Chapter 14: Unexpected Journey (2)
Among the noble ladies of high officials and dignitaries, a certain pastime had taken root at some point.
The rules were simple.
The deadline was one month.
The noble ladies took turns, and when it was one's turn, she had to procure the item specified by the previous lady.
If she failed to obtain it, she had to treat the others to a lavish feast.
And the item she couldn't procure would then become the next lady's task.
The item could be anything, but it always ended up being something exceedingly difficult to find.
After all, the whole point of the game was to take turns footing the bill for extravagant treats.
The harder it was to obtain, the more thrilling it became.
But if a lady succeeded, she would be fawned over like an empress by the others for the entire month.
So it was a game where failing wasn't so bad—you could just laugh it off.
However, as it evolved into a battle of pride among the noble ladies, things began to escalate.
Mobs of people were mobilized to hunt down ever more obscure artifacts, leading to reckless endeavors.
Innocent commoners suffered greatly due to the noble ladies' fortunate whims and their pride-fueled contests.
In the end, the Emperor issued an edict banning it after receiving memorials from the Hanlin Academy.
But the game hadn't overheated yet.
And the item Song Jangju had just mentioned? One noble lady would procure it half a year from now.
That item was the Self-Dancing Doll.
The Self-Dancing Doll's popularity spread like wildfire across the region, with everyone throwing money at it.
The merchant group that sold it raked in a fortune.
Song Jangju said,
"Can you obtain it?"
Father looked slightly troubled. But refusing outright in his presence would be rude.
Father replied smoothly.
"We'll do our utmost to find it."
"I beg you. It must be by the end of this month."
With that, Song Jangju made his plea again and left the reception room. Father saw him off and followed.
Now I finally understood the full story behind Song Jangju's downfall.
He must have scoured heaven and earth to find what the Governor-General wanted.
More precisely, what the Governor-General's wife wanted.
The Governor-General was known to dote on his wife immensely, so had Song Jangju succeeded, the man would likely have turned a blind eye to his misdeeds out of gratitude for upholding his wife's honor.
But Song Jangju failed, earning himself lasting enmity, and that led to his ruin.
We waited in the reception room for Father, who had stepped out to see Song Jangju off.
"I wondered when you'd show up. About time," Yeon Pavilion Master remarked, prompting a smirk from me.
She already knew all about the noble ladies' pastime and this particular challenge: a doll that danced on its own every hour.
And that Song Jangju was hunting for it.
Which meant Father knew too.
They sure put on a good act.
Yu Chonggwan shook his head as if his temples throbbed.
"A doll that dances by itself every hour? Where on earth are we supposed to find such a thing...?"
"It won't be easy, but we'll have to search far and wide. We can't afford to take the hit otherwise."
Yu Chonggwan nodded at my words.
"Young master knows it well. Song Jangju is one of our key clients. His downfall would hurt our merchant group considerably."
As Yu Chonggwan said, Song Jangju's collapse wasn't welcome news for the Eunhae Merchant Group.
The volume of rice he supplied as a major landowner in the area was no small amount.
But in the future I'd experienced, we overcame that blow more easily than expected, so it didn't weigh too heavily on me now.
Something far more important is at stake.
I recalled a certain day from the future I'd lived through.
It was the day representatives of the Hundred Great Merchant Groups gathered for their conference.
I'd attended with Father and my eldest brother.
There, I met the head of the Jin-gyeon Merchant Group, who had skyrocketed into the Hundred Great thanks to the Self-Dancing Doll.
The topic came up amid talk of the dolls, and the man—flushed and drunk on strong liquor—boasted animatedly.
"Ah, that kid's hands were something else! He whipped up all sorts of bizarre gadgets like it was nothing!"
"Where on earth did you find such a craftsman?"
"You know that big market town by the pass from Hubei Province into Gangseo Province."
"Ah, got it!"
"And I presented one to him."
That merchant gained the favor of the Governor-General's wife in Gangseo Province and made a killing off the dolls.
In the future I'd known, that craftsman ended up under the Jin-gyeon banner, but this time, I planned to bring him into the Eunhae fold.
This wasn't stealing someone else's artisan.
It would make the craftsman happier too.
Despite inventing the doll, he lived miserably, worked to death day and night, and died from overwork.
Once he perished and no more dolls could be made, the Jin-gyeon Merchant Group crumbled fast. The head wasn't particularly shrewd, nor was their foundation solid.
They held on for a bit, but folded in under half a year.
Because I'd ruined them.
Curious how they'd snared such a talented craftsman, I'd commissioned the Hao Clan to investigate.
Through them, I learned how the group had lured and squeezed him dry.
They'd kidnapped his family and forced him to kowtow before them.
Even when he couldn't produce new gadgets to satisfy the noble lady, they blackmailed him with his family as hostages and made him grovel.
Imagining his self-loathing, torment, and swallowed tears made my skin crawl at the thought of such scum ranking among the Hundred Great.
Money makes people ruthless, sure—but there were limits.
Money served people, after all.
Those who did such things weren't human and had no right to it.
My brothers were furious too, and I began plotting to rescue the craftsman.
