Yangyang Martial Hall's New Beginning (1)
Seong Jangju's mood had been foul lately.
It was because the tavern business he'd ambitiously launched had gone completely bust.
A total disaster, the likes of which he'd never seen.
"J-Jangju-nim."
"What is it?"
His chief steward approached cautiously and asked.
"What should we do about this month's salaries for the household servants...?"
At those words, Seong Jangju felt a sharp pain shoot up the back of his neck.
"Just... tell them to wait a little longer."
"Understood."
Once the steward left, Seong Jangju stood and irritably flung open the window.
He just couldn't stand the stuffiness anymore.
But then...
Of all places, right in the direction of that window stood an eight-story building in the distance.
The building was none other than Gaho Pavilion, the tavern he'd built himself.
His gut boiling with rage, he slammed the window shut.
When he'd first defied his late father's will to build Gaho Pavilion, he'd been brimming with optimism.
He'd figured he'd rake in money hand over fist, just like the other clan lords with businesses around Seo-ho Lake.
But contrary to his expectations, customers were few and far between at Gaho Pavilion.
To find out why, he'd shelled out a fortune to Haomen for information.
"There's no reason to go there when you can't even see Seo-ho Lake properly."
"But you can see the lake from the eighth floor."
"Most tavern patrons eat on the lower floors anyway. And out-of-towners come to see Seo-ho Lake—why would they go to Gaho Pavilion when there are places right by the lake?"
Upon hearing Haomen's blunt report, Seong Jangju finally snapped out of his delusion.
Come to think of it, everyone had warned him against the Gaho Pavilion venture.
His family, his chief steward, even his fellow clan lords had all tried to talk him out of it.
But he was a man who trusted his own judgment, convinced the others were just jealous of him.
Anyway, he couldn't let it fail right out of the gate, so he'd gritted his teeth and slashed prices dramatically.
Budget-conscious customers started trickling in, but then the alcohol ban came down.
For Seong Jangju, it was enough to make him lose his mind and jump around in frustration.
He'd poured his entire fortune into building Gaho Pavilion, but far from recouping his investment, he was struggling just to cover operating costs.
Then the door opened, and a servant entered.
"J-Jangju-nim. What are your plans for today's gathering?"
"Oh, right—today's the meeting day."
There was a gathering of nearby clan lords called the Myeongju Association, named after the legend of how two sages' famed liquor led them to Seo-ho Lake.
He recalled the previous meeting.
Times were tough for more than just him lately.
With the famine dragging on, peasant uprisings had broken out everywhere, and the alcohol ban had local business owners drowning in deficits, faces long with worry.
His own nose was no higher than anyone else's, but it was amusing to see the once-smug clan lords looking so glum.
"I'll go. Prepare accordingly."
"Yes, Jangju-nim."
Evening came.
Seong Jangju headed to the meeting place.
This time's venue was Wolju Pavilion, owned by Man Jangju, a fellow Myeongju Association member.
"Welcome."
"Ahem, is everyone here?"
"Yes. They're on the second floor."
As Seong Jangju climbed to the second floor, he tilted his head in puzzlement.
It was completely different from his last visit.
Things that had been worn and unrepaired were now neatly fixed or replaced with new ones.
Just then, Man Jangju appeared on the second floor.
"Man Jangju, you were always crying broke and not fixing anything—what happened? Did a gold nugget fall from the sky?"
"Ah, I didn't fix it myself."
"What do you mean? If you didn't fix your own tavern, who did?"
"The new owner did."
"New owner?"
"I sold the tavern a while back."
Come to think of it, the worry that had etched Man Jangju's face before was completely gone.
He looked refreshed, like he'd had a nagging tooth pulled.
But given the times, he probably hadn't gotten a good price.
"I see. Handing over a prime spot like this for peanuts—what will you do now?"
"Huh? Peanuts? No."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Truth be told, the price I asked was peanuts. But the buyer said that was too low and paid a premium."
