Chapter 160
160
“You came quickly? Wow, So-hye. It seems the letter you sent already arrived home. What did you send it with? I want to use that too.”
“You even shook off the Bodyguard assigned to you! Do you know how embarrassed that Bodyguard was when he returned!”
“No. He kept saying this wasn’t allowed and that wasn’t allowed.”
“He probably said it wasn’t allowed because you were trying to do things that shouldn’t be done! The Yang Clan Leader is furious! He ordered you to return to Luoyang immediately.”
“When did he tell me to make the Yang Clan’s name known?”
“That meant making a name for yourself through Martial Arts! Who told you to make a name for yourself through scandal? Marriage fraud, of all things. Oh, my head.”
The Chief Steward of the Yang Clan sat down on the floor and sniffled.
“Hey, if Chief Steward doesn’t say anything, no one will know.”
Doesn’t he get it? That guy really hasn’t come to his senses.
Yang Gyo-jin, as if accustomed to the Chief Steward’s wailing, introduced Jang Mi-ryeo without batting an eye.
“Mi-ryeo. Say hello. This is our house’s Chief Steward.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Jang Mi-ryeo of the Geumryong Merchant Group.”
“……I am Jin Guk-wi, a retainer of the Yang Clan. Please call me Chief Steward Jin. Young Miss, are you the one involved in the Martial Arts Tournament for Marriage?”
“Yes, I was just about to mention that I plan to send Yeon-gil without the betrothal gifts.”
“Y-You’re going to set a date?”
“Yes. The sooner, the better.”
“You mean to proceed with this marriage? That won’t do!”
“Oh, nothing that harms the Yang Clan will happen. Ah, I should show you the contract first.”
“I said it won’t do! Why are you trying to take our Yang Clan Leader away! It will be a disgrace to the Geumryong Merchant Group. No, more than that, our Yang Clan Leader is……! Ugh! Ugh ugh!”
“Now, now, Chief Steward. Just keep your mouth shut.”
It was such a mess of a conversation that I was worried about the Chief Steward’s stomach health, whom I had just met today.
I was about to step aside to give them space for their family matters when the Chief Steward, struggling to shake off Yang Gyo-jin, hurriedly grabbed me.
“You, are you the noble from the Tang Clan who sent the letter?”
“Yes. I sent it.”
“The Clan Leader asked me to convey his sincere gratitude. He doesn’t know how to repay this favor……. The Yang Clan will not forget the noble’s kindness.”
“It’s nothing. I just picked up a guy who collapsed on the roadside, put him in a carriage, fed him, let him sleep, and lent him some money.”
“……How many days have you been with our Yang Clan Leader?”
“About a month?”
“The food expenses…… must have been……. quite a lot. Please wait a moment.”
Wiping away his tears, the Chief Steward took out an abacus from his pocket and, clicking the beads, calculated Yang Gyo-jin’s food expenses for a month, then handed me a thick stack of bills.
I smiled brightly without refusing and took the bills he handed me.
“Then, please continue your conversation.”
“Yes. Thank you so much. Ah, if you ever happen to visit Luoyang, please be sure to stop by the Yang Clan! The Clan Leader said he would very much like to meet you.”
“Yes. I will.”
I’d rather not get entangled with Yang Gyo-jin again, but you never know when I might need help. There’s no harm in being on good terms.
As I hummed and left Jang Mi-ryeo’s office, Yeon-ryang, who followed me out, chuckled.
“Our sister really loves money.”
“I told you, the more money, the better. Brother, you haven’t forgotten that we used to go hungry, have you?”
“It’s not like we starved because we didn’t have money. We solved it by robbing a mountain fortress, at that.”
“Hey, who said we robbed a mountain fortress? That was just getting a meal.”
“……Brother has no idea what to do with you anymore.”
Yeon-ryang, rubbing his forehead, pinched my cheek lightly and let go.
