Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 19



Only Krnovel

19. Market (2)

“There really is no market floor.”

“Because it’s a market.”

The market was filled with commotion and protests. It’s a constant occurrence.

After buying and eating two ice creams, we walked around the market. Cheongsu didn’t do anything. It was up to me to talk to the merchants and look at their wares.

“The quality is good.”

I said as I smelled the herbs. The herbalist followed me, rubbing his hands.

“Yes. All the medicinal herbs we handle have been certified as top quality by the market.”

“I see. Can I go and look around other places too?”

“Oh, of course. But if you look around, it won’t be as good as ours.”

I went out after talking to the merchants skillfully. I went into almost every store in the row. To be exact, I went into only two stores per row. The store in the best location and the store in the worst location.

“Are you really just watching?”

Cheongsu spoke to me as if he couldn’t bear it any longer. Cheongsu seemed to have grown angry because he was just talking to the merchants and leaving them alone like a sack of barley.

“If it’s going to be like this, I’ll go to my room first and rest.”

“What are you talking about? I’m showing this to the real person.”

“what?”

“The market. The market is a living organism.”

I looked at Cheongsu with pride.

“So, did you feel anything?”

“What do you feel?”

“Did you not feel anything?”

I said in a disappointed tone. Cheongsu seemed ready to question me at any moment, so I hurriedly added my words.

“The quality of the item was almost average, if not excellent. The actual quality of the item was also appropriate for that grade.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“That’s not a given. You know that even for the same item, prices are determined by dividing it into upper, middle, and lower grades, right?”

“You think I’m some ignorant worm who doesn’t know anything. Isn’t it the job of the judge to conduct an inspection and assign a grade?”

The Shisa is a market manager dispatched by the government. All goods in the market must be inspected by the Shisa and given a quality of either high, medium, or low before they can be sold.

“Yes. So the market atmosphere is very divided depending on who is in charge. In some markets, there are low-quality products that are labeled as high-quality products. Then, there are two possibilities. Either the person is not good at judging the product, or the person is corrupt and takes bribes to adjust the quality.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“That’s why the market is alive. Even though it’s called a market, not all markets are the same. Today, we saw what kind of person Sisa is. Although we didn’t see Sisa in person, we can see that he is fair and upright in that he doesn’t sell grades for money, and he has an eye for things. In short, he is a capable person.”

“so?”

“But there was something heterogeneous.”

“Heterogeneous parts?”

“Yes. The market usually gives the best seats to the merchants who sell the best products. That is because this maximizes the market’s profitability.”

“I guess so.”

“But this market wasn’t like that. The person who had the best spot was selling an ambiguous item, and the person who had the bad spot was selling a good item.”

“Then you didn’t sell the seat for money?”

“Then it should have been the other way around. Those who have good products will have more money, so the good positions should go to those who have good things.”

“Then you did something that was deliberately detrimental to the market? Even going against the natural order?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Cheongsu’s face changed to a puzzled expression at my words. It seems like the problem I gave was quite difficult.

Until just now, he had been saying that the current president was a fair and competent person, but now he is saying that he has arranged his positions strangely, so it seems confusing.

“I don’t quite get what you’re talking about.”

“I’ll give you a clue. The stores that took the best spots had something in common. They had the sign for Yichanghoe Hall.”

“Are you saying that Sisa is from Uichang and that he is looking after the convenience of the people of Uichang?”

“That is correct.”

“Then I guess it can’t be seen as fair and just?”

“Sisa is also a person. He takes into account all of this personal sentiment. Other merchants probably won’t have any complaints. They all receive that level of convenience in their hometowns.”

At my words, Cheongsu’s face turned pale. I was now telling him about the rules and vitality of the market.

“So what are you trying to say?”

“I will go to see Sisa tomorrow. I will bring a gift. I saw what kind of person Sisa is today to choose a gift.”

“A gift? Are you talking about a bribe?”

“If you say it like that, doesn’t it seem less classy? Let’s just say it’s a sign of weakness.”

“As far as I know, that’s a bribe.”

The unmanned can be unnecessarily rigid. But this flexibility is the grease that makes society run smoothly.

“In my opinion, Sisa is a person who knows how to look at things, so he should bring valuable and precious items, and since he is a person with deep patriotism, it would be good to bring items made by craftsmen in Yichang. Of course, he should avoid items that can be purchased directly in Yichang. One of the reasons he kept walking around was to look at gifts.”

“It’s difficult. It’s something made by a craftsman from Yichang.”

“Because the names of the makers are engraved on pottery and weapons, it’s not hard to find them.”

“How do you know he’s from Uichang?”

“There is a famous blacksmith from Yichang. He is currently working in Beijing, and his goods are sold here as well. I think he would be happy if you bought them and brought them to him.”

“… … You really know a lot about Sanggye. I thought I knew more about it than other martial artists, as a Gokjeongokju.”

No matter how much money and finances you deal with, there are limits to what a martial artist can achieve. In order for a merchant to grow, he must meet people and breathe with the world. Naturally, Cheongsu, who was only in Mt. Mudang, could not keep up with me.

“First of all, you have a busy schedule tomorrow, so go to bed early. I’ll go in and rest, too.”

“Huh. For a martial artist, one meal of Unkisho will take away all your fatigue, so there’s no need to sleep.”

“But isn’t it less than sleeping?”

“It’s noisy. If I do that, then that’s what happens.”

