Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 71



Only Krnovel

71. Aftercare (2)

Inspector General. A key force in the Inspectorate and a 7th-rank official. There are a little over a hundred of these inspectors in the country and they have tremendous power.

“… … What is this?”

“Oh, my. Can’t you read? You’re amazing for being so successful.”

Wang Song was still giggling. I was dumbfounded.

“Is it okay to throw away such an important position like this?”

“I have never done so. You are the first inspector I have recommended since becoming the Ubudo Inspector.”

“Was it because the royal inspector recommended you?”

“It would be possible for someone as high as a vice-minister.”

I realized anew that the Wang Song in front of me was a high-ranking official of the third rank. A person of the third rank was treated with respect wherever he went. Right now, I was drinking with such a high-ranking person.

“As far as I know, I’ve heard that a royal inspector is not allowed to have another job. Shouldn’t it be connected to his own interests?”

“No, there are many. There are merchants too.”

“Isn’t that a camouflage job?”

“That too.”

“I am not a disguised person. My real job is a merchant.”

I closed the box with a loud bang. An inspector. I don’t know what he was giving me, but this was like a dogma. If you take it well, it’s a miracle drug, but in most cases, it’s poison. The reason inspectors are prohibited from holding multiple positions is because of the issue of vested interests, but they are also too busy to have time for other things. If you were going to be a merchant, you absolutely should not accept this.

“And didn’t I tell you earlier? I have no intention of becoming an official.”

“Haha. This is the first time in my life that I’ve been so humiliated and rejected.”

“It’s not that it’s not true. I appreciate you taking good care of me, though.”

“But this is not a proposal.”

Wang Song’s eyes drew a line. His eyes were full of mischief.

“I already reported you to Beijing as a royal inspector.”

“yes?”

I almost lost control of my expression for a moment. Who would like to be forced to do something they don’t want to do?

“No, wait a minute, sir.”

“As I said, this is the call of the nation. As a citizen of the Great Empire, it is only natural that you respond to the call.”

“I have no intention of responding. The Emperor himself did not call me.”

“Haha. So you’re opposing me because I’m of low rank?”

“That’s not it. Even if the Prime Minister had recommended me, I wouldn’t have gone.”

“Then what if the Emperor recommends you?”

“Are you comparing yourself to the Emperor now?”

Wang Song-yi immediately became a mute who had eaten honey. If he pressured me with a question I couldn’t answer, I would just answer back. As the atmosphere became strange, Kang Se-min and Hyeong Tae-seong, who were watching, also had cold expressions.

I didn’t want to be a royal inspector even if I had to fight and cut ties with Wang Song here. Wang Song’s head was down, so I couldn’t see him clearly. I thought there was nothing I could do if Wang Song got angry. The best thing to do was to find a way to reduce his anger as much as possible.

“Hehehe.”

“… … ?”

“Hehehe, hahahaha!”

I had already thought of a few things, but Wang Song’s reaction was something I had never expected. He suddenly raised his head and started laughing out loud. Kang Se-min and Hyeong Tae-seong were equally dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on.

“As expected, you are an interesting friend.”

Wang Song even wiped the corners of his eyes with his index finger, as if tears were welling up in his eyes.

“Was the royal inspector a joke?”

I asked cautiously. But I have seen the Eosapae several times, and this was real. There was no way that the Ubudo Eosapae, the chief of the Inspectorate, could have made a fake Eosapae.

“No, I’m not joking. You’re a censor. I reported to Beijing.”

My eyelids vibrated slightly. I didn’t think I could follow what was being said for a while.

“But he’s different from a regular inspector. As you said, an inspector at the Office of the Inspector General can’t hold a concurrent position, and he also has to look after his family.”

“What do you mean it’s different from the general language?”

“You are an inspector general of the Royal Guard, not of the Royal Secretariat.”

“… … Your words are becoming increasingly incomprehensible. Where is the royal inspector in the palace?”

“Yes, it is. It’s a secret, though.”

