White Dew Liquor (3)
Yeongu-sang's face twisted like he'd bitten into a rotten cucumber, but only Yeongu-man tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
"Brother, I have urgent business right now, so I don't think I can go."
"What nonsense is that? I already checked with your superior—they said you have no urgent tasks."
"……."
Yeongu-man spoke as Yeongu-sang stood speechless at the thoroughness.
"Right, when the youngest said he wanted to walk the path of a brewmaster, you threw the biggest fit of all. I opposed it too, but after thinking it over, I realized it wasn't something worth opposing so fiercely."
Yeongu-man continued.
"Wherever he works, whatever he does—as long as he doesn't do evil and stays healthy, isn't that enough? And what's family for if not to support him at times like this?"
Oblivious to Yeongu-sang's inner turmoil, Yeongu-man coaxed him along.
"Come on, let's go."
"……."
"Hurry up."
"Yes……."
It was the second day of the liquor tasting conference.
I apologized to the Crown Prince and Senior Merchant Lord Go for being away so long the previous day.
They brushed it off nonchalantly.
"No need to apologize. I heard you had some trouble—did it resolve well?"
"Yes, it did."
"Good to hear. Don't dwell on it."
"Thank you. I'll make sure to stay until the end today."
Today was the day Yeongujin the artisan would present his entry.
Glancing his way, I saw him breathing deeply, staring straight ahead—he was clearly nervous.
There was nothing I could do about that.
And the tension would ease with time anyway.
No side dishes sat on the tables before them.
That was because White Dew Liquor had a crisp, refreshing taste all its own.
You could drink a lot without it weighing on your stomach.
Which made it perfect as a substitute for tea during casual chats.
As the tasting began, the invited guests moved about randomly, sampling the liquors.
"Mm……."
"Hmm……."
Those who tried the White Dew Liquor jotted down their scores with enigmatic smiles.
Even the Governor of Guiju Fortress let out an inscrutable hum.
"This is nerve-wracking."
"What is?"
Donghyeok-su Daehyeop had come to cheer on Yeongujin the artisan beside me.
"I can't tell if those subtle reactions to his liquor are good or bad."
I smiled in response.
"No need to worry. From what I see, they're positive."
"How can you tell?"
"They're all smacking their lips, aren't they? Means they want another sip."
"Ah!"
Donghyeok-su Daehyeop nodded at my words.
Then he glanced somewhere and tilted his head.
"Why are those brothers here……."
"Something wrong?"
"Over there."
The man he pointed to was Yeongu-sang, the young master I'd seen yesterday. His expression screamed he'd been dragged here against his will.
And beside him stood a burly giant who resembled him but was even more imposingly built.
"Gu-jin's eldest and second brothers."
The giant must be the eldest. His name was Yeongu-man, if I recalled from yesterday. And wasn't he supposed to be away on a business trip?
Spotting us then, they approached.
"Are you Eun Seo-ho, the junior branch leader?"
"Ah, yes."
"First time meeting. I'm Yeongu-man, Gu-jin's eldest brother."
At his introduction, Yeongu-sang beside him gave a reluctant greeting.
"Gu-jin's second brother, Yeongu-sang."
"Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group."
After exchanging greetings with me, Young Master Yeongu-man turned to Donghyeok-su Daehyeop.
"Long time no see."
"Indeed. What brings you here?"
"To cheer on Gu-jin."
"Didn't you all threaten to cut ties when he chose the brewmaster's path? And now you show up to support him?"
"I've reflected on it."
"……."
Dong Daehyeop couldn't stay curt in the face of such sincerity.
"I've come to think that as long as he avoids evil and stays healthy, no matter where or what he does, that's fine."
"If only Chief Chun felt the same."
"You've misunderstood. Father supports Gu-jin's participation in this tasting too."
"Pardon?"
Something felt off.
I ventured carefully.
"I understood Chief Chun, Yeongujin's father, was in Guiju Fortress."
