Imperial Silk Delivery Competition (6)
I blinked twice.
What the hell is going on here?
No, if the first through third tests were the same as before, shouldn't the fourth one be identical too?
But the fourth test that had just been delivered to me was "silk selection."
It wasn't the "procure silk" test I remembered.
In my previous life, we'd had to obtain the silk specified by the imperial family in the shortest time possible, and Baekcheon Merchant Group had been the fastest.
Ah, don't tell me...
There was one difference between then and this competition.
The presence or absence of a man named Go Seong-il.
So, in my previous life, had he meddled with the competition themes?
And because he wasn't here this time, the theme had changed?
I had no idea why, but it didn't matter.
Either way, it wasn't advantageous to Baekcheon Merchant Group.
At that moment.
Baekcheon Merchant Group had also received the test theme through an inner palace eunuch.
The representative sent by Baekcheon this time was Namgung Bo.
He was the nephew of Namgung Gang, the head of the merchant group.
Baekcheon Merchant Group still had no vice leader. As a merchant group under the Murim Alliance, its successor was selected by the alliance's elders.
And Namgung Bo was one of the candidates for next head.
For him, this imperial silk delivery competition was a golden opportunity to catch the eye of the Murim Alliance elders.
That's why he was obsessed with leading it to success.
I have to succeed, no matter the means!
To that end, he'd bribed palace officials to pass the first three stages smoothly.
Through them, he'd learned the fourth test was "procure silk."
He even knew exactly which silk and had prepared accordingly.
But when he unrolled the scroll from the eunuch, he couldn't help but panic.
The theme was completely different from what he'd been told.
Damn it! All that effort wasted!
It stung that the contacts he'd used weren't high-ranking enough.
Of course—the higher-ups he'd approached had chased him off, furious: "Are you trying to get my head chopped off?"
Me! A Namgung clansman! And they made me bow my head!
Then a sudden thought struck him.
Did the Empress find out I bribed these palace folks?
He recalled what his father—one of the Murim Alliance elders—had said before he left for Beijing.
"Bo-ya, the one you must be most wary of in this affair is the Empress."
In his mind, she was the one who'd sabotaged it. The Emperor wouldn't meddle in something like this.
Anyway, the situation was already underway.
Imperial Palace.
As the Emperor handled his duties, he asked a eunuch.
"The themes should have reached all seven merchant groups by now, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He smirked.
Daring to throw dirt on a competition where my favorite young man is representing? In my contest?
Normally, he'd have left the imperial silk delivery competition to the Empress without a second thought.
But one of the participants was Eun Seo-ho, so he'd taken an interest.
And that's how he'd learned of the money-dust-flinging scoundrels.
Naturally, the Emperor wasn't one to let that slide.
The day of the fourth stage finally dawned.
I headed to the imperial palace with the three managers, as pre-notified.
"Once everyone's gathered, we'll enter the palace."
We followed the waiting eunuch through the gates to the same venue as the second and third stages.
As we waited there, the Empress arrived with her consorts, princesses, and ministers.
We paid our respects to the Empress.
"Rise, all of you."
Everyone stood at her words.
But I felt something off.
Why are the princesses looking at me with such pitying eyes? Different from before.
Last time, they'd blushed when they saw me. Today, it's like they're sorry for me.
What the...?
But her words began, snapping me out of it.
"As announced, this stage is silk selection."
At that, silks began piling up behind her.
"The two boxes in front contain plaques numbered from one to twenty-one. Excluding myself, there are twenty-one of us on the palace side, and seven merchant groups."
The Empress continued.
"We'll draw one plaque; each merchant group draws three. Say Group 'Gap' draws five, twelve, and twenty-one. Then, the three palace judges who drew those numbers each name their desired silk. The group selects and provides each one. Simple rule."
The Empress said.
"First, we'll draw our plaques."
The palace side drew one each. Meanwhile, she explained further.
"Judging criteria: speed and suitability. Not just quick selection, but it must suit the judge's taste."
So even the princesses are judging this time, not just observing.
After a few more details, she finished.
"Merchant groups, draw your plaques."
Each group drew three. Three chances, then.
Ours: two, ten, twenty-one.
Number one went to none other than Baekcheon Merchant Group.
We all watched them with interest.
The palace holder of number one was one of the consorts.
"What silk does Consort Hyang desire?"
"I want silk for a gown to wear to His Majesty's birthday banquet."
Baekcheon's men immediately scanned the piled silks for one suiting her.
Soon, they placed a bolt before her.
