“Did you say the gambling house’s chief has become the owner? Not just lending money to gamblers?”
Man Geum-jeon pored over the numerous ledgers and documents, asking Kang Yoon-ho.
“Betting fate on a dice game is what gamblers do; it’s not something a merchant should do,” he replied.
“Putting a small amount of money into a gambling house means fierce competition. To claim to be the chief of loan sharks, it must have been quite the challenge, right?”
Even if one wished to invest in a gambling house, countless territorial disputes would need to be fended off. How could anyone easily become the chief of money lenders with so much at stake?
Kang Yoon-ho smiled and nodded at Man Geum-jeon’s question.
“If there’s a grudge that compels someone to cede a right they absolutely cannot give away, then it’s possible.”
“Ah, Ho Pil huh.”
“Yes. The local lords leading the Haowon of Hubei Province graciously yielded.”
Kang Yoon-ho was slightly surprised by the prompt response but quickly accepted it. Man Geum-jeon also knew about his involvement with Haowon.
“Well done.”
Something felt off. Kang Yoon-ho sensed a hint of confusion from Man Geum-jeon, who looked at him with a proud expression.
He had expected astonishment at the unexpected outcome. This reaction was more like the feedback one receives when their answer aligns well with key points.
Could it be…?
“…Did you perhaps expect this?”
“It was a test for you; do you think I would have set a problem without even preparing the answers?”
“…!”
“Of course, I didn’t anticipate you would find the answer in less than a day.”
A pleasant smile appeared on Jang Noya’s face.
“It’s surprising how the answer was closer than I thought when I desperately struggled with the problem.”
It was just like the second test. He hadn’t given an unsolvable problem. How to achieve the results remained an entirely different matter, of course.
“Was it an easy test?”
Man Geum-jeon looked proudly at the student who brought in an excellent answer and asked for his thoughts on the test.
“……It was a difficult test,” the student replied after some consideration.
“Why’s that?”
A problem solved in a day. No, it didn’t even take half a day to solve. Why was that test considered difficult? The teacher eagerly awaited the student’s answer.
“Because it was a grudge born of risking my life.”
Hehe.
Correct answer.
The teacher only smiled again at the student who had given the correct answer.
“It was a test to impart a lesson to me.”
Kang Yoon-ho finally comprehended the meaning of the third test from Jang Noya’s smile.
“Merchants aren’t just those who sit at a desk and clack abacuses. Sometimes they must take risks for everyone, sometimes they may need to ally with enemies, and at times they must win over hearts they thought were unattainable. And even after all that, relationships remain.”
What remains for a merchant isn’t only money. Countless relationships emerge through numerous transactions.
“Relationships remain….”
“What you did was easy. But it would have been impossible for the grandsons who have no understanding of that difference.”
How could a black-haired youngster who had not even lived a year in Wuhan be better than grandsons who had grown up in a prominent family of Wuhan for over 20 years?
“It’s because I left people behind.”
The answer to that question was known to both Man Geum-jeon and Kang Yoon-ho.
“Right. What you told me as soon as you arrived in Wuhan turned out to be your final exam answer.”
Man Geum-jeon stared at Kang Yoon-ho, who was sitting there with a serious expression.
You cultivated the Joseon expatriate community and built a close relationship with Haowon.
An outsider, just under a year in Wuhan, was able to genuinely create followers and could graciously yield in a large endeavor with money involved.
“I want to be a merchant who leaves behind one person.”
The student had brilliantly proven his belief, and the teacher demonstrated how to utilize that path.
The grandsons who had lived comfortably under their parents’ favor for over 20 years couldn’t accomplish what a son-in-law, who had been in Wuhan for less than a year, achieved.
Who could now raise any objections?
The final test was a justification, an education, and an examination for Kang Yoon-ho.
“Sir.”
“Do you enjoy daytime drinking?”
There was no longer a need for hesitation. Man Geum-jeon asked about the new future.
“I don’t enjoy getting drunk, but I do like the atmosphere.”
“Let’s have a drink.”
It was time to open the celebratory liquor.
——
“Bring out that drink we prepared.”
As the banquet table was set, Man Geum-jeon ordered more, as if what was there was insufficient.
“Are you talking about that liquor?!”
The Head of Guards questioned incredulously.
