Liquor Tasting Competition (6)
Sео-hyang Sojeo seemed to have not foreseen this situation either. That must be why she'd followed me here.
I was caught off guard for a moment, but I quickly regained my composure and whispered to her.
"Sojeo, the more you try to avoid or hide, the more suspicious they'll get. So face it boldly."
"You're right. Right now, I'm Gwak Seo-hyang."
"Exactly. We're just people who happen to look alike. Doesn't the world always have a few lookalikes?"
"True enough."
"With the veil on, they might not even recognize you. And even if they do, a good excuse should get us past it."
Just in case, I'd prepared a perfect backstory for Seo-hyang Sojeo.
Not just for this, but for any situation where I might need to introduce her.
I turned to the master brewer with a calm face and replied to his words.
"Ah, Master Yeong Gu-jin. Is the person beside you the one you wanted to introduce?"
"Yes. She's my childhood friend who came a long way to cheer me on."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm So-sang Eun Seo-ho, vice leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group."
Strictly speaking, we were acquaintances, but since we'd never formally greeted each other back then, I treated it as our first meeting.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Dong Hyeok-su, this guy's old friend."
"Coming all this way just to support him—truly enviable friendship."
"Hahaha, no need to envy it. It's a tiresome bond."
Dong Hyeok-su Daehyeop's expression turned strange as he said that.
His gaze was fixed on Seo-hyang Sojeo, who stood behind me.
He'd figured out her identity just from the shape of her eyes.
I asked cautiously.
"Is something wrong?"
"Ja-ryeong... Could it be Ja-ryeong?"
Even as he asked in a trembling voice, Seo-hyang Sojeo calmly responded.
"Pardon? Who's that?"
"Uh..."
Daehyeop Dong was the flustered one now.
I tilted my head.
"Ja-ryeong... Dong Hyeok-su... Ah! Could you be the son of the Prefect of Guiju Castle?"
He nodded at my question.
"I see. I once fetched eyes for the Prefect's daughter, Dong Ja-ryeong Sojeo, at his request. I heard later she passed in an unfortunate accident. My deepest condolences."
I continued.
"I should have attended the funeral, but I only learned of it too late. I'm sorry."
Seo-hyang Sojeo chimed in at my words.
"Ah, you're talking about that sojeo. The one who looked just like me?"
"Yes, exactly."
I quickly added to her.
"You must have mistaken her for Dong Ja-ryeong Sojeo, his younger sister, because Vice Officer Gwak looks so much like her."
But he still couldn't tear his eyes from Seo-hyang Sojeo.
"A mistake...? No, that can't be... She looks so much like her."
Of course she does.
They're the same person.
But we couldn't reveal that.
"I admit she bears a striking resemblance to Dong Ja-ryeong Sojeo. But Vice Officer Gwak here was recommended by my master as my aide."
"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Gwak Seo-hyang, aide to Vice Leader Eun Seo-ho."
"Vice Officer Gwak is my master's relative. I was shocked myself when he introduced her to me."
"......"
"I understand your heartfelt longing, Daehyeop, but my aide is not the person you think she is. Please refrain from further rudeness."
Daehyeop Dong gazed at Seo-hyang Sojeo with desperate eyes, but she looked back with indifferent ones.
At that, he sighed, clasped his hands in a po-gwan, and apologized.
"I'm sorry. That was rude of me."
I knew he had a fiery temper, so I'd braced for him to demand she remove her veil or something.
But to apologize so readily...
Had his personality changed?
Maybe Seo-hyang Sojeo's death had transformed him.
"I accept your apology."
As soon as Seo-hyang Sojeo spoke, he brushed past us and headed somewhere.
"Ah, forgive us."
Master Yeong Gu-jin, who'd been watching us both, apologized to me.
"It's fine. Go after him."
"Yes."
He hurriedly followed Daehyeop Dong.
After that, we continued encouraging and inspecting the artisans, finally meeting the returned Master Yeong Gu-jin at the end.
"I'm truly sorry about earlier."
He sighed and continued.
"The boy missed his younger sister so much after her accident. They were especially close—he'd bring her up every time we met."
"I see."
"She had poor health, and we worried constantly. He was overjoyed when she found a good physician and recovered... but then that tragic accident. He was utterly devastated."
I nodded deeply.
"She was truly a fine woman. I knew her too, so I share your grief. Now, let's inspect."
"Yes."
With the encouragement and inspections done, we headed to a quiet spot.
The Beijing branch grounds were vast, built on the site of an imperial villa.
They'd even laid out expansive gardens.
The place we were going was a remote corner of the garden.
"Wait here a moment, and Vice Officer Gwak, follow me."
"Yes."
Thus, I separated from the guards and walked some distance with Seo-hyang Sojeo.
"No one's here."
"Yes."
I removed my outer robe and draped it over her head.
"Here, even if you cry loudly, no one will hear."
Tears welled in her large, clear eyes at my words. It couldn't be easy treating blood kin so coldly, even when they were right there.
Especially kin she truly cherished and loved, not estranged ones.
From earlier, she'd been clenching her fists so hard they left marks, and I'd noticed.
"Hic...!"
