Horse Gang chief, hummed to himself as he strolled right past Seok Geum-ryong’s group.
He even added a deliberate provocation, waiting for them to lose their temper.
“That man dares...”
At the blatant provocation, Im So-gun, young and fiery by nature, was about to flare up when Seok Geum-ryong raised a hand to stop her.
“There’s no need to be angry. There’s no need to let your emotions sway you either. What they want is our conflict and confusion.”
Even veteran Yeo Gwang-rae was feeling his temper rise at the Red Horse Gang’s provocation, but when the thirteen-year-old Seok Geum-ryong spoke in that calm, reproachful voice, he felt suddenly ashamed.
“Young Master Seok is right.”
“I was foolish.”
At those words, Yeo Gwang-rae and Im So-gun both felt their hearts settle.
Now that I think about it, he really is remarkable. He’s calm beyond his years, and not only that, he’s experienced too.
Im So-gun regained her composure and looked steadily at Seok Geum-ryong’s face.
He looked exactly like a spoiled young master from a wealthy family, so handsome it seemed impossible for him to have any sense at all. And yet his conduct was not that of a pampered son, but of the family lord himself. It was astonishing.
“Young Master Seok Geum-ryong. May I have a moment of your time?”
Gui Jong-ak, admiring how Seok Geum-ryong handled things more skillfully than expected, approached again.
At his brazen movement, Im So-gun, Wol-papa, and Yeo Gwang-rae all went on guard.
“As much as you like. What would you like to discuss?”
If Seok Geum-ryong had truly been a bumbling fool, he would have avoided speaking to the Red Horse Gang chief at all, saying he could not stand the sight of him.
But Seok Geum-ryong did not flinch in the least. Not a single brow moved as he answered.
“The auction will begin shortly. If you refuse the bid again, you’ll not only make the horse merchants and the market sponsors dislike you for refusing a winning bid on your first visit to the Xi'an horse market, you’ll also bring trouble on yourselves. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I do.”
Despite Gui Jong-ak’s tone, which was so arrogant it sounded like a superior patiently instructing a subordinate, Seok Geum-ryong did not change at all.
“So what I’m saying is...”
At this point, Gui Jong-ak’s voice suddenly lowered.
“The auction is just about to start, so why not withdraw your participation and sell the Blood-Red Horse to the Red Horse Gang at a good price? That way, Seokga Manor might at least recover the handling fee for hauling the horse around.”
What Gui Jong-ak said was not a provocation, but sincere advice.
Rather than joining the afternoon auction and losing even more, he was telling them to sell it cheaply to the Red Horse Gang.
It was not a bad offer, either. Everyone present had their eyes on Seok Geum-ryong’s Blood-Red Horse, but no one dared offend the Red Horse Gang, which was the best horse merchant in the Central Plains.
Better to dispose of it to the Red Horse Gang than go home unable to fetch a fair price.
“Handling fee, you say.”
“You may be angry, but you should accept reality, shouldn’t you? If you sell the Blood-Red Horse at a good price, I’ll make some effort to help Seokga Manor and the Red Horse Gang become closer in the future.”
Gui Jong-ak went on with something that was impossible to tell was a request, a threat, or a gentle lecture.
But Seok Geum-ryong was not the sort of man who could be cajoled by someone like Gui Jong-ak.
“Why would I be angry? We intend to take part in the afternoon auction anyway, and there’s no reason for us to grow close to the Red Horse Gang in the future.”
With his trademark smile, Seok Geum-ryong calmly stepped aside.
The meaning of his action was obvious.
It was a clear refusal.
“Grrr. Very well. Let’s see how long you can keep that high and mighty posture... I’ll be watching.”
The one who ended up angry was not Seok Geum-ryong, but Gui Jong-ak.
Grinding his teeth, Gui Jong-ak strode past Seok Geum-ryong with an ostentatious stomp, and at that very moment...
“The afternoon auction is about to begin. We ask all honored guests to please take your seats.”
