Whack-a-Mole (2)
"Uh... why?"
When someone asks so bluntly, it gets pretty awkward. But given the situation, I had no choice. I scratched my head and answered.
"It's a bit embarrassing to say this after promising to pay generously, but the cost turned out higher than I expected..."
"....? I heard you seized Yuan Shu's treasury and gained considerable wealth. Was that just a rumor?"
"No, that's true, but that money was confiscated for public use. It would be improper for me to spend it on personal matters."
".......?"
U Gil looked at me again with a puzzled expression.
"Doesn't all the wealth of a nation belong to its ruler?"
"Even so, I still claim to be a loyal subject of the Han Empire. It would be difficult for a vassal to privately use wealth seized from a traitor."
I added one more line.
"Besides, there's a lot of money needed for this winter and next year."
In truth, I had many places to spend money. Of course, that was my own circumstance, so expecting her to accept that her debt was the lowest priority felt rather shameless. If she pressed me about changing the terms between borrowing and repayment, I wouldn't have much to say. Yet surprisingly, U Gil nodded readily, showing she understood.
"I see. I thought you must be wealthy since you were scattering these among the people today."
"Ugh."
What she held up was one of the silver coins I had distributed to the public that afternoon. My face was clearly stamped on the front, and the year of minting was engraved on the back. After subjugating Yuan Shu, I had ordered Yang Hong and the other new retainers to commission the mint, and it had just been completed in time for the triumphal return, so I had scattered them. Somehow U Gil had gotten hold of one.
"Er... I know this will sound like an excuse, but I ordered these made quite some time ago. I didn't set aside extra funds because I didn't expect something like this. Also, this isn't just about showing generosity—it has another meaning..."
"A standardized currency, I presume."
While I was gesturing and explaining desperately, U Gil's single remark as she rolled the silver coin in her palm made me freeze.
"You're right. But how..."
"You're wondering how I knew? The old wushu coins lost their value because of the counterfeit coins Dong Zhuo minted recklessly. Nowadays most transactions are done through barter with rice or cloth. But barter is inconvenient and has many economic drawbacks, so naturally you'd want a replacement. While gold and silver can be weighed for transactions, that requires measuring each time and invites fraud. A standardized currency with fixed weight, size, and value would be far better. I imagine you wanted to test these silver coins by distributing them on this occasion."
"....More or less."
When Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, he committed all sorts of atrocities—desecrating imperial tombs, confiscating the property of the rich—but even that wasn't enough to satisfy his greed. So he came up with the idea of minting low-quality coins. The wushu coin had been in use since the Qin dynasty; during Emperor Wu's reign the central government monopolized coin production and fixed the weight at five shu (one shu being the weight of a single grain of millet), hence the name. Dong Zhuo reduced the value to pocket the difference, and as a result the Han Empire's monetary system completely collapsed.
Honestly, I hadn't paid much attention to that fact at first. But during this large-scale campaign I realized how inconvenient barter truly was. After subjugating Yuan Shu, I accepted Yang Hong's suggestion and had thin silver coins minted as a trial. If this succeeded, we could carry silver instead of rice, buy supplies on the move, and dramatically improve the army's mobility—especially if the other businesses I planned with the confiscated wealth also succeeded. Yet the seemingly absent-minded U Gil had grasped the core of it immediately.
"I see. I thought you were just upset that ordinary people didn't recognize your face."
- She's hitting the nail on the head, isn't she?
"W-what are you talking about...."
No, it absolutely wasn't because no one in Ye Gwan's camp besides Ye Gwan herself recognized my face that I felt strangely unsettled and scattered the coins early. That couldn't be it. I was simply trying to introduce currency circulation naturally!
- Yes, yes. Let's go with that for now.
"So what do we do...? I assumed you were wealthy and was going to charge you accordingly...."
After listening, U Gil tilted her head, thought for a moment, then made another proposal.
"Hmm. Then, could you pay in kind instead of money?"
"I'd like to say I'm happy to, but after that last failure I should hear the details first before agreeing. What do you want?"
"Actually, I saw something on my way here this afternoon."
U Gil spread both arms wide as she spoke. Surely not silk. I did have some, but at the price she mentioned earlier it might still be difficult. Yet what she said next was quite unexpected.
"A wall?"