Finally, Seo-hyang Sojeo collapsed to the ground and burst into sobs. I stood silently before her, blocking the sound from traveling far.
Her cries pierced my heart.
"Thank you."
After a long bout of weeping, she said to me.
"For saving me... thank you so much."
She continued.
"Being alive like this means I can meet my parents and brothers again. So... thank you."
"Hearing that makes me grateful."
In truth, I'd wondered if I'd done something unnecessary.
If it only tormented her heart more.
But her words made me think I'd done right.
Yes, as long as she's alive.
If she's alive, a day of true happiness will come someday.
Someday, Seo-hyang Sojeo would reclaim her identity and reunite with her family.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The day of the liquor tasting competition dawned.
I and Master Ko of the Cheongsu Merchant Group had to bustle about from morning.
There were more entries than expected.
Thanks to allowing temporary brewing solely for the tasting submissions.
Over a thousand breweries were listed.
Considering those who couldn't enter for various reasons, the empire probably had thousands of breweries.
Maybe even more.
With so much liquor, the evaluation would span over a month total.
You couldn't properly judge that many in a day.
Drinking over a hundred cups would get you drunk, but more importantly, you couldn't distinguish tastes.
So, fifty per day.
Good thing we'd scheduled plenty of days; otherwise, juggling two events would've been hell.
A hundred invited guests total.
They'd evaluate each liquor on ten criteria.
Then select the top hundred for round two.
Round two: brewing on-site.
To check if the submitted sample matched their brew and if they could mass-produce.
So everyone brought tools and ingredients.
As the evaluation area was set up diligently, the Crown Prince visited.
"Oh! Quite impressive."
"Yes."
I explained the setup.
"As I mentioned before, each of the fifty tables has a different liquor, and evaluators circulate randomly, tasting and scoring."
"I see."
Not having a hundred people seated and served prevented poisoning attempts.
A server could spike a cup.
But breweries pouring their own minimized that.
Plus, fixed order might dull tastes later on.
"And for applicants, side dishes are prepared too."
"Ah, yes—you said pairings can change a liquor's flavor dramatically."
Master Ko answered his question.
"Indeed."
"Tomorrow should be fun."
The Crown Prince smiled warmly and continued.
"This isn't a one-off. We're planning it annually."
"That would make it a lasting imperial event. Well-utilized, it could spark a festival, circulating money in the capital."
As expected of Master Ko.
His mind turns quick on liquor matters.
"Good idea."
The Crown Prince approved.
"But first, this event must succeed."
"Exactly."
"Father seems keen to gauge the evaluators' caliber too. For the tasting's credibility."
"Yes."
"Those lacking won't be invited back."
"Indeed! Being selected would become a great honor, making them judge carefully."
"Right. But how to test that?"
As we pondered, I had a good idea.
"What if we hide identical liquors among the entries?"
Both their eyes lit up, awaiting more.
"Inconsistent scores or failing to notice proves lacking skill."
"Oh! Brilliant!"
"Great method!"
Both the Crown Prince and Master Ko admired it.
"How'd you think of that?"
"Just popped into my head."
So I said, but it was thanks to Palgap.
"Young master, how do these two cups of tea taste?"
"Mm, delicious."
"Any difference?"
"Hey, Palgap? I'm the vice leader of Eunhae, experts in tea trade. Asking me to spot differences in identical tea is a bit much, no?"
"Your palate's still sharp, so not fatigued yet."
"What were you gonna do if I couldn't tell?"
"Fetch Master Gwak."
"Tch! Then it's useless!"
Thus, my proposal was adopted.
Wait, doesn't that mean I have to do it too?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Tents rose in the plaza before the imperial palace.
Still early March, the weather was chilly.
Beijing was northern, so unavoidable.
But no heat or humidity meant no spoilage worries.
Under Gold Guard watch, day one's evaluation began.
Breweries placed liquor on assigned tables and prepped side dishes.
Meanwhile, the Emperor addressed the hundred guests on the evaluation's importance and impact.
This tasting also selects premium liquors for foreign trade. A dulled palate from abstinence is forgivable, but a dulled conscience that shames the empire will face severe punishment. Heed this!
"Yes!"
"Begin the evaluation."
It started.
Guests clutched score sheets with their names and wandered, tasting and scoring.
"Milord, our liquor..."
Breweries explained theirs.
"Just try a sip, then this tofu dish, then another sip."
Idle chatter and loud exclamations were banned among guests.
I watched the judges. Among them was Guiju Castle's Prefect.
His face lit with emotion at long-missed liquor, but he sipped each carefully, evaluating.
Would the Prefect dodge the hidden traps among them?
Then, after a sip, he tilted his head.
Another sip, another tilt, then he began scoring.
I chuckled inwardly at the sight.
As expected of the Prefect. He spotted it.
High chance he'll be invited back next year.
Seo-hyang Sojeo will be pleased.
As I observed the tasting area, Jin Yu Warrior approached.
What? Shouldn't he be resting?
"My lord, I have something to report."
Speak.
"One of our allied breweries has a problem. You should come see."
I sighed inwardly.
What problem has Jin Yu Warrior, on break, seeking me out?