The long-awaited afternoon auction of the Xi'an horse market finally began.
And the real reversal started now.
Normally, the afternoon auction at the Xi'an horse market was so toothless that the words “honored guest” and “high official” felt almost laughable. Private merchants came only to scavenge whatever scraps were left after the morning session.
But today was different.
“The Governor of Shaanxi has arrived!”
To everyone’s surprise, just before the afternoon auction began, the best seats were already occupied by figures rarely seen at the Xi'an horse market.
The first of them was none other than the governor of Shaanxi, the man who oversaw the province.
What was even more astonishing was that this was not all.
“The governors of Shanxi and Hebei are here too, right beside him!”
There were enough society-minded spectators around to identify the guests, and as soon as the auction began, they successfully recognized every single official who had taken a seat.
“What? The governors of Shanxi and Hebei too?”
At the news, Gui Jong-ak reacted in shock.
The governor of Shaanxi made sense, since he had some acquaintance with him and occasionally dropped by the horse market. But this was the first time the governors of Shanxi and Hebei had come.
And that was not all.
“Officials from the Censorate and scholars from the Hanlin Academy have arrived too!”
Somehow, today was packed with not only high-ranking officials, but also lofty figures connected to the imperial court.
What on earth is going on?
Just seeing one of these men would have been a rare event, but with so many of them coming all at once, Gui Jong-ak’s instincts told him something was wrong.
“G-Governor of Shaanxi.”
Just as he started to move forward, intending to greet the distinguished guests...
“Oh! Inspector Seok!”
Before Gui Jong-ak could even approach, the Governor of Hebei, Jo Hwang, brightened and went straight toward someone else.
Unbelievably, that person was Seok Geum-ryong.
“Governor Jo. Thank you for making the long journey here.”
What happened next was even more shocking.
Governor Jo Hwang treated Seok Geum-ryong with great warmth and obvious fondness, startling not only Gui Jong-ak and the Red Horse Gang members, but everyone gathered at the Xi'an horse market.
What? He was the one who invited them? Not the Seok family head, but that mere fifth son...? How could he...
Gui Jong-ak’s pupils trembled violently at the implication that Seok Geum-ryong had invited them here himself.
It almost felt like he had been possessed by a ghost.
“No. It so happened that a meeting of the three governors was taking place nearby, and since you and the Seok family head had not forgotten even His Majesty the Emperor, nor us, when offering that Blood-Red Horse, we should be accommodating. Hahaha!”
Unfortunately for Gui Jong-ak, the one who brought all these people was none other than Seok Geum-ryong’s call and his network of connections.
Seok Geum-ryong had a tie with the Governor of Hebei, who had granted him the post of inspector, and after obtaining the Blood-Red Horse, he had immediately taken care to strengthen that relationship by first attending to Governor Jo. In other words, he had built a proper golden network.
On top of that, he presented the Blood-Red Horse to the Imperial Court, as well as to the governors of Shanxi and Shaanxi. Of course they’d take good care of me.
Strictly speaking, they had also come because they were hoping for another rare gift, but still.
What Seok Geum-ryong had asked Gong Sang-pil and Shin Dan-woo to do during lunch was nothing less than summon Governor Jo Hwang of Hebei.
Unexpectedly, luck had been on his side: the three governors happened to be meeting in Xi'an, and thanks to that, he was able to mobilize every connection he had and make the occasion shine.
Besides, these were high officials who had already tasted the Blood-Red Horse once.
“So, they’re auctioning that Blood-Red Horse here?”
“That Blood-Red Horse? I tried riding one, and it nearly blew my mind.”
“You rode one too? Once you ride that horse, you can’t go back to an ordinary one.”
This was the other reason Seok Geum-ryong had called them.
They were all governors of a province, men who were never short on funds.
If competition broke out among them, not only could the Blood-Red Horse be sold at a proper price...
Maybe... this could turn into a far bigger jackpot than I expected.
Seok Geum-ryong smiled brightly, foretelling a streak of windfall gains.