“But, aren’t there too many bills? To exchange that large amount at once, you’d have to go to a money exchange in Wuhan. I doubt they’d be able to process it immediately.”
“That’s true. But I can’t carry it around in silver either.”
Geun-myeong Uncle did open an account for me at the money exchange……. But the family can check the details, so I’m hesitant to put money in it.
Even if I cover living expenses with family money, I need to set up a slush fund.
……Wait, should I just entrust it to Jang Mi-ryeo?
I pondered deeply.
Rather than clumsily meddling and losing money because I don’t know how the economy of the Central Plains works, it would be better to entrust it to a merchant with excellent business acumen.
“Hey, Brother, what do you think of Young Miss Jang? Does she seem like a capable merchant?”
“Considering her age, she’s no ordinary person. She made the Tang Clan the backing of the Merchant Group with just a few words.”
“Huh? Why is the Tang Clan the backing of the Merchant Group?”
“If a direct descendant of the Tang Clan owns five percent of the Merchant Group, wouldn’t everyone assume that the Tang Clan is lending its strength?”
Oh, is that so?
“Then, giving a portion of the profits to the Yang Clan too?”
“Even if Yang Clan Leader leaves, they’ll continue to interact and benefit from her name. Considering the protection money the Merchant Group pays to nearby Martial Sects or the cost of hiring warriors, it’s a profitable deal. No one will recklessly mess with a Merchant Group that has ties to a famous Martial Family like the Tang Clan or the Yang Clan.”
My mouth dropped open at the realization I hadn’t had until Yeon-ryang told me.
This Young Miss is no ordinary person, is she?
My brow furrowed for a moment at the feeling of being tricked, but that only made me trust her more.
Seeing her secure practical benefits even in a life-threatening situation, it seemed like she was someone who wouldn’t engage in losing ventures.
“Brother. If I ask Young Miss Jang to manage the gold Mama gave me, would she do a good job?”
“Wouldn’t she? Although it’s people who determine the value of things, it’s also people who recognize the true value of things.”
“Wow, you’re saying in an elegant way that I don’t have the capacity to manage a thousand taels of gold.”
“Hahaha.”
Yeon-ryang, bursting into laughter, pushed my back and changed the subject.
“Come on, we have to go. We didn’t see Dongting Lake, but there will be another chance next time.”
“Yeah. Let’s come again. Oh, I heard there’s Grandfather’s hideout north of Gangneung. I want to stay there for a while.”
“Is that Wei Ji trying to eat the Elixir Pill again?”
“That’s right. Now that I’ve got it, I need to use it wisely.”
The longer I wander the Rivers and Lakes, the more acutely I feel my shortcomings.
I also had a desire not to fall behind Jin-sung or Yang Gyo-jin.
Inner Energy isn’t everything, but it’s not bad to have more. I needed to take this opportunity to refine my Martial Arts.
And I needed to hide Yeon-ryang.
Seeing that he recognized me instantly even though I was wearing a Human Skin Mask and hiding my Qi, it seemed that Demonic Cultists had a way of recognizing each other.
“We need to pack a lot of food. Let’s ask them to pack several sets of Martial attire, just in case.”
“Yeah. Is there anything you need, Brother?”
“A Swordmaster only needs a sword. More than that, some snacks for Woolly…….”
Looking at Yeon-ryang, who was saying something, I clung to his arm.
“Why is our sister suddenly acting like this? Are you being childish?”
“Yeah. I’m being childish, so carry me around in your arms.”
I replied playfully, but my heart felt strangely heavy.
He looks the same as usual, but why am I so uneasy? Is it because I met the Demonic Cultist?
I tightened my grip on Yeon-ryang’s arm. I had an ominous feeling that he would suddenly disappear.
\ \ *
Two days passed in an instant as I packed the food and necessary items to take to the hideout.
In the meantime, the Yang Clan’s Chief Steward seemed to have lost the battle of wits with Jang Mi-ryeo, and his eyes were dark.
