“You’re going to use the method that only you can.”
“Do you want to chase clouds?”
“The true answer isn’t in the dragon’s book; it’s within me. No way am I saying something like that as a secret.”
“Seriously, I was just trying to live comfortably carrying water kettles, but I can’t hide my blood!!!”
What’s wrong with that guy? Why can’t he control his sudden excitement?
“Miss Zhuge, why is he acting like that all of a sudden?”
“I—I don’t know eitheroo.”
As I maintained a respectful attitude toward my brother-in-law and asked, Miss Zhuge, perhaps embarrassed, turned her head away.
“Hehe! Kang Yoon-ho’s strategy. I, Jeon Gil-san, have two marvelous strategies!”
Jeon Gil-san spoke to me as if he were a chancellor running a country in darkness, laughing like a third-rate villain.
“The tricks in the silk pouch won’t be Zhuge Liang or Zhang Lang.”
Can you unify the concept a bit?
“Just get the gist!”
In an instant, Gil-san’s concept broke, and he raised his voice as if embarrassed.
“There are two? Stop dancing around and just spit it out.”
“Alright. To avoid being like Zhang Liang in a rebellion, I need to inform my lord of the best plan first.”
I wanted to say something immediately, but I felt pity for the guy who seemed eager to return to his chancellor act, so I kept my mouth shut.
“The rebellion was Han Xin, you know.”
It seemed Miss Zhuge couldn’t stand it anymore.
“It’s the fragrance, huh? Are you trying to resemble your fiancé more and more?”
“Ugh.”
“You seem confident, so let’s hear it.”
To speak so confidently, I wonder what kind of incredible strategy Jeon Gil-san is talking about.
As Miss Zhuge and I focused, Gil-san couldn’t hold back his laughter and finally revealed his plan.
“Alright. The best of my marvelous strategies is simply this.”
“Simply?”
“To lend money to Ho Pil the author.”
“…….”
A small silence fell in the room.
“How about it? A move you never saw coming, huh?”
“Ugh…….”
A frustrated sigh escaped towards the confidently smiling Gil-san.
“The Rise of the Tang Family, volume 4 has been delayed for over half a year because of you! Everyone’s waiting for volume 4! You’re lending money and opening a branch of the Tea Bookstore. You’ll only sell volume 4 at the branch. Once word gets out, will Wuhan and Yichang be a problem? People will swarm like bees along the Yangtze River. A fortnight? You’ll make double in no time!”
“Miss Zhuge, what were you about to say earlier?”
I tried to change the subject while hiding my bitter expression by asking Miss Zhuge.
“Well, I think it might be good to look into the watch and collect promissory notes.”
“Watch and collect promissory notes?”
“There are expired promissory notes with guaranteed payment. Each day it accrues interest. If not repaid in a fortnight, foreclosure happens.”
“Indeed. It’s faster to find people who already need money in the market than aimlessly searching for borrowers. You really are Miss Zhuge.”
If it’s the area of promissory notes, I can search within a short period. Truly, Miss Zhuge, the daughter of a prestigious family, knows how the money rolls.
“It’s—it’s nothing much, reallyooo.”
“Hey! Is it nothing to you!!!”
Oh no, Gil-san seemed furious as he suddenly felt dismissed, his face turning red.
“So you’re asking me to lend money to Ho Pil, huh?”
“Isn’t that a good idea? Ho Pil is your friend!”
“No way.”
“Why not? Are you reluctant to lend money from a friend who would put his life on the line for you? If it were me, I’d guarantee the safety of a friend I’d sacrifice my life for!”
Yeah. It’s definitely a good idea. It was something I never thought of. Miss Zhuge probably wouldn’t have thought of it either.
Because…
“It won’t work because it’s Ho Pil. It’s obvious.”
Only Gil-san was unaware of Ho Pil’s identity.
“R-right.”
“Oh. Is that how it is? Then it won’t work.”
Jeon Gil-san nodded reflexively, his eyes widening.
“Right. The lord knows my identity.”
“……Wait a minute. What are you saying?”
Was that an incomprehensible bombshell statement?
Jeon Gil-san’s face was quite amusing as he took a moment to grasp the meaning of my words.
———-
“Hey! Don’t joke around! What do you mean you’re Ho Pil!”
Jeon Gil-san pointed at me in disbelief, saying it made no sense.
He came all the way to Yichang to recruit Ho Pil, but ended up getting tricked by me. No wonder he’d be surprised.
