Chapter 16
- Unjong Street (2)
'What on earth is going on?'
Masked clowns suddenly surrounded Ji-young's group in the marketplace.
And a mysterious man in a navy robe barged in.
Ji-young was simply bewildered by everything that was happening before her eyes.
- Swish
At that moment, a clown on the opposite side suddenly somersaulted and rushed towards Ji-young.
"Huh!"
Just as Ji-young was startled, the man in the navy robe quickly blocked her.
Without hesitation, he took something out of his sleeve and thrust it forward.
Just as the object in his hand was about to strike the clown's Adam's apple,
- Snap
Someone else flew in like the wind and snatched the man in the navy robe's wrist.
What the man in the navy robe was holding was an iron fan with a red tassel, a steel fan for self-defense.
Although he hadn't unfolded the blade and had struck with the end of the handle, it was a fierce attack that would have caused a fatal wound if it had hit a vital point.
And the one who had appeared, blocking this sharp attack with a single hand, was a clown wearing a red Drunken clown mask.
The eyes peeking out from behind the Drunken clown mask were staring intently at the man in the navy robe.
"It is true that our troupe has committed a discourtesy first, but taking out something like that is a bit much."
"Consider it fortunate that I didn't take it out properly and cut your throat."
The man in the navy robe shook off the hand holding his wrist, hid the iron fan in his chest, and glared fiercely at the Drunken clown mask.
While the two men stood facing each other as if confronting each other, the clowns who had fallen to the ground dusted themselves off and began to get up one by one.
The Drunken clown mask, who had been staring at the man in the navy robe until they had all safely risen, soon let out a nonchalant voice as if a round of masked dance had come to an end.
"Thanks to you, we had a good time playing!"
The clown in the Drunken clown mask bowed playfully with exaggerated gestures and then swaggered away.
'A clown troupe? But why...'
The suddenly appearing masked clown troupe. And that clown wearing the red Drunken clown mask.
Ji-young's mind was flooded with questions.
But those receding clown troupes would rather be a problem for later.
The one who makes her have bigger questions is the man standing in front of her now.
A man in a navy robe and a large hat, about thirty years old.
His attire and speech did not seem to indicate a low status.
Besides, that lightning-fast movement.
It was a movement that could not have come out without proper martial arts training for a long time.
'Who on earth is this person?'
Ji-young narrowed her eyes and stared,
At that moment, the quick-witted Yoon Nae-gwan stepped forward and spoke to the man.
"Oh my, thanks to you, we were able to avoid a great disaster. If it's not too much to ask, may I ask for your name, sir?"
"..."
"Your contribution to helping the court ladies is by no means small, so we intend to report it to the government office as soon as we return to the palace and reward you generously."
"There's no need for that."
The man in the navy robe slightly lifted his robe, revealing a badge tied with a red silk cord.
"...I am from the Royal guard."
"The, the Royal guard?"
Yoon Nae-gwan's complexion changed instantly.
Ji-young thought she could vaguely understand the meaning of that expression.
Although she didn't know the details, wasn't the Royal guard a kind of security force that protected the king's safety in the palace?
"But why is the Royal guard...?"
"I was secretly following the Water maidens because they have been frequently harassed in the marketplace recently while going in and out of the palace."
At the man in the navy robe's calm reply, Yoon Nae-gwan closed his mouth and did not ask any further details.
It wasn't because he had no questions, but because he sensed that there was something involved that shouldn't be asked further.
It can't be helped but to be suspicious.
The Royal guard, who should be guarding the king, is stepping in for a task that could be handled by a few escorts.
Even Ji-young, who doesn't know anything, finds it very suspicious.
"Don't mind me and continue with your work. I'll follow quietly so as not to disturb you."
With those words, the man in the navy robe put his hands behind his back and walked leisurely a few steps away.
From a distance, he looked exactly like a wealthy nobleman.
"How can I not mind when you tell me not to...? A strange man is following me around like a neighborhood dog..."
"Tell me about it. He's got a decent build..."
"Oh my, it's so embarrassing..."
The Water maidens, who were constantly glancing at him, chattered quietly while wearing their headscarves.
'Hmm...'
Ji-young was also concerned about this unidentified man.
But there was no way to stop him from following her as he pleased.
* * *
The group hurried on and arrived at a fairly large wooden building located at the end of the marketplace.
[Marketplace Head House]
Judging from the signboard hanging above the gate, Ji-young could roughly guess what this place was.
The office of the 'Merchant association' operating in Unjong Street,
In other words, it is the office of the merchant association.
"Is the Chief merchant here?"
After a few coughs, Yoon Nae-gwan finally spoke up when there was no response.
A tousled-haired young man who had been organizing things behind the wooden door finally hurried inside and called someone.
After a while, a middle-aged man who looked to be about fifty years old appeared.
He had an impression that was moderately worldly, moderately refined, and yet by no means easy to deal with.
The man greeted Yoon Nae-gwan with a somewhat blunt attitude.
"Who is this? Isn't it Provision officer Yoon Nae-gwan from the Court Provision Department? Yesterday, someone from the Office of market supervision came and took bribes while carrying out all sorts of crackdowns, and today it seems to be the Court Provision Department's turn."
"Oh, don't be so harsh. We're all in this together. You know very well that the Royal Kitchen cannot function properly for a single day without the Unjong Street merchants."
Even to those words that seemed to be gently flattering him, the man called the Chief merchant still responded lukewarmly.
"You, who have Tribute goods piled up from all over the eight provinces of Joseon, are worrying about the Royal Cuisine Table in the marketplace. You're going too far."
There was a subtle sarcasm in the Chief merchant's words.
Originally, the Royal Cuisine Table should only be prepared with Tribute goods from each region.
So, the ingredients that go on the Royal Cuisine Table should be strictly separated from the goods used by the people in the marketplace, which was the court's law.
However, in order to satisfy Yeonsangun's increasingly picky taste, it seemed that the Tribute goods, whose items were strictly defined and imposed, were not enough.
Moreover, the situation was even more complicated in the case of imported goods that were not produced in this country.
Since most of them could only be obtained by unofficially importing them through smuggling, the cooperation of the marketplace merchants was necessary for that very reason.
'Even the king couldn't always get what he wanted.'
Only 50 years before this time, during the reign of Munjong, when the king's mother, the Queen Dowager, was ill, what she wanted to eat was 'sugar'.
But even the king couldn't get sugar at that time, and only after the Queen Dowager passed away did he offer sugar to her portrait and weep.
'It was an era when official trade with foreign countries was strictly prohibited. Valuable imports like sugar could not be obtained at will, even with power.'
It was in such a situation that Yeonsangun, the greatest gourmet who demanded all kinds of delicacies, ascended the throne.
From the Court Provision Department's point of view, they had to not only rely on Tribute goods but also smoothly establish trade with merchants who had connections overseas, so the Chief merchant, who had the greatest influence in the marketplace, was essential.
But Yoon Nae-gwan was not in a position to simply cling to him.
"Don't say that, Chief merchant. Is there any other customer besides our Court Provision Department who buys expensive ingredients on this scale in Unjong Street? I heard that there are more than a few people here who would be in trouble if our footsteps were cut off. Isn't it true that there must be people who bring in goods if there are people who take them away?"
"Well, that's true. There are even merchants who only deal with ingredients ordered by the Court Provision Department..."
"There are more than ten ships carrying goods to Deokmul Island off the West Sea."
The tousled-haired young man who was organizing the luggage next to him added a word, but then lowered his head when he saw the Chief merchant's fierce eyes.
Ji-young could roughly grasp the complex and subtle atmosphere of this period just by watching for a moment.
'Prohibition of going to the sea and communicating with foreign countries' The Ming Dynasty's trade suppression policy, also known as the 'maritime ban policy', had a huge impact on Joseon as well.
But has there ever been a time in this world when a complete ban was possible?
Smuggling activities are openly occupying a part of the market.
And that's not all.
'Even the country's official in charge of the food to be served to the king is taking advantage of smuggling.'
If I had to say, would it be that it is achieving a strange harmony in contradiction?
It was when Ji-young was thinking that and watching Yoon Nae-gwan and the Chief merchant unfolding the goods ledger from a distance.
'Huh!'
Suddenly, she felt a presence right next to her.
Startled, she turned her head and saw the man in the navy robe standing close by.
"You, you are from the Royal guard..."
"Shh, don't answer and listen quietly."
The man in the navy robe put his finger to his lips and murmured softly.
Ji-young quickly looked around to see if anyone was there.
Yoon Nae-gwan and the court ladies, who were visible in the distance, were busy checking whether the goods ledger ordered by the palace and the goods they had taken out matched each other, and whether there was anything wrong with the condition.
Perhaps the man in the navy robe had taken advantage of this time to approach Ji-young.
"I've been chasing the clown troupe that attacked your group a few days ago. To find the person who is manipulating them from behind."
"The one behind...?"
When Ji-young asked, the man in the navy robe replied quietly.
"It's not certain yet, but there are a few suspicious circumstances. But the most suspicious thing is..."
The man in the navy robe suddenly turned his head and stared intently into Ji-young's eyes.
And from that face with eyes so bright that they seemed to shine, an unexpected word popped out.
"...It's you. Im Soong-jae's spy."