“Bring it out.”
“Yes! Understood!”
What was happening? Why was the Head of Guards rushing over, beaming with a smile? Kang Yoon-ho was puzzled, but Man Geum-jeon continued without answering.
“You’ve been holding something precious to your chest since earlier, are you planning to give it to me?”
Man Geum-jeon questioned about the envelope Kang Yoon-ho had been fidgeting with while setting up the banquet.
“Yes, I’d like you to read it.”
“A business plan?”
Man Geum-jeon unfolded the paper, revealing Kang Yoon-ho’s business proposal.
“This is Ho Pil’s business plan.”
Man Geum-jeon nodded at the mention of Ho Pil.
The kid, who had promised to prove himself, had indeed proven himself. It was only right to honor the matter of not giving up on writing. But a business plan—what could that possibly mean?
“What is this?!”
Jang Noya’s face turned to one of disbelief.
The contents written in the business plan were about Ho Pil’s novels. How would they generate profits? How would they expand the business with these novels?
Even a merchant in his later years had never seen or thought of such things. It encapsulated Kang Yoon-ho’s vast thoughts and worries.
“Did you really think this up all by yourself…?”
This was something he had never heard of before. Jang Noya asked in shock.
“Yes.”
“Is that what you meant when you said you wanted to make a name for yourself in this world?”
He had thought it was simply about not wanting to give up the skill of writing.
“I don’t want to be a high and noble star in the sky. I don’t wish to be a great person recorded in history.”
“Then what do you wish to become?”
“I want to be a merchant who sells himself.”
“Selling yourself?”
“Kang Yoon-ho as a merchant and Ho Pil as a writer—it’s all me. I can’t give up either role. I have no intention to neglect either. Therefore, as a merchant and a writer, I will do business. I want people to continuously consume my writing, enjoy the business I create, and have my name on their lips at all times.”
He didn’t mean to deviate from being the successor of the merchant.
As a writer, he would utilize his identity as a merchant. As a merchant, he would also utilize his identity as a writer.
A great merchant and a great writer—he would be both.
He would walk a path yet traversed by anyone. Man Geum-jeon found himself momentarily speechless by the ambitious aspirations.
“It will be difficult.”
“Following in the footsteps of giants, I believe one day I can walk a path where no one has tread before.”
He intended to learn from him so that he could forge a path that he hadn’t been able to tread upon himself. Man Geum-jeon’s heart trembled as he looked at the successor.
“….”
“There’s also…”
For the first time, Kang Yoon-ho, who had seemed confident all day, expressed a trace of embarrassment.
“Huh?”
“A fiancée to share my journey with.”
Hehe. Man Geum-jeon was utterly pleased to see the last button fitting perfectly into place.
“The scent of the liquor is nice. I shall pour for you.”
“This liquor is called Zhuang Yuan Jiu.”
Man Geum-jeon looked back and forth as he poured for each other, then mentioned the liquor’s name.
“Zhuang Yuan Jiu?”
“It was the liquor I intended to pour when my late son finally was able to stand on his own.”
It was only natural for the Head of Guards to be thrilled and rush over. It was liquor that had not been opened in decades.
It was the liquor prepared for the successor that was finally uncorked.
“Sir….”
“Drink up.”
Man Geum-jeon raised his cup, shaking off the memories of longing.
“I’ll drink with gratitude.”
Liquor possesses a mysterious power.
It helps shed past mistakes, alleviates sorrow, and commemorates new beginnings.
He was drinking with a new future. He was sharing a drink with the successor he once thought would never be realized.
As Man Geum-jeon drank, he celebrated the fact that he had indeed not missed his chance even after all the adversity.
“This is?! Sir!”
However, Man Geum-jeon forgot one thing.
Someone was still watching every move of Kang Yoon-ho.
When Kang Yoon-ho headed to Man Geum-jeon’s mansion, the trials had all lost their meaning.
It was a realization that everything was over, and with that knowledge came the understanding that anything was possible.
“Sir! You mustn’t drink!”
Kang Yoon-ho hastily pushed the cup away, but it was already too late.
“Gak!”
Poison began to spread throughout his body.
Man Geum-jeon’s vision was blurring. His consciousness started to fade.
“Sir! Here!!! Doctor! Call the doctor!”