But before I could act, he died.
We tried to save at least his family from their clutches, but the group had already silenced them by killing everyone.
That filled me with guilt.
If I'd learned of it sooner, the craftsman and his family might have lived.
So, in lieu of vengeance for him, I destroyed the Jin-gyeon Merchant Group.
And that resolve hadn't changed.
Which meant I had to secure that craftsman before he suffered and died.
Someone with such talent deserved proper treatment.
And as a bonus, the Eunhae Merchant Group would profit too.
Truth be told, recruiting him had been on my list a bit later.
But circumstances unfolding like this felt like some unknown force urging me: Move now.
The problem is...
The craftsman lived in Gangseo Province.
From our spot in Hubei—specifically, near Sungyang County bordering Gangseo—it wasn't too far.
But at fifteen, I couldn't go without Father's permission.
How could I get to Gangseo Province?
As I pondered, a brilliant idea struck.
For the sake of this Eunhae Merchant Group and the craftsman doomed to die from exploitation, I decided to sacrifice my winter solstice vacation.
* * *
Eunhae Merchant Group leader Eun Gil-sang sighed as he returned to the reception room after seeing off Song Jangju.
"A doll that dances by itself every hour..."
He'd never heard of such a contraption.
The woman who set that task, the one chasing it, and the fool trying to fetch it for her—they're all mad...
Of course, that was just his inner thought.
As leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group, Eun Gil-sang kept a close eye on local affairs and had already grasped the situation.
He knew Song Jangju had fallen out of favor with the Governor-General of Hubei Province and was hunting for a self-dancing doll.
Song Jangju's refusal to factor his land's grain output into his age wasn't a slip-up.
So stop gorging yourself already. What a clown—scouting everywhere first, then coming to us last.
He'd probably kept it quiet to avoid embarrassment and losses, trying his luck solo before knocking on Eunhae's door.
Sigh, what a mess.
And it wasn't just Eunhae—he'd likely begged help from all their allied groups too.
Song Jangju's downfall would be trouble, but another group aiding him wasn't ideal either. Their rice trade might shift there.
Even if Song Jangju exhausts every avenue and fails, how are we supposed to find it...?
Thus lost in thought, Eun Seo-ho called to him.
"Father, I have something to say."
"What is it?"
"I'd like to visit Gangseo Province during my winter solstice break."
Gangseo Province!
At the sudden request for travel, he had to ask why.
"What's the reason? Surely not just a sightseeing jaunt to blow off steam..."
"I want to see Gangseo's markets with my own eyes."
Eun Gil-sang gazed steadily at Eun Seo-ho.
Lately, his third son had seemed... off.
The boy who'd always been sickly had suddenly bloomed healthy.
His once-hunched frame from poring over books had straightened.
And his practical skills were impeccable.
Even prickly, perfectionist Yu So-ak—whom he'd personally recruited—had taken him as an assistant.
After returning from Hwayeon Pavilion recently, Yu So-ak had said,
"How did young master pinpoint exactly the spots proving Pavilion Master Baek was embezzling?"
"What do you mean?"
"The ledgers you inspected and exposed for corruption were masterfully falsified. That Chief Ledger Clerk, Seo Su-chang, is quite capable."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Most merchants wouldn't spot the embezzlement from those books."
"..."
"It seems the young master's talents exceed what I imagined."
Eun Gil-sang had reexamined the Hwayeon Pavilion ledgers and confirmed Yu So-ak's assessment.
Come to think of it, Seo-ho even suggested a new way to utilize Hwayeon Pavilion we hadn't considered. Does the boy have a merchant's flair?
Moreover, Eun Seo-ho had recently begun training in martial arts.
He'd refused External Manager Ko Il-pyeong and insisted on another outsider, so Eun Gil-sang had told Ko to check him out.
Ko had returned with:
"Young master Seo-ho has a constitution suited for ice arts. Only Escort Leader Kwak can teach him."
"Not some shady character, I hope?"
"No. I can't reveal details on Escort Leader Kwak, but he's trustworthy."
"I see..."
"Young master is lucky too. Starting Yanggang-style arts properly could have been dangerous."
"Dangerous how? You'd have noticed beforehand."
"No. I only understood after hearing the details. Without this, I'd have just taught him my style."
"Intriguing. Arrange a meeting with Escort Leader Kwak."
"Yes, sir."
And so Eun Gil-sang met Kwak Myeong-hyeon.
He'd seen the man a few times before—as head escort of the Spear Escort Agency contracted with Eunhae.
He'd always seemed more than ordinary.
Though intel on his pre-Hubei days was a blank.
But his gut, honed by experience, told him:
Kwak Myeong-hyeon was no mere escort leader.
"Escort Leader Kwak greets the Group Leader."
"Dispense with formalities. No need for a master's father to stand on ceremony."
"As you wish."
"You've agreed to teach my son?"
"Yes."
That day, they talked at length, and Kwak Myeong-hyeon formally became Eun Seo-ho's master.
Recalling that, Eun Gil-sang looked at his son.
What draws such a titan to become Seo-ho's martial teacher?