"Where'd you find such a sucker?"
Someone behind him muttered, sounding annoyed.
"Sucker? How dare you call our benefactor that."
"Ahem! That's not the kind of person he is."
Seong Jangju blinked in surprise.
What, did these guys all eat something bad as a group?
Come to think of it, the worry was gone from their faces too.
No way?
Seong Jangju asked them.
"Don't tell me... you all sold your businesses to that suck—that person too?"
"That's right."
"At a very good price."
"Worth rushing to Cheongpa Pavilion the moment we heard from Man Jangju here."
At that, Seong Jangju shot Man Jangju an accusing look.
"That's unfair. Why didn't you tell me?"
"How could I? Last time, when I asked if you'd sell if a buyer appeared, what did you say? 'Not a chance,' you said flat out, didn't you, Seong Jangju?"
"..."
He was at a loss for words.
"That's why I didn't tell you—don't feel bad."
Seong Jangju cleared his throat awkwardly and changed the subject.
"Ahem, so who did you sell to?"
"You've probably heard of him. Eun Seo-ho, young branch head of the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"Ah! Seonhyeopmirang?"
"That's him."
"But once the famine ends, these businesses will boom again... Won't you regret it later?"
"Could be."
"But putting out the fire on our feet comes first, right?"
"And there were some satisfying terms too."
Seong Jangju was dying to know what terms could make them talk like this. Whether sensing his curiosity or just eager to brag, the clan lords spilled it readily.
"He promised us ten percent of the profits from the businesses we sold for the next ten years."
"Ten percent?"
"Yes. We're thrilled. Solves our immediate crisis and gives us extra income for a decade."
"But giving away ten percent of profits means the conditions must have been..."
"Not hard at all. Just protect Yangyang Martial Hall!"
Seong Jangju's face twisted at that.
And understandably so—the history between Yangyang Martial Hall and the Seong Clan was far from amicable.
"Speaking of which, I hear he's been buying up even more businesses lately."
Seong Jangju's ears perked up at that.
He had no idea what connection Eun Seo-ho had to Yangyang Martial Hall, but if he was that generous a sucker, he'd probably buy Gaho Pavilion at a good price too.
His heart suddenly pounded with excitement.
"With this contract, you've now acquired a total of twenty-two businesses."
I nodded at Seo-hyang Sojeo's words.
"That should be enough, right?"
Palgap answered my question.
"Hm, Young Master. That's for you to know—how should we know?"
True enough.
Twenty-two places meant I'd scooped up nearly half the businesses around Seo-ho Lake.
At this point, with the word out, anyone who hadn't come knocking had no intention of selling.
Or they'd already sold elsewhere.
I wasn't aiming for a monopoly anyway—this was plenty.
Then Seo-hyang Sojeo spoke up.
"In my view, you've acquired all the major ones."
As she said, I'd timed it perfectly when the big players were hurting most, snapping up quality spots left and right.
"Then let's wrap up the business acquisitions here."
"Understood."
By the way, wasn't yesterday the Myeongju Association meeting that Seong Jangju belongs to?
Now that Haomen was running smoothly again, I wasn't buying more intel, but what I'd gathered so far told me plenty.
A good number of the clan lords who'd sold to me were Myeongju Association members.
So they'd have heard about me by now—Seong Jangju's heart must be racing at the thought of selling me Gaho Pavilion.
What a pickle.
I had zero interest in buying it.
Anyway, time to wrap things up in Hangju.
The next day,
I headed to Yangyang Martial Hall early in the morning.
"Welcome."
Hall Master Yeom greeted me with a beaming smile.
"Young branch head's name is on everyone's lips these days."
"Hahaha, I've been making a bit of a splash."
"So, did you get everything you wanted?"
I nodded at his question.
"Of course. More than enough—beyond what I hoped for."
"Glad to hear it. Oh, and the food you sent was delicious. Truly."