"Yes. On the way here I noticed the outer wall near the west gate of the palace was quite wide and clean. It caught my eye."
I wondered if I'd misheard, but U Gil went on to specify the exact section. She wanted to use about half a li (roughly 200 meters) of the west wall. Specifically, she wanted to paint something on it.
"Are you sure that's enough?"
"Yes. And if possible, I'd also like some supplies for the work. Would that be all right?"
"...Don't tell me you need materials as expensive as Five Stone Powder?"
"No. They're not that expensive. The quantity might be similar, though."
The materials she listed weren't particularly costly. A few of them I even recognized as quite cheap. After thinking it over, I decided there was no harm in agreeing.
"That much I can gladly provide."
"Thank you. Ah, and one more thing."
I tensed for a moment, but fortunately what U Gil said next was nothing serious.
"I'd like to stay here while I work on the painting. Would that be all right? If it's too much trouble, the backyard would suffice."
"No, there are plenty of rooms here. You can pick any one you like. Ah, if you don't mind, there's something I'd like to ask in return. Would that be acceptable?"
I had been about to agree readily when something occurred to me. U Gil nodded without hesitation.
"As long as it's something I can do."
"Then there's no problem.... I heard you treated Sun Quan once before. Could you look at her again? She's rather unstable right now, and your help would be a great support."
I had her under control for now using memory erasure, manipulation, and Ju Tae's presence, but her condition was still precarious. I wanted to stabilize Sun Quan as much as possible, and U Gil—who had treated her in the past—seemed extremely useful for that purpose. This was a good opportunity to secure her assistance.
"Helping itself isn't a problem, but...."
U Gil drew out her words for a moment before asking,
"You're already familiar with the effects of Five Stone Powder. Aren't you worried about leaving Sun Quan in my care?"
"What's the point of suspecting someone who can enter my room whenever she pleases? Besides...."
I gave a wry smile.
"If I've decided to use someone, I should trust them to the end."
"......Is that so......."
U Gil nodded several times, then straightened her posture and bowed her head slightly.
"Understood. I'll proceed accordingly. Leave Sun Quan to me. The painting should be finished in about four months, so I'll continue treating her until then."
"Four months, huh...."
Four months from now would be around the end of winter, when spring arrived. Nothing major was likely to happen in the meantime, so it wasn't a problem. I nodded at her words.
"Good."
"Then we have a deal."
The process had been complicated, but in the end both sides had reached a satisfying conclusion. Both she and I wore smiles. I told U Gil which room she would be staying in tonight, and she acknowledged it before leaving. A short while later she returned.
"Um, I can't seem to find the room...."
If my memory was correct, the room wasn't hard to find at all. At most it was just two turns away. Yet somehow.... At this point I could have called for a maid to guide her, but I was truly exhausted and just wanted to sleep. So I simply led her to the room myself and came back.
"She's oddly absent-minded in strange ways. Don't you think so, Ser?"
- ............
"Ser?"
The walk back felt quite cold since I'd come out without changing clothes. To forget about the chill, I tried talking to Ser, but she stayed silent for a long time before finally answering.
- Ah, my apologies. I was thinking about something.
"Yeah? Must be something important."
Even as I asked, I didn't really trust her words. It was probably something pointless again. Thinking that, I quickly returned to my room and closed the door. Just then, Ser muttered something.
- ....kill....
"Huh, what?"
- No, it's nothing. Please rest well.
"Yeah. I was planning to anyway."
I thought I'd heard her mutter something, but I was far too tired to care even if it was important. It wasn't the first time she'd been grumbling anyway. With that thought, I tried to sleep.
- Hmm... but.
But sleep wouldn't come. Ser's constant muttering kept echoing in my head. The moon had long since tilted, and if this continued I might end up staying awake all night. If I still had my old body I could have beaten her again, but unfortunately that wasn't possible, so there was no way to stop her. After shouting "Be quiet already!" several times only to be met with more muttering, I finally gave up on sleeping, sat up, and asked her,
"What are you worrying about?"
- Oh, you weren't asleep yet.
"You little...."
While I ground my teeth, Ser answered my question with perfect nonchalance.
- I was thinking for a moment, but if you're willing to help like this, it should be fine.
"No, I didn't really say that...."
Paying no attention to my protest, Ser stated her request.
- Please stand as guarantor.