Did your pride get hurt because I seemed to be telling you too much? However, it is impossible for a martial artist to have more knowledge about the Sanggye than me.

We got up early the next day and got going. The market opens at noon, but we had to check the route by the hour and share the plan.

As soon as the market opened, I went to the arms shop and bought a sword with the name Lee Wi-jong on it. Items like pottery, bows, and swords had to have their maker’s name engraved on them.

“But if you’re not a martial artist, what are you going to do with a sword?”

“It’s for decoration. Ivory doesn’t sell for a high price because it has a use.”

We took our swords and went straight to the center of the market. The city hall where the poem was written was there.

Naturally, there were quite a few people at the city hall where the current affairs were held. If there was a dispute in the market, there was no place to go but the city hall.

“Can we meet in this situation?”

“What do you mean by being a shaman? The true person should take the lead.”

Cheongsu entered the city hall while trembling. The atmosphere changed as he entered the city hall. It was impossible for the Hubei people not to know the attire of the shamans.

“What is a non-partisan Taoist priest doing at City Hall?”

“Aren’t there people who don’t like places like this?”

Of course. He is someone I hate. He only came in because Cheongsu was a money-handling clerk. If he was someone like Cheonghwa, he wouldn’t have even come in because it was a subversive place.

“Big, big.”

“What brings a shamanic master here?”

As Cheongsu coughed, the city hall official asked cautiously. It was only natural that the unmanned Gupaebang would be uncomfortable.

“I would like to meet the current affairs officer once.”

“Oh, yes. I will pass it on to you.”

The manager went right inside. Cheongsu scratched his head as if he was embarrassed.

“Is it okay for you to come here without an appointment?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t be able to do it, but you, the head of the non-partisan faction, can do it.”

The manager we had just seen ran towards us.

“Please come in.”

Of course, it would be good to have a close relationship with a high-ranking official in the city. In particular, there is no greater connection than the non-partisan faction in Hubei, so I would have them come in even if it meant putting off what they were doing. It would be rare for someone from the non-partisan faction to come to the city hall.

As I was guided in, I saw a middle-aged man with a neat appearance. I don’t believe in physiognomy at all, but he seemed like someone who would handle things neatly.

“This is Jeon Ok-geun, a poet from Uichang.”

“My name is Cheongsu, the owner of the Songjeong branch of the Mudanpa.”

“Huh. A visit to the Gokjeon Foothills. A distinguished guest has arrived.”

The seed of the poem immediately got into the tea. Cheongsu tasted the tea and looked slightly surprised.

“It’s a pretty nice car.”

“This is Anhui’s Yuan Gua Pian (六安瓜片). I apologize for having offended your nobleman.”

As expected of a manager, Sisa’s tongue was well-oiled.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I will speak from now on.”

When I spoke, Sisa looked at me as if it was unexpected. It seemed like she thought I was just a watchman.

“As you may have heard, these Shanxi merchants are trying to hit the back of the heads of the Jiangnan people.”

“… … Oh, how did you know that? It was passed on to me secretly.”

You know that, because I told you. I already told you through the upper echelons of the disciples.

“I heard the gist of what’s going on. The dog meat law has been abolished.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As the Shanxi merchant said, revealing Beijing’s secrets publicly could lead to reprimands. So instead of revealing them publicly, it was better to reveal them privately. And through a trustworthy channel.

“I have already told the Ahangs.”

That’s right. Ah-haeng was a middleman who connected local merchants with foreign merchants. Even if they spoke the same language of the Central Plains, if the region was different, they might not understand each other, and the customs and weights and measures might be slightly different, so he played a role in coordinating those differences.

Shanxi merchants were foreign merchants, and they had no choice but to conduct business through Ahang. If Ahang intervened, even Shanxi merchants would not be able to sell salt.

Cheongsu looked at me with surprised eyes. It seemed as if he was asking when I had prepared this. However, he had pride in himself, so he couldn’t ask me right now.

“Yes. The reason I came here this time is to ask you to crack down on the Ahaengs. Since the Shanxi merchants have a lot of money, wouldn’t it be possible to buy them off with money?”

“Haha. You even came to the shaman faction to ask such a favor. I didn’t know the shaman faction was so interested in the business world.”

Sisa smiled as if she was in a good mood. Even in the world of martial arts, she couldn’t help but feel good that the orphaned Gupa Ilbang was taking care of them.

“But don’t worry. All the people in our group are natives of Yichang and have strong patriotism.”

“Thank goodness. This is a token of our sincerity.”

I handed over the sword of the second-class general. Sisa’s eyes widened.

“Oh, this is.”

Sisa examined the sword and let out a gasp.

“It’s Master Yi Wi-jong’s! I know him personally. He must have been successful in Beijing and it must have been expensive, but to get such a precious thing… … .”

“No. You are doing a difficult job, so this level of sincerity is expected.”

“Haha. They wouldn’t have done that in the first place, but I’ll make sure to crack down on them even more.”

Sisa and I burst into a good-natured laugh. Cheongsu looked blank in the meantime. This was the merchants’ conversation.

Then suddenly the door opened wide. Sisa’s eyes frowned.

“How can you be so rude when we have distinguished guests here… … .”

“I’m sorry. There has been a disturbance at the Shanxi merchants’ shrine. It has grown quite large, so you will have to go and see for yourself.”

Cheongsu, Shisa, and I looked at each other. And then, as if we had made a promise, we got up at the same time.