"That's right."
"Wouldn't it take considerable time to send word that far?"
Young Master Yeongu-man replied casually.
"Did you think we'd just leave Gu-jin to his own devices? Blood kin or not, he's family of the Yeongu clan of Seon-gu. Father had someone watching him from the start, for his protection—without his knowledge."
"Pardon?"
Young Master Yeongu-sang blurted in surprise.
"Father assigned someone?"
"Yes."
I asked Young Master Yeongu-man.
"Not just protection, but surveillance too, I presume."
"……Can't deny that."
He gave a wry smile.
"What our clan despises most are the corrupt scum devouring this land. Second is giving up easily before achieving anything."
"……."
"If he'd turned to evil, our clan would have dealt with him ourselves. And if he'd quit and crawled back quickly, we'd have truly severed ties."
"So you were testing his goodness and resolve?"
"Something like that. It ended up being harsh on him, though."
"He's still being watched, then."
"Correct. Thanks to that, we heard how he scraped by under the alcohol ban until he found a fine patron in the Eunhae Merchant Group."
He clasped his hands in a formal bow toward me.
"As his brother, I came to express my gratitude."
I returned the gesture.
"No need for such words. We're sponsoring him for our own profit, thanks to his fine brewing skills. I heard you were on a business trip—did you rush back just for today?"
"Yes. Submitted my report and left the court immediately."
Then Young Master Yeongu-man glanced at Young Master Yeongu-sang beside him and tilted his head.
"Hm? You ill? Why the sudden change?"
And well he might ask—Yeongu-sang's face had gone deathly pale in an instant.
I smiled inwardly at the sight.
Looked like he'd done something foolish without realizing he was being watched.
In truth, I'd already known someone was tailing Yeongujin the artisan.
Strange folks had been lurking near his brewery.
And they'd followed him here.
They didn't seem dangerous, and their auras felt similar to his, so I'd ignored them…….
Sure enough, they were from his clan.
I'd sensed the same presence when Yeongujin was detained before.
They'd probably witnessed that too.
Since he hadn't crossed any lines yet, they hadn't intervened.
Even so, I'd rescued him immediately because of the tasting conference.
No time to wait for them to step in.
"B-Brother, I should go. My stomach suddenly……."
"Go ahead."
As he bolted away, I felt a satisfying thrill.
Tsk tsk. Why'd you go and do something so stupid?
Young Master Yeongu-man watched the tasting a bit longer before excusing himself for business.
The day's conference ended without incident.
That evening.
Though the conference had wrapped, the artisans couldn't relax.
The remaining liquor had all been carted off to the palace, but they still had to guard the brewing ingredients.
For them, I'd deployed Eunpungdae warriors from the night before the tasting through the morning after—meaning both "rest well and give it your all" and "good work."
So Yeongujin the artisan and his group could finally sleep soundly tonight.
"Ughhh!"
"Urghhh!"
I chuckled at the groans as they hit their beds after washing up.
Well, they'd worked hard today.
And from the guests' reactions, good results seemed likely.
As I encouraged those presenting tomorrow and left the artisans' quarters—
"Young master! A guest—says his name is Yeongu-man, Yeongujin's eldest brother, and you'll know him."
A moment later.
I received him.
"Welcome."
"We meet again. Sorry to intrude so late."
"It's fine. Not that late."
A fishy scent wafted from him amid our greetings.
Blood?
Ah…… He'd heard about what Young Master Yeongu-sang did.
If the smell was this strong, he'd really laid into him.
"May I see my brother?"
"Of course. Come in."
I led him to the reception room and ordered Yeongujin the artisan summoned.
We chatted in the reception room meantime.
A moment later.
Yeongujin the artisan entered.
"You called for me?"
"Yes."
He flinched upon seeing Young Master Yeongu-man.
"B-Brother……."
"Long time no see."
"Yes."
