“Lord Man Geum-jeon’s waiting for you. Please follow me.”
As soon as I unpacked in Wuhan, I never expected to be summoned from Man Geum Battlefield. It wasn’t like I’d been waiting around for the call. But I guess the fact that I came from the Tea Bookstore, run by a friend of Lord Man Geum, made a difference.
I followed the man who introduced himself as the Head of Guards of Man Geum Battlefield.
“Aren’t we going to Man Geum Battlefield?”
The battlefield was in the bustling area, and the direction we were headed seemed completely opposite.
“I’m taking you to the mansion where Lord Man Geum resides. However, since you came from the Tea Bookstore, shouldn’t it be a ‘young master’ from the Tang family, not a ‘son of a concubine’ bearing the Kang surname…?”
“Hwa-rin is recovering at the Sichuan Tang Family.”
Originally, it should’ve been Hwa-rin and not me. The Head of Guards’ suspicion was understandable.
“I’m sorry. My age seems to have made me forget. Is it true that Hwa-rin needs to stay at the Sichuan Tang Family for an extended period due to illness?”
The Head of Guards spoke with an embarrassed tone as if he just recalled it.
“Haha! I have no idea where you heard such rumors, but you know how unpredictable life can be.”
They said it’s been ten years, but with my reputation and Hwa-rin’s training, it could change. I shrugged, like a family member discussing a critically ill patient with high hopes of recovery.
“Hmm. Indeed… Yes. Life is unpredictable.”
The Head of Guards’ voice had that familiar tone of agreement mixed in. What was that? My answer seemed to satisfy him.
Come to think of it, how did he find out that Hwa-rin was staying at the Tang family for so long?
With that question unresolved, I followed behind the Head of Guards.
——–
“I’ll inform Lord Man Geum. Please wait for a moment in the garden.”
While the Head of Guards went to notify Lord Man Geum of my arrival, I quietly looked around the garden.
Just how much did they spend on this?
People often call decorating a garden a modest luxury. You could invest endlessly, but unless an expert spots it, it’d only ever look prettier than the average garden.
The garden where Lord Man Geum resided was luxurious to the eye of an ordinary person but would astonish an expert at the amount spent. To an untrained person, it might look elegant, but to a professional, it screamed wealth.
The rich man of Joseon, the shameless Kang Yoon-ho’s father would have created a garden just like this. There was no way I wouldn’t recognize it.
“Please go inside; Lord Man Geum will be awaiting you.”
“Thank you.”
I cautiously walked through the door the Head of Guards opened.
Once I was distanced from the Head of Guards, I took a quiet, deep breath.
A single word can pay off a thousand nyang of debt.
Can I do this?
If I can’t, I’ll lose the Tea Bookstore. Don’t keep thinking, “Can I do it?” Just do it. I must succeed.
With that resolve, I arrived at the room where Lord Man Geum was waiting.
“You’ve come.”
A sharp-faced old man reacted the moment I made a sound.
Lord Man Geum looked exactly the same as last year, focusing not on me but on pruning a bonsai.
“It’s been a while, Jang-no-ya.”
I carefully advanced and greeted Lord Man Geum politely.
“I heard you pulled a fun trick on my grandson.”
Straight to the point, huh?
Lord Man Geum continued without looking at me.
What can I say?
I’ve sinned greatly. Please forgive me. Just spare my debt, I can never repay that money.
No, that’s not the approach I was thinking to take.
“If a mad dog bites you, you might either sit down and cry or run away, but someone has to grab a stick and prepare to hit that son of a dog again.”
Begging for forgiveness won’t resolve anything.
No, rather it would look like I’m admitting my guilt. That would lead to me being coerced into repaying the entire debt instead of just avoiding a seizure.
I had no intention of conceding to a debt I shouldn’t have to repay.
“Really, if you’re that angry about your grandson, you wouldn’t bring it up right away upon meeting.”
Had he exploded with anger, I would’ve thought of a different approach. But starting off nonchalantly like this was clearly intended to suppress my spirit from the get-go.
I wasn’t about to give in.
I should own up to what I did. Their family’s delinquent child was poorly trained. I gave their pitiful mutt a wake-up call. I needed to take a strong stand.
