Jin Ho-hyung's Wedding Banquet (2)
I couldn't let them see any sign of surprise on my face.
Playing it cool, I asked, "What do you mean, confessing your crimes?"
"The truth is... we're spies planted in the Eunhae Merchant Group."
Palgap and the guards all wore shocked expressions.
As if they hadn't seen it coming at all.
Yeah, I get it.
In my previous life, even I hadn't known.
No, not just me— even Go, the external overseer, had been completely in the dark.
They'd fooled everyone perfectly.
In a way, that was a skill in itself.
They'd hidden their true colors until the critical moment, then struck me from behind, putting both me and the merchant group in a tough spot.
That's why, when their treachery came to light, Go had apologized to me profusely.
After all, they'd been assigned as my guards on his recommendation.
And he even stepped back from the front lines as a result.
It was a real shame to lose someone of Go's caliber like that.
Anyway, their betrayal happened much later than now— when I was twenty-six.
They'd kept their cover perfectly until then, so why were they suddenly spilling everything so willingly?
It was completely unexpected, but I kept my composure, not letting it show.
First things first, I needed to figure out their motives.
"We were wondering when to come clean..."
So I let on that I already knew.
And to get the real reason out of them, I needed to shake them up a bit.
As expected, they jumped at my words, stammering.
"Y-you knew after all?"
"H-how long have you...?"
"Don't you think you moved a bit sloppily?"
"......"
Not enough? Maybe I should push a little harder.
"So, what did Bang Woo, the sub-branch leader of the Jinse Merchant Group, offer you?"
"......!"
"......!"
They looked horrified at my words.
These two were spies planted by the Jinse Merchant Group— more precisely, by sub-branch leader Bang Woo.
The Jinse Merchant Group was currently considered Hubei's top merchant house.
Together with us and the Hongnang Merchant Group— where Han Baek-geon served as sub-branch leader— they formed Hubei's three great merchant groups, though there was still a clear gap between us.
Of course, that wouldn't last much longer.
Suddenly, memories from my past life surfaced.
Right up until they stabbed me in the back, the Eunhae and Jinse groups had been fiercely competing for the title of Hubei's number one.
A bad harvest had strained operations to the breaking point, and eventually, Hubei's premier tavern went up for sale.
An auction was held for it, and we lost.
The problem? The winning bid was just ten silver taels higher than ours.
For a tavern of that value, a ten-tael difference screamed leaked inside information.
And those ten taels were clearly meant to mock us.
If there'd been no malice, even with prior knowledge, they'd have bid at least a hundred taels more out of courtesy.
That's when these two were exposed as traitors.
The Jinse Group surged ahead again with that tavern, but these two never got their reward.
Bang Woo pretended they didn't exist, leaving them to suffer and die.
From their reactions back then, they hadn't expected him to abandon them.
Which made their actions now even harder to understand.
They still seemed to trust Bang Woo completely.
"Money? Or a high position?"
The two warriors exchanged glances, and Bae Cheol spoke first.
"If we carried out our orders well, we were promised a squad leader position in the Jinse Group's martial forces. And for any big successes, a hefty monetary reward."
Both, huh.
"I see. I figured you'd hold out until much later before confessing— you're spilling faster than I thought."
This time, Go Ju-sang replied.
"We've realized the Jinse Merchant Group has no future."
No future?
They're still doing great.
Sensing my expression, Go Ju-sang continued.
"The Eunhae Merchant Group climbed from the bottom of the top hundred to fortieth place in just five years."
That's right.
"And it happened through utterly unforeseen methods. Our vision may be limited, but we're not blind to the bigger picture. At this rate, entering the realm of the Five Great Merchant Groups of the World is only a matter of time."
"But not the Jinse Group. The current heir, the sub-branch leader, isn't the man to take it higher."
They really thought that?
Then why had they stuck with him to the bitter end in my past life?
I'll set that aside for now.
The Jinse Group's current heir was their second son, Bang Woo— no great merchant by any stretch.
A sneaky, despicable sort who stooped to any low.
By contrast, the Jinse Group leader was a man of high repute, even in my eyes.
It was baffling how a son like Bang Woo could come from him.
Anyway, losing that tavern had slowed our growth for a bit.
But it only took time; we eventually overtook them.
And I paid Bang Woo back in kind for what he'd done.
That got him booted from his sub-branch leader post.
Be a proper merchant and compete fairly— pull petty stunts like that, and that's what you get.
"Anyway, we've decided to defect to the Eunhae Merchant Group. Why not jump to a bigger ship while we're at it?"
But they didn't explain why they'd soured on Bang Woo.
Something's up.
Switching to a bigger ship, huh...
I could understand Overseer An Suk's case— he'd been suffering under Ma Jang-ju, whose ship was sinking anyway.
But the Jinse Group was still a sturdy vessel.
So there was only one answer.
Something had happened due to changes from my past life. They must figure it's doomed now, so they're bailing.
Huh!
Cute.
But I had no intention of trusting them.
If they were willing to jump ship from Jinse to us just for personal gain, they'd hop to anyone bigger without hesitation.
It wasn't like their loyalty object had vanished; they were just chasing better prospects.
The first betrayal is hard; the second is easy.
But I'd be a fool not to reel in these big fish that swam into my net unbidden.
