Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 111



Only Krnovel

111. King Shang (5)

“Did you go?”

“Yes. There is no sound.”

“I was surprised.”

“I was surprised too.”

“Your complexion hasn’t changed. It seems like a dog that studies at a private school for three years can recite poetry.”

“I was so surprised that I didn’t have the skills to react.”

Yeo Bul-jin was watching Moon-won sweep away the shattered jade with a broom.

“Where did you get it from?”

“That’s right. As far as I know, there’s no one who can tell. Should we track them down?”

“Okay. It’s better to find the lost cow than to lock the barn door after the cow has bolted.”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand it. The fact that Yeo Hong-won was managing the King’s treasury was a secret that very few people in Cheonsu Sangdan knew about.

Even Yeo Hong-won didn’t know that Yeo Bul-jin knew this fact. Yeo Bul-jin had assigned someone to Yeo Hong-won and found out about it herself.

Then, did it come from an informant? No matter how much Yeo Bul-jin thought about it, it wasn’t true.

“But you’re a good actor, sir.”

“Hehe. I didn’t know it was coming out. It looks like he’s not dead yet.”

“That’s right.”

What Yeo Bul-jin showed in front of Muk Hwi-yeong was truly improvisation. That guy Muk Hwi-yeong could have been someone from the government. The moment he showed that he knew about the embezzlement in front of someone from the government, it was the end.

“That guy named Mukhwiyeong, gather all the information. It doesn’t matter if it’s Haomun or Gaebong.”

“All right.”

After Moon-won left, Yeo Bul-jin leaned back in her seat. In fact, as Mok Hwi-yeong had expected, Yeo Bul-jin had called her to seduce the shaman faction, and Mok Hwi-yeong wasn’t very interested in her.

But starting from a while ago, the object of interest changed. From the non-partisan faction to Mukhwiyoung.

Yeo Bul-jin opened the window. In the distance, the shamans and Muk Hwi-yeong were seen moving around, receiving guidance.

“What are you doing, you punk?”

Yeo Bul-jin’s eyes sparkled. It was the look in the eyes of a beast when it was interested.

* * *

The members of the Hwiyoungsangdan, including me, really enjoyed a long-awaited rest. If you sleep outside or in a guest house, your nerves will get tense, so it’s not really resting. In that sense, resting at Cheonsu Sangdan was like a shower in a dry sky.

“The executioners, should you get some rest?”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

It was obvious that the shaman’s disciples were uncomfortable with being on the top of the heavenly throne. They were really bothered by the fact that I had gotten on Yeo Bul-jin’s nerves.

“Not at all. It’s a blessing to be able to rest like this when you’re away from home. Get plenty of rest.”

“How can we rest comfortably if the landlord doesn’t think well of us?”

“No. Even if you look at me badly, you won’t look at me badly. There’s no reason for you to look at the executioners badly.”

“How is the human heart like this?”

“The merchants think differently.”

I spoke bluntly. And Yeo Bul-jin had no reason to think badly of me. All she had to do was send someone to Gansu to prove that what I said was true.

It would take quite some time to get from Jiangsu to Gansu, but with Tianshui Shangdan’s distribution network, I could get a reply within a month.

“Since I’m here, I might as well treat myself.”

“What about the hospitality? It’s fortunate that there’s no poison in the rice.”

“I told you. The Whiju merchants cannot be hostile to the Mudang faction dynamically. They are the ones who will try to rub it in if they have even a little bit of decency.”

As I finished speaking, someone knocked on the door from outside. When I told them to come in, a servant working at Cheonsu Sangdan came in.

“I have come to convey the word of the Lord.”

“Ah. What is it?”

“I heard that the Lord of the Upper Class and the Shaman’s disciples would like to be invited to dinner. Of course, I will treat the other members of the Upper Class without making them feel disappointed.”

“great.”

“Yes. Then I will convey that to the Lord.”

Sibi bowed to me and left.

“What did I say?”

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at the executioners. They had become dumbfounded.

Dinner came quickly. We had no time to spare anyway. We had to practice.

I also swung my sword a bit after a long time. As I went, the elixir I ate in the Chamhoe-dong was absorbed and settled in, so the strength and speed of my swing changed.

Myungyeop, who didn’t know that I had taken two elixirs, even criticized me by saying that there is a limit to how much you can change every day.

“I guess you’ve warmed up a bit. Shall we go?”

“I’m still worried.”

“You have more worries than I thought.”

“We are not individuals, we are out there representing the nonpartisan group.”

Myeongyeop spoke seriously. As expected of a martial artist who values ​​favoritism. However, the merchant valued practicality over favoritism.

