Chapter 38
“Ah! Finally….”
The yeogak finally came into view in the distance.
Beyond the main gate, Hayun could see the luggage of the porters who had already arrived piled up.
“We finally made it!”
The moment she entered the yeogak, Hayun collapsed onto the floor as though completely exhausted.
“Ahh……!”
All the pain she had been holding back came rushing over her at once.
Both of her legs were badly swollen, and her shoulders throbbed as though they might fall apart at any moment.
“I have to do this again tomorrow?”
Now that she had actually reached the yeogak, worry began to creep up on her.
She had somehow managed to endure one day through sheer stubbornness.
But two days, a week, a month.
Walking like this every day was realistically impossible.
But it wasn’t as though there was any other way.
This was an era without cars or trains.
The only way to travel was to keep walking on two legs.
“Ah, whatever. Whatever. I’ll rest first and think about tomorrow later.”
She couldn’t think about anything.
Right now, all she wanted was to lie down and rest.
“Is our lodging over there……?”
Familiar voices could be heard not far away.
Hayun dragged her exhausted body toward the lodging.
Just then.
“That’s not the way.”
Jeopjang Yoon, who had arrived at the yeogak earlier, stopped Hayun.
He raised his hand and pointed in a different direction, rather than toward the room where the porters were gathered.
“Haengsu Im, I’ve arranged a separate room for you.”
“Why……?”
Hayun looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Jeopjang Yoon opened his mouth.
“You may be temporary, but you are still the Daehangsu in name. A Daehangsu ought to have a private room.”
“…Thank you.”
Touched by the unexpected consideration, Hayun bowed her head.
Then Jeopjang Yoon pointed behind him.
Song Do-hyeon had arrived by now as well.
“Haengsu Song can share a room with me. I’ve arranged a separate room for us, too.”
“Understood.”
Song Do-hyeon bowed his head.
Then Jeopjang Yoon stopped Hayun once again.
“Haengsu Im.”
“Yes?”
“Will you have some time later?”
“I can, but why do you ask……?”
When Hayun asked with an exhausted expression, Jeopjang Yoon explained the reason.
“There are some things regarding the trade with Qing that we should discuss in advance.”
“Ah, of course.”
“Then come to our room around sulsi.”
“Understood.”
After making their arrangements, the three of them dispersed to their respective rooms.
***
Sulsi.
The lodging of Jeopjang Yoon and Song Do-hyeon.
Knock, knock.
“It’s Haengsu Im.”
“Come in.”
Along with the sound of knocking, Hayun entered.
Inside the lodging, Jeopjang Yoon and Song Do-hyeon were already seated.
“Have a seat.”
Jeopjang Yoon pointed to the empty seat.
Once Hayun sat down, the meeting began immediately.
“Well then, let’s hear what our temporary Daehangsu has in mind.”
“Before that, could you tell me how the ginseng trade has been conducted up until now? That way, I can make a more accurate plan as well.”
“Of course.”
Jeopjang Yoon nodded.
Then he began explaining the ginseng trade.
“Actually, there’s nothing particularly special about the ginseng trade. Just as we always do, we provide the goods and receive payment.”
“I see.”
“For reference, the payment is made in silver.”
“Silver?”
Hayun’s eyes widened slightly.
“It’s easier to trade again if we’re paid in silver. It can be used as-is both in Qing and in Joseon.”
“Ahh. I see.”
Hayun continued asking questions.
“Then how much should we receive per box of ginseng?”
“Thirty nyang in silver.”
“Would it be all right to charge more than thirty nyang?”
“If that were possible, of course. But it won’t be easy.”
“Why?”
“Because the other side consists of Qing merchants who are notorious cheapskates.”
Jeopjang Yoon shook his head with an exasperated expression.
“Qing merchants are skilled at bargaining. It’s standard for them to quote an absurdly low price from the very beginning, and they don’t hesitate to use underhanded methods such as collusion and intimidation.”
“Even so, how were you able to continue trading with them all this time?”
At Hayun’s question, Jeopjang Yoon chuckled.
“Our Daebang once taught those bastards a harsh lesson.”
“How?”
Jeopjang Yoon paused for a moment.
Then he answered calmly.
“We burned the ginseng.”
“What……? What did you say?”
At the unexpected answer, Hayun’s eyes widened.
“We burned every bit of the ginseng we had brought right in front of them.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Jeopjang Yoon’s mouth.
It was as though he were remembering that time.
“They offered an utterly ridiculous price, so Daebang-nim burned all the ginseng. Burned it until it was blazing.”