I squinted my eyes and looked at Wang Song. Wang Song was still smiling, but I could see the truth in his eyes.

“And the royal inspector does not inspect the officials.”

“sure?”

“I will supervise the martial artists.”

“… … !”

I flinched as if a cold drop of water had fallen on my spine. The inspection of the martial artists.

The idea that the Imperial Palace was secretly watching the martial arts world, breaking the rule of non-interference, was a conspiracy theory that came up every time. I also thought it was quite convincing. After all, the martial arts people were also imperial people.

But thinking something is persuasive and knowing it clearly are two different things. A fact soon creates information and insight, and furthermore, it becomes the basis for thinking.

“That was true.”

“The Golden Guard, the Dongchang. They’re all watching over the martial arts world. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”

“Common sense tells me that it is right to monitor things.”

“That’s right. It’s good that the story flows well. Sometimes when I tell this story, the martial artists foam at the mouth and ask what authority I have to inspect.”

“You might feel that way. But I identify more with the merchant side than the unmanned side. It’s right for unmanned people to be watched by people who might cause trouble at any moment.”

“Anyway, the role of the Royal Inspectorate is to report those among the martial artists who break the law.”

“Actually, if you look at it that way, fighting in a guest house is illegal. It can cause property damage, assault, and even death.”

“Of course you don’t have to see such everyday things.”

Is it common for people to die? If it is common, then of course it is common.

“Then what do you report?”

“Rebellion. Change of surname. Anything else that could pose a threat to the Emperor.”

Words poured out of Wang Song’s mouth in a cold voice. Rebellion and rebellion. In fact, just uttering these words could have gotten him arrested for blasphemy.

In that sense, this story had to be kept secret. I think I know the general reason why Wang Song had gone out of his way to kill all of his servants.

“Do you think I can do that?”

“Enough. Rather, I have never seen anyone more suited to the job than you.”

Wang Song’s smile faded and his eyes turned serious.

“He has one foot in the world of martial arts and one foot in the world of commerce, so he can judge situations from a neutral perspective. On top of that, he shows his experience when dealing with people, and his wit comes from his improvisation. Who else could be better than him?”

“But I didn’t say I would do it.”

“Well, of course, I was joking when I said that the country called me earlier. It’s true that I reported it to Beijing, but if you withdraw it, that’s the end of it.”

“then…….”

“I was going to give you some salt from the Hubei region. What a pity.”

“yes?”

“Then that’s it for Okham.”

Wang Song tried to take the wooden box I was holding, but I ended up hugging the box in my arms without realizing it. Wang Song tilted his head.

“Why? Weren’t you trying to refuse by saying you didn’t want to do it?”

Wang Song’s face is covered in smiles. It’s as if he knows what you’re thinking.

I always feel hurt when this happens. When the other person moves according to their intentions. But you know, to a merchant, a salt man was absolutely foul play.

“I didn’t mean to refuse. I was thinking about it.”

“But if you want to refuse, do it quickly. If the letter I just sent to Beijing reaches His Majesty the Emperor, it will be difficult to cancel it.”

“No, wait a minute. Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden?”

“I’m a busy person. Didn’t you know that?”

My head was spinning so fast. My brain was spinning so fast that I thought my head would burn from the friction.

“I will do it.”

“huh?”

“I said I would do it.”

“It’s so small I can’t hear it well?”

“I will do it, I will do it!”

“That’s right.”

Wang Song burst into laughter. Kang Se Min and Hyeong Tae Seong were already gaping with their jaws hanging open. When Wang Song stopped laughing, Kang Se Min stuttered and opened his mouth.

“Hey, you’re a salt person. Is it okay to give it to me like that?”

“What is it that I shouldn’t give? In my opinion, the best businessman in Hubei is Mo Danju. He’s not a person with such a small heart that he would cheat the people for a small amount of money.”

“That’s true, but.”

Kang Se-min stuttered, and the chief of the Seungseonpojeongsa also stuttered, so the Minister of Taxation did not dare to intervene.