"Anyway, coming to me instead of Father or the external overseer means you're asking for a chance, right?"
"Yes."
"That's right."
They nodded.
"Fine. I'll give you that chance."
I smiled.
* * *
Bae Cheol warrior and Go Ju-sang warrior stared at Eun Seo-ho, who smiled back at them.
That handsome face made the smile lethally charming, but to them, it was terrifying.
As spies planted in the Eunhae Merchant Group by Jinse, their mission had been to observe and report peculiarities.
But their intel had been useless.
As bodyguards to a key figure, they might've gleaned secrets, but stuck as mere Silver Wind Squad warriors, they got nothing confidential.
Everything they reported was old news.
They'd even sensed it themselves:
Bang Woo sub-branch leader thought them worthless.
Trembling in fear of being discarded, opportunity knocked.
Their Silver Wind Squad subunit got assigned to work with Eun Seo-ho.
Finally, something worth reporting, they thought, and began watching him closely.
But he moved stealthily with only his personal guards, so details eluded them.
What they could piece together: Eun Seo-ho was the one who'd ruined Ma Jeong.
They didn't know how, but the circumstances pointed to it.
With that very captivating smile on full display.
And he seemed quite chummy with the Gold Guard.
What was the Gold Guard? The imperial direct-affiliate force— elite martial artists with real power.
If they got exposed as Bang Woo's spies in that situation...
Their future was sealed. No bones left to bury.
But admitting it bruised their pride.
"Let's ditch them before they ditch us."
"Good idea."
"If we prove our value, he won't cast us aside coldly."
"I think so too."
That's why they'd come to confess— only to learn he already knew!
As expected, a scary guy. Good thing we came clean early.
Thankfully, as they'd hoped, Eun Seo-ho offered a chance.
"......"
But then he fell silent, just staring at them.
Why isn't he saying anything?
W-what do we do?
Bae Cheol and Go Ju-sang felt immense pressure.
Just from being watched!
Even in the chilly evening, cold sweat poured down.
He seemed to be waiting for them to prove their worth.
What to say?
What would convince him they were useful?
Then Bae Cheol made the first move.
"Bang Woo sub-branch leader plans to slip something into the food at this second sub-branch leader's wedding banquet to cause stomach upset."
"......!"
Go Ju-sang gaped at him in shock.
What? You're not looking back now?
They'd planned to hedge their bets even after defecting— not burn bridges completely.
But Bae Cheol's preemptive strike made Go Ju-sang feel betrayed.
"Go Ju-sang warrior."
"Ah! Yes!"
"Is what Bae Cheol warrior said true?"
Water under the bridge now; he sighed and confirmed.
"......Yes."
"Then why hesitate to speak up? How am I supposed to view you now?"
Go Ju-sang grumbled inwardly.
A heads-up would've been nice! Damn it! Now I'm the only one exposed!
In the end, he had no choice but to spill his top-secret intel too.
"......Truth is, there's another spy planted here besides us."
* * *
Suddenly, my neck cramped up.
Damn it... Bang Woo, you bastard...
How far are you willing to go?
Honestly, Bae Cheol and Go Ju-sang trying to jump from Jinse to Eunhae was a bigger stroke of luck than I'd expected.
If not for the info they'd just spilled...
Ah, just thinking about it makes me dizzy.
But I couldn't show that emotion; it'd make them underestimate me.
"Good. Both of you have proven your necessity."
I said calmly, and their faces lit up with relief.
"But how do you plan to verify that's true?"
Bae Cheol answered my question.
"There's a guy in the 서가 called Black Frog. Bang Woo sub-branch leader ordered upset-stomach poison from him— check it out."
I turned to Go Ju-sang.
"......He's a pavilion master at Jaekyung Pavilion."
"I see. I'll look into that separately. Until I call for you, no reckless moves. Just act normal."
"Understood."
"You may go."
Drained and deflated, the two warriors left my pavilion.
I glared at their retreating backs until they were out of sight, then entered my room and told Palgap,
"Keep everyone's mouths shut."
"Got it!"
Just in case— though unlikely— I meant to clamp down on the servants and maids in my pavilion from blabbing.
Back in my room, I sat at the table and gulped down some cold tea.
Only then did the crick in my neck ease a bit.
So the Jinse Merchant Group was plotting to ruin Jin Ho-hyung's wedding banquet?
It wasn't in my past life, but that made sense.
Back then, Jin Ho-hyung hadn't gotten married.
Now, the question was why Bang Woo sub-branch leader would stoop to such a petty trick.
"Are you alright, young master?"
Palgap entered cautiously and asked.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I knew ahead of time. Still, don't you dare betray me. If you did, I'd really be hurt."
"Why say that? If I ever had to betray you, I'd just off myself."
Palgap jumped up indignantly, and I couldn't help chuckling at the sight.
Because I knew he really would.
"But did you really know? That they were spies?"
I nodded at his question.
"How'd you figure it out?"
I couldn't reveal the truth, so I brushed it off vaguely.
"Just had a hunch— kept a close eye on them."
Then Seo-u warrior, who'd entered with him, spoke up.
"If it's about Bang Woo sub-branch leader, I know a bit. Some connections from my caravan leader days tie into that."
"You've heard something."
"Yeah. He's pushing an apothecary venture ambitiously, but it's not growing as hoped— puts him in a foul mood."