“Whaaat?”
Thinking of the Im Sang-ok she knew now, it was an incident that was almost impossible to imagine.
Jeopjang Yoon continued with a chuckle.
“Then those bastards caused a huge commotion after the fact. They started begging us to sell them even the remaining ginseng.”
“And for how much……?”
“In the end, he sold the remaining ginseng for ten times the original price.”
“Heh heh….”
Hayun let out a hollow laugh.
It was an anecdote that did not suit Im Sang-ok at all, who had always shown such a benevolent and dignified appearance.
‘Our Daebang-nim. He was more fiery than he looked.’
Im Sang-ok was endlessly benevolent toward those who upheld the principles of commerce, but he showed not the slightest mercy to those who violated those principles first.
And that same blood flowed through Hayun as well.
“After that, they didn’t complain much about the prices we offered.”
“I see.”
“But the atmosphere has changed somewhat these days.”
Suddenly, Jeopjang Yoon’s expression darkened.
“As Daebang-nim has grown old and gradually stopped showing himself, voices of dissatisfaction have begun to emerge, little by little.”
“Ah….”
“Knowing that, Daebang-nim also chose you as our representative.”
Jeopjang Yoon looked directly at Hayun.
“To deal with the Qing bastards, you need a bold streak like yours. Someone who can ram straight into them if necessary.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Only now did Hayun truly feel the weight of the situation.
She finally realized just how important this trade was.
It struck her anew that she had been entrusted with such an important trade, one upon which Mansang’s fate depended.
“If they act underhandedly again, would burning the ginseng work again this time?”
“They aren’t foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.”
“Hmm… then I’ll have to think a little harder, won’t I?”
Hayun muttered, resting her chin on her hand.
“For now, we don’t know how they’ll act….”
“I see. If you come up with a good idea, let me know anytime.”
Perhaps because she had pushed herself so hard today, Hayun could no longer think properly.
Seeing that Hayun was exhausted, Jeopjang Yoon decided to wrap up the meeting.
“Let’s leave it at that for today. We still have a long road ahead of us.”
“Understood.”
Just before the meeting ended, Hayun asked one last question.
“Oh, right. Who is the representative for the Qing side of the trade? I should at least know his name.”
“A man named Wi So-gang.”
“Wi So-gang……?”
At the mention of the name Wi So-gang, Song Do-hyeon, who had been silently listening to the conversation until then, narrowed his eyes.
Jeopjang Yoon glanced at him.
“Ah, did you say Wi So-gang and Haengsu Song are the same age?”
“Yes… that’s right.”
“Anyway, that man is their representative for this trade. From what I hear, he drove out the previous Daebang and took his place.”
“I see….”
Song Do-hyeon’s expression stiffened.
In fact, Song Do-hyeon and Wi So-gang had accompanied each other on several trade missions as attendants.
While Wi So-gang, who had once been in the same position as him, had now become the representative of Qing, he himself still remained a low-ranking haengsu.
There was no way it wouldn’t sting.
Jeopjang Yoon watched Song Do-hyeon’s expression for a moment before speaking.
“As you’ve seen him several times, Haengsu Song, you know that he isn’t someone to take lightly.”
“I know very well.”
Wi So-gang had originally been a man active in the back alleys.
The merchant guild he belonged to was also far from respectable.
The Black Snake Gang, which Wi So-gang belonged to, had originally begun by threatening merchants and forcing them to buy goods.
They had made a name for themselves through all sorts of infamous acts, such as stealing goods from competing merchant guilds and secretly attacking them to burn down their warehouses.
Now that their influence had grown, such blatant acts had decreased, but various suspicions still followed the Black Snake Gang he belonged to like a label that would not come off.
In fact, the disappearance of the previous leader of the Black Snake Gang had also been accompanied by many suspicions.
“Anyway, now that he has come out as the representative for this trade, it won’t be easy.”
“Then I have a suggestion.”
Song Do-hyeon suddenly proposed something.
“What is it?”
“He is a man who cares about appearances.”
As befits a man of the underworld, Wi So-gang was endlessly servile toward the strong and endlessly ruthless toward the weak.
He did not hesitate to openly threaten people, even going so far as to wear a sword when coming to the negotiation table.
“He is used to looking down on others. We must not let them underestimate us.”
“You’re right.”
“Therefore, we need to show an appearance befitting the situation as well.”
Song Do-hyeon paused for a moment before saying,
“How about we enter on horseback?”
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