Man Geum-jeon’s Mansion.
“How’s everything going?”
Man Geum-jeon asked the Head of Guards while gazing at the pond set in the garden.
“Ah, Young Master Ha opened a textile shop near the port.”
“A textile shop?”
“He said it’s a shop that specializes in silk.”
“Silk… That must cost a lot.”
It wasn’t a bad choice.
Merchants sometimes traveled up the Yangtze River to obtain Sichuan silk, stopping only at Wuhan instead of going all the way to Sichuan. The textile shop would surely bring in a good profit.
Of course, the shop near the port was in the busiest area. To set up a textile shop and purchase silk might not be possible with the vouchers they had distributed. How did they handle that?
“They say he’s getting the silk from the shop run by his father.”
The father of the one called Young Master Ha was a significant textile shop owner in Hubei Province as well.
“I told him to do business, but I never told him to help his parents’ business.”
“W-well, apparently the business is doing well.”
“Isn’t it strange that he’s just doing his father’s work? If I’ll do poorly, isn’t that weird?”
“They say the supply of silk in Wuhan has decreased. It appears Young Master Ha’s father is controlling the supply.”
The Head of Guards reported that he was essentially hoarding silk to ensure his child’s business thrived.
“Ah, I see. Parental love knows no bounds. What about the other grandchildren?”
Man Geum-jeon sighed softly and commented with a tone full of sarcasm, inquiring about the other grandchildren’s situations.
“Well…”
The Head of Guards tried to hide the cold sweat trickling down his back as he began explaining the current state. Compared to the others, Young Master Ha wasn’t doing too badly.
Most of the others were either leveraging their family’s influence or snatching business contracts that operated under their family’s name.
“Tsk. Useless children. I told them to do their own business; they don’t even think about stepping out from their parents’ shadow.”
The Head of Guards decided to bring up the only piece of good news he had.
“Not all of them are relying on family help. Young Master Gong is said to be running a tavern.”
“A tavern? Is he running a bar?”
“They say it’s just a simple tavern, but perhaps he’s quite skilled at business because customers keep coming in.”
He told them to do business, but they ended up running a tavern. Man Geum-jeon thought that Young Master Gong was better than the previous children, but this news was still not satisfactory.
“Alright. What about Kang Yoon-ho? What’s he up to?”
Man Geum-jeon asked nonchalantly, showing no sign of hope regarding the last remaining chance.
“They say he’s doing delivery work.”
“Delivery? Did he set up a postal service or something?”
“No, he took over an inn.”
“A delivery service from an inn? Please, explain in detail.”
This was interesting news. Man Geum-jeon, who had been staring only at the pond, finally turned and looked at the Head of Guards.
“Well…”
The Head of Guards disclosed what he had heard and seen.
Hehe! “He created a business delivering food through carrier pigeons?”
Man Geum-jeon burst into laughter at the unprecedented news.
“All of them frowned at the price at first, but once they tried it, they keep using it for its convenience.”
“When I told him to do business, that guy who frowned turned out to become the club leader uniting the Joseon people of Wuhan? Well, with no connections in Wuhan, he must have needed some. Gathering talented people to run a business that no one has ever attempted before? And it’s working?”
He had told them to do it, but they were doing it way too well.
“I knew he was a promising talent, but I never imagined he would pull off something of this scale.”
“He has the insight to see the trends of the world. He was a child who could find his path in the flow.”
He figured out how to fill his own shortcomings. He recognized what was scarce in Wuhan. He grasped how to make money in an instant.
Anyone aiming to make a fortune must have the ability to see the world.
Man Geum-jeon had always wished for a noteworthy son-in-law among the families of the prestigious merchants and their children.
Man Geum-jeon couldn’t hide the rare excitement he felt for the talent he had discovered.
“I’ll hurry and bring my granddaughter over. But there’s one problem I must mention.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve received information that Lady Tang is receiving treatment equivalent to that of the direct line of the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“The direct line of the Tang Family? Isn’t Lady Tang an illegitimate child?”
Man Geum-jeon was somewhat aware of how Lady Tang came to be.
“No clan values bloodlines more than martial arts families. It seems they’ve considered Lady Tang to be a prospective leading figure of the Tang family in the martial arts world.”
“So, Lady Tang had talent of that caliber?”
Merely being talented wouldn’t surpass the barriers of collateral lines. This meant she was an extraordinary genius who could overcome the discrimination of bloodlines.
“If the Tang family is supporting Lady Tang like that, I have concerns about Lord Jeon’s plans.”
Pair Kang Yoon-ho with his granddaughter.
Of course, even Man Geum-jeon had no intention of taking away the granddaughter of the illustrious family. However, having multiple wives is not something to get into trouble over.