“That ‘son of a dog’ certainly sounds like it’s meant to be heard by me.”
Laughing?
Lord Man Geum smirked derisively while fiddling with the orchid. It was more a smile of “look at this puny thing” than one filled with anger.
It was a good sign that my provocation didn’t get to him.
“If parents love too much, children can go astray. Even the child of a tiger may turn out to be a mutt, so I hope this lesson will help you become a tiger.”
Why not get your kid’s education sorted out before they get a beating from someone?
*Hehe! Right? I’ve heard the full story about the incident, and I thought that brat would get a serious beating!”
Lord Man Geum seemed pleased with my remarks and burst into a hearty laugh as he finally turned to face me.
“Is that so?”
I quietly breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
Thank goodness. I passed the first hurdle…
“But that doesn’t give me a reason to forgive your debt.”
Lord Man Geum’s smile faded, replaced by a piercing gaze.
“……”
This wasn’t about anything personal regarding his grandson. Was it really just about the money?
“Give me a reason why I should forgive your debt.”
Lord Man Geum looked at me as if he knew exactly why I was here.
I swallowed hard and met his piercing gaze.
It’s unfair to take on debt I don’t owe. How can I repay that? It just doesn’t make sense. All the words were preemptively blocked by his stare.
‘Gotta make sure I play my cards right here.’
Questioning the legitimacy of the debt wouldn’t work. It’s already been accepted as a fact and executed as one. My opponent was the Man Geum Battlefield. They have the power to legitimize any unreasonable debt.
So, what should I do?
Think fast. Combine the information I have.
Information about Lord Man Geum. Facts I know. Combine them. I just received new data as well: modest luxury. They care about others’ perceptions. Let’s line up the cards I have.
What’s the best card among them?
“It’s because I’m carrying on the legacy of Lord Baekga.”
I declared confidently towards Lord Man Geum.
“So you’re carrying on the spirit of that Baekga fellow?”
The moment I said it, Lord Man Geum’s brow twitched.
Lord Man Geum. The common perception was he wouldn’t bleed a drop even if punctured. So should I give up? No. I just need to hit the one spot that can bleed.
And I’ll do it with the card only I can play.
“When I returned to Yichang, I believe you heard what I did.”
“I heard you hired impoverished scholars.”
Lord Man Geum nodded. Fortunately, he was aware.
“I was thinking about how I should live moving forward after resolving the Tang family’s issues.”
“You were thinking about how to live moving forward?”
A hint of curiosity crossed his face. My card was a good one, signaling green lights.
“If I only wanted to be happy myself, I wouldn’t have thought this way. However, I didn’t want to stop there; I wanted to inherit Lord Baekga’s will.”
The good deeds performed by Lord Baekga until his death. I wanted to continue those deeds.
Truth be told, I just needed someone to boost my reputation. But, packaging is everything, right?
In the end, how others perceive me matters most.
“Shouldn’t such things come after repaying a debt?”
“How can a merchant hesitate to take on debt to pave the way for greater things? Money naturally comes in accordance with a great aspiration.”
The Man Geum Battlefield is somewhere between a bank and a loan shark in modern terms.
Lord Man Geum would see a good merchant as someone who borrows heavily for a grand venture and continuously repays larger debts.
So then, I should become that pleasing merchant in Lord Man Geum’s eyes.
“What is that great aspiration?”
“My belief is that business is about leaving behind people, not just profits.”
I said boldly, like an upright merchant with a giant pillar of belief in my chest.
“That sounds quite similar to what that Baekga fellow often said to me.”
“After I spoke of it to the Literary Association’s club leader, he was shocked and remarked.”
Adding another line, I emphasized that it was my belief while coincidentally matching Lord Baekga’s belief.
‘I shall stand before Lord Man Geum not as a Black-haired Barbarian but as the incarnation of Lord Baekga.’
I aimed for the weakest link in Lord Man Geum, constructing a scenario where it’s not about robbing the money of a Black-haired Barbarian, but rather trampling someone who continues a friend’s will.
Lord Man Geum seemed to be momentarily stunned, then slowly smiled at me.
Did I strike a chord?