“Hello. Chief Steward Jin.”
“You are the noble……. Are you leaving today…….”
“Yes. Stay strong.”
At my encouragement, the Chief Steward’s face contorted as if he were about to cry.
……Pitiful.
Passing by the Chief Steward, I entered the office, and Jang Mi-ryeo greeted me with a bright smile.
“Dang Sojeo. Are you about to leave?”
“Yes. Young Miss, please accept this.”
“Yes?”
Jang Mi-ryeo’s eyes widened as she suspiciously checked the bills.
“W-What is this?”
“I’m going to invest. I’d like to draw up a new investment contract with these bills.”
“I-Invest? You’re going to invest a thousand taels of gold in the Merchant Group?”
“Yes. To be exact, I want to invest not in the Merchant Group, but in you. I think Jang Sojeo will definitely make my money grow.”
“I, I…….”
“Since I own five percent of Young Miss’s Merchant Group, it’s also in my interest for the Merchant Group to grow. So please accept it.”
Jang Mi-ryeo looked back and forth between the bills and me with a dumbfounded expression, then changed her expression and greeted me with her hands clasped together.
“I will not disappoint that trust.”
Her fingertips flew across the paper as she wrote the contract with a determined look.
“Where should I send the profits?”
“If there are profits, please reinvest them. Instead, please just keep accurate records and send them to me from time to time. The money……. I’ll send a letter when I need it. I don’t think I’ll need it right away.”
Then Jang Mi-ryeo, putting down her brush, took something out of her pocket.
“Even so, there may be moments when you need quick cash. I’ll give you one of the Merchant Group’s tokens. It may be difficult to get a large amount, but if it’s a money exchange that does business with us, you should be able to get about a thousand taels of silver right away.”
It was a gold token engraved with the name of the Geumryong Merchant Group and a dragon pattern. I quickly took the gold token and put it in my sleeve.
“I’ll use it well. More than that, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Please tell me. I can do anything except ask you to return the bills.”
I smiled awkwardly at her witty remark and got to the point.
“Do you happen to distribute tea?”
“Of course. Our Merchant Group has the distribution rights for eighty percent of Junsan Eun-chim.”
“When the new tea comes in, could you send the best tea among them to the Tang Clan? Not much, just about a pound.”
“Who should I send it to?”
“If you send it to Seventh Elder, he’ll take care of it. My Grandfather…… likes tea.”
As I spoke, recalling Grandfather sitting in the tea room and savoring the aroma of the tea, Jang Mi-ryeo calmly replied.
“I’ll prepare the best tea and send it, so don’t worry. Since it’s going to a benefactor, I’ll take care of it myself. The waterways of the Yangtze River should be open by the time the new tea comes out.”
He wrote a pound of new tea in the additional clauses of the contract and handed me the brush.
We exchanged the signed contract and smiled at each other.
“Are you really leaving today? Even for a few more days…….”
At his suggestion, I shook my head firmly.
“I have things to do. And I don’t have the confidence to watch the wedding ceremony.”
Jang Mi-ryeo seemed a little disappointed, but didn’t hold me back any further.
“I’ll see you off. Are you leaving now?”
“Yes. If I leave now, I can stay at an inn before the sun sets.”
Jang Mi-ryeo, nodding, got up to follow me.
Going outside, I saw Yeon-ryang checking the luggage loaded on the carriage. Next to him, Yang Gyo-jin was fiddling with Ju-ryeong and chattering about something.
Yang Gyo-jin, seeing me, waved his hand.
“So-hye. Are you really leaving?”
“Yeah. I’m leaving. Take care.”
“I see. Let’s meet again. Next time, let’s play with real swords.”
“If there’s a chance.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I said goodbye to the two extraordinary girls and got into the carriage.
I didn’t even get to go boating on Dongting Lake, and it was all tiring things…….
But still, it seemed like I had made some pretty good connections.