There was still, of course, the issue of who would be the first wife.
This was precisely the part that the Head of Guards was concerned about.
“It’s fine.”
Man Geum-jeon replied firmly.
“However.”
“If I attach a child from a family that even the Sichuan Tang Family can’t disrespect, that’s it.”
Man Geum-jeon had a daughter who had married into a family that couldn’t be easily underestimated, even by the greatest Sichuan Tang Family.
——————-
Hubei Province. Yongzhong.
In a grand mansion of a village with a famous family.
A middle-aged woman walked inside the mansion with her eyes wide open and urgently furrowed brows. Despite her age, her captivating beauty radiated an air of authority.
“Did she not go to the matchmaker’s place again? What have you all been doing?!”
The middle-aged woman raised her voice at the servant beside her.
“I-I swear she was there until she got into the carriage. But when we opened the door, we found a wooden mannequin dressed in the young lady’s clothes!”
“This craftsmanship is getting better by the day! Where is that girl?!”
“She’s in the separate quarters.”
The woman, accompanied by several servants, headed towards the separate quarters.
“Mom is a person too! A person! This time, I believed in you!!!”
The middle-aged woman shouted loudly as she burst into the entrance of the separate quarters, ensuring everyone inside could hear.
“She’s in the innermost room.”
A servant pointed toward where the middle-aged woman’s daughter was supposed to be.
With each step the middle-aged woman took, her face began to express boiling rage.
“I was married at sixteen! Your father, who can’t even hold my hand properly, became the head of the family through my support! Your sisters are already all married! Your brothers are married too! What are you so afraid of that you hide in the house all day?!”
“I can’t see the young lady!”
The servant burst out from the room where the middle-aged woman’s daughter should have been, looking frightened.
“I know you can hear me!”
The middle-aged woman shouted furiously at her daughter, who must have been listening.
“If you hate matchmaking so much! Prove you have talent like your sister, the famous female poet! Or did I not tell you to bring home a man you like?!”
“I’ll check around.”
The servants quickly assessed the situation and began opening doors one by one in the separate quarters.
“You’re always cooped up at home! Focusing on the things you like! Sleeping when you want to sleep! Staying awake when you want to stay awake! What kind of novels do you think will bring you a good man?!”
“I can’t find the young lady!”
“You brat! Find her! A well! A closet! A box! She even hid beneath the stove last time, so check the stove! This time, I’ll tie her up and put her right in front of the matchmaker!”
“Understood!”
“You lot! If you say you’re going to hide her, know that you’ll be chased out too!”
“Yes, understood!”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and find her!”
“Understood!”
The housekeeper’s commanding voice echoed, and everyone, from servants to guards, began to search thoroughly.
—–
“Did she go?”
After a thorough search that seemed capable of locating even the tiniest mouse hiding in the mansion.
The middle-aged woman asked the guard, wearing a collected expression as if she had never been angry.
“The young lady has finally left. We confirmed she snuck into the carriage of her grandfather, who came to bring letters.”
Hehe. “With such a meticulous search, there was no place to hide except there.”
Regardless of how much you try to run, you’re under mom’s watch. The middle-aged woman smiled as she read the letter from her father, Man Geum-jeon.
The letter included discussions about the succession of Man Geum Battlefield and details of a man personally chosen by Man Geum-jeon.
“Is it really okay? Since she rarely ventures outside, I’m worried.”
“Don’t worry, father will send someone to keep an eye on her.”
“The fact that he’s a black-haired barbarian also weighs on my mind. How could a noble family’s daughter…”
“Your father has vouched for this man.”
The middle-aged woman, Jang Young-young, looked at the guard with a cold gaze.
“I apologize! I dared to tarnish the name of the great Man Geum-jeon!”
The guard knelt and apologized for his failure.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t particularly like him. He needs to experience men a little.”
“Yes. I also hope the young lady will experience the world this time.”
Hehe. “With nothing but the memories of being spoiled by her grandfather during the holidays, she’s really crawling toward danger.”
Jang Young-young chuckled as she thought of her daughter who had climbed aboard the carriage, unaware of the trap.
This time, she wouldn’t be able to escape. No way she would lock herself in again at a place that wasn’t even home.
Jang Young-young smiled bittersweetly, hoping her daughter would bring home a man this time.
Since her father had praised the man, surely he would be decent. She even thought her daughter might reject him if he didn’t make the cut.
Once the man heard the name of her daughter’s family, he wouldn’t be able to refuse.
The family Jang Young-young married into was capable of turning impossibilities into possibilities.
The number one prestigious martial arts family in Hubei Province.
It was the Zhuge Family.