“Even if the Minister of Justice objects, there’s nothing we can do. After all, isn’t the salt coming from the central government?”

“… … That’s true too.”

A salt certificate is a voucher that can be used to sell salt. Usually, one certificate is exchanged for about 200 geun worth of salt.

Since it was given to merchants by the state, there was no need for the salt merchants to manage it. The reason why large merchants and trading companies were desperate to establish good relationships with Beijing officials was because salt sales were a big deal. Selling salt was tantamount to having power in the region.

Having a saltman gives the top a huge advantage.

First, it creates a fixed income that is perfectly calculated. In an industry where profits can fall to the bottom if things go wrong, this is a huge advantage. Salt is exported in quantity determined by the country, so the price is fixed, and since it is an essential product, it is always sold.

Second, having a salt seal increases the trustworthiness of the upper class. Since the salt seal is given by the country as Wang Song said, it is seen by the general public as having received the country’s approval.

There are many other miscellaneous things, but these two are the biggest. Anyway, these words were like a shower to me, who had nothing to sell after the Nokrim Shipi-shik.

“So, what should I do?”

“Your eyes are shining, unlike before.”

“When a merchant smells money, his spirits come to him.”

A gentle smile spread across my face without me knowing. No, I didn’t know I was preparing such a big gift. In my previous life, the Hwiyoungsangdan had been handling salt for over ten years since its establishment. But in this life, the Hwiyoungsangdan had been handling salt for less than a year.

“It’s nothing special. You’ll just be eavesdropping while living your life in the martial arts world. If you find anything special there, you can report it to your superiors.”

“okay.”

To that extent, it’s not really a burdensome task. I don’t have to go out of my way to look for it, I just have to tell you what I’ve heard.

“When you discover an illegal situation, you can show your imperial seal and take immediate action. However, you must be careful. There aren’t many imperial imperial seals in the Central Plains.”

“I hope that never happens.”

“Okay. If you’re going to do it, just report it. It’s not like you have to risk your life.”

I received the royal seal and also received a promise from Wang Song regarding the time period in which I could receive the seal. I was assured that I could receive the seal within two months at the latest, so I had to make sure that the Hwiyoungsangdan would be able to move by then.

So, the farewell ceremony for Wang Song ended. I sent a letter to the Mudangpa. It was a letter saying that my return would be delayed a bit.

Because the salt man was coming in two months, there was no time to go back and forth with the shamans.

I hate to say this, but I’ve been busy. I’ve had to interview new people, expand my warehouse space, and buy a new office space.

In the meantime, I had to submit a lot of documents to the Pojeongsa and wait, but since the Hojo Chamui was my person, things went smoothly. Jo Chung-heon and I ran around until our feet were covered in sweat. When Jo Chung-heon went out and came back, I went out, and when I went out and came back, Jo Chung-heon went out. Since I was going to sell salt in the future, I had to become friendly with the market officials.

Of course, in the Central Plains, friendship was usually made through drinking. You could drive out your inner strength with intoxication, but the officials were people who could sense such things like ghosts, so you couldn’t do that.

So I met people every day, drank a lot of alcohol, and then woke up at lunchtime.

And that day was also a lunchtime with a usual drinking appointment.

“Tsk tsk, you punk. You’re determined to embarrass the nonpartisan faction. Myungkyung, what do you think?”

“It must be my fault for not being able to manage the priests well.”

It was noisy and the voice was familiar. And even though it was broad daylight, there seemed to be a shadow in front of me. I opened my eyes wide.

“Wow!”

I fell right off the chair that had been made into a bed.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Cheong-hwa, Myeong-gyeong, and Myeong-seong staring down at me.

“… …Is this a dream?”

I hummed like that without realizing it. But the pain I felt on my cheek was telling me that it wasn’t a dream. Cheonghwa’s hand, which I didn’t know when it had come, pulled my cheek as if it was going to tear it.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Could this be a dream?”

It was the day of reuniting with the teacher and the executioners of the shamanist faction after a long time.