Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Part 20 Investment Group
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“For the final confirmation, let’s go over it one last time….”
Fourth Young Master Yeon Bi spoke up.
“My subordinates and I are in charge of the investment group coming from Sichuan. However, the key to success or failure in this plan lies with the ‘Dasenrang’—those not part of that investment group.”
Yeon Bi looked at Yeon So-hyeon.
“They’re the ones you’ll have to handle, big brother.”
Yeon So-hyeon nodded quietly.
“Dasenrang is the name of the merchant association, but it’s also used to refer to the individuals themselves.”
Yeon Bi flipped through the report and continued.
“It’s said that decisions are made by unanimous agreement of all five Dasenrang members, but if there’s one most important figure among them, it’s Shangguan Nanhua.”
* * *
The spring breeze blowing through the carriage window made Shangguan Nanhua’s silky hair ripple softly like satin.
As she lifted her delicate jade hand to tuck a stray lock behind her ear, her pale, slender nape gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.
“I’m so jealous….”
One of the Dasenrang murmured.
“Sichuan’s Number One Beauty, as expected.”
Another Dasenrang picked up the thread.
“I wish I had talent for internal energy like Nanhua….”
“Hohoho, even if you learned the wine-serving arts at the academy, it’d just be carving lines on a pumpkin, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s your story.”
The two immediately started bickering.
“Ah…. I just wish my family wouldn’t pressure me about marriage like they do with Sister Nanhua.”
The youngest-looking one among them made a sullen face, and the tall one patted her head.
“It’s fine. Unlike you, I want to but can’t.”
“Ah…, Sister. I’m sorry.”
The woman taller than most men flashed a confidently smug smile for no reason.
“It’s okay. In a huge, glamorous city like Luoyang, fate’s destined love is surely waiting for me.”
The youngest clenched her fists with both hands.
“You’ll definitely meet him!”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.”
She hid a sigh inwardly and looked at Shangguan Nanhua.
‘If only my face were that pretty….’
Seated by the carriage window, Shangguan Nanhua was being subjected to nonstop courtship from the commanding officer of the official guards escorting them.
Mounted on horseback beside the carriage, he had been chattering away for several shichen already. His persistence was astonishing.
‘Still, having guys stick to you that tenaciously everywhere must be exhausting….’
She gave a wry smile.
As she scanned for an opening to intervene and help Shangguan Nanhua as usual, an astonishing sight outside the window caught her eye.
“Ah, look over there!”
Everyone’s gazes turned to the window.
“Wow!”
They all pressed against the windows without exception to peer out.
The carriage tilted momentarily as their combined weight shifted the center of gravity when they crowded to the windows.
“It’s a lake!”
Far off, a massive lake was gradually revealing itself.
So vast was the lake that even from a considerable distance, it filled their entire field of view.
And on that lake floated huge Western-style sailing ships unlike any seen in Sichuan lands.
Shangguan Nanhua stared blankly at the wondrous sight, her full lips parting slightly.
“That lake is….”
To avoid blocking the Dasenrang young ladies’ view, the commanding officer had pulled his horse back a bit, but he quickly chimed in.
“Yes, that lake is the Huang Lake, the largest artificial lake in the Central Plains!”
With the Dasenrang young ladies’ attention now on him, he puffed out his chest and began reciting what he knew.
“Huang Lake is a lake, but it’s also the starting point of the East-West Grand Canal. It’s the destination where foreign trade ships arrive via the North-South Grand Canal and then the East-West Grand Canal.”
“Ah, I see….”
“Oh, yes….”
Since it was knowledge the Dasenrang young ladies already knew well, their reactions were lukewarm, and he flustered, rummaging through his mind.
At that moment, Shangguan Nanhua asked him.
“Do you happen to know why they created a lake of that scale artificially?”
The feat, questionable even with human labor, had been the end of the previous dynasty.
“Ah! That’s an excellent question! As expected of Shangguan Nanhua—what a sharp inquiry!”
He clapped his hands at the question.
“This is something I heard from my mother….”
He skillfully maneuvered his horse closer to the carriage window.
Though he blocked the view, the Dasenrang young ladies, curious about his tale, didn’t complain.
“It’s said there’s a point near this great city of Luoyang where ‘fortune’ rises up.”
“…Fortune rises up?”
The Dasenrang young ladies looked baffled, so he waved his hand.
But even so, clear curiosity shone on their faces.
Being of that age, even the renowned Dasenrang young ladies enjoyed fortune-telling and superstition for fun.
“Of course, it’s superstition. Obviously just a superstition. That’s the story that exists.”
He hurriedly continued.
“A certain king of the previous dynasty received a prophecy from a great Daoist.”
He paused for effect.
“The prophecy said that if they could harness that fortune, the dynasty that monopolized it would last a thousand years and enjoy nothing but prosperity.”
“So they dug that lake to harness the fortune?”
“But the previous dynasty fell even after making the lake, didn’t they?”
“Then the prophecy was wrong, wasn’t it?”
“Heh heh.”
He gave a meaningful smile.
“In truth, Huang Lake was completed after the previous dynasty’s fall. Almost right after.”
“What…?!”
“Ooh!”
The young ladies chattered excitedly to each other at the intriguing, mystical tale.