The last thing he saw was his successor, someone he could fully entrust everything to.
*
“Master Kang, are you feeling alright?”
In a dark, solitary confinement cell devoid of sunlight, a person entered, bringing with them a brilliant light.
“What happened?”
The visitor was Jeon Woon-yeop, the Head of Guards’ son.
“There was poison in the liquor we drank.”
Jeon Woon-yeop answered with a grim expression.
“How is the elder?”
“Fortunately, he has survived.”
“That’s a relief.”
“…….”
Jeon Woon-yeop’s grim expression did not dissipate.
“Is there more bad news?”
“The chief has yet to regain consciousness after half a day.”
“…!”
It must have been a potent poison.
“The liquor shared by the chief and Master Kang was the one meant to be uncorked personally by the chief once a successor was decided. Few knew of its existence; how could there have been poison in it…?”
“Once the assassination failed, they likely shifted to poisoning.”
If it hadn’t been for the lessons learned about poison from Hwa Rin and the Tang family, I too would have been defenseless.
“That means…!”
“There exist those who would overturn the table if they cannot have the game. Besides, I have one more question.”
“Feel free to ask.”
In a situation where Man Geum-jeon collapsed and I was on the verge of being proclaimed his successor, I hadn’t expected such a shocking turn of events.
But there was an even more awkward matter at hand.
“Why am I locked in jail?”
“…….”
“I clearly remember driving the poison out of my body and losing consciousness. And when I came to, I found myself in the government’s prison.”
At least being given a solitary cell was a saving grace. Why was I waking up not in front of a doctor but in prison?
I had inquired a bit with the constables, but I wanted to get to the bottom of this.
“Upon hearing the news, the grandsons all strongly claimed that Master Kang was the one who tried to poison their grandfather.”
“They accepted that without question.”
What a ludicrous reason.
“Is that even possible?! But those grandsons are all members of prominent families and, being family of Man Geum-jeon, none of us could step in.”
Jeon Woon-yeop said, lamenting in a somber tone.
“What a disgraceful way to go about it.”
“This is a huge problem. It has only been half a day, but if Jang Noya does not regain consciousness like this….”
“And then?”
“It seems they plan to divide Man Geum-jeon’s assets among them.”
“Hahaha!”
A hollow laugh escaped me. Even now, they were being cowardly to the end.
My heart boiled at the thought of my family snatching my late-night ramen, laced with shiitake mushrooms and eggs; this would be even worse.
“With the Head of Guards doing everything he can, but the grandsons are also desperate.”
“Once I get out of prison, I’ll need to deal with my persistent grandsons.”
I had been trying to avoid clashes, provided they did not impede my path. But perhaps now, it was time to deal with them decisively.
“Master Kang! This isn’t something to treat lightly! Not only are the grandsons applying external pressure, but everything is weighing unfavorably against you!”
He dispiritedly exclaimed. Calm down. At this rate, he might burst into tears. I smiled and continued speaking.
“Yes, I know. I know how coveted the assets of Man Geum-jeon are. If five powerful families unite in one mind and thought, it wouldn’t be difficult to wipe out a mere black-haired brat.”
They must be desperately scheming, regardless of the bribes or pressure they would apply.
Their very existence represented a significant threat.
“Knowing that, why are you so calm?!”
“But you see, they also made a huge miscalculation.”
“Huh?”
I simply smiled at the bewildered Jeon Woon-yeop.
Yes. They might want to play their hand, but they’re poking the wrong person.
“Don’t, don’t go in there!”
Sounds resonated from outside the prison door.
“How can Kang Poh-kwa be a criminal! What is this nonsense?!”
An all too familiar voice.
“Ah, um, that’s…”
“Get out of the way!!!”
The voice I had been waiting for burst through the door.
“Who…?”
“Inspector!”
“Kang Poh-kwa! What brings you here?! Why is someone like you in this place?!”
It was none other than the inspector Jung Mun-won.
“Y-you’re an inspector?”
“Get out of my way!”
Jeon Woon-yeop had no time to calm his surprise before sounds echoed again from the door.
“Why are you here?!”
“Who dare block the path of the esteemed official!!!”
Oh no! I hadn’t anticipated this!
“Yikes! Ge-get in there!”
None other than the lead merchant, Gu Jook.