When we went outside, there was already someone waiting for us.

“I will guide you to the banquet hall.”

Usually, a manor of this size would also have a separate space for a banquet hall. I was also looking forward to the banquet hall of Cheonsu Sangdan, which is famous for its splendidness.

The path to the banquet hall required passing through the main hall. It seemed that they had arranged a seat at the back of the hall. The delicious smell was already wafting through the air.

After walking for a while, we were able to find a pavilion that looked like a banquet hall. The pavilion was incomparable in scale to the Hoecheonru we had visited in Hoeum.

“Here it is.”

“her.”

The banquet hall at Cheonsu Sangdan was so famous that even I, who have been to almost all of the pavilions in the Central Plains, was impressed.

There were ancient stone foundations and railings, statues of all kinds of animals, and a lake with lotus flowers and koi fish.

“That’s great.”

“Haha. There wasn’t a single dissatisfied person among those who came to the banquet hall. Well, I hope you have a good time.”

We went up to the pavilion. As we went up to the pavilion, there sat the old king, Yeo Bul-jin, his guard, and middle-aged men of similar age to Yeo Bul-jin.

They were probably elders or officials who made decisions together at the top. They all had deep wrinkles and tightly pressed lips, giving them a stubborn look.

“The interior of the pavilion is also splendid. I am pleased to meet the elders of Cheonsu Sangdan again. This is Mukhwiyeong of Hwiyeongsangdan.”

I looked around the pavilion and laughed. It wasn’t for nothing that the royal family came here to play. This pavilion was just as good as the banquet hall in the palace.

“Welcome. The friends next to you are the elders of the Cheonsu Sangdan.”

Yeo Bul-jin introduced the elders with a faint smile. I shook hands with each of them and nodded.

The shaman’s executioners awkwardly greeted them, and the elders stood up and clapped their fists to make a lottery.

The five of us were already seated opposite the elders.

“Can I sit here?”

“then.”

Yeo Bul-jin still had a faint smile on her face. The elders came out and glanced at Yeo Bul-jin. It seemed like they were having trouble adjusting to Yeo Bul-jin, who had been so loud when they had just met, now showing a calm demeanor.

I looked around. There was no orchestra, no food, not even the usual parasites.

“You haven’t enjoyed the banquet yet.”

“Then. At Cheonsu Sangdan, the customer comes first.”

“Then let’s begin now.”

“Before we begin, there’s something we need to talk about.”

Yeo Bul-jin’s words seemed to make me feel a little chill. The elders and I automatically straightened our backs.

“What? Is this a continuation of that story?”

“No. Let’s not talk about that here. I’m looking into it personally.”

Yeo Bul-jin laughed heartily. It seemed that the elders had no idea what they were talking about.

“I talked a lot with the shaman before, so this time I want to talk with the shamans.”

“Aha. Then I’ll step away for a moment.”

“No. I asked to talk because you are also present.”

“Is that so?”

“Okay. First, I’ll ask the shamans. Is it necessary for a shaman to advance to the upper world through the Hwiyoungsangdan?”

Now it was time for a serious conversation. Perhaps Yeo Bul-jin had wanted to say that from the beginning.

Myeongyeop glanced at me and nodded.

“I don’t know what the privates think, so my answer can’t represent the whole faction. However, the fact that Jang Moon-in decided to advance to the upper class through the Hwiyoungsangdan, which he had been avoiding, means that he saw something in the priest. That’s why I can answer yes to what the head priest said.”

“I see. Muk Danju is very resourceful. Our Hwiju merchants have knocked on the door of the shaman faction countless times.”

Yeo Bul-jin rested her chin on the small table in front of her.

“So, the head shaman gave full authority to the upper world to his disciple, Mukhwiyeong, and not to Hwiyeongsangdan?”

“Yes.”

“It’s stickier than I thought.”

The elders looked slightly disappointed. Perhaps they thought the best way would be to separate me and the non-partisan group and take their place. However, it turned out that that was impossible, so they were disappointed.

“Then I will make a proposal to the silent leader. Can you buy the Hwiyoungsangdan, including yourself? I will give you a reasonable price.”

“How much will you charge?”

“The amount you spent then. I’ll pay you double that. Of course, I’m not a wordsmith like you.”

I laughed heartily and Myeongyeop took a deep breath. The young brothers didn’t know, but Myeongyeop understood what I was saying.

Now Yeo Bul-jin was trying to buy me by giving me two hundred thousand nyang in silver. Two hundred thousand nyang in silver.

It was certainly a large sum of money that would make even the most ignorant of money-hungry shamans dazzle their eyes.