Satisfied with their reactions, the commanding officer nodded to himself.
As he silently thanked his mother inwardly for sharing this story,
“Then….”
Shangguan Nanhua, who had been quietly lost in thought, asked him.
“The dynasty fell, so who completed the lake?”
The commanding officer smiled.
“It was the famous ‘Luoyang Sword Clan.’”
* * *
“Big brother….”
Fourth Young Master cautiously looked up at Yeon So-hyeon and said.
“Are you still planning to handle the Dasenrang yourself? Even now, it might be better to leave it to me….”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled faintly.
“Why do you say that?”
Yeon Bi scratched his soft cheek with a finger.
“As you know, the Dasenrang are strictly apprentice status. They belong to the Emei Academy operated by the Emei Sect in Chengdu.”
The Emei Sect had joined the investment group under the pretext of escorting and protecting them, citing their affiliation with the Emei Academy.
“The Emei Sect…”
He glanced at his big brother’s expression.
“They’re the ones who openly clash even with the Tang Family that rules Sichuan. Not the Sichuan Tang Clan, but the main Tang Family line.”
Yeon So-hyeon chuckled and patted his cute little brother’s head.
“Are you worried they’ll disdain me as the Swordless One? And not even elsewhere, but here in Luoyang?”
Yeon Bi shook his head.
“No. I’m worried they’ll incur your wrath. If their heads end up hanging in the central plaza, the investment group members from peaceful Sichuan will panic and flee?”
Yeon So-hyeon burst into loud laughter.
* * *
“Who dares act so rowdy?!”
A stern rebuke fell upon the excited, squealing Dasenrang young ladies.
The one who had ridden up familiarly alongside the carriage was a nun clad in ornate monastic robes.
She was a stern-faced young nun who had twisted up her long hair and secured it with a jade hairpin engraved with Buddhist motifs.
“You must never forget that you are students of our Emei Academy, no matter where you are!”
Peering inside through the carriage window, she sharply scolded the Dasenrang young ladies.
“It’s fine that you’ve made a name with your little business antics, but that doesn’t mean you can forget your proper duties, understood?!”
Dasenrang was no mere prank, nor was it some slipshod venture to be belittled as ‘business.’
“…Who’s the one joining to make a quick buck riding on our ‘little business prank’?”
One Dasenrang young lady pursed her lips at the nun’s outburst.
It was a quiet mutter, but not quiet enough for a nun of the Emei Sect, brimming with internal energy, to miss.
“What did you just say?!”
“....”
As they all shut their mouths and looked away, the young nun was about to unleash a thunderous roar.
“You all…!”
“We didn’t say anything, Dormitory Warden.”
It was Shangguan Nanhua who spoke.
Her phoenix-like eyes turned toward the young nun called the dormitory warden.
Monastic robes of the finest silk embroidered with golden thread.
Accessories that carried a Buddhist scent but were ultimately mere ornaments.
Makeup more skilled than that of highborn ladies.
“…Shangguan Nanhua. What did you just say to this dormitory warden?”
Shangguan Nanhua stared straight at the nun’s intimidating aura and spoke in deliberate, measured tones.
“I said we didn’t say anything, Dormitory Warden.”
“Shangguan Nanhua…!”
Had Shangguan Nanhua not been the only daughter of the Sichuan Governor who had ruled Sichuan for generations, the dormitory warden would have slapped her face on the spot.
“…All of you. When we get back, I won’t let this slide.”
After glaring at Shangguan Nanhua with twitching eyes for a moment, the dormitory warden looked away first.
“Commanding Officer.”
The official guard commander, who had been awkwardly riding beside them, responded.
“Yes, Nun.”
“It’s natural for young men and women in their prime to feel attraction toward each other, but these are young ladies from prominent families even in Sichuan, so please keep a close watch.”
The commanding officer nodded vaguely.
“Yes, yes. Understood, Nun.”
At the guard’s half-hearted attitude, the young nun’s face twitched.
‘How dare a mere dog of the court, clad in shabby government robes…!’
In Sichuan, a mere commanding officer with a few soldiers wouldn’t dare act so rudely toward a member of the Emei Sect.
But she wasn’t foolish enough to forget this wasn’t Sichuan.
“…To begin with, what on earth is the reason for Xi’an’s official guards escorting travelers?”
“As I said from the start, we’re just following orders from above.”
“So, whose orders are they, exactly?”
Currently, soldiers wrapped in government cloaks were moving alongside the investment group.
“I don’t know. I’m just faithfully obeying the orders as a soldier should.”
Originally, the Emei Sect had been in charge of the investment group’s route and escort.
But suddenly, upon passing Xi’an, these troops had joined, and now they were even deciding the path themselves.
“What in the world is the reason…!”
At that moment, a falcon cried from the sky, circled once, and landed on the commanding officer’s arm.
It wasn’t just because of the mere beast that the nun dormitory warden fell silent.
“Good, good girl.”
Unlike his worn government cloak, the armor encasing the commanding officer’s exposed arm was no ordinary item.
As he spoke to the falcon and scratched its chin, he gestured with his jaw toward the distance.
“Nun. If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask them?”
“Them…?”
Following the commanding officer’s gaze, the nun saw a thick cloud of dust rising.