“Why would Ho Pil be Ho Pil?”
“Because Ho Pil (胡筆) means Barbarian Brush, right? Huh?!”
Finally realizing, Jeon Gil-san’s shocked expression turned to look at my hair.
“More precisely, it means Barbarian Writer.”
“Is that true, huh?”
“Yeeees. That’s right.”
Gil-san asked his cousin for confirmation again, but the answer remained unchanged.
“You bastard! So you’ve been lying to me all this time?!”
Jeon Gil-san admitted it but got angry at me from another angle.
“Lying? What do you mean by lying? It’s not something I can just blurt out to anyone. In this case, I missed my chance to say it.”
“This is really absurd! Does that even make sense?”
Gil-san’s screams mixed with indignation and astonishment were quite pleasant to hear.
“I have the manuscript I was writing in the room. Want me to show you proof?”
“So what the hell is your identity…….”
Jeon Gil-san couldn’t continue as he looked at me with a face full of horror.
“I am Kang Yoon-ho, a writer, merchant, and part-timer assassin.”
I’ve been trying hard to live as a Barbarian in this world, so I couldn’t make do with just one job. I greeted him with a playful smile.
“No, not that.”
“Huh?”
Was he surprised I had many talents? Jeon Gil-san shook his head and began.
“A man who practices evil business tactics but throws his life away for his friends. The one who quickly recognized Ho Pil’s hidden talents buried in the countryside. Not that I’m taking my failure as a merchant for granted, but in reality, I’m making my life hard through his book. It makes me appear as a villain who uses his novels as hostage weapons against readers, doesn’t it?”
“…….”
Ah, well that…
“Is that right?”
This bastard cowardly stated the facts, and I turned my head in embarrassment.
“Miss Zhuge. From now on, the fact that I am Ho Pil shall remain a secret.”
“Hehe. Yes.”
“You’re scary, man.”
Thank goodness he didn’t call me ugly.
———
“What was the second strategy?”
Now that Jeon Gil-san calmed down, I asked about the so-called marvelous strategies.
“There was a middle strategy after the best strategy.”
“Middle strategy?”
It must not be as good as the Ho Pil plan, but still a decent strategy.
Jeon Gil-san quietly looked at me and cautiously spoke up.
“Is there any real reason for you to clear the final exam?”
What Jeon Gil-san said was surprisingly a penetrating question.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re first in both the first and second rounds. If you remain still, you’re bound to be the successor.”
“Are you suggesting I just sit around for a fortnight?”
Jeon Gil-san nodded in response to my question.
“It’s merely that your aunts and cousins are insisting on going forward to the third exam. Would the results change at this point? Why not either write a novel or play with Xiang for two weeks? You could relax.”
The third exam is just a round-off for the last exam, not a final job interview.
Unless something incredibly disastrous happens in that third exam, the results from the first two rounds should be sufficient to secure the successor position.
Jeon Gil-san’s proposal was better than I had initially thought.
“No way.”
But the problem was that I had already made up my mind on that.
“Why?”
“It’s important to prevent anyone from questioning my legitimacy.”
“What?”
“The heir of Man Geum-jeon has black hair. Even if I become the heir, there will always be talk behind my back. In that case, I should have some achievements to present.”
The fact that the heir of the top bank in Wuhan is a black-haired individual needs to be something that no one can question.
As long as I am black-haired, there will always be disdainful looks.
Moreover,
“If I want to live as a writer, I need the recognition of Man Geum-jeon.”
In a world with land dozens of times larger than the Joseon Peninsula, I couldn’t expand my bookstore without a background.
The status of being a child of the Tang Family is too risky to write openly. I can’t use the assassin group either. The Hao Wen might be helping, but its background is ambiguous. Therefore, I need the strength of Man Geum Battlefield.
I need to convey to them that I want to continue writing novels. I want to leave behind a name that will last through eternity. That’s the proof I intended to show.
I can’t simply give up on the third test.
“So that’s why your grandfather insists on taking the third test?”
“That seems likely.”
Jang Noya told me to earn the support of the eldest daughter of the Man Geum-jeon right after the second test.
If Man Geum-jeon’s heart has already hardened, it likely means to notice that I must not say foolish things during this examination.
“It’s tough. Really tough.”
Jeon Gil-san sighed deeply and said to me.
“It’s hard because it’s the final test.”
“Ah! By the way, how about this? I happen to know a gambler!”
If it’s a gambler…
“Are you suggesting we lend money to a gambler?”