"Happy it suited your taste."
I continued.
"Do you have time today?"
"Nothing pressing."
"Then come with me. It's time to reclaim Yangyang Martial Hall's land."
I went with Hall Master Yeom to Seong Jangju's residence.
The gatekeeper eyed us.
"What business do you have?"
"We're here to see Jangju-nim."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
The gatekeeper shook his head.
"Jangju-nim is a busy man. Make an appointment and come back later."
I replied.
"Very well. Then please tell Jangju-nim that a man named Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group will visit again in about half a year."
With that, we returned to Yangyang Martial Hall. Hall Master Yeom tilted his head and asked.
"Half a year? Is that okay?"
"Yes. It's fine. Seong Jangju's the one desperate right now. He'll come within three days."
I'd said half a year to make him even more frantic.
After Eun Seo-ho's group left, the gatekeeper reported to Seong Jangju's servant.
"Some guests just came wanting to see Jangju-nim. I asked if they had an appointment—nope—so I sent them away."
"Good job. Coming without an appointment? What nerve!"
"They said they'd come back in half a year."
The servant pulled out his schedule from his sleeve.
"Half a year... that'd be the twelfth month this year? Right, who were they?"
"Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"Eunhae Merchant Group's Eun Seo... ho."
The servant froze solid.
He barely managed to lift his head.
"What did you say?"
"Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group—he came with Yangyang Martial Hall's Hall Master Yeom..."
"You fool! Are you trying to get Jangju-nim killed?!"
"Pardon?"
The gatekeeper was dumbfounded by the sudden shift.
"That man's our Jangju-nim's lifeline!"
"Pardon?"
Half a year!
Dealing with Jangju-nim, buried in mounting deficits and fury for half a year—pure nightmare.
The servant bolted to Jangju-nim's office.
In Yangyang Martial Hall's reception room.
Hall Master Yeom and I sat facing Seong Jangju.
Hall Master Yeom gaped at me, expression full of awe at my foresight.
I smiled back with my eyes.
See? I told you—he'd come within three days.
He must've been in a real panic.
Three days? Try the very next day, showing up here at Yangyang Martial Hall.
"I apologize deeply for the rudeness from our gatekeeper yesterday."
His attitude was exceedingly deferential.
"No need. The gatekeeper was just doing his duty."
"Thank you for understanding. So... did you come to discuss acquiring Gaho Pavilion?"
Oh, Seong Jangju.
You're really jumping the gun.
I put on a regretful face.
"Sorry, but no—that's not the reason."
"Pardon?"
"As of yesterday, I've wrapped up all acquisitions around Seo-ho Lake. I was just preparing to head back."
"Whaaat?"
He clearly hadn't seen that coming—his face darkened.
"Wh-what do you mean? You're not buying any more businesses...?"
"Yes. That's right."
"No! Then why did you want to see me?!"
I pulled a document from my bosom and unfurled it.
"This is the contract between the late Seong Jimyeong Jangju and the late previous hall master of Yangyang Martial Hall."
"A contract? What..."
As he muttered and scanned it, Seong Jangju's eyes began to tremble violently.
This is the genuine contract for leasing five hundred pyeong of land located at ×× between Hangju Seong Clan’s Seong Jimyeong and Yangyang Martial Hall’s Baek Eulji.
I, Seong Jimyeong, in repayment for the life-saving grace, promise to lease that land to Yangyang Martial Hall perpetually for five nyang of silver per year.
If this promise is broken and my descendants order eviction, ownership of the land transfers to Yangyang Martial Hall at that instant, and the lease payment obligation vanishes.
An expression of utter disbelief.
"It's already been notarized by Grand Secretary Jihyeon, so it's undoubtedly authentic."
"..."
"Plus, there's clear evidence that you ordered Yangyang Martial Hall to vacate and they moved out—so the land's rights have transferred to them, indisputably."
I pressed on.
"So, now return that land."