I quickly told Yeongujin the artisan.
"I forgot to mention earlier—Young Master Yeongu-man came to cheer you on today."
"Ah, yes. Hyeok-su told me."
"Producing results this quickly makes me so proud! Father was thrilled to hear about you."
"……."
"And I'm sorry."
Yeongujin the artisan jumped as Young Master Yeongu-man bowed his head.
"B-Brother! Why?"
"I heard what Gu-sang did to you while I was away."
"……."
"Failing to correct his insolence in Father's absence was undoubtedly my fault."
"B-Brother……."
"It won't happen again."
Straightening up, he said to him.
"It's good to see you again, living kindly and healthy."
Then he turned to me with a polite bow.
"Sorry for the late hour. Please continue looking after my brother."
With that, Young Master Yeongu-man departed the Beijing branch.
On the way back to my quarters after seeing him off, Yeongujin the artisan said to me.
"Hyeok-su must have told big brother about second brother."
"No."
I shook my head.
"Earlier, he said Chief Chun had already assigned someone to watch over you."
"Pardon?"
I relayed what Young Master Yeongu-man had told me.
He nodded deeply upon hearing it.
"Ah, so that's how it was."
His face shone with emotion.
Father hadn't abandoned him after all, despite what he'd thought.
"But…… is second brother okay?"
To that, I asked cautiously.
"Even after detaining you and making those outrageous demands, you're still worried?"
"It's not that he's my brother……."
He scratched his cheek.
"When big brother gets angry and swings, it's not just loose teeth—your jawbone shatters."
Ah…… No wonder the worry.
That explained the blood smell earlier.
"Father will hear about it soon too. And if he gets hit by Father, it might not just shatter—it could crumble."
That would require sick leave.
.
.
.
Time passed, and the first round of evaluations finally concluded.
As expected, Yeongujin the artisan's White Dew Liquor made the cut among the hundred entries.
Next came demonstrating the brewing process, with the resulting liquor tasted on-site.
Brewing could take as little as half a month or over a full one.
For accurate judging, a space was prepared for the hundred brewmasters.
Our Eunhae Merchant Group's Beijing branch.
With first-round dropouts leaving, space had opened up.
Few places could house that many for half a month to a month anyway.
Among those I sponsored, twenty remained including Yeongujin the artisan, plus three from Hangju: Moonju Pavilion and two others—twenty-three total.
Ten brewmasters under Cheongsu Merchant Group had advanced too.
Surprisingly, more had survived in the clear liquor category than I'd anticipated.
Though I'd gathered many, plenty I'd missed had made it on their own.
Thus began the final tasting.
I watched Yeongujin the artisan hustle about brewing.
Focused, yet his expression looked refreshingly unburdened.
Probably because his family had finally acknowledged him.
Brewing was grueling and tedious.
No step could be skimped; the artisans poured their all into it.
Barring issues, most who'd passed the first round would rank among the empire's top hundred liquors.
The top ten would get priority in foreign trade this time.
Even so, our Eunhae Merchant Group had trade rights, so we could ship regardless.
Yet they gave their utmost anyway—likely pride and dignity as artisans.
While they brewed, I handled work in my office.
The tasting was vital, but I couldn't neglect duties as Hyeonpung Branch Lord.
And the poetry contest loomed soon after.
"Junior Branch Lord!"
Adjutant Galhyeon entered the office calling for me.
With Dong Daehyeop keeping me tied to the west quarters, Galhyeon handled external communications.
"What is it?"
"Word just came—the liquor is finished, and tasting prep is underway."
"Which one?"
"White Dew Liquor."
I wrapped up quickly and headed to the tasting hall in the Beijing branch.
Invited guests trickled in, having received word.
The tasting soon began, and Yeongujin the artisan poured the prepared liquor into cups.
Plink, plink.
Eh?
I couldn't help but startle.
Why…… was the aura of the Taeum Binghae Singong infused in that liquor?