It referred to a con artist.
“Why? Isn’t it worth a shot?”
“What nonsensical idea are you suggesting?”
“U-uh, I don’t think so either.”
As both of us shook our heads, Jeon Gil-san pressed on, clearly feeling frustrated.
“Are we going to lend money to someone who seems destined to lose but lacks funds or credit? Isn’t that the same as what you just suggested?”
Though the concept of taking risks seemed oddly wrong, it also made sense, making it hard to refute.
“I’m not just speaking randomly. Among the gamblers I know, there’s one with only one hand. Let’s trust him!”
“Why does he have only one hand?”
“His hand got cut off while working with sleight of hand.”
“…….”
So it really wasn’t a matter of being right but of just sounding absurd.
Seeing my furrowed brows, Jeon Gil-san, flustered, began to explain further.
“No! Listen! If a merchant fails, he only loses money, but a gambler could lose his hand! Besides, he now has only one hand left! Of course, he is betting his life!”
“Miss Zhuge. Should we heat some water in a pot?”
Let’s show them what rebellion looks like.
Miss Zhuge looked back and forth between my smiling face and Gil-san’s flustered expression and eventually bowed her head, speaking up.
“Ah, still, g-giving him a chance is…”
“Ugh! Gambling is inherently tied to lending money. When borrowing, we deduct interest, and when collecting, we also take interest. And a fortnight? Usually, they have to pay back in a single day. Either way, whatever the risk, let’s go for it.”
Is he saying there isn’t much difference between the method I am currently seeking and gambling?
I get the intention, but…
“It may be a last resort, but the risk is too great. Even when I report back to the lord, my justification would become weak. There’s still time, so let’s think it through some more.”
“Is there no answer beyond gambling?”
“Since the three of us think together, we’ve come up with many solutions. We need to reflect on it.”
While there may not be a perfect answer, it seemed everyone felt the same, as my smiling response did not lighten their grim expressions.
“If my grandfather would just easily hand over the successor position! Or giving me an exam like one for a foreign language, saying that if I’m to be the heir of Man Geum-jeon, I should be good with foreign languages too. Like, ‘The candidate who passes the third exam is Kang Yoon-ho.’ I’d much rather have it that way. Wouldn’t you agree, Xiang?”
“That sounds rightoo. This test feels way too hard.”
A foreign language exam. I could probably massacre it like a native.
“If only there were questions that only I could answer… Oh?!”
In an instant, a lightning bolt struck my mind.
“Is it Master Kang?”
My whole body stiffened. Yes. If it’s that method.
“Jeon Gil-san.”
I looked at Jeon Gil-san with sparkling eyes.
“What? What do you mean?”
“I think you’re my strategy.”
“What?”
———-
“What on earth do you intend to do?”
While waiting for someone, Jeon Gil-san asked me with an impatient expression.
“Just wait. When they come, I’ll explain.”
After a moment, several answers arrived that would help resolve this test.
“Hyung! I mean, Club Leader! Did you call for us?”
“Hurry up. What’s with just one of you? Did you all come?”
The people I called were the Il-gu, I-gu, and Sam-gu brothers. They could be called my close aides.
“How could we brothers come when the Club Leader calls?”
“Right. So, how’s business lately?”
“Yes. We opened a few days ago and things are going well.”
“Good to hear.”
“Hey! Did you perhaps plan to make loans with the people from the Xiang Clan?”
Did he think I meant to loan money to the Xiang clan? Gil-san asked me with a surprised look.
“There are loan sharks at the gambling house. Call them all over to me.”
I shook my head and told the brothers who had opened the gambling house.
“Master Kang?!”
“Aha!”
“Were you planning to lend money to the gamblers?”
Il-gu, the eldest, timidly asked me.
Gil-san’s eyes seemed to say he was unsurprised. Miss Zhuge’s expression carried a hint of concern.
Lending money to gamblers carries significant risks, as Gil-san said, but it would definitely yield a viable way to double the funds.
“No.”
But their assumptions were wrong.
I had no intention of taking risks by lending money to the gamblers.
“Can you explain the rationale?”
What I realized from Gil-san’s words pointed to a different approach.
I should not take large risks.
I needed to ensure I would receive back both the principal and interest. But how?
The successor exam of Man Geum-jeon. In that final exam, there was a method possible only for me.
That was precisely:
“I’ll become the cash lender for the gambling house.”
Rather than lending money to gamblers, I would provide funds to the gambling house lenders.