“Even if that were so, it’s still a substantial sum. That’s no reason for me to forgive the debt.”
Lord Man Geum spoke firmly, keeping me in suspense. What a rollercoaster ride. So this approach doesn’t work either?
Then there must be another way.
“If you truly wish for me to repay the entire debt, I might as well give up the Tea Bookstore.”
Ready to burn bridges.
“You claim you’ll give up the Tea Bookstore?”
Lord Man Geum looked surprised, his eyes widening.
“Yes. The Tea Bookstore is the wings on which I spread my ambitions. But if it turns into shackles instead, I’d prefer to start from scratch, even if it means starting with nothing. Because even if I have nothing, I believe I can inherit Lord Baekga’s spirit and succeed again.”
After all, the debt belongs to the Tea Bookstore. Isn’t it an easy choice? Better to let the Tea Bookstore go than to repay that money.
I’ve changed since the days I first operated the Tea Bookstore. Now I have people, connections, and money.
Plus, the reputation of Ho Pil.
It might be tough to let the Tea Bookstore go, but do they really think I won’t rise again? Isn’t it rather them who’d lose if they let that debt go? With that tone, I confidently addressed Lord Man Geum.
Hehe. The great Ho Pil is feigning humility.
“Did you know…?”
Aye, Merchant Association uncle. He’s among the few who knew my true identity, so he must’ve told Lord Man Geum.
“I can easily handle my grandson, twist him like a newborn’s hand, write words that shake the world, and wield the wisdom to return unharmed from the Tang family. Are you really asking me to believe you’d give up the Tea Bookstore over debt?”
The Merchant Association uncle really flattered me too much.
“I stand here to do just that.”
“But you can’t be here because you’ve already failed.”
Hmm, Lord Man Geum isn’t easily swayed.
He looked at me as though he had figured me out, all while smiling knowingly. A victorious grin. A look that said to just accept it and relax.
But Jang-no-ya.
I had more up my sleeve than that.
“No. I came here to fulfill the last duty as the one who carries Lord Baekga’s will.”
“Last duty?”
“As the only blood relative of Lord Baekga, and the son-in-law to his only granddaughter, I’m here to give it my all and to stand ready to give up.”
I had tried my best, and now Jang-no-ya could decide to give up. That’s how I framed my intent.
What kind of future does Lord Man Geum envision?
I inherit Lord Baekga’s will but, due to unavoidable duress, end up giving up and starting again, while Lord Man Geum becomes a despicable thief robbing his friend’s possessions.
Did Lord Man Geum understand that?
Maybe seeing it as a trap. Lord Man Geum squinted at me for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
“Hahaha! I can imagine that Baekga fellow would say the granddaughter caught a decent catch if he were here beside me. So, are you really confident about succeeding from nothing?”
“If that’s what it takes, I will do it.”
“Then it’s settled. Take it.”
As if ready, Lord Man Geum tossed a bundle of papers at me.
“A promissory note?”
The paper Lord Man Geum handed over had a large sum written on it.
“It’s not a promissory note; it’s my test.”
A test? As I slowly read the promissory note, I spotted Kang Yoon-ho. My name in big letters.
It stated that by using the promissory note, after the deadline to repay the debt, all debts of the Tea Bookstore would have been transferred to me.
“What is this?”
“This is to mortgage your life. Make sure to multiply that money in Wuhan with that note.”
Lord Man Geum spoke as if he had no intentions of giving in further, making it clear he was issuing me an ultimatum.
Now I get it. It was a forced scouting.
The seizure of the Tea Bookstore was merely a means to bring me here.
This was consistent with the proposal to scout Ho Pil from Man Geum Bookstore. Maybe this time, he intends to acknowledge me as the merchant Kang Yoon-ho too.
In the end, it means transferring the debt onto me to restrict my movements.
“What reason do I have to go that far?”
I find no reason to accept that.
Isn’t it better to rely on a printing shop and start anew?
Did he catch on to my underlying thoughts?
Lord Man Geum wore a confident smile and began to explain why he handed me the promissory note.
“If you pass my test and satisfy me, I will completely forgive all the debts of the Tea Bookstore.”
An offer that couldn’t be refused.