"This is the silk we've selected."
It was a deep crimson silk.
"Why this silk?"
Their apparent representative stepped forward at the Empress's question.
I recognized him from my memories.
Namgung Bo.
Namgung Gang's nephew.
In my previous life, he'd led the competition to victory, becoming a top candidate for next head—then vanished.
Publicly, "deviated qi during training, now recuperating." Nonsense.
Deviation required martial obsession; this guy preferred strutting on family prestige.
Someone had quietly eliminated him. Who? No idea.
Namgung Bo, stepping forward, said.
"His Majesty's birthday is a day brimming with good fortune. Thus, red silk—for invoking blessings—is fitting. And among silks, isn't the finest shocking gold silk? That's why we chose this."
The Empress asked the consort with number one.
"Does it please Consort Hyang?"
Baekcheon's pick was luxurious enough to captivate all eyes, worthy of "beautiful."
"Selecting such fine silk so quickly!"
"As expected of Baekcheon! Well-deserved reputation."
Whispers from other groups' members.
Ours seemed to agree.
"Surely Consort Hyang will love it."
I said nothing to the gold manager's words.
Everyone assumed she'd like it.
But would she?
Unlike the unreadable Empress, Consort Hyang looked troubled.
As expected.
"I... I refuse this silk."
Her words stunned Baekcheon and the others—shock, outrage.
Some even thought, Is she screwing with them on purpose?
But her refusal was utterly natural.
"I see."
The Empress nodded calmly.
"Baekcheon Merchant Group, you're dismissed. Next, the group with number two, step forward."
Baekcheon's men withdrew, masking disappointment. I advanced with the managers.
Number two was another consort.
"What silk does Consort Yeong desire?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Silk for a gown to wear to His Majesty's birthday banquet."
Same theme as Baekcheon. What a twist.
"Eunhae Merchant Group, select."
"Yes."
We began scanning.
The gold manager fretted.
"What silk should we pick?"
"Yeah, she rejected that fine shocking gold... Won't we just get played too?"
The silver manager agreed.
But I smiled leisurely.
"Her refusal was natural. Think: she didn't say she disliked it—she refused it."
"Pardon?"
"The reason: it's red."
Unlike the two managers, Seok the deputy understood, smiling faintly.
"Indeed... I see."
"Got it?"
"Without you as vice leader, we'd have made a huge mistake."
Nodding to the others as if promising later explanation, he selected a silk.
"This should do."
"I agree."
Ours: jade-green and purple-tinged silks.
We placed them before Consort Yeong.
"Two bolts?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. No rule said only one."
Other groups' members looked shocked.
Especially Baekcheon's, biting lips in regret.
"True, no such restriction. Wise."
"You honor me."
"Why these?"
"Naturally, colors suiting Consort Yeong best. Your skin is so fair; blue tones will complement perfectly."
Consort Yeong asked.
"Color pleases me. But the birthday banquet is winter—might look cold?"
"Wrap your neck in white fox fur; flaw gone. Imagine: snow falling, jade-green with purple gown. Mystical, no?"
She smiled, nodding satisfied.
"We could have picked non-blues, but pink is favored by the princesses. And red..."
I grinned.
"Is Your Majesty's color."
Silence fell.
Brief, but expressions in the room were a riot of colors.
Yes.
Baekcheon's intense red shocking gold was gorgeous, enchanting.
But at major imperial events, red was the Empress's gown color.
A consort wearing red to the Emperor's birthday? A direct challenge to the Empress's authority.
That's why Consort Hyang refused.
She didn't want to fall from favor.
Of course, ordinary merchants wouldn't know.
It was an unspoken palace rule.
Blabbing about it could doom your clan.
So outsiders stayed ignorant.
Everyone loves red; must wear it to big palace parties, right?
Many did daily.
I liked red too.
Even groups trading with nobles might not know.
Noblewomen, fiercely competitive, ordered varied silks to avoid color clashes at events.
They vaguely said "red gown."
Maids and family seamstresses kept mum.
Husbands didn't care what their wives wore.
So even top silk merchants were clueless.
I'd have been too, without past-life experience.
When Eunhae became one of the Three Great Merchant Groups, I'd aided Prince Jinseung, forging ties.
He adored his wife, personally commissioning silk for her gown from me.
That's how I learned these tidbits.
I clasped hands in salute.
"How could we presumptuously pick red?"
Consort Yeong nodded agreement; Namgung Bo and Baekcheon's faces twisted bitterly.
Mm. Deliciously satisfying.