Originally, it was not uncommon for the top to take over the top. Two hundred thousand nyang was about the price of a mid-sized top with distribution networks throughout the Central Plains. That was how much Yeo Bul-jin had set the price. I couldn’t even guess how many talents I could buy with two hundred thousand nyang.

But my answer was already decided.

“I think His Majesty still sees me as an inexperienced minister.”

“Two hundred thousand nyang seems like a reasonable price. The price for a small-scale merchant group with less than a hundred employees is less than ten thousand nyang.”

“You can open a distribution network with the non-partisan faction, but two hundred thousand nyang is too cheap. And on top of that, you have to sell me too. My future is more expensive than two hundred thousand nyang.”

“I don’t think it’s bad to have high self-esteem, but if it goes too far, it can turn into arrogance.”

“Do you think I’m arrogant?”

I looked at Yeo Bul-jin and smiled. Yeo Bul-jin looked into my eyes and shook her head.

“I don’t know about that. Honestly, I think I have a pretty good eye for people, but I don’t know what kind of person you are. But I do know one thing.”

“What is it?”

“It’s either a hit or a bust.”

“haha.”

I laughed because it was so funny. Yeo Bul-jin definitely had a keen eye for people. In my past life, I had tried many challenges and failed many times.

“Okay. Actually, I didn’t think it would sell. I heard that the guy rubbed his hand once and it felt refreshing. It really feels refreshing.”

“I have no intention of selling my top for any price.”

“Okay, I see. How about this?”

“What is it?”

“Let’s give each other one.”

Looking at Yeo Bul-jin’s deep smile, I realized that this was Yeo Bul-jin’s true intention. Yeo Bul-jin knew from the beginning that I wouldn’t sell the top, but she was just trying it out. If she sells it, it’s fine, but if she doesn’t, it’s fine.

“What do you exchange? A warm hug?”

“You mean salt? There’s no place to sell it yet. We’ll sell it together. Of course, without commission.”

I almost opened my eyes wide. I almost let out a little excitement. In fact, building a distribution network to sell salt was also a job.

First of all, it is natural to send someone to the city hall of the area where each market is located. It is to create a dedicated person. And that is not all. In addition, I, the person in charge, that is, the owner of the market, must go there in person to show my sincerity and check if there are any fraudsters among the relatives of the market. Considering the additional expenses and travel time, it could not have been more troublesome.

The reason why we don’t use blacksmiths like we did when we sold the Nokrim Sip-i-shik last time is because salt is difficult to sell as a peddler like the Nokrim Sip-i-shik. Salt can only be sold in markets supervised by the city hall and the city government. Salt was an item that was strictly controlled by the country.

The distribution network built in this way can be used later, so it was an inevitable process that a new merchant had to go through, but it was certainly a difficult process. However, if you could borrow the distribution network of Cheonsu Merchant, you could skip that process.

Just by borrowing Cheonsu Sangdan’s distribution network once, you have been certified by Cheonsu Sangdan.

“If there is anything to sell separately at the top, we will lend you the distribution network of Cheonsu Sangdan for free for about three years.”

“Yes, Lord Danju. That’s a bit… … .”

The elders rose up in excitement. Three years is enough time for us to build our own distribution network.

They were openly saying that they would buy us time to grow, but it wasn’t something that other companies would necessarily volunteer for. In fact, it was Cheonsu Sangdan who even took some damage for us.

The distribution network is likened to a blood vessel. The passages of the blood vessels are the same, but if there is a lot to transport, it will naturally become a burden. The burden will naturally be in the financial sector.

‘This is crazy.’

I was excited inside. What Yeo Bul-jin had said was worth more than two hundred thousand nyang. I had no idea that such a thing would come rolling in.

But on the other hand, I was also worried about what on earth he was asking me to do.

“I don’t think I need to refuse.”

“Honestly, I could be happier. Even I think it’s an extraordinary benefit.”

“First, I need to hear the counter-measure. It seems like you want something from me by doing this, but I’m really curious about what it is.”

“Hmm. Do you know the wise king who resides in Gansu?”

I squinted my eyes slightly. What kind of nonsense is this? I can understand why the elders say that because they don’t know much about the matter.

“Yes, I know. Of course, I don’t know him personally.”

“The King has personally requested something from us. I have managed to obtain it with great difficulty and am delivering it to the King, but I would like to ask you to negotiate it.”

“Are you asking me to sell you something?”

“That’s right.”

I blinked for a moment, not understanding, but soon came to one conclusion.

This person already knew that Yeo Hong-